"Hey, baby? Can you get my back real quick?"

Thane smiled to himself. "Of course, Siha." His siha had an absolutely lovely back. He grabbed the bottle of sunscreen from Peep and poured a generous amount into his palm—too much, really, and that was perfectly fine with him: It would require more time to work into her skin.

Thane started low, smoothing his hands just above the gradual swell of her rear. Peep jumped, and goosebumps spread across her skin. "Cold!"

Thane marveled at the sudden change in texture, tiny prickles rasping against his palms. Originally, he had thought his siha and other humans very bland creatures. By and large, they were monochromatic, like asari or batarians. Hardly a redeeming quality. Spotted humans—freckled, rather, he amended—were marginally more interesting to look at, but not by much. Several years ago, before his siha had become his siha, he probably would have described her as only a shade or two away from dirt-colored, or maybe a boring doormat brown. But, after a while, he found himself reconsidering his opinion, and now he likened her to things like bronze and warm sand. Love was strange that way.

"I think you're in the wrong line of work, baby."

"Hmm?" he asked absentmindedly. Peep's skin was beginning to flatten out again now that the sunscreen had warmed up some. Fascinating.

"You should've been a massage therapist." Peep sighed, sagging slightly as she relaxed. "Actually, I take that back. Then I'd have to share you."

"How selfish," he clucked, moving one hand to pinch her hip. Peep squealed, twisting away. Thane sucked in a breath as the elegant sweep of her vertebrae briefly revealed itself.

"Say, you ever gonna do my shoulders?" She turned her head, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

Thane blinked, realizing that he had only reached her waist. "...Yes."

"I mean, no rush or anything. I'll take a back rub any day. But you sounded like you really wanted to go swimming earlier." Peep shrugged.

Thane's eyes were glued to the sharp line of her shoulders. "I do," he insisted. Even to his own hidden ears, he sounded unconvincing. Thane hastily slid his hands up to rub slow circles just below Peep's shoulder blades, but his eyes roved down her spine, a tad unfocused. Though her flesh appeared sleek, his siha actually felt like velvet. Something about 'peach fuzz,' she'd explained once. Of course, he could remember exactly what she said if he tried, but his siha was just so soft... A low thrum escaped his throat.

"You all right back there?" Peep was laughing at him.

Thane shook himself. "I'm fine." They were going swimming. Swimming. Swimming, swimming, swimming. Thane clung to that thought, determined to see his task through, but no sooner had he reached Peep's shoulders than he was off track again, massaging his way back down her ribs.

"You already got that, baby," Peep scolded.

"I apologize." Thane obediently placed his hands back over her shoulders. He was almost out of sunblock... Oh, who was he kidding? The last of Thane's willpower washed away like a sandcastle in the tide. He skimmed his hands around to Peep's front, one wandering up to cup her breast, the other dipping down to stroke her over the fabric of her bathing suit.

"Pretty sure I got there," Peep breathed. She slumped against him, leaning her head back to rest on his shoulder.

"You might have missed a spot." Thane ran his tongue over the shell of her ear, nudging her toward the bed.

Peep's knees bumped into the side of the mattress. "We aren't going anywhere, are we?"

Thane slid Peep's bikini down her thighs. "Probably not," he conceded.

A/N: Thanks for the faves and follows! Maybe I should whine more often.