“Hurry!” he hissed.
I scrambled onto the bed and went onto my hands and knees with my lower legs hanging off the bed. Jucai wasimmediately there, one hand spreading me. I cried out when he shoved himself into me without preparation.
“Jucai, slow down! I'm not ready.”
Jucai went still inside me, his hands clenched on my ass. He was panting heavily. I watched him over my shoulder. His expression tightened, and his eyes closed. He took a few breaths and then met my gaze.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered. “I'll be better now.”
I nodded, not having the words. Inside, though, I floundered under my thoughts. Was this what happened when he didn't have sex? Could hibernation really do that to you? His tight muscles and the sweat running down his chest said it could. With obvious strain, he pulled out of me and then slowly eased in. Back and forth, he worked me open.
“I'm good now,” I said. “Jucai?”
“Yes?” Jucai panted, his gaze focused on where we came together.
“You can fuck me now. It's all right.”
“Thank the Gods.” He slammed into me. “Oh, fuck!”
Body bowing, Jucai thrust with great power, sending me swaying forward. I gripped the bedding and steadied myself. His hair lashed my flanks, and mine covered my face. I closed my eyes and just felt.
Every slap of flesh meeting flesh sent pleasure through me. My mind spun. My body opened to him. I couldn't even look back at him. All I could do was brace myself and ride the surge of ecstasy to its peak.
Then he pulled out.
I shuddered and floundered, but Jucai soon had me again, turning me onto my back. He crawled onto the bed, settled between my thighs, and yanked my legs up to hook them over his shoulders. I cried out as he thrust forward, impaling me without a hand to guide him.
As slick as I was, he glided into me, going even deeper in this position. I stared up at him—glorious against a background of the sea. His savage passion made a sharp contrast to the peaceful swimming of fish. His eyes had stopped glowing, but they still blazed with lust, and his hands gripped my thighs to pull me to him with every thrust.
I was pleased with myself and the Sea King. He had opened up to me and helped me understand him. Now, instead of feeling used, I felt chosen. He could have quenched his lust on anyone, but he held out for me. I gazed up at him, seeing how much it had cost him to wait, and wondered if I had gone too far with him. This was supposed to be about sex and diplomacy. That's all.
As if in response to my thoughts, something inside me shuddered. Awakened. There was so much emotion in me. I was bombarded by feelings I shouldn't be having. Feelings I didn't want. Jucai shuddered as if he felt it too. Our locked stares became intense, and my orgasm rose, shivering in my pelvis. It felt different, and fear flashed through me. For one horrifying moment, I thought I was going to mate him. Then it just fizzled out. The emotions and the shivering vanished, taking my climax with it. We gasped together, pulled back from ecstasy and perhaps more.
Jucai fell forward, my legs sliding around him. Inches from my face, he whispered, “What was that?”
“It's been a long day, and you denied yourself for several hours. It's probably just the strain.”
“Yes, the strain.” He didn't look convinced.
I clenched my channel around him. “How are you feeling now? Better?”
Jucai grinned, his cock hardening inside me. “Much better.”
We both ignored the strange event, wiping it away with a fresh passion that rose easily. Soon, we were cresting—first me and then him. It was a relief in more ways than the obvious. When it was over, Jucai pulled out of me and left the bed.
As he gathered his clothing, Jucai said, “I'll see you at dinner. Join me at my table.”
Then he fled.
Chapter Nine
I lay in bed, my release drying on my belly, long after Jucai left. The sea beyond the glass wall tried to calm me, but my thoughts wouldn't stop spinning. I couldn't come to terms with what had just happened. Obviously, Jucai had been as unsettled as I, but that didn't help.
Finally, my itchy belly prompted me to get up. I took a long bath, soaking in my confusion. The hot water relaxed my muscles but did nothing to ease my mind. At last, I got out of the bath, dried off, and went into my dressing room, trying to leave my anxiety in the bathroom. But my thoughts nipped at my heels like dogs, following me into the dressing room.
What the fuck was that? It felt like we were going to mate. Then the urge just vanished.
“As if the Gods changed their minds,” I whispered to my reflection.
