Page 12 of Free Wind (Lifeguards of Barking Beach #2)

Damo’s hair was stuck to Blake’s sweaty neck, but he didn’t brush it away.

The surfer of his dreams was naked in his arms, and Blake wasn’t letting go if he could help it.

They stood on the rug, and he was keen to shuffle them into the bedroom.

But he was afraid if he did, the spell would be broken and Damo would make a break for it.

Not that there was any indication at the moment that he wanted to run. He clung to Blake, his fingers stroking the sheer fabric of Blake’s new shirt.

Blake hadn’t been with someone inexperienced since uni—though he wasn’t complaining. The satisfaction in giving Damo pleasure ran shockingly deep. It was so much more than orgasms—which had been spectacular.

Damo had needed him, and Blake was proud to be able to help. Making Damo feel good—showing him how much Blake wanted him, allaying his fear—had been such a turn-on.

At Barking, Damo came across as confident and supremely chill. But he’d been undeniably nervous earlier. Blake stroked his shoulder now, loving the way Damo leaned into his side. Forget the fantasy—this was so much better. Blake wanted to tuck him into bed and make him breakfast in the morning.

He murmured, “Thank you.”

Damo lifted his head. “For what?”

“For showing up tonight.” Blake ran his fingertip over the swell of Damo’s bottom lip. “For being brave.” The bedroom might be too much, so he urged Damo toward the couch and sat beside him, his arm tight around Damo’s shoulders, their naked thighs pressed together.

Damo looked down, seemingly at their spent cocks. He laughed giddily. “Can’t believe I just did that.”

“And you did it so well.” Blake grinned.

An adorable pink flushed Damo’s face. “Did I?”

“Yes.”

“How good’s that.” He beamed, and a wave of tenderness washed through Blake as Damo asked, “Did you… When you asked me out, how did you know I’d be into this?”

“I didn’t. Not for sure. Kat was convinced you were into blokes—”

Damo stiffened. “What? Are they—how? They’re not gonna tell anyone, right?”

That stung, but Blake forced a smile. “No. Of course not.”

Damo’s shoulders lowered. “It’s not that I’m—I just… Thought I was hiding it better.”

“Do you want to hide it?”

Brow furrowed, he said, “I don’t know?”

“It’s okay not to know right this minute.” Blake stroked Damo’s collarbone with his thumb. “But Kat suggested asking you to Rodeo, and I figured, nothing ventured…”

“So you seduced me with your guyliner and nipples.”

Laughter warmed his chest. “Apparently. I decided if you did a runner because of how I looked, we weren’t going to be friends after all. Glad you didn’t sneer at me in disgust and call me a name. It would have sucked if my fantasy man had turned out to be a dickhead.”

Damo scoffed incredulously. “I don’t think I’ve ever been anyone’s fantasy. You’re going to be disappointed when I let a juicy fart rip.”

He laughed. “You’ve got quite a way with words.”

“I try.” Damo’s grin faded. “Has that happened before? Blokes called you names and shit?”

“Not too often, but a few times. I usually only dress up to go dancing. One time, I met someone on an app when I was in the cab going home, and I got the driver to take me to the guy’s place.

He slammed the door in my face after a few…

comments. There are those macho guys who hate anything slightly femme. ‘Straight-acting’ all the way.”

Damo wrinkled his nose. “They sound like arseholes.”

“Yup.”

After a few moments of silence, Damo said, “It’s weird that this doesn’t feel weird. Not bad-weird. Good-weird. As curious as I was, I didn’t imagine actually, you know.” He flushed. “Putting a dick in my mouth. I mean, I tried with my own in year nine, but I wasn’t flexible enough.”

Blake shook with laughter. This was the most fun he’d had with a hookup in too long. Hopefully not just a hookup. Would Damo want to see him again? Or would he freak out in the light of day?

He’s here now. One step at a time.

He nuzzled Damo’s cheek. “And what did you think? In general. You don’t need to wax poetic about my cock.”

“There once was a bloke from Blinman…”

They laughed, and Blake said, “Limericks of course being the highest form of poetry.”

“Except nothing rhymes with bloody Blinman.” Damo spread his fingers over Blake’s thigh. “I liked it. More than liked. It felt…right. Like, it made sense. Is that mental?”

“Nope. I knew I was gay long before I acted on it, and when I did, it came naturally. Like a hand in a glove.”

“Yes!” Damo nodded excitedly. “I always knew I fancied chicks, but I wasn’t sure about blokes. Now I’m sure.” He frowned. “Does everyone else know already? Did you talk about me with other clubbies too?”

“No, never. Kat just liked to tease me about my crush on you. They insisted you were checking out my arse the other week.”

“Oh, mate.” He rubbed his face ruefully. “Guilty as charged. Can you blame me?”

Blake grinned. “You’re only human.”

“And it’s not that I’m ashamed or anything. Honestly.”

“It’s okay. You get to take more than fifteen minutes to get your head around it.”

“Right. Okay.” His gaze dropped to Blake’s mouth and back up. Then he leaned in and pressed their lips together.

They kissed for a minute, Damo rubbing his sweaty palm up and down Blake’s thigh. He whispered, “I like how hairy you are.”

“Yeah?” His balls were tingling again.

“Never imagined a garbo dressing up like you do. Granted, our bin guy is about sixty and looks like Alf from Home and Away.”

Blake laughed. “Sounds like most of the blokes where I work in Armadale. You know, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a soap fan.”

Damo squirmed. “I’m not, but… Fine. I am.”

“You really aren’t very good at keeping secrets, are you?”

He looked away and squirmed again. “Wouldn’t exactly call that a secret. I watched it with my nan growing up. It’s bloody addictive!”

“I’m sure it is. Is she still around?”

“Nah. Died a few years back. Smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish and said she had zero regrets.”

Blake smiled. “And you said you live at home? What’s the rest of your family like?”

Damo shrugged, dropping his face. “Not much to tell. Mum and Dad and a little sister. Can’t complain.”

Blake nuzzled behind Damo’s ear. He didn’t seem keen to talk about his family, which was fair enough since they were sitting there with their cocks out.

“When did you first try the makeup?” Damo asked.

“Joined the theater club at uni. Played the emcee in Cabaret. Have you seen it?”

“Is that a musical? I saw Wicked when I was a kid. That’s about it.”

Blake grabbed his phone from the table and turned it on. An email notification bubble appeared at the top of the screen from an address he didn’t recognize. He thumbed it away and searched for an image of the emcee and showed it to Damo.

“Whoa. Suspenders and short pants and lots of makeup.” He raked his gaze over Blake. “I can picture it.” He circled one of Blake’s nipples through his sheer shirt.

Blake shivered. “Reckon you’d be a musical fan if you’d seen it?”

“Hundred percent, mate.”

They kissed again, and Blake tossed his phone aside. When he pulled Damo over his lap, Damo moaned, his cock swelling. He pressed his hands against Blake’s chest, caressing through the silky fabric.

“Still can’t believe I’m doin’ this,” Damo whispered.

“We don’t have to.”

“I want to.” He rolled his hips determinedly. “See?”

“Hmm. I feel a little something too.”

“Mate!”

“Sorry! Not little. Huge! Enormous. Monstrous.” Blake squeezed Damo’s cock—which was a perfectly respectable size—then spread his hands over Damo’s wiry, muscular back. He was slim but strong.

“All right, don’t get carried away.”

Through the sheer fabric of Blake’s shirt, Damo played with his nipples. Blake sat back and enjoyed the tingles fluttering over his skin. The shirt was sweat-damp, and Blake wanted Damo’s hands on his bare flesh, so he pulled the material over his head and tossed it.

“Mmm.” Damo eyed Blake’s chest avidly and ran his fingers through the swirls of hair, sending more electric ripples over Blake’s skin right down to his balls. “Dunno why I like your nips so much.” He licked his lips as he circled them again. “Obviously, I love tits.”

“Obviously,” Blake agreed, gasping softly as Damo pinched.

“Tits are so soft. They’re awesome. But I dig that your nipples are smaller. Harder. Hairy.” He leaned down and nipped with his teeth.

Blake arched his spine, his cock getting fully back in the game. “Lick them.”

With a shaky breath, Damo did, ducking his head, his tongue wet and rough and perfect. Blake traced his spine with his fingers. “That’s it.”

Damo licked and sucked and made Blake gasp, both of them breathing hard, Blake twisting Damo’s hair around his fingers.

God, he wanted to push him over the table and fuck him until neither of them could walk.

But not yet. This was Damo’s first time with a man, and Blake hoped they had plenty of time to work up to that.

He couldn’t deny that being Damo’s first bloke was sexy as hell. That Damo had shown up at the club at all, then trusted Blake enough to go home with him and take the leap… It made his heart swell dangerously.

He pulled up Damo’s head for a deep, wet kiss.

It was like surfacing after getting smoked by a wave, the kiss as sweet as that first gulp of air.

He reached between them and pumped their cocks together, swallowing Damo’s little cries, then panting with him in hot gusts as they strained to come again.

Damo was leaking, and Blake thumbed the fluid and used it to slick the way.

“You like this?” Blake asked, indulgently wanting to hear it aloud.

Damo leaned back, his face flushed and lips parted. “It’s all right.” He couldn’t keep a straight face and burst out laughing, his hips still thrusting, their cocks hot and heavy in Blake’s grip. He grimaced. “I need to come again.”

“I’ve got you.”