Page 4 of Tied In Tentacles
He’d looked up at Ged, took a step forward, then fell to his knees as waves of dizziness washed over him. “I don’t feel good.”
“How are you speaking our language?”
“He’s doing a good job, isn’t he? Are you a he? I can’t tell with those snakes on your head,” Elise asked.
“Like Medusa.” Eteriion hadn’t heard any more as he’d passed out.
Looking at Ged, he smiled. “Medusa.”
Ged chucked. “John impressed himself with that line. Of course, we then had to carry your heavy ass to one of the trucks so we could get you off that mountain.”
“I should make a note for the next time I crash on another world. Don’t be too heavy for the natives to carry.”
Ged snorted. “You’re getting better at that.”
“I have Garrison to thank.”
“Yeah. Hard to believe the little shit will be going to college next year.” Ged stood and put his cap back on his head. “We expect to see you for breakfast on Sunday. Usual time.”
Eteriion stood and watched Ged get into his truck, then slowly drive away. Closing the door, Eteriion’s tentacles moved around his body, hugging him. Sighing softly, he walked over to the fireplace and contemplated building one, but then backed away. In his bedroom he stood by the window, hoping for a glance of the human in the other cabin. The one that looked sad. Eteriion wanted to wipe the sad look off his face.
“I would if he saw me. I’d replace it with a look of fear and then listen to his screams as he ran away.”
But he wanted to risk it because he was lonely. He wanted more than what he had, but he knew he should be grateful for what he did have. When he’d crashed here, the people who foundhim could have turned him in to the authorities. Instead, they’d helped him recover, gave him a place to stay, and kept him safe. They were good humans, and Eteriion was grateful to know them. It wasn’t the same as having a mate. A man to call his own. Like the sad one in the cabin next to him.
Why he was focusing on him, Eteriion didn’t know. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen plenty of men. The cabins around his own had regular visitors staying for vacations and those visitors included men, but for some reason, the man who’d arrived earlier held his attention.
“Not that I can do anything about it. Imagine his reaction when he saw my eyes or my tentacles or the patterns along my spine. He’d run away, or as Garrison would say, he would freak the fuck out.” Eteriion chuckled softly, then stopped. Looking at his hands, he exhaled, then closed his eyes and leaned his head on the window.
Ignoring the cold, he stayed there for several minutes, thinking about his home before opening his eyes. He saw the man out the back of the cabin, a drink in his hand, staring out at the scenery. Eteriion had done the same thing multiple times over the years, especially in winter when snow lay thick on the ground. It was truly beautiful here, and so different from his own world.
His planet had two suns so was far hotter and had less vegetation. That was why he didn’t need to eat as much as humans but felt the cold more. He’d adapted to the weather. Maybe. He still wore the thickest sweaters, with a tank top and T-shirt underneath. Sometimes he wore two T-shirts and a tank. But sitting in front of a nice fire made the cold worth it. With a good book as well, and a hot chocolate. Eteriion and alcohol didn’t get along. He did have the occasional beer, but that was it. He couldn’t handle more than one a month. For some reason,his body couldn’t process it properly and he would be violently ill for days.
In time, he’d learned what he could tolerate where food and drink were concerned. He liked meat. Nice big fat juicy steaks were his favorite, but he liked chicken, too. And pork. Any meat, really. It didn’t have to be cooked, either, but he knew humans wouldn’t appreciate him sitting down to a plate of raw meat, so he had it rare instead.
He knew he was lucky. He’d crash landed on this planet and the humans who had found him kept him safe. They accepted him, became friends with him. He could have easily crashed in a place where the humans turned him over to the authorities and Eteriion would have spent the rest of his life being tested and dissected. Until he wasn’t useful anymore, then they would have killed him.
He was truly lucky to have good friends who accepted him, tentacles and all. Which meant he absolutely had to attend breakfast on Sunday and, as Elise was a superb cook, he didn’t have a problem with that. In the meantime, he could watch the sad, gorgeous man in the cabin.
Chapter Three
Feeling eyes on him, Justin glanced at a cabin nearby but saw nothing. He turned back to the view and sipped his drink, then went over to the hot tub, seeing it bubbling away. With a nod, he went back inside and stripped, then put his swimming shorts on, grabbed a glass, the bottle of champagne, and the chocolates, and went back outside. The cold air hit his skin, and he shivered, but it wasn’t cold enough to stop him from enjoying the tub.
Placing his items on a small table next to the tub, Justin carefully stepped in and sank into the warm water. With a soft sigh, he leaned back and reached over to pour himself a glass of champagne. Taking his first sip, he closed his eyes and let his mind go quiet. He wasn’t going to let the shadow of his relationship ruin his time here, but he did need to think about his future and where he wanted it to go.
A noise to his left had him opening his eyes and looking over. He watched a tall man walk out onto his deck and sit in a chair. Lowering his eyelids, Justin watched, unable to look away. The man seemed taller, probably as tall if not taller than him, with alarge hat on his head. A thick sweater covered his body, and tight jeans made the man’s thighs appear huge.
“Hmm.” Justin sipped his champagne. “Nice, and absolutely not what I’m looking for. Even for a night of fun.” After another sip, Justin sighed. “Who am I kidding? I would love a night of being fucked by a man like him, and we all know he isnota bottom.” Another sip and another sigh. “God, to be held down and pounded by a man like him.” Looking at his glass, he licked his lips. “And I never realized I missed being fucked.”
Putting his glass down, he closed his eyes and let the warm water relax his muscles. After the long drive, they were tight, so relaxing in the hot tub felt perfect. And the champagne and chocolates helped. He just had to forget why he had them, and looking at the hottie in the next cabin was a good distraction.
Sinking down in the water, Justin simply breathed and let the world disappear. He ignored the sounds around him and let the warm water work its magic until he almost slipped under the surface because he’d been dozing. Siting up, he had a piece of chocolate and sipped his drink and casually glanced over at the other cabin, seeing the man looking in his direction.
He lifted his hand and gave him a small wave, which was returned, and he had to smile at his own reaction. The way his stomach clenched, and his dick perked up. Maybe he should pop over at some point and introduce himself. A vacation fling might just help him move on from Simon. Not that he was sitting crying over the man. Not now, but he definitely needed something to wipe the last traces of Simon and his cheating away. Six months and Justin still felt his stomach roll when he thought about him.
“No more. It’s time to move on and let the gorgeous man over there give me the fucking I need. If he likes men, because I could be lusting after him and find out he’s straight.” The man glancedover at him and Justin ducked his head. “And now I’m hoping he has shit hearing.”
The man stood and walked back inside, and Justin couldn’t stop the sigh that slipped free as he watched the man’s long legs move. When he was out of sight, Justin picked up his glass and took a long sip. Putting the glass down, he closed his eyes and relaxed. Then shot up when he felt the water ripple around him.
