Chapter 14
Sitka
Ihad no idea anyone could look so sexy while wearing a hooded wetsuit. With everyone focused on finding the best waves and joking around, I don’t have to be quite so careful around Damien.
I’ve watched him fall an impressive number of times, but he and Ev are determined to see this thing through, and neither one of them is giving up. I can see the approval in my brothers’ eyes when Damien takes another hit, only to pop back up a few seconds later and climb back on the board.
Bran signs a few more tips, and when another wave starts to build and draw closer, Damien takes off, paddling in a way that instantly makes me admire his stamina before getting to his feet.
He balances in the middle of his board like we taught him, and when he stays upright for his first wave, we all cheer before the water eventually takes him under.
He surfaces with a huge grin on his face, and the first thing he does is search me out, locking eyes with me while I join the others and cheer for him, so fucking proud of him and wishing I could paddle over and kiss him.
He slowly makes his way back over to me while Misha yells, “Your turn Ev! We’re not leaving till you catch a wave!”
“That was so awesome,” I tell Damien as soon as he’s close enough.
With his back to the others, he gives me a full smile, and I can tell he’s enjoying this. Not tolerating it, but actually fucking enjoying this.
When I laugh, he tilts his head and asks, “What’s so funny? I mean, besides how I probably just looked.”
“No, you looked amazing,” I tell him. “I’m laughing because I think you just became a surfer.”
He scoffs at that and shakes his head. “No fucking way.”
“I can see it,” I say. “You’re hooked.”
“It’s freezing,” he reminds me.
“Invigorating,” I correct.
Turning his board so we’re both sitting, bobbing on the water and looking out at where Ev is trying his damnedest to catch a wave so he can get out, I laugh and point at his cousin.
“He doesn’t love it.”
“No, he does not,” Damien says with a laugh. “He’s so fucking miserable right now.”
He laughs again when we watch a wave crash into Ev and push him off his board. When he surfaces and then quickly flips off my brothers, we all laugh even harder. Allie gives a whoop and cheers him on, making Dima scowl before paddling off to where he sees a group of waves starting to form.
I tilt my head back, watching the clouds above us and the way the sun is slowly bringing out all the different shades of blue and grey. The lull of the ocean always calms me, and with my eyes still closed I smile when I feel Damien’s foot brush mine.
“You wearing anything under that?”
I sputter out a laugh at his question while keeping my eyes closed. “A bikini,” I tell him.
“Jesus,” he groans. “What color?”
“Red.”
“I’d very much like to see that, Sitka.”
His voice is low and seductive, and when I open my eyes to look at him, I can see the desire in them. The same raw need I feel is mirrored in those dark eyes, and I can’t look away.
I watch the corner of his mouth lift before he asks, “You thinking about riding my face?”
“Always,” I say, making him laugh. “You thinking about sliding into some part of my body right now?”
His smile grows bigger. “Always.”
At the sound of several wolf howls and shouts, we turn our heads in time to see Ev surf the smallest wave I’ve ever seen. I cup my mouth and cheer along with the others while Damien gives a loud whistle to support his cousin’s valiant attempt at surfing.
He’s thrown off his board seconds later, but when he surfaces and wipes the water from his face, I can see the big smile he’s wearing.
Pushing himself back up onto the surfboard, he watches Dima catch a massive wave that’s just come in and ride it all the way through.
His fingers drag along the barrel of the wave, every move graceful and effortless like he was born part fish.
“Showoff,” Ev yells at him with a grin. “Mine still counts, fucker!”
Damien and I float while the others catch a few more waves, and when I start to grow a bit antsy, he nudges my foot and says, “Get your ass out there, besyonok. Your adrenaline-loving ass is never going to be happy sitting on the sidelines.”
I grin at him before leaning forward and paddling further out.
While I wait, I scan the horizon, in awe of the natural beauty around me.
I soak in the silence and the constant rocking of the water beneath me, knowing I’ll never get tired of this, and wondering if I could ever truly be happy living in a city.
My heart squeezes in my chest at the thought of not seeing this every day, but as much as this hurts, the thought of not seeing Damien is worse.
My chest aches for this, but it will shatter without him.
When I see a new set coming in, I push aside all future worries and instead embrace the moment I’m living in right now.
I watch it start to build as excitement races through me.
Leaning forward, I turn my board to face the shore and start paddling my ass off, racing to keep up with the wave that’s still growing and gaining power.
All my focus is on that wave, but I register the sound of Damien cheering me on and the loud smack of Bran hitting his board to let me know he’s doing the same.
I let the wave pick me up, grabbing me and pulling me towards it as I jump to my feet and steady myself on the board, riding the wave as it continues to build.
A giddy thrill runs through me when I realize it’s not stopping.
The wave curls over me as I skim through the tunnel, dragging my fingers along the water like Dima had done.
I shoot out the end before it crashes down, riding my board to shore while the others cheer from behind me.
“Fucking nice, Sitka,” Misha says when I start to paddle back out.
I grin and shout a thanks over my shoulder while everyone starts to converge in the calmer water past the breaker waves.
Damien’s grinning at me when I slide in near him and Ev.
The wink he gives me sends a thrill through every part of my body that makes the high I just experienced pale in comparison.
“You made that look way too easy,” Ev tells me.
“You just need more practice,” I say.
He laughs. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Thanks for the experience, but fuck this. I’m completely numb but also so cold it’s painful. How is that possible?”
“Oh come on,” Yuri teases. “You didn’t feel a little bit of pride when you surfed that teeny-tiny wave?”
“The size doesn’t matter,” Ev says with a laugh. “It still fucking counts.”
My brother grins. “Size definitely matters.”
“Not out here it doesn’t,” Ev says. “I’m assuming at some point my junk will drop back down again, but right now it’s all about survival and staying warm. So, no, size doesn’t mean shit in the Pacific.”
“Man, it sucks being a dude,” Allie says. “We’ve just got to deal with nips that won’t go down.”
We have those too, Bran says, making everyone laugh.
Allie grins over at him. I know guys have nipples. You know what I mean, Bran. Stop teasing me.
He gives her a playful wink and splashes water in her face. She laughs and splashes him back before leaning forward and paddling towards the shore.
“Good idea, Allie,” Ev says before doing the same and following after her. “I need about five mugs of really hot coffee.”
The others slowly start doing the same. A few try to catch one last wave to ride to shore, but when Damien makes no move to leave, neither do I.
Instead, we watch the others and float for a few more minutes.
The seagulls are more active now that the sun has fully risen, and their squawks echo around us.
“Uh-oh,” Damien says, pointing to a line of waves coming towards us.
He doesn’t sound worried, though, and as soon as they start to crash into us, he lets himself fall off his board.
I follow his lead and tilt over, hitting the water seconds after him.
The wave isn’t big enough to toss us around too much, and when I feel his strong arms grab me, I quickly wrap myself around him before we break through the surface.
The others are too far away to see us clearly, and with our boards obscuring us even more, Damien ducks his head and kisses me while I cling to him.
It’s risky, but there’s no way I can resist the feel of his lips or the welcoming heat of his tongue as it brushes along mine. I lock my legs around him, forgetting all about the cold water and the fact that my family isn’t nearly far enough away.
With a pained groan, he pulls back. One hand is on his board and the other is firmly cupping my ass, pressing me harder against him.
“I can’t believe you’ve managed to wake my dick up,” he says with a grin. “I would’ve sworn it wasn’t physically possible. Ev wasn’t kidding. I lost my balls the second my feet hit the water.”
I slide a hand down and cup him over his wetsuit. “I think I found them.”
He grins and says, “You better find me later. We have some very important unfinished business.”
“We do?” I lift a brow and squeeze him a bit tighter, massaging him as he gives another deep groan. “What kind of business would that be?”
“You wicked girl,” he murmurs with a deep chuckle. “The kind of business that ends with me coming on or in you, besyonok.” His fingers knead my ass cheek. “The where and the how is up to you. As long as you end up wearing my cum, I’m happy no matter what you decide.”
I give him one last squeeze before forcing our bodies apart. Before I grab my board and start paddling away, I say, “I’ll give it some serious thought and get back to you.”
“Looking forward to that answer.” He keeps treading water while I kick my legs and head towards shore. “I’ll catch up in a sec. I need to let the freezing cold water work its magic.”