Chapter 11

Eleven

She knew that he was worried. She'd been worried when he first touched her, because she knew how different they were. Alys had been afraid to disappoint him. She had worried he might see the differences and find her ugly.

But he hadn't. Imber had looked at her and reacted like she was a goddess and he was the lucky bastard who got to spend a few minutes with her. That reaction, more than anything else, gave her the courage to take control.

If he needed her to prove that she wasn't afraid, and in fact elated to have this moment with him, then she would happily do so. Nothing would distract her from this. Especially now that he had laid her out, surrounded by a rainbow of coral, and he was right here. Ready for her to do whatever she wanted with him.

Biting her lip, she eyed the nervous expression on his face before deciding she knew what to do.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," she whispered, planting her hands against his chest and giving him a little shove. He didn't fight her.

Imber rolled onto his back, allowing her to straddle him and to gently move their connection to her right. She wanted that cord within sight, but she also didn't want to think about it. Distractions had no place here.

Then she forgot about the dangers of being underwater and instead focused on the handsome creature splayed out underneath her. She skated her fingers over his chest, letting her fingers dip into the hollows where muscles created shadows. He was warmer than she expected. Normally, he was a rather chilly creature to touch.

But every time she pressed down on a new muscle, or moved farther down his body, he seemed to radiate even more heat. As she watched, the gills on the side of his neck flared out, shaking just a bit with nerves or perhaps with want.

"Alys," he murmured, licking his lips as his eyes went even darker. "I don't know that you'll like what you find."

"Hm?" She leaned down and flicked one of his rib gills with her tongue. "I don't know why or how you're still thinking."

Although he didn't seem to hear the words she said. Because he was arching into her, his spine curving as her lips and tongue descended on one of the most sensitive parts of his body. He shook against her, this massive creature quaking in her arms all because of her soft lips and darting tongue.

She could get used to this. Having him come apart underneath her was surprisingly empowering.

Perhaps this was how he'd felt when she lay beneath him as well. Writhing in the sands because he'd brought her to such an incredible peak that she'd seen stars.

Again she hummed, and his tail thudded hard against the sand as she slid her lips a little lower. Tracing the lines of his abs with her tongue and then biting down on his side with a sharp little nip that had him hissing out a breath. She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised as he clearly tried to get control of himself.

"What are you doing?" he rasped.

"Do your people not do this?"

"I don't know what you're even trying to do." His hands clenched in the sands, and she wondered if he was trying to stop himself from yanking her up to his face. "I told you already, Alys. My people's mating dance is brutal and painful. Especially for the male."

She let out a little mewl that made her question if she'd even made the noise. The pitying sound was so teasing and so... erotic. "Poor Imber. I should make that up to you."

His dark eyes flashed with desire, and his voice deepened. "Just how are you going to that, little one?"

She could explain it to him, but she wanted to show him. Alys moved down his body, allowing his tail to slither between her legs. His scales dragged over her folds and the slight abrasion had her shuddering. But right now wasn't about her. All she had to do was find his... well, hopefully he had....

Her hands smoothed over a part of his scales that didn't feel like the rest. She wasn't sure why it felt different. Perhaps it was that it felt a little hollow compared to the rest of his scales. But she knew right away that this must be the area she was looking for.

She could only hope he had a cock like a human. Things would be fine if he didn't. She'd miss certain aspects of that but... her fingers grazed over the area and then he was there. All at once, sliding out from behind the scales and revealing that he definitely had a cock.

In fact, he had two.

"Two," she whispered, taken a little aback by the discovery.

He looked down his body at her, still laid out on the sands like a banquet she could feast upon whenever she wanted. And he looked... nervous. "Is that a surprise?"

"Definitely." She needed to maybe not stare at him with such wide-eyed shock. But two of them.

And they were huge, lying right on top of the other. Long and tapered, at the very least, so she could imagine they would go in rather easy. The tip was significantly thinner than the rest of him, and all smooth. Very little texture, and ridiculously wide at the base. She wasn't entirely sure it was logical that she could take all of him but the more she stared, the more she wanted to try.

Perhaps she should ease into it. Perhaps she should just try to see where her original plan got them. So, making eye contact with him and a little smile, she licked the top one from the base to the tip.

She didn't miss the nervous expression before he slammed his head back against the sands. Of course, that would make sense. He'd said his people had a rather violent sexual experience whenever they were together, so it made sense that he'd likely never experienced this before. A blowjob wasn't conducive to pain.

Licking him again, she gently slid the tip of him into her mouth and swirled her tongue around it. She took her time learning what made him gasp and writhe against the sands. Mostly because she didn't know his anatomy, and also because she liked having him at her mercy.

His claws dug into the sand. The fluke of his tail slapped against the ground multiple times before she felt him wrap the very tip around her leg. Almost as though he wanted to coil around her like a snake, but knew that if he did that, she might stop what she was doing. And he couldn't let her stop what she was doing. Not when he wanted it so badly.

It was different from any of her other sexual experiences. He wasn't built like a human, but she wasn't built like him. The more she licked and touched, the more she thought this might actually be possible.

"Alys," he groaned. "You have to stop. I'm going to—"

She didn't want to stop.

So she didn't.

In fact, she sucked even harder. Squeezed with her hands a little tighter, just to see what would happen. What did he taste like?

Then his cock jumped against her tongue and suddenly he was spurting into her mouth. Not eggs, as she had the briefest flicker of fear that he might. But a rather umami flavored seed that coated her mouth with a not so unpleasant flavor at all.

When she opened her eyes, the iridescent liquid had escaped her lips. It floated up between them, shimmering like a rainbow, and she had the strange sensation that it might be the prettiest thing she'd ever seen before.

Then he reached down for her, gently dragging a claw tipped finger over her bottom lip. He looked at her like she was a goddess. And maybe, just maybe, she was a little.

"I didn't realize your mouth could do that." He pressed a little harder against her lips, forcing her to open her mouth. "I don't think I'll look at it the same way again."

She licked the tip of his finger. "Well, I had to return the favor."

Those eyes darkened, and he sat up. Pulling her with him, he wedged her in his lap and she felt how hard he still was. Impossibly. She hadn't thought...

With a gasp, she froze as he lifted her just enough to put the head of his bottom cock against her entrance.

"Wait," she whispered. "You can still..."

"Alys, I have two of them for a reason." Those dark eyes met hers with an intent stare. "As long as you still wish to..."

"Yes!" she blurted a little too quickly. "It's just, normally, there's a refractory period."

"A what?"

"Men don't stay hard where I come from." She reached down and touched the top cock that was still half hard. "There's some benefit to having you around, I see."

The crooked grin on his face was enough to send a rush of heat between her legs. "Oh, Alys, you have no idea how much you're going to like having me as your mate."

She should have argued that he wasn't her mate. That the term was a little too barbaric for her, but she didn't. Instead, she reveled in the thrill the words sent shooting through her body as his tail suddenly undulated behind her. He looped it around her waist, locking her in place even as the rest of it created a comfortable brace for her back.

Then he flexed all those muscles in his tail and the head of him slid inside her. She felt her mouth drop open as she made a little sound of surprise. Even the head of him, and she'd had that in her mouth, was so big.

His face contorted with pleasure, those fangs bared as he wedged himself a little deeper, drawing back only to push in a little farther the next time. He eased himself inside her, slowly working over and over again with so much patience that it made her heart race.

Throughout it all, he whispered encouragement.

"Alys, yes. Breathe, you beautiful woman. Breathe for me, love. Look how well you take me."

She hadn't realized just how much she enjoyed hearing the deep sound of his voice, and the praise that dripped off his tongue so easily.

He leaned down, his long tongue wrapping nearly entirely around her breast as the tip teased her nipples into hard points that ached for more of his touch. More of him. She needed him, wanted him, and then she felt him bottom out inside her. He groaned, and the sound mixed with the whimper of need that made her throat tighten.

"Move," she said. "Please, I want to feel you."

It was all he needed. He drew back and slammed inside her so hard she felt her teeth rattle, but it didn't matter. It was everything she had asked for and more. What he lacked in texture, he made up for in stretching her so wide it was hard to breathe sometimes.

Every slam inside her, every slow glide, it brought her closer and closer to the orgasm she chased. Needing. Wanting. Aching for what he could give her until... until...

He reached between them and pressed his other cock against her, rubbing it with every stroke against her clit. The sensation of him, of being filled by him and still having more than she could touch and taste if she wished. It was too much. Both cocks were so hard now and he was touching her with both of them.

She clamped down on him, so tight he was forced to freeze inside her. A low growl echoed through his chest, fluttering his rib gills against her as he arched. It was so much, so perfect, everything she needed.

Alys had always closed her eyes when she came. It was a natural response, she'd always thought, sealing the emotions inside her because she couldn't look at the other person while she felt such pleasure in her body. But this time, she kept her eyes open. She watched the monstrous being inside her come, and he was glorious.

Every muscle bulged with his release. He looked every bit the monster that she knew he could be, and yet, she wanted him even more. The sight of him losing himself completely inside her, the feel of the hot gush between her thighs, it only made her come even longer.

He was perfect. He was everything she hadn't realized she'd been looking for until this moment, with his cock still twitching inside her and his already spent cock between them.

This wasn't traditional. She couldn't even claim it was normal.

But it was what she wanted, and she was so happy.

Imber's tail shifted underneath her, dragging her limp body even closer to his arms so he could wrap her up in him. He let the ocean hold both of them, buoyant and comfortable as they slowly spiraled down from an orgasm that had shaken her to her very core.

Breathing hard still, she tried to suck as much air as she could from their connection. He was breathing just as ragged as her, so it was rather easy to catch her breath. It also connected them even more, because she knew what his body felt like. How hard it was for him to breathe right now, and how his heart thundered against hers.

Or two of his hearts, she supposed as she pressed her hands against both of the thuds and smiled up at him. "Still with me?"

"For as long as you'll have me," he breathed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and coiling her a little tighter in his grip. It meant that he slid out of her, but she was so wrapped in him that it didn't matter.

Breathing together, safely tucked into the sands and surrounded by so much coral, it was like she was in a dream. As though she'd slipped into her greatest desire and stayed there.

All the worries bled out of her body until she only had him and her. Curled around each other, the softness in her heart spread into him.

She felt the little sigh that rocked through her body as he tucked her underneath his chin and they both slipped into sleep. There were no words for what they had just done.

There was only the knowledge that they were safe with each other. And as she drifted off into sleep, she realized she didn't just feel safe with him physically.

Because she knew, without question, that he would also be careful with her heart.