Page 54 of Ensnaring the Siren

Something big had changed in the time between the night they met and now, something cataclysmic. And he had a choice to make. Nireed was a bright, shining beacon in a fathomless sea, and he was standing on the continental shelf, peering down into the deep, dark unknown. Once he dove in, he could never turn back.

Beneath the water, he slid his hand into hers, her fins swaying, and his legs fluttering to the same easy beat. Warmth radiated from her body, chasing away the ocean’s cold caress.

“I made a mistake earlier today,” he said, holding her gaze. Nodes of light dotted her face in biologically strategic clusters—at her temples, down the bridge of her nose, and one singular dot below her chin—illuminating just enough of her face in the dark that he could see expression. “And I’d like to make up for it, if you’ll let me.”

Her gaze dipped to his lips before meeting his eyes once more, uncertainty writ in the pinch of her brows. “What was your mistake?” She clutched his hand a little tighter, waiting for his response. For all she knew, whatever he said next could break her heart, and yet, she still sought him for comfort.

He pulled her closer, pressing his forehead to hers.

Ever so carefully, she threaded her claws through his hair. “Among my people, this,” she gently bumped her forehead to his, “means listen closely. I’m listening, Reid.”

“I should have kissed you.” He threaded an arm around her waist, pulling their bodies flush.

Her bioluminescence pulsed. “Why didn’t you?”

“You were hurt.” That was part of it, but if he was honest, it wasn’t the only reason. “And I was scared, too, of what I’m feeling for you.”

“What I am, where I come from, it won’t be easy.”

Leagues of ocean stood between them. His demanding work schedule, too, and her obligations to her people. But a strange sort of certainty aligned within him. Something about swimming beneath the stars made the impossible feel possible. Or maybe it was her, and some unspoken, unknowable thing between them, telling him they could make this work.

“Maybe not, but I think it’ll be worth it. Can I kiss you, Starfish?”

A bright, pretty smile ticked up the corners of her mouth, and she nodded, angling in.

Slotting his lips over hers, Reid captured their softness and laid claim to that joy. The thought of razor-sharp teeth pricking his lip crossed his mind, but it was that smile he leaned into. They went slowly, carefully. Her taking as much, if not more, care than him. This kiss was aware of the danger, but not hindered by it.

Lifting their hands, he brought hers to his hip, then cupped her cheek, seeking, searching, molding his mouth to the shape of hers. The taste of salt gave way to sweet, and a surprised gasp escaped her when he deepened the kiss, delving past parted lips and sharp teeth to caress his tongue to hers, an intrepid explorer boldly diving into the unknown.

Reid embraced Nireed like he had the ocean, fully and without fear.

Nireed arched into him, holding back a tempest, wanting to possess his mouth, part his lips further and pour in her desire, but if she took too much too soon, he would flee. He liked her well enough to initiate a kiss, but how much would he like her if she accidentally bit him? Drew blood?

A guilty thrill raced up her spine, wondering how he’d taste.

“I can take it,” he broke away to say, stroking a thumb across her cheek. “Can feel you holding back. Don’t.”

“Reid, I need you to listen to me.” She bowed her forehead to his. “If I cut you, if you bleed, I’m going to like the taste. Will you be all right with that?”

He paused. “Does the thought of tasting me turn you on?” There was a little trepidation in his voice, but his cock twitched, too, the press of her body keeping him warm. But this was different from the night they first met. Tonight, the scent of his interest was stronger than his fear.

“It does,” she answered truthfully. “But how you feel is more important.”

“I think I’d like to try.”

An idea struck. This didn’t have to be one-sided.

“Taste me first. It’s only fair.” She lifted a claw to her lower lip, nicking it down the center. Blood welled, then beaded.

His heartbeat sped up, but he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and leaned in. She thought he’d give a quick lick and be done with it, but no. He dragged his tongue across her lower lip, lingering and laving, before sucking it into his mouth and savoring her taste like one might a rare delicacy.

A soft moan escaped her, her scales beginning to part. Reid seized her hips with both hands, pressing her to his rock-hard length.

He tugged at her lip before releasing it, and the self-assured grin that followed wrecked her insides. “You liked that?”

“Yeah,” she said, a little breathless. “You?”

“Mhm.” He ensnared her mouth in another kiss, more forceful and searching than the last, urging her to finally give him her all. It was a frenzy of entangled lips, and hungry, lashing tongues. A fearless kiss that consumed them both, and when he inevitably cut himself on her teeth, rather than pull away, he slid his hands up her bare back, tangling them in her hair, utterly unyielding.

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