Heart thundering, I barely took in our tropical surroundings of black sand, volcanic cliffs, and waves crashing on the shore behind me. Blood flowed like warm honey in my veins after our kiss, heating my flesh and creating a restlessness that the light breeze did nothing to calm or cool. My entire focus was on the sea god in front of me, the connection of our fingers twining together, sparking up from the point of contact. Those deep ocean blue eyes held my gaze as his hand rose to brush my hair back from my cheek.

"I've yearned to have you in my arms again, to have you look upon me with warmth, with caring." His deep baritone shivered over my skin, and he swallowed, the motion rippling his strong throat. "Shells, Mist... I... I was half a soul without you. There is no one else for me. It's you... from the moment I met you with Loki all those months ago... the only one I've wanted is you."

Emotion formed a lump in my throat and I blinked away the tears clouding my vision. I'd never forgotten my first impression of Manannan, rising out of the sea with his flowing blue locks caressing an impressive physique. With lethal power evident in his thickly muscled build not hidden by the tight silver skinsuit or interlocking silver and blue scale armour, it was easy to see why Midgardians had carved statues to Poseidon, worshiping Manannan's most famous identity. Yggdrasil's roots, I'd barely restrained myself from reaching out to touch him, to desire almost overwhelming to feel the chiseled swell of muscle across his chest and shoulders or bite those full lips turned up in sensual twist.

And the heated look in his eyes as he'd admired my form.

Yeah, he'd made every feminine inch of me sit up and take notice, despite the seriousness of the quest Loki and I had been on to recover Loki's soulmate and my friend. No question that he'd made an impression that wasn't as innocent as the admiration I'd had for him as a young girl. I'd be a liar if I'd not admitted I'd wanted him then, too.

But the timing hadn't been right. Not with Shannon missing.

Nor later, when he joined us on Alfheim to search for her, to guide us to the Atlanteans and their queen. I scowled. Their queen that he'd then spent the night with before she released us to continue our quest.

Manannan's eyes searched my face, head tilting slighting before a small smile appeared. "I didn't have sex with the Atlantean Queen when I guided you and Loki there. I've not had sex with anyone other than you since we met, Mist."

How did he know what I was thinking? With a snort, I pulled my hand from his and stepped back. "Do you take me for a fool? Loki and I both saw the evidence on your neck the next morning."

Manannan's smile widened and inclined his head. "Indeed. And Queen Eithnu did attempt to be most persuasive. We'd been occasional lovers for a long time. I don't deny it when Elatha and Eriu are most likely my children... although I can't be positive on their parentage." He moved closer, cupping my cheeks and holding my gaze. "But she also respected my decision when I told her my heart lay elsewhere."

My heart leapt. Did I dare trust his words? He'd already proven to be better than my father, as hard as it was for me to wrap my mind around. And I'd already cost us by assuming he'd cheated. If Pazuzu hadn't been able to read his mind, would I have believed Manannan's innocence? A sinking in my gut was my answer and I dropped my eyes. Yeah, I had my own guilt. Especially when I... oh fuck. Heat grew on my cheeks and I shifted foot to foot. Fuck. I was the one who'd happily jumped on Pazuzu's cocks in front of Manannan.

Norns. Why would he even want to be with me now?

"Mist, I don't blame you for thinking what you did. I let you and Loki think that at the time."

"I... I had sex with others, though... more... more recently," I managed, forcing the words of my guilt out.

A rumbled chuckle dragged my gaze up from his chest, back to his face. Amusement quirked his smile off centre and a dark heat blazed from those navy orbs.

"Yes, you did," he murmured, then wrapping an arm around my waist as fingers threaded through my hair at my nape, he slowly drew me tight against his body. "And as much as I was positively an octopus in a mussel bed churning with greedy jealousy, it had me harder than my trident every time I watched Pazuzu bring you to orgasm, every time I heard your cries of pleasure."

An unmistakable ridge pressed against my stomach as his hips finally met my body, drawing my gasp. Heat curled in my abdomen.

"I have never, not in all my years since the time I was a randy youth, stroked my cock with such frantic desperation so frequently. You, my sensual little Valkyrie, have turned me into a voyeur of the worst kind, jerking my cock behind every doorway, bush, and column whenever you played with Pazuzu or Anna or both," he growled, lifting one of my thighs to around his hips and grind against my sex as his words seared through me like an erotic blade. "But my eyes were only ever on you."

Knowing how he'd reacted, that he'd been unable to resist masturbating, fantasizing about what he'd seen when I'd been with Pazuzu... By Yggdrasil's might trunk, I could scarcely draw breath with the tension, the need coiling within me. I loved that I'd driven him to such extremes. "Then perhaps we should rectify this voyeuristic tendency of yours," I purred. Reaching upward, I buried my fingers into his multihued hair and wrapped both my legs around his waist.

"What do you suggest?" His lips hovered close enough for his breath to waft over me, teasing me with the full biteable curves.

"Some up close and personal treatment." I nipped his lower lip, then leaned back again as a moan tried to erupt from me with every flex of his hips between my thighs. "Starting with removing the remains of Lamashtu's demons." As much as I wanted to rip both of our clothes and armour off, the ripe stench was getting stronger and harder to ignore. A girl had to have some standards, after all.

Manannan blinked. Then his head tilted back with a booming laugh. His teeth gleamed in the warm sunlight, contrasting with his rich ebony skin. By the Nine, he was gorgeous. And mine.

"As my lady commands," he said with a wink that was all the warning I got before a swirl of salty water wrapped around us, gliding over the dragonscale armour, burrowing under to stroke my skin in a sensuous caress. With a relentless stream, the water lifted me first from his arms, then drew the weapons and armour from both of us. Like he'd suddenly grown tentacles, the water split into numerous branches and aided him in removing our clothes.

And everywhere the warm liquid stroked, it left heat behind.

Naked with his blatant desire rising proudly, Manannan lifted me in his arms and strode over to the nearby cliff wall, pressing me against the sun-warmed rock.

"Watching you with Pazuzu gave me a few ideas that I'd never considered before," he rumbled as he pinned my hands above me and scraped his teeth over my neck.

"What... what ideas?" A whimper escaped before I could hold it back as fingers pinched and tugged on my nipples.

"I noticed that you get off on a little pain with your pleasure." He bit at my neck as his fingers pinched hard and ground his cock against my sex in a way that had me shuddering. "That you like to be dominated if the male is worthy of your trust." A flood of moisture answered his words and as his hand traveled down to glide over my clit, he growled. "I might not have two cocks, or a tail, but I can improvise to ensure your pleasure."

Before I could ask what he meant, the water tentacles returned.