Page 5 of Sandcastles & Sunburns (DKAG Summer Shorts #6)

Liam

This was living the dream!

Liam collected more water in his bucket before he returned to the sandcastle he had started. High winds had rolled in the night before, leaving the beach nearly empty with the sky overcast. The perfect sandcastle-building weather.

How had he and Nicky never done this before?

Liam wouldn’t have even thought about it if he hadn't spotted the plastic set lying abandoned on the beach that morning. Sure, the shovel had split down the middle and the bucket’s handle was broken but this was great!

He’d rescued the tools before the city’s beach crew could clean it up.

Liam had been up and outside earlier than normal since he’d been chased from his sleep by dreams of his neighbor.

The neighbor who might have been right about the mess and trash that tourists left behind.

Not that Liam was going to admit that. He’d just use his new toys to build the most awesome sandcastle ever!

There had been no sign of Jude since he’d finished his morning swim.

Not that Liam was keeping tabs.

Not at all.

He kept his back to the houses so that he was no longer tempted to keep checking to see if Jude was outside. Maybe his neighbor had finally left his house. Liam hadn’t seen Jude ever leave but surely his neighbor had friends or something.

He stacked more sand on top of his mountain before using the side of the shovel to make the outline of a tower. If he had his phone, Liam would send a picture of his lopsided creation to taunt his best friend.

Maybe he would grab his phone later.

Liam didn’t like having his cell around the sand because he was the type to either lose it or drop it in the water.

Besides, it was Friday, so that meant that tomorrow his bestie would be there!

Nicky had already sent a picture the prior night of the new onesie he was planning on wearing. It was an adorable shark onesie. For someone who chose not to live on the beach, his friend was obsessed with the sea life.

Of course, Nicky’s mini mansion was what most people dreamed about. Nicky even had an Olympic-sized swimming pool! But he also lived in a gated community, and he couldn't step off his back deck and onto the sand. Liam was lucky like that.

Liam didn’t have a cute shark onesie, but he had pulled out his favorite green shorts and a T-shirt with sea turtles to make sure they were clean and wrinkle-free. He’d also set out a new package of diapers.

The diapers had been harder to look at than Liam had thought.

It had been two long years since he’d had a Daddy.

Not every relationship he’d been in had included a Daddy/ little dynamic but the ones that had always featured diapers.

For Liam there was nothing better than a Daddy who was willing to help Liam get out of his head.

When Liam still worked in his corporate job, he’d needed to forget all about the adult responsibilities that held him down.

The diapers helped Liam find the right headspace.

His only complaint had been that none of the Daddies wanted to take the diapering further than dressing Liam.

Now that he wrote about Daddies and their littles, Liam craved the dynamic even more.

What would it feel like to have a Daddy that actually wanted to take care of Liam’s every need? To change him if Liam actually used his diaper? Wetting was a constant and big aspect of the Daddy and little relationship that Liam explored in his stories.

He was actually jealous of the characters that he wrote. How crazy was that?

Every little that he wrote had some part of him in the character. Every Daddy fulfilled the need that Liam was missing. Liam was living through his characters but still wanted that relationship for himself.

Liam sighed as he pushed his finger into the damp sand, making a hole.

A shadow fell over him.

Peering up, Liam frowned. With the direction that his thoughts had taken, Liam wasn’t prepared to deal with his grumpy neighbor. Who Liam refused to acknowledge would make the best Daddy.

“What?” he whined. “It’s cloudy outside! I’m not getting sunburned.”

Jude thrust another tall glass of lemonade at him.

“Sandy!” Liam said as he held up his dirty hands.

“It’s glass. It’ll wash. Drink.”

He sighed but Liam was thirsty, and the lemonade was so good. Liam wrapped his hands around the glass and drank deeply.

“And just because it’s overcast doesn’t mean you won’t get burned. There’s a better chance of burning since you aren’t thinking about the sun,” Jude said.

“I’m wearing a shirt.” Liam held out one arm just to prove his point.

“No hat or sunglasses. Do you have sunglasses?”

“Yes,” Liam replied. They were just in his SUV where sunglasses belonged.

Jude sighed before he pulled a spray bottle of sunscreen from his pocket.

“But I’m all sandy still,” Liam argued. “And I’m not done playing!”

“I figured you were still working on this,” Jude said as he toed one of his collapsing walls. The sand toppled over. “Oops.”

Liam huffed. “I’ll get better! This is the first time I’ve ever built sandcastles!”

Jude crouched down in front of him. “Not even when you were a kid?”

“We lived in Missouri. We didn’t have an ocean.”

“What about in a sandbox?”

Liam shook his head.

“On vacation?”

Again, he shook his head. Liam didn’t want to admit that building sandcastles felt like a little thing to do, and he’d been too embarrassed to try before.

Jude shook his head. “That’s not right. Everyone should build sandcastles.”

Liam beamed at him. “It’s fun.”

“It’s thirsty dirty work. You drink your lemonade and if you’ll allow…I can help you put some sunscreen on.”

“You’ll do that?” Liam couldn’t believe it.

Jude nodded sharply.

“Thanks.” He had to swallow back his emotions. Jude was a total Daddy. This was just proving Liam’s point. “I appreciate it.”

“Hold the glass away from you so I don’t get anything in it,” Jude ordered.

Liam did so.

“Close your eyes for me,” Jude said a little quieter.

He closed his eyes and a second later a light mist sprayed across his face.

“I’m going to touch you now,” Jude said. “To, uh, rub it in.”

Liam nodded.

Jude’s fingers were gentle as he rubbed in the surprisingly unsticky sunscreen. One of the reasons that Liam hated using the stuff was because it was so oily and thick and sticky but whatever Jude used was different.

“Neck now,” Jude whispered.

“K.” Liam kept his eyes closed. If he pretended for a moment that it was his Daddy worrying about him and taking care of him, then it didn’t hurt anyone.

He couldn’t help the shudder when Jude’s fingers danced over the back of his neck.

“Okay?” Jude questioned.

“Good.” He was so good.

“Almost done.”

That was a shame.

By the time that Jude pulled away, Liam had no choice but to open his eyes. He avoided eye contact, a little embarrassed by his reaction to the other man touching him. Jude had just been helping him. It didn’t mean anything.

“Thank you,” Liam said as he placed the lemonade glass down beside his knee. Jude had been the one that said the glass could be cleaned, after all. He wanted to get back to his sandcastle and forget all about the last ten minutes.

“You’re welcome.” Jude stood. “Is that all you have to use?”

Liam shrugged. “I rescued the bucket and shovel this morning. It still works.” Not that it was helping much.

Looking at his sandcastle, Liam could admit that it wasn’t anything to be proud of.

Liam still felt like he’d accomplished something though.

He’d left his comfort zone to do something that would make him happy.

Wasn’t that the entire purpose of this move? To live the life that he wanted.

“You have a really good base,” Jude said. “I think you’re just adding a little too much water to your sand.”

Liam had to gape at him. “You know how to build sandcastles?”

“I’m not an expert but I’ve built a few in my day,” Jude said with a shrug.

“You want to help me?” Liam even batted his eyelashes, hoping Jude would agree. He sure didn’t seem like a man who would sit around playing in the sand.

Jude pressed his lips together and Liam was sure he would refuse.

He was shocked speechless when Jude knelt and reached for the bucket. “Let’s reinforce these walls.”