Free Tave Part 3 by Erin Tate

Chapter One

    Rina didn’t know what dragged her from slumber. She knew it sure as hell wasn’t Tave’s hands on her, sinking into her over and over again until she…
    How did she know this? Because when they’d finished their swim yesterday, he’d fallen back on his honor and decided no further hanky-panky would happen. They would get to know one another so that she no longer had suspicious thoughts about him. She tried to tell him it was difficult to dispel with years of conditioning in a day.
    He said she was worth the wait.
    Then she said…
    A low scratch and scrape reached her, something colliding with the house’s exterior wall, and she sighed. If some crab managed to make it this far from the sea, she’d have to go toss it back in. The last thing she wanted was the little guy to fry on the pavement. With a groan, she rolled from the bed, untangling herself from the twisted blankets, and finally pushed to her feet. Still bleary-eyed, she shuffled to the bedroom window to see if she could spy the asshole.
    She was sure she’d been lost in a lovely, sexytimes dream with Tave and his tongue and…
    “Hmm…” She hummed and rubbed one eye as she reached for the curtain with her free hand. She tugged it aside and squinted when the sunrise filled her eyes.
    Wait, her window didn’t catch the morning light.
    The flare came again and she blinked away the brightness to see…
    “ What the fuck! ”
    A sleazy guy was on the other side of the window, massive camera in hand and the flash was going a mile a minute, blinding her with each flare. Others crowded behind him, more of those lights flickering and lighting up her room. A booming roar, one that vibrated the entire space, hit her a split second before she was shoved aside. The curtains snapped closed with a rush of fabric as she tried to blink away the floating spots in her vision.
    “My pyabi. ” Warm hands tugged her close and Tave hugged her to his chest. “I’m so sorry.”
    “What the hell was that?”
    He crooned, the small vibrations stroking her nerves and some of her tension bled away. “That was human paparazzi. Vados did see a human male yesterday though we did not realize he had taken pictures of us during our swim in the seas.”
    Rina groaned. “No.”
    “Yes. Several images of our passion were published this morning, and one of my nakedness appeared on some of the more unsavory sites.”
    Another groan and she buried her face against his chest. “Oh, God.”
    Tave stiffened. “Are you upset that our loving was exposed? That you are now seen as a scale lover ?” The last few words were said with a sneer and Rina tore herself from his embrace.
    “What the hell are you talking about?”
    He pressed his lips together and glared. “It is what is being said.”
    “So you believe stupid papers instead of me?” She pointed toward the water. “Do you think I could make love to you like that and be upset when others know of our relationship? I don’t care that you’re Ujal, Tave. I care that everyone has seen what belongs to me and has pictures of what was supposed to be a private moment between us!”
    Admittedly, if she had really wanted privacy to get down and dirty, they shouldn’t have gotten frisky in the ocean, but it still felt like an invasion.
    Tave breathed deeply and released the air slowly, repeating the process until his anger was bled away. “You are correct. I am sorry, my pyabi . I am just as furious as you.” He tugged her close once again, arms like steel bands around her. “You are mine, and no other should witness the way you respond to me.” He rasped the words and then his lips were on hers, tongue delving into her mouth in a kiss of possession, not passion. He was claiming her with his mouth and the hardness against her hip told her he’d like to claim her in other ways as well. “Mine.”
    She returned his passion, stroke for stroke, tasting and savoring his salty, musky flavors. Just like the previous day,