Sixteen

Over the next two months, I got better and better at making out with Eben without triggering a flashback. Part of the credit for that also went to the therapist I"d decided to meet with after the night I"d fallen into a night terror that hadn"t just scared me but Eben too.

I"d realized I couldn"t put all the burden of my trauma on Eben, that I needed to learn how to deal with it without using Eben and his wonderful tentacles as a coping mechanism.

After I"d had a few sessions—we"d done the first two in person, and then the rest through video call so I wouldn"t have to go into the city every time—I"d wished I"d done it earlier.

I hadn"t realized how much talking about it could help, and while I hated remembering anything about my time in captivity, getting it off my chest made me feel lighter. Having a therapist also meant I didn"t have to tell Eben about all the shit that man had put me through.

With regular therapy sessions and the tricks my therapist had taught me to deal with panic attacks and flashbacks, I felt much stronger, and Eben could see that too. He didn"t hover as much now, and though I still loved having his tentacles wrapped around me, I didn"t need them as badly anymore.

"Hey, sweetheart. What"s on your mind?" Eben asked as he settled on the couch beside me and turned to face me.

I smiled, then shook my head. "Nothing much. Just thinking about how much things have changed since I first got here."

He smiled, his gold eyes gleaming warmly. "They sure have."

I lay down on the couch, putting my head in his lap. Eben gazed down at me with such a fond look on his face that I could easily convince myself he loved me.

My feelings for Eben had grown exponentially in the past two months too. I could admit now that, in the beginning, I"d only wanted to be close to Eben because he was the one who"d saved me. I"d felt safe with him—probably because of the bond we shared—and so I"d stuck close.

But like everything else, my feelings for Eben had changed too. They"d grown, become more intense. I still felt safe with Eben, but now I also wanted him. Needed him in a way I"d never needed anyone before.

I loved Eben. I hadn"t told him yet, but it was true. I was in love with my sexy kraken mate...and I was ready to be more intimate with him.

"What are you thinking about now? Your cheeks are all flushed." Eben trailed the tip of a tentacle down my cheek, then to the base of my throat, and I shivered at the touch, my cock twitching in my pants.

I"d only started feeling arousal again a few weeks ago, and I"d jerked myself off a couple of times to the thoughts of Eben and his magnificent tentacles, just to make sure I could do it without freaking out.

I"d waited before mentioning anything to Eben to make sure I was okay with the idea of doing things with him. I"d also talked to my therapist about it, and she"d been very encouraging, which was a little awkward since she was old enough to be my mom.

"I was thinking..." I reached up and rested my palm on his chest before slowly trailing it down his torso until I reached the waistband of his pants. "I want to do...more with you. I want to..." For some reason, "fuck" didn"t sound right, and I couldn"t figure out a different way to explain what I wanted, so I let my hand trail lower, keeping my movement slow enough that he could stop me if he wanted to.

Eben didn"t stop me, and I bit my lower lip as my palm cupped his bulge. His eyes heated up, and his cock swelled under my hand, straining against the fabric of his pants.

"Are you sure?" The gold of Eben"s eyes swirled hypnotically, and I nodded mutely. "Say it," he insisted, and I swallowed hard.

"I want you."

Suddenly, tentacles were pulling me upright, and then Eben"s lips were on mine.

"If you want to stop, just say it. Or pinch me if you can"t speak. Okay?" He murmured the words against my lips as if that would make me more likely to agree.

"I will." I knew in every cell of my body that if I asked, he would stop. Without hesitation, without asking why. He"d stop just because I asked him to.

Hearing what he wanted to, Eben pressed his lips more firmly to mine, his tongue caressing my lower lip as his arms tightened around me, his fingers sliding into my hair and holding me close.

Kissing Eben was a full-body experience, because while his mouth danced against mine and his hand cupped my head, his tentacles were busy exploring every inch of me and driving me crazy with all the delicious touches.

I broke away with a gasp when my lungs started burning, and Eben trailed kisses down my jaw, as if now that I"d said yes, he couldn"t wait a second longer. It was kind of sexy, knowing how affected he was. It made me feel sexy.

I reached for his waistband, and he loosely wrapped a tentacle around my wrist. He didn"t exactly stop me, but I still glanced up at him to make sure he wanted this.

"Remember, we can stop at any time," he said, and I nodded, touched by his utter goodness, even if my horny brain was getting a tad annoyed at him.

Loosening the drawstring, I slid my hand into his pants and drew his hard cock out. It was, like the rest of him, huge. I"d seen my fair share of cocks, but I didn"t think I"d ever seen one this big. Just the thought of having him inside me sent shivers of pleasure up my spine, but not yet. I wasn"t ready for that just yet.

I ran my thumb over the head of his cock, humming when a burst of precum spilled out. I spread it around the head, licking my lips as his tip glistened with precum.

Sliding back on his thighs a little, I loosened my own pants and pulled out my cock, slimmer and shorter in comparison but no less hard.

Shifting forward once more, I went to wrap my palm around both of our lengths when Eben tightened the grip he still had on my wrist, stopping me mid-motion.

"Allow me," he said in a throaty murmur, and all I could do was silently pull my hand away as excitement rushed through me.

Fuck, I didn"t think Hobie had ever looked more beautiful than he did sitting on my lap with the sunlight from the glass door shining down on him. His cheeks were flushed pink, his brown eyes dark with desire. The waves of his dirty-blond hair hung into his eyes as he lowered his head to watch our cocks as I slowly wrapped a tentacle around them both, circling it around our lengths to form a sleeve we could fuck into.

"Oh shit," Hobie hissed as I tightened my grip, and I bit back a groan as my cock rubbed against the silky skin of his. I used the suckers on my tentacles to release a little bit of the oily liquid they produced to keep my skin from drying out, using it as lubricant. "Holy shit, what the... that"s fucking awesome." Hobie groaned, and I smiled, a little amused and a lot turned on by how vocal he was.

Wrapping two of my other tentacles around him, I tugged him close, pulling him into another kiss while I jerked us both off.

Hobie moaned into my mouth, his tongue tangling with mine as he thrust into my grip, his fingers digging into my arms as he held onto me.

Before Hobie, I hadn"t had much interest in intimacy of any kind. Sure, sometimes I"d hook up with random humans or supes to scratch an itch or just to pass the time, but I"d never felt the kind of sexual attraction that inspired true passion. Not like I did now.

Even after he came into my life, I"d been so focused on his health and safety in the beginning that I hadn"t allowed myself to see him in a romantic or sexual sense. But now? Now I couldn"t stop doing it.

I loved Hobie. It was as simple as that. I was in love with this human, and I wanted to experience everything with him.

"Fuck, Eben. You feel so good." Hobie gasped, his eyes glassy with pleasure as he pulled away to drag in a breath. I kept forgetting he needed to breathe, that he couldn"t keep kissing me indefinitely.

While he caught his breath, I trailed kisses down his jaw, then his throat, finding a spot I just couldn"t resist biting.

Hobie moaned loudly as my teeth dug into his skin, and spilled a good amount of precum onto my tentacle, adding to the slippery mess.

"You like that?" I murmured against his skin, and he made a noise of assent.

Smiling into his neck, I ran my tongue over the skin, licking the salt off it and tasting the faint sweetness of his skin. Or maybe it was just my fanciful thinking. Rose-colored glasses and all that.

Leaving tiny little bites in my wake, I trailed my lips down his sternum, pulling back and removing his shirt before kissing and licking and biting every bit of skin I could reach. Hobie threw his head back and pushed his chest out, giving me complete access to him.

Glancing up, I realized he"d closed his eyes, and reached up to brush a tentacle against his lips.

"Eyes on me, sweetheart," I murmured, and he nodded, his Adam"s apple bobbing enticingly as he glanced down at me. "Good."

Since I couldn"t reach any lower with us joined at our cocks, I moved up again, licking his Adam"s apple and sucking on it, then absorbing the moan that vibrated through Hobie to me.

"Shit. I"m close, Eben," Hobie murmured, and I rose up, pulling him into another kiss as I sped up the movement on my tentacle, jacking us off faster as I poured all my love and care for him into the kiss.

Hobie gasped into my mouth a moment before his release spilled between us, coating my cock, my tentacle, and my shirt as he shuddered in my hold. His lips were parted in bliss as he panted against my lips, his eyes half-lidded and hazy with pleasure.

The look on his face, the mix of bliss and contentment, was what sent me over the edge, and I reached my climax, adding to the mess between us and painting Hobie"s stomach with my cum.

Hobie fell onto me as the aftershocks washed over me, his body limp and loose as he snuggled closer and stuck his face into my neck.

"Mmmm, smells good," he mumbled, making me chuckle softly.

"We"re a mess, sweetheart, and in a minute, you"re going to be desperate for a shower." I rested my head against the backrest and caught my bearings. My heart was taking its time slowing down, and I could hear Hobie"s thundering heart too.

It was only when I heard footsteps approaching that I realized we really shouldn"t have done this in the living room.

Before Nala or Tarika could get an eyeful of my sleepy, sated, and half-naked mate, I rushed to my feet, tentacles wrapped tightly around Hobie, and hurried into our bedroom, closing and locking the door behind us.

We"d moved Hobie"s stuff into my room a month or so ago, mostly because I"d spent all my nights in his room anyway, and mine was bigger, with a more comfortable bed.

"Where are we going?" Hobie"s voice was thick with sleepiness, and I smiled, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

"First, we"ll clean up. Then, we"ll take a nap."

Hobie hummed happily. "You"ll stay, right?" he asked after I"d tidied us up with some wet towels, deciding a shower could wait. I"d thought he"d fallen asleep, but apparently not.

"Of course I"ll stay. Where else would I want to be than right by your side?"

Hobie gave me a sleepy smile as I carried him to bed, placing him on the mattress and removing his dirty pants. Once I"d removed my own clothes, I joined him and pulled a blanket over us.

I heard the screen door open in the living room as Hobie snuggled into me with a happy little sigh, and then Nala and Tarika"s voices filled the room before quickly petering off.

Then, Nala swore. "Ew. It stinks to high heaven here."

"It stinks like sex," Tarika grumbled, and I winced. I felt a little sorry for them, but then again, it was their fault for walking into a mated pair"s house like they owned the place.

"I know you can hear me, you ass. We"re leaving. We"ll be back in the evening. Please be presentable."

Chuckling under my breath, I said, "Sorry. We"ll see you later."

"You better. We"re leaving." Tarika grunted, and their footsteps retreated, the sound of the glass door closing following in their wake.

Pulling Hobie closer, I decided a nap didn"t sound like a bad idea after all.