“What in the hell…?” I whispered, rolling over so I could see better.
“It’s Alex,” Asher said from beside me, suddenly laser focused on the water. “I thought he’d actually left us somehow. I haven’t seen him in ages.”
Alex.Okay.
A giant kraken-looking octopus called Alex. Why the hell not?
Asher was up then, lifting me with him, and I squeezed my legs closed so that I didn’t drip all over the bed. “You wanna swim?” Asher asked me.
I wanted that more than anything. “Yes, absolutely. Just let me pee and clean up a bit and then I’ll join you.”
I knew I should be afraid that he wanted to swim with … whatever it was, but I was excited. Asher dropped a kiss on my lips and gently deposited me in the bathroom before he handed me a warm cloth to help me clean up. I just stood there staring at him, because no one cared for me like he did. Then I stared more as he jumped off the side of the open house, landing on the sand before he strolled to the ocean.Gods.That perfect fucking ass, and the Atlantean ink, and …drool.
When he entered the water, I finally focused on cleaning up. There were no walls, and for a second I wondered if I should be embarrassed peeing right where anyone could see me, but thankfully Asher was already half out to Alex. The creature rose up further from the water, and I took an extra-long look.
Alex was dark green, like seaweed in color, with a ton of tentacles in varying lengths and thicknesses. Way more than an octopus—too many to count. There was a round, squid-like head and a defined face, with two eyes and what looked like a large mouth. I had never seen anything like him in human or supernatural books. He was both scary and fascinating.
When I was finished, I jumped out onto the sand too, feeling freer than I ever had. Swimming naked in the ocean with an Atlantean was my not-so-secret fantasies come to life.
My favorite little dolphin, who I’d named Blush, joined me when I was in the deeper water. She was the pinkest of all the dolphins I’d seen in here and also one of the smallest.
Diving down with her, my eyes and lungs immediately adjusted; I was able to breathe and see under the water with ease. Even in the deepest reaches, my body adjusted to my natural state. I was meant to be able to live above and below the water. Blush sent out a call next to me, and I picked up the vibrations that traveled through the water. We dashed along together until I reached Asher. He was in front of Alex, the two of them just hanging out in the water.
He turned when I popped my head up, my eyes widening as I took in the full height of Alex. He was twenty feet tall at least, with most of it being the head and eyes. The tentacles were even longer than that, and I would guess that a few of the thicker ones were forty feet at minimum.
“Alex, I’d like you to meet Maddi,” Asher said as he pulled me closer.
The creature stared down at me, and since its face was like nothing I’d ever seen before, I wasn’t sure how to read its expression.
“Nice to meet you,” I said softly, relieved to feel Blush just under my arm. “Any friend of Asher’s is a friend of mine.”
Something strong and firm wrapped around my center, and I let out a low shriek when I was yanked up and into the air. Alex’s tentacle was wrapped around my stomach, not tight, but it was still a little scary to be dangling in the air with my ass on display.
I mean, allow a girl a little dignity.
Asher laughed, his eyes darkening as he watched me closely. “He likes you,” he said, and with that, Alex lowered me back down into the water.
I didn’t even want to ask what would have happened if he didn’t like me. Alex basically dropped me into Asher’s arms, and I just shook my head as I realized he was being playful with me. Like a huge, scary, octopus dog.
“Let’s swim,” Asher said, and he sounded younger and excited. Like this wasn’t something he normally got to do. Just let loose and swim.
“Let’s do it,” I agreed.
4
Hours later, I was sprawled naked across the beach, burrowed into the warm sand. I was low-key exhausted from swimming, but I knew I’d recover fast. Benefits of being an Atlantean and supernatural.
A warm hand slid lazily along my back and I sighed, making a contented moan. “Best birthday ever,” I said. “I wish we could stay like this forever.”
Asher’s lips pressed to my shoulder as he continued to caress my skin, sending goose bumps across it. “Unfortunately, real life is calling, but I do have one more birthday surprise for you.”
Lifting my head from my arm, I stared at him, loving the sand and salt that clung to his golden skin. He looked sexy, his hair in messy ocean waves, his eyes very sea-foam green.
“What is it?” I asked, trying not to let the excitement just spill out of me. So far he’d beyond exceeded my expectations.
“You should probably put your swimsuit on, because we’re not going to be alone for this part,” he warned, and I jumped up and into the ocean to get rid of the sand in places it shouldn’t be before I pulled the bikini on. Asher had dropped some clothing here earlier today, apparently. Always thinking ahead.
Just as I got the suit on, and Asher was in shorts, voices caught my attention. Four familiar faces came into view, all of them just dressed in swim shorts, a ton of Atlantean muscle on show.
