Page 59 of Music of the Ocean

The translucent bioluminescent creatures swirled around them, casting moving light over their skin. Each current that passed over them seemed to carry away another layer of hesitation.

Indigo’s head spun. He was not unused to kissing, nor to the subtle, thrilling build of seduction, but the single touch from Saxby or the gentle brush of lips set off chain reactions that rippled through every part of his body.

The world contracted to where their bodies met, and his cock threatened to unsheathe. And all from a simple kiss.

He clung to Saxby. They were so tightly twined together in body and mind that he couldn’t separate sensation from emotion. Indigo could not stop himself from smiling into the kiss, even as his heart hammered against his ribs.

Something about the tentative, almost reverent way Saxby held him sent a wave of longing through Indigo’s body. His hand trembled as it brushed through Saxby’s hair, and he was suddenly, acutely aware of his own nervousness, his own need.

How long had it been since anyone made him feel young? This new? Or this unguarded? He kissed Saxby with the hunger of a diver surfacing after too long under water.

When Saxby responded in kind, Indigo thought he might dissolve entirely into the blue of the deep sea.

Chapter Nineteen – Saxby

WHEN THEY finally broke apart, Saxby stared at Indigo, breathless, then let out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob, too overwhelmed to say anything more.

Above them, the bioluminescent creatures still spun their luminous cyclone, but Saxby didn’t care that the world was watching. Let them. A sudden movement disturbed them, and they spiraled in a dazzling display before drifting back to the darkness of the trench below.

Stars above, Saxby couldn’t remember the last time a kiss had knocked him on his ass like that. His mind reeled. Nothing had prepared him for the way Indigo’s mouth had claimed his or for the electric, whole-body response that followed.

He was aware of every inch of Indigo’s skin against his, the subtle pressure of a tentacle around his wrist, the dizzying warmth that still lingered where Indigo’s hand had cupped his jaw.

Indigo, too, seemed stunned, his eyes wide and unshielded in the dim light. His pulse beat visibly at his throat, and his chest rose and fell with uneven breaths.

The mask of confidence Indigo usually wore had slipped, replaced by a look of earnest wonder. He grinned at Saxby, unable to hide his delight, then let out a peal of laughter that sent a stream of bubbles racing for the surface above.

“Okay, that was… Wow,” Saxby whispered, unable to look away from Indigo’s lips or the shape of his mouth. How had he never noticed the fullness of Indigo’s lips?

“Yes, that was indeed wow. And it was okay? That kiss? Or was it too much, too soon?”

Saxby smiled back. The concern in Indigo’s voice was real. “No, no, it wasn’t too much or too soon.”

Saxby shook his head slowly, still finding it hard to form coherent thoughts after the rush of sensation that had coursed through him.

Indigo grinned wider, and his tentacle slowly loosened its grip around Saxby’s wrist. The contact lingered like an afterimage of the kiss, warm and pleasant.

“Would you like to go back now or…” Indigo gestured vaguely at the open water.

Saxby shook his head. “No, let’s stay here a bit longer.” He lifted his hand to trace the sharp planes of Indigo’s jawline again, marveling at the texture of the scales there.

Saxby dropped his hand, then turned to stare out at the darkness before him. The pressure in his chest eased with Indigo’s presence at his side. He rested his head on Indigo’s shoulder and let his mind settle.

Saxby saw why Indigo came to this place. There was peace here, in the weightlessness and quiet. He glanced at Indigo’s profile, admiring the set of his jaw. The way his eyes glowed faintly in the half-light, an unreadable expression fixed on his face as he stared into the distance.

Strong and silent. Saxby always had a weakness for people like that. He realized he’d follow Indigo to the deepest part of the trench simply for the promise of discovering something new with him. And that didn’t shock him as much as he thought it should.

A narrow ray of light struck through the water, catching on a spray of silver motes that shimmered around them. The bioluminescent creatures had gathered again, forming a gentle spiral that enveloped the two of them in a constellation of moving stars.

It was as if they’d been invited to a private observatory set adrift in the void.

They didn’t speak, but the silence was comfortable. Their bodies, relaxed and floating, drifted together and apart with the pulse of the current. Saxby was content, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

He caught himself wishing the moment could last, that everything else would disappear. Indigo gently brushed Saxby’s hair from his face, and Saxby didn’t think twice as he kissed Indigo’s cheek. The delighted smile pleased Saxby.

“Are you hungry?”

Saxby met Indigo’s gaze and nodded.