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Authors: Jan Springer

Tags: #Erotica

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BOOK: Passionate Ink
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His cock tightened and hardened inside of her. He had to stop this before it went any farther. Daylight was burning quickly and he had to get ready for his change.

“I…I have to go to work. I’m on the night shift at a marina,” he explained.

* * * * *

 

She blinked as sudden realization slammed into her. Work?
Oh shit!
She’d totally forgotten she’d been booked solid with clients today.

Damn,” she spat as he pulled out. He chuckled as he let go of her hips.

“I didn’t think you’d be that disappointed,” he grinned at her and her belly did a really cool somersault. Yep, she really liked the way this guy made her feel.

“I’m not. But I totally will never live this down.”

Guilt gripped her as she followed him out of the pool.

“Live this down? What? Are you afraid my neighbors will talk about my fucking you in the pool?” He chuckled and handed her a white towel. She grabbed it and quickly wrapped it around her waist and then pulled it up under her armpits, tucking in the folds.

“No, my clients. I have a full day. How in God’s name could I ever forget them? This has never happened to me before. So many crazy things have happened since I met you.”

“Good things, I hope?”

She couldn’t help but nod as she stared into his mesmerizing green eyes. Gosh, she could just literally fall into those beautiful eyes and stay there forever.

“So, I guess we’re both late for work?” he asked as he switched off his radio and picked it up. Her breath quickened again as his stiff cock bobbed up and down as he opened a nearby steel cabinet and placed the radio inside. Suddenly her lips burned for him. She wanted them pressed against his mouth again. To feel his confident warmth slide over her lips and drown in the lash of his eager tongue pressed against hers.

“I thought of that earlier, but I didn’t want to lose you,” he said as he headed toward the staircase. She quickly followed and they descended to the main deck.

Yeah, but he certainly seemed as if he could stand losing her now. Why did she get the feeling he wanted to brush her off? Gosh, what if she was pregnant and he wanted nothing to do with her? Iciness slithered around her heart. She hadn’t just been used, had she? She hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of her life, having unprotected sex with a guy she barely knew, did she?

Catalina frowned. She was being an idiot. She’d used him too. Kind of.

Okay, so she was confused. First of all, she’d never had unprotected sex before and she’d certainly never slept with a guy she barely knew. She’d better go home and get some distance. She’d clean up there, because if she stayed here she’d most likely follow him right into the shower and let him screw her brains out. Again.

Her frown deepened. But she truly wanted to stay here with him.

“We’ll see each other tomorrow morning, right?” He turned to her and must have noticed her confusion for he was suddenly cuddling her in his strong, protective embrace, his warm body pressed against hers, his hot breath caressing her cheeks.

Oh yeah, she definitely wanted to stay here and get to know more about him.

“How about I come over for breakfast?” she asked, staring deep into his eyes and wondering if he was falling as hard for her as she was for him. Oh dear, she was being bold. But she liked being bold, especially with him. She wanted him to know she was very interested in him.

“I’ll be here bright and early. And I’ll have breakfast ready for you by the pool. How’s that?” he said against her lips.

“Sounds wonderful.” Although she’d much rather spend the night.


Distance,

an inner voice whispered. She needed distance to think about what she’d just allowed to happen. Hot sex. Hot
unprotected
sex.

“Okay, I need to get showered and changed,” he whispered and when he let go of her, she felt lost and so alone.

“I’m going to miss you like crazy,” he said as he headed out of the bedroom, his voice hoarse and strangled, as if maybe he really was sincere.

A moment later, the shower came on. The overwhelming urge to join him almost won out. But she wasn’t acting like herself. She’d never been this needy for a man. Right now she had to get dressed and she had to leave. Or she swore if she didn’t, she’d be here with him forever.


Not such a bad idea
,” that naughty inner voice whispered.

* * * * *

 

Calder breathed a huge sigh of relief when he came out of the shower to find Catalina gone. But that relief was short-lived by an ache that carved so deeply into his hearts he wished he had explained to her why he’d needed her gone.

Gazing down at his engorged cock, the colors shimmered bright and vibrant. The warning signs for change. Normally without a tattoo he would have experienced that familiar sense of urgency to head for the ocean before he shifted. But now that he had the tattoo, it was an earlier signal for the upcoming change. It had everything to do with the skin pigmentation readying itself. He wondered if other shifters knew about this. He would have to mention tattoos as signals of the change at their annual convention next year.

Pushing that thought aside, he prepared to get his houseboat out of here and onto the ocean and into a secluded spot as quickly as possible. Then he could safely slip into the water to await his change.

Glancing at the clock in his bedroom, he realized he had just enough time to clear the marina, anchor his boat at some private bay and jump into the water. He didn’t want cut it as close as last night.

As he slipped on his swim pants and headed to the pilothouse, the familiar pounding of blood rushed through his veins. The tattoo had given him a good five-minute leeway. That wasn’t too much time, but for Octoposeidons who needed to get away from humans in a hurry, a shimmering tattoo might make all the difference in alerting them to the approaching change.

Moments later, he maneuvered his houseboat out of the marina, and ten minutes after that, he’d settled into a secluded inlet up the coast. Just in time too, because his body was beginning to go cold and his limbs were softening to the point where his legs were shaky and he could barely stand.

It was almost dark outside and the change was beginning. No sooner had he hit the water, did the urge to swim hit. He resisted that urge and waited until it became hard to breathe the air. Then he slid his head under, inhaling, allowing the oxygenated water to sluice deep into his newly formed gills.

Strength quickly fused through his body and his flesh flowed and ebbed as he began to reshape. His bones disintegrated as his new form took hold. The transformation barely hurt. More so in the beginning, but his brain and nerve endings had gotten used to it and readjusted easily now. Females were luckier and didn’t experience the pain as males. Something to do with their hormones.

Soon, his tentacles slid back and forth in front of his eyes. His hearing got worse. But that was normal. He didn’t really need his hearing down here. His eyes were his guide for seeking food and potential enemies. Propelling himself through the murky darkness, a solemn loneliness crashed through him.

He missed Catalina. He missed her like crazy.

* * * * *

 

“Oh my God! Where have you been?” Misty cried as Catalina rounded the corner of her RV and found Misty sitting on the picnic table just outside Cat’s door. Her friend jumped off the table and gave her a huge hug before pulling away and staring at her.

“What’s up? Why have you not been answering my calls?” She didn’t wait for Cat to explain before she headed over to the door and snapped two separate sheets of paper out of the door jamb. She waved the papers at Cat.

“Two customers left notes saying they were here for their tats, but you weren’t. This isn’t like you, Cat. You never miss work. At least never when you’ve been here. Did you have another episode like the ones you had yesterday?”

Her friend’s worried expression truly made Cat feel guilty.

“Everything is fine,” she reassured. Oh boy, she was very energized, despite all that sex today, and she was famished. “Truly fine. Come on inside. I’ll flip on my air-con. Have you eaten anything yet?”

Misty shook her head. “I couldn’t eat a thing not knowing if you were okay or not.”

“Well, now you can eat, sweetie. Come on in.” She curled her hand into Misty’s and, after unlocking her door, she pulled her friend up the stairs and they went inside.

* * * * *

 

“I don’t know how you survive when I’m on the road, Miss.” Catalina laughed as she set two plates filled with seafood salad onto the small bench table that doubled for her tattoo foyer, and sat opposite Misty who poured them two glasses of red wine.

“Contrary to popular belief, I do worry about you.” She reached out and placed her hands over Cat’s, squeezing gently. “Um, that’s why I call you every day, remember?” Misty asked softly.

Catalina laughed. “How could I forget?”

“So…?” Curiosity sparkled in Misty’s eyes. “You missed work. You say everything is fine. You look like a fox who just swallowed the canary. It must mean…hmm, the man with the tentacle tattoo?”

Cat feigned ignorance as she stabbed her fork into a piece of crab. She was actually starving tonight and the seafood salad she’d made early this morning and stashed in her refrigerator for supper was coming in very handy.

“And…so…what did you two do today? It must have been something swanky if you didn’t even bother to let your clients know their appointments had been canceled.”

Guilt assailed her yet again. She needed to call them and apologize. She stabbed another forkful of seafood and shoved it into her mouth.

Delightful salty flavors exploded against her taste buds and she moaned softly at the array of sensations bursting over her tongue.

“Hmm, in the way you’re eating…” Misty’s eyes widened in shock and then excitement.

“Obviously you haven’t eaten all day. Did you two…?” She raised her eyebrows up and down several times and Cat had to laugh at the intense anticipation flooding through Misty’s features.

“Did we what?” Cat couldn’t help but tease.

“You know…”

“No, I don’t know. No, we didn’t eat if that’s what you are insinuating.” Her cheeks warmed quite a lot as she remembered why they didn’t eat. Actually, that wasn’t true. They did eat. Each other.

“You had sex!” Misty gasped. This time, she moved to the edge of her seat and squirmed around like an excited child.

With Misty, Cat had never really been embarrassed talking about sex. Actually, she had several friends around the country who were such true friends, even if she saw them once or twice a year for a few weeks, it was as if they’d never been apart. She was lucky she seemed to gravitate toward loyal and concerned friends such as Misty. And she could talk to them about her sex life. Or lack thereof. Until now.

Cat laughed at her friend’s surprised reaction. “It’s not like it’s my first time.”

“Oh my God! It must be serious. I mean, you always wait until you know a guy longer before you have sex with him.” Her friend frowned. “But it can’t be serious. You just met him yesterday and you mentioned a girlfriend.”

“He lied about the girlfriend. He doesn’t have one.”

A deeper frown marred Misty’s forehead and her voice softened as if she were suddenly talking to an inexperienced teenager. “Oh no, honey, guys use that line all the time to get a girl into bed.”

“I’m going with my gut on this. I believe him.”

“You hardly know him. You could get hurt. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know, but…it just happened and oh my gosh I’ve never had such good sex. I’ve
never
had good sex…until this guy. I mean, we were clowning around at his houseboat and we just fell into bed.” She, of course, meant that quite literally. “And after I awoke, we did it in his swimming pool. Just dancing in the pool listening to music, holding each other like it was the most natural thing in the world.”

Misty’s face broke into a huge smile. “That’s wonderful, Cat. I’m so happy for you. When are you meeting him again?”

“In the morning. For breakfast. At his place. By his pool.”

“Morning pool sex. Very exciting. Why can’t I find hot guys with tentacle tattoos who give great sex?”

This was Cat’s clue to take the focus off herself and back to Misty. The poor dear suddenly looked utterly miserable.

“I take it your fireman date didn’t go so well?”

“It went down in flames. I cried myself to sleep with my face buried in my pillow.”

Sympathy, once again, assailed her. “Oh, Misty. I’m so sorry. You should have called me.”

She pouted prettily. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Then I should have kept my mouth shut about Calder. I’m so sorry.”

Misty brightened and chased Cat’s guilt away. “No, don’t be. At least you had a wonderful time with your man. I’m so happy you found a decent guy who gives great sex and, if I may add, a well-hung man.”

“I don’t know him well enough to say he’s decent, but well hung, definitely.”

BOOK: Passionate Ink
12.74Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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