Page 55 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

“Is Havoc your mate?”

Diego’s eyes closed for a few seconds. “I don’t know.”

Echo lifted a brow.

“Maybe,”Diego snapped. He scrubbed his face with both hands before lifting his weary gaze. “I think he might be.”

Silence hung between them for a few seconds as Echo digested that information.

“I imagine you look a little like I did at the bar when you came around that corner,” Echo said. “Scared out of my mind. A bit dazed and confused. All while I was completely unable to think about anything but Maelstrom.”

Diego met his stare, his eyes glassy, but he dragged it away just as quickly, so it was hard to read too much of the emotion there.

“Or maybe it’s just the scared part?”

“He’s…so big,”Diego murmured. “I…” He shook his head. “I’m the one who started it.Ikissed him. He came over, interested in the radio gear. He sat down beside me to watch for a moment.” Diego rubbed his fingers over his mouth and chin. “This hot as hell, good-smelling man is sitting right beside me, and all I could think about was sliding onto his cock and having my guts rearranged.”

Echo’s eyes widened.

Diego narrowed his eyes. “Oh, don’t tell me that wasn’t what was going on in your head when you first met Maelstrom. I was blamed for cockblocking, as I recall.”

Echo nodded. “Okay, yeah.”

Diego sat on the captain’s chair. “Every time his leg touched mine, it felt like an electric jolt. He leaned in to look at something on the screen. I turned to tell him something about what I was seeing, not realizing he was so close to me. His lips were right there… so I kissed him because I’d wanted to kiss him from the minute I laid eyes on him.” Diego met Echo’s gaze. “He pulled away at first, and he looked shocked. For a few seconds, I was terrified I’d read the situation wrong. But then he kissed me back. And it was amazing… at first.”

“At first?Did he cross a line?”

“No. Nothing like that. Havoc did absolutelynothingwrong.” Diego released a slow breath. “The more we kissed, the hotter it got—but then it changed. The alpha in him took over. Suddenly he was on top of me and pinning me to one of the benches with that massive body of his. I guess I went into flight mode. Or had a full-blown panic attack. Take your pick.”

“Was he rough with you?”

“Not really. The level of rough I usually enjoy.” Diego scrubbed his face with both hands again. “I think I got in my head. I’m out in the middle of the ocean, on a stranger’s boat with no one else around. He’s a predator and he’s pinning me down—and I suddenly realized just how vulnerable I was in that moment. Havoc’s enormous. He could’ve done anything to me, and I’d have been helpless to stop him. When he grabbed both my wrists in one hand and held them over my head—that was kind of the last straw. I started fighting. I pushed him away and I… kneed him in the nuts.”

Echo hissed, imagining the pain.

“Accidentallykneed him in the nuts.” Diego winced. “I apologized.Profusely.He didn’t say a word. He just got up, walked away, and gave me a wide berth for the rest of my time on his boat. I sensed anger coming off him, so once you all started your last row of the sweep, I packed our stuff and came over here to hide in shame.”

“If it was an accident, I’m sure he’ll get over it. Once the pain subsides.”

“I’m sorry,” Diego whispered. “I’m so,sosorry.”

“For what?”

“Coming down on you so hard because Maelstrom was an orca,” Diego replied. “I didn’t understand.” Diego scrubbed his face again. He looked completely out of sorts. His hair was mussed, his eyes wide. “I told you that you and Mael were impossible—which might’ve added to your doubts. Then I arrogantly assumed you could simply let him go and move on. You couldn’t have walked away from Maelstrom even if you’d wanted to. I didn’t understand then… I do now.” He worried his bottom lip. “I was only trying to protect you, because I love you… I wasn’t trying to make things harder. I swear.”

“I know you didn’t have bad intentions,” Echo said. “I’d likely have done the same if I were in your shoes because I love you, too.”

Diego slid off the captain’s chair and plopped beside him on the bench seat. He laid his head on Echo’s shoulder. “I meet my mate and what do I do? I come on to him, then freak out, push him away, and knee him in the dick. What an auspicious beginning. He probably thinks I was leading him on.”

“If he’s your mate, he won’t. And he’ll get over the knee to the dick, too. Once the pain subsides,” Echo said, chuckling.

Though Echo wasn’t completely sure about Havoc. He didn’t seem too pleased Echo was Mael’s mate. Learning he had a dolphin of his own? There were two ways Echo imagined things going. Either Havoc accepted his bond with Diego and became more supportive of Echo and Mael because of it—or he fought the attraction and that spilled over into their relationship.

Diego sighed. “How did you get past your prey animal’s instinct to run? Or did you not feel that?”

“Of course I felt like running, especially when we first met. You saw me, remember? I was terrified. I was also incredibly attracted to him.” Echo tried to remember all that was running through his mind that night. “I suppose I leaned into that. Desire. I focused on my need to have him, but that only lasted until we fucked the first time. The doubts rolled right back in as I was lying there in the aftermath. If it wasn’t for Mael refusing to let me push him away that night, I might still be fighting my feelings. Not saying those doubts have gone away. They haven’t. Not yet. But each time I see him, they get a little quieter. In time… they’ll go silent.” He chuckled.“Hopefully.”

Diego released a slow breath. “I have no idea what to do next.”

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