Chapter Twelve
There was sand in his ear.
Blinking into the first rays of morning, Brian stuck in his pinkie to dislodge what he could. He was flat on his back, the sky a pale, watery blue that would deepen as the sun continued its journey. Or the Earth, he supposed. Either way, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen.
Another day in paradise.
He forced his lungs to expand and turned his head to the right. Troy had spooned him for part of the night, and then they’d separated in sleep, and Troy was on his side facing away. Freckles danced across his shoulder blades, and Brian fisted his hand to keep from reaching out.
The blanket that was tangled around Brian’s thighs had slipped down to Troy’s waist. Brian assumed Troy’s cock was hanging out of his shorts the way his was. He knew Troy was also sticky with dried semen.
This was the second night in a row they’d ended up sleeping by the fire and not in their teepee.
Insect bites itched near his ankles, and he scratched at a series of red bumps on his arm.
And shit, it hadn’t rained. A pulse of fear stuttered his heart.
They’d have to boil the brackish, muddy stream water from the jungle.
We have purification tablets. It’s okay.
But what if the rain stayed away for days? Weeks?
Stomach churning, Brian banished the worry. They’d deal with it. Because right now, he had enough on his plate. Because this morning, instead of waking puffy and drained from sobbing his guts out, he was boneless from…
Possibly the greatest sex of my life.
It had been the most intense, that was for sure.
Thinking about it sent a shiver of heat through him, his balls tingling, cock stirring.
Maybe he was going crazy from being stuck on the island, but if he was being honest…
Hell, he’d never wanted anyone so badly.
Or maybe he had, and he just couldn’t recall the bone-deep desperation?
He pondered it. He and Alicia had had some good sex in their years together, and it was nice with Rebecca and others. Satisfying. He’d never had cause to complain.
But he’d never known it could be like this. He’d never wanted to crawl into someone else’s skin.
Because we’re stuck here together without women. We’re horny. Troy could have been anyone.
The lie had barely flitted through his brain when acid flooded his gut. No, the last person Troy could be was anyone.
Listening to him sing had been fun at first. But then when he’d done the old song in that clear, rounded voice, sitting in the firelight with the stars looking close enough to touch…
Maybe it was bizarre to think of another guy as beautiful, but Brian had filled with awe and wanting.
Wanting that had demanded action, pushing and prodding with hot fingers until he moved.
The urge to kiss Troy had been overpowering.
The urge to touch—really touch him, not just a perfunctory hand job that wasn’t supposed to mean anything.
Looking at Troy’s back now, Brian wanted to spoon up behind him and kiss the freckles dotting his shoulders. Wanted to nuzzle against his neck and…
Squeezing his eyes shut against the wave of desire, Brian exhaled shakily.
Troy was his friend. Hell, here he was the only other person in the world.
Of course Brian felt affection for him, and gratitude.
Troy was a great guy. Their friendship and horniness were getting confused. It was probably normal.
“So…”
Brian jumped a little as Troy spoke. Watching Troy’s back, he held his breath.
“Is this the part where everything’s weird and awkward and we pretend nothing happened?” His voice was a little hoarse, and Brian flushed, thinking of how Troy had cried out so loudly while they’d gotten off. Brian wanted to hear that sound again.
Heart thumping, Brian shook his head, then realized Troy couldn’t see him. He cleared his throat. “No.”
Troy rolled onto his back. They were an inch apart, and Brian could feel the heat of Troy’s body, but he stayed motionless. Troy met his gaze. “We’re not going to avoid each other?”
“Kind of hard here on… We really need to name this island.”
Troy’s lips twitched. “We do.” He faced the brightening sky, the rays of the rising sun through the trees giving his tanned skin a pink glow. “Hmm. I guess Gilligan’s Island doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. And there’s no giant gorilla, so Skull Island is out.”
“Fantasy Island could work. We might see ‘da plane, da plane’ if we’re lucky.
” At the furrow in Troy’s brow, he added, “Never mind—you’re too young for that reference.
I practically am too, but it was my Gran’s favorite.
Along with The Love Boat. One of the first things I remember is wanting to go on a cruise. ”
“A plane or a boat would do right now. Hmm. How about Isla Nublar?”
“Because we need a T. rex to come crashing out of the jungle? Pass.”
“Good point. And anything related to Dr. Moreau is obviously out.”
The line from “Beyond the Sea” popped into Brian’s mind. “Golden Sands.”
Troy’s chocolate eyes met his, and he smiled tentatively.
Humming the song softly and horribly off-key, Brian mustered up the courage to roll onto his side, pressing against him.
He flattened his hand over Troy’s trembling belly and bumped their noses together.
Troy sighed into his kiss, and they explored each other’s mouths, their stubble scraping roughly.
Brian didn’t care that they had morning breath, or that this was undeniably gay. He wanted to touch Troy all over and drink him in. Wanted to get lost in him. Wanted…everything.
Breathing hard, he pulled back. Troy’s eyes were glazed, and Brian’s dick lengthened against Troy’s hip. “Have you ever done this before?” Brian asked. “With a guy?” He quickly added, “I don’t care if you have. It doesn’t matter to me. But I’ve never done this before.”
Troy shook his head. “Me either. Not since I was a kid, just fooling around. All the guys did it. Circle jerks and that stuff. It wasn’t real. Not like this.” With a shaky breath, he ran his hand over Brian’s chest, teasing his hair and nipples. “I like this,” he whispered. “Like it with you.”
“Me too. Even if I don’t know what I’m doing.” A laugh tripped out in a nervous tumble.
Troy’s smile was sweet. “Me either. Guess it’s all pretty much the same when you get down to it.”
He supposed it was. Brian stroked his thumb over the cleft in Troy’s chin.
Then he bent and pressed a kiss to it, caressing Troy’s belly with his other hand, earning a shudder.
A little voice still shouted that they shouldn’t be doing this, but Brian focused on the salt-sweat taste of Troy’s skin, and how his nipples hardened when sucked.
Troy’s sparse chest hair tickled his nose, and it was different from being with a woman, but…he liked it. And he loved how Troy tightened his fingers in Brian’s hair and moaned loudly. It was the best sound on the island—no wait, on Golden Sands.
Brian licked and teased as Troy called out, and then they were kissing again and tugging at their shorts, stopping long enough to toss them aside and kick the blanket free, not caring that sand was creeping everywhere.
Brian narrowly avoided hitting the smoldering fire with his boxers, and they laughed and yanked the cotton back to safety.
Then the goddamned parrots came out, honking their way joyfully through breakfast, and Brian and Troy laughed harder.
Troy rolled on top of him, and Brian groaned at the sensation of being completely skin to skin.
They were thin and wiry, all sinew and muscle and bone.
Too thin, but they were alive and together, and Brian reveled in it.
Spitting into his palm, Troy took their cocks in his hand. Brian thrust into Troy’s grasp, panting. It should have been so weird and wrong to have his cock rubbing against another guy’s, but…it was Troy, and Brian couldn’t get enough.
Troy’s heavy, hairy balls brushed against Brian’s thighs, and it was all so desperate and masculine. He didn’t have to worry about being too forceful. He dug his fingers hard into Troy’s back, and Troy groaned with pleasure.
Sweat bloomed on their skin, the rising sun’s heat making itself known.
They strained together, panting and kissing, and this hand job was a million times better than the restrained jerking they’d done in the teepee.
This was real sex, and Brian didn’t give a shit what it meant.
It was just the two of them, so why not?
Why shouldn’t they have something so good?
Grunting and striving, stroking their cocks, Troy came, splattering Brian’s chest. He slowed down to milk himself, his eyes closed and mouth open, gasping.
So damn beautiful.
Brian strained as Troy refocused, propping his weight on his left hand in the sand and jerking Brian mercilessly.
It didn’t take long for Brian’s balls to draw up, and his spunk joined Troy’s on his chest, white against hair and sun-kissed skin.
The tremors subsided, and Troy flopped down beside him.
After a minute, Troy cleared his throat. “I think I have sand in more crevices than usual.”
Brian chuckled. “Me too. Guess it’s time for a dip.” He dragged his finger through their drying spunk.
“Brian, we…”
“We don’t have to overthink it.”
Troy exhaled with a smile. “Right. Okay. Cool. We’ll be in the now.” He hopped up to his feet in a graceful movement that made Brian feel old. “I’m starving. Let’s clean off and go fishing.” Naked, he extended his hand, and Brian took it.
In the calm shallows, they cleaned themselves, then neared the reef with hooks and lines, still naked.
The sun tightened Brian’s salty skin, and he knew he should get into the shade of the lean-to before too long.
But he stayed put, his gaze sneaking over from spotting fish to the lean lines of Troy’s back, dotted with those perfect freckles.
“Why is this so hard?”