Page 2 of Castaway Heat

Present Day

S hiloh dragged in a hot, wet breath, fanning his face with his sunhat as beads of sweat dripped everywhere.

Even under the shade on the cruise ship’s upper deck it was boiling.

He lifted a sticky leg off the towel covering his lounge chair and wished he was back home—which was not a statement he said often.

“For fuck’s sake… why did I allow you two to convince me to do this?

Remind me to never take a cruise near the equator in August again. ”

Sage wasn’t paying him any attention, his gaze fixed farther down the deck.

“For some reason, I expected it to be cooler here than in the Caribbean,” Eirin said as he laid on his belly in the next lounger to Shiloh’s left, also dripping with sweat and leisurely flipping through one of his favorite gossip magazines.

He lifted his gaze. “Oh, what if we took one to Alaska next summer?”

“That I could get on board with,” Shiloh replied. “Alaska sounds wonderful right now.”

Eirin smiled. “If we plan far enough ahead, Riley can come, too.”

Shiloh’s chest ached at the mention of Riley. His best friend had gotten the chance of a lifetime and been smart enough to grab hold—a summer internship in Paris. Shiloh bet it was a lot more comfortable there than on their cruise, that was for sure.

“No way are you taking me somewhere there’s snow in the middle of summer,” Sage snapped, feigning indignation. “We get enough snow in Willowhaven. I like it hot.” He slid his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, staring toward the pool. “Speaking of hot.”

Shiloh snagged his bottle of water as he cast a glance down the deck and noted several ripped alphas sitting poolside with their legs in the water.

It appeared they might have been abusing their unlimited drink passes, as many had been two days into their South Pacific cruise.

All four alphas were rowdy and splashing water—getting evil glares from a few older guests in their splash zone.

They were Sage-bait for sure. “You have the worst taste in men.”

“Says the omega who hasn’t had a date since February,” Sage purred. “Please tell me you’ve had a few booty calls in between.”

“At the very least,” Eirin added, never looking up from his magazine.

Shiloh didn’t answer… not quick enough, that is.

“You’ve been celibate since February?!” Sage asked, spinning to fully focus on Shiloh with wide-eyed attention.

“Being celibate is a choice,” Shiloh replied, avoiding an answer.

“A choice I didn’t make. I’ve simply been too busy.

” Truth be told, that date in February hadn’t ended in any intimate playtime, either.

It had been well over a year since the last time he’d scratched that itch with a partner and not his right hand.

Dating had never been his thing, and he sucked at it.

It was easier to avoid the stress and focus on his education.

“Classes have been over since mid-May,” Eirin said, rolling to his side the gawk at Shiloh. “You’ve been home for months. What, pray tell, has kept you so busy this summer that you couldn’t fit in a booty call here or there?”

“When classes are in session, I have options—but I’m also overloaded.

I’ve got a packed schedule plus research to do.

Once everyone clears out and goes home at the end of the semester, all I’m left with the same old, same old.

I was born in Willowhaven. I know all of the eligible alphas well enough to not be interested. ”

“I doubt you know them all well enough,” Sage challenged.

Of course he didn’t. There were clear class lines back home and Shiloh hadn’t been born into one of the wealthier families like Eirin and Sage.

That gap kept him from getting closer to the sons of the privileged, but from the peeks he’d had, he wasn’t missing out on much.

Most were elitist snobs and egomaniacs, so his opinion still stood.

There was no one in Willowhaven worthy of his time and attention.

Well, maybe there is one.

Shiloh ignored that little whisper and focused on fanning himself harder. He wasn’t worthy of Shiloh’s time and attention, either.

“Interested or not, use one for his big cock and then move on—until the right one finally appears,” Sage said.

Shiloh rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses.

“There’s plenty of strange here… and you’re never, ever going to see them again.

You can get your freak on without worry,” Sage said.

“Do some wild shit. Be the meat in an Aussie alpha sandwich. Hell, get railed by a female alpha if you want to be really adventurous. There’s plenty of them on this cruise for some reason, so you can have your pick. ”

“Why are there so many?” Eirin asked. “Are there more of them Down Under?”

Female alpha births were rare compared to their male counterparts, supposedly outnumbered like twenty to one. Having dozens of them on board had been rather shocking. As soon as they’d come aboard, they’d been swarmed by them.

“I saw a sign downstairs welcoming female alphas when we arrived,” Shiloh answered. “I think it’s some group thing.”

“Ah, well that explains it,” Sage said. He lifted his bare foot and pressed his pointed big toe against Shiloh’s thigh. “I’m making it my mission to ensure you get plowed by the biggest, burliest, sexiest alpha possible before we leave this ship.”

“Lucky me,” Shiloh muttered under his breath. Fortunately for Shiloh, Sage would get distracted—or take them all for himself instead, the greedy little whore.

A self-titled whore he adored.

Most of the time.

Eirin sat up and searched Shiloh’s face. “Do you not want to butter your bread?”

“An alpha sandwich. Buttering my bread. With all this food talk, I’m starting to get hungry,” Shiloh said, ignoring Eirin’s question.

With the intense heat he was absolutely not hungry, but he’d eat something to get out of that conversation if he had to.

“Maybe we should go inside, cool off, and grab some lunch.”

“Of course he wants to get nailed. It’s just been a while and he’s obviously out of practice,” Sage said, rising.

He searched Shiloh’s face. “Not that he’s practiced all that much, hmm?

” He placed his sunglasses back on and grinned.

“I’m going to go introduce myself to that pack of wild alphas right now. One of them might be a contender.”

“They aren’t,” Shiloh replied.

“I bet they’re Aussies. They look like Aussies,” Eirin said. He eyed Shiloh. “Maybe they’re not as bad as the alphas at home.”

“Either way, I can find my own companionship.” Shiloh turned his focus to Sage. “I don’t need any of your help, Sage.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Sage said before striding off toward the pool and leaving them alone.

“Do not!” Shiloh yelled toward Sage’s departing back.

As he watched Sage easily sidle between two big alphas and plant himself poolside, Shiloh wished it was that easy for him to talk to strangers.

He was jealous of that level of confidence, but then, that was Sage.

Perhaps that trait came along with being born rich.

A side effect of his privilege. He’d grown up thinking the world was his for the taking, so he simply reached out and took.

Shiloh felt Eirin’s stare fall on him. He did his best to ignore it and the questions it implied, but Eirin wouldn’t be denied.

“Why do you always do that?” Eirin finally asked.

“Do what?” Shiloh asked.

“Refuse our help.”

Shiloh frowned. “Help? I wouldn’t call that help. I don’t want Sage to play matchmaker. He should focus on finding someone who isn’t atrocious for himself instead of humiliating me.”

“For years we’ve offered to tweak your look, take you to our salon, get you some new clothes, glam you up a little… but you always refuse us. We’re doing that to help you land a better alpha, you know?”

“One, I’m not a renovation project nor a charity case. You don’t have to spend your money on me. Two, I’m focused on my education right now, not landing an alpha, better or otherwise. Three…” He winced. “I didn’t realize that I was so hideous that I needed a glam squad’s help.”

Eirin sighed, shaking his head. “We know you’re none of those things.

We love you and simply want the best for you.

That’s all . I know you’re not focused on a relationship but having a financially secure alpha in your life couldn’t hurt, especially when you seem bound and determined to spend the rest of your young life working on that doctorate instead of finding a mate.

Research assistants get paid little to nothing, right? ”

“There are grants and such. I won’t suffer,” Shiloh muttered. “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth like you guys. I’m used to living within my means. I’ll be fine.”

“Fine isn’t living, Shy. It’s existing. Why struggle when you don’t necessarily have to?”

“So, I should go shopping for a rich alpha to foot my bill? That’s not who I am. Never has been.”

Eirin tilted his head, clearly frustrated. “Shopping for one, nom but can’t you simply be open to the prospect of meeting Mr. Right and see what fate might bring your way? You’re so closed off. I worry about you, babe.”

Sage and Eirin had grown up far different than he did.

In their world, alphas were the breadwinners and omegas got to lounge around the mansion, eat bonbons, and pop out babies—so that was their expectation for their futures.

Shiloh was a realist. He wouldn’t have some fairy tale prince sweep in and save him from the struggle ahead.

Both his parents had worked themselves to the brink of exhaustion, even more so after their divorce.

That was his future.