Page 8 of Darkest Dredge

"Do you tie down all your lovers the first time you're with them?"

Before the sentence had fully left me, I knew I’d said the wrong thing. His expression turned steely, and his amber gaze glowered at me through the mess of black hair spilling over his eyes. "You know I haven't been with anyone else since I've known you."

"I do know that. I'm sorry, I was just trying to be funny... I really gotta stop trying to make jokes around you, don't I?"

The smile returned to his face. "They aren't all bad. The last one earned you a night in my bed, after all."

He rose out of bed, turning toward my bunk across the aisle.

Panic lanced through me when he crouched to the ground and reached under my mattress. "Hey! What are you doing?"

I kept all sorts of shit under there that I’d rather die than let him see. It was lonely out at sea. Sometimes, during the day while he was sleeping, or when he was out for a long smoke break, I'd pull out one of my smuttier monster romance novels and one of the toys I'd smuggled aboard.

Relief wound through my chest when all he pulled out was my current read. Darkest Dredge.

The trade paperback was worn from many re-reads. The cover was one of those illustrated numbers, only this wasn't your momma's bodice ripper with the flowing-haired fabio. It was of a muscular monster with green flesh and numerous glowing yellow eyes that shone through the dimly lit cabin. I'd bought the special edition with the glow-in-the-dark cover for novelty at first, but there was something stimulating about the way those knowing eyes bore through me.

"Is this the book that has you moaning when you think I'm not listening?"

"I moan in my sleep sometimes," I said as embarrassment lit up every nerve in my body like a blinking circuit board.

“Oh yeah, do you also sleep with a monster fucker book in one hand and your pervy little tentcle toy in the other? I've heard of sleep walking, but sleep fucking yourself? I don’t think so. Especially with an XL Bad Dragon Ika Tentacle toy? I don't think so.”

My thighs clenched, made sticky from the sweat beginning to pebble my skin. It made my small pajama shorts cling to my upper thighs and ride up with even the smallest movement. “You fucking pervert! Hey!”

My protest went ignored. Noah was already crouched half-under my bunk, pulling out stacks of monster smut, old sketch books, old stacks of maps, and finally, a black velvet bag.

He held up the bag, one of the drawstrings dangling from the crook of his finger. "This thing has some heft to it. Taking up valuable storage space. You should have cleared this with me."

I snorted. "What are you going to do? I'm already in the brig? What's next? Gonna make me walk your plank?"

That last zinger earned a scowl that reminded me why I loved antagonizing him. I considered myself a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I wasn't the sort to film parkour videos on top of skyscrapers or skydive, but I was out here on top of the sight of the sunken city. Who knew what kind of mutations lurked below. And I was stranded on a small boat with an eldritch fanatic, tied to his bed with him looming menacingly over with my tentacle dildo in his hand.

I liked living a bit dangerously.

"No. I'm not going to make you walk the plank," he growled, his eyes parking with interest as he sat on the edge of my bed and opened the velvet bag. He unsheathed the dildo from its sleeve. “But I am going to fuck you with this thing.”

Chapter Five

Noah

It was stupid being jealous of a toy. But it had been inside Beatrice, many times before. It had made her moan and scream and squirt in ways I'd only dreamed of.

Logically, I knew the toy wasn't my enemy. It was a tool. My bratty little Bea loved tentacles after all, so why not give her exactly what she wanted?

I ran my thumb over the silicone appendage, impressed by the design. The base was ridiculously huge, and it tapered to a thin point at the end. It even had puckered suction cups running along its length.

"You're a bit of a slut for the glow in the dark thing aren't you?" I snickered, noticing the purple silicone's dim glow. My attention briefly flicked to the glowing stars she'd stuck above her bed. I'd tease her eternally, even though I loved her for her whimsy.

I loved her for everything, especially for her whimsy. Meanwhile, I was a surly, smug asshole. She not only believed in my god and its existence and effect on ocean life, my first mate believed in me.

She could cover the whole damn boat in glowing stars and stuff it full of smut and freaky monster toys. I wanted to stay at sea with her for as long as she could stand it. And more.

"I'm a whimsical bitch. Kinda have to be when I'm stuck with Mr. Stick-up-his-butt."

I had a feeling she was goading me on purpose. I had her tentacle dildo clutched tight in my hand. She wanted me to use it on her.

Too bad. I wasn't done making her blush and squirm.