How To Save A Life

by Andria Large

  Once everyone is gone, Ezra shuts and locks the door. “Well,” Ezra says, shaking his head. “Between your parents and my dad…”

  I hum my agreement. He doesn’t really need to complete that thought; I know exactly where it was going.

  “Your brothers are so awesome, though,” Spencer chirps.

  I smile. “I’m glad you like them.”

  “We’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do.” Ezra sighs.

  “Let’s just put the food away for now and worry about the rest tomorrow,” I suggest.

  Ezra nods in agreement. Spencer helps up put some of the food away before running off to his room. Ezra and I collapse onto the couch when we’re finished.

  “I’m exhausted,” Ezra groans, lying down on the couch, putting his head in my lap.

  I drop my head to the back of the couch as I let my fingers sift through the silky hair on the top of his head. The craziness of the day sinks in, along with the past four months of being with Ezra. I lift my head and look down at the gorgeous man lying on my lap with the pretty eyes, scruffy square jaw, and sexy mouth.

  “Ezra?”

  “Hmm?” he replies, dragging his tired eyes open to look up at me.

  “I love you.”

  His eyes widen slightly and his lips part. “Babe…”

  “I know this wasn’t like a super romantic way to tell you, but I can’t hold it in any longer.” I cup his jaw and stroke his cheek with my thumb. “I’m so in love with you.”

  Ezra smiles wide and places his hand over mine. He turns his face into my palm and kisses it before looking back at me, his gorgeous eyes shimmering with love and affection. He then reaches up and grabs the back of my neck, pulling me down so that he can brush his lips over mine.

  “I’m in love with you, too,” he whispers, before attacking my mouth with a hot and hungry kiss.

  I gather him up in my arms, holding him as close as possible in the position that we’re in.

  “Ew, gross,” Spencer’s voice says, full of revulsion.

  Ezra and I tear away from each other and look to find him standing by the end of the couch, nose scrunched up in disgust. I shoo him away with my hand.

  “Go away, I’m trying to seduce your dad,” I mutter.

  “Ugh! Come on!” Spencer groans. “I wanna watch TV for a little bit.”

  “Go ahead, but we’re gonna make out, so don’t complain,” I say with a lopsided grin.

  “That’s disgusting.” Spencer grimaces, a shudder racking his lithe body.

  Ezra laughs and pulls himself up into a sitting position. “No, we’re not. Go ahead and watch TV, Spence.”

  “Ezra,” I whine.

  “Later, babe,” he murmurs, sending me a wink.

  “Fine,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

  +

  EZRA

  “Ferris,” I pant. “Do you think we can try something different tonight?”

  Ferris’ mouth makes a pop sound as it comes off my cock. He rolls his eyes to look up my body at me. “Different how?” he asks, flicking the head of my cock with his wicked tongue.

  “I think…I think I want to try bottoming,” I rasp.

  The smile that dons his face looks almost evil. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah, I mean, I like when you use your fingers on me, so…”

  “Okay, anything you want, my love.”

  Mmm, that word…love…does crazy things to my heart.

  Ferris slowly kisses and licks his way up my body until he reaches my face. “I can’t tell you the last time I topped. Hopefully I don’t suck at it.” He smirks, his gray eyes dancing with humor.

  “I doubt you will suck at it. And even then, I won’t know since I’ve never bottomed before.” I chuckle.

  Ferris laughs. “That’s true.”

  Ferris stretches his body out over mine and nudges my face to the side with his nose. He ducks his head, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses down my neck to my chest.

  “I’m going to make you so hot that you’re gonna be begging me to shove my cock in your ass.”

  “Shit,” I hiss, already squirming under him.

  Ferris wasn’t kidding, either. He gets me so worked up that I’m fairly certain I might implode. He uses his tongue and fingers to get my hole ready to take his cock. When I’m finally begging and pleading for him to fuck me, he lubes up and gets into position.

  I remain on my back and grab the backs of my knees, pulling them up to my chest. Ferris drizzles some lube on my hole and spreads it around with the head of his dick. I moan just thinking about what he’s about to do.

  Slowly, he pushes forward until the head of his cock slides past the tight ring of muscle. He bites his bottom lip as he shuffles his knees a little closer so he can keep going. It’s an odd sensation; not painful so much as extremely full. Sweat blooms on Ferris’ forehead, and I can tell that he’s struggling for control. Once he’s fully seated, he stops moving, closes his eyes, and takes a couple of deep breaths.

  “Fuck, you are so tight and hot. I can barely hang on,” he wheezes.

  “You feel so fucking good,” I groan.

  Ferris draws his hips back far enough that he almost pulls out before he plunges back in, forcing a strangled cry to escape past my lips. Fuck, that feels good. He grabs onto the backs of my thighs, finding a steady rhythm that has us both panting heavily. I start jerking myself off, and good lord, does the combination of that and being fucked in the ass send me to a whole knew place that I never knew existed.

  “Oh, Jesus…oh, fuck…fuck me,” I choke out, not even really knowing what I’m saying.

  “Ezra,” Ferris breathes. “Please tell me you’re close, I can’t…”

  “So close.”

  Ferris’ hands move to my hips as his thrusts become more forceful. My orgasm barrels through me and my back bows off the bed from the force of it. My free hand grips the sheets, while I dig my head back into the pillow. A guttural shout reverberates through the room, and I’m not sure which one of us did it.

  When I finally come down from the cloud I was riding high on, I realize that Ferris is lying on top of me, panting heavily, his cock still slightly throbbing inside of me. Holy fuck, that was hot.

  “Yes, it was,” Ferris mumbles, his voice muffled by my neck.

  “Oh, did I say that out loud?” I mutter lazily.

  “You did,” he confirms.

  I huff out a laugh, which forces his cock out of me. That has us both busting out laughing. We eventually get up and get cleaned up before crawling back into bed. We get into our usual position, which has Ferris snuggled up against my side. I kiss his forehead and let out a satisfied sigh.

  “I love you, Ez.”

  “I love you, too, baby.”

  CHAPTER

  FIFTEEN+

  EIGHT MONTHS LATER+

  FERRIS

  “Dad, can I go to the beach with Ferris today?” Spencer asks.

  We’re in the middle of eating breakfast. It’s a beautiful Saturday in July and I have lifeguard duty today. The summer down the shore is back in full swing, and the weather has been fantastic, which is bringing in hordes of people. The ocean has been unseasonably warm, too, which is awesome. It usually doesn’t warm up until the end of August.

  “Yeah, I guess.” Ezra shrugs.

  “You should come, too, babe. It’s a nice day, and you need to relax,” I say then take a sip of my coffee.

  With more people vacationing in the area, Ezra is busier with walk-ins and emergency calls. He hasn’t really had a complete day off in a couple of weeks.

  “I’ll see what I can do. I really need to write out the bills and take care of a couple of other things around here.”

  Ezra and I have been together for a year now. It’s been a great year. As with any couple, we’ve had a few fights, and a few very steamy rounds of make-up sex, but for the most part, we get along really well. I love him more every day. I can’t imagine my life without him and Spencer in it. They have b
ecome my world, and I’d be lost without them.

  “Okay. Spencer, go get your suit on, I gotta head out in a few minutes.”

  Spencer jumps up from his seat. “Okay!” He races out of the room and up the stairs to go get ready.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be able to keep an eye on him while you’re working?” Ezra asks warily.

  “Yeah, I think so. Krista will be with me, and he is fifteen; that’s old enough to be able to take care of himself.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Ezra sighs.

  “You gotta give his rope a little slack, babe. He’s a good kid. He won’t get into trouble.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

  “If he goes in the water, make no mistake, I will never let anything happen to him,” I tell him seriously.

  Ezra nods. “I know that, too.”

  “He’ll be fine, I promise,” I murmur, leaning over to give him a kiss.

  “Okay. I love you, be safe,” Ezra replies.

  “I will. Love you, too.”

  I get up from the table, put my mug in the sink, and then go to the front door. “Come on, Stretch! Let’s roll!” I yell up the stairs as I sling my backpack over my shoulders.

  Spencer comes bounding down the stairs in his bathing suit, a tank top, and flip-flops. He has a beach towel over his shoulders and sunglasses on.

  “Ferris, do you have sunscreen in your bag for him to put on?!” Ezra calls from the kitchen.

  “Yes, Love! See you later!” I call back as we walk out the door.

  Spencer and I walk the few blocks to the beach. It’s still fairly empty since it’s still early. Krista is already sitting on the lifeguard stand applying her sunscreen. I toss my bag up before climbing up myself.

  “Hey, lady,” I say in greeting with a big cheesy smile.

  “Hey, Ferris.” She chuckles.

  I scoot closer to her and motion with my head for Spencer to climb up, which he immediately does.

  “Oh, hey, Spencer!” Krista says, holding out her fist for Spencer to bump.

  “Hey, Krista!”

  I open my backpack, pull out my bottle of sunscreen, and hand it to Spencer, who opens it and starts putting it on without question. I also slather up. Getting burnt sucks, so I try to avoid it as much as possible.

  Shortly after we get there, Jesse shows up, and he and Spencer decide to go for a walk. The beach quickly fills up as the day goes on, and by noon, it’s jam-packed. Krista and I are being kept on our toes. Warmer water and bigger crowds means more people going in the ocean for a swim, which means greater chances of someone needing to be rescued. We’ve already had to whistle at multiple people to stop them from going out too far.

  Spencer and Jesse return and let me know that they are going in the ocean. I make sure Krista is aware so that she can keep an eye on them also. Maybe about fifteen minutes pass before Krista nudges me with her elbow.

  “Hey, did you see that?” she asks, a nervous edge to her voice.

  “See what?” I scan the surf with my eyes for anything out of the ordinary.

  “I thought I saw…but no, it couldn’t be…”

  “What? What was it?” I demand.

  “A fin. Maybe a dolphin?” Krista says with uncertainty.

  I frown and pick up my binoculars. I search the water, looking for anything that could possibly look like a fin. It’s really hard to tell the difference between a ripple and something that could be a fin with the sun reflecting off the surface of the water.

  “There!” she exclaims, grabbing my arm with one hand while pointing with the other.

  I turn my binoculars in the direction that he’s pointing and see it. A fin breeches the surface of the water just past where the waves are beginning to form. Whatever it is, it’s not swimming parallel to the beach like dolphins usually do. It’s swimming toward the beach and the surf, where everyone is splashing around and playing.

  “Oh fuck." My stomach bottoms out as dread fills me. "That’s not a dolphin, Krista. That’s a shark!”

  Our whistles are immediately in our mouths and we start blowing like crazy people, waving everyone in. At first, people turn and look at us like we’re insane, but then someone in the water sees why we’re blowing and screams the word that everyone who’s seen Jaws dreads. SHARK!

  I’ve never seen panic and chaos like this before. People are screaming and trying to get out of the water as fast as they can. It’s practically impossible to see with all of the water splashing up. And now, people on the beach are starting to figure out what is going on, so they are beginning to freak out, too.

  Oh God! Spencer!

  I spot him just as some motherfucking giant of a man bowls over him, knocking him under water. Sheer terror chills my blood. I tear off my shirt and grab my can.

  “What the fuck are you doing?!” Krista barks around the whistle in her mouth.

  “Spencer!” is all I have time to say, before I jump down and race toward the water.

  I can’t even worry about the shark right now. All I can think about is getting to Spencer before he drowns. I have to shove by people, since I’m going in, while everyone else is trying to get out. I catch a glimpse of Jesse as he passes me. Good, he’s safe. I dive under a wave and swim to where I last saw Spencer.

  I spot him right before a wave pummels him. He goes under for a moment before I see him break through the surface and swipe at the water, panic written all over his face. I’m a few feet away from him when I catch a glance of that fin again. It’s heading right in the direction of Spencer. Pushing harder than I’ve ever pushed before, I swim to Spencer. His wild blue eyes spot me, and he screams for me.

  When I get close enough, I grab his arm and yank him toward me. I spin us around so that we’re facing the beach, with Spencer in front of me. We make it a few feet before something bumps into my legs.

  “Go, Spencer! Go!” I scream and push him farther in front of me. I will not let anything happen to him. I’d die first.

  That’s when it happens. The scariest thing you can possibly think of when it comes to sharks. It grabs my leg and yanks me under the water.

  +

  EZRA

  What the fuck is going on? People are freaking the fuck out. I just got onto the beach and something akin to chaos is what I’m greeted with. A guy runs by me, soaking wet. He was obviously in the water. He stops not too far from me at a group of people and bends over, bracing his hands on his knees.

  “Call 911,” he gasps. “There’s a shark. Someone said it grabbed one of the lifeguards while he was saving a kid.”

  Dread forms like a ball of lead in my gut. Time slows. People are passing me in a blur. At first, I think they are moving, but then I realize, it’s me. I’m moving. No, not just moving, I’m sprinting down the beach in the direction of the lifeguard stand. I’m pretty sure I knocked a few people over on my way, too.

  As I break through the crowd, I get my first real look at the situation. Jesse is pacing at the edge of the water, his hands shoved into his wet hair. Looking past him, in the water, Spencer and Krista are struggling to get Ferris, who can barely keep his legs under him, out of the water. I’m in motion again before I can even think about it. Running into the surf, I shove through the waves to get to them.

  “Dad!” Spencer cries when he sees me.

  When I reach them, he immediately moves so that I can take his spot on Ferris’ right side. I sling his arm around my shoulders and take most of his weight.

  “It got him on the leg, Ezra. I don’t know what kind of damage there is yet,” Krista pants.

  “Okay,” is all I can say.

  Ferris seems to be completely out of it. The only sound he’s making is a wheezing noise, which makes me wonder if he inhaled some water into his lungs. Finally, we clamber out of the water and move only far enough up the beach where the water won’t reach us. We gingerly lay Ferris down, kneeling down with him, and that’s when I get the first glimpse at his leg, or what’s left of i
t, I should say.

  His left leg from the knee down looks like something out of a horror movie. It’s just shredded. Like - I can see everything that makes up the inside of his leg - shredded. Krista has already pulled out the first aid kit and is going to work on trying to slow the bleeding by applying a tourniquet above his knee.

  “I’m sorry, Ferris,” she murmurs then twists the little bar to tighten it up.

  Ferris screams in pain, and it fucking kills me. His hands grab at my shirt and I do the only thing I can; I gather him up in my arms and hold him tight. His whole body starts trembling and his breathing turns shallow. I duck my face down so that I’m right in his line of sight. I stroke his cheek with the backs of my fingers. His skin is cool to the touch.

  “Krista, he’s going into shock,” I say without breaking eye contact with Ferris, whose eyes are unfocused and glazed over.

  “Medics are on their way,” she replies, her voice strained.

  “I’m cold, Ezra,” Ferris croaks through chattering teeth.

  Tears burn my eyes. “Okay, baby, we’ll get you warmed up.”

  “I’m gonna…die, aren’t I?” Ferris says, his words staccato from his trembling.

  “No. Don’t even think like that. You’re not allowed to leave Spencer and me. You hear me?”

  His eyelids droop, and I can tell that he’s struggling to keep them open. “Any…anything for you.”

  His eyes flutter closed and his body goes slack in my arms. This can’t be happening to me again. I drop my forehead to his and rock him gently as the tears start to fall. I keep whispering “no,” over and over and over because this is not happening again. I can’t lose another person I love. I can’t lose him.

  “Sir,” a male voice says, a hand landing on my shoulder. “Sir, I need you to move so that I can help him.”

  I lift my head and look at the medic kneeling next to me. “I can’t lose him,” I whisper brokenly.

  “I’m going to do everything I can,” he assures me.