“Wait,” I say.
“Not here.Not now.When I have you, Lilith, I want you to surrender completely.I want hours.Days.I want to take my time learning every sound you make, every place that makes you tremble,” he states.
Jesus Christ.
“Go home.Think about what you want.And when you’re ready, come back to me.We’re meant for each other, Lilith.”
I nod because I’m rendered speechless.He walks over to me and offers me his hand, and I let him help me out of the booth.
He walks me to the door of The Undertow with one hand resting lightly on the small of my back.The touch burns through my hoodie.At the entrance, he stops.
“Remember,” he murmurs, lifting a small tentacle to cup my face.It brushes over my cheekbone.“You’re mine, Lilith.You’ve been mine since the first toy you designed.Since the first time you ached for something real.And I’m yours.We recognized each other the moment you walked through that door.”
“Mutual recognition,” I breathe.
“Yes.So take your time.But know that I’ll be waiting.I’ve waited for a long time.I can wait a little longer if I have to.”He steps back.“Go.Before I change my mind about letting you leave.”
I turn and walk into the night.The street looks normal.No Victorian buildings, no wrought-iron balconies.Just the familiar streets of Tidecross Falls, as quiet and ordinary as it gets.
But for me, nothing is ordinary about the world anymore.I know the truth now.I know what’s hidden behind the veil.
And I already know I’m going back.
Chapter Four
Lilith
It’s been hard for me to concentrate on anything since meeting Theron last night.Actually, “hard” is an understatement.It’s been fucking impossible.
I’m sitting at my desk, staring at my laptop screen, where a half-finished email to our manufacturer has been blinking at me for the past twenty minutes.I’ve read the same sentence four times and still can’t process what it says.
Regarding the backorder for SKU 7234—the Tentacle Temptation model in Obsidian—we need…
The words blur together.All I can see is Theron’s face.Those fathomless dark eyes.The way his tentacles felt wrapped around my thighs, warm and real andalive.
I close the laptop with more force than necessary.The apartment feels wrong today.Too bright.Too quiet.The ocean outside my window looks flat and lifeless, even though the waves are rolling in just as they always do.Everything feels muted, like I’m experiencing the world through a thick pane of glass.
I’ve tried to work.God, have I tried.This morning, I attempted to respond to customer emails and nearly sent a wholesale pricing sheet to someone asking about shipping times.Then I started drafting a new design—a dragon hybrid toy with ridged scales—but my hand kept sketching tentacles instead.Tentacles with suckers in exactly the pattern I felt against my skin last night.
I deleted the file and started over.Same thing happened.After the third attempt, I gave up.Now it’s almost evening, and I’ve accomplished exactly nothing except confirming that I can’t stop thinking about Theron.
I need to do something.Anything.I’ve contemplated returning to The Undertow, but there’s a tiny part of me still unsure if any of it was even real.And if it was, then what does that mean for me?For my future?
But then I recall the way Theron looked at me.It wasn’t just interest.He didn’t look at me like I was a human stranger or someone he wanted to sleep with.He looked at me like I was the missing piece of him he’d finally found.
He said he felt my designs—that he feltme.If he can sense the passion I put into my work, I want to give him something even better to look at tonight.
I strip off my tank top, throw it on the bed, and step out of my shorts.My mirror leans against the wall, giving me a full view of my body.I turn a few times, admiring myself.I’m no supermodel.Far from it.I’ve got curves, and my stomach isn’t flat, but I don’t mind my soft sides.I embrace them.I love them because they’re me.Every inch and every curve.
I untie my hair and watch myself as my purple-colored locks fall over my shoulders.I’m wearing a matching set of underwear today.It makes me feel sexy, and when I feel sexy, I come up with better designs.You could say it’s purely a business decision, but deep down, even I know that’s not true.
I reach behind my back and unclasp my bra without looking away from my reflection in the mirror.I watch as my breasts fall free, plump and soft.I cup them in my hands, squeezing, stroking, letting the sensation ground me in the moment.This right here, right now, is all that matters.No deadlines, no being misunderstood, no holding back.Just me and my body and my desires.
And maybe Theron, sensing me.
I turn to the window and imagine the ancient creature with knowing eyes and lots of limbs watching me.Rising from the depths of the ocean to claim me.To devour and worship me.
My breath catches.The fantasy makes me so wet that I can feel the heat pooling in my panties.
