Listening to him made it difficult to breathe. She swallowed a few times, hating her dry mouth, how ineloquent she sounded whenever they spoke. “She is beautiful. I love her.”
“I’m glad. Cosmas thought she’d be too much shark for you, but I had a feeling you’d both get on well.”
Kai stepped closer and cupped her palm against his cheek. “Thank you for coming to our rescue.”
“You’re my future queen.” He drew in a slow breath. Her other hand rested flat on his bare chest, stroking as it expanded with the deep inhale. “It will never be necessary to thank me for doing what’s right by you.”
“It is.” Kai nudged forward with her hips and encountered only hardness encased by cloth, arousal unconcealed, trapped between their bodies. “I saw gliders crushed in the mouths of Gloombeast sharks and squeezed to death by octopuses. You’re not invincible, Manu. My near-brush with death taught me something. None of us are immortal. We just live a long time, and death can come for us at any moment.”
“Kai…”
“And I don’t want to live with regret.”
“Cosmas is my friend and I can’t—”
“He knows. He gave his blessing.” She wouldn’t say what else Cosmas had told her. If Manu did love her, those words were for him to share. She wanted to hear them from his lips or not at all.
“His blessing?”
“We’ve decided to cancel the engagement.” Mouth sandpaper dry, she licked her lips. “No one knows yet, but it seemed like the only appropriate step to take. I can’t see him as more than a friend, and I also can’t marry someone for the sake of Atlantis. I’m not that selfless, Manu. The kingdom will have to take me as I am. For who I am. I can’t—”
The rest was lost, covered by a searing kiss.
Strong arms lifted Kai and carried her into an even smaller bedroom, most of its space occupied by the monster of a bed and an expansive aquagarden spanning the wall, the kind of marine setup she’d dreamed of having at home.
Funny. He’d mentioned liking fish, but she hadn’t taken him to be an enthusiast.
Her back met a bed softer than clouds, then he placed one knee on the empty space between her spread thighs, bent above her. His long hair fell down over her bared shoulder, tickling her when she leaned up on her palms to kiss him again
“I didn’t have to convince you this time. I’m afraid if I tease you, you’ll kick me out again.”
“Exaggeration. I didn’t kick you out.”
“Close to it. Still…what changed your mind?”
He leaned closer and kissed her neck, nipping hard enough to send a scintillating shiver through her body. “Let’s just say I’ve learned not to turn down my blessings,” he replied, chuckling low.
Wiggling her dress out from under her ass, she pulled it up and over her head, exposing every inch. For the second time in her life, she’d appeared on Manu’s doorstep without a scrap on beneath her dress. Now that she’d bared her heart to him, it only made sense that her body would follow.
Outstanding. No other word could sum the sight of his princess, sprawled nude across his bed while aiming a seductive smile up at him. From head to toe, her every inch was built for sin, designed for driving men wild with lust.
Manu drew in a long breath through his nose, though that was a mistake, as he could smell her arousal, practically taste it. He growled, gaze lingering on the dark tips of her breasts. He wanted both in his mouth.
His cock twitched hard, straining against the cotton. Before he had a chance to free himself, Kai reached and plucked the drawstring, freeing him again, exposing him to her bare hands. He thrust against her sliding grip and involuntarily moaned her name, much to her apparent delight because she grinned at him.
She knew exactly what she was doing.
The pants fell, pooling around his knees. He kicked them off and down to the floor.
From that moment, they were skin to skin, warm bodies and explorative touches trailing over defined limbs, him tracing her slender waist as her fingers caressed his broad shoulders. He kissed her throat and worshipped her breasts before claiming one perfect nipple with his mouth. Her satisfied moan was everything he’d needed and more.
Kai laced her fingers in his hair. “Amerin gave me a potion before I left the palace,” she murmured. She raised her hips, pushing against him, grinding her slickness against his hard cock.
He chuckled, breath warm against her throat. “Eager?”
“I’ve been waiting weeks for this. Months.”
“Months, huh?” His mouth traced a line across her jawline until he found her ear, delivering a delicious nibble that sent shivers down every inch of her body. “I want to taste you.” He moved lower and nuzzled her stomach, kissing below her navel. She trembled as he traced her entrance. “That’s not an answer, Kai.”
“Manu,” she said, a warning in her tone.
“Neither is that. I want you to tell me how much you want my tongue inside you. I want to hear how much you need it,” he said, thrusting two fingers inside her. Kai was so ready they slid in to the last knuckle on the first stroke, her channel hot and tight and so wet it startled him. Her hips bucked against the slow rhythm he began, and then he withdrew them completely, denying her. “Touch yourself. Show me the way you want me to touch you. And then maybe I’ll let you come on my mouth.”
Her fingers flew between her thighs, and she shamelessly put on a show he couldn’t look away from, captivating him. She alternated between squeezing and tweaking her nipples with one hand, plunging into herself with the other until he lost all control and practically dove between her thighs.
Kai fisted her hands in his hair, grasping handfuls of it and grinding against his mouth. He let her, turned on as much by her reaction as the taste of her. He found the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs and decided to make it his, to ruin her for anyone else—positive from this night forward he’d murder any other mer who so much as looked at her with a hint of lust in his gaze, whether they were common, highborn, or royalty from Pacifica.
He didn’t stop until she came first, gasping his name and tugging on his scalp.
His lovely princess was still in the throes of orgasm when he took her. In one thrust, Manu slipped into her tight, welcoming heat. “Kai,” he breathed against her neck, unable to imagine ever loving anyone else. Ever needing anyone else. Ever wanting anyone else. Somehow, she’d captured his heart and become more than his princess; she was his queen.
35
All or Nothing
Nestling closer to Manu to press her face against his neck, Kai breathed him in and ran her fingers through his hair. It wasn’t hard to develop an addiction to touching it when the strands were so silky and soft, a stark contrast to the rest of his body and the hard muscles beckoning her to begin stroking elsewhere.
Surrendering to the temptation, Kai’s hand began a southward descent, caressing over chiseled abs and creeping lower until she reached his cock.
They’d already fucked twice like desperate bunnies, the first a failed attempt to go soft and sweet that ended with Manu absolutely wrecking her, taking her hard and deep, quaking her body on every thrust until months of sexual tension imploded. The second time, after she discovered he was an excellent cuddler, they teased each other until his willpower shattered. He’d rolled her onto her stomach, dragged her back by the hips, and hilted every inch inside her.
Then rest came. They slept…some, although Kai roused several times to peer at the digital readout glowing nearby, dreading the approach of morning.
With less than an hour before Manu was due to report for duty, Kai curled her fingers around his dick and delivered a lazy stroke. He firmed in an instant.
“I need to leave soon,” he murmured.
“I know. Wish you didn’t.”
“As do I. The general requires the best of us for this operation if we’re to retrieve the King’s Treasure. We don’t know if the Gloombeasts were drawn to it, or if they’ve take
n it and we’ll have to pursue them to retrieve it.”
It struck Kai as sad that he never referred to Lago as his father. “Won’t you have lost precious time, assuming they did take it?”
“Yes. But it couldn’t be helped. If Lago is anything, it’s thorough. The swarm there wasn’t normal. Not within our borders, at least. It’s amazing that you and Cosmas survived for as long as you did, to be honest. We’re all in awe that you managed.”
“You’re not alone.” Kai sighed, somewhat consoled by holding one impressive piece of masculinity in her hand. If Thalassa or any other deity of the sea had sculpted Manu, they would have had to break the mold afterward. Two of him would be too much sexiness for one realm, let alone a city. “I’m mad at myself for dropping it. I knew its importance, but I fucked up.”
His hips rose, following the motion of her fist. “Shit happens in the heat of battle.”
“What if it can’t be recovered?”
“Then we keep seeking it. Our scouts combed through the area and detected some movement in the underground burrows, but they haven’t found the gem.”
“So Lago is assembling the army.”
“He is. Finding it may not be easy, but the pearl belongs with Neptune’s trident.” He glanced at the scepter propped against his nightstand. “Just as the scepter belongs with you.”
“I know. Doesn’t change that I wish we had more time together. I…”
Didn’t want to consider the possibility of the swarm assembling in force and growing even greater in strength, lying in wait for them. Instead of voicing her concerns, Kai straddled Manu’s hips and spread her fingers over his broad chest, kneading firm muscle and bronze skin.
“Again?” He cocked a brow, and then a smug, satisfied smile curved his delectable mouth.
Kai shifted her weight and leaned closer, kissing him tenderly and savoring each stroke of tongue until she playfully nibbled his lower lip. “I can’t send you into potential battle without a goodbye.”
“Sound logic.”
Aware that fate could rip them apart at any time, Kai slipped one hand between her thighs and guided him home.
Home. That felt right. Being with Manu was the next best thing to being at home in Galveston with her family. He didn’t take her shit. He encouraged her. He made her feel cherished, and whether or not he ever uttered the word “love,” she certainly felt it when he gazed up at her with wonder in his eyes, marveling at her like she was the goddess herself.
A languid rhythm carried her up and down, riding him gently and contrasting their frenzied first couplings together. What they’d done before had been fucking. This was the lovemaking she’d keep in her memory, no matter what happened.
Seeming to sense her intention, Manu didn’t rush her. His hands glided over her hips, smoothed up and down her stomach before he cupped her breasts and squeezed. Then he leaned forward and captured one tight nipple between his lips, lavishing it with the affection she craved. As she clenched around him, he slipped two fingers between their bodies.
“Kai,” he breathed against her skin, only to moan and tug her hair with his other hand, forcing a throat-baring arch to her spine. He nibbled, and she didn’t care if he left marks behind or not, only that he didn’t stop doing that wonderful thing with his fingers. He lay back again beneath her, gazing up at her with unfettered adoration, his eyes saying everything that remained unvoiced between them.
Does he love me?
Could he love her after so short a time?
He slammed deep, dragging her attention back to where it belonged, the crazy pulsing between her thighs winding the tension tighter with each pass of his fingertip. When Kai’s orgasm slammed into her, Manu was already gasping her name, emptying inside her.
They lay together like that until duty called him away. He slipped from beneath her and entered the shower. Silently, she debated joining him as the minutes ticked down, drawing ever closer to the unofficial moment when they would have to acknowledge what had transpired.
Kai thought of what Cosmas and Amerin had each told her regarding Manu’s unshakable loyalty, his tenderness while holding vigil over her, and their shared defiance when facing down the leader of the Atlantian military.
They had no future together.
But they did. If she took her place as queen, they had a chance. As long as she fought for what was right, changing their world one outdated tradition at a time, they had a chance.
They could have a future. If only they had the chance to explore the depth of their affection and determine on their own if they belonged together.
Kai remained beneath the sheets until he returned, watching him dress in padded sharkskin and don armor. Long hair still damp around his shoulders, he idled at the foot of the bed and watched her.
“This isn’t a one-night stand,” she said, breaking the silence.
“The laws—”
“Can be remade. No law is set in stone.” She crawled onto her knees and leaned up to embrace him, lacing her fingers behind his neck. “Do you trust me?”
Manu kissed the corner of her mouth and held her close, palm on the small of her back. “With all my heart.”
“Then I promise, this won’t be the end. Fight for Atlantis, and I’ll fight for us.”
Kai had come to harbor certain expectations when it came to her Uncle Aegaeon. He had little social time for her, though he invited her to attend court beside him to learn the ins and outs of ruling a city, proving an adequate teacher when it came to Atlantian law. But that was the extent of their companionship; Aegaeon was unavailable beyond those meetings in his office, the throne room, or the occasional lunch together, during which he always appeared distracted, as if he would rather be anywhere but in the presence of his niece. His moods frequently ran hot and cold. He was either affectionate and friendly, or cool and indifferent toward her.
“Uncle?” Kai called, rapping on the door first before she nudged it inward.
Aegaeon was behind his desk as usual, looking ill-rested with his fingers steepled against his brow. He opened his eyes and straightened his back, putting on a genuine but fragile smile. “Kai, you should be resting. How are you feeling now?” He gestured to a seat.
“Better than I did before. Maybe I should be asking you the same. Have you slept at all?”
He chuckled. “No sleep for me. I spent much of the night communicating our plans with the archons of our other cities across the Atlantic. Lago wants more mers than we have available in the city to exterminate that massive horde. And since his crazy plan benefits every Atlantian, he wants units from every military installation, port, and city.”
Kai frowned. “Do you think he’ll be successful? You both made it clear that the Gloom can’t be pushed back without me.”
“We can only hope some progress can be made until you’re ready. The discovery—your discovery of the King’s Treasure is indicative of the changing tide. Not only was it exceptional for morale among the Myrmidons, who have fought against this sickness for centuries without improving our position, but it’s a sure sign that the goddess hasn’t forsaken us after all. We are no longer in a position to rest on our laurels while awaiting your transition to queen.”
“I suppose. But I saw what happened out there when Commander Manu led his squad. He lost half of his men rescuing us.”
“Ten. He lost ten. That assault annihilated all but Manu and a single pilot, and had reinforcements not arrived when they did, I suspect everyone would have perished.”
Kai’s vision blurred, eyes stinging with unshed tears creeping from beneath her lashes. No one had told her everyone was lost.
“There were six squads in the skiff led by Captain Leander, and of those seventy-two men, fifty-seven died as Cosmas and Manu bore you away.”
Her airway became a pinhole-sized passage, barely allowing her to breathe. Sixty-seven men dead in a single battle, all because she’d left the city gates.
“You’re wondering why I’m telling you this.
Why I’m giving you numbers.”
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure if she actually made a sound, or if her lips only formed the word.
“Because I’ve made decisions and approved military maneuvers for twenty-five years since taking the throne, sending thousands of mers to die in the name of Atlantis. As queen, you will become the authority sending mers to their death.”
“I’ll fight with them.” She wouldn’t sit in a safe office, handing down judgments from a throne room while others died for her.
“You will. When you’re able. But you won’t always be able to lead them, to battle alongside them. You can’t divide yourself in two or three or even a dozen and attend every battle. To lead is to accept death is a part of our realm. To lead is to understand when one must do it from behind a desk, and when one must guide the charging line; to know when you are too valuable to risk, and when you are the inspiration the troops need. When it is time for you to enter the battlefield, Kai, they’ll rally to you without question.”
He’d read her mind. Seen straight through her. “But—”
“Despite the losses we suffered, I can’t say it wasn’t a worthwhile trade, given that you and Cosmas survived. You spoke of your mother’s spirit telling you there are signs of Thalassa still in this world. You found the King’s Treasure. It was waiting for you, and I believe that is a sign from Thalassa. Hipponax and I have discussed it at length. Lago may have lost his faith, but I haven’t. The goddess herself sent you there. Those mers did not die in vain, Kai.”
When a gravid silence settled between them, Aegaeon reached across the desk and took her hand. “But enough of that. Lack of sleep tends to diminish my verbal filter. This topic can wait until you’ve had time to recover from your harrowing experience. What did you come to discuss with me? I hope it’s good news.”
Her chest tightened. She definitely did not have good news. “No.”
Return to Atlantis: a Fantasy Romance (Kingdom in the Sea Book 1) Page 25