Page 20 of Out in the Surf

“…the twelve-foot sets are epic. If we leave at five a.m., we’ll miss traffic and be one of the first ones in the water at sunrise. We have to go tomorrow, though. Are you up for it?” Rex asked conversationally.

I tore my gaze from Luca and replayed Rex’s question in my head. “What? Where?”

“Dude,” he huffed irritably, smacking me upside the head. “Newport, the Wedge, tomorrow. What’s the matter with you? We’ve talked about this. Get over last weekend’s loss and get ready for the next competition.”

Ugh. Side note…I came in third at Pro Com. Second place would have been respectable behind Andy Dugan, but third was…lame. There was no prize money and no glory. I wasn’t surprised I didn’t do well. I hadn’t been prepared.

Now it was early October, and I was thirty grand shy of my goal. I took on a ton of new commissions and private lessons, hoping to shore up the money I needed for a down payment. And at Rex’s insistence, I signed up for the Holiday Classic. Talk about a long shot.

“It’s two months away, Rex.”

“That’s nothing. Big competition, baby. They’ll blow you out of the water if you’re not prepared.” Rex cast an annoyed glance toward Luca, fist-bumping a couple of surfers at the shoreline. “You’re spending a lot of time with that guy. He’s cool. I like him. But it’s time you could be spending conquering big waves. You’ve gotta be ready, man.”

“Ready for what?” Luca strode forward, balancing his board on his head. His wide grin held just the right amount of mischief. And that body…

I hid my crotch behind my board and smiled. I tried to keep it from spreading too fast—easier said than done. If Rex had an ounce of intuition, he’d know there was more going on between us than casual lessons. Geez, he probably thought Luca paid me to be here. He had no clue I did this for free. No regrets.

“The Holiday Classic. Gotta get this old dude out in the big surf,” Rex replied, patting my shoulder, then narrowing his gaze at me. “I’m picking your ass up at five tomorrow.”

I flipped him off and grunted. “Text me later. I’ll let you know if I can do it.”

“I’ll hold my breath,” Rex snarked. “We’ll talk more at The Brewery tonight. See ya there.”

He paused to give Luca a fist bump before heading toward his car.

I sighed as I turned to Luca. “He’s gonna be pissed when I don’t show up. C’mon. We need to buy coffee. I ran out and haven’t had a chance to go to the store.”

Luca was uncharacteristically quiet as we walked to the shop to leave our boards and change out of our wetsuits. My mind was buzzing with the day’s itinerary—two private lessons, work, and three custom boards to start—but I should have clued in that something was on his mind. Luca was loquacious. He could talk anyone’s ear off about a medley of subjects. Everything was interesting to him, from the number of bars on the main drag in town to the number of seagulls looting the bins behind a popular Chinese takeout spot.

I waited for his silly segue about birds loving moo shu pork as much as he did, but he didn’t say a word until he thanked me for the coffee and led me to a bench facing the ocean.

Low clouds kissed the pier and extended to the waves breaking at the shoreline. I loved this time of year. The air was crisp and clear and better still, tourists were long gone and—

“You should see more of your friends. I feel like I’m taking up too much of your time,” Luca commented, sipping his coffee, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

I frowned, twisting sideways to rest my knee on the bench between us. “I feel the opposite. I wish I could spend more time with you.”

The knot in my stomach unraveled when he grinned. “Me too.”

I propped my elbow on the back of the bench and combed my fingers through the hair at his nape. We were in public in daylight, and I didn’t give a fuck who saw. I had to touch him. Luca widened his eyes at the contact but didn’t push me away. Maybe he sensed I was trying on a new hat. I needed to know what it felt like to be…out. Even if it was in the smallest way.

“I love my friends, but I don’t love partying. I’ve done my share and someone else’s too. If I go to that bar tonight, I’ll spend the whole time thinking about the boards I need to sand or the guy I wish was sucking my dick.”

Luca snickered. “I’ve created a monster.”

“Maybe so,” I conceded with a careless shrug.

“What if I sanded the boards for you so you could have a beer with your friends? And when you got home, I’d be waiting for you naked on all fours with my ass in the air, ready to suck your dick or…whatever else you felt like doing.”

“Whatever I…” I swallowed slowly to avoid choking on my coffee.

“Yes. Whatever.” He flashed a Cheshire cat grin.

“Just to clarify…what are we saying here? Are we talking about…” I sat up taller and glanced over my shoulder at the pedestrians speed-walking nearby, then stage-whispered, “Anal sex?”

Luca threw his head back and guffawed. “We could be. But we don’t have to do anything at all. I’m serious about helping you too.”

“That’s nice of you, but…why?”