Bared to Him Read online

  “We dropped her like a hot potato. She had too many ideas, if you ask me,” Calder grumbled but he winked teasingly at Miranda.

  “Calder’s right. If we had waited to be married and listened to all her ideas, we would be a hundred years old. So, we agreed on a fast and simple ceremony with family and close friends.”

  “Friends like you two. I’m glad you both are okay,” Calder said. He stepped forward and gave Miranda a quick hug.

  “We were…occupied, last night. Miranda decided to Turn when I was already in the water. But she kept her head and she did great,” Gray said softly.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Shock splashed over Catalina’s face.

  Calder remained silent, but Miranda did notice an interesting knowing look pass between the two males.

  “Oh, sweetie. Come, let’s go and make something for everyone to eat. You must be starved.” Catalina didn’t wait for an answer as she suddenly grabbed Miranda by her hand and pulled her into the nearby salon.

  “You two men stay there. We’ll call you when breakfast is ready,” Catalina said to the guys.

  When they reached the salon, Cat instructed Miranda to have a seat.

  “You must be famished. You poor dear,” she cooed as she opened several cupboards and started dragging out some packaged food that Miranda had brought along for the trip.

  “Actually, I’m okay. We ate fish. Lots of fish.”

  Cat hesitated and peered over her shoulder at her. The other woman’s cheeks were a bit flushed.

  “Then you must be tired. I know when I first Turned, I was confused and tired. Calder and I…um…well, let’s say it was a confusing time.”

  Miranda smiled. Warmth embraced her heart at Catalina’s concern.

  “Actually, I did a lot of research on the Octo site so I knew what to expect. Kind of knew, anyways. I thought I was going to be able to handle anything but when it happened, it was just shocking to go through something like that. I was stunned at first and then my instincts took over.”

  Cat giggled. “Oh yeah, instincts are quite nice where males are concerned.”

  Miranda patted the bench seat beside her, eager now to get the low down on Cat’s first Octo experience with Calder.

  In a second, the other woman had joined her. Before long Miranda was blushing at how Calder and Catalina had met thru Cat’s mobile tattoo service. He’d contacted her and had requested a tentacle tattoo on his cock and Cat hadn’t even known she was an Octo when Calder had started to pursue her.

  By the time Catalina had finished her story, Miranda was glad she hadn’t been kept in the dark about her heritage as Catalina had been. Cat’s confession made a proud confidence weave through her. For the first time in her life, Miranda realized how lucky she was to have her overprotective dad and that he had told her about the Octoposeidon and about her mother being one. And that there was a chance that Miranda would Turn.

  Suddenly, she really liked who she was and how she had turned out. She liked herself. A lot.

  * * * * *

  “So, you have yourself a female now,” Calder chuckled as he slapped Gray on his bare back while they walked along the sandy California beach. Calder had suggested the two of them get off the yacht and get in some walking because, as he confessed to Gray, he was a nervous wreck about marrying Cat.

  So, Gray had returned his gun to the safety of a locked cabinet, ditched his shirt and both of them had jumped overboard into the pristine warm waters and swam to the sandy shore.

  It wasn’t until now that he realized Calder’s reason to leave the yacht was just an excuse to get the scoop on Gray’s relationship with Miranda.

  “If you want to know if we’ve mated, the answer is yes,” Gray frankly stated.

  To his surprise, Calder’s facial expression remained neutral.

  “And what are your intentions toward her? I don’t want her hurt, Gray. She’s inexperienced and she never really wanted to become an Octo…”

  Irritation shot through Gray and he abruptly stopped walking. He clenched his fists and resisted the urge to punch Calder in the nose. Sure, he understood Calder’s concern. For all the guy knew from past experiences, Miranda and Gray hated each other. Hell, everyone knew they fought like cats and dogs.

  “Things are different now. She’s mine,” he growled the last word to make sure Calder understood. In the way Calder’s eyes widened, he did.

  “Then I don’t know how this will come across, but now that she has Turned, she’d going to need protection. I smelled her scent forty miles down the coastline. That’s how I could easily located you two. She’s got a very strong trail, Gray.”

  “I’ll protect her.”

  “How? By keeping her hidden in that Alaskan inlet like her father has been doing?”

  “It’s worked so far.”

  “Only because she wasn’t scenting. Now that she is, every Octo male can smell her and follow her back. And if you’re not around to protect her…it’s happened to your consortium. You should know more than anyone how much females need to be protected.”

  Gray shivered as he remembered smelling the blood drifting along the currents. The fear that had twisted his gut. Panicking and swimming right into an ambush.

  “Why are you telling me this, Calder? Do you want us to join a consortium? They didn’t protect my family then and they can’t protect us now. Having so many females all in one place just makes their scents stronger. My sisters have decided to live alone and they’ve managed fine with their decision. Miranda and I can do the same.”

  “As I said I could smell her. There are any number of Octo males out there who won’t respect that she’s taken.”

  “We’ll take precautions from here on out.” Although he had no idea what those precautions would entail. There really was no one hundred percent protection for a female Octoposeidon, unless they lived in the middle of nowhere like Jack had been doing with Miranda.

  Calder nodded tightly. “Well, Catalina and I formed a consortium.”

  This was news to him.

  “We just formed it when we discovered there were several Octoposeidon in the area of my marina. You both are welcome to come and live nearby. The males take turns patrolling at night in the oceans so we can keep the females as safe as possible. Everyone gets a tattoo, a brand if you will, signifying they belong to a certain consortium.”

  Calder pointed to his left shoulder and bicep. To the large black tattoo with intricate design there.

  “It’s the brand of our consortium. When we Turn into Octo form at night, the tattoo glows. It’s how we can tell quickly if an Octo belongs to our group or not.”

  “I heard that the Octo society was adopting a tattoo procedure.” Gray said as he inspected the design. It looked impressive.

  “Yes, the idea came from Cat and myself. She uses special inks that glow gently beneath the depths. Not bright enough so that an enemy can see from a distance, but just enough so if one of the bodyguards gets close they can tell if the Octo is friend or foe. And there’s an added benefit for when we’re in human form. We’ve discovered the tattoos get brighter a few minutes before we even feel the need to Turn. When you’re in the human world, it’s always good to know ahead of time so you can make your excuses and disappear. Even a couple of minutes is a big help.”

  Gray nodded. He realized that maybe Calder was right. Miranda needed major protection and he might not be able to give it to her. He sure didn’t want to lose her because of his doubts about consortiums.

  “The consortium and tattoo sounds like a good idea. But I can’t give you a decision one way or the other unless I discuss this with Miranda.”

  Calder nodded. He looked somewhat relieved. Then he smiled and nodded toward the yacht.

  “The women are hailing us.”

  Gray looked over at the yacht bobbing in the sparkling aqua-blue waters and saw Miranda and Catalina waving to them.

  “It looks like breakfast is ready. Want to race to the yacht? Last one there do
es the dishes?”

  Calder didn’t answer, as he was already diving into the water. A moment later, his head popped out of the water and he waved to Gray.

  “Last one there does the dishes!”

  Son of a bitch! He had heard him!

  Gray dove into the ocean, but Calder already had such a head start that Gray knew he was the one who would be doing the dishes. But that was okay. It would give him some time to think about what Calder had said. He’d made some good points about the dangers of being Octoposeidon and of having a female to protect now. He wondered how Miranda would react when he suggested they move down here to California.

  * * * * *

  “You aren’t saying anything,” Gray said as he studied Miranda.

  They had followed Cat and Calder in the yacht along the coastline to a secluded beach several miles from Calder’s marina. The two of them had enjoyed a dinner of buttered lobster. Over a shrimp salad, he’d mentioned what Calder had said about joining the consortium here.

  “That’s because there’s nothing to say,” she replied with a grimace.

  “What do you think?” he prodded.

  She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

  “About?”

  Man, why was she making this so difficult for him?

  “We’ve been careless out here all alone. Now that you’ve Turned, your scent is very active. Bad things can happen. Octo males are desperate.”

  She frowned and an uneasiness zipped through him.

  “Exactly how desperate are they, Gray?”

  His gut twisted at the snarl in her voice. What had he said wrong now? He picked up her irritation and it snapped through him as well.

  “Do I need to spell it out for you? Do I need to tell you what happened to the women in my consortium? The females were kidnapped, Miranda. Taken against their will. Some were killed because they fought. We can’t go to the human law. They don’t know we exist. And Octo laws are like the human’s Wild West days at best. My sisters live alone in isolation. They want nothing to do with the Octoposeidon race. They barely interact with the human race. They rarely see each other or me because they live in fear. I don’t want that for you or for us, Miranda.”

  “You didn’t answer my question, Gray,” she said softly.

  Gray blinked in surprise. She acted as if he hadn’t even said anything.

  “Question? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “How desperate are you, Gray?”

  What the fuck?

  “Are you screwing me because there’s no other female around? Or are you doing me for another reason?”

  A dark pink blushed her cheeks and she seemed fidgety. Her hands were knotted on the table in front of her and she was nibbling on her bottom lip as if she was worried about something. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Damn, but the woman had balls. Damn sexy as hell cute balls.

  “What do you want me to say, Miranda? That I am so desperate and that’s why I picked you because I couldn’t find a pretty enough Octo?”

  She visibly tensed at his teasing words. Was she serious? Did she not know how attracted he was to her?

  Gray shook his head. It appeared she had no clue. Then, perhaps he needed to show her.

  He stood. Her eyes widened in surprise as he slipped his fingers beneath the waistband of his shorts, and slid them down past his hips. His swollen cock sprang free and it was a relief to have it out of captivity.

  “Do you think it is fun for me to go around with a hard-on whenever I smell you?”

  He stepped out of his shorts in front of her. She blinked at him, her cheeks flushing a deeper pink.

  “I’ve wanted you since I can remember, Miranda. First, when you were younger, it was a protective instinct. Then when you got older, it turned into something else. I admit I tried to deny it. Your dad gave me shelter and a job and I didn’t want to admit to him or to myself that what I felt for you had turned serious. So, I teased you to keep you mad at me. To keep you away from me.”

  She shook her head slowly, a look of wonder on her face.

  “And to answer your question. I’m screwing you because I want you to be my mate. You are the only female for me. I wouldn’t be having unprotected sex with you, as we had earlier, unless I wanted babies with you. Lots of babies.”

  She made a cute little O with her lips and understanding sparkled in her eyes. He came around the table and held his hand out to her. She slipped her trembling fingers against his palm and he held her hand gently yet firmly at the same time as he pulled her to a standing position in front of him.

  “You belong to me, Randi.” He hoped his voice was firm enough so she would believe him. He also knew he could talk until he was blue in the face, because talk was cheap. She needed action, and he would give her plenty.

  * * * * *

  Stunned disbelief sunk slowly past Miranda’s insecurities. She couldn’t believe what Gray had just confessed. He wanted babies with her. She’d thought about the unprotected sex they’d had earlier. It was one of the reasons she needed to make sure that he wasn’t just fucking her because she was convenient. She wanted to make sure he was serious. It appeared he truly did want her. He’d wanted her and he’d kept it hidden behind his teasing? Mentally she thought back. It must be at least several years that they’d been at each other’s throats.

  Son-of-a-bitch.

  Now, he stood in front of her in his naked glory baring himself to her. The vulnerability in his eyes was unmistakeable. She had no choice but to bare herself to him. In every sense of the word.

  “I have to admit, you did a pretty good job at keeping me off balance. I was mad at you more times than I was glad to know you. But, secretly I did fantasize about you. Masturbated to visions of you…like the other night.”

  His sharp inhalation of breath made her hesitate. But she’d gone this far, she may as well continue.

  “It seemed the angrier I was at you, the wilder my orgasms…”

  He cut off her words by fusing his mouth over hers.

  Oh, my. The Octo knew how to kiss.

  “Shut up, Miranda,” he whispered against her mouth. He let go of her hands and she shivered as his fingers touched the hem of her sundress. She lifted her arms and he yanked the dress up and over her head. To her surprise, he tossed her dress into the wind. It fluttered like a sail and billowed over the edge of the yacht.

  “Hey! That’s one of my favorite sundresses!” she complained.

  “We’ll get it later. Right now I want you naked and I want to show you one of my favorite positions,” he growled.

  He slipped his hand into hers and led her to a deck table near the stern of the yacht.

  “Turn around and face the ocean,” he instructed.

  His voice dripped with arousal and she could feel it sift through her like a magnificent wave.

  “We won’t be needing this either,” he muttered. Fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her panties and he tugged it down over her hips and down her legs. She stepped out of them and she kicked them to the edge. A burst of wind picked it up and it sailed out onto the ocean.

  “Hey! Those are my favorite panties on you,” he whispered.

  She grinned. “We’ll get it later.”

  His hot palms splayed against her upper back and he gently pushed her until her upper torso was on the table and her nipples were rubbing against the coarse tabletop.

  “It’s a nice view,” she whispered as she gazed out at the white seagulls swooping over gently rolling turquoise colored waves.

  “The view is better back here,” he growled. His palms slid down her back and he gently caressed her ass cheeks.

  “Spread your legs for me, sweetheart,” he instructed.

  She widened her feet and a second later, she gasped as he palmed her pussy.

  “I love how easily you cream for me,” he whispered.

  “I love the way you touch me,” she whispered back. It was true. Whether he was gentle or rough, she enj
oyed whatever he did to her.

  She flushed as he roughly ground his palm against her clit. The pressure sparked wicked shudders through her. He let go of her pussy and then thrust a finger into her wet vagina. He withdrew it quickly. Then he began a fast-paced rub over her clit using her cream as lube.

  Within seconds, a flaming need snapped through her. Her breathing quickened and she tensed as erotic awareness splashed over her in tumultuous waves. Her body tightened and her pleasure mounted. Her pussy burned and her hips swayed with desperate need. She ached like crazy for him.

  “Gray!” she gasped as her vagina muscles frantically clenched around empty air. She needed him to fill her pussy. Now!

  She whimpered with frustration as his finger left her clit. A second later, he grabbed her hips and then thrust his engorged cock deep into her pussy. She jerked her hips against his hands and shattered into a volley of convulsions. Her vaginal muscles quivered around his steely erection as he pumped into her with quick, solid strokes.

  Within seconds, his cries of release joined hers and the cries of the seagulls swooping around the yacht.

  * * * * *

  “Do you Calder take Catalina to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forever, for as long as you both shall live?” The presenter asked.

  “I do,” Calder said in a strong voice.

  He stood proud and tall wearing a light gray tuxedo with black tie. Catalina looked stunning standing beside him. She wore a breathtaking mermaid style white wedding gown with the dress cut slim through the bodice and hip areas and flaring out below. She had a sprig of white baby breath flowers tucked behind her left ear.

  Both of them stood beneath a white-rose covered arbor with the turquoise colored ocean as the backdrop. Miranda’s breath caught at how intense the couple gazed into each other’s eyes. It was as if they were the only two people in the entire world and the thirty or so friends and family watching the ceremony were not even there.