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“Those sea lions are normal creatures, like you and me, Sterling. New and exciting. A species never seen before, sure, but ordinary, just like the both of us.”

My shoulders sag under the disappointment of his reply, but I don’t correct him. What good would it do me, anyway?

You could show him. Let him see it to believe it.

It’s tempting to stand up right now, shift and show him who I am. What I am. To tell him that monsters exist in many forms. But I don’t, because at the end of the day, I let him down. I couldn’t save them both and he’ll never forgive me for that.

“Okay, sweet Caspian.” I kiss him harder and he nudges my chest until my back hits the sand, and he’s crawling over me. “But you are anything but ordinary.”

A blush blossoms on his cheeks. “I think,” he starts, then gives me a chaste kiss. “We go home.” Kiss. “Take a hot shower.” Kiss. “Eat something.” Another kiss. “And then you stay the night.”

I haven’t stayed the night since the first time we were together, though we have shared meals at his kitchen counter and long showers where I’ve touched him and he’s touched me until we were both moaning from burning hot pleasure. And of course, I have been close when he wasn’t aware – protecting him and chasing away his nightmares.

“I would like nothing more.” I press up and steal another kiss.

“Do you think…” he averts his gaze, chewing roughly on his bottom lip, the confidence he had a moment ago washed away on a breeze. With one hand on his lower back, I press the thumb of the other to his lip and free it, then I lift my head and lick a stripe over his mouth.

“Tell me, Caspian,” I command, loving the way his pupils dilate and his arousal spikes, sweet and tasty.

“Do you think you would like to…urgh,” he groans, dropping his forehead to my chest. “I’m really bad at this.”

I thread a hand into his hair and tug until he’s looking at me. His irises are bright, his cheeks flushed and his bottom lip glistening. He’s the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.

“Caspian.”

“Will you fuck me? Please, Sir.”

Oh.

My entire body lights up, heat spreading to every part of me, blood thumping loudly in my ears. What is this human doing to me?

“Is that what you want?” I ask, stroking my hand up and down his spine. The other one still tucked into the short strands of his brown hair.

“Yes. I’ve never…well, I have, but not with a man,” he admits. A shadow crosses his features when I don’t immediately reply and he dips his head again. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. I get it if-”

“Caspian,” I say his name, a growl building in my chest as I tug his head back up, possibly using a little more force than necessary.

I will never let my human doubt how much I want him.

“I want to, more than you will ever know. I would take you right here on this beach if I didn’t think the sand would get into places we would rather it doesn’t.”

Caspian laughs and the sound does silly things to my stomach, making it flip and swoop like it does when I dive into the rustling waves.

“Take me home?” he asks coyly.

I stand, pull him to his feet, and then scoop him into my arms.

TWENTY-FOUR

STERLING

Ikick the door closed behind us, my lips pressing to Caspian’s as he walks backwards further into his house, his hands gripping my shirt. The drive back from the beach was torture – his arousal filling the car and my nostrils, the cheeky grin he wore every time he dropped a hand to my thigh, sliding it higher and higher before returning it to the steering wheel. And then the awful traffic caused by sheep in the road, that only made the journey to this moment that much longer.

“Bedroom,” Caspian mumbles, not breaking our kiss while dragging me with intent to the bottom of the stairs. He is a contradiction of the best kind. Quiet and timid one moment, then confident and bold the next. He is a delightful surprise and he is all mine.

From somewhere in the house the cat meows, but we ignore her, Caspian pulling away and then stepping onto the bottom step so that he's level with me.

“I can't believe this is happening.” He strokes my beard and then runs his palm down the side of my neck, over the sensitive skin that hides my gills. “Do you want me?” He smirks, the corner of his mouth twitching.