Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Eric couldn’t stop touching her. Not after their vows had been spoken, not after the magic bound them in ways that no kingdom, no war, no decree could undo. His hands found her waist, her hips, the small of her back, pulling her close as he kissed her, his lips urgent, desperate, wanting.
His wife.
The words thrummed through him, his pulse beating in time with the song the mage accused his heart of playing. It was her song—his siren’s song.
She melted into him, fingers curling into his shirt. Her breath was warm against his cheek. Her body molded to his as if she had always belonged there.
They'd made it out of the temple, but he knew for a certainty they would not make it back to the castle. He didn’t want to go back to the castle.
Because the moment they crossed its manicured gardens, responsibility would come crashing down on him again—the treaties, the politics, the weight of his father’s legacy and his pressing against his shoulders.
But here, on the docks, with her? There was nothing but the sea breeze, the taste of salt on her lips, the way she looked at him like he was hers just as much as she was his. This he wanted to do forever.
Eric broke the kiss, breathless, and took her hand. “Come with me.”
She didn’t hesitate. She trusted him. Completely. It made his heart thump in his chest, another wild, flipping beat of the organ, as he led her down a pier.
Waters lapped against the wooden beams. Waves rocked the ships moored to their posts. Lanterns cast golden pools of light along the pier, swaying in the breeze.
Eric led her to a houseboat nestled near the end of the dock, smaller than the royal fleet but sturdy, well-kept, the wood dark and polished by years of sea air.
The sails were furled neatly. The deck was cluttered with ropes and barrels.
A small lantern hung from a post, glowing softly against the setting sun.
“This was the first boat I learned to sail on,” he told her, running a hand over the railing. “The first time I took her out alone, I thought I was going to capsize. The sea knocked me around like a rag doll.”
“I bet you loved it.”
“Always have. If I hadn’t been born a prince… I would’ve been a sailor.”
“It’s no wonder you married a fish.”
Eric laughed, the sound bright and free. But then…his laughter faded. Something else settled into his chest. Her words were a joke, but they were also the truth.
He had just married a siren. A woman born of the sea. A creature with magic in her veins and gills at her neck. In the water, she had a tail. On land she had feet. But… what about the rest of her anatomy?
Eric hesitated, trying to find the proper words. Words that would inform and not offend. Yet every way he could possibly phrase it sounded ridiculous, offensive, or like something out of an old sailor’s bawdy bar song.
Ariel tilted her head, watching him. “You look like you’re about to walk off the plank.”
“I just—” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m just wondering… Are we… compatible?”
For a moment, she just stared at him. It was clear the way her blue eyes dimmed then brightened that she puzzled out his meaning. Then she burst out laughing. It was a full, unrestrained sound, rich and warm, her head tipping back as it rang across the dock.
“I mean—” Eric scrubbed a hand down his face, half-exasperated, half-relieved. “It’s a valid question.”
“Oh, my sweet prince,” she purred, stepping closer, pressing a hand to his chest, fingers curling over his heartbeat. “You’re in for a very, very pleasant surprise.”
She pulled him aboard. Like he’d said in his vows, Eric followed. Once they were within the shelter of the cabin and away from prying eyes, she tugged at the ties of her gown. The fabric fell down her body like a waterfall, coming to pool at her feet.
Back on the beach, Eric had tried not to look. Tried and failed. Now his gaze dipped to the V between her thighs. He'd expected a red thatch of curls, like the hair on her head. She was hairless. Her flesh glistened there, as though she was ready for him.
"We'll go slowly," he promised.
"You've had me waiting around all day. Either you take me now or I'm going to jump your bones."
"It'll hurt your first time if we don't go slowly."
"It's not my—that's not my concern. It shouldn't be your concern, either."
"Your comfort, your pleasure, your happiness—those will always be my first concerns."
She smiled at him. The smile started as a thing of amusement. Before his eyes, it melted into something tender.
"I'm excited to do this together," he said, cupping her cheek. "It will be one of our many firsts."
"Our firsts?"
He nodded. "I waited for you."
"You… did?"
"Mainly because I was too busy with duties to even consider a lover. Now I have absolutely no desire to go back to my duties. I have a feeling I'm going to want to spend every waking moment being naked with you."
"Well, then, you're behind on that front. You are far too dressed."
He stepped back from her, less than an arm's length. He didn't want to spend another day, another moment with his wife farther away than he could reach. With his own hands, he began peeling his clothes off. "Don't be frightened."
"Fear is the last thing I'm feeling right now."
He believed her. Her eyes roamed over his body with hungry glances. When he pulled off his breeches, a smile split her face.
"Thank the stars you're not a guppy." And with that statement, she reached for him.
"Ariel don't-ahh!" His bride held his manhood in a vise. Not a painful one. Not a fearful one either.
"Siren," she corrected him with a squeeze of his cock. "Either you let me have a taste or I'll sing to you and have you dancing to my tune. Regardless of which you choose, I'm going to have my way with you."
Eric grinned his pleasure. He'd been concerned about this moment, their wedding night. Worrying it would be awkward and tear-filled. Once again, his new wife surprised him.
"Sing to me," he commanded.
"No." Both her voice and her hands stroked at him. "I'd rather have you sing to me."
By the second stroke, Eric was singing her tune.
She sank to her knees and added her tongue to the symphony of sensations.
Eric hit a high note when she swallowed him whole and hummed around his length.
He had no idea where she'd learned to do this.
He didn't want to think about it. It was too good.
He was going to reach his climax if she didn't—
She came off him with a pop before he was unmanned. "I want to feel you inside of me."
Eric had no more arguing in him. He was dancing to her tune, and she hadn't sung a note. It had been his groans of pleasure filling the cabin. Now he wanted to hear her moan.
She reached for the seashell bra still cover her breasts and unclasped the garment. Red-peaked nipples stared back at him, causing his mouth to water more.
His bride slid back onto the mattress. Eric followed, prowling up her lithe body. Though she was made of curves, he still dwarfed her with his size. By the look of it, she was reveling in it.
He'd meant those vows of protection. He hadn't missed the flare of her nostrils as he'd said those particular words back at the temple. She wanted his protection. She would have it for the rest of his days. But first, he needed to claim her.
He lined himself up with her entrance. Despite what she’d told him, he was going to take this slowly. He pushed into her core, just a little. She made a delighted sound that turned to frustration when he didn't push all the way in.
She flashed those blue eyes at him in warning. Eric withdrew.
She bared her sharp teeth at him. Eric grinned and pushed in a little more.
Again, he got a sigh, followed by a groan of irritation.
Oh, how he was going to love their fights as well as their make-ups.
He was happily thinking about how he was going to torture his wife when his brain turned off the logical parts and his pleasure sensors took over.
He had tried to resist the soft, velvety feel of her. What a foolish errand.
Her slickness urged him deeper. Her intimate muscles pulled him farther inside. There was no barrier as he pushed deeper.
Did sirens not have a maidenhead? It was as though she'd done this before. As though they'd done this before. As though they were made for each other.
Eric tried to slow down, tried to be gentle. Neither his body nor her body were hearing of it. He sank into her like an anchor dropping into the water. The tide pulled them together. Eric plunged until he bottomed out.
And that's when he heard his siren sing. It was accompanied by his baritone roar.