Page 33 of Tempting Triton
“And seal it with a kiss.” Triton’s smile is blinding, teeth on show as he laughs out loud, grabbing me by the arms and twirling us around. I can’t help but smile along with him, his joy infectious, but there is an edge to my smile that I can’t hide from Triton. He falters, giving my arms a squeeze before looking directly in my eyes.
“I will not force you to choose, my Elena. If you do not want to give up the surface, I will share my essence with you for as long as I live.”
I shake my head, eyes burning with tears I can’t feel beneath the sea.
“I can’t let you do that.”
One of the other Mer clears his throat. “Ah, yes, hello.” He waves at us. “You don’t have to give up anything. Once the bond is sealed, you will have the freedom to transition between land and sea at your whim. Triton also. There has to be some perks to capturing the attention of a Mer long enough to not be eaten.” He chuckles.
We stare long and hard at the Mer until he scratches his head and fidgets with the attention, before turning to each other again.
“I can have both?” I ask in wonder.
“You can have everything, my mate. I will give you everything.” Triton blinks rapidly as if trying to dispel tears, which causes me to do the same. You don’t realize how weird it is to cry underwater until you’re doing it. I can have everything. I can have Triton and not lose the ability to be on land.
I laugh, the reality hitting me.
“So, I could just blow the conch right now?”
“Ah, no.”
I falter at the Mer’s interjection.
“It needs to be done during king tide and beneath a full moon, and you have to make the conch sing. It is not sealed if the conch remains silent.”
I eye the palm-sized conch hanging around Triton’s neck.
“Tell me it’s easy to blow the conch?” I gnaw at my bottom lip, looking at Triton nervously.
Triton leans down to place his forehead on mine, squeezing my arms in reassurance. “I believe you will be able to do it, my Elena.You are my mate. The Fates would not have chosen you for me if they thought we would not end up bound together.”
It feels naïve to put our trust in a bunch of mystical-maybe-not-real beings. His certainty does not make me feel any better, and anxiety crawls up my spine at the idea of failure.
“That did not answer my question.” I huff.
Triton laughs, his overzealous joy at the prospect of having all our wishes granted overriding any sort of doubt that I might not be able to pull this off. To get this far and then have it all taken away might just break us both.
“There is a full moon in three nights’ time. Do not worry, my Elena, I will plan the perfect sealing ceremony for you. There is much to plan. We must get back so I can begin. Thank you, my kin.” Triton claps the merman on the shoulder in appreciation.
I grunt in frustration. “No, but—” Triton cuts my protest off with a passionate kiss, his lips and tongue devouring me while our onlookers float beside us, attempting to look anywhere else, wary of Triton’s warning away from me. I’m annoyed at being cut off. I don’t need or want anything fancy. I’d be happy for it to be nobody else but Triton and me. My annoyance melts away asTriton’s hands grip my waist, his mouth and teeth getting carried away against mine.
He pulls away briefly. “Leave us,” he growls to the Mer, and I look at them sheepishly as they turn tail and skedaddle, leaving me alone with a ravenous-looking Mer.
Triton grabs me under my thighs, lifting me to wrap my legs around his waist, before his hands shift to palm my ass in two handfuls, massaging and kneading my cheeks, pressing me against his abdomen. The seam of my exercise shorts rubs between my legs, teasing at my clit. I gasp, a needy moan escaping my lips in a rush of bubbles.
“These. Off. Now.” Triton tugs at the fabric, letting it go with a snap that makes me yelp, the wetness of it making it all the more biting as it smacks back against my skin.
“Aye, aye, captain.” I smirk, leaning back to shimmy out of my sports bra, letting it drift down to rest on a bunch of spindly-looking coral.
The water makes my nipples peak at the exposure. Triton leans down to take one into his mouth, greedily licking and nipping at it before switching sides. I wriggle in his arms, aching for morefriction between my legs, rocking my pussy against the muscles of his stomach.
“Hold on to me,” Triton growls, tugging my legs from around his waist so he can yank the shorts down my legs, too impatient to wait for me to do it myself. “I need to feel your skin against mine.”
My shorts drift down to join my sports bra, and I giggle as Triton wraps my legs back around his waist with a huff. My slick pussy touches his deliciously warm skin, and I can feel the divots of his muscles beneath me.
“Take your pleasure from me, my mate.” He groans, looking down between us where our skin touches, my lips spread and pressed against him. He doesn’t have to tell me twice as I rock against him again, and he stares down, mesmerized. It is insanely erotic watching him watching me get off on his body. I roll my pelvis against him until I find a good rhythm and work to get myself off, but it’s not enough.
“More. I need more,” I beg Triton, my breaths coming in light pants.
