Page 20 of Tempting Triton (Mated Myths #2)
Triton
I spilled my seed like a young Mer discovering his hand for the first time.
Embarrassment warms my cheeks as Elena looks up at me, yet she does not seem disgusted or angry.
She seems pleased. Her teeth tease her bottom lip, the hint of a smile on her face, and a twinkle in her eye.
She is enjoying herself. I shudder; the arousal is so thick between us.
The thought of my mate finding pleasure in my pleasure sends me feral.
I wrap my hand around the nape of her neck, pulling her to me to mash my mouth against hers in what she calls a kiss.
A strangled sound leaves her throat as she opens up for me, our tongues clashing for dominance.
It is messy and uncoordinated and sets me alight from the inside out.
I know it deep in my soul, I cannot ever let my Elena go now.
She pulls away gently, her chest rising and falling rapidly with the pounding of her heart behind her ribs. “We should slow down.”
“No,” I growl. It is unintentional that I sound like my beast, which surprises us both. Her gaze flicks between my eyes as if trying to determine who is at the forefront, and I cannot help but wonder if she prefers one over the other. Does it matter if both versions are just two halves of me?
“I have not yet had a chance to pleasure you; it is only fair I return the favor.”
“That’s not how it works, Triton. It’s not a transaction where you owe me for every time I make you come.”
While I understand the words she is saying, I think they are silly, and I will not abide by not reciprocating and pleasuring my mate.
“I hear what you are saying, but respectfully, I will not listen. I want to pleasure you. I want to learn your body. If we are to be mated, I should know every way to make you scream my name, like I have dreamed of every night since the mate bond ignited within us.”
My mate’s mouth has dropped open slightly, and I cannot help but wonder what is going through that human brain of hers. She has not protested like the stubborn female usually does, so perhaps she wants it, too.
I lean into her, my hand still cradling the base of her head. The ocean kisses our chins, and I brush my nose against hers, whispering, “Let me touch you and explore you as you have done me. I wish to study your body. I want to learn these things you have told me of. It is only fair, after all.”
A grin creeps across my face; the taste of victory is so close.
I can feel it in the way her chest hitches, even though her brow creases with the internal battle she wages.
I know she wants this just as much as I, from the daffodil scent coating her skin and slicking the water, even if she thinks she should not.
She can lie to herself and to me all she wants, but her scent will always betray her. She wants this. She wants me.
Those pearly-white teeth of hers find her lip again, and I long to replace those teeth with my own. She nods jerkily, so quickly I almost miss it while I’m staring at those plump, pink lips.
“Say it.” I am heeding her instruction of consent. I need to hear her voice the words that she wants me . I need her to give herself to me willingly.
“What?” Her voice quivers.
“Tell me you want this. Tell me you want me,” I growl .
She pauses, her tongue darting out to wet the lip she has unconsciously abused, and I groan. That could be my tongue and my teeth upon her if she will give herself to me.
“I want this.”
The grin I have been trying to rein in escapes in its fullness. Her shoulders relax, the tension slipping now that the war waging between her body and mind has been conceded.
“I want you.”
My chest feels tight at the three words whispered between us that I have been longing to hear for over a thousand years.
“Come here.”
She closes the minuscule gap between us, her fingers entangling themselves amongst my curls as her lips softly brush against my own.
The kiss is unlike anything we have shared before.
It is not rushed in heat or chaste in its awkwardness.
It is slow, calculated, and sensual. Our mouths part, tongues entwining in a slow dance, massaging each other.
I will take my time to learn her body, to learn every inch of her.
I trail soft, slow kisses along her jaw, our heads only just sitting above the water to keep our gills submerged, before I slip beneath the surface to continue my journey down her neck, licking and sucking and nibbling.
I feel the vibration of the groan in her chest more than hear it, before she also slips beneath the water to meet me.
I nip at her collarbone. “This must be removed.” I tug at the strap of the tight, stretchy fabric covering her breasts from my view, and more importantly, my ministrations.
“I’ll need your help.” My Elena’s voice is confident.
Now that she has given in to her body, she is all in, and I love seeing the side of her that is sure of herself.
She lifts her arms for me, and I tug the material upwards and over her head, before letting it drift down to the bottom of the hot spring.
I am speechless as I gaze upon her breasts. They are lighter than the rest of her sun-kissed skin. Her nipples match the color of the pinky-tan sea fan coral.
She clears her throat. “I know they’re smaller than most.” She goes to bring her arms up to cover herself, and it is the first time I have seen this strong female self-conscious. I growl a warning at her to stop, her arms wrapping around her middle instead.
“They are perfect.” I am practically salivating as I trail kisses across her breasts, stopping to nibble every now and then.
It does not elicit the same response as nipping at her neck until I suck the dusky nipple into my mouth, my tongue swirling around the tip before popping off with the slight pressure of my teeth grazing across it along the way.
She gasps. “Oh, do that again.”
I chuckle as she rolls her eyes and slaps my shoulder.
My firecracker has returned. Obeying my mate, I take her breast into my mouth again, replaying the motions that had her gasping.
I slap her hand away as it encroaches upon her other breast, taking it upon myself to massage it with my palm before rolling her taut nipple beneath the pad of my thumb. She bucks beneath my touch.
“More.” Her whine fades into a moan. Who am I to deny my mate?
Although reluctant to abandon her sensitive nipples, I resume my journey south, eager to rid her of this material that clings to the mold of her body.
The skin-tight fabric does not leave much to the imagination, but if her strong, lithe body looks this good in clothing, I can only imagine what she looks like in her nakedness.
I look up at my Elena from where I float in line with her hips, my fingers hooked in the band of her shorts.
I seek reassurance that she is still a willing participant before I continue, knowing that this is important to her.
She beams at me, and at her enthusiastic nod, I roll the shorts down over her firm buttocks and strong legs, letting them drift the short distance to the bottom of the hot pool to rest with her top.
Suddenly, I find myself face to face with the most glorious treasure of all.
I lightly trace my fingers from her belly button down between her legs to a neat strip of darker golden curls.
She shivers, little bumps erupting over her skin, but I know she cannot be cold here, enveloped in the warm, healing waters of the Pierian Spring.
“Do all females have this?” I give the short curls below her belly button a little tug, causing Elena to squeak.
“Human females, yes. But some choose to remove it, some keep it natural, and some, like myself, prefer an in-between of sorts.”
“And what are these?” I trail my fingers down below the curls and across the soft skin that parts like an underwater trench to reveal a pink nub. “And this?” I lightly pinch it between my fingers.
Elena lets out a soft moan, “Clit. That’s the clit,” she mewls.
“You failed to mention how sensitive this clit is in your anatomy lesson. ”
She snorts. “I didn’t exactly intend on you getting up close and personal with one, let alone mine.”
“And now?” I roll her clit between my fingers much like her nipple, causing her body to jerk, her hips thrusting towards me. Her chest rises and falls rapidly. I have my mate worked up over such a small action, her body so responsive to my novice touch.
“If you don’t stop talking and start touching, I will scream, Triton.”
I smirk. “Perhaps I want you to scream my name.”
“That’s not what I me—” My Elena’s protest morphs into garbled nonsense as I bury my head between her legs, my nose nestled in her soft curls as I flick my tongue around her clit, curious to know if it is as responsive to my mouth as her taut nipples.