Chapter 16 #2
He had always found her attractive, of course. He wasn’t blind. Her intellect was obvious. Her professional skill, unparalleled. Her presence, commanding. Her scathing tongue was a peculiar taste savored by aficionados, and he relished every cutting word.
The monster wanted her. Only her. Always her.
She reached back, grabbing onto his shoulder.
Her toes curled, digging to the ground, and her body arched.
He ached watching her, wanting to push her belly down and plunge into her, to fill her until he found his release.
His cock throbbed, pushing against the scales that covered it.
There was a seam. A gentle prod and it would open, releasing his member.
He wanted to do that, but not like this.
Not on the frigid ground in a forest. He wanted to take his time, to map all the marvelous scars on her skin and hear the stories of how she acquired such marvels.
He wanted to leave his mark on her.
Until he could take his time and savor her properly, he watched.
“Anthony, yes, like that,” she gasped.
He kept the pace and the pressure the same, ignoring his need to go faster.
She clenched her thighs around his hand, locking him in place. “There.”
He curled his fingers, hitting a spot that elicited the most compelling noise from her lips. Her body arched and trembled. The hand on his shoulder was now tangled in his hair, tugging as her hips rose. She shuddered, tensed, and he felt her core flutter.
Marvelous.
Nina
Somehow, Nina composed herself. She felt boneless and warm and satisfied.
“I shouldn’t neglect you,” she said, shifting to face him. The ground was unforgiving under her knees, but she found the sight of Anthony was more than enough to make her ignore the discomfort.
He was stunning in the firelight, fins stretched tall, and watching her with black, black eyes.
She leaned in, claiming his lips, and reached down for him.
He grasped her wrist, holding her in place.
“Aren’t you interested?” she asked, baffled and a little hurt. “I want to touch you. Taste you.”
“More than anything,” he answered.
“Well—” She shook her hand, unable to break his grasp.
“My anatomy has changed.”
“I have noticed.”
“No. I mean, my anatomy has changed,” he repeated, and understanding dawned.
She looked down at his groin. A bulge existed but the area was smooth, covered by scales. “Did it fall off? I read that occurs with some fish.”
He huffed a laugh. “No. It’s there. I can feel myself, but I haven’t had a chance to, umm, inspect myself, and I would rather do that warm and comfortable in bed.”
Well, that was perfectly reasonable.
“With you,” he added.
Very reasonable.
“A sensible demand that I shall hold you to,” she said, rising to her feet. The heavier clothing would not be dry yet, but the cotton underthings should be, and possibly her socks.
“I’d expect nothing less from you, sheriff. Now, tell me how it is possible that a woman like you is unmarried. You had a fiancé once. How was he so foolish to let you go?”
She hadn’t really thought about her ex-fiancé in years. It seemed distant, like events that happened to another person. She said, “I suppose there’s no use in avoiding it any longer. You cannot be distracted.”
“I am tenacious,” he agreed.
“Let me check on our clothing first.” While she was literally nude, discussing her past romantic relationships—as few of them as there had been—felt more vulnerable than her current state of undress.
She wanted to wear something, even if it was only a pair of socks.
Stepping away from him, however, instantly plunged her back into the frosty night air.
She hurriedly moved to the nearest bush, checking on the drying garments.
The linen undershirts were dry as were both pairs of socks.
She slipped on her shirt, tossed Anthony his items, and adjusted the remaining items to move the coats closer to the available spaces.
Even if they were fully dressed, it’d be a chilly night.
Toes no longer exposed, she settled back down against him. His arms wrapped around her. She picked up his hand and laced their fingers together. The colors of his scales were fading but had not yet reached the fascinating opalescent hue.
“I believe you have a story to share,” he prompted.
“You know about the engagement.”
“I recall,” he said, voice little more than a growl. The growling should not have surprised and yet it remained alarming. A person did not grow accustomed to a monster—aquatic or not—growling in your ear.
“Hush now. No need to be jealous.”
“I am not jealous. I am possessive. You are mine.” His arms tightened around her and she did not mind.
Not one bit.
“Tell me how your once-fiancé blundered.”
“So you can gloat?”
“Yes,” he said, sounding as if it were obvious. “There was talk when the engagement was called off but I was not privy to the details.”
Meaning no one would gossip with him.
“It turns out, Sal and I had different ideas of what our life would be once we were married. He wanted me to quit working, give up the family business, and focus on being a homemaker. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, Aunt Prudy basically did the same thing, but it’s not for me.”
Anthony was silent for a moment. “He did not understand you at all.”
“I agree.” Harsh words were exchanged when she called it off, but she did not regret that decision.
Sal Kaplon had been wrong for her. The fact that he resorted to calling names and slinging accusations only proved it.
Her only defense was that she had been young.
Twenty-four was old enough, but she had been reeling from Lucas’ death and Sal’s attentions filled an aching space in her heart.
Thankfully, she came to her senses.
“After Sal, there just wasn’t anyone worth mentioning,” she said.
Her romantic life had always been sparse.
In her twenties, she had enjoyed some brief encounters but they had never been satisfying.
“I’m either related to everyone in town or I work with them.
That narrows the pool of suitable candidates.
Lots of people are passing through but that can only be short-term.
I’m not built for temporary arrangements. ”
“No soldier caught your eye? The uniform is irresistible, I hear.”
She laced their fingers together again. “Just one, but he has a talent for vexing me.”
“How unfortunate for him,” Anthony replied dryly.
“Your turn. Why are you unwed, Major Pearson?”
“I could be a widower, and this line of questioning is very upsetting.”
“Local gossip tells me that you are not and you only very occasionally dine with companions who are not in the NPF. You’re an attractive man. Why the stagnant social life?”
“How concerned should I be that the sheriff indulges in gossip?”
“I have my finger on the pulse of the town. Now, answer the question.”
Anthony sighed. “It’s terribly hard to be a military spouse.
Long deployments to inhospitable terrain mean it is seldom feasible for a spouse to join you.
Some manage the separation, but I never could.
I decided the family life could wait until I was discharged.
Now twenty years have come and gone, which seems unjust. I must demand a recount. ”
Another joke. A bit esoteric and not terribly amusing, but this aspect of his character was fascinating. She had no idea that inflexible, rule-abiding Major Pearson could poke fun at himself.
“You never met the right person?” Nina asked.
“I met someone interesting. Strong opinions. Skilled. Capable. Knows her own mind,” he said. He pushed her hair to one side, exposing her shoulder. “Unfortunately for me, I bungled the first impression, and it’s taken me a decade to recover.”
“She sounds unforgiving.”
“She is fair.” He placed a gentle kiss on the curve of her shoulder.
“Are you sure she’s worth the trouble?”
Another kiss. “Absolutely, although she does have strange ideas that my member detached.”
Nina gasped in mocked outrage. “You are, as you rightly pointed out, made of fish.”
“You saw me entirely and declared me highly respectable.”
“My words were perfectly respectable, and your transformation had only recently started. The situation could have changed.” And important bits could have fallen off, but she doubted that Anthony would let that go without sufficient drama.
To be fair, she’d make a spectacle of herself if her bits and pieces fell off.
He huffed with amusement, navigating closer to actual laughter.
She liked it. She liked him and wanted to make him laugh. The bickering between them had changed and lost its bitterness. It was still sharp. Still biting but no longer so angry. What occurred between them hadn’t changed them .
Good. She didn’t think she’d like Anthony if he were suddenly moon-eyed over her.
“We should sleep,” he said. “We have a long walk ahead of us tomorrow.”
Nina shook her head in disagreement. “One of us needs to keep watch.” This was the terraformed part of the planet, and theoretically safe, but native Nexus creatures did not respect human boundaries. They went where they pleased and a campfire made a lovely target.
“Nothing will approach while I’m here,” he said.
“You can’t possibly know that.”
“I am a territorial beast. The wildlife knows. Listen.”
She listened, cataloging the night sounds.
There was the crackling of the fire and the wind moving the mostly bare tree branches.
A few green buds had made an appearance.
She noted the missing elements. No deer to nibble on the green buds.
No snapping of twigs. No chirring of insects, but that might be due to the cold spring.
No rustling of critters in the undergrowth.
They were completely alone.
“How about that?” she whispered, awed and a smidge unnerved.
“Sleep,” Anthony repeated, pulling her down and into an embrace. She settled with her head on his shoulder. “I will wake if anything dares.”
Sleep was easy, despite the circumstances. She had slept on the ground, under the stars many times. Her back wouldn’t appreciate it in the morning, but for now, she was grateful for Anthony’s warmth and the campfire.
Things had shifted between them. Things had been shifting between them for some time and she finally noticed.