Page 16 of Tempting Triton (Mated Myths #2)
Elena
T riton has been quiet since I gave him his human anatomy lesson, after which I vehemently told him he could not look at my vagina.
I know he was only curious, but still. The unfairly attractive merman is hopelessly na?ve to the workings of a human female body, and why wouldn’t he be?
He’s been alone for centuries with only a dolphin as his companion.
I’m surprised he knew as much as he did about his own kind.
I guess we can thank Ichó for passing down that knowledge.
A hot flush spreads across my face, remembering Triton so boldly telling me he has only used his fist to find his pleasure, as if it wasn’t highly personal information.
The image of him pumping what I imagine to be a thick cock into his hand has my mouth drying up.
Would it be green to match his tail? Or tanned like his broad chest and arms?
I shake the thoughts from my head. I guess I am just as curious about his body as he is mine.
Having him pressing up against my disturbingly easily aroused clit this morning did nothing to help matters.
The feeling of having him between my thighs felt as right and natural as if he were a human partner, despite the burning arousal that flooded my body as he made contact with the most sensitive part of me.
This stupid mate bond has my hormones all out of whack, making my touch-starved body overreact whenever Triton touches me.
It’s like all coherent thoughts fly out of my brain, and all I can think about is what it would be like to run my tongue down his toned abs, and what sounds he would make if I took a little nibble out of that golden skin.
Wicked, wicked hornbag thoughts. Of course, now my pussy aches for attention after being unknowingly edged, and I wonder if I can sneak away at any point to relieve it.
Probably not, since I can’t go far enough away from him anyway without our bond acting up.
Sensing my frustration, Triton looks back at me over his shoulder. “We are almost there.”
Thank goodness, because a burning ache has settled between my shoulder blades.
Olympic swimmer or not, we’ve already swum a decent distance, and we still need to make it back before the sun sets.
After having left the shallow sun-kissed reef behind, we’re now enveloped on all sides by the dark blue of the deep ocean.
The barrier that surrounds the island is far out enough to require the packed lunch Ichó fetched for us before we left.
Up ahead, something shimmers in the water.
It’s almost like someone spilled a bucket of glitter into the ocean, and it’s drifted out with the current to form a wall that sparkles.
But only when you look at it from a certain angle, or when the sun catches it with its light.
Triton pauses at the wall that shouldn’t be possible, but is there in every physical sense of the word.
Drifting beside him, I tentatively reach out. “Can I touch it?”
I pause, my fingers hovering just in front of the glittering wall to wait for his nod before closing the distance.
My fingers glide across this impenetrable force, finding the texture similar to Saran wrap pulled tight.
You can prod it and it bounces back into place, but apply enough force, and you can tear through it.
I test my thoughts, trying to push my hand through the barrier with all my might to no avail.
Grunting, I give up. It was worth a shot, even as Triton shakes his head and chuckles at my attempt.
“You think I have not tried that, my Elena?”
“Well, I got here somehow. Who’s to say I don’t have some special barrier immunity?” I shrug, my tentative hope fizzling out into nothing.
Triton nods thoughtfully. “That is true. You would have been able to leave.” His face shuts down, and I’m reminded that even if I could pass through the barrier, I expect the mate bond wouldn’t allow me to leave anyway.
Guilt gnaws at me from the inside out. Would it be so bad to stay and live my life underwater with a hunky merman?
I’ve spent the last eleven years in the water, but I don’t know if I’m ready to commit to being under it full-time.
I like the feeling of the sun on my bare skin, and I think I’d miss it too much.
Pushing the thought from my mind, I trail behind Triton as he swims back toward the island parallel to the barrier, his hand trailing across the shimmery, rubber-like surface as we go, stopping every few moments to push at it and test its permanency.
“What exactly are we looking for?” I’m curious as to what he thinks is happening.
“I am testing for weak spots in the barrier. The change in water temperature would have me believe there is a hole somewhere, or perhaps the barrier is failing.”
“We’re not going to be able to make it around the whole island in one day, though, right?
We’ll have to come back tomorrow and the next day.
Who knows how long this will take?” I sigh, my aching shoulders already unhappy about a repeat performance tomorrow.
If only there was a spa I could use to relax my muscles after a long day of swimming like I used to do back home.
“You are correct. It will take many days to traverse the perimeter of Aeolia. We will rest overnight in one of the underwater caves.”
I pause. “We’re not going back to your home?”
Triton looks back at me over his shoulder. “Why would we do that? We would have to start from the same spot each time. We would not cover as much ocean, and it would take us much longer. I thought you were eager to be home?”
“Oh. Right. Of course.” I cough, feeling like an idiot. How was I to know Triton would have little hidey holes dotted around the island ?
“Anyone would think you did not want to spend this much time alone with me, my Elena. Are you worried you will find me so irresistible, you will be unable to control yourself?” Triton has spun to face me, so he’s swimming backwards, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.
I roll my eyes. “You seem to think so highly of yourself, Triton.”
“Of course, my Elena. Who do I have to compare to?”
I grunt. He’s got me there. “Human men?” I don’t sound convincing.
“Tell me about your human males, my Elena. Are they as handsome and honorable as I? Are they worthy of a female such as yourself? Is there one waiting for you back home?”
I ponder his question and come to the conclusion that human men are actually trash.
Sure, there’s a handful of good ones out in the world, but the majority?
No, thank you very much. I think about the very few exes I’ve had, that come to a whopping total of two, and despite Triton’s lack of sexual etiquette, they still don’t hold a candle to him.
Which probably says a lot about me and my taste in men.
“No on all counts.” I sigh.
His smile grows even wider, showing off those blinding pearly whites. “Well then, my mate, perhaps winding up in Aeolia was a stroke of luck. Destined by the Fates, perhaps?” He trails off, his smile falling into a frown.
“What?” I’m curious as to what has caused the little wrinkle between his brows to return.
“Oh, it is nothing, just a thought.” He turns his smile back on, only this time, it doesn’t reach his eyes, and I know he’s hiding something from me.
“If you know something about why I’m here or how I got here, you need to tell me, Triton.”
His shoulders slump. “It is just a thought, but I suspect it has something to do with the Fates.”
Confused, I ask, “What does fate have to do with anything? Are you going to start telling me this was my destiny or something?”
“No, the Fates .” He shakes his head, accentuating the last part as if the Fates are a physical entity and not some hippy nonsense made up to make people feel better about all the shitty things that happen to them.
I raise my eyebrow at him, waiting for him to explain.
He sighs, drawing a hand through his floaty halo of golden curls.
“The Fates are the ones who put the barrier in place to protect all of us here from the evolving human population. They are three old hags who like to meddle, and it has just occurred to me that it would not be above them to drop a container of women on the island to cause havoc while they watch on from their perch at the top of the mountain.”
“You’re telling me the Fates are real? Like really real, living and breathing people?”
“Well, I do not know if you would call them people. Divine beings, perhaps.”
My jaw would hit the floor if there was one.
I don’t know why I’m so surprised, really.
I’m out in the middle of the ocean, swimming with a goddamn merman.
Why wouldn’t there be Fates? Why not throw in a Minotaur, a Cyclops, and some goddamn dragons while we’re at it, if we’re running down the list of mythological monsters.
We may as well add in some gods, too, and really get the party started.
“Fuck me.” This just opened up a world of possibilities.
“Right now? Interesting timing, but how can I resist?” He flips to face me, so I’m no longer looking at the tail end of him .
“No! Not fuck me as in let’s have sex. It’s an exclamation, not an invitation.”
He chuckles before spinning back around and continuing his inspection of the barrier.