Page 39 of Where the Current Takes Him
“Come out of there. I think you’re blocking your senses.”
With a stream of unintelligible complaints, Beau pushed himself upright and took a deep breath. His warm eyes went round. “Wow, that… that’s amazing.” He leaned closed and inhaled.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yeah.” Another breath. “So much better.” Beau seemed to notice that the Alpha was not clothed. His eyes swept along Loriun’s body, trailing the vibrant scarlet patterns over teal scales, and lingering on vibrant fins.
Loriun smirked. The sight of his Omega so greedily taking in his scent and his body was doing something to him.
“To answer your previous question,” Loriun said, “I do not have to return to work. I am officially on newly-mated partial leave.”
“Partial?” Beau managed to return his gaze to Loriun’s.
“I will continue to work from home as needed.” Loriun shrugged. “But the plant runs itself well. I do not expect to be called on often.”
Beau slumped back against the headboard. “Thank god. I hope you pay your people well.”
“Of course. Quarterly profits are divided amongst all employees equally.”
Beau blinked. “Equally?”
Loriun stared back. “Each worker is crucial for the plant’s operation. Why would any one employee receive less than another?”
“What about you?”
“My salary is slightly higher than others, simply because I must travel between the mainland and the Islands for interspecies meetings often. Other specialists with particular skills may receive increased salaries as well. But the final profits are shared without bias.”
Beau’s lips parted. Loriun found himself staring down at his Omega’s perfect mouth, having fully forgotten what they were discussing.
“Humans don’t do that,” he said at last.
Loriun hummed absently. “Beau?”
“Yeah?”
“May I kiss you?”
A rosy flush bloomed along Beau’s cheeks. “Okay,” he whispered.
Loriun leaned down and pressed his lips to his mate’s, savoring the warmth, the softness, the all-encompassing scentof a tropical night. Before his dick could make an untoward decision, Loriun pulled back and smiled.
Beau seemed dazed.
“Why don’t we go on a date tomorrow?” Loriun suggested, reaching for Beau’s hand. “I can take you to the local farmers’ market so we can stock the house with things you like.”
“Farmers’ market…” Beau repeated. “Yeah… Yeah, sounds good.”
∞∞∞
Loriun had never been to a human farmers’ market, but based on Beau’s expression, they were evidently different from Mer markets. The market was split into two sections: the boardwalk just beyond the reach of the tide, and the shallows. In the submerged half, Mer merchants stood alongside rings of fencing, where local fish swam laps. One more permanent, concrete enclosure held farmed alligators. Several other vendors sat in deeper waters, weaving underwater baskets, cleaning seaweed, and gutting purchased fish.
On the boardwalk, a mix of humans and Mer tended to stalls of fresh produce, quick foods, baked goods, and handicrafts. Two worlds, side by side.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Beau said. His eyes flicked between the shallow water and the boardwalk.
“We are much more likely to find food you will enjoy on the human side,” Loriun pointed out, jerking his chin away from the waves.
“Yeah, but I still want to see the Mer side,” Beau argued. “And if we end up buying things first, we’d have to worry about keeping them dry.”
