Page 60 of Hooked On Him

I’ve grown up on the island, and I’ve lived by the sea my whole life. But there’s never a time I won’t stop and be in awe of the beauty that is Newfoundland.

“Wow.” I breathe.

“Beautiful, right? It’s one of my favorite places to go. It’s a private beach, so hardly anyone comes up here. So we should have the place to ourselves.”

“Are we allowed to be here then?” I ask.

“Yup.” He grins over his shoulder as he starts down another path. At least this one is downhill and not uphill. “My coach owns it.”

I start after him, taking a drink from my bottle as I do.

He holds his hand out when we get to the trickier parts of the path. “Thanks.”

He winks, helping me before letting my hand go and guiding me further.

When we get to the beach, I’m smiling widely. No sand. Only rocks. So many pretty rocks.

“Oh my god.” I rush forward, my eyes darting around, trying to figure out what I want to look at first. I bend down and pick upa jet black rock. “So pretty.” Then I see a red one with dots. “Oh, this one too.”

Austin chuckles as I rush around the beach like a chicken with my head cut off. I stop, shame filling me as I turn to him with heated cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

His smile falls, and he frowns. “What on earth do you have to be sorry for?”

“I.. Ah.” I throw the rocks back on the ground. “It’s nothing. Let’s walk.”

Austin comes over and bends down, picking up the rocks I just dropped. “Why did you throw them away? You clearly liked them. Keep them.” He takes my hand and places the rocks in my palm before curling my fingers around them.

“You don’t think it’s childish?”

“Think what is childish?” He looks confused.

I blink. Not sure if I want to smile or cry. “Collecting rocks,” I whisper.

“What? No,” he snorts. “There’s some pretty cool things to find on the beach. It’s why I wanted to bring you here. I always hunt for sea glass. I have a jar at home full of it.”

“Really?” My eyes light up, happiness fluttering in. “Me too.”

Austin steps forward, a soft, concerned look on his face as he cups mine. “Levi, baby. Why did you get so scared that I would be upset about collecting rocks?”

I lick my lips, hating how vulnerable I feel right now. Yet, as I look up in Austin’s eyes, I feel safe opening up to him. To tell him things about myself.

“My ex.” I swallow hard. “He thought it was stupid. Childish. He found my collection when we were dating and made fun of me.” I try to look away, but Austin doesn’t let me.

“Fuck that guy,” he growls. He’s angry. Not at me. But for me. And why does it make my cock want to say hello?

“I’d rather not.” I try for a joke.

We both pause for a moment before laughing. “No. Never again.” He agrees. “But really, Levi, he was wrong. There’s nothing wrong with collecting things. Nothing childish about it. Rocks are no different than collecting baseball cards, coins, or video games. The list goes on. All that matters is you’re happy doing it.”

“Austin.” Tears sting my eyes as I look up at this man. This kind, sweet man. I don’t deserve his friendship. Or the way he cares about me. But I don’t think I could walk away from it. I think we’re past that point now.

“No crying.” He smiles, brushing the fallen tear from my eye. “We gotta take advantage of all the sunlight we have. Now, take one of these.” He steps back and reaches into the backpack he brought and pulls out a jar. “And fill it up.”

I take it from him, smiling like an idiot.

He pulls another one out before putting the backpack on again.