Austin’s eyes snapped back to Tristan’s face. “No! No—don’thurtme.” This time, his voice packed too much horror to be commanding.
Tristan immediately bared his throat.
“Of course not. Explain to me what you meant.”
“I want you to touch me,andI want to go back to the nest.”
Tristan considered this. “Shall I touch youinthe nest?”
Austin’s limbs trembled.
A smile tipped up the corners of Tristan’s mouth. “We have found our solution.”
Without preamble, he stood, Austin bundled in his arms, and marched them back into the storm and beneath the wild waves.
Chapter Eighteen
Austin discovered with a flare of disgust that sand had begun to bury the onyx-black rocks on the landward side. He set to work putting his nest back as it should be. Tristan helped, eventually ushering Austin away when the sand clogged his gills. The merman grasped each rock and lifted, resettling them atop the gathered sand.
Austin watched in agitation until the last of the ugly sand was gone, only relaxing when the rocks were settled again and everything looked right. He swam in, immediately settling in the centre. Tristan curled himself around the nest, protecting the stones from the current carrying in more sand. Austin growled, disturbing the water and making the ground tremble—but! He needed his voice to articulate his command! And he sensed that even if he rose to the surface to draw air and make it, the sand and water he commanded would quickly be replaced by fresh sand and water thatwasn’tdoing his bidding.
Tristan hummed to him.
Austin looked his way, and Tristan tapped the rock he was leaning against. He would lift it again for Austin when he liked? Austin considered the rocks and nodded. That was acceptable.
He cast a look around his surroundings, but the gloom was too thick for his eyes to pierce. Tristan was examining the water too, watchful and attentive, but not concerned. Austinknelt in the sand facing the merman and hummed an inquiring noise.
Tristan’s eyes slid from the ocean to Austin, fixing on him with an intensity that sent a tremble through his limbs.
Tristan met Austin in the middle, cupping his ribs and drawing him in. He nuzzled his cheek, his touch scalding hot against the cool ocean. Austin supposed he felt as warm to Tristan. His temperature always ran a few degrees higher than an ordinary human’s.
Austin loosely held Tristan’s wrists as his touch roamed. Tristan worked around Austin’s drifting silk shirt to kiss his collarbones and, through the fabric, caressed the line of his spine. Austin’s eyes shut, heightening his awareness of his body. The press of the ocean muffled and soothed, while Tristan’s hands incited, his mouth sending sparks through his nerve endings.
Tristan’s mouth latched on to Austin’s nipple through the shirt, sucking silk and skin into his mouth. He cupped Austin’s ass as he did so, pulling Austin onto his lap as he drifted until his back met the largest rock of the nest. The water trembled when Austin groaned, currents disrupted by what little of his voice managed to emerge underwater.
A thought from the deep reassured Austin. Since hecouldn’tform words underwater, Tristan was in no danger from him. The deep disarmed him, took away the ability to wield his power as a precise weapon.
Eager, he thrust his hips forward, his cock buried in his silk shirt, and through that pressed against Tristan’s abdomen. Tristan slid his mouth to Austin’s other nipple, drawing another sea-muffled moan. His hand moved beneath Austin’s shirt to grasp his cock. He stroked all the way up, and—
Austin cried out in pain, shoving Tristan back.
Tristan tensed, withdrawing his touch and raising his head to look at Austin in alarm. Austin cupped his cock protectively, snarling at Tristan. The merman’s eyes widened. His head canted to the side as he bared his throat. A low rumble came from him, apologetic and questioning at once.
Austin looked down at himself, confused. Tristanhadn’tgrabbed him harshly, so why had it hurt? The disturbed sand floating around answered for him. Austin’s snarl faded. He indicated the floating grains, then his cock, and shuddered.
A puzzled look crossed Tristan’s face. His eyes narrowed at Austin’s cock, something in his demeanour telling Austin the sandshouldn’tbe a problem. To Tristan, the pain made no sense. Austin sat on his tail, demoralised. Maybe for a true-born merman, sand wasn’t an obstacle. That would make sense, wouldn’t it? If merfolk mated in the ocean, then surely they had something going on biologically that meant sand couldn’t stop them.
Tristan checked that Austin’s snarl hadn’t returned before moving. He planted a kiss on Austin’s shoulder and then cupped him from below, lifting him. Depressed, Austin let himself be moved. Tristan turned them, setting Austin down on the rock he’d been leaning against. He grasped the hand Austin had placed protectively over his cock and tugged at it.
Austin didn’t move it. Tristan tugged a little harder, and Austin tensed. Tristan quickly released his wrist. He bared his throat again and pressed an apologetic kiss to the top of Austin’s knee, humming low and entreating. Austin reached out to grasp his throat. He didn’t squeeze, only hummed a warning before releasing him.
Tristan placed an apologetic kiss on his mid-thigh. Then his inner upper thigh. And then he was peppering apologetic kisses all over the hand protecting Austin’s cock, some of them managing to touch his aching erection. Tristan manoeuvredAustin’s legs onto his shoulders, his head of dark wavy hair bracketed between Austin’s pale thighs. One hand clamped firmly around Austin’s thigh, anchoring him to Tristan’s shoulders, as the other clasped Austin’s back, supporting his weight.
Tristan targeted beneath Austin’s hand, tongue teasing his balls before he very gently took them into his mouth and sucked. Austin jolted, grasping the rock behind him for support as heat spread low through him. Pleasure thrummed through his thighs, and inadvertently he tightened them on Tristan. Tristan groaned as if he’d been kissed and clutched Austin tighter.
Tristan nuzzled his way up Austin’s cock from the base, managing to get his mouth around the shaft at the bottom. As his mouth moved up, he licked and sucked at Austin’s fingers, finally scraping his teeth against skin.
By then, Austin was happy to relinquish his protection. He grasped Tristan’s wavy hair instead, gills flaring wildly as Tristan swallowed his length. The image of Tristan’s bowed head between his legs imprinted itself behind Austin’s eyes, so even when he could no longer keep them open, he could still revel in it. He tipped back his head on a moan.
