Page 39 of Free Wind (Lifeguards of Barking Beach #2)

Breathing in the salt air and watching birds ride the air currents calmed him. He added, “The birds are so far out, but they can still get home when they want to. It’s weirdly comforting? Anything’s possible. Everything is.”

When Blake didn’t say anything, Damo turned to find him watching him, Blake’s brown eyes full of—what? Tenderness? Feelings?

Love?

It was so hard to breathe, but Damo managed to ask, “What?”

Blake only smiled and said, “I know exactly what you mean.”

“You sure you don’t want to go to the bar and grab a beer or something?” Damo called. After showering off the day on the boat, he’d climbed naked under the covers in the hotel room. The small lamp beside the bed cast most of the room in shadow.

Through the half-open door to the steamy bathroom, Blake answered, “Don’t want to tempt fate. My stomach finally feels back to normal. Go ahead, though.”

“Nah. I’m good.” Relieved, he settled back against the pillows he’d stacked up. It’d been a long day out on the choppy seas, and now they could relax and maybe…do more than relax?

Damo twisted his hair around his finger as the butterflies flapped in his belly. They were alone and sharing a proper bed, and when would they get the chance again? When—

Bolting up straight, Damo grabbed his phone. Shit. How had he forgotten to check in with Tabby once they’d returned to land? They’d come back and…

And it hadn’t even occurred to him. What the hell was wrong with him?

He scrambled to open his messages. Nothing from Tabs, which loosened his shoulders a fraction. She’d have texted if it’d gone pear-shaped. Of course she would.

Wouldn’t she?

But how had he not texted her? After watching people spew all day, now he was the one feeling sick to his stomach. He tapped out a message and hit send. Waited.

And waited.

“Damo?”

He glanced away from the screen, where bouncing dots meant Tabby was finally replying. “Huh?”

Blake’s voice came from the bathroom. “You right? I asked if you’re sure you don’t want to grab dinner.”

“I’m sweet. We can have a big brekkie tomorrow. I had an extra sausage roll on the boat since most people weren’t eating. And a chicken pesto wrap on the way back.” He barely knew what he was saying and hoped he sounded normal.

The dots bounced, and he jiggled his foot under the blanket. Come on, come on…

Relief whooshed through him as Tabby’s message appeared:

We’re fine. Same old shit. Did you see the whales?

Laughing, Blake called, “You have a cast-iron stomach.”

“Yup.” He quickly replied to Tabby and promised to see her as soon as she got home from school tomorrow.

Then he switched off his phone.

Everything was okay. He’d gone away, and the sky hadn’t fallen. He and Blake had one more night together in this peaceful, faraway bubble, and he wasn’t going to spoil it.

Damo cleared his throat. “So, uh, I was thinking…”

“Hmm?” Blake asked, still out of sight in the bathroom.

“Well, see, I reckon we could—”

Jaw dropping, Damo stared at Blake in the open doorway. Towel slung low around his hips, eyes popping with dark eyeliner, and cherry lippy on his mouth.

Blake arched a brow. “You were saying?”

“You expect me to know words when you’re lookin’ like that?”

Blake bit his lip in a way that was—what was the word? Sexy, yes. Hot as hell. But there was another word…

Coy. That was it!

Blake popped an eyebrow. “You like what you see?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions, mate.” Damo was half-hard, and he hadn’t even touched himself.

Not that he wasn’t attracted to Blake all the time—duh, he totally was—but the makeup reminded him of that first night.

The nerves and excitement and thrill of it all, going to that club alone and finding Blake waiting with makeup and that sheer shirt showing off his nips.

“Did you bring makeup to, to…” Words felt impossible. “Seduce me?”

Trying not to laugh, Blake caressed his nipples and batted his eyes. “Is it working?”

Damo swept off the covers and motioned to his fully hard cock. “Seems like.”

“Mmm.” Blake’s gaze traveled over Damo. “I’d like to say this was all part of a brilliant plan, but I happened to have some makeup in the bottom of my toilet bag and I was in the mood for a bit of glam after feeling shit on the boat.”

“I like it. That you’re not afraid to look…girly. I mean, you don’t! Not in a bad way. It’s just most blokes are…”

“Choking on toxic masculinity?” Blake suggested.

Damo pointed. “That’s it. You’re not afraid. It makes you even more manly.” The confidence was such a turn-on.

Out of words, Damo reached for him eagerly.

Still wearing the towel, Blake straddled him, and they kissed.

The lippy was sweet and a little sticky.

Damo knew it would be all over his face in a minute and didn’t care even a little.

The friction of the towel against his cock had him groaning, and he reached for Blake’s nipples.

“D’ya happen to have lube in that toilet bag?” he asked breathlessly.

Blake sat back, watching Damo carefully, the eyeliner making his eyes incredibly intense and sexy as. “I do.” He traced his fingertips up Damo’s arms and across his collarbones. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinkin’ ya fuck me already.”

“You’re sure? I don’t think I have condoms.”

“Oh, I’m sure. You’re taking those magic pills, right?” Damo joked, then added seriously, “And I know I don’t have anything.” He reached up and swiped at a smear of lippy on Blake’s chin. “I trust you.”

As Damo’s heart tripped, Blake watched him for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, he said with a gravelly voice, “I trust you too.” He bent and caught Damo’s mouth in a long, slow kiss, running his thumb over the purple cord necklace.

His skin on fire and dick so hard it was about to snap off, Damo kissed Blake like his life depended on it. They were going to fuck. Like, properly. He was going to have a cock in his arse, and he just hoped he wouldn’t blow his load before it was even in there.

With their stubble rubbing together, Blake rutted against him with the damn towel still in the way giving even more friction. “God, I want you,” Blake moaned into Damo’s mouth.

Damo gave him a playful shove. “Go on, boy.”

Laughing, Blake hopped up, tossing the towel and disappearing into the bathroom. Stuff clattered as if he’d dumped his toilet bag on the counter, and he returned gripping the small bottle.

He stretched out over Damo fully, heavy and hard—and the sexiest thing ever. “Have you thought about this?” he asked in a low voice that Damo felt right down in his balls.

“Hell, yeah. Especially since that arse business.” He wriggled his legs apart, and they both moaned as their hard shafts rubbed.

“Do you know how you want it?”

Obviously, Damo knew there were different positions, but… “Dunno. How do you want me?”

Adam’s apple bobbing, Blake dived in for another kiss. “Every way I can get,” he mumbled against Damo’s lips. “But I want to see your face the first time.”

Damo nodded. “Yeah. I like that. So, I can just, like…” His legs were wide, but he wasn’t sure exactly what to do next.

After a sweet kiss, Blake shifted back and sat on his heels. He slicked his finger and circled Damo’s hole, watching him closely. He teased and tickled, pushing in and then retreating until Damo’s thighs shook. Blake’s finger felt huge, and Damo was both nervous and excited.

He was completely exposed, and he couldn’t imagine doing anything like it with anyone else. He’d never been this…open before. Not just because his legs were spread.

He blurted, “I reckoned I was pretty good at sex, but mate, I don’t think so.”

Laughing, Blake pushed the tip of his finger inside to the knuckle. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He dropped his gaze, his eyes dark. “I wish you could see your pretty little hole opening for me.”

“Yeah, nah, not that flexible.”

Laughing, Blake leaned over and kissed him again, then started fucking him with his finger, crooking it in just the right spot.

“Fuck! Never thought a finger in my arse could be this good. Not that it was bad before, but holy shit.”

Lips at Damo’s ear, Blake whispered, “I’m going to make it so good for you, baby.”

“I know. Just do it already.” He grasped at Blake’s ribs.

Shoulders shaking with laughter, Blake crooked his finger even deeper. “I will.” His smile faded. “Look how hard you make me.”

The shiny head of Blake’s cock was deep red and wet. Damo brushed the tip with his finger, then sucked the salty drop. “Just think how hard you’ll be stuffed inside me.”

He groaned. “Oh, I have. Trust me.”

“I do.” Damo pushed up on an elbow, desperate to taste. “I trust you.”

Between messy kisses, Blake slicked himself and lifted Damo’s arse, pushing his knees back to his shoulders. “You’re more flexible than you give yourself credit for.”

Damo was laughing when Blake pushed his cock at the tight ring of muscle, and he broke off with a gasp. “Okay, so dicks are a bit bigger than fingers, hey?”

“I’d like to think so.” Blake nuzzled Damo’s cheek. “Breathe. It’s okay. We can go slow.”

“Stuff that. Just get it in me already.”

They laughed and kissed, and Blake still took his bloody time. But soon enough, he was past the tight entrance and pushing all the way in slowly, slowly, slowly until his pubes tickled Damo’s arse.

“Okay?” Blake asked, his brow furrowed.

It took a second to inhale fully, as if Damo’d been pinned under a breaking wave for too long. Then he exhaled with a nod. “Feel like I’m gonna burst.” He grabbed at Blake’s arms. “Like my skin’s on fire. In a good way. Hurts, but…I like it.”

“Do you want me to move?” Blake’s skin was flushed, his muscles tense.

“Yeah. Fuck me proper. I can take it.”

The first real thrust almost made Damo scream. Blake hesitated, but Damo nodded, grasping for his hips with clumsy fingers and urging him on.