Page 37 of Free Wind (Lifeguards of Barking Beach #2)

As Damo slurred a question around his toothbrush from the door of the bathroom, white paste frothing in the corner of his mouth, Blake’s heart swelled.

Hair wet and curly from a shower and only wearing his boxers covered in sharks, Damo had one bare foot propped on his shin and a shoulder against the doorframe.

It was so wonderfully domestic. Blake had to remind himself to slow down while he strained to leap full speed ahead.

Damo was watching him, clearly waiting for a response. Blake asked, “Sorry, what was that?” He peeled off his tee to hop in the shower himself.

After turning to spit in the sink, Damo said—much more clearly—“D’ya get seasick?”

“Oh! Tash mentioned that the tour operators said to take ginger tablets tonight and in the morning. She bought us a box.” He fished it out of the bag from the chemist. “I’m not prone to it but apparently it gets rough out there.”

“Don’t think I’ve ever been seasick, but can’t hurt.” Damo popped a couple of the tablets.

After Blake swallowed his down with a gulp of water, he said, “Nice undies, by the way.”

Hand on hip, Damo struck a pose. “Pressie from my sister.” His smile vanished, and he grabbed his phone, muttering, “What time is it? Let me just text her.”

He tapped out a message, then waited, fingering the purple cord around his neck while watching the screen with a furrow between his brows.

“Everything okay?” Blake asked. He stripped off and waited.

“Yep!” Damo answered too brightly. Then something appeared on his screen that had him visibly relaxing.

What was the deal with his family? In the shower, Blake puzzled over it. Maybe Kat would know. He was overdue answering their latest teasing texts, but it didn’t seem right to ask behind Damo’s back…

Towel around his hips, he watched Damo through the open bathroom door. Damo wandered the room, skirting the two double beds, texting with someone and smiling to himself.

The room was average—white walls with a few generic beach prints, blue bedspreads, hideous brown carpet, old wood dresser with small TV on top.

Blake asked, “All good?”

“Yep,” Damo answered genuinely. His whole body tensed when he wasn’t being honest, that loose, easy vibe disappearing. With a smile, he glanced up—then his gaze caught on Blake’s wet chest. Adam’s apple bobbing, Damo said, “Uh-huh.”

“I didn’t say anything else.” Blake bit his lip to keep from laughing.

Damo’s eyes swept up and down Blake again. “Huh?”

“I’m sorry, am I distracting you?” He fingered the knot in the side of the towel.

With that glorious crooked grin, Damo muttered, “Diabolical.” His gaze flicked to the beds, then back to Blake, then back to the beds. “Is it… We’re going to sleep in one together?”

It wasn’t what Blake had expected him to ask, and he paused. “Yeah, unless you don’t want to? We can sleep separately. No pressure.”

“No, I want to!” An adorable blush climbed Damo’s bare chest. He fiddled with plugging in his phone on the side table between the beds. “You’re going to laugh.”

“I won’t. What is it?”

Damo rolled his eyes, though seemingly at himself. “Just not used to sleeping with someone the whole night. Only done it once, and—” He snapped his mouth shut. “Not used to it, like I said. I know, it’s pathetic.”

Blake came around between the beds and sat on one. He wanted to take Damo’s hand, but was that too much? “I’m not laughing. There’s nothing wrong with that.” He was dying to know why but waited.

Still standing between the beds, Damo fidgeted. “I haven’t actually been away from home for a night since I was a kid.”

“Okay.” Blake wanted to beg Damo to just tell him what he was hiding so he could help. “Why is that?”

“It’s just my family.”

“Are your parents…strict?” It seemed odd given Damo was twenty-two and worked full time. And he’d never mentioned anything at all about being religious.

“Nah, nothing like that.” Damo crossed his arms over his bare chest.

“You can tell me,” Blake murmured. “Whatever it is.”

“It’s not, like, some deep dark secret.” Damo scoffed. “Except I guess it is because I made it that way. I should just bloody tell ya already.”

“I’m listening.”

Exhaling loudly, Damo sat heavily on the side of the opposite bed.

Their knees were almost touching, but not quite.

“It’s not bad. My old man’s not a serial killer or anything.

But I’ve always kept it separate. And the one time I didn’t with my ex-girlfriend, it…

Well, it went to shit. Wasn’t her fault, but after that, it was easier to keep home in its own box.

I didn’t want to talk about it. Eventually, people stopped asking, and it was easier to keep going that way. ”

“Okay.” Blake’s mind raced trying to figure out what it could be.

Damo fingered the purple cord around his neck, his gaze down. “I just wanted to keep you to myself for a bit.” He motioned to the room. “I wanted to escape with you.”

Blake ached to smooth away Damo’s frown and keep him safe and happy. “I’m all yours. I understand having family stuff.” He laughed thinly. “I brought you back to my place and interrupted us to text my mum.”

Who can’t even bear to say the word “gay” out loud.

Damo’s eyes met his. “But that’s how I knew you were…

I dunno. That I could trust you. And I do.

” In a rush, he went on. “My dad had an accident at work when I was fifteen. He was a brickie, and he fell off a ladder. It was bad. Broken back and other bones. Worst was that he hit his head, though. Never been the same.”

“God. I’m so sorry.” Blake did reach for Damo’s hand now, relieved when Damo gripped his fingers.

Foot tapping, Damo tried to smile, his eyes flicking around the room again.

“Mum’s a nurse, and she works a lot of hours.

Dad’s disability payments are nothing compared to what he used to make.

I have to stay close to home to help out.

Not just with money. Tabby shouldn’t have to deal with Dad, but she does these days.

She insists she’s not a kid, but she is.

I should’ve pushed back harder. Kept her away from it. ”

“It’s not your fault.”

Damo didn’t respond to that, instead saying, “He should have had a safety line on, but you know blokes like my dad. I mean, you don’t know him, but…”

“I know what you mean. I grew up with plenty of them.”

“At first, we were just thrilled he was alive. I figured he’d be back to normal in no time. My dad was tough. He’d barely ever had a cold. ’Course he’d be right. But he just wasn’t himself anymore. Wasn’t Dad.”

“Mm,” Blake murmured, waiting patiently for Damo to find the words.

“Not that anyone who’d gone through that hell would be the same.

Still, I kept waiting. I’d wake up and think: Maybe today’s the day Dad’ll get up without Mum’s help.

Maybe it’s the day he’ll laugh again. Smile.

Anything. It was because of the TBI. ‘Traumatic brain injury.’ I’m sure you’ve heard of that. Duh, obviously.”

Damo crossed and uncrossed his legs. “The doc called it ‘emotional lability.’ I remember looking it up on my phone and reading as much as I could about it. It just means mood swings, pretty much. But there’s all this other stuff too.

Aggression, inflexibility.” He spoke like he was quoting a textbook.

“Obsessive and egocentric behavior. All these words Google spewed up. What they mean is he acts like a fucking prick.”

Before Blake could repeat that he was so, so sorry, Damo’s eyes glittered with tears and he exclaimed, “And I know it’s not his fault! I know it. But he left us. He should’ve fought for his family. He should’ve worn the bloody safety harness! I’m so mad at him.”

Blake squeezed his hand. “I would be too. It’s not your fault. It’s totally understandable.”

Adam’s apple bobbing, Damo said thickly, “I should’ve told you. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. This isn’t about me.”

“Still should’ve told you. I don’t even know what I was afraid of. I kept it separate for so many years. It became this secret, and I’m not even sure why.”

“It’s out now. It’s okay. It’s not a secret now.” Relief that Damo had trusted him with the truth flowed like honey in Blake’s veins. “I can help. You have so much to worry about at home. Way more than I realized. I’m here for you. You’ve done your best.”

Damo’s eyes met his. “You can’t know that.” He swiped his eyes.

“I can.” Blake stroked Damo’s white knuckles with his thumb.

“I see you help people every day at Barking. Even from a distance, I could tell how sweet and generous and brave you are. You risk your life to rescue others, and then you talk to them and make them feel better. Make them laugh and smile when they’re clearly embarrassed or afraid.

That’s why I was drawn to you. It wasn’t just that you’re gorgeous. ”

Damo rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stop from smiling. “Am not,” he mumbled, and Blake wanted to kiss him senseless.

“Are too. That day I got up the nerve to ask you out, I just couldn’t resist. I had to know you.”

After ducking his head and squirming, Damo looked up with a beaming smile. “Glad you did. Not just because you’re gorgeous. Though you are. Because you said you’d take care of me. And you have.”

Clutching Damo’s hands, Blake vowed, “I will. I promise.”

Damo lunged forward and kissed him, their mouths opening and hands tangling in each other’s hair, knees knocking.

Blake wanted to climb inside him and hold him safe and close forever.

Damo’s trust was such an incredible gift.

It made him feel so damn good about himself. He vowed to earn it every day.

Breathing hard, Damo broke the kiss. “Can we stop talkin’ about it now?”

“Uh-huh.” Blake had so many questions, but they could wait. “Are you sure you’re good sleeping together? I don’t mean fucking. Just the sleeping part, since you’re not used to it.”

Damo wiped his wet lips. “Yeah. I want to sleep with you.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “And I do want you to fuck me, but could we just sleep tonight?”

“Of course.” He forced his hands away from Damo’s thighs. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

“Let’s not get carried away!” Damo laughed, grabbing Blake’s hands. “Not gonna waste a whole night alone.”

Blake slowly stroked Damo’s knuckles with his thumbs. “We’ll have more. Lots more.”

For some reason, this made Damo blush prettily.

Then he said, “Still, we’re here, and I don’t want to think about home anymore tonight.

I wanna sleep with you. In the same bed.

All night. And mess around. Maybe not, like, all the way, but, you know.

” His gaze dropped. “Have I mentioned I want to lick your nipples pretty much constantly?”

Blake leaned back, pulling Damo on top of him and threading his fingers through his damp hair. “My nipples are all yours.”