by L. C. Chase
He looked up to find Kellan watching him, his eyes glittering with mirth and mouth pinched into a grin, as if he were holding back laughter. “Acceptable?”
Jax could only stare back for a moment, completely lost in those eyes. That mouth. With each new little thing he learned about Kellan, he felt that much more drawn to him and… comfortable. As though he’d known Kellan longer than a handful of hours, or like they were star-crossed lovers in some previous life who somehow managed to find each other again and again. He gave himself a mental shake. He well and truly liked this guy, and he was most definitely going to have him. More than once, if he had anything to say about it, but whatever they’d share together this week would only be a moment in life’s journey.
“Acceptable.” The word came out hoarse and tight, but Kellan only smiled back as if he knew exactly what Jax was thinking.
“Good.”
Kellan pulled his sweatshirt over his head, revealing pale, smooth skin, a gentle wave of abs, and a lightly furred chest. Rosy nipples rose to hard peaks, and a subtle treasure trail fought for Jax’s attention. It took all of his willpower not to reach out, to feel and taste that inviting skin, to run his palms over Kellan’s pecs….
Kellan turned as he folded his shirt neatly and placed it on one of the shelves. “I like to suit up before I wax my board.”
I’ll wax your board….
Was it Jax’s imagination, or did Kellan’s voice sound a little tighter than it had a moment ago? Jax smiled to himself. Seemed like Kellan was struggling with this attraction as much as he was. But Kellan was set on catching some waves before the day was out, so Jax could wait. He wasn’t always the most patient guy, but he knew from experience the waiting only made the having that much sweeter.
Back still turned, Kellan began unbuttoning his jeans, and Jax got the hint. Right. Strip down and get the wet suit on.
“Do you wear a rash guard or anything under your suit?” Jax asked, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it onto the shelf in a messy heap.
“Nope.” Kellan had stepped out of his jeans and was folding them just as neatly as he’d folded his sweatshirt. Jax took a moment to admire Kellan’s firm, round ass, wishing his briefs were off too. “I either go totally naked or just wear swim briefs. I always put lube under my armpits and ball sack so I don’t get friction rashes.”
Jax’s brain stuttered, naked, lube, and ball sack repeating like a needle stuck in the groove of a vinyl record.
“The suit will feel too small when you put it on, but don’t worry,” Kellan was saying, guiding Jax’s wayward thoughts back on track. “You don’t want any space between you and the neoprene out there.”
Jax had to turn around and face the wall so he could concentrate when Kellan slipped out of his briefs. They would never get to the waves otherwise. Not that that would be a bad thing… but… Kellan was pretty insistent on hitting the waves before dark.
With their suits half on and surfboards placed on a couple of towels on the floor, Kellan handed Jax a rag for the wax. Jax kneeled down and began applying the thick wax to the top surface of the board in a circular motion, building up sticky bumps that would help keep his feet from slipping off once they hit the water. The hardest part was he couldn’t help being constantly drawn to Kellan’s bare chest. He pretty much had the perfect body: defined but not overly muscular, like a runner or a swimmer; the scattering of dark hair that whorled a path across two firm pecs; taut nipples; and that enticing treasure trail disappearing just above a belly button that half vanished beneath the wet suit.
Kellan caught him staring, and a grin coaxed a dimple to peek out of one cheek. “Wax,” he said, his tone teasing. “Lots of time for indoor sporting after.”
As distracting as that dimple was, Jax forced his attention onto preparing the board. “It’s like you can read my mind.”
“Don’t have to,” Kellan said without looking up. “You project like a Jumbotron.”
“Jumbotron?” Jax sat back on his heels, faux indignant. “Now that’s a first.”
Kellan whipped his rag at Jax. “Wax!” His voice was stern, but if eyes could laugh, his were bellowing.
Jax held his hands up in supplication. “Okay! Okay!”
A few minutes of focused effort later, and the boards were ready to go. Kellan zipped up his suit, and Jax immediately missed the sight of his sexy torso. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long before he would not only see all that skin again, but freely roam his hands and mouth and tongue all over it. Yes, he wanted to feel every single inch of Kellan.
For the first time ever, Jax put on neoprene booties, gloves, and a hood to go surfing. He shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”
Kellan laughed as he checked to ensure the hood fit was good. “You’ll love it. Promise.”
For some reason, trusting someone he’d only just met didn’t faze him in the slightest. If Kellan said he’d love it, then he fully trusted he would. “I’m holding you to it.”
“One more thing, and we’re good to go,” Kellan said, reaching for a jar of petroleum jelly from the shelf.
He scooped a dollop of jelly onto his index finger and then gently spread it on the soft, sensitive skin under Jax’s eyes. The ministration was oddly intimate. The kind of intimate that made Jax want to wrap Kellan in his arms and just hold him and never let go, rather than strip him down and have his way with him. And if that wasn’t a scary thought…. He’d be leaving the country in a few days and would never see him again, so he had to keep his thoughts on the latter. All about the sex, baby.
Kellan hadn’t met Jax’s gaze the whole time he was applying the jelly, but when he did, a longing so fierce shot through Jax it almost knocked him over.
“Fuck, I want you.”
“And you’ll have me.” Kellan stepped back—a wicked smile on his face and a promise in his eyes. “After we surf.”
FULLY SUITED up, Kellan led the way back to the beach, acutely aware of Jax beside and a step behind him. There was no doubt Jax wanted him just as much as he wanted Jax. Not after that comment in the sport room. But before anything, Kellan desperately needed to get out on the waves. It had been far too long since he’d felt that rush and that freedom. Far too long he’d avoided Tofino and surfing and everything else that reminded him of how badly his last trip here had ended. Almost a year to the day.
As far as bad breakups went, in hindsight, his wasn’t that bad a breakup—except for the whole loss of self-confidence thing in the fallout—but that was the last time he’d been surfing. Time healed, they said, and he had to agree. He needed this trip, this day, to reclaim another joy that had been tainted by memories of his ex. And now that he was here, he couldn’t wait another second.
They passed through the treed pathway, and the ocean stretched out before him. Just as it had earlier when he’d shown Jax the beach, what felt like the weight of the world fell from his shoulders. This was his joy, his passion, and nothing could take that away from him. Why had it taken him a whole year to realize that?
The why of it didn’t really matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was getting out there.
He scanned the horizon. Three people were braving the elements, riding waves that beckoned like a siren song. Seagulls called overhead, and a dog barked farther down the beach while a bundled-up young family flew brilliantly colored kites on the ever-present wind. He turned to Jax, whose expression was a mix of awe and trepidation, and couldn’t help but smile. Jax was going to love this.
“You ready?”
“Ready to give it a fair go.” Jax’s exhaling breath danced on a cloud in the cold air, obscuring the oval of his exposed face—the only part of his body not encased in black neoprene.
“Just run in and start paddling,” Kellan said when they stopped at the edge of the water. “Don’t think on it or go slow, or you’ll never get out there.”
“I might be having second thoughts about this,” Jax said. “My face feels like it’s
going to fall off already.”
Kellan laughed but didn’t admit this part was always a “push through” for him too. “Yeah, the initial shock is going to be a bitch. I can’t lie.”
“Aces,” Jax said, his tone sarcastic but teasing.
“Now or never, my friend.” Kellan squeezed Jax’s shoulder and then ran into the freezing surf, yelling like a banshee. When the water was knee-high, he dropped down flat on his board and started paddling out. Approaching the first wave, he dove down for it to pass over him, and the full-body shock of icy water threatened to stop his lungs midbreath.
“Holy shit,” he gasped over a chuckle when he resurfaced. He’d forgotten how heart-stoppingly cold that first plunge under the surface could be. He sat up and straddled the board, fighting down a shiver in the biting air while his arms burned from exertion. He swam regularly, but the pool was nothing like open water. A few seconds later Jax broke the wave and came up beside him, sputtering.
“This is insane!”
Kellan laughed. “No, man. This is awesome.”
“Mate, my balls are the size of barley pearls right now.” Jax tucked his gloved hands under his armpits. “That does not make me happy.”
“Well, let’s make you happy, then. Let’s catch that set coming in.” Kellan nodded with his chin. “Paddle hard so you warm up faster.”
“Happy is back inside that nice little condo of yours with the heat cranked.”
Kellan dropped down and started paddling. “Cowabunga, dude!”
“You did not just say that!” Jax shouted, amused laughter trailing behind.
The swell lifted him, and with it his joy and passion for surfing. Only a few more strokes, then the swell peaked, and as it broke, he stood up on his board—a motion so ingrained into his muscle memory it wouldn’t have mattered how many years stretched between him and his board. His stance was perfect, and he flew along the face of the wave as though he’d never missed a single day on the water, let alone 365 of them. The wave closed beautifully behind him, and he coasted on the waning swell until speed ran out and he lowered himself to straddle the board, palms flat on the surface in front of him and legs dangling over the sides.
He raised his face to the sky, closed his eyes, and smiled. This was it. The balm his soul desperately needed. He inhaled biting salt air, filled his lungs to capacity, held it, then slowly exhaled every worry, every stress, every negative thought he’d been holding on to. For the first time in a year, he felt whole again. Alive. And all around him the island sang, the drumbeat of waves breaking and crashing on the shore, the soft whistling hum of a steady gentle wind, the tenor chorus of seagulls and wintering ducks of all kinds, and the strong solos of bald eagles.
An excited shout startled Kellan from his reverie, sending a jolt through his system that set his heart pounding. For a minute there he’d been the only person on the planet, but when he turned to see the elation on Jax’s face, he wondered how, even for a second, he could have forgotten him.
“That was bloody ripper, mate!” Jax paddled up beside him, laughter in his voice and shining in his eyes. “At first I was cursing you out for convincing me to try this, but then that wave…. I forgot all about being cold and couldn’t stop laughing. That face was solid!”
“So… more, then?”
Jax’s cheeks and nose were apple red from the cold, but his eyes shone brighter than the sun. He nodded emphatically. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but hell yeah, mate. Bring it!”
Kellan laughed as he turned and started paddling out to catch the next set with Jax right beside him. Together they dove into the face of a smaller swell, and he held his breath as he was wrapped in a blanket of moving ice before resurfacing on the other side. The forming set ahead was going to be a good one, easily eight feet on its face. Jax flipped around at the same time as Kellan, caught his eyes with a crazed glint and that infectious laugh, and started paddling.
Too bad he’s only here for a few days.
Kellan didn’t dwell on the stray thought. He didn’t have time or interest in getting hung up on another guy right now, especially one only here for a short visit, but Jax…. Nope! Surfing was the only thing he needed. Time with the water, time with the island, time with his soul. And when he was truly ready to think about getting involved again, it would be with a man who actually lived in the same hemisphere as him. Until then, he would surf.
The wave was almost on him. The swell lifted him higher, and in his periphery, Jax matched him stroke for stroke, mirrored the hop to his feet, and then the whole world disappeared as the wave carried him away.
Two hours later the slate-gray skies darkened as afternoon crept into the early dark of winter, and Kellan couldn’t feel his face anymore. He didn’t want to stop, didn’t want to leave the cold safety of the ocean, but full dark was upon him. He glanced over at Jax, whose eyes hadn’t lost their shine but whose lips were nearly as blue. Any reluctance he’d had about calling it a day faded, and now his only concern was getting Jax dry and warm.
“Done, then?”
“Too right, mate,” Jax said and began paddling for shore.
His movements were stiff and a bit slower, which told Kellan he definitely needed to get some heat into Jax right away. And with that thought came images of all the ways he could do just that. Most of which were “not safe for work,” as the saying went, but he was a long way from work right now.
Chapter Five
JAX STOOD directly under the showerhead for what seemed like an hour before the chill finally receded from his bones, praying the whole time Kellan had a huge hot water tank. He hadn’t realized how cold he was until the shivering-to-the-bone dash from the beach to the condo. He didn’t even stop to grab his backpack, just beelined into the closest bathroom and straight into the shower, suit on and all. When the water warmed enough, he struggled out of the snug neoprene and left it on the shower floor where it fell.
He smiled. As cold as he’d been, he loved every second of the winter surfing adventure with Kellan. Of course he wasn’t too shy to admit a good reason why was due to Kellan himself. While Jax enjoyed surfing, it was obvious Kellan had a passion for it, something Jax admired in people. For what are we without passion? his mom often said. Not only was Kellan’s passion evident, but Jax saw pure joy in Kellan’s eyes when they were paddling for a wave, and the exhilaration was contagious.
With the chill soothed away and his teeth no longer chattering together, Jax picked up the discarded wet suit, rinsed it, and after turning the water off, hung it over the shower rod. He reached for a towel, only then realizing he didn’t have fresh clothes to put on. He was more worried about getting cold again than Kellan catching him half-naked. Though… he had to admit that wouldn’t be a big problem. Could be quite fun, in fact.
After a quick towel dry, he wrapped the soft fabric around his waist and opened the bathroom door, only to freeze on the spot. Kellan stood on the other side of the threshold, one arm raised as though he’d been about to knock. With his hand suspended in the air, his gaze traveled down the length of Jax’s bare torso, pausing before making a slow return to meet Jax’s eyes and locking. Goose bumps broke out over Jax’s skin that had nothing to do with the temperature change outside the steamy bathroom.
Kellan’s dark hair was still damp and hung over his eyebrows. He wore loose-fitting faded jeans a little thin in the knees and a raspberry-colored turtleneck sweater that clung to his lean frame in all the right places and made the green of his eyes pop like they were lit from behind. As if his eyes weren’t mesmerizing enough. Jax had a feeling Kellan knew exactly how to dress to bring out his best features, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to complain. Kellan was gorgeous.
Kellan cleared his throat, finally lowering his temporarily frozen hand and breaking the heated-and-getting-hotter stare.
“Sorry,” Kellan said, taking a step back and raising his other arm, which was holding Jax’s backpack. “Figured you might need this.”
“Right.” Jax reached for his pack, deliberately brushing his fingers over Kellan’s and delighting in the soft blush rising in Kellan’s cheeks from the brief contact. “Thanks, mate.”
Kellan nodded, the motion jerky. “The room upstairs on the right is yours.” He tugged at the collar of his sweater. “I’ll just get dinner going.”
After another quick visual tour of Jax’s bare skin, as if he couldn’t help himself, Kellan stepped back and turned for the kitchen.
Jax smiled as he watched Kellan walk away. This was going to be a fun week, hanging out with his new friend who could potentially be more. Jax frowned. There wouldn’t be more than a week with Kellan, and for some reason, that tugged at Jax’s heart in a way that caught him off guard. The last thing he needed now was to get all tangled up in someone he’d have to leave behind. Yes, Kellan was definitely trouble.
“Live in the moment,” he whispered to himself. “Live in the moment.”
KELLAN HAD the pizza heated and on the coffee table, plates and napkins out, beers cracked, and Bob Marley’s island vibes playing at a conversational level when Jax came down the stairs.
“I hope you’re good with pizza and beer,” he said as Jax came into the living room wearing jeans, socks, and a distressed hoodie—and looking sexier than anyone had a right to. He cleared his throat. “That’s pretty much all I have here until we go into town tomorrow.”
Jax smiled that insanely captivating smile, and something in Kellan’s chest flipped over. He was done for.
Hold up, Tremblay! He checked himself. Jax would be on the other side of the world next week. The last thing he needed to do was let his emotions run wild on him. Enjoy the time for what it is. An interlude. Yes. Maybe these few days with Jax would be like a delayed rebound, and then he could move forward in the dating department too. If that helps you sleep at night….
Kellan clamped down on his inner dialogue and gestured to the couch as he sat. Jax sat down next to him and picked up his beer. “Cheers,” he said.