Page 28 of Tied In Tentacles
“He won’t be staying.” And it hurt to say those words, but it was the truth.
“Then you’re not doing it right, son. Try harder.” Ged coughed, shook his head and walked away, mumbled, “I had to say harder, didn’t I?” Before he shut the door, he looked back at them. “Merry Christmas.” The door shut and Eteriion looked at Justin, who walked over to the window, and knew what he was seeing.
“They’ve cleared the roads.”
Justin nodded. “I can go home now.”
“Has your time here come to an end?”
“I have another two days before I need to pack and leave.” Justin turned away from the window and pushed his hands into his jean pockets. “I only booked two weeks. We had a couple of days before the snow came. You slept through three of those days and then I’ve spent the rest with you. I can have breakfast with everyone tomorrow, but the day after, I have to leave.”
Eteriion nodded, pursing his lips. “Do you want to shower and then go into the town? I can show you around and we can have a decent coffee.”
“Now you’re talking.” Justin smiled, but it didn’t stay long. “Shower with me?”
“Of course.” He wanted to spend every minute he could with Justin before he left. Also, a naked Justin? Why would he say no to that? Soon he would be gone and Eteriion would be alone, so he needed to spend every second he could with this man. Justin took his hand and walked into the bedroom, then the bathroom. “Let me check the water.” Eteriion turned it on and waited for it to heat up. When it did, he smiled. “Everything is up and running.”
“A hot shower with a gorgeous alien is on!” Justin grinned and stripped naked, then stepped under the spray. Eteriion stood watching, transfixed, until Justin held a hand out to him. He was naked within seconds and holding Justin. Justin sighed and rested his head on Eteriion’s shoulder. “This is nice. I don’t want to leave.”
“But you can’t stay. You have a life away from here.”
A soft sigh reached Eteriion’s ears. “I know. There’s so much I want to do with you, but we don’t have the time.”
Eteriion tilted Justin’s face up and kissed him. “I want to show you where I live. The place I call home.”
Returning his kiss, Justin nodded. “Let’s shower, then go into town. I hear there’s a place that does a great breakfast.”
“Elise’s place.” Eteriion eased back and picked up the body wash and poured some on his hands. Lathering it up, he washed Justin’s hair and body. “I don’t have shampoo.”
“Yeah, you’d need hair for that. I should have brought my own, but I wasn’t thinking then.”
“You were still fixated on my tentacles.”
“They kind of attract attention.” Justin stood under the spray as Eteriion washed his own body. “How do you keep them clean?”
“Body wash helps. I make sure to clean around the base of each one, then along their lengths.” Eteriion showed Justin, who then washed one for him. “Faster with both of us.”
“I can see why.” Justin helped him wash his tentacles and he couldn’t help but wish he had this more often, but Justin was leaving, and he was going to enjoy the time they had left together. Once his tentacles were clean, he switched the water off and dried, then watched Justin dress. He wanted him again, and he had the day to explore that want.
The following day, Eteriion pulled his hat on and carefully covered his tentacles then turned to Justin, asking, “Ready?”
Justin nodded, and it wasn’t long before they both left Eteriion’s cabin. They went to his truck and Justin got in. “I guess you need a vehicle like this when you live here.”
“You do, and we need to make sure your car will work.”
“It’ll be fine, but if it isn’t, there is a garage here.” Eteriion pulled away and made the drive down to the town. “The people who know about you will be okay with me?”
“They will, and Ged will have told them all by now.” Gripping the steering wheel in his hands, Eteriion guided the truck down the road, noticing where repairs were needed. His tentacles itched under his hat, but it was needed so he had some freedom of movement. Justin reached over and adjusted it, and he smiled in thanks. “I like this.”
“Me too.” His stomach rumbled, and he chuckled softly. “I’m hungrier than I realized.”
“Once we’ve parked, we’ll go to Elise’s and get some breakfast. Be prepared for looks and questions.”
“That’s human nature to be inquisitive.”
“Or nosy.” Eteriion grunted. “I have learned that humans have this need to know about everything, even if it doesn’t concern them.”
Laughing, Justin nodded, the hand he had on Eteriion’s thigh squeezing it. “That’s very true. Some humans can be incredibly nosy to the point of being rude.” Eteriion found a place to park and then went straight to the diner and walked inside. Justin stopped and inhaled, then smiled. “Food.”
