Page 8 of Entranced By the Nakken (Freedom, Love, Monsters #4)

“It’s okay,” Sophie whispered, her tone full of understanding. “It made me feel a lot of things, too.”

Shit. This wouldn’t work if he didn’t open up a little, too.

“I haven’t always been worthy of the love I’ve been given.

Sometimes I think of all the people who deserve my own life more than I do, and I wish I could …

hand it over to them.” It was Casey who had to look away this time.

Sophie’s hand landed on his with a squeeze.

“Got to fix that band name if we’re doing this.

” He recalled Anna’s scorn and chuckled. “If Anna will let us.”

“Oh, she will. She loves Restless Villainess Revival. She had to act all badass, so she didn’t get too excited.” Sophie smirked. She glanced at her phone. “Fuck, my parents will be bringing Arietta back soon. You work on those lyrics, and I’ve already got some ideas for the breakdown.”

Casey gathered his things and hugged Sophie tight enough to banish thoughts of any bad blood between them. Then he left, hoping his heels didn’t leave scorch marks with how fast he ran to his car.

Casey parked at an abandoned shack a short way from the rendezvous spot. He’d brought his keyboard this time and looped the waterproof case over his shoulder, making triple-sure the car was locked with his bass in the trunk.

Since he usually walked straight from his house, he didn’t get to see this part of the river often.

It was much wider than his secret spot. The afternoon sun speckled the water in an enchanting glow, almost like the river itself was covered in beautiful shimmering scales.

So damn pretty. Casey started humming to himself, a tune that came out of nowhere.

Splash.

Casey paid no mind to the sounds coming from the stream until a powerful splash spritzed him. He raised an arm in defense and turned, only to meet one crystalline eye of a long, slender water dragon. The exact one he’d swum with in his dream.

Casey broke into a grin. Tsunis. Their beastly gaze danced with mischief as they dolphin-jumped from the water.

Their slender, pale blue body arched, twinkling in the ribbons of sun streaking through the trees.

An opalescent fin trailed at the end of their long torso.

It soared up in an elegant swoop and crashed down, drenching Casey with river water.

Surprised, Casey widened his stance and gaped down at his soaked clothing, then burst into laughter. He cupped his hand around his mouth and shouted, “Brat!”

So this was Tsunis’ so-called malevolent side, huh? A naughty water spirit that liked to play tricks. Oh, that brat had no idea what they’d done.

Casey walked a few feet further, carefully set the keyboard down, then paused, watching for Tsunis to resurface.

When the iridescent shimmer of scales flashed, he peeled off the drenched tank top, flexing more than necessary.

He wasn’t the most fit guy around, but he maintained his shape.

The sheer desire that burned in the dragon’s marble eyes made Casey feel like the sexiest motherfucker on the planet.

Still a decent ways away from their spot, Casey paused at the water’s edge and leaned against a tree.

He ran a rough hand through his hair and bit his bottom lip, casting Tsunis a pretty-boy smolder.

Was it wise to tempt a dangerous creature known to lure humans to their deaths?

Maybe not, but Casey wanted to be lured by Tsunis, to drown in them.

The broad head of the dragon peeked from the water like an alligator patiently stalking their prey.

When Casey slipped one thumb in the waistband of his drenched shorts, the predator lost all semblance of patience.

Tsunis craned from the river, rising up and up until Casey had to tilt his head back.

He didn’t back down, not even when his heart took on a death-metal tempo that Anna would be proud of.

Shifting so that the back of his head was supported by the tree, Casey arched his back, pressing his hips forward.

With both thumbs, he tugged at his waistband until the lines of his hips were exposed.

His eyes fluttered closed. The buzz of the beer a couple hours ago had nothing on the high of this moment.

He had the full attention of the creature he’d spent his life dreaming of, someone he’d missed since boyhood.

The longing had become an all-consuming craving since they’d reconnected.

Them, watching him like that. It was total euphoria.

Even with his eyes closed, Casey was wracked by waves of heat radiating from Tsunis’ dragon form, as though they yearned for him the same as he did for them. Every goddamned waking moment. Casey could lose himself in the rapture of it all.

A shower of warm droplets rained down. He opened his eyes to the hungry beast filling his vision.

Casey had indeed lost all control of himself.

His hands had traveled, one running up and down the length of his abdomen like he was fucking pawing at himself.

It was the other hand Casey was mortified about.

His thumb was tucked in his waistband, directly in the center instead of his hip, pulling down enough to reveal a patch of dark, curly hair.

His hand grazed the outline of the bulge in his shorts, which was impossible to miss since they clung to him, wetter than the river itself.

“Fuck, I—” Casey cut himself short, not sure what he’d planned to say. He snatched his hands away from their inappropriate self-groping and plastered on a playful smile. “See what you do to me?”

Tsunis’ massive snout huffed, spraying his chest with steam, then lodged itself below Casey’s chin and nudged him hard enough that he stumbled back against the tree.

A low moan escaped his lips when a long, forked tongue the size of his forearm licked from his clavicle, up the length of his throat, lingering on his Adam’s apple before tracing his jawline.

Sharp teeth clamped onto his earlobe and he gasped, fumbling forward for something to cling to, to keep from melting on the spot. His fingers grasped velvety-smooth scales. Feathery fins teased his skin, almost ticklish.

“Tsunis, I—I think—” I think I’m falling for you. The words jammed in his throat when Tsunis’ massive head dipped and that wicked tongue traced the vertical line splitting his abdomen, from his ribs to the slope of his waistband.

“You really are a brat, aren’t you?” Casey teased breathless, his hands buried in the soft scales lining the dragon’s neck.

Tsunis jerked in his hold, nudging him under the chin.

Casey smoothed a hand over the long, whisker-like fins protruding from their jaw.

Their gazes locked, and Casey wanted this to last forever, wanted to drown in the depths of those pearlescent orbs.

He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the groove between their palm-sized nostrils.

Tsunis growled. It was a sound Casey was accustomed to by now, but it made a lot more sense coming from a fucking dragon. They jerked away, swirling mid-air to dive into the water.

Casey reached out but dropped his hand and slumped back. The wet caress of Tsunis’ tongue lingered. He could still feel the weight of their head in his hands. He stared at his palms a moment, then dropped his fists and watched the water.