Bared to Him (8 page)

She stiffened.
Run it by her
father
? A burst of irritation made her
frown.

“
You don’t have to tell him anything. I’m freaking twenty-five
human years old. It’s my business who I mate with and who fucks
me.”

“
You don’t want him to know about us?” he asked. Surprise was
quite evident in his voice.

“
Of course, I do. But I’ll do the telling when I feel it is
appropriate.”

“
I feel I should tell him. I owe him not to go behind his
back.”

Miranda
turned in his arms and gazed up at him. His jaw was set and his
eyes flashed with a seriousness she’d not seen before. She realized
he was determined to continue treating her like a child.

“
I am a woman, Gray. I don’t need my dad’s permission and I’d
prefer if you don’t tell him anything about us. He’s my dad and
it’s my personal business. Oh Octoposeidon! Why are you trying to
embarrass me where he is concerned?”

Anger
burst in his eyes.

“
Why can’t you be mature about this?” he snapped.

Bastard!
He was right back to his annoying self again!

“
You fuck me and you call me immature?”

“
If the shoe fits…,” he said tightly. The muscles in his chest
were coiled tightly now and he appeared as tense as she was
feeling.

How rude
!

Miranda
struggled out of his arms and climbed out of bed.

“
Well! If you aren’t the most insufferable son of a bitch, I
have ever met!” She began gathering her clothes as he cursed
softly.

“
I cannot believe this. I just can’t,” she mumbled as she
headed toward the door.

“
I should have known better, Miranda. I shouldn’t have touched
you.”

She whirled around and caught him sitting up in bed. He
seriously looked regretful. Before he’d fucked her he
had
said he would regret
bedding her, hadn’t he.

“
No! You shouldn’t have fucked me if you thought I wasn’t
mature enough.”

She didn’t wait for an answer. She was too pissed off.
Seriously, was he not man or Octo enough to say he wanted her to be
his mate without going to her father for his approval? Was it too
much to ask that he tell her he craved her like crazy. That he
wanted her no matter what and he didn’t care if her father approved
or what her father thought? And he was calling
her
immature?

The man
was so irritating that suddenly she had no idea why she was
attracted to him. Well, no more. Once they delivered the yacht,
they were taking home separate flights. End of story.

* * * *
*

Damn,
irritating woman, Gray thought as he pulled anchor, switched on the
engine and steered the yacht toward the open sea. The storm had
subsided, and golden rays of sunshine were peeking through white
puffy clouds. The sunlight streamed down and sparked like jewels
off the white-capped waves.

The
scenery was picture perfect. He should call Miranda to come and
check out the beauty of the sight. He knew she loved afternoons
like this, but the last thing he wanted was another argument. He
was right about going to Jack and letting him know his intentions
toward his daughter. He was right.

End of
story.

Chapter Five

Miranda
frowned as she watched Gray’s head disappear beneath the dark ocean
waves. Despite being mad at him, she ached for him too. They hadn’t
spoken since their argument yesterday. In a couple of days they
would deliver the yacht and then they would go to Calder’s marina
where the wedding and reception were taking place. After the
wedding, they would head back to their old life in
Alaska.

Suddenly
travelling separately back home just didn’t have the appeal it had
yesterday. Being mad at him didn’t sit well either. Gosh, before
having sex with him, she’d had no problem staying mad at him. Now,
she just wanted to be near him.

An
overwhelming urge to jump into the ocean suddenly swept over her
and almost toppled her. Instincts told her she had only minutes to
get into the water in order to survive. Confusion and a wave of
dizziness made her grip the wheel. She gazed down at her hands and
gasped.

They were
pulsating and getting darker. What the hell? Gray had said females
Turned before males…usually. Oh damn. She would have to be the
exception.

Steady
,
Miranda
.
Steady
.

Was she
going to Turn? Now? She couldn’t Turn. The boat wasn’t even
secure.

Shit.
This could not be happening.

Panic
zipped through her as the urge to jump into the water grew. She was
too far off shore to drop anchor. If she simply left the boat, it
would float along unattended. Someone might find it and claim it.
Or the Coast Guard would seize it and ask questions.

Maybe she
could steer the yacht closer. Maybe…

Hurriedly, she aimed the boat toward the sandy shoreline and
jammed the thrusters into full speed. The yacht lurched forward and
she almost lost her footing.

To her
horror, she was finding it hard to breathe. Panic snapped through
her.

She tried
to remember what she’d read on that secret Octoposeidon website and
what Calder had said. Some females changed fast. Some
slow.

Oh, she
hoped she was a slow Turner. She just needed a few minutes to get
the boat into shallower waters. Her body began to ache in a curious
way. Her arms and legs began an odd pulsing and tingling. She
needed to swim. She needed to breathe.

When she
could no longer stand the incredible need to jump into the ocean,
she switched off the engine and dropped anchor. It would drag and
catch on something. Hopefully.

She
didn’t care about the boat anymore. She needed to survive. She
could barely get aft, her legs were so wobbly. She stepped onto the
transom and dived in. As she impacted the water, the cool liquid
sliced like sharp knives against every square inch of her
flesh.

Panic
screamed through her as her brain warned her that going under water
would cause her to drown. But an instinctual drive buried deeper
inside her, shouted at her to do it. She followed her instincts and
slipped her head and body beneath the surface.

* * * *
*

Gray knew
immediately that something was wrong. Miranda wouldn’t have headed
the yacht toward shore unless there was a problem. He just hoped to
hell that other Octo males hadn’t scented her.

Damn!
He’d been living in a freaking cocoon where Miranda was concerned.
He hadn’t taken the dangers seriously. He’d been too passive with
her safety. He would have to rectify that situation.

It had
taken most of his strength to jet propel himself through the water
with his tentacles to keep up with the yacht. When he saw the
anchor slide through the ocean and saw her dive into the waters a
few hundred yards in front of him, he knew what was
happening.

She was
going through the Change and he was witnessing it. Through the
clear, dark water, he made out her silhouette as she slowly tread
water just beneath the surface. She appeared to be in a daze, not
sure of what to do. Her arms and legs had turned into tentacles.
Disbelief etched her wide-open eyes as she stared at
him.

He wished
he could communicate verbally with her and tell her she was going
to be all right, but down here under the sea, verbal communication
just was not possible.

Instead,
he swam closer to her. She was nude. Her clothing had ripped away
as her tentacles had formed. Her tentacles looked beautiful. They
were dark gray, three feet long, as thick as her arms, tapering off
at the ends. Her suction cups glowed an intriguing midnight blue
color, and her sexy scent was playing havoc with his senses. His
instincts to mate with her were quickly overtaking his concern for
her emotions.

Tentatively, he reached out a tentacle and curled it around
her waist. She was warm and luscious against his suction cups.
Thankfully, she didn’t protest as he drew her against his body. She
continued to blink at him, as is she were stunned, but he would
have her feeling good in no time.

Holding
her steady, he slid two tentacles up along her inner thighs,
stopping short of her bare pussy, before running his tentacles back
down her legs again.

She
shuddered.

Oh, yes.
She was very responsive. In Octo form, her human guard and need for
self-control would no longer matter. Instincts would take over just
as they were doing now. He tensed with appreciation as she twirled
the narrow tip of one of her newly formed tentacles around the base
of his shaft. The miniature suction cups molded with his flesh. She
held him tight and gently squeezed his cock. Her touch sent erotic
shivers racing through him.

Gray
moaned and bubbles sifted out of his mouth and rocketed to the
surface. He grinned. It appeared as if they were going to make a
magnificent coupling.

* * * *
*

Miranda
stared at Gray in disbelief. She was under the ocean surface, in
the water and she was having no trouble breathing, just like Gray
had said. It was amazing. Her eyesight was magnificent, despite the
darkness. A school of rockfish leisurely swam past them. She could
smell them and her mouth watered. She’d catch a meal
later.

Gray
looked spectacular. His body and head were the same, yet his arms
and legs were smooth, long black tentacles of at least four feet
each. His suction cups glowed a pretty fluorescent green that she
found quite attractive.

Right
now, she wanted Gray more than anything she’d ever wanted in her
life. Beneath her tentacle, his swollen cock pulsed and jerked. She
hoped she wasn’t holding his flesh too tight. If she was, he didn’t
appear to mind, so it must be okay.

She easily floated another tentacle through the cool water,
and stroked the head of his shaft. His eyes scrunched closed and
another volley of bubbles came out of his slightly parted lips. He
seemed to be enjoying what she was doing to him. Instincts told her
if she kept up the pressure, he would come. So, she backed off. She
wanted him to come inside her. Wanted his seed stored inside
her
so that any predator
Octo would smell his seed and know she was taken.

She
realized she wasn’t worried about anything anymore. There was no
care. Just a need for pleasure.

As she
continued stroking his cockhead, he let go of her waist, reached
out with his two upper tentacles and curled them like bondage ropes
around her breasts. The pressure was incredible. His suction cups
stuck to her flesh, and the tentacles held her breasts until they
were firm and plump. The thin tips of his tentacles stroked her
nipples until sensations whipped along tender nerve endings. She
quivered and creamed. She could smell herself as her aromatic cream
splashed into the currents.

Deep in
the back of her mind, she sensed her scent could bring danger back
to them, but she couldn’t stop creaming. She needed the pleasure.
Needed him to mate with her. Needed his sperm inside of
her.

She
wanted to be lost in the frenzy that was quickly building inside
her. Every nerve ending in her body screamed to be touched. She
tensed with awareness as two tentacles smoothed up along her inner
legs again. They were heading toward her pussy. She trembled with
anticipation and a dizzying need for penetration swept over her as
one of his tentacle tips prodded against her vaginal opening and
the other nudged against her tight sphincter.

She
reached out with the third of her four tentacles and cupped the
back of his head. Boldly, she urged his head closer to hers and
then she fused her lips over his hot mouth. Her senses burst with
pleasure.

He tasted
wonderful. Like salt and male arousal and passion. He kissed her
back. Hard. His mouth seared against her lips until they were on
fire. Need surged through her. The tentacle at her pussy stretched
into her vagina. It was smooth and thick and felt very different
from his cock. Much bigger!

Her
vaginal muscles quivered and throbbed around his pulsing flesh. He
withdrew and quickly thrust the tentacle into her pussy again. As
he pulled out, the other tentacle pushed into her anus. A bite of
pain swept through her at the incredible pressure. She tensed and
moaned into his mouth.

He kissed
her harder and the tentacles wrapped around her breasts tightened
wonderfully. He withdrew the tentacle from her ass. Then he plunged
his other appendage into her pussy again. She gasped as her vision
darkened and her pussy gripped the impalement. Tremors rocked
through her.

He slid
the other tentacle into her ass again, this time more forcefully.
It didn’t hurt, but the pressure was unbelievable. He withdrew, and
then bucked his hips, thrusting into her ass again. His length was
superb as he drove his flesh so deep inside of her she fought to
breathe.