Page 16 of Tentacles for Christmas

For all I knew, Rowen wasn’t into me beyond grabbing a meal, but I offered him my hand as we stepped back onto the dock. Another weight lifted when he accepted it without hesitation. The cool air seemed to settle Rowen’s embarrassment as we walked.

Rambling about when I got my fish, maintaining the tank in a moving car when I’d done my travels, and how I’d had to introduce them in a specific order got us to Rowen’s property before I knew where we were. A building appeared among the trees, and I saw how well it was hidden in a bend.

There was a shop built into the hill between the road and the water surrounded by trees, with a big door closed over the lake and a dock jutting out to one side. A bigger and newer houseboat than mine was tied off to the opposite side, but Rowen stopped on the dock, not his door.

Got it, no invite. Maybe Rowen was a no sex until the third date kind of guy? I’d been waiting months for a date, I’d be happy to wait some more.

“Can I–” Rowen started and stopped, turning to hold both of my hands. He looked nervous, worrying his lower lip between white teeth.

Did he want me to come in? To go on a second date tomorrow? Either way, I knew the answer, unless he wanted to learn how to make coffee to avoid seeing me at Perk.

“Can you what?” I prompted, stepping closer and lowering my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Because I’m pretty sure the answer is yes. To whatever you ask.”

Rowen let go of his lip and licked over the abused flesh. “Can I…kiss you?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Grinning up at him, I moved our hands to place Rowen’s on my waist, trailing mine up his arms to circle his neck. Playing with the hair that had fallen loose from his bun, Rowen shivered in my arms and tilted his head.

We spent a couple long moments breathing one another in, until I couldn’t take another second of anticipation. Pressing up, I closed my eyes as our lips met for the first time.

Rowen’s beard tickled my face as we traded a chaste meeting that lit me up inside. I sucked his lower lip into my mouth before doing the same to the upper one. Licking at the seam, I imagined what it might feel like if he wanted to slip into me. Rowen grunted and squeezed me tighter before breaking the kiss as if it pained him.

Leaning his forehead on mine, I took a shuddering breath. “Damn. That was some kiss.”

“Yeah?” Rowen asked, the question in his tone mixed with awe.

“Yes. An excellent kiss,” I confirmed, in case there was any doubt. Still, I could tell Rowen wouldn’t be comfortable going any further. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Letting me go, Rowen nodded and licked his lips as if savoring the taste of me on them. “You will.”

“Goodnight, Rowen.”

“Goodnight, Cam.”

Stepping back, I took in his goofy grin. I would kiss him again, if it was the last thing I did.

Chapter ten

Rowen

Cambeingmyfirstkiss felt right. And I did consider it my first kiss, because the girl who drunkenly slobbered on me at a house party without asking didn’t count. That experience left me thinking that kissing was unpleasant. I didn’t get the appeal of swapping spit and sucking face.

Cam was turning all of my expectations on their head. There was very little spit, and Cam only did a little sucking…but I liked it all. I wanted everything.

The same sweet and salty caramel essence I found being near Cam burst through me at the taste of our kiss, and I wanted more.

There was only one problem.

I found myself turned on, and I’d always had trouble restraining my shift when I got horny. Thankfully, besides a couple awkward teen years when I got a boner at a stiff breeze, I had never been the type to get turned on in front of others.

Being around Cam, hearing them talk aboutfeedingtheir fish, my brain decided to conjure up the image of Cam feeding me their cock. I had to get out of there before I started sprouting tentacles.

Then the kiss was something else. I felt a closeness to Cam I’d never felt with anyone else. I wanted to meld with their body, to be inside of them or them in me. I had to stop before I revealed my true nature.

When I was horny, I didn’t usually have the desire to do anything about it. The idea of sex didn’t bother me, and I liked to feel sexual pleasure, but when my shift came over me, my orgasm wasn’t the same as most men.

Could Cam accept all of me?