Chapter 8
Connor
A long shower helps bring me down from the cliff’s edge I’d been teetering on. After spending far too much time under the hot spray, I step out, nerves firing once again. Tai is serene as always, though, pretending I didn’t just try to bulldoze right over this increasingly blurry line between us.
My mind is still a mess, but he squeezes my hand and guides me out of the room, promising that he’s found a new adventure for us.
“This is your idea of trouble?” I ask as Tai leads me toward a small dock with two kayaks tied up at the end.
His face is shaded by my hat—the same one he stole after spending half the morning making fun of it.
He tilts up to look at me from under the brim, and I swat the edge, knocking it over his face.
He scowls playfully as he fixes it. “Well, it could be trouble because I don’t have all those muscles like you do. There’s a genuine risk I’ll get too exhausted and have to let the tides take me wherever they please.”
“If the ocean tries to claim you, I promise I’ll make it pay.”
“Hmm, now that’s some serious motivation. Maybe I’ll accidentally fall overboard, after all.” He tries to keep a straight face, but his lips twitch. “Damsel in distress isn’t my usual shtick, but this might be the exception.”
“I’ll ride in on my steed and save you.”
He snorts and nods toward the kayaks. “You’ll look so majestic while doing it, too.”
“Damn straight,” I say, shielding my eyes with my hand to scan the water. “Destination, captain?”
Tai comes up behind me, pressing his chest against my back.
He lifts onto his tiptoes and rests his chin on my shoulder, pointing toward a small island not too far off the shoreline.
“The guy at the rental office said there’s a quiet little spot over there, and that it’s close enough for a beginner. ”
I pull in a deep breath, trying to steady my reaction to his sudden closeness. His deadpan delivery makes me grin anyway. “Beginner spots, huh? You really must be worried about being swept away by the tides.”
He huffs against my neck. “He took one look at my arms and offered the suggestion.”
“Well, you should’ve told him there was nothing to worry about,” I reply, flexing my biceps, “since you have a big, strong man ready to rescue you.”
Tai obediently reaches up and squeezes my arm, his fingers lingering. “Do I?”
I twist toward him to find his face much closer than I expected. “Do you what?”
“Have a man who’ll swoop in like a white knight if I need him?” His voice is soft, teasing, and fuck, he’s so close.
“Is that what you want?” I ask, voice thick.
“Hmm,” he hums, bumping my forehead lightly with the brim of his hat. He chuckles then lifts it, pressing another quick kiss to my cheek that sends stars bursting behind my eyes. “Answering a question with a question. Interesting.”
“Why’s it interesting?”
“No reason,” he sing-songs as he starts to back away, but I grab him by the waist and tug him back against me. Words fail me as I stare down at him, and I swallow hard.
His gaze drops to my throat. “Nothing snarky to say?” he finally asks.
Consumed by the urge to get even closer, I fight the impulse and instead offer him a small, crooked smile. “Not right now.”
“Have I made you speechless?”
“You’ve made me a lot of things,” I admit, my hands flexing against the small of his back as I struggle to hold onto what little control I have left.
The corner of his mouth tilts up in a pleased, knowing smirk. His palm slides up my torso, coming to rest over my sternum. “Well, if you have nothing to say, that’s a first.” His hand presses harder, as if he can feel the wild drum of my heart beneath it. “Are you ready?”
“I’ve been ready,” I reply, my voice rough.
He smirks, eyes darkening with amusement. “You’re trouble.” His fingers tiptoe higher, tracing a path up my chest and neck. I tilt my chin up instinctively, exposing my throat as he stops just beneath my lips.
“If I am, it’s only because you made me that way,” I say softly, pressing a kiss to the very tips of his fingers.
He retreats a few steps, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face.
Lightheaded, I push out a shaky exhale as he turns and walks toward the kayaks, leaving me standing there trying to restart my heart.
When my legs finally cooperate, I jog after him, only to skid to an abrupt stop.
Tai faces me, troublemaker grin in place and a life jacket dangling from his fingers.
“Oh, hell no,” I argue, holding my hands up in front of me. “There’s no way that thing is going to fit me.”
“Safety first,” he taunts, swinging the jacket back and forth like a pendulum before tossing it at me. I catch it on instinct and scowl at the tiny neon blue and yellow contraption. A soft click pulls my attention away, and I glance over to see Tai fastening a matching one around his narrow chest.
“You’re serious?!”
“I’d rather you didn’t drown, if it can be avoided,” he says, still grinning.
“And if it can’t?” I lift the life jacket in front of my face, trying to figure out how far the straps even expand.
“Well…” He tilts his head, eyes sparkling with mischief. “It’s been nice knowing you.”
He turns his back, and I hurry to sling the tiny life jacket over my shoulders.
It has to be child-sized, because I’m barely able to squeeze into it even when the straps are extended to their full length.
The material digs uncomfortably into my skin as I struggle to force the two sides of the buckle together.
I suck in my gut, trying to make myself as small as possible.
The plastic clips finally meet in a fleeting touch.
I put all my strength into it, and with a sharp click, the two pieces finally fasten.
A loud snort makes me jump. I glance up to find Tai’s face tomato-red as he holds in his laughter. “Oh, fuck you!” I groan, and the moment I exhale, the buckle snaps open with a violent pop. Shards of plastic shrapnel shoot through the air like a tiny pipe bomb exploding.
Tai howls as the ruined life jacket hangs limply off my body, and soon enough I’ve joined him. He walks over on wobbly legs, eyes full of tears, and grabs the broken buckle, which only sends him into another round of giggles.
“Here’s hoping you know how to swim,” he finally manages.
“You’re in luck, because I do.”
His eyes are still crinkled as we climb into the kayaks, and he watches me closely while I work my thick legs into the narrow plastic shell.
“I won’t snap it in half,” I argue.
“Are you sure about that?”
I stare at the way my thighs are crammed inside the plastic opening. “Honestly? Can’t be positive.”
It takes us a few minutes to compose ourselves.
Every time one of us starts to calm down, the other cracks up, and we’re both helpless to stop the cycle.
We push off toward the island, paddling in a comfortable silence broken only by the gentle sloshing of the waves and the occasional soft chuckle that drifts over from Tai.
After fifteen minutes, we butt up to the sandy shore. Tai climbs out of his kayak with the graceful ease of a cat. Knee-deep in the water, he drags it up onto the sand before turning to look at me. Pure joy shines in his eyes when he sees me still wedged inside mine.
“Do you need help?”
“Nope.” I try to wiggle my way free, but the kayak starts to tip. My center of gravity shifts past the point of no return, and peals of laughter are the last thing I hear before my head crashes beneath the water.
My legs slide free from the tiny kayak—which I’ve now decided must also be child-sized—and I emerge sputtering to find Tai doubled over on the sand. I shake myself off like a dog, water blowing off my lips and dripping from my hair. “I’m glad you’re enjoying my pain.”
Tai giggles again, and when my predatory gaze locks onto his, his eyes widen like he reads my intent. He holds his hands up and starts backing away, but I sprint after him. “Come here!” I shout, catching him around the waist and scooping him into a giant bear hug.
“No!” he screeches, throwing his head back as the cold water from my clothes soaks straight through his shirt.
I set his feet back on the ground, but he leaves his arms looped around me for a long moment, hugging me tightly while I press my nose into the damp strands of his hair.
Eventually we separate, then settle on a rocky stretch of the beach while we dry off.
“Let’s play a game,” Tai says, eyes closed as he tilts his face toward the sun.
“Didn’t peg you as a sports guy.”
“Definitely not, but I’m a pro at party games. This one is called Double Dare. It’s like truth or dare, except we only do dares. And anything you dare me to do, you have to do it too.”
“Alright,” I say with a nod. “So I can dare you to swim all the way back to shore, but then I have to join you?”
“Exactly.”
“And no truths at all?”
“You can dare someone to answer a question, but remember, you also have to answer.”
I bump his shoulder gently with mine, my voice softer than I intend. “If there’s something you want to know about me, you only have to ask.” It doesn’t escape my notice that we still haven’t touched the subject of ‘real life’—the one he forbade us from discussing the day we met.
How was that only three days ago?
He bumps me back. “What’s the fun in that? You going first, or am I?”
“Oh, most definitely me.” I lean back on my hands. “I dare you to tell me the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you.”
“Ouch, right out of the gate!” He clutches his hand dramatically over his heart.
“I don’t even have to think about this one.
When I was in my early twenties, I had a massive crush on this guy who was a DJ at a local club.
I was a little more of a partier back then, but I wasn’t wild or anything.
I was completely out of my element in the middle of a rave, but I was determined to get this guy’s attention. ”
I prop up on my elbow. “Oh, do go on.”
He looks out over the water, eyes crinkled in the corners.
“I squeezed my ass into the tightest pair of leather pants I could find. Those things were so snug I almost needed oil on my legs just to slide them on. I’m not even sure what my game plan was, honestly.
Show him I had a dick by wearing pants tight enough to see it? ”
My cock gives a little interested twitch, suddenly very invested in the picture he’s painting. For the second time today, I try to be discreet as I shift my hips.
“I drank too much,” he continues, “and I wanted to dance. So there I am—even skinnier back then, if you can imagine that—wearing leather pants so tight I could barely bend my knees. I work my way up to the stage, catch his eye, throw him what I thought was a cocky smirk, and turn around to shake my ass. That’s when I heard it. ”
“Heard what?” I ask, my grin widening along with his.
“The loudest rip in the world. You could hear it over the music. Those pants split straight up the back, and, as I’ve mentioned a few times now, they were tight. I wasn’t wearing anything underneath.”
“No,” I groan, already laughing.
“Oh yeah. There I was, bent over dancing with my asshole on full display for this guy I liked. Then, in a moment of absolute genius, I tried to play it off and fucking winked at him like a creep.”
“You winked at him?” I shout, holding my stomach as I wheeze.
“Flashed my asshole at him and winked! Who does that? The look he gave me was pure horror, and I just… bolted. Ran through that entire club with my bare ass hanging out, called a cab, and rode home with my naked butt on some poor stranger’s backseat.”
Tai doubles over, clutching his stomach as tears of joy stream down his face, and we both fight to collect ourselves again. He leans over and rests his forehead against my shoulder, still shaking with residual laughter.
“Alright, I paid my penance,” he says, catching his breath. “It’s your turn.”
“Okay…” I groan, dragging the word out. “I was at a football game a few years back with some friends, and I… well. I ate a few chili dogs at halftime. Bad idea number one.”
Tai chokes and nods, because everyone knows that was a terrible decision.
“We’re nearing the end of the third quarter, and it’s bad, man. My stomach was cramping hard and I was so fucking uncomfortable. Something had to give, right? So I decided I was going to wait for the perfect moment and… relieve some pressure.”
Tai snorts and snickers into my shoulder.
“You can’t laugh yet!” I argue. “I’m not done.”
“Sorry,” he says, trying and failing to keep a straight face. “I’ll contain myself. Continue.”
“Okay, so I’m plotting and planning while my bowels are throwing a full-blown party, right?
And then my opportunity comes. The ball is in motion, the path is clear for a touchdown.
This was it. He scores, and everyone jumps up to cheer.
It was my fucking chance. It felt like trumpets from heaven as I finally let it go.
The relief was instant… until I turned and realized the lady sitting right beside me hadn’t stood up. ”
Tai’s hand flies over his open mouth. “You didn’t.”
“I did,” I groan, already cringing at the memory. “Right in her face, man. Right in it. And I just stood there staring at her, praying to every holy thing in the world that she was going to pretend it never happened.”
“Let me guess,” he says, “she didn’t?”
“Oh no. The cheers were dying down when she shrieked at the top of her lungs, ‘You just gave me pink eye, you asshole!’ Swear to god, every head in our entire section turned to look at me. My buddies never let me live it down. They called me Pink Eye for years afterwards.”
Tai falls against me as we both dissolve into laughter. I wrap my arms around him without thinking, hugging him close and soaking in his warmth. When was the last time I touched someone so casually, just because I liked the way they felt under my hands? It should scare me more than it does.
We spend the next couple of hours on the island, alternating between lounging in the sun, cooling off in the water, and daring each other to do increasingly stupid things.
We go from juggling seashells to trying to catch fish with our bare hands.
Somehow I manage to grab a small fish, then spend several minutes chasing Tai with it before we toss it back.
As I squeeze myself back into the kayak, I realize this has been the best day I’ve had in a long, long time.