Tropical Temptation Read online

  He stood for a moment and enjoyed the breeze cooling his overheated skin. Hands on his hips, he tilted his face upward and watched the sunrise gradually change the sky into beautiful colors.

  He’d been up early… again. Even as a child, Saric had never been able to sleep in, and was always up before other members of his house. It was very different than his mate, Duran, who slept so hard that even an alarm had a difficult time waking him.

  Deciding to get cleaned up before his mate woke, Saric ascended the ladder towards their cabin. He stopped outside to take off his sandy shoes, then opened the door and went inside to gather his shower caddy. He didn’t bother with being quiet—there was no way he’d wake Duran. A small smile curved his lips at seeing his mate sprawled atop their large mattress, his feet hanging over the end. The man had an ability to sleep that had always made Saric envious.

  Remaining barefoot, Saric grabbed a towel and left the house to go shower. He didn’t stop to think about the fact that he never used the bathhouse closest to his, and Duran’s home. Instead, he’d always used another: the one Adrianna used. He’d done this ever since he’d arrived, and old habits died hard.

  He entered the small building and heard the sound of running water. He set his toiletries inside one of the showers, and glanced at the closed curtain. Hanging outside on the hook was a pink robe—a familiar pink robe.

  The familiar rush of excitement and arousal hit him when he thought about Adrianna, but now the feelings were followed by guilt and sadness. Those two emotions were new: ever since she’d bared her soul to him. Saric sighed deeply. He’d hurt Adrianna that night, and it’d left a hole in his chest that hadn’t healed.

  He hadn’t wanted to hurt her—the exact opposite actually—but he’d been forced to tell her that she couldn’t entertain ideas of becoming his and Duran’s mate. She couldn’t pine after something that could never happen.

  Five years ago when they’d mated, he and Duran had agreed not to bring a female into their relationship. It wasn’t that either of them didn’t like females—quite the contrary—but Duran had been adamant that he didn’t want children.

  He had good reasons: as a young child, Duran had suffered from a debilitating hereditary disease, which had left long-lasting emotional wounds. The most vehement, was that he didn’t want children. He didn’t want to risk his child inheriting the same disease, and going through the trauma he’d been forced to endure.

  Saric understood his reasons, and at the time of their mating, he’d been happy to agree to Duran’s demands. He’d been too young to think about starting a family anyway, and with the entire Arathian race being infertile, it was a moot point. But since arriving on Aeonas and developing feelings for Adrianna, Saric was now second-guessing their agreement.

  Even if he removed children from the equation, the fact of the matter was that he’d fallen hard for the petite Earther.

  Saric wasn’t sure when it’d begun: maybe from the first moment he’d seen her onboard that smoke-filled aircraft, her broken nose making her entire face bloody… the fear in her eyes. Saric’s instincts had screamed at him to help her—to protect her.

  He knew that somewhere inside of Duran was the same instinct. Saric only had to think back a few years prior to when Saric himself had been in an accident onboard the Adastra that had caused a terrible burn, and the amazing care his mate had shown him. Duran, who was usually so calm and calculated (some would say cold and distant), had been a living wreck. Lying on the bed in the Medical Center, it’d been the first time he’d seen Duran cry.

  As much as Saric loved his mate, he couldn’t ignore the fact that he had strong feelings for Adrianna. The past three months had been extremely difficult for him. Not seeing Adi, talking to her, hearing her laughter… he stared at the closed curtain, unable to look away. Knowing that she was on the other side was a new kind of torture.

  She’d been avoiding him—not that he blamed her. He’d seen the love, then pain, in her eyes that night. If he’d been on the receiving end, he wouldn’t want to talk to him either.

  Just then, the water in her shower turned off, and her small hand snaked around the curtain to grab the towel. She brought it inside the shower to dry herself, and Saric knew that he needed to do something.

  He wanted to talk to her, but didn’t want to ambush her and scare her half to death. He tiptoed to the bathhouse’s entry, then walked in, purposefully making his footfalls loud so that she would hear them. He even cleared his throat a couple of times to make sure she knew she wasn’t alone.

  He made a show of hanging up his towel, just as she opened the curtain. He turned to look at her (he couldn’t help himself) and his mouth went dry.

  Adrianna stood holding a towel closed at her chest, her wet hair dripping from the ends and sending rivulets of water over her dark skin. He pointedly ignored their trek, but there was no ignoring the swells of her breasts, pressed together as she held the towel clenched in front of herself. He cleared his throat, and focused on her face. Her eyes were wide in surprise at suddenly seeing him.

  “Good morning,” he greeted pleasantly.

  “Morning,” she replied, averting her eyes and reaching for her robe.

  “Let me help you with that,” he offered, stepping forward to take the material from her hands. He held it open for her, and she threaded her arms into the sleeves before pulling it tight around her body and sashing it. He tried (and failed) to not be disappointed by her covering all of that tempting skin.

  “Thank you,” she told him softly.

  He knew that he only had a moment with her before she bolted, so he quickly asked, “How are you? I haven’t seen you much lately.”

  “I’m fine. I’ve been busy preparing to leave.”

  A pang hit his chest at the thought of her leaving Aeonas. He cleared his throat in an attempt to center himself. It didn’t work. He’d heard from Lauren (via Bilal) that Adi was moving. He hadn’t believed Bilal… or he’d been hoping that the other male was wrong. Either way, hearing her say the words was like a physical blow.

  “You’re moving to Arath?” he clarified.

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you were going to stay here.” Even as he words left his mouth, Saric knew they sounded pitiful and whiny. As far as reasoning went, he knew it was lame. But he needed to know.

  Her eyes remained averted. “I was… Before.”

  He knew why: she was leaving because of what he’d said. The thought made the ache in his chest worse.

  “But you love it here,” he argued past the lump in his throat.

  She didn’t reply. Instead she reached into the shower for her caddy of toiletries, and he knew she was going to bolt.

  “Are you excited to be going?” he asked, just for something to talk about. He really didn’t want to hear about her leaving, but he wanted her to keep talking to him. This was the most they’d said to each other in months. Her eyes remained on her toiletries.

  “Yes, I’m excited,” she replied, without any excitement to her voice. He chalked it up to her aversion to being around him. He forced a smile.

  “Good. Arath is a great place; you’ll love it.” She didn’t respond, which made him ramble. “The food is especially good. There are far more options than here.”

  Still, she remained silent, and he continued.

  “There are cities with towering buildings, transports flying overhead, and crowds of people going to and fro.”

  She looked up at him for a fleeting moment, and he saw a light in her eyes.

  “If you’re trying to convince me I’ll like it there, you’re doing a horrible job,” she declared.

  He chuckled, knowing that she was right. He knew that she didn’t like the bustle of cities. Growing up where she did in rural Brazil, she didn’t frequent them like he had when he’d been younger. He tried a different approach.

  “There’s also wide open countryside, where you can spread out and not see anyone for miles around. You could spend
months out there with just you and nature.”

  The corner of her mouth quirked. “That sounds a little better,” she admitted, finally looking him in the eye. He felt lighter, and smiled.

  “You don’t want to rub noses with high society?” he teased. “I’m sure you and the other Earthers are going to be in high demand once you get there.”

  The thought had him nearly clenching his fists. She was beautiful, sweet, good-natured, and loving. Some lucky males would snag her attention right away. The thought nearly made him sick. Thankfully, he hid his thoughts from her, and it was by sheer will alone that his smile didn’t falter. Inside he was like a coiled spring, ready to lash out at the imaginary males in his mind.

  How dare they pursue her!

  She shook her head in denial, causing water to drip onto the floor around her.

  “I won’t have time for all of that. I’ll be acclimating to a new planet, and I’m sure it’s going to be much more of a challenge than when we came here.”

  “You’re probably right,” he agreed. “But you won’t be alone; you’ll have a host family who will help you make the transition. Have they already assigned you one?”

  She shrugged her shoulders.

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  His brows knit together in concern. Over a month ago, Rex and Maggie had personally matched host families with colonists who were relocating, to make sure they were a good match. Her hosts should have contacted her weeks ago. What was wrong?

  They’re not good enough for her, his mind chimed. If they’d neglected their responsibilities and not contacted her yet, he was going to have a thing or two to say to the Immigration Administration. His hands itched to get ahold of the long-range comm beacon so that he could make a few calls.

  “They should have contacted you by now,” he told Adrianna. She shrugged her shoulders again.

  “They may have. I haven’t checked my messages in a while.”

  Saric took a deep breath to calm himself. Maybe the host family weren’t lazy shits. Maybe they’d reached out to her, and she’d been the one not to respond. Why would she do that? It wasn’t like her to be despondent and procrastinate.

  “You should check your messages. There could be something important,” he urged.

  “Alright,” she agreed without much enthusiasm.

  They spent a long moment surrounded by awkward silence. Saric knew that there was plenty to say, but he didn’t want to risk reopening a wound. Regrettably, they said their goodbyes. He wished her a good day, and Adi left the bathhouse. Saric exhaled audibly, and climbed into the shower.

  *****

  Saric walked into his cabin and was met with the smell of cooking food. Duran stood in front of their small cook-top, stirring a pot, wearing nothing but low-fitting shorts. Saric didn’t care what his mate was making for their breakfast; he couldn’t cook worth a damn, so he ate whatever Duran made, no questions asked.

  “Good morning,” he called out as he came inside and set down his things.

  “Morning,” Duran answered.

  Saric couldn’t help but come over and wrap his arms around Duran from behind. His head only came to the other male’s shoulder blades, but Saric didn’t care. He breathed in the smell of his mate, and his dick took notice. He splayed his hands over the gentle ridges of muscle on Duran’s chest and stomach, and spent a moment just enjoying the quiet intimacy.

  “You have a good run?” Duran asked.

  “Sure did. It felt good to be back on the beach.”

  “Water receded far enough?”

  “Mmm hmm,” Saric answered. He kissed his way across Duran’s back and stood on his tiptoes to kiss his neck, his grip on his mate tightening.

  “I even had time for a shower,” he added.

  “A shower? You really did get up early,” Duran commented, before he turned off the burner, then rotated in the circle of Saric’s arms.

  “Nope, I wasn’t up until just now,” Saric replied with a grin, arching his hips into his mate to make him aware of his bulge. The corner of Duran’s mouth quirked up.

  “Has that line ever worked?”

  Saric kissed his way up Duran’s neck to his ear. “Works plenty well with you.”

  Duran let out a single burst of air (his version of a chuckle), then sucked in his breath when Saric took his earlobe between his teeth and bit.

  “Doesn’t count. I’m pretty much a sure thing,” Duran rasped in reply.

  “Oh really?” Saric slid his hand down Duran’s torso until he was cupping the other male’s impressive package. Duran groaned.

  “So I can tell you all kinds of cheesy lines, and this will still be mine?” Saric accentuated his point by running the heel of his palm along Duran’s length.

  “Yes.”

  “Even if I said that you look good enough to eat? Or… ‘Nice shorts. Can I talk you out of them?’” He snapped Duran’s elastic waistband for good measure.

  “You’ve been hanging around Earthers too long,” Duran accused. Saric smiled against the skin of his jaw.

  “They do know how to turn a phrase.”

  Duran’s reply was a noncommittal noise, since Saric’s hand had already dived inside his shorts and was wrapped around his length. He gripped his mate’s shaft strongly, knowing exactly how much pressure the other male liked. Duran’s shaft was already slick with his arousal, making Saric’s mouth water for the taste.

  “Come here,” he told Duran, pulling him by a hand on his neck, and one still gripping his dick. Duran followed him to the corner of the cabin which held their bed. It was much larger than others found throughout the colony; it had to be to accommodate Duran’s 7’2” height. Even for an Arathian he was tall, and Saric loved every inch.

  He only let him go for a moment, while he whisked Duran’s shorts from his hips.

  “In a hurry?” Duran teased.

  “Yes. It’s been forever since I had you.”

  Saric yanked off his own clothes and tossed them aside. Duran rolled his eyes.

  “You had your dick in me just last night.”

  “Exactly—a whole nine hours ago,” Saric answered, climbing onto the bed and pushing Duran towards the middle with the planes of his chest. Duran may be taller than him, but they were roughly the same weight. Duran was tall and lean, whereas Saric was more traditionally built. At 6’5”, he had more muscle than his mate.

  “You make it sound like eternity,” Duran argued, but obligingly bared his neck to Saric’s mouth.

  Saric shrugged, completely unapologetic. He saw nothing wrong with the fact that he had an insatiable need for his mate. He could bend Duran over every morning, noon, and night, and he’d still want the male. Although, he knew that this morning was different. He wouldn’t be so turned on if he hadn’t seen Adrianna naked, but for thin fabric. Her tan breasts had been pressed together under the towel—the twin mounds just begging for their touch… at least that’s how he saw it.

  His aching cock pulsed with the memory, so he blanketed his mate, and rubbed it against the male’s lower stomach.

  “You want me on top?” Duran asked. Saric shook his head.

  “Right now I need to thrust into you.”

  Duran moaned and parted his legs in invitation. Saric liked to bottom sometimes, but right now he had an overwhelming need to dominate his mate.

  Saric licked his fingers and brought them to Duran’s ass. He was gentle, making sure that the other male wasn’t sore from the previous night. He must not have been, because only a moment later, Duran was undulating his hips down onto his fingers and moaning for more.

  Saric wasn’t in the mood to take things slow. He braced his hands on Duran’s thighs to roll his hips up, aligned his naturally-lubed cock with his entrance, and added pressure. Duran’s hole opened perfectly for him, practically pulling him into his depths. They both groaned when Saric’s thighs met Duran’s ass.

  In that position, Saric set the pace. He began a demanding rhythm, pistoning his cock
in and out without mercy. Duran reached for his own turgid length, and stroked himself to the rhythm of Saric’s thrusts.

  When Duran’s eyes became unfocused and his muscles tightened, Saric changed the angle to hit his prostate. Duran called out, and Saric silenced him with a kiss. Soon they were both coming: him filling Duran’s ass, while his mate shot ropes onto his own chest and stomach.

  Saric collapsed onto his mate, not caring one bit that he might be dirty again so soon after a shower. He pulled out slowly, but didn’t move off of Duran. His arms wrapped around him, cradling him to his chest while their breaths and heart rates slowed to a manageable level.

  Outside their cabin they began to hear others walking past, beginning their day, but they stayed still for a moment.

  “What got you so worked up this morning?” Duran asked, running his hand through Saric’s hair in a rare show of tenderness.

  “Do I need a reason to want my mate?” Saric replied, giving Duran’s chest a kiss.

  “No, but this morning was different; a different kind of intensity. I’m just wondering why.”

  Saric raised his head and propped it up with his palm, bent elbow resting on Duran’s chest.

  “You honestly want to know?” he asked. Duran stilled.

  “I do.”

  Saric took a deep breath, not knowing how his mate would react to what he was about to tell him.

  CHAPTER 3

  “I saw Adrianna this morning,” Saric informed his mate. Duran’s expression didn’t change, but he shifted out from under Saric and reached to pull on his shorts.

  “Where?” Duran asked from over his shoulder. Saric watched him carefully for signs of his reaction.

  “In the bathhouse, when I went to shower after my run.” He didn’t mention that he’d waited around, just for the chance to see and talk to her. Duran stood completely still for a moment before he sighed, muttered a curse, then slowly turned with his hands on his hips.