“I need you to use your words, Kara,” he teased. “In full sentences.”
My mind was so lost I couldn’t possibly find the words as I shut my eyes tight, searching for them, until finally three came to mind—three words I had been thinking about since the day I met him.
“Fuck me, Octavius.”
He let out a small laugh, and before I could even process it, I felt the head of his cock press into me, filling me slowly at first as I adjusted to his size before he pushed in deeper, the sudden fullness forcing my back to arch off the bed.
“Oh fuck,” I cried out as he settled fully inside me, my body trembling around him as he began to move with slow thrusts that were almost torturously controlled, because of course being controlled was his nature, so why the hell did I think thiswould be any different? He was always the master of control, and it was people like that who needed to let loose the most, needed to be given permission that it was okay to just let go, because right now I didn’t want control. I wanted him to become something as wild and untamed as the tide.
“Harder,” I whispered against his ear, my teeth grazing his lobe. “You can lose control with me. I trust you.”
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes searching mine like he wasn’t sure he had heard me right. I held his gaze and gave him a small nod as my hands slid down to his ass, gripping him as I urged him forward, letting him know I meant every word.
Something shifted in him then as his rhythm lost its restraint, each movement turning deeper and more desperate, carrying a raw intensity that stole the breath from my lungs. His tentacles reacted with him, tightening and gliding over my skin, surrounding me in a way that felt deliciously overwhelming.
“Kara,” he moaned as he continued to thrust into me, “I’ve wanted to feel you like this from the moment I laid eyes on you.” His hand came down to cradle my head as his lips and tongue tangled with my own, each sweep of his tongue becoming more aggressive in the most passionate way possible as he pounded into me, hitting that perfect spot that made me tighten around him.
He pulled up, and I felt a tentacle wrap around my throat, applying a gentle pressure that made my stomach dip with excitement as he continued to push in and out of me. I could feel the last of his control slip away as his movements turned rougher, each thrust pulling a strained groan from his chest. My fingernails dragged down his back and along the base of his tentacles, urging him closer, needing more of him.
“That’s it,” I gasped against his ear as his tentacle tightened slightly around my neck while my fingers traced where the others began at the base. “Fuck, baby, don’t hold back,” I commanded between fleeting breaths.
Suddenly, the tentacle around my throat was gone, and my hands were ripped from his skin, flying above my head as his tentacles wrapped around my wrists, pinning them to the mattress. More followed, coiling around my ankles and my thighs, spreading me even wider while still holding me completely captive.
I was immobilized, forced to surrender, to feel every single, devastatingly perfect stroke as he claimed my body. His display of dominance wasn’t cruel, but reverent, and I had no fear under his control because this wasn’t him taking, it was giving, as he worshipped me with his body with an all-consuming passion I had never experienced before.
In that moment of complete submission, I had never felt more powerful. He was dominating me, claiming every inch of my body as his, and in giving him this absolute control, I found a freedom so profound it was intoxicating. It was the most intensely erotic, deeply romantic moment of my existence. A perfect, beautiful paradox of being utterly possessed and completely in command.
His thrusts grew more erratic, and I could feel his tentacles around my wrists tighten, and I knew he was close. With a final, guttural roar, he pulled out of me, and I watched, mesmerized, as his cock pulsed, painting my belly and breasts with his hot, slick release. He collapsed beside me, his chest heaving while his body trembled, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of myself for eliciting such aresponse from him, Mr. Serious Shifter who was always cool, calm, and collected. Yet here he was, unraveling in the best way possible.
It was then I noticed it. The warmth spreading across my skin wasn’t just slick; it had a different consistency entirely. I craned my neck to look, seeing the inky, black substance glistening on my skin, a stark, beautiful contrast against my pale flesh.
“Octavius?” I asked, a small, curious laugh escaping me. “Is that... ink?”
He let out a small chuckle, and now I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. “I did mention I’m an octopus shifter, didn’t I?” he said with a laugh, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “That’s something you’ll have to get used to.”
I couldn’t help but laugh before I turned in his arms to face him as I reached up to trace the line of his jaw, memorizing the feel of him beneath my fingertips. “I’m ready to learneverythingabout you,” I said softly. “And I’m ready to get used toallof it.”
After a moment of comfortable silence, I let the one fear lingering at the edges of my happiness slip free. “If you stay the night, do I have to worry about you sneaking out in the morning again?”
“Just don’t make me sleep in the bathtub,” he teased.
“I’m serious,” I said with no humor in my tone. “Are you going to leave before the sun comes up like last time?”
His expression softened instantly, and he shook his head slowly. “Never,” he promised. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He shifted then, gathering me into his arms. His tentacles were no longer my personal restraints, but my cozy protectors as they curledaround us like a cocoon. He nuzzled into my neck, his voice a low, possessive rumble against my skin.
“I want you to sleep in this tonight,” he muttered, his fingers tracing swirling patterns along my stomach with his inky release. “I want to mark you with my scent as completely mine.”
A breathy laugh escaped me. “I don’t think that’s the perfume most women seek out.”
“On you, it smells fantastic,” he insisted, his lips finding my shoulder. “All of you smells amazing.” He tilted my chin up, capturing my mouth in a deep, tender kiss that was a stark contrast to the raw passion from moments before.
We settled into each other’s arms, and as his breathing evened out beside me, my mind reeled.It all felt so insane.Not long ago, I had been running from a life filled with fear and abuse, desperate for escape. I had come to Crescent Cove searching for a hiding place, a temporary sanctuary.
Instead, I had found this—found him.
I hadn’t just found safety; I had found something so profound it defied logic, a connection so deep it felt like coming home. And as I drifted off to sleep in the arms of the man who was part monster, part everything I had ever wanted, I knew I was finally, truly safe.
