Page 23 of Out in the Surf

“Ooh! A challenge. Give me ten minutes. If I can get you off in less, I top first.”

I busted up laughing. “You’re a little crazy.”

“I know. You in?”

Hell, yes. Of course I was in. I’d come to realize that Luca’s so-called challenges were almost always mutually beneficial. And I was no idiot.

Or maybe I was.

’Cause it wasn’t like me to allow someone to help me in the workshop. Crafting a board was an art. Sure, some parts of the process didn’t require experience, but any small nick or scratch would take valuable time to fix. I didn’t have time. And while I loved sex and I loved the idea of being inside Luca, I wasn’t a starry-eyed teenager. Nor did I trust easily. But I trusted him.

And I was curious about him.

Luca played the role of carefree college senior on a final bender well, but he was in pain. He’d lost something important, and his struggle to fill the void compromised his vision. On some level, I could relate.

I wasn’t sure if that explained why I wasn’t even remotely alarmed at the idea of taking this physical thing between us one step further.

Nope. I just wanted him. Maybe it was as simple as that.

5

Luca

Long Beach State’s campus was very different from the U of M’s. There were no grand old trees or ivy-covered brick buildings dating back to the turn of the previous century. The town wasn’t dedicated to the college the way it was in Ann Arbor. It didn’t shut down for football games, and every other store didn’t sell university gear. But it was cool in its own way.

The campus was easy to navigate, the students and faculty were friendly, and I’d much rather own a shirt with a surfboard on it than a cartoon shark anyway. And get this, the gymnasium was a big-ass blue pyramid building.

I stared at it in wonder, nodding absently as Zoe updated me with her latest boy drama. Either she assumed that being gay gave me sensitive insight into the male mind, or she mistakenly thought I was interested in her revolving list of crushes.

“…if he doesn’t call me by tonight, it’s over,” she grumbled, fidgeting with one of her hoop earrings. “Or should I give him till tomorrow?”

I rolled my eyes and came to a stop at the entrance to the Walter Pyramid. “This is a cool building.”

“You weren’t listening!”

“No, I wasn’t.” I lowered my sunglasses and pointed meaningfully. “What do they play here besides basketball?”

“Volleyball,” Zoe huffed. “And you’re a jerk.”

“Maybe, but I can’t listen to you tell me you’re waiting for some schmuck barista to call you. Games are stupid. If you want to talk, call him. If he doesn’t pick up or he acts like a douche, you have your answer. Don’t wait on a guy, Zoe. You’re better than that.”

“Uh…” She closed her red-stained lips and gaped. “Wow. Thank you. You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You were thinking he deserves rent-free room in your head. He doesn’t. Or maybe he does. Call him and find out. But leave me out of it,” I griped, tilting my chin toward the building. “Where do they play hockey around here?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about hockey.”

“Ugh. You know if anyone said that in my hometown, everyone would look at them like this.” I shot an exaggerated incredulous glance her way and bit back a smile when she laughed aloud.

“Well, it could just be me. I know a little bit about football and baseball. And thanks to our surf lesson, I kind of know how to surf. How’s your new hobby coming along? Mikey says you go every day. So much for never getting on a board again,” Zoe snorted, pulling a stick of gum from the designer bag over her shoulder. “Want one?”

“No, thanks.”

Hmph. Mikey was one of my roommates. I’d lucked out with my living situation. Mikey and Oscar were good guys, albeit a bit chatty. I didn’t try to hide my surfing exploits, but I hadn’t thought they’d paid much attention. I was usually home from the beach before either of them woke up.

“So…how’s Cal, the hunky surfer dude?”

“What makes you think I’m seeing Cal?” I countered, peeking at my watch. My next class started in fifteen minutes. I’d made it five weeks into the school year without being late once, and I wanted to keep it that way.