Page 19 of Adonis (Salt and Starlight #1)

Connor woke to a pat on the shoulder. He rolled over, squinting at the figure bent over the bed. He just about made out Laurence’s slim shoulders.

“Laurence?”

he asked tiredly. He’d been in the middle of a dream and grogginess clung to his body and mind. Two days after his exhausting time with Adonis and he hadn’t fully recovered. Despite checking the dock regularly and sitting out during the day for the past two days, Adonis hadn’t shown up. Connor had trouble falling asleep, worrying about when he’d see him again.

“Can we sneak out now?”

Laurence whispered to him.

“Sneak out?”

“Before Nick wakes up and stops me from going,”

Laurence elaborated.

Connor’s mind caught up. They’d packed the car last night, securing the surfing boards to the top of Trevor’s car, and they had a cooler ready to be stocked up by the front door and wrapped sandwiches in the fridge. “Yeah,”

Connor croaked. He rolled onto his side and covered his head with the blanket.

“Connor,”

Laurence whined. The bed dipped down as he crawled onto it. “Come on, Nick will be really annoying if he comes. He’ll spend the entire time being mean to you.”

“I’m tired,”

Connor grumbled.

“You spent the whole day yesterday reading on the dock. You’ll be full of energy the second you get out of bed,”

Laurence said. “And I have tea ready for you. Everything’s in the car; we just need to head out. Don’t go back to sleep.”

As if Connor could with Laurence chattering in his ear. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He sighed. “What time is it?”

“…Morning time.”

“Laurence…”

“It’s a little after five.”

“Laurence.”

Connor groaned. “Why do we have to go this early?”

“Please? I couldn’t sleep I was so excited.”

“It’s just surfing.”

“I’ve never been surfing,”

Laurence said.

Connor groaned again. He rolled onto his back, rubbed his face, and brushed his fingertips over the bite mark on his shoulder. It had become a habit to touch the marks. Especially since a spark of warmth spread over his skin whenever he did. A pleasant feeling radiated along his shoulder as he rubbed it now.

“Okay, I’m getting up now,”

Connor said, his mood suddenly lifted.

“Yes!”

Laurence said happily. “I’ll wait downstairs while you change.”

Connor dragged himself out of bed, examining the dark sea outside. There was only dim light in the sky, but soon enough, maybe thirty minutes, they should be able to see. Connor took the time to brush his teeth before going down the stairs. He found Laurence and Trevor both in the kitchen.

Trevor cast Connor an apologetic look as he walked into the kitchen. “I’m sorry, Connor. I tried to stop him. He snuck up while I was in the bathroom.”

“Brat,”

Connor said.

Laurence beamed a smile his way.

“If you two need anything, call me,”

Trevor said.

Laurence approached Connor, handing him a takeaway mug. Connor sipped the hot tea.

“And Laurence, remember, you’re to do everything Connor tells you, okay?”

Laurence nodded.

Connor yawned as he got into the driver’s seat. Laurence practically skipped around to the passenger door. Once he got in, he cast Connor an embarrassed look. “I’m sorry for getting you up so early.”

“No, you’re not,”

Connor said. He started the engine and drove slowly down the muddy driveway.

“Um… I’m sorry that you’re not happy about getting up early?”

Laurence tried again.

Connor tried unsuccessfully not to smile. “Look,”

he said, trying to cover up his amusement. “I will forgive you this once, but we’re not going to stay friends if you make a habit of waking me up at five a.m. Alright?”

“Okay. Just this once,”

Laurence agreed.

Connor wouldn’t admit that he found Laurence cute. He suspected Laurence would repeat this type of behaviour if he knew that Connor wouldn’t stay mad at him for it. “You mentioned this is the first time you’ve been surfing?”

Laurence nodded.

“How about swimming?”

“I can… float. I mean, I can swim, just it’s not proper swimming strokes or anything. I’ve never learned with an instructor or had lessons.”

Connor nodded. “We won’t be going out past our depth, anyway.”

“How did you learn to surf? Did you do lessons?”

“Trial and error,”

Connor said. “Dad bought me the surfing boards when I was twelve; the smaller one is the beginner one, it has a lot of foam in it, and it’s soft, so… even if you wipe out, it won’t hurt too much to get hit by it.”

The sky was bright when they got to the beach. Shockingly, at half five in the morning, the beach was deserted. Connor surveyed the waves, watching the size of the breaks as they came in. They were small, with the occasional big one thrown in, but that was fine. It would help Laurence learn and get used to it.

“Just so you know, it took me weeks to stand up for more than a few seconds,”

Connor said to Laurence as they untied the boards from the roof of the car. “Don’t be disappointed if you can’t do it right away. And don’t expect miracles.”

“Can we come out again?”

Laurence asked.

“Not at five a.m. But yeah, if you like it,”

Connor said. He took the heavier board and walked down the sand path to the beach. It took two trips to get everything carried down. When they changed into their wetsuits, Connor moved quickly, turning away from Laurence so he wouldn’t spot any bite marks on his skin.

Connor demonstrated catching a wave and the pop-up several times on the sand with Laurence before they headed into the water. Laurence took several minutes to get past his knees, freezing up whenever a wave washed over him.

“How are you not cold?”

Laurence demanded as Connor walked in normally.

“You’ll get used to it.”

Connor shrugged. He was cold, but he knew going in slowly made it worse. Connor set his board into the water and paddled out. Once deep enough, he turned his board around and waited for one of the bigger waves. He caught it without difficulties, muscle memory taking over as he rode the wave inland.

Laurence watched him closely.

It was an hour before Laurence caught waves regularly, and he had several wipeouts as he tried to stand up. Connor worried at some of them, but Laurence reassured him each time that he was fine and waded straight back out to catch another wave and try again.

Connor watched, sitting on his board, as Laurence caught a larger wave, and the nose of his surfboard went down under his weight that shifted too far forward as he tried to stand.

“Crap,”

Connor said, immediately paddling as Laurence fell head over heels into the water, and his board flew up in the air behind him, crashing back down on him. It may be foam, but it was still heavy. And Connor knew from experience that getting hit by the board sometimes made you take in a surprised breath of seawater right into your lungs.

Hardly a second later, Laurence popped up from the water, half hitting the board as if he’d been thrown against it. Connor stilled, heart in his mouth as he spotted the dark shadow that circled Laurence.

Laurence blinked a few times and looked around himself, dazed. He caught sight of Connor, looking confused. “I swear someone grabbed me just now,”

he said. He looked around himself in the water; Connor saw the moment he spotted the dark shape. His face whitened.

“Climb up on the board, no splashing,”

Connor instructed. He drew his own legs out of the water and waded on his knees toward Laurence. He couldn’t tell what the dark shape was, not until he got closer, and it dipped around his board, and Connor glimpsed the human top to it. He exhaled in relief.

Adonis suddenly broke the surface of the water; he threw his arms around Connor’s waist and pressed his cheek affectionately to his thigh. He hummed a soft sound, like a cat’s purr, and gazed up at Connor with dark eyes.

Connor’s heart stirred at the affectionate greeting. He reached out to pet his hair. “Good to see you, too,”

he said. His worry about Adonis’s absence from the dock dissipated. He’d feared that maybe he wouldn’t see Adonis again, that he’d somehow vanished, and Connor would never know where or why he had gone.

“Um. Connor,”

Laurence said, his voice strangled.

Ah.

Laurence was staring at Adonis. The water was clear enough that Adonis’s bottom half was visible. He saw the gears in Laurence’s mind ticking, trying to figure out the trick.

Adonis looked at Laurence, running an affectionate hand up Connor’s side. With the other one, he pointed at Laurence and gestured from him to the water and then at himself and the board.

Connor rolled his eyes. “Yes, you helped him. Good job.”

Adonis’s expression brightened. He returned to rubbing his cheek against Connor’s leg, making that purring sound. The vibration felt good against his leg. Connor wanted to ask had he missed him, but Laurence was listening.

Laurence waded closer to them. He looked curiously at Adonis, and then he examined the way Adonis held onto Connor. “Is he your friend?”

“That’s your question?”

Connor asked, a touch amused. “Not ‘what is he?’”

“I was going to get to that…”

Laurence trailed off as he stared at Adonis in wonder. Adonis cast him a curious look but seemed more interested in hugging Connor. Guilty pleasure curled in Connor’s stomach that Adonis was favouring him. He reached out, running his fingers through Adonis’s wet hair, and lightly dragged his fingertips against his scalp. Adonis shivered, tightening his grip on Connor.

“What is he?”

Laurence asked.

“No idea.”

“No—”

Laurence scoffed. He gestured to Adonis. “You obviously know each other.”

“That doesn’t mean I know what he is,”

Connor said.

“He has a giant tail.”

“He does.”

Adonis shifted, lifting the end of his tail out of the water and flapping the large tail fin. Showing off. Laurence went silent, staring. “That’s real. That’s a real tail. Holy crap. Connor, how can you be friends with a merman and not tell anybody?!”

“You’re not to tell anyone either,”

Connor said. Protectiveness filling him as he imagined if people knew about Adonis. If people flocked to the shores trying to find him. And, undoubtedly, there would be people trying to catch him. “I don’t want anybody fishing for him, okay?”

“Oh. Yeah, that would be bad,”

Laurence said. He stared at Adonis. “He’s very attached to you.”

Adonis pointedly rubbed his cheek against Connor’s thigh and pointed out to Laurence that Connor had his hand in his hair.

Laurence’s eyes widened. “You can understand me!”

Adonis snorted. That haughty expression he got sometimes filled his features, like he was dealing with someone stupid.

Connor pulled at Adonis’s hair, getting his attention. “Be nice to Laurence,”

he warned.

“I don’t mind,”

Laurence said. “Oh god, this is the coolest thing ever. No wonder you spend so much time in the water.”

Laurence took some time to observe Adonis.

Connor glanced at the empty beach and nodded to Laurence. “Do you want to keep surfing? Are you… comfortable, still?”

“Comfortable? Oh, because… do you have a name?”

Laurence asked.

“I’ve been calling him Adonis.”

“Adonis,”

Laurence repeated with a grin. “It suits you.”

Adonis raised his chin proudly.

“I’m comfortable,”

Laurence said after a moment of thought. “I mean, he’s obviously friendly, and you know him… plus, he did help me just now, didn’t he?”

Connor tugged at Adonis’s arm. “I’m going back out. Can you let go of me?”

Adonis averted his eyes and grunted, tightening his grip on him.

Connor snorted. “Back out toward the water, Adonis.”

Adonis regarded him suspiciously but slowly released him. He sank back in the water, keeping a narrow-eyed look on him like he expected Connor to suddenly make a break for the shore.

“He’s handsome, isn’t he?”

Laurence said. He cast a final glance Adonis’s way before he turned his board and paddled. Connor joined Laurence, and Adonis’s expression brightened as they headed away from the beach.

“Yeah,”

Connor agreed. Adonis’s looks were otherworldly; handsome seemed far too simple a word to describe him.

“Do you see his gills? Under his jaw?”

“Yeah.”

“I know I can’t tell anyone—but do you think he’d mind if I drew him?”

Laurence asked.

“You didn’t bring a sketchbook, did you?”

“No… but next time, I will.”

Next time. Connor let out an amused breath. “I’m sure he’ll only be happy to be admired. This is the first time I’ve seen him willingly show himself in front of anyone else. He hides from your dad and anyone else that shows up when he’s around.”

“He’s been at our house?”

Laurence asked, aghast.

“He’s followed me in the last few days that I’ve been out on the board,”

Connor confirmed. A part of him liked that he got to share Adonis with someone else, the wonder of him. And another part was reluctant. The reluctance made him realise he liked being the only one who knew about Adonis. It made him feel special.

Laurence attempted a few more waves. Adonis watched, floating next to Connor in the water, and as Laurence waded back out to them, Adonis made a show of snorting, getting their attention. He then splashed his arms in the water before falling dramatically beneath the waves and coming up, splashing his arms about.

Laurence stared at Adonis, mouth open in shock.

“Adonis,”

Connor hissed.

“He’s mocking me!”

“He’s not,”

Connor said quickly, not wanting Laurence to get upset. But… Adonis clearly had been mocking Laurence. “He mocks me, too, okay? When I’m using the paddle board. He can be an asshole.”

He shot Adonis a glare.

Adonis sank until only his eyes were above the water, casting Connor a look of trepidation. Clearly, he remembered that he’d made Connor angry last time because he approached him, cooing an apology as he pressed his cheek to Connor’s knee.

Laurence bit his lip. Connor’s worry dissolved when he realised it was a smile he was fighting, not tears.

Connor glanced down at Adonis, who gazed up at him, an apology in his eyes. “It’s Laurence you should say sorry to,”

Connor said, not giving in to pet his hair. Adonis whined, his hand slipping up Connor’s thigh, to between his legs.

Connor jolted, remembering where Adonis’s apology had led last time. His cock remembered, too, twitching in the confines of his wetsuit. He grabbed Adonis’s wrist, his head jerking toward Laurence. Luckily, he was facing away from them, lying on the board as he paddled to catch another wave.