Page 4 of Pink Cheeks (DKAG Summer Shorts #2)

DOUG

It wasn’t that I hated weddings. I liked weddings just fine. And I was happy for Jake. He was a lucky man to have a kind and beautiful fiancée and wealthy in-laws who foot the bill for a ridiculously expensive destination wedding.

But they were also a reminder of what I didn’t have. What I’d probably never have if I continued to put all my time and energy into my work.

I didn’t have any responsibilities for the day of the wedding besides show up, drink whatever was put in my hand, and keep the man of the hour from tripping over his own shoes.

That meant after a run on the beach and a heavy breakfast, I had several hours to kill before it was time to get back in my suit and run interference at the reception.

So, I went to the beach.

The beach immediately off the resort property looked more like a theme park than any beach I went to back home.

It was all white sand, perfectly blue water, and kids making castles every ten feet.

The air was thick with coconut-scented SPF, so I kept walking, looking for something a little bit secluded and a lot quieter.

I passed a crowd of families, giving a wide berth to one kid with a muddy bucket the size of a trash can and an evil look in his eye.

My own beach supplies consisted of a copy of Nightshade, sunglasses, and enough sunscreen to keep me pale and mole-free for a month.

Thirty-nine years in the California sun had not made me immune to sun damage, just resigned to the long-term consequences and determined not to make matters worse.

I didn’t mind the laugh lines that were from actually laughing.

I just didn’t need more that came from being lazy about skin care.

I found a quiet stretch near the black lava outcropping at the north end and decided to see what was on the other side. The climb over the rocks was a bit precarious, but when I got to the top, the view of the ocean was amazing. And when I looked down, I lost my breath and my ability to think.

On the far side of the rocks was a naked man. He appeared to be sleeping on a towel that looked like mine and had a golden tan everywhere but his ass. His bare cheeks were bright pink, burning under the hot sun’s rays.

The young man seemed completely relaxed and at peace, but also completely vulnerable. We were in a great area, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t at risk of not only environmental hazards but any rando perv who wandered by.

Are we projecting, Doug? Who’s actually the perv here?

No, I wasn’t perving on the guy. I was merely a concerned tourist who couldn’t just leave a fellow tourist to burn and possibly have his entire trip ruined.

The fact that my dick was suddenly pushing against the thin netting in my boardshorts had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to go and check on him.

As I quietly approached the man, I got a better look at his neatly cut dirty-blond hair and lean muscle. There were visible dips and curves of his back, but my gaze couldn’t help locking in on the apex of his splayed legs that gave me a perfect view of his ass and balls.

Okay, maybe I was a perv. But at least I was a perv with good intentions. I wouldn’t hurt him, and I had to offer some kind of help.

Flat on his stomach, the man’s face was buried in a towel, and he was drooling a little. A bottle of sunscreen was at his side but sealed from the gift shop, while his ass was already turning the color of a rare steak.

“Excuse me.” I kneeled down beside him and cleared my throat. “Not to alarm you, but you’re on track for third-degree burns back here.”

The guy startled and then jerked upright, sending his sunglasses flying into the sand. He blinked at me and shook his head as if trying to get his bearings. “What?”

I nodded toward his ass without looking at it. “You’re pretty pink. You should probably cover up if you plan to do any sitting this weekend.”

“Oh shit.” He reached for his shorts, but basically rolled over onto his ass before remembering he was naked in the front of his body too. He looked mortified for about two seconds before he started laughing and dropped his shorts over his dick. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize to me.” I leaned back to give him some space. He probably didn’t appreciate having a stanger hovering over him when he was completely naked and alone. “I was just walking by and thought you might want to move into the shade.”

“Am I really that red?” He twisted his body so he could take a look at his backside. He had a splatter of freckles across his nose and the nonchalance of a man who’d never been severely sunburned in his life.

I leaned to the side to get a better look. “Extremely. But that sunscreen should help.”

He glanced at the bottle and sighed. “Yeah, I just wanted a little base coat before I blocked the sun.” He held up his arm and then moved it close to his ass to compare the shades. “My butt was the only part of me that needed a tan, so I was just gonna wait a few minutes, but then…I fell asleep.”

“Clearly.” I shrugged and removed the seal from the bottle. Then I shook out my own towel and draped it over his lower half. “You’re not the first tourist to get spanked by Maui’s sunshine, but you might be the cutest.”

He giggled, and it was a sweet, carefree sound. “Thanks, I guess. I’m Kip.”

“Doug.” I offered my hand, and he took it. His fingers were small and warm against my palm.

“And I don’t mind getting spanked by the sunshine or otherwise. The pink looks good on me, doncha think?”

Fuck me. He was a brat…and he was flirting with me. “Definitely,” I said under my breath. “So, you here with family or friends?”

“My sister’s getting married today.” He sat on his ass and used the towel like a blanket over his front side.

He didn’t cringe, so the pain must not have set in yet.

That would change soon. “The girls are getting all done up for the ceremony.” He looked past me and up at the sky.

“I’m supposed to do a reading or whatever, but that’s not for hours.

I figured I might as well get some color, ya know? ”

“Mission accomplished.”

He refolded his shorts as if he had no intention of putting them on. “You here for a wedding, too?”

“Yeah. My college roommate’s getting hitched. I suspect this whole island is just a front for wedding tourism.”

Kip smirked and let his eyes wander down my body. “Your wife must be enjoying the island too…”

I smiled, amused at his lack of subtlety as well as his apparent interest. “No wife. Just boring ol’ me here to escape work for a few days.”

There was a beat where he almost blushed. “So, Doug, there’s no one who you’d have to check with before helping me with a bit of sunscreen on my ass?”

Was I actually doing this? Fuck yeah, I was.

“No one to check with.” I held out my hand, and he handed me the bottle.

“But I don’t think you need any more sun on these pink cheeks.

” I poured out a palmful and waited for him to toss the towel and lie on his stomach again.

This time, he kept his thighs together. I was both relieved and saddened by that.

“Thanks, and I won’t stay out too much longer.”

“Smart.” His skin was hot already as I gently massaged the cold cream into his skin in careful circles.

He shivered once and then let out a small, involuntary sigh. “That feels nice.”

“That’ll be good for a while, but we will need to reapply every hour.” Shit, did I say we? Did I mean we?

Kip made a sound that could have meant anything. When I finished, he leaned up on his elbows and looked at me. “Thank you. Do you always rescue strangers at the beach from blistering burns?”

“You’re my first.” I swallowed hard and held in all the other things I wanted to say. “I usually like a pink ass from my palm. Less long-term damage.”

“Me too.” Kip cocked his head and continued to stare at my arms and chest like he was cataloging every inch of me. “You work out, huh?”

“I do.”

“I can tell.” He licked his lips, but I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be seductive or if it was instinctual. “You seem like one of those protective types who has a thing for taking care of people.”

“I guess you could say that.” I chuckled because he was right on the nose. The kid had good instincts. “Or maybe I have a thing for brats who don’t know how to take care of themselves.”

“A brat, huh?” He laughed as he closed his eyes, letting the sun soak into his face. His very handsome face. “Don’t worry. If you stick around, I’ll give you plenty of opportunities to take care of me.”

“Challenge accepted.” I scooted into the shade and pulled up my knees to read for a while. Every few minutes, I glanced over to make sure Kip hadn’t passed out again. He seemed content to lie there, humming to himself and just bobbing his head as he continued to bake.

When another hour had passed, I cleared my throat. “It’s probably a good time to head in and cool off.”

He lifted his head up and rested his chin on his folded hands. “Maybe I wanna stay a while longer.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. This boy was dangerous. “You’re an adult, so you can do whatever you want, but if you want a sore ass for your sister’s wedding, there’re much funner ways to achieve that goal.”

He gasped and his lips parted with surprise. And maybe a bit of desire. “Who said I want to be an adult?”

“All the more reason for you to do as you're told.” My eyes narrowed, and then I stood up and wandered closer to the sassy boy. “Now, put on your shorts, grab your shit, and let’s get you inside so you can cool off before you’re back out on the beach.”

“Yes, sir.”

Fuck .