“Where are you taking me?” Only the waning moon and stars lit their path down the seaside cliff. Cass’s stomach fluttered in anticipation, and fear. One wrong step, and she could go tumbling down.

“Just wait. You’ll see.” He was subdued, and held her hand firmly, apparently unruffled by the darkness and the rocky shore beneath them.

They hadn’t spent more than a few hours apart over the past several days, and it had been one of the best weeks of her life. Javier had shown Cass around the small town, but most of their time was spent in the water—swimming, surfing, snorkeling, and even sailing. One day they anchored Juan Carlos’ family’s boat in a hidden cove where the snorkeling was sublime. Another day they drove a little way up the coast and he taught her to surf in perfect beginners’ waves. At night they ate at outdoor cafes, talking for hours. The conversation flowed with anecdotes, personal introspection, and psychological analysis. They argued politics, and discussed their families, art, literature, and current events. She couldn’t ask for more in a dinner companion, a partner, or a lover. But she wasn’t entirely fulfilled. Though there were some heavy makeout sessions, they hadn’t yet slept together, and she ached to feel him inside of her. She hoped tonight would be the night. Maybe this was his surprise.

They had walked for a long time. The water was maybe 20 feet down now, and the path ran right into the rocks. She looked at him expectantly, listening to the waves crash below them.

“Look closer.”

“Where?”

“Down.”

She stared down toward her feet for a few seconds, then spotted something glowing on the ground. She moved closer to the glowing lights. “Is it a hole in the ground?” she was confused. “A cave.” She breathed.

He nodded and led her closer to the hole. It was almost impossible to see in the dark, but as she stepped forward she vaguely discerned the outline of ancient steps leading down into the cave. Javier stepped down confidently, then turned back and offered her a hand, helping her along as she gingerly made her way down the steps. Although he was silent, Javier emanated a weird, frenetic energy. He never stopped moving.

When Cass reached the cave floor, she spun around, taking everything in. Candles lined the walls, casting enough light for her to see that the back of the cave extended at least 30 or 40 feet, and the front of the cave opened to the sea. A gentle sea breeze blew through the cave and the stars shone brilliantly in the clear night sky. The effect was magical.

“What is this place?” She whispered.

“A sort of church. People have been coming to this cave for thousands of years. Each candle represents a prayer to the old gods.” He tapped his fingers on his thigh.

She took everything in, sweeping her head around, speechless at the thousand tiny pinpoints of light flickering around her, and almost backed into him. He helped her steady herself, took her hand, and led her over to a thick blanket lying on the cave floor. They took their shoes off and stood on the rustic but cozy blanket. Then he held her body against his, rubbing her arms to warm her. “Are you OK here?” he whispered.

“Yes. This…is a very special place. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Cold?”

“Not with you next to me.” It was a bit chilly in the cave, but his body heat kept her warm.

He leaned into her, their foreheads touching. They stared into each other’s eyes, listening to the sound of each other’s breathing. He seemed calmer now. Slowly, tantalizingly, he kissed her, just with his lips, and she returned his kisses, their lips teasing each other’s. “Feel my heart.” He took her hand in his and held it to his chest, the rapid beats belying his calm demeanor.

“It’s beating so fast! Does that mean you’re excited?” She blushed. “I am.”

“Yes.” He exhaled. “And nervous.” She was surprised and moved by his admission. He was usually so cool.

He slipped his tongue into her mouth, probing softly, his lips covering hers. They kissed that way for long minutes, lost in each other, building in intensity, until she was tingling everywhere. He hadn’t touched her yet. She was puzzled. Why the teasing? Cass was desperate for Javier to touch her everywhere, longed to feel their naked bodies together.

Then he was pulling her dress over her head, quickly unhooking her bra with one hand, and slipping her panties off. She stood naked before him in the candlelight, holding her breath in expectation. He pulled off his own black t-shirt, impatiently whipped off his jeans and boxers, and threw them into a corner of the cave. A candle clattered as it fell and rolled away.

Naked, his cock stood at attention. “Can you trust me?” he whispered, eyes wide.

She frowned a little. What was this about? “Yes.”

“I want to blindfold you.”

She inhaled sharply. It had always been a fantasy to make love wearing a blindfold. Apparently, it heightened every other sense. Maybe it was weird for their first time together, but she thought little of it. “Oooh. Kinky.” Cass smiled seductively at him.

He smiled back, but his jaw tightened. A scarf materialized in his hand. He stepped behind her, pulled it over her eyes, and tied it tightly behind her head. She could still see, just a bit, barely making out his silhouette in the candlelight. She shivered with excitement and anticipation. Cass concentrated on her available senses, immediately scenting candlewax, wet stone, ocean breeze, and Javier’s natural musk. She nestled her nose into his chest and inhaled deeply. He smelled like the ocean.

“Lie down on the blanket.”

She obeyed.

“Now I’m going to tie your wrists. Let me know if it’s too tight.”

“OK,” she said in a small voice. Being tied up was a fantasy that pushed the edges of her comfort zone. Though she was scared, she also trusted him. She decided that a little fear was no reason to miss out when he had already given her so many amazing new experiences.

“You need to tell me if you want me to stop or if it doesn’t feel right. Talk to me, OK?”

“No, I’m OK. I want to.”

“Put your hands above your head.”

He watched her lay on her back. Although she couldn’t see him, he paused and she thought she spied the silhouette of his head cocking to the side. She imagined he was staring at her body, from her full, heaving breasts down over her belly and the mound of flesh there, between her legs, and she flushed with pleasure. She knew he liked to look at her, and she liked it when he looked. She lay with her arms pinned together above her head, and he bent down and gently tied her wrists together with a scarf, then tied the knot to something low on the outer cave wall. He tested the knot. It held. When she tried to pry her hands apart, or move them forward, but couldn’t, her heartbeat quickened. This was the moment she could either totally freak out, or force herself to relax. She began taking slow, deliberate breaths.

He lay down next to her on the blanket, teasing her entire body with gentle strokes. He stroked her breasts, her belly, her thighs, holding back from her nipples and pussy. She lay there, breasts heaving with desire, frustrated she couldn’t reciprocate, the anticipation building. She was shaking by the time he bent his head down and took a nipple between his lips, pulling insistently, then licking the tip with his wet tongue. He hushed her shivers and continued stroking her entire body as he sucked, licked, and kissed the little buds. Cass cooed with pleasure as his hand moved between her legs, sliding across her slick pussy to rub her clit. She felt his teeth lightly scraping against her nipples, and she strained against the scarf that tied her wrists together, the twin sensations driving her wild.

He trailed little kisses down the slope of her belly, raising goosebumps there. She knew what was next, what was always next. Cass arched her back, eager for his tongue between her legs—she had become quite an aficionado of his tongue over the past few days. His full lips moved lower, slowly, tongue licking as he went, leaving a burning trail down her abdomen. She bucked her hips and moaned, unable to wait any longer.

“I want you to fuck me. Please.” Her voice was low, pleading.

“Not yet,” He chuckled, then fell upon her, licking her pussy with long strokes. His tongue flicked against her clit again and again, mercilessly, as she cried out, moving her hips up and down. He was licking, now flicking, now swirling, as his fingers began to rake the flesh of her belly, her thighs, her ass, and then knead her in the same places. It felt as if he was pulling up grass by its roots. She strained against the restraint around her wrists. No one had ever touched her this way before, and the caresses, not to mention the sucking, brought her to her knees. She wanted to grab him, to put his cock inside of her, to ride him wildly, but his hands held her steady at the hips, and she couldn’t move her hands at all.

She was much more sensitive than usual with the blindfold on, which only served to frustrate her now. She wasn’t scared anymore. She felt as if she would go insane with need. She needed him inside of her. Needed to hold him. Needed release.

He pulled away. “I’m not going to make you come with my mouth. You need to wait until I’m inside of you.” She could only gasp in response.

When, at last, he plunged into her, she thought she would die with the pleasure. His cock was quite substantial, and it hurt a bit, but she ignored the pain. He pulled back, slowly, almost completely leaving her, and then thrust into her again. She felt him hit her cervix, relishing the exquisite pain low in her belly. She wrapped her legs around him, riding him harder, as he held her breasts in his hands, pinching and kneading them. He lowered the full weight of his abdomen for a few moments, and she felt her hard, pearly little nipples against his chest. He kissed her tenderly as she moved her body against his.

“Oh, Cass. You feel so good inside.”

“Javier. Please untie me. Please. I just want to hold you while we fuck.”

“No, no, mi amor. I’ll unhook you from the wall. That’ll help.”

He deftly used one hand to release her from the wall, the thumb of the other still rubbing her nipple.

He kept riding her, never missing a beat, never slowing. He pulled her down several inches, and her feet hit the icy seawater in the center of the cave.

She could feel the climax roiling beneath the surface as she threaded her arms around his neck and moaned, clenching her pussy around his cock. He bit her lip, her ear, rode her harder, faster, both of them murmuring endearments, fervently kissing each other on the jaw, cheek, forehead, neck, and finally the lips, tongues intertwining deep in each other’s mouths. He removed her arms from over his head, pinned them to the ground, moved their bodies closer to the water so she could feel its icy coldness around her calves and knees, pulled his cock all the way out, then slammed back into her. She could feel her climax about to boil over.

She wondered why he was pulling her legs into the water. Probably to get a better angle. “Are you close?” She breathed. His answer was a muffled groan, and she smiled up at him, held her breath, held back her pleasure as much as she could, trying to prolong it. It was only a matter of moments, now. He pulled out again and she moved her hips up, ready for him, but instead of his cock slamming back into her she heard a small splash.

Had he fallen in? She couldn’t see anything, not even his silhouette through the blindfold. Just as she started to worry, taking her out of the moment, the enormous cock was driving into her again, his hands separating her legs so wide it felt he would tear her apart. This was definitely a better angle. She could feel him in places she hadn’t previously thought possible. He kept holding her hips down as she put her arms around his neck, smiling blissfully up at him. She couldn’t even think straight as he filled her completely, the massive cock pumping into her. Their lovemaking was better than she could have imagined, and her yearning overwhelmed her. She never wanted to leave this place, this moment, and she couldn’t hold back any longer. Yes. Now. “Ah! Javier! I’m coming!”

He tore the blindfold off her eyes, and what she saw paralyzed her. It wasn’t Javier. At least, it wasn’t the Javier she knew. Yes, he was the same from the waist up, though the tender sweetness and even the human intensity was gone from his face. Instead, he stared at her fiercely, eyes shining and teeth bared, with an animal expression she didn’t recognize at all. From the waist down, where his legs had been, he had a large, blue-green tail, which swished back and forth through the water with powerful strokes.

Cass stared at him with enormous eyes, the whites standing out in stark relief in the candlelight. He had been bracing himself on the edge of the cave floor with powerful arms, body halfway out of the water, and she could feel him still inside of her. She scrambled to sit up, to gain a foothold on the cave floor, but she kept forgetting her arms were tied together around his neck. When she tried to lift her arms over his head, her hips slipped over the edge and into the cold water, spearing herself even more deeply on his enormous, rock-hard cock. She was in shock, unable to speak. It seemed like he was trying to hoist her back up onto the cave wall for a moment, but then he had his arms around her naked torso, and pulled their bodies, still fused together, further out into the water. The lust on his face gave him a feral look as he drove the throbbing cock deeper into her. Her eyes widened in desperation as she remembered the words of a gypsy fortuneteller not even a week ago…danger in the water…a dark man. He was going to drown her. And he had the advantage here. She needed to get out of the water, NOW.

She moved her knees up and this time successfully brought her arms back over his head. Then she threw her head back, somersaulting against him with her knees and feet. She was free! She treaded water with her feet alone, kicking rapidly and steadily, trying not to panic in the icy water. Suddenly, his hands gripped her wrists so hard they hurt, and she fought against him, kicking him, before she realized he was trying to help her, tearing apart the scarf that bound her wrists. She swam a few strokes back to the edge, grabbed the cave wall with one arm and just looked at him, panting with exertion, eyes still wild. He remained close. It wasn’t so cold here, next to him. His expression was filled with hurt surprise, and his eyes seemed to be searching her face. She felt his stiff sex flop against her hip.

“Cass…” He panted, lowering his eyes in supplication.

“I don’t even know who…or what…you are.” She spat, finally finding her voice. She wanted to slap him across the face, to rail at him, to fling a string of expletives. She considered running away, now… she knew nothing about this creature and its proclivities. For all she knew, the regret in his face was another trick, and he still planned to drown her, or eat her, or fuck her to death. But curiosity betrayed her.

She reached down to feel where his human skin met the skin of the tail, just beneath his hips, rubbing it with her thumb, feeling how the texture changed. He swished his tail harder, rising in the water to allow her to examine him. She stroked the scales of his tail, smooth and slippery, glinting blue-green in the candlelight. She looked up to find him staring at her patiently. His erect member nudged her and she looked down again in wonder. She wasn’t quite sure what had brought about this…transformation…but even his cock had changed. This one seemed to retract from inside his body. It was smooth and slick, even in the water, and maybe twice the size of his already substantial human cock. She stared at it, frozen, unable to close her gaping mouth.

Despite her swirling emotions following his deception, she was shocked to realize her arousal had not abated. She looked into his eyes, coolly assessing him. When the cock landed on her naked belly a third time, she grabbed it in one hand. It was as thick as an arm. Cass cocked her head, narrowed her eyes, and tugged so hard he crashed into her, wincing in pain. She tugged like that again one, two, three times, a sneer playing on her lips. Then she began rubbing the cock against her pussy again and again until her breath quickened. His tail swished silently near her in the water, body continuing to throw off heat like a furnace. She looked up at him, face inscrutable, wrapped her arms around his neck, and slowly eased onto the enormous cock, holding his gaze until he filled her completely. He was naturally so slick that, despite his gargantuan size, he slid into her easily underwater. His face registered shock and confusion, and then joyous disbelief at her apparent change of heart.

He rose higher in the water so her body was suspended on his cock, her legs wrapped around his tail. Javier dipped his head several times to catch her eyes with his own, trying to convey the intensity of his feelings, but she refused to engage. She closed her eyes, undulating silently against his body, though her face betrayed her pleasure. He let her take the lead as she moved rhythmically up and down. Javier couldn’t hide his elated smile as he watched her ride him, then quickened his own movements to meet hers.

The sensation of being hung on his giant cock was exquisite, even more so than anything they had done before. They were both panting now. They rode together faster, harder, finally regaining the same level of heat as they had a few minutes ago, before he had revealed himself. He stared at her with concern, even as he rode her in a punishing rhythm, his heart beating impossibly fast. She moaned, then cried out. He opened his mouth, closed it again; said nothing. She wrapped her legs around his tail and let out a guttural cry. “Fuck me harder!” she growled, and he complied, savagely driving his cock into her, again and again. “Fuck me faster!” she roared, and he began bucking wildly.

Then he was lost in the moment, closing his eyes and moving his hips to lift her body up, and down, repeatedly, on his massive rod. Through the haze of her own building climax she watched his wrecked face as he drove into her again and again, almost desperately, as the climax seemed to obliterate his world. He cried out like a wounded beast as he pumped hot cum deep into her. She savored the warm liquid filling her as she neared her own release, shaking with anticipation, poised on the edge. A few seconds later, she screamed as the orgasm ripped through her, tearing her mind and body apart, leaving her on the edge of consciousness.

Almost as soon as the thunderous orgasm abated and she regained her faculties, Cass opened her eyes, and coldly jerked her body away from him. “I need to go.”

“Cass.” She swam a few strokes to the side of the cave floor.

“Cass!” She grabbed the cave floor next to her and hoisted herself up.

“Cass! Talk to me!” She grabbed her clothes. And ran.

She ran through the cave, and up the stairs. She ran halfway up the cliffside path before she looked back, and saw him in the moonlight, swimming out to sea, tail swishing behind him, almost disappointed he had given up so easily. Not that it would have helped. She kept running up the stairs, then she was certain she heard his voice behind her, calling out, “Cass! Come back! I need to talk to you.” She couldn’t figure out how he got up here so fast from the ocean, but it didn’t matter. She had a decent lead on him, and she wasn’t in bad shape. She might make it. She ran as if her life depended on it—maybe it did, she still wasn’t sure about his endgame—up to the shoulder of the road, the gravel cutting into her soft feet. Shit. She had forgotten her shoes. She wasn’t about to go back and get them, though, so she kept running, all the way back to the villa.

Once she got there, Cass didn’t take the time to put her clothes back on, even though there was a chance one of her friends could still be up. She slammed the front door and locked it. She heard someone call her name from the kitchen, but she ignored it. Then she ran up the stairs and into her room. She locked her door, and made sure the balcony door was locked, too. She threw herself on the bed, shaking, naked, trancelike, tears streaming down her face. A quiet knock at the door shook her out of her trance. She said nothing. Maybe they would go away. The knock sounded again. She waited a minute, heard a creak on the floor outside her room. Whoever it was—they were still there.

“Who is it?” She whispered in a high, shaky voice.

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**The Island (Submerged Desires #3) coming in March!**
**Rocky Shores and The Sea Cave are also available at your favorite eBook retailer.**