Kate and the Kraken by Honey Phillips
Chapter Seven
Seems I am destined to spend all of my time around Kate with my moa threatening to emerge, A’tai thought ruefully as he swam away from the cave. Just the memory of her soft little fingers stroking his suckers made it throb. When she had asked him if they were compatible, her eyes so wide and green, he had been on the verge of showing her exactly how well their bodies would fit together.
But then a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. He had seen enough while he cared for her to know that her cunt was as small and delicate as the rest of her, and his moa was not small. He would have to prepare her well before holding her in the mating position. The thought of that preparation made him throb again, and he forced his mind back to more practical matters.
Kate seemed anxious to be on land once more, so he would check the condition of the waves first. He emerged to find that both suns had risen. Long, rolling swells surrounded him but they would be easy enough to navigate, even on the surface. The trip to Ataian would take no more than a few hours, so he decided not to stop and fish. Simea would have plenty of food for them.
As he surfaced in the cave pool, he saw Kate standing by the far wall of the cave, using the thin trickle of fresh water to bathe. He froze as he watched her wipe a wet hand across her neck, then down under the short gown to trace her breasts. His moa jerked against his sheath when her hand started to descend further, and he forced himself to interrupt.
“We have bathing facilities at my home.”
She jumped, but then she turned to face him. The dampness made the thin material cling to those intriguing breasts, and he could see every detail, even the impudent peaks pressing against the fabric. He ached to explore those tempting little buds, to find out if they were as delicious as the rest of her skin, but he confined himself to a visual exploration. Somewhat to his surprise, she let him look. Although the pink glow of the susulu made it difficult to know for sure, he could have sworn that her color had deepened. Was that a sign of her arousal?
But then she twisted her hands together and he saw them tremble. No, she wasn’t ready. He would have to be satisfied with the fact that she seemed to be adjusting to him.
“The seas have calmed,” he said as he rose into the cave and assumed his land form. “This would be a good time to resume our journey.”
“To your island?”
“Yes.”
“How far is it? I can swim, but it’s been a long—”
“I will carry you,” he said firmly. He would not permit her fragile body to be at the mercy of the water.
“Won’t I be too heavy?”
He forced himself not to be insulted at her assumption of his weakness. She was still new to their ways. “Not in the least. But…”
“But what?”
“This cave is quite a long way beneath the water. In order to rise slowly and carefully to the surface, we will need to share breath.”
“What does that mean?”
“I will take in oxygen through my gills and breathe it into your mouth.”
“You have gills?” Her uncertainty vanished as she inspected him curiously. “Of course. That makes perfect sense now that I think about it. May I see?”
He made himself stand still as she approached and raised her hand to his neck. A male’s gills were his weakest point—if an enemy clawed them open, he would be unable to breathe beneath the waters. In the old days, only the most vicious fighters would dare such a move. But this was Kate, and he breathed in her tantalizing fragrance as she brushed her soft fingers along the fragile slits No one had ever touched him there before, and a sudden bolt of unexpected lust washed over him.
Her eyes widened. “Does that feel good?”
“They are sensitive,” he said noncommittally as he gently drew her hand away. “Are you ready?”
Her lips twisted. “It’s not like I have anything to pack.”
She would soon, he vowed. Clothes and jewels that suited her exotic beauty.
“Put your arms around my neck.” He leaned down and scooped her up. The exquisite softness of her body pressed against his distracted him to the point where he almost missed her nervous gasp. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Are you sure this is going to work?”
Her face was so close to his, her eyes wide and scared. He put his arm beneath her round little bottom, pulling her closer to him. To his delight, her legs came up and encircled his waist, her sweet little cunt pressed against his stomach.
“I’m sure. This is how I brought you here. Just hold on to me and put your mouth against mine.”
Her little pink tongue swiped across her lips, and then she obeyed. He gently pushed her lips further apart until he could breathe into her mouth. To his shock, her tongue flicked against his, soft and smooth and delicious. Did she remember exploring him that way when he carried her to the cave? But this time he knew she was conscious, and with a groan, he let himself explore in return.
She clung to him, just as she had done before, and his limbs started to unfurl. One came up to curve under her ass, tasting the soft curves. It wasn’t until another started to curl around her leg and he realized that he was on the verge of putting her into the mating position that he came to his senses. He made himself raise his head.
Her eyes as dark as the stormy sea, she stared up at him. Her lips were damp and swollen, impossibly tempting, but she spoke before he could taste them again.
“I-I thought we were leaving.”
“We were. Until you kissed me.”
Even in the pink glow, he was sure her cheeks grew darker.
“I was… curious. Your tongue—you have suckers there as well?”
“Yes. Does it disturb you?”
She shivered, and he could feel the hard points of her breasts pressing against him like heated pebbles. “No. But maybe we should actually leave this time?”
“Then as soon as our mouths touch, I will take you into the water—before we are distracted again. Do not be afraid, amali.”
She nodded and he pressed his mouth to her once more, and dove.
Kate fought backan immediate sensation of panic as the water closed over them. Her arms and legs were wrapped so tightly around A’tai she was surprised he could move, but he didn’t even pause. His limbs flared out beneath her, expanding and contracting in a rhythmic pulse that drove them through the water with astonishing speed. His mouth was still pressed to hers, and after her initial panic faded, she could feel the faint rush of oxygen into her lungs.
As she relaxed, she thought back to their kiss. She really had been curious, and still trying to decide if she could be the seductive type, when she stroked her tongue against his. But then he had responded and all thoughts of seduction flew out of her mind. All she could do was hold on as he took over. And that tongue—teasing, sucking, setting her nerves quivering with excitement. Her nipples had tightened, and she could actually feel herself dampen. She had been on the verge of writhing against him when he lifted his head.
The only thing that had stopped her from melting with embarrassment was that he was clearly equally aroused. His skin was flushed gold, and she was sure that one of his limbs had been curled around her butt, pressing those soft, sucking little kisses to the sensitive flesh. What would they feel like against other, even more sensitive areas? The image sent a fresh rush of arousal to her core and he jerked against her.
How could he possibly know she was aroused? And yet, she was sure that she had seen the flicker of gold across his skin.
Determined to divert her mind, she turned her attention to the surrounding water. Despite the jade green tint, it was remarkably clear. A variety of brightly colored fish and plants surrounded them. Even though she had specialized at a microscopic level, she recognized the signs of a vibrant and healthy ocean. Although they were moving swiftly through the water, there was an almost hypnotic quality to their journey, and she found herself relaxing into A’tai’s arms as he swam.
When he finally breached the surface, the air on her face felt strange, and it took a moment before she thought to pull away from his mouth. He smiled at her.
“Is this better?”
She took a deep breath of the warm, salty air, then smiled back. “In some ways. But I… I enjoyed our journey.”
“As did I. But I think we can accomplish the rest of the journey on the surface, unless the waves increase.”
As far as she could tell, nothing surrounded them but endless rolling green waves. If she’d been on her own, she would have been terrified. But A’tai’s presence put her at ease. She was quite sure he would take care of her.
“How do you know which way to go? Because of the suns?”
“Somewhat. But more from the feel and taste of the currents.”
Wasn’t that an octopus trait as well? The ability to taste with their suckers? No wonder he sensed my arousal, she thought, her cheeks heating.
He didn’t seem to notice, adjusting their position so that they were horizontal in the water. He still kept her cradled against his chest as he started swimming again, and she noticed that he kept his head positioned to shield her from the oncoming waves. The sky overhead was a pale aqua, gradually lightening as the last of the storm clouds blew away.
Even though her work revolved around the ocean, she rarely made it out on the water anymore, and she realized she had missed it. She relaxed against him, watching sleepily as the water rushed by and birds circled far overhead, content to let him carry her across the water.
