Authors: Erin Tate
Tave Part 2
TAVE is a three-part serial (like a TV show). The entire storyline will be available for FREE with Kindle Unlimited, or you can purchase the full story as a bundle for $2.99.
Chapter One
Being the Ujal crown prince’s mate had its advantages. Such as the fact she now had a paid vacation for the next few days. Tave had tried to make it permanent, but she wasn’t having that. She may be drawn to him like no other, craving his touch, and willing to play horizontal Twister, but she wasn’t going to be fully dependent on anyone. If her father taught her anything…
Rina shook her head and clutched her warm coffee cup a hint harder. She’d spent enough time thinking about
that
man. He didn’t deserve another moment of her life. No, she needed to focus on this “thing” with Tave. Specifically dating.
Which was how she ended up on her back porch, snuggled in her favorite deck chair, cupping a mug of coffee and watching the sunrise. The sky was painted in shades of orange, pink, blue, and purple. No matter how many times she’d seen it, it always remained breathtakingly beautiful. She brought the heated cup to her mouth, taking a small sip of the bitter brew, only to spit it out again.
Yes, she’d seen the sunrise plenty of times, but she’d never witnessed an Ujal cut through the water, his body flying above the waves only to crash beneath the surface once again. He sliced through the ocean, the rolling liquid not seeming to impede him in any way. Those scales glistened in the ever-changing shades of the sun, glinting off the deep shades of blue and to the luminescent hues of white and pink. The Ujal raced toward her, cutting the distance so quickly her eyes could hardly keep track of him. He wasn’t like the others she’d observed, the teachers and younglings who occasionally splashed past her home in the afternoons. Little ones learning about the Earth’s oceans and how to navigate. Those were gentle swims, not meant to rapidly get from one place to another.
This… was a pure display of controlled power.
And she liked it.
More
than liked it. Something inside her soul told her the approaching Ujal was Tave. He was racing toward her as if his life depended on getting near her as quickly as possible. He hadn’t enjoyed being kicked out of her home the previous night, had argued about her safety, but she’d stood firm.
First dates didn’t include visits to medical followed by naughty sleepovers. Period.
No matter how much she wanted to cling to him like a sea anemone. And she
so
did.
They finally settled on him returning the following morning, but not at the butt crack of dawn. Apparently, butt crack of dawn didn’t translate very well.
Tave drew nearer, his pace never slowing. He continued with his rapid speed even as he approached the shallows of the beach. What, did he think he could swim on land? If so, the Ujals seriously needed to reconsider their leadership choices. It wasn’t until he made one last giant push, his rippling tail slamming into the water, and then she was transfixed by his beauty. That word shouldn’t apply to him, but it did.
Especially when that fierce flick of his fins sent him tumbling through the air. The hard thump had him flipping tail over head and as he spun, his whole body trembled in a rolling wave. His scales receded before her eyes, tail separating and forming his humanoid legs so that by the time he completed the circle, he thudded to the sand on two feet. He crouched low as he caught his weight and immediately rose. His spine was straight, shoulders back, and he was filled with pure pride and cocky bravado.
He had a reason for those emotions. Still, that didn’t mean she didn’t want to bring him down a peg or two.
Tave strode toward her, his steps sure and firm on the shifting sands of the beach. As much as his early arrival annoyed her, it definitely gave her a show. And not just his rapid approach through the water. No. One other benefit of his method of travel was once he was on land, he was also naked. Gloriously, deliciously, lickable-worthy naked. All over. All over with the nakedness. From his blue hair all the way down to his toes, he was exposed.
The scales were gone, but still lingered beneath the surface of his skin, giving him a light blue glow. And that was
everywhere
. Including… She licked her lips, mouth filling with saliva as she wondered what he would taste like. She wanted to nibble his chest, lick his firm abdomen, trace those carved lines at his hips with her tongue, and then travel farther south and suckle… oh, all kinds of suckling. As she watched, his length twitched and slowly began to fill, and she realized she wasn’t the only one getting aroused.
He was already big when soft, and she wondered how long and thick he’d be when…
“
Pyabi
, you cannot…” His voice was rough and hoarse, the words forcing her to tear her gaze from his growing hardness and focus on his face.
The need… the want and desire that covered his features had her shivering. Her body immediately responded to his desire. Her nipples pebbled and pressed against the thin fabric of her tank top. She hadn’t anticipated him arriving so early and was dressed in her spaghetti strap top that was so old and worn, she imagined he could see right through the cloth. That didn’t alarm her as it should. Despite his public persona and the fact that they were mates, they were strangers. Yet she had no hesitation to show herself off to him.
She
wanted
to arouse him. She
wanted
to tempt him. She
wanted
him to crave her as much as she ached for him.
And she
ached
. Her core warmed and pulsed with the need to be filled by him. To be possessed by him.
She’d never felt this way before, and yet, with Tave it seemed right.
“
Pyabi
…” he pleaded with her.
Rina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed back her wanting of him. They were supposed to
date
. It was right. It was normal. Humans didn’t go around fucking every guy who caught their fancy. Or rather, the Zeret women didn’t. She couldn’t speak for all the other females in the world.
Which meant she needed to chill out. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you and…”
And I want to climb all over you and ride you like a pony.
Right. She wasn’t going to say that.
“I’ll…” She placed her hand on the arm of her chair and rose to her feet, quickly turning her back before opening her eyes. “I’ll go grab the clothes you left here.”
Last night she’d been annoyed that he wanted to leave anything in her house. He didn’t
live
with her. But he’d said it was necessary and now she understood why.
Although… keeping him naked had its benefits.
No. Bad, Rina. No merman boinking for you.
But she knew it’d be
so
fun.
Maybe they could skip dating…
Tave groaned, and a sudden fear he’d somehow injured himself during his display had her turning. “Wha—?”
“Don’t move.” She hardly recognized his voice. “I am holding onto my honor by a thread. By the depths, you are glorious.”
“I—”
“No, don’t even speak.” His deep breathing was audible over the gentle waves of the ocean. “Yesterday, in that robe and then those scrubs, I thought you were beautiful. But you have a body that would make the goddess of the waters weep.”
She opened her mouth to tell him exactly how wrong he was but snapped her jaws closed when an unfamiliar warmth bathed her. He wasn’t touching her, but she felt him. There. His heat sinking into her.
He breathed deeply. “Why do you tempt me so? Why do you test my honor so hard?”
“You…” She cleared her throat, arousal and desire making her voice hoarse. “You weren’t supposed to come at the butt crack of dawn. If you’d waited, I would have…” His breath stirred her hair. “I would have…”
“The dawn does not have a butt crack. My advisors assured me of this.”
His moist breath bathed her ear and she fought against the desire to lean into him.
“I remained apart from you for as long as I was able. The moment my sentries informed me you were awake, I began my wait. Your
dam
assured my
dam
that you needed time to ‘put your face on’ so I restrained myself until thirty minutes had passed. Though I did not realize humans were capable of removing their faces.” He stroked her cheek gently with the back of his hand. “I do not like the idea of this being off your body. You should leave it on.”
“No.” She swallowed hard and battled to control her reactions to him. Her nipples were still firm points and her clit twitched. What would it feel like for him to reach around her, cup her breasts, and then continue south until he held her mound in his palm? “She just meant you should give me time to wake up.”
“You are either awake, or you are asleep. Once you are awake… you are awake. I do not understand.”
“It just means…” Did he brush his lips over the shell of her ear? “It just means that sometimes I’m cranky and need to drink a cup of coffee or two before I’m fit for company.”
He hummed. “I see. I know of other ways to clear your mind.” The suggestion in his tone was easily discernible.
“I just bet,” she drawled and found his suggestion—delicious, super yummy suggestion—broke the seductive hold he had on her. Rina stepped away, losing his heat with the movement, and moved to the door. She had to get away from him, had to find her balance before she dragged him inside, and… rode him like a pony. “I’ll grab your clothes and leave them on the counter. There’s a hose at the other end of the porch. Go ahead and rinse your feet off before you come inside.”
She grasped the doorknob, gave it a small turn, and tugged it open so she could leave temptation behind.
Maybe just one more look…
She glanced over her shoulder, allowing her attention to quickly travel over his sculpted body. That hair… those eyes… that chest… those
hips
… and then there was—she licked her lips, still wondering what he’d taste like. There was
that
.
“
Pyabi
…” There was no missing his warning and with a squeak, she bolted into the house, slamming the door shut behind her.
She leaned against the solid wood panel and fought to catch her breath. She also did a mental happy dance. The desire
so
wasn’t one-sided, and when she’d snuck that look, she noticed his attention locked on her ass. Wow. She totally won the “mama stole my genetic material, submitted it to the Population Ministry, and found me an alien mate” lottery.
“Oh
my
.”
It wasn’t the tone or the words that frightened her. It was more along the lines of
—
One, she was
supposed
to be alone. And two, her
mom
just “oh my’ed ” her mate.
Gross. Just gross. Not gross for Rina because…
oh my
was right, but gross for her mother because… Tave was her soon-to-be son-in-law.
Her mother should never
ever
see her mate’s junk. Especially not when it was hard for Rina.
Ew. Gross. Ew. Gross.
So Rina yelled, her mother jumped and sent the drying rack flying, the front door burst inward, and that was followed by the back door. Specifically the one Rina was leaning against. It was a painful game of Mouse Trap. Or Dominoes. Or any other game that ended with Rina’s face colliding with the kitchen tile.
“Rina!”
“
Pyabi!
”
“Sire!”
All those shouts came at once, but
of course
that was followed by her mother. Her mother, who birthed her and cared for her when her dad split. Her mother, who… lived to embarrass the hell out of her. “Did I do good or what?”
As if she was personally responsible for the below the belt heat Rina’s mate packed. If anything, Rina should thank Tave’s mother for incubating a son with such a big—eww—she was
not
thinking about Tave’s mother and his dick at the same time. It wasn’t happening. Like
Ghostbusters
, “the streams should never cross.”
Then Tave crouched at her side, concern covered his face, as a certain part of him was still swinging freely.
Okay, maybe she’d send his mother a fruit basket.
Tave stared at his mate’s swelling face as her cheek grew in size and reddened beneath his gaze. She occasionally removed the ice pack, but quickly returned it to cover the damage to her features.
Damage he had caused.
Rina exonerated him of blame and chose to shoot her fierce glares to her own
dam
, but Kelara hadn’t shoved the door open and sent his
pyabi
flying through the air. He wished to make reparations, provide her with a deeper apology, but he had yet to find the words. A crash from the kitchen had
Pyabi
wincing and he was reminded of another issue at hand. He was sure if they were alone, he could determine how best to beg for her forgiveness. He had read much about begging on his knees. He determined it was a position only to be used on land. He would have to think of an alternate pose when he fucked up and had to apologize when in the water.