Page 70 of Music of the Ocean

“Hour?” Saxby’s voice came out higher than intended. He cleared his throat and tried again. “An hour?” Oh look, he still squeaked.

“Up to an hour, yes.” Indigo stressed. “Not necessarily an hour each time.”

“What decides how long?”

“The level of my desire. That is why I did not extend it last night or enter you. I did not want to frighten you.”

Thank fuck for that. Saxby sat back, processing. The image of being locked to Indigo for an hour, unable to separate, sent a complicated mix of emotions through him. A little fear mingled with a lot more fascination.

“And the genetic material. You said it carries genetic material. Does that mean—”

“If the mating is successful, the partner becomes pregnant.” Indigo’s expression was careful, watchful. “That is how my species reproduces. The mating tentacle delivers the necessary components, and the partner’s body completes the process.”

Saxby stared at him. “Pregnant. Like carrying a child pregnant.”

“Yes.”

“But I’m—I was human. Can I even—”

“No. It does not change a human male that way.” Indigo’s voice was quiet. “The planet’s adaptation process rewrote your biology at a fundamental level. You are no longer entirely human. But the planet’s adaptation process did not alter your reproductive system to accommodate mating with my kind.”

Saxby tried to laugh, but it came out a little strangled. “Okay, okay. I’m not sure I could handle that, to be honest. But what about children? Do you want them?”

Indigo shrugged. “I have never felt the overpowering need to procreate. I am telling you this so you understand my body and there are no surprises.”

Saxby nodded slowly. “Thank you. And the barbs won’t hurt me?”

Indigo’s expression softened. “The barbs are not sharp, but they do grip firmly. My mating tentacle releases compounds that soothe and prepare the partner’s body.”

“Compounds.” Saxby’s mouth quirked. “You mean drugs.”

“Natural biochemicals. They induce a state of relaxation and receptivity.” A flicker of amusement crossed Indigo’s face. “My species did not evolve to cause pain during mating. The process is designed to be mutually pleasurable. I think you will love it.”

Saxby considered this. The idea of being locked to Indigo for possibly an hour, flooded with chemicals that made him receptive, was alien in every sense of the word.

And yet, the memory of last night’s pleasure, the way Indigo’s tentacles had mapped every inch of his body with such care made the prospect less frightening than it should’ve been.

“Can I see it?” Saxby asked. “The mating tentacle. Extended.”

He was probably asking the equivalent of having Indigo flop his dick out, but hell, he wanted to see it now, not when they were in the middle of something.

“Sorry, I know I basically asked you to expose yourself to me. I just—”

“Are you certain?” Indigo’s pupils dilated. His tentacles curled inward, then spread outward in a slow, deliberate fan.

“Yeah. I want to know what I’m dealing with. But only if you’re okay with doing this.”

Indigo nodded. He closed his eyes, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, the water around his lower body shifted, a subtle disturbance that Saxby felt more than saw.

A tentacle emerged from the sheath Indigo had indicated—thicker than the others, its surface ridged with those flexible barbs. The tip tapered to a point that glistened with a faint luminescence.

It extended fully, reaching nearly the length of Indigo’s arm before stopping. The barbs along its length were larger than a grain of rice. The tentacle moved with a life of its own, curling and uncurling in slow waves.

Saxby blinked. Holy shit. The size alone was impressive. It was thicker than his wrist at its base, tapering to a point that looked almost delicate despite its purpose. The barbs, when raised, gave the surface a textured appearance.

“That’s waaaaay bigger than I expected,” Saxby said. Yeah, no way was all that going in him. Nope.

Indigo’s mouth twitched. “It adjusts to the partner’s physiology. The size you see now is its resting state. During mating, it will adapt.”