Because if these are our last hours together, I'm damn well going to make them count.

Zeph lays me down on the bed with a gentleness that contrasts with the hunger I can feel radiating through our empathic connection. He follows me down, his larger body covering mine as he captures my mouth in a kiss that starts gentle but quickly turns desperate.

"I want to memorize you," he murmurs against my lips, his hands sliding down my sides. "Every inch, every response, every sound you make."

"You could just take notes," I tease, but my breath catches as his fingers find sensitive spots I didn't even know I had.

"This kind of research requires a more... hands-on approach."

And hands-on he is. Zeph seems determined to touch every part of me, his large hands warm and increasingly slick as that natural lubricant begins to seep from his skin. It glistens on his fingers, slightly iridescent and smelling faintly sweet, as he traces patterns down my chest, my stomach, between my thighs.

"That's so convenient," I breathe as I watch the slickness spread across his fingertips. "Do all Nereidans come with built-in lube dispensers, or are you just happy to see me?"

"We all can produce it when aroused," Zeph explains, his formal tone at odds with the way he's currently spreading my thighs apart. "Though I find my response to you is... unusually abundant."

"Abundant," I echo with a grin. "That's one way to put it."

My teasing turns to gasps as he begins to stroke me, his slick hand making everything more intense. The natural lubricant seems to warm on contact, creating a tingling sensation that borders on overwhelming.

"Is this acceptable?" he asks, watching my face closely as he works me with careful attention.

"More than acceptable," I manage, hips lifting involuntarily into his touch. "But I want more than just your hand."

Zeph's eyes darken, the glow beneath his skin intensifying. "What do you want, Jake?"

"I want to feel you. All of you." I reach between us, finding him already hard and slick with that natural lubricant. I wrap my hand around him, my fingers not quite meeting around his girth, and give him a slow stroke that makes his bioluminescence flare brighter. "I want your cock inside me. I want to feel what it's like to be completely filled by you."

A visible shudder runs through him, the luminescence rippling across his skin in waves. His cock throbs in my hand, more of that sweet-smelling lubricant seeping from the tip. "That will require significant preparation. I will not risk injuring you."

"Then prepare me," I say, spreading my legs wider in invitation, making my intentions unmistakable. "I want to feel every inch of you. I want to know what it's like when you lose control inside me."

Zeph's breathing becomes heavier, his golden eyes darkening to amber. "You have no idea what you're asking for."

"Show me," I challenge him, squeezing his cock for emphasis. "Show me exactly what I'm asking for."

Zeph moves down my body, pressing kisses along my chest and stomach as he goes. His fingers, now dripping withthat sweet-smelling natural lubricant, trace gentle circles before one fingertip presses against me.

"Breathe," he instructs, his golden eyes locked on mine as the first finger breaches me.

I gasp at the intrusion, not painful but strange and intense. The slickness of his natural lubricant makes it easier than I expected, the warmth spreading inside me as his finger works deeper.

"Okay?" he asks, stilling his movement.

"Yeah," I nod, relaxing into the sensation. "It's... different. Good different."

"The lubrication contains mild muscle relaxants," Zeph explains, beginning to move his finger in slow, careful thrusts. "It will make this easier."

"Of course it does," I laugh breathlessly. "Evolved for compatibility, right?"

"Indeed." There's a hint of amusement in his voice as he crooks his finger slightly, searching, and—

"Holy shit!" I arch off the bed as he finds exactly the right spot, sending sparks of pleasure up my spine. "Do that again."

He does, repeatedly, until I'm pushing back against his hand, silently begging for more. The single finger becomes two, stretching me with careful precision, the natural lubricant making everything slick and easy. Through our empathic connection, I can feel his arousal building alongside mine, his control fraying at the edges as he watches me respond to his touch.

"You're beautiful like this," Zeph murmurs, his voice rougher than I've ever heard it. "So responsive, so open for me."

I can't even form a coherent response, reduced to moans and gasps as he works a third finger inside me, stretching me further. The sensation hovers on the edge of too much, butthe natural lubricant keeps everything just on the right side of pleasure.