Seaton finished his shift, wondering if human women were always this forward or if he just had the same effect on them now as he had in his few encounters with them in the past.

He’d been polite but distant with them, not wanting to do anything that would put off his mate.

He was hers now, as far as he was concerned, whether she knew it or not, and he didn’t want to give her any reason to doubt him.

He was large and intimidating enough that even a glare from him seemed to stop even the most forward woman in her tracks, making her turn away in embarrassment.

“That’s the last of them,” Jenny said, walking up to Seaton with a glass in her hand, drying it. There was always work to be doing, and Jenny was always cleaning or putting more dishes through in between orders.

The restaurant had gotten slow toward the end of the night, and they’d both been able to eat during a one-hour break between visitors. He supposed since the summer was ending, there would be less people every day for a while.

When they’d eaten, there’d been an awkward tension between them, though he’d tried to make things comfortable for her. Even though he’d promised—well, offered—her pleasure tonight, if she wanted to take it, he’d tried not to let it color all of their interactions.

He had no expectations and was just happy to spend time with her here in her restaurant.

Well, in truth, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her, but he didn’t want her to ever feel pressured by him. She would have to come to him if that was what she wanted.

With a sigh, he sat in a chair and looked around. “That wasn’t so hard.”

“You were doing really well by the end there,” she said, sitting at the table across from him. Her auburn hair had taken on a slight wave around her face, from the humidity and hard work most likely. Her face was slightly flushed, forehead lightly sheened with sweat, and she’d never looked more beautiful. She pursed full lips. “Maybe a little too well with some of the ladies.”

He shrugged, leaning back in the chair and trying to look casual. “Yes, women can be forward at times.”

She looked up at him warily. “I suppose you’re used to it. With how you look, I mean.”

He cocked his head to the side slightly. “How do I look?”

She flushed, and he loved the way it colored her cheeks. “Don’t make me say it.” She buried her face in her arms on the table. “You know already.” She looked up at him with a sigh. “I mean, obviously I want you. Obviously, what you said has been burning in me all day. Obviously, any woman would fantasize about being with you.”

“So you want to take me up on my offer?”

“Here’s the problem, though. You aren’t some guy with a regular job and a family and a… well… a history. You’re a complete stranger, one who doesn’t even know himself. How can I take advantage of something like that?”

Seaton snorted. “I know myself.”

“You don’t know where you’re from.”

“I know where I am.”

“You don’t know anything about your past life.”

“I know my life now,” he said. “I am with my siblings. I assume they are my only family. Marina said anyone we knew is dead, so it seems she remembers that much at least.”

“But still—”

He leaned forward, ‘til they were eye to eye. “I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions. I want you, and you just have to decide if you want me back. I’m sorry the rest is a mystery, but just know that some things are very clear to me.”

She sighed, and he felt that maybe they just needed to get out of the restaurant and get some fresh air by the ocean.

“Come on,” he said, standing and taking her arm to gently pull her up out of the chair. She stood reluctantly and stretched, clearly a little tired. “Let’s go out on the beach.”

“Shouldn’t we get home? Get food for your siblings?”

“I’m sure they can take care of themselves. You showed them around the fridge.”

And dragons were quick learners. Especially when hungry, Seaton was sure they would figure things out.

“Fine,” she said, sounding exasperated as she put her hand in his and walked out onto the sand with him. He slid the restaurant doors shut behind them and looked out at the sunset over the ocean.

He enjoyed the feel of her hand as he watched the blinding orange rays spread out over a darkening sky and sea, creating shimmering reds and blues on the ocean. “Come on,” he said, squeezing her hand as he walked toward the edge of the water.

She followed, watching him apprehensively. He turned her to face him and then reached back for the tie to her braid, pulling it off gently. She moved her hands up, undoing the hair and shaking it free, and it caught and lifted in the sea breeze. In the stunning twilight, she looked luminously beautiful.

He couldn’t resist a kiss. It would be up to her if she wanted more. He dipped down and captured her lips while his finger grazed her chin in a subtle caress. A promise. It made her shudder slightly in the warm air that was rapidly growing cooler.

“Seaton,” she murmured against his lips.

“Come into the ocean with me.”

She pulled back in shock, looking up at him. “What do you mean?”

“We can kiss there.” He pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the sand. His pants quickly followed.

He stood there in the tight shorts humans apparently wore under their garments and saw her jaw drop for a moment before she pulled her mouth shut, biting her lower lip softly. She wanted him. It was more open in her eyes than ever before, but she would have to make the first move.

She reached for the buttons and then paused, looking around.

“No one is here,” he said. “And besides, humans seem to swim in their undergarments, from what I observed.”

“It’s different,” she said, undoing another button and making his mouth go dry with desire. His human was so beautiful, with her auburn hair whipping in the sea breeze, her full cleavage showing above the undone buttons.

“It’s fine,” he said. “I’m here to protect you.”

That seemed to undo the last of her reservations, and she hastily shed her blouse, revealing a beautiful but odd garment that cupped her breasts and wound around her in a strap. She then unbuttoned her pants and placed them in a neat pile with the other discarded clothing.

When she looked at him, nearly bared save for a few scraps of silk, alone with him on the beach, arms wrapped around her waist nervously, as if she were afraid of what he’d see, he felt something very deep well up in him.

She walked forward, and he ran his hands over her arms, warming her, trying to make her comfortable. She shuddered slightly, and when she looked up, her brown-green eyes were blazing with lust.

“What now?” she asked.

He held out his arms, gesturing for her to jump. “Now, if you just say yes and trust me, I can take you in that water and do things to you that you have never imagined. Pleasure beyond your wildest dreams.”

She bit her lip, looking torn for a moment, then smiled slightly. Her beautiful hair whipped back as she jumped forward, throwing her arms around his neck as he lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

None of this was planned, yet it all felt truly perfect. Seaton carried his mate into the sea, where he truly felt he belonged.

* * *

Jenny gasped as the first wave of cool water brushed her feet as Seaton carried her into the water. She focused on the warmth of his body pressed to hers and his strong arms buoying her up.

He promised pleasure beyond her dreams, and heaven help her, she believed him.

“Is this even safe?” she asked as he carried her past another cresting wave, not even flinching as the water burst over them. He lifted her, protecting her, and just laughed.

“I’ve been in the water my whole life,” he said. “That I do remember. I feel utterly at home here.”

She felt reassured and kept her arms wrapped around his neck as he cleared the next few waves, jumping in time with them to keep her face and shoulders clear of the spray.

When they reached the deeper part of the ocean where the water gently swelled and depressed in shallow rolls, a feeling of utter peace came over her. Somehow, he was keeping them afloat easily, and she loved the feel of her thighs wrapped around his hard waist, his hands on her hips, his eyes looking a dark blue with the sunset behind him.

She looked over at the horizon where the sun was just setting, sending blinding orange beams across the water, highlighting waves in the distance.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“Yes, it is,” he said, looking at the horizon for a moment with her. Then he leaned in and kissed her, creating a seal of warmth between them as the water slowly bore them up and then down in a gentle rocking motion.

She rocked her hips against him as he deepened the kiss, awakening a need in her more passionate than ever before. She gasped as his tongue swept deep inside, and his hands gripped her soft hips, pulling her harder against him.

She needed more.

She wrapped her hands in his short hair and pulled his head in tight, her tongue thrusting to meet his, joining him in a dance that was warm and intense and wet and an amazing contrast to the cooling sea spray around them.

She’d lived here for more than a year, yet she’d never been out here in the ocean like this. She’d dipped her toes in, tried to go swimming once or twice, but on her own, she hadn’t been able to clear the cresting parts of the waves, which liked to toss her head over feet back onto the beach.

It felt like going through a washing machine, and she’d decided she liked watching the ocean more than she liked going into it.

But this, this was different.

The water felt as if it were caressing her all over, cooling and soft and silky and erotic, and it was oddly calm, holding them suspended.

She pulled back, licking against his tongue and biting his lip and then releasing her breath in a sigh. “How are we floating like this?”

There was a twinkle in his now dark-blue eyes. “Saltwater I guess. Higher density.”

She shook her head. “I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

She leaned forward, offering her neck, and he took it, biting softly on the skin there, nipping and sucking and making her moan and press her hips harder against him as pleasure shot through her. Her neck had always been sensitive.

He bit his way up to her earlobe, took it between his lips, and sucked, running his tongue along the edge of it. She shuddered and moaned again as a wash of sea spray skittered over the top of them. Somehow, though she saw it when she opened her eyes, none of it hit her, as if they were in some kind of safe zone.

It was too beautiful out here, with the waves in the distance, the horizon twinkling in different colors of red, purple, orange, and blue as the sun set. She looked at it as she felt his hand play along her rib cage. It moved over her breast, and she pushed into it, begging for more.

His thumb played over her nipple, and he gave her a smile before taking her earlobe with his lips again, licking and sucking as his hand played at her breast, building the pressure in her higher while his other hand held her hips against him. She’d never seen a man do so much with his hands, let alone while treading water in the ocean.

He was one in a million, and she didn’t feel any guilt about this anymore. He’d been clear about what he wanted, and even though she didn’t know what it meant for the future, she wanted it, too.

“Seaton,” she said, testing out his name. “Sea. You’re named after the sea?”

“Yes, sort of,” he said. “My last name is Zircon.”

“Like the stone?” she asked.

He grinned as he pulled back, cocking his head, his handsome features amused. “Yes.” He waited a second until she let out a little groan and reached for his head, pulling it toward her again.

He growled and bit down on her neck, sucking harder than before, and she gasped. That was going to leave a mark. But as he hungrily moved over her shoulders, holding her higher in the water so he could access more of her salty skin, she didn’t care. It almost seemed like his purpose, as he marked her here and there, setting her body alight.

She felt like a fire that was threatening to burn into a blaze, and her hands gripped his shoulders as his hand left her breast and moved down her waist, squeezing lightly, trailing to her sensitive belly button and gently pressing inside, making her jerk. He continued his exploration to her hip, which made her flinch, the nerves there almost too sensitive. He grinned as he kissed her on the lips, and then, as if asking for permission, his hands played at the edge of her panties.

She nodded, keeping her lips locked with his, not wanting to miss any of the hot moment between them, and then bit down on his lip accidentally as his hand moved down to her folds. He played at her warm heat, and she loved the feel of his soft, wet hands, the ocean all around them.

He found her clit easily, playing gently around her center until he found the movement and spot that she loved. There was something so amazing about the way he was paying attention to her, not stopping whenever something felt good, but working to find whatever felt best and then doing that with his own twist (sometimes literally) until he drove her nearly crazy.

She felt pleasure building faster than ever before as he worked her into a frenzy, one hand playing at her breast, his mouth on her neck, nibbling, and his other hand at her clit, playing wildly.

She threw her head back but kept her legs and arms wrapped around him, feeling she’d fly apart if she didn’t. She looked at the horizon as she neared her peak, feeling as bright inside as the beams bouncing off the water like sparks, and came with the shattering energy of crashing waves, screaming his name to the sky as she rode her release out against his fingers.

But he wasn’t nearly done yet. His lips took hers as he continued to play at her center, swirling this way and then that, starting slow, as her heart was still pounding, and then working up into a hot rhythm that made her arch in anticipation. He’d already given her the most powerful orgasm of her life and didn’t look anywhere near stopping.

She arched hard as she felt another orgasm ripple through her, and this time she closed her eyes as sparks went off behind her eyelids. Then she remembered she wanted to capture every bit of this moment, and her eyes opened forcefully, through the drunken waves of her pleasure, to focus on his face, his handsome features intense and handsome, his focus on her pleasure ultimate, his eyes pleased in such a masculine, possessive way.

He took her breath away. Unable to stand the intensity of his male beauty along with the powerful waves of pleasure, she looked to the horizon again, where the sun was finally setting.

She gasped and sagged forward in the water, resting her hands on his shoulders and then pulling him close to hold him, forcing him to stop pleasuring her for a moment and wrap his arms around her in return.

She just wanted to be close to him, give herself a chance to breathe.

And she wanted to give him something in return.

She pulled back when he had moved his arms down to cradle her thighs again as she kept her legs wrapped around him and ran her arms over his ocean-slicked arms and chest, feeling every ridge of his beautiful muscles.

Damn, he was sexy. Sexy didn’t even describe it. Magical.

He kissed her again, as if he couldn’t stand to be apart from her, and her hand trailed playfully down his toned, hard abs, pausing at the trail of hair below his belly button. She played and then dipped into the short boxer briefs he was wearing, gripping his length.

She gripped at his sheer size, wondering if things perhaps felt bigger in the water.

He smiled at her, slightly confused, and then gasped as she moved up his shaft.

She couldn’t believe the confidence that welled in her, knowing she had this kind of power over him, and she began to stroke slowly up and down the long, thick length that she couldn’t even imagine being inside her.

Oh, wait. Yes, she could. She bit her lip and stroked faster and heard him release a groan.

One hand caught her waist as the other returned to her center, and he stroked her quickly, urgently, as if determined to always give her more pleasure than she could give him.

Well, two could play at that game.

She stroked harder, crashing her lips against his, catching his lower lip between her teeth and nipping gently. He answered with his tongue, swiping inside her mouth, claiming her, as his finger grew more deliberate, swirling closer and closer to her agonizingly sensitive center as she writhed against him and moaned against his mouth.

The sun had almost set and was giving out dying rays that were almost blinding, but it was nothing compared to the brightness inside her as pleasure burst forth once more.

As she rode the waves of unbearable pleasure, she moved her hand even faster along his length, and with one long stroke all the way to his base, she felt him jerk and go tense. Pleased that he was about to join her, she focused back in on her own orgasm.

“Jenny,” he growled against her neck, wrapping both arms around her and holding her tightly against him in the water as his body tensed and shook.

Her own waves were intensely pleasurable, making her want to weep from the force of it, rocking her somewhere deep inside where she hadn’t thought anyone could touch her.

She’d expected only pleasure. She hadn’t expected anything he did here to touch her heart.

But holding him in the gently swaying water, feeling utterly safe in his arms as he murmured romantic words, told her everything she meant to him—though she was sure he was probably exaggerating in the throes of release—she felt part of something much more than herself.

She stroked his back and rode out the last of her aftershocks, not wanting to let go of his body.

Not wanting to go back to the beach.

If only they could stay there, making love in the water forever.