Page 8 of Not So Stranded (Delaney’s Sea Monsters #3)

Lounging on the deck by himself in the wee hours of the morning, Kit was conflicted.

They were probably safe from the men who’d found his boat—he hesitated to call them anything nefarious now—and it wasn’t like they were fleeing for their lives.

Theoretically, they could probably go back to that little island and be just fine.

He could do a better job of securing his boat, return to his work, and Hiaka and Zenori could do their family-making thing in the lagoon.

He needed to know where Cecaelia Bay was.

He’d tried to look it up, but it wasn’t listed anywhere.

There were hundreds of unnamed and uninhabited islands all over the Pacific, so it could be one of those and the name was specific to Hiaka’s family.

Kit was curious to know who owned it, though.

Even the famous “disappearing island” was part of Hawai’i.

But if he did go to Cecaelia Bay with them, what was he supposed to study there? Did they even have turtles nesting? He couldn’t just abandon his grant to update data gaps related to nesting sites—that would tank his reputation and his career, not to mention he’d have to give back the grant money.

So what were they even doing?

A strange thwick thwick thwick noise had Kit sitting up on his elbows just before Hiaka’s head appeared over the rail. Kit chuckled to know that was the sound of a cecaelia tentacle-walking up the side of a boat. Hiaka smiled and came over to drape themselves on top of Kit.

“I’m glad to see I don’t have to waste time undressing you.” Hiaka leaned down and kissed Kit while their tentacles slithered all over him. “Or worry about wet clothes.”

Kit bit his bottom lip in appreciation of the erotic attention. “Technically, I’m air drying after a bath.”

“You do smell nice,” they mumbled from where they were nibbling his neck.

“Where’s Zenori?” he asked as he caressed down Hiaka’s back.

“They’re coming.”

“Before or after we do?”

Hiaka chuckled, and then all of a sudden, Kit found his cock sucked inside something slick and tight—Hiaka’s cock. It pulsed on him like a sucking mouth, and Kit arched up into it and moaned.

Panting, Kit tried to keep his eyes open as Hiaka watched him, a grin on their face.

The eye contact was doing devastating things to Kit.

He’d never had someone stare at him like that.

It was clear from the way Hiaka bit their bottom lip and made their own pleasure-filled noises that they were enjoying what they did to him.

But it was also clear that they were getting off on watching what their body was doing to him.

“I’m c-coming,” Kit managed, his fingers gripping Hiaka’s back.

Hiaka nodded. “Do it.”

Oh, Kit did. He came with a yell, body strung tight, and Hiaka’s cock pulling it out of him. But then Hiaka made a quick move and their cock disappeared from Kit’s only to spray cum all over his thigh. It was a hell of a load since it was both of theirs together.

“That is why,” Zenori said from somewhere near Kit’s feet, “one should always practice sex in the water.”

“Less cleanup,” Kit said and chuckled weakly.

Hiaka groaned. “I could throw you both overboard, if that would help.”

“The deck, though.”

“Oh, right. We’ll have to sink the boat.”

“After everything we went through to get it back?” Kit said with mock outrage. “How dare you even suggest that.”

Hiaka rolled their bright blue eyes and tumbled to the side, off of Kit.

Sitting up, Kit found Zenori handing him the towel he’d used to somewhat dry off with earlier. He accepted it and made use of it to clean up, figuring he probably would end up in the water at some point during the day. Kit looked back at Zenori. “Anything I can do for you?”

“Hiaka has already seen to my desires.”

Kit grinned at Hiaka, who definitely blushed as they chuckled. “What can I say?” Hiaka said. “I woke up with urges.”

“And I am very glad I was here to help.”

“As am I.”

Tossing the towel away, Kit sat cross-legged on the deck and took a deep breath. As good as that had been, they had things to decide and they needed to get on it. “We need to talk about where we’re going.”

“Southeast,” Hiaka said, pointing.

“Right, yeah, but where exactly is Cecaelia Bay? I couldn’t find it. And also, while I would love to go there with you, I could lose my grant if I just up and left for…a vacation?”

Hiaka nodded. “I don’t know how you get an island onto a map, but it’s definitely about a half-day’s swim from Kaua’i.”

“Oh,” Kit said, relieved. “I was worried we wouldn’t be able to get there with the fuel we have.”

“Are we running low?”

“No, not for that distance.”

“What about your grant, then?” Hiaka asked, squinting at him. “Are you only allowed to study turtles where we were?”

“I’m following up on reports that people have submitted when they’ve seen turtles on land. We didn’t know there were any nesting sites on Ikaika, but now we do.”

“Well, then, I’m guessing if you don’t know where Cecaelia Bay is, then you don’t know there are turtles nesting there.”

Kit blinked at him, surprised. “Pardon?”

Hiaka grinned. “There’s a beach on one side of the island that gets a lot of turtles laying eggs.

The other side has sort of a cliff that gets tons of birds who breed in all the nooks and crannies, too.

Eric was going to look at getting the island named as some kind of sanctuary to help keep people away, but him living there was an issue.

” They shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t remember why. ”

“Because it can’t be both a sanctuary and a residence?”

“I don’t know the particulars.”

“I don’t really know anything about getting a place designated as a sanctuary, but I do know that no one is aware of a turtle nesting site on Cecaelia Bay.

That’s a name I’d remember.” Kit’s thoughts started spinning.

“The scope of my grant is to explore the Hawaiian Islands for new sea turtle nesting sites.” He chuckled, smiling.

“I can absolutely change location without nullifying my grant.”

Hiaka was smiling, too. “I can’t imagine Eric would have a problem with you studying the turtles on the island.”

“Eric who?” Kit asked, realizing he’d never asked.

“Eric Baird.”

“Eric Baird? The billionaire?”

“Is he?”

“Uh, yes,” he said on a laugh. “Politics and commercial real estate, I think. Skyscrapers and stuff like that. He disappeared after a scandal that…” Kit trailed off, not sure if he should share the man’s business like that. “Um, never mind.”

But Hiaka waved that away. “Oh, we know about it. I mean, not every gory detail, but we asked why he was out there on an island all alone. He told us about getting set up to be outed and the backlash from his family of asshats when it happened.”

“Asshats?” Zenori asked with a frown.

“They’re not nice people,” Hiaka explained. “Or they weren’t. Most of them aren’t in politics anymore because of their own scandals, and his father died last year.”

“Ah. I could not imagine how a human might cause a hat to remain on their ass. Even as round as Kit’s ass is—”

Kit started laughing, his mind involuntarily conjuring an image of a person trying to keep their ass hat on.

“So literal,” Hiaka said before leaning over and kissing Zenori.

“Can we contact Eric?” Kit asked. “Let him know we’re coming?”

Hiaka cringed a little. “Yeah, I guess we should. Normally, I’d just show up, but a boat suddenly appearing would have everyone on red alert.”

“I have a satellite phone.” Kit made to stand, and Zenori unwrapped his leg. He dropped a kiss on Zenori’s forehead before heading into the cabin area to grab the phone. “What’s Eric’s number?”

Hiaka rattled off a number, and Kit punched it in. When it started ringing, Kit tried to hand the phone over to Hiaka, but they wouldn’t take it. Waving their hands, eyes wide, they even backed up like the phone was dangerous.

“Hello?” a voice said over the line. “Hello?”

“Take it,” Kit whispered harshly, having no clue why talking to the one person Eric knew would be a bad thing.

Hiaka groaned and took the phone. “Hey, Eric. It’s Hiaka.”

“Hey, kid!” he said so loudly that Kit realized the phone was on speaker. “What are you doing calling? Wait a minute. How are you calling? Oooo, your dad is gonna freak.”

“Then let’s not tell him,” Hiaka said urgently.

A moment later, there came a rapid-fire series of words in a language Kit didn’t know.

If it hadn’t been so biting, it might’ve been kind of beautiful.

Now Kit understood why Hiaka didn’t want to be the one to talk to anyone back home.

He winced and smiled apologetically when Hiaka sent a withering glare his way.

Hiaka spoke that language back—Hawaiian maybe?—and the conversation seemed to lose heat after a few exchanges. Finally, the man on the other end of the line said, “So say hello to me, since you’re the reason my child is coming home now.”

“Oh,” Kit said when he realized the man meant them. “I’m Kit Tennant. I’m an ecologist helping the University of Hawai’i and NOAA fill in data gaps related to sea turtle nesting sites.”

“We have those here.”

“Sea turtles? Yes, sir, that’s why we thought I could follow Hiaka and not lose my grant.”

He gave a grunt. “And the other one?”

Kit looked to Zenori, who eyed the satellite phone suspiciously. “I am Zenori. Aged seven. Born to Olgefin.”

Biting his bottom lip, Kit tried not to laugh or smile since he wasn’t sure if that was traditionally what cecaelia shared as far as introductions went, or if Zenori also wanted to share their qualifications like Kit had.

“Olgefin? Why do I know that name?”

“We met them,” Hiaka said, “that last time you went to Pacilona Nepthis with us.”

“Ah. Alright.” There was a moment of muffled conversation before he came back. “Show him how to drop you off at the gate before docking by the yacht.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Hiaka said, sounding young and apologetic.

“You know I love you.”

“I love you, too.”