Page 34

THIRTY THREE

Olivia

“Are you sure you don’t mind my idiot brother being so pig headed about not having a proper wedding?

” Jack hands me the cooler bag filled with breakfast provisions.

His voice is pitched low so Noah won’t hear.

He’s distracted anyway, leaning down to give his mother a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Luke and Mia’s wedding was beautiful and it was lovely to be there, surrounded by people who already feel like an extension of my family.

I have to admit, I had a few moments wishing that I could have that too.

But I shake my head. “Listen, he might be pig headed, but the mate thing means more than a wedding anyway. And I don’t want to bring up stuff from the past. This is a fresh start.

It shouldn’t feel like that. We’ll do that mating ceremony and tomorrow we’ll meet the celebrant and lock things down legally. That’s all I need.”

Jack gives me a hug and Noah takes the bag from me, taking my hand in his. “Ready?”

A smile passes between the two brothers.

I only catch it from the corner of my eye as I turn away and I’m not sure what it means.

But I’m glad they’re not at each other’s throats anymore.

In fact, while Jack seems stressed lately, he and Noah have gotten along pretty well ever since I returned to Australia.

When we’ve said goodbye to everyone and been wished well by all Noah’s family as if we’re going away on a five month trip instead of overnight, we climb into Luke’s truck, which Noah borrowed for the night so he could bring about a hundred blankets, a tent, and heaven knows what else he has stashed in the five bags in the trunk.

He’s been so secretive about this whole thing, refusing to let me pack, only telling me the barest details.

I still have a flutter low in my belly at the knowledge that after tonight, I’ll be his completely and he’ll be mine.

After tonight, I’ll be able to stay with him underwater for as long as I want. We’ll officially be a mated pair.

I’m not really sure why I’m getting such flutters since we’ve been acting like a mated pair since that first date all those months ago.

Only this is big for him. My heart has been committed for a long time.

Longer than I’ve probably even admitted to myself.

For Noah to make this step—well, it means a lot.

I know it’s not conventional in terms of human customs, but he’s told me how much this means for kraken.

When we arrive at the tiny bay, there’s no one around.

It’s late afternoon and the sun is at its hottest. The sand is scorching.

We leave everything in the truck and dash to the cool relief of the water, hopping in the shallow waves to pull off our clothes and toss them as far back on the beach as we can manage.

Daringly, I toss my bikini onto the pile, leaving myself completely naked.

I could have pulled it to the side I guess, but it’s much more fun this way, and if I’m going to be part kraken, I might as well embrace the kraken way of swimming!

Noah is still struggling with his shorts over his shifted tentacles as I dive into the water, sighing at the kiss of cool and the floaty lift of the waves. There’s a splash beside me as he dives in too, and I twist in the water to watch him move.

I will never get over the way he propels and turns in the water. It’s effortless. Joyful. I love the way he smiles in the water. It’s the same unforced smile that flirts on his lips after he’s had a really big orgasm, and I imagine shifting must feel something like that.

We swim together into deeper water, but too soon I have to come up for air. My head breaks the surface, and I float there for a moment, the sun warm on my breasts and belly and the water surrounding me cool in contrast.

Then Noah’s warm arm slides around my middle and I drag in a quick breath before he pulls me under again. A muffled laugh escapes me in a flurry of bubbles as he rolls us. I draw air from his lips as he leans in to breathe for me. Perhaps one of the last times.

I think I’ll miss it when he no longer has to feed me air this way, but I’m looking forward to the transformation.

Our lazy embrace turns to unhurried coupling after Noah works my pussy slowly to readiness with his fingers and tentacles.

When he slips inside me at last, I moan, muscles automatically tightening and releasing, pleasure rising like our bodies toward a warm, languid release that seems to last forever.

For a while, though, he fucks me like that, my favorite way.

I’m held in his arms and filled with him, drifting on rolling tides of pleasure as he gently pumps into my body.

To complete the ritual, I’ll need to take his cock in my mouth and drink his cum.

Doing it beneath the waves activates what Noah claims must be latent genes, but I like to think of as latent magic.

But neither of us is in a rush. Instead, we savor each other.

I relish the feel of floating in his arms, held close and loved.

Finally, his muscles tighten and it seems like he’s nearing the end of his control. When his speed increases, he pulls out, giving me one final breath. I twist into position and take his thick cock between my lips, sliding my mouth over him as he draws me close with a hand on the back of my head.

As I suckle him, he lifts us toward the surface of the ocean so as his pleasure explodes in my mouth, we burst through into the air and I can pull back and suck in a breath through my nose as I swallow.

For a few moments, he holds me close and we wait, floating limp and spent on the surface of the water.

The sun has slid beneath the horizon enough to paint pink and orange bands across the sky, and I smile at how perfect it looks.

Who needs flowers when the coastal sunset is more beautiful than an entire bouquet?

Who needs a white dress when little puffy clouds float in the sky dipped in pastel shades that match the sunset?

I’m so relaxed it takes me a moment to notice the change in my body.

“Can you feel it?” Noah runs a knuckle along my neck, and I gasp at the feeling of him brushing a sensitive spot, then almost swallow water as I try to figure out how to breathe through my nose and gills at once.

“Oh my god! It worked!” I flounder into an upright position, treading water and grinning at Noah.

He laughs at me. “Did you think I was lying? Of course it worked.”

Tentatively, I lift a hand and brush over the raised skin, feeling three slits that weren’t there before. I snatch my hand away. “That feels so weird.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Noah assures me.

“Why didn’t it work all the other times we did that?” I giggle.

“You have to be in the water too.”

I guess that seems reasonable enough. I laugh to myself at how simple it seems while we float some more hand in hand.

While I would love to stay in the water all night with Noah, after a few hours I’m starting to tremble.

By this time we’ve swum around the bay, exploring the fascinating undersea world in a way I’ve never been able to before.

Eventually he drags me away from a beautiful orange starfish and towels me off on the beach, wrapping me in a blanket and insisting that I sit in the car while he puts up the tent.

It doesn’t take long snuggled up inside the tent for me to stop shivering and fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Noah wakes me with bacon and egg rolls cooked over a small camping stove and a hot mug of coffee. I’m still wondering what on earth he packed in the other three bags we never opened when he stands and collects them from the truck.

“What’s in those?”

Noah just smiles. “Finish your breakfast. All will be revealed soon, I promise.”

OK, he’s definitely up to something. That coy smile is so charming I can’t help but laugh. I hunt down my phone and check the time, suddenly remembering we have an appointment at Town Hall today. “Noah, have you checked the time?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He’s rooting around for something in the back of the truck.

We still have to pack up the whole campsite and dress. I’m starting to worry that I’ll be getting married with my hair a wild tangle of knots when I hear the sound of a car.

I’m definitely not expecting Luke, Mia, and Noah’s parents, Joanne and Rob, who all pull up in Joanne and Rob’s old station wagon. “Good morning!” Luke calls.

“Hey!” Mia gives me a wave. “I hope we’re not too early, but there’s a lot to do before ten.”

I frown. “We’re only meeting the celebrant in town.”

At this point, Noah slides his arm around my waist and I look around to see that he’s changed into a sleek blue suit. He holds out a bag in his other hand. “This is for you. The celebrant is meeting us here. We’re just waiting on the rest of the guests.”

My eyes widen and yes, there might be a tightness in my throat that suggests tears are not far off. “You mean—?”

“We’re getting married. But you knew that.”

“I thought you didn’t want to make it a big deal.”

He squeezes me. “You are a big deal, Olivia Zeston. You’re a very big deal. And you deserve my everything, including a proper wedding. I just hope you’ll be happy with what I’ve done.”

Jack arrives with the celebrant and my heart feels so full when I open the bag to discover a beautiful cream-colored dress in just my size.

It has spaghetti straps and a floaty hem that skims my mid calves and it’s absolutely perfect.

Casual yet beautiful. Exactly what I would have chosen for myself.

Mia helps fix my hair into an updo that looks like I visited a salon rather than rolled out of the ocean like a seal, and it’s only then I notice everyone else looking around up the hill to where a little orange car is coming down the road from town.

“Did you invite someone else?” I ask Noah, surprised. I would not have picked him inviting anyone from town, but perhaps some of the staff from The Snapper wanted to come.

When the car parks and I catch a glimpse through the windshield at the driver, my heart catches in my throat.

It can’t be!

A moment later the doors burst open and Trish and Mom are beaming big bright smiles at me.

“Oh my god!” I run across the beach, not even noticing the harsh asphalt on my bare feet, and launch myself into their arms. “You’re here! You came. How long have you known?”

Trish laughs. “We’ve been planning this since you and Noah left the States. It’s been hell on your Mom keeping it quiet.”

My mouth drops open and I stare at Noah, who just shrugs and grins.

I can’t believe he’s done all this after swearing never to have another wedding, never to get serious about another woman again.

Standing hand in hand on the beach with our families is the perfect way to formalize what we started last night. The celebrant keeps to the simple format we had discussed, and soon I’m looking into Noah’s eyes and saying, “I do.”

He leans in and gives me the softest, sweetest kiss I think we’ve ever shared, pulling back to rest his forehead on mine for a long moment. “I love you, Liv. Thank you for putting up with me.”

Brushing a stray tear from my cheek, I press one final kiss to his nose. “Don’t be silly. Don’t you know you were meant for me? I love you, Noah Wilson, and I’m honored to spend the rest of my life with you.”

There’s a low whistle from Jack. When I look around, he’s smiling.

He’s the first to come and congratulate us.

“I never thought I’d see the day, but I’m glad I have.

You’re the perfect mate for my brother.” He kisses my cheek and then pulls Noah into a hug.

“And you, little brother, I think you’re turning into the perfect mate for her. I’m proud of you.”

Luke approaches, clapping Jack on the shoulder. “Well now we just need to find a mate for you, Jack. Complete the happy family.”

Jack nods sadly. “Yeah, if I thought I had even a hope of finding what you guys have found I’d agree.”

I can’t help thinking about this the rest of the day. When we slide into the back seat of Luke’s truck for the ride back to town, Noah’s warm palm squeezes my thigh. “You good?”

“Yeah, just thinking about what Jack said. Wouldn’t it be great if we could fix him up with someone?”

Noah snorts, but Mia turns from the front passenger seat to look at me eyes wide with delight. “Yes! We should. You know, my friend Tegan keeps saying she’s going to visit Kraken Cove. We should totally fix them up and then they can get married and she’ll stay here forever.”

We share an excited squeal.

Luke chuckles. “I love Teegs, but she’s not exactly everyone’s cup of tea, Mia.”

Mia swipes her hand through the air. “Nope. Sorry, but it’s a done deal. I’m going to message her right now. I bet they’d be perfect for each other.”