Irons and Works: The Complete Series

by E M Lindsey

  Sam didn’t fight him on the way down the looping ramp and toward the concierge where a tall, gorgeous man with dreads and dark brown skin held a clip board and a smile for them. Niko let Sam take the lead, rolling up to the platform and offering his own smile.

  “My husband wants to know about those cabanas.”

  The guy checked the clipboard, then nodded. “We have two beachfronts, two pool side facing the beach, and one facing the pool.”

  “Wait like…on the beach?” Niko asked, and he heard Sam make a small noise of discomfort. “Right I…is there wheelchair accessibility or…?”

  “We have beach chairs,” the guy said, and before Niko could snap something at him, the guy pointed and both of them turned to look at what could only be described as a big-wheel for grown-ups. The wheels were massive, with huge tread, and the backs were high with handles. “They’re available for anyone who needs them. There’s also a rubber mat leading to the water, and a concierge station down there.”

  “Drinks,” Sam said gruffly. “Can we get drinks delivered?”

  “Full menu,” the man offered with the same grin.

  “I…” Sam rolled back, and Niko followed him until they were standing by the chairs. He stared, a dubious look on his face, and Niko understood that this was a first. Sam hadn’t been able to afford travel before this. He took Maisy places they could drive to—had made do with what the city offered. Niko recalled how long it took him to find a single batting cage that could accommodate wheelchair users, and he knew his husband hadn’t prepared. Not fully.

  “I’m totally fine with the pool,” Niko assured him.

  Sam worried his bottom lip between his teeth. He looked gorgeous there—a little sun-soaked already. The summer had bleached a few strands of his dark hair a bit lighter, and his tattoos shone bright on his forearms where he had the sleeves rolled up. His left hand glinted with a gold band, and Niko wanted to get down on his knees and pay worship to the visible proof that Sam was his.

  For good.

  Forever.

  Until death do them part—even though they left that out of the vows.

  “Did you know about this?” Sam finally asked.

  Niko shrugged. “That parenting board I joined up last year—one of the dads on there is married to a woman with MS and he recommended this place. He didn’t give details, just that she liked it.”

  Sam breathed out, then nodded, looking more stern than happy. Niko didn’t let himself worry, though. He knew what it cost Sam to let his guard down. “Let’s do the beach.”

  “Babe…”

  His words died on his lips when Sam reached for his hand and pressed a fierce, firm kiss to the center of his palm. “Niko. Let’s do the beach.”

  Niko bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from letting out all of his feelings right there in front of a bunch of strangers. With renewed purpose, he turned back to the concierge. “The beachfront. We’ll take the one by the water.”

  Sam was unused to only thinking about himself. It was overwhelming to leave everything behind in Fairfield—including his daughter. And he did believe he deserved this. He took a verbal lashing from Derek when he started to express his doubt, and later Tony sat him down and put hands on either side of Sam’s face and reminded him that taking some time away for a honeymoon—or even a vacation—was fine. He was allowed to give himself things, and he was allowed to have uninterrupted time to love on his husband.

  And that, really, was what did it. Sam had warned Niko when they first met that he had no room in his life for anyone except Maisy. And after, when he gave in, he warned Niko that she would always come first. He hadn’t realized there was room for the both of them to occupy the same space in his heart. He loved Niko beyond all reason, beyond all words. He needed this—he needed to give this to his husband.

  It was what fueled him to slide from his chair to the big, bulky hotel rental that would allow Niko to push him across the sand. It’s what allowed him to trust his ride to the concierge and take that leap into completely unfamiliar territory. Sam had seen the ocean before, but never like this. The water looked warm and inviting, the sounds of the waves crashing into shore drowning out all ambient noise.

  He glanced behind him to see Niko’s gaze fixed out at sea—a look in his eyes Sam had never seen before. It was easy to forget that Niko hadn’t come from the same place as he did. That Fairfield was home, but it hadn’t always been. He’d come from the coast of the Mediterranean, had settled up north near the Atlantic, and he’d traded that all for a sleepy mountain town and a townhouse in a retirement community.

  And Niko loved it—Sam knew he did, but there was something coming to life in his husband right then that he knew was a privilege to see.

  The chair rolled over the sand, catching a little, and he heard Niko’s grunt as he struggled through the deeper parts. He didn’t complain, though Sam knew it was probably killing his knee. Luckily, the cabanas were close, and the sand beyond that was tightly packed all the way to the water.

  They settled under the cabana shade, and Sam stared off at the ocean again as Niko ran off for towels. There were two loungers, but right then, Sam wanted to be in Niko’s arms—and oddly, he also wanted to be in the water. He’d done swimming pools, but he never thought he’d dip his toes in something so wild and natural. Not again, not after leaving Alaska and never looking back.

  “Hey, babe. I ordered drinks and some food.” Niko stopped in front of him, bracing his hands on Sam’s shoulders before leaning in to press a slow, lingering kiss to Sam’s lips. “It’ll be like an hour though.”

  Sam shrugged. “We could swim. You brought the suits, right?”

  Niko’s eyes brightened for a second, but he drew his bottom lip between his teeth in hesitation. “Yeah, in the carry-on bag. I…are you sure. The guy said this thing can take the water, but…”

  “You won’t let go, right?” Sam asked.

  It was a risk. It wasn’t the still waters of the pool. The waves ebbed and flowed, the water shallow, then deep, then shallow again. His body wouldn’t be steady, but Niko’s grip would be. He wanted this—bad enough he could taste it.

  “I wouldn’t,” Niko said. He swallowed, then clenched his jaw and gave a nod, moving to the lounger where he’d dropped the bags.

  Changing was never a quick task, but Sam transferred from the chair to the second lounger, then laid on his back and wriggled out of his shorts. He tossed his wallet and phone into the little lock-box, then slid his sandals under his bench. When he looked up, Niko was down to his palm-tree swim trunks, one hand on his hip, the other shielding his eyes from the sun.

  He looked like an actual Greek god standing there, the sun glinting off bronzed skin, making his dark curls light up like a halo. He caught Sam staring, then flushed and glanced away, and Sam knew he would love this man for the rest of his life—and possibly even beyond that.

  “Give me a hand?”

  Niko didn’t hesitate, shoving his hands under Sam’s armpits, then hefting him to his feet. The chair was solid beneath him, and Niko paused for a kiss before moving around to the back and grabbing the handle.

  It annoyed Sam that there was no way to propel himself. He had never liked being pushed. The moment he was able to, he bought a chair with no handles, and he enjoyed the looks on people’s faces when they were denied the ability to jump in and take over. He didn’t mind this as much, though.

  Niko had an easier time over the packed wet sand, and even the first shove into the shallow water where the waves washed around his feet. He had no way to feel the temperature of the water with his lower half, but the smell of salt was sharp in his nose, and as the first swell of a real wave hit his hands, he let out a small gasp.

  “Okay?” Niko asked.

  “Great. Help me stand up.”

  It would take maneuvering, and Sam took a minute to be grateful for how many hours he spent on his feet at home—using his walker and strengthening his core as best he could. He
had done it for his health, but standing in the ocean holding his husband was an unexpected benefit he hadn’t ever considered.

  And he would treasure it for the rest of his natural life.

  He felt unsteady. His body swayed with the waves, with the way the sand shifted beneath them, but he kept hold of Niko by the hips and when the first surge brought the water above his chest, the feeling was exquisite. He turned Niko, then he kissed him—deep and filthy, not caring who was watching.

  “Are we rich enough to buy a house with a private beach so I can fuck you in the water like this?” Sam growled against his mouth.

  Niko laughed. “Babe, trust me, you don’t want the sand burn.”

  Letting out a small sigh, he pressed his forehead to Niko’s. “I just…this feels…”

  “Big,” Niko murmured, finishing his thought. “And real.”

  Sam cupped his cheek. “It’s always felt real with you. From the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  Niko laughed. “Right.”

  Sam felt a blush burning down the back of his neck, because he would always have those moments of regret with Niko. How he’d pushed him away, how he’d fought against every instinct and every quiet voice telling him that this thing with Niko was something right, and something good.

  He’d do his best to make up for it now, to spend every second he had with Niko treating him like something rare and precious—because he was. He moved his hands to curl around Niko’s back, then leaned against him. Their bodies bobbed with the water, the ocean lighter than any pool, and Sam felt weightless.

  “Is this hurting your knee?”

  “No,” Niko murmured, nosing against the side of Sam’s head. He traced his parted lips around Sam’s ear. “And I wouldn’t care if it did.”

  “I would,” Sam said, and turned toward him again. Niko was shorter by a couple inches, and he liked it, those rare moments Niko had to look up at him. “I have plans for us tonight that involve you not being in pain. Well…not the bad kind.”

  Niko shuddered even as he smiled. He looked coy for a second, and Sam was so fucking turned on. “I hope our room is ready soon.”

  “Me too.” Sam kissed him again, and then let Niko slowly maneuver them back to the chair.

  They arrived at their cabana to find the food and drinks and a text alert about their room waiting, and they spent a few minutes drying off before Sam transferred to the lounger and picked up his beer. It was warmer than usual, but there was a bucket of ice between them, and he took a long pull before nestling it down to get cool.

  Niko immediately dug into the plate of street tacos, and Sam stared down between his feet at the fine grains of pale white sand. He leaned forward to drag his hand through them, to feel the coarse bits of broken shells buried just below the surface, and it made him smile.

  “We need to take May on a vacation like this soon.”

  “Yes,” Niko said, sounding eager. “God, she’d love it. We could build sandcastles and shit. I could teach her to boogie board.”

  Sam felt a protective wave of fear at his daughter in the ocean, but it was instantly soothed knowing she’d be in Niko’s hands. “Let’s plan one, yeah? Next summer?”

  “Yes,” Niko said. He set his food down and stood up from his lounger, crossing over to Sam’s. Placing one knee between Sam’s thighs, he leaned in and grabbed him at the waist. “I’m gonna make out with you right now.”

  Sam laughed, but he pushed his hands into the lounger and shuffled back, as Niko grabbed one leg behind the knee and hiked it up, making room for his wide hips. The lounger creaked under their combined weight, but Sam didn’t care. It was impossible to care with Niko pressing into him, their chests a little tacky from salt water, the sand coarse as they rubbed together.

  Niko’s mouth devoured his, open and warm, tasting like cilantro and cumin and beer. The towel beneath his back was rough, and the feel of it kept him grounded as Niko drove him toward the edge. A groan escaped him, and it was grateful it was muffled against Niko’s tongue.

  “We have to stop,” Sam said, pushing him away carefully. “I want you, and I’m too close.”

  Niko’s breathing was a little rough as he pressed his forehead into Sam’s and nodded. “Yeah. Yes.”

  Sam felt where Niko’s hand pressed to his chest, then the way the sensation slowly faded as his hand dipped below his injury line. He could feel the pressure of Niko on his legs though, and he wrapped his arms around him, keeping him tight.

  “Take me upstairs.”

  Niko nodded again, kissing him once more before he pushed back up. It was easy to give up a beachside lounger, food, and booze for the privacy of their own space and the knowledge that he could take Niko apart, piece by piece.

  Niko was wild with desire, but he managed to keep it under control as they got back to the pool and grabbed Sam’s chair from the concierge. The sand chair was nice, but he could tell his husband was relieved to take control of his mobility back. He took the lead, heading up the ramps toward the lobby, and Niko held the door and then followed him to the desk to finish checking in.

  Their room was on the ground floor, the casitas off the side of the pool with a beach view—and they were promised a hot tub with a privacy wall which Niko was looking forward to. More than that, though, he wanted a shower and then he wanted to lay out on the bed and let Sam make him come. He could sense what Sam was thinking—he could sense the rare mood when Sam wanted to possess, and Niko was all for it. More than that, he needed it.

  The wedding was only a few days before, but it had been hectic for months leading up to the ceremony, and the days after felt surreal. They hadn’t had time with each other—not really. It had been one thing after another, and even the check-in had been just this side of hysterical.

  He needed the quiet, he needed the release. He needed Sam to give it to him.

  They said very little as they made their way along the asphalt path toward the row of cottages, and Niko used the key to swipe the door open. It swung inward, heavy but without a lot of push back, and Sam rolled in first, Niko just behind. The place was everything the hotel had promised. The sitting room had a sofa, a desk, a mini-fridge and microwave. There was a sliding door that led to a small patio, and the hot tub was covered and sitting under the awning. The walls were high above his own head, and while they probably couldn’t fuck out there, he was pretty sure clothing could be optional.

  “The bed’s high,” came Sam’s voice from the bedroom doorway.

  Niko walked over and sighed a little at the sight of it. It was a king, raised onto a platform. Not impossible, but wouldn’t offer a smooth transition, and Sam had decided against trying to check his transfer bar on the plane.

  “Want me to call them? I’m not sure if all the beds are this tall,” Niko said.

  Sam shook his head, glancing behind him. “You’ll just have to help me out.”

  As though Niko minded any excuse to get his hands on his husband’s body. He shared a little bit of a wolfish grin with the man, then peered into the bathroom and found the roll-in shower and plenty of handles on the walls.

  “They did well,” Sam said after a beat. Niko turned to find his husband smiling. “This is…you…thank you.”

  Niko walked over, bracing his hands on Sam’s shoulders as Sam set the brake on his chair. It was easy to drape his legs over the wheels, to not give a shit about the pinch as he ground himself down against Sam. “Babe,” he whispered right before Sam got a hand around the back of his head and crashed their mouths together.

  Niko didn’t hold back his moans this time, and neither did Sam. He felt punch-drunk and dizzy with lust, and his cock was painfully hard. “We need to shower,” Niko told him once he got some of his breath back. “I think I have sand in my butt crack.”

  Sam snorted, then let out a full, deep chested laugh, taking Niko by the chin and kissing him once more. “Fine. Go get it started and I’ll get my shit from the bag.”

  Niko didn’t need any more
prompting, strolling into the bathroom as he stripped out of his trunks. Sand piled on the floor in small, wet clumps, and the back of his balls felt a little abraded, but it was hard to care when all he had to do was close his eyes to relive standing in the waves with his husband.

  His husband—god, that feeling was overwhelming in the best way.

  He reached around the curtain and started the water, adjusting it until he was happy, then he flipped the wooden bench down and turned to find towels. Sam came in a moment later, moving to the toilet to pull out his catheter, and Niko took the soap from the counter and stepped under the spray of water.

  “Give me a hand, babe?” Sam asked.

  Niko pulled the curtain back and found Sam naked, bracing himself on the metal bar along the wall. Niko offered his arms out, and he twisted until Sam’s ass met the bench, and then he stepped back and allowed himself to drink his fill of the man under the water with him.

  Sam was as gorgeous as the day Niko set eyes on him. Even then—when he knew he should—he couldn’t feel guilty for how much he wanted. He owed everything to his bad date with Derek, because that moment had given him this.

  It was well fought and hard won, and now they were married. Niko wanted to drop to his knees and thank whatever was responsible for creation because it meant he would have this—for however long they were allowed.

  For now, he’d let himself think it was forever.

  “Hand me the sprayer,” Sam asked, his voice rough, and Niko had a feeling he knew what his husband was thinking. It was a task, keeping their hands to themselves, but Niko made good work of the wash cloths and soaps, and Sam was careful with the firm spray, and together they washed the traces of beach from their bodies.

  “Bed after this?” Niko asked. His eyes trailed to where Sam was growing hard between his legs, and he licked his lips.