Page 39 of The Kraken's Queen

Now or never. I can do this.

I take a deep breath. “I’m not sure how weddings operate in Tetria,” I start, getting distracted by his lips. They are so close. All I need is to reach out and…focus!“Uh, but in Grym Hollow, the newlywed couple shares a kiss when their vows are complete, and they are pronounced husband and wife.”

“We share a similar tradition,” Allarick says, and I swear his body shifts. He’s closer to me. His breath is hot against my skin.

“So, we are going to have to kiss.” My voice comes out more breathless than I mean.

Allarick gives me an odd look, raising his brow. “Is that not what you want, Erin?” There’s a sadness in his tone that he tries to hide, but it bleeds through.

“What if I say it’s exactly what I want?” Be brave. Be bold. Be a woman who knows what she wants. A woman who isn’t constantly plagued by James and the monster he was.

The man before me is the furthest thing from James. Probably because he is no man at all. My kraken is kind and gentle. Patient and attentive. He puts others before himself, and he makes sure people are taken care of. He made sureIwas taken care of.

This time when he moves closer, I don’t imagine it, and I don’t pull away, even though he gives me the opportunity to.

Be bold.

Be brave.

His rough yet gentle hand comes to rest on my cheek. I lean into his touch, starved for some sort of true affection that I’ve been denied for far too long.

“Do you want me to kiss you, sweet girl?” His voice is warm honey, sending jolts of electricity straight down my spine. He stares at me like he can see into my soul and knows exactly what I want and need at this moment.

I need for my lips to touch another’s, someone who isn’t James. I need a kiss that will leave me completely breathless and desired. I can’t remember the last time I had a kiss that didn’t reek of alcohol. The memories of alcohol on James’s lips are burned into my brain. I needsomething to replace it. I need to tell Allarick exactly what I want.

Be bold.

Be brave.

“Yes. I want you to kiss me. Now.” Okay, maybe that was a little too forceful, but I didn’t want to lose my nerve.

The corner of Allarick’s mouth cocks up. Before I know it, he’s pulling me closer until I’m sitting on his lap. My breath hitches as every hard curve and angle of his body presses into mine. He keeps one hand on my cheek while the other falls to my hip, keeping me in place. But not too tightly, leaving just enough room for me to pull away in case I change my mind.

This kraken is too perfect for the likes of me.

“You don’t know how badly I’ve wanted to hear those words,” Allarick whispers. And I’m completely stunned. He wants to kiss me? For how long?

Before I can verbalize any of those questions, Allarick moves forward, and his lips are on mine. My brain short-circuits, not accustomed to being kissed. His lips are so soft and taste vaguely of salt and the ocean. Butterflies burst in my belly, and I feel like a young girl getting kissed for the first time.

Now kiss back.

Right. I haven’t moved since his lips touched mine. My body finally reacts, and I press closer to him, kissing him back. A low growl leaves his throat, vibrating my lips. This growl, I like. His hand on my hip tightens, but I don’t feel suffocated by him. I want more.

He kisses me in earnest, and I give in to him, contentwith letting him control this moment. His tongue runs along the seam of my lips until my mouth parts for him on instinct. Then Allarick, my gentle kraken, claims my mouth.

He drinks me in, tasting me like he’s never had anything sweeter. A soft, needy whimper leaves my lips, but I don’t have time to be embarrassed about it. Allarick’s tongue mingles with mine, and he kisses me like he can’t get enough of me. Like just one second away from my lips is too long.

My body grows hot. Wetness pools between my thighs. I’ve never gotten turned on by a kiss, but then again, I’ve never been kissed quite like this. Something hard presses into my thigh, and when I curiously grind down, Allarick groans.

Oh fuck, this man is getting hard. Forme.

He doesn’t push me to do anything other than kiss him. He’s too much of a gentleman to ask for more. Logically, I know that’s for the best because I’m not ready for more than kissing my kraken, but still, a part of me yearns for what could come from this.

Allarick kisses me until my jaw hurts and my lips are swollen. He kisses me until he steals all the breath in my lungs, and even after that, he kisses me more. When he finally pulls back, I let out a disappointed whine, but it only makes him chuckle as he reaches up to push a few fallen strands of hair behind my ears.

“We’ll have many more years of kisses, sweet girl. This first one is just for us.”

I smile at the thought. I don’t know how I would have reacted if the first time I kissed Allarick wasin front of his kingdom. I would be too nervous to enjoy the moment. It would be a kiss more out of expectation and not genuine want and need. The first time deserved to be just ours, away from outside eyes.

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