Chapter 5
Max Jensen
What fresh hell had I woken up to?
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and continued into the kitchen, where seemingly everyone was gathered and talking way too loudly.
Jason and Shawn were slinging pancakes and bacon to everyone, Cas was bratting off, Garrick and Amir were filling three coolers with food, and Reid and Sam seemed to be in a heated debate with Rome and Brad.
Jesus, what? They were halfway to yelling at one another about where in the country you could find the best Mexican food.
For the record, Reid and Sam were right. The place was Tucson. But it was way too early for such a ridiculous debate. It was too early for anything. I hadn’t even gotten dressed yet. But boxer briefs were an okay vacation getup, I was sure.
I scrubbed a hand over my face and zeroed in on the coffeemaker—
“There’s my boy! I was just gonna wake you up.” Reid grinned and walked over to me with a cup of coffee. The latter gave him a pass for calling me boy.
“Good morning, Sir!” Shawn said, followed by a slew of good mornings from the others.
I grunted noncommittally and took a sip of the coffee.
To my surprise, Reid threw an arm around my shoulders and dropped a kiss to my jaw.
It was…a lot. A lot to process so early. A lot to process because it was him. Reid fucking McKinley, the only man who’d rendered me speechless upon introduction. He’d probably thought I’d been an awkward dork back then. Late bloomer, my mother had promised.
I side-eyed him as he flashed me a smile, and I didn’t understand why he was so casual about this. The only thing I could think of…? His feelings matched his expression. To him, this wasn’t a big deal, just some vacation fun.
“Drink up—we’re leaving soon. And get dressed.” He touched my stomach and rumbled a playful growl against my cheek. “You’re too sexy without clothes.”
Fuck me. I coughed around a breath and stared at him. Who was he? What the hell was he doing?
“You’re pickin’ low-hanging fruit by fucking with my head at this hour,” I muttered.
“At this hour?” he chuckled. “It’s nine thirty. Besides, I’m not fuckin’ with your head. When I do, you won’t notice it.”
I rolled my eyes—but I had to fight a reluctant grin. It was admittedly a good joke.
He smiled and leaned in, and I evidently couldn’t fucking help myself. I kissed him, because we were doing that now.
“So is this happening or not?” LC asked. “I mean, we’ve had our guesses over the years, but…”
Reid broke the kiss and glanced over at him. “Y’all can keep on guessing. Are you guys almost done? We gotta go in ten.”
In ten? Wait, where?
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Reid answered me. “I texted Lane—since he and Ty have a house down here—and he gave me the coordinates to an uninhabited island south of Naples. It’s supposedly perfect for a takedown event.”
“We’re renting a boat!” Cas announced happily.
“It’s a two-hour drive straight through the swamp, and then we’re picking up the boat at noon,” Reid confirmed.
“I’m obviously on Team Spend the Night on the Island,” Sam said, jerking his thumb at Carl and Garrick. “They’re not.”
“We’ll play it by ear,” Reid reasoned. “First, we gotta get there. So pack up, get dressed—and boys, shine your assholes.”
Jesus Christ.
Sam, Rome, and Brad cracked up. Meanwhile, Cas started dancing to an imaginary sexy beat.
“My butthole shines bright like a diamond!”
Yeah, okay. I needed more coffee.
A few hours later, I…I was really feeling the escape from reality. Reid and I shared the seating area in the back of the speedboat with Carl and Garrick, while the others stuck close to Sam, who was driving and making the brats laugh whenever we hit a wave.
The sun felt great on my chest, the beer was cold, the jerky was good, the water was bright blue, and Reid was touchy-feely, keeping a hand on my thigh or an arm around my shoulders.
A guy could get used to this.
The question was if I could get over it.
The closer we got to the island, the more my brain forced me to think. An unpleasant activity on vacation. He’s gonna fuck you. He’s gonna take you the way you’ve only fantasized about. And then what? You’re gonna go home and go back to normal?
Reid lifted his feet and planted them over my lap, then promptly leaned back and took a swig of his beer.
The wind combed his sun-kissed hair back, and he had the most relaxed smile on his face.
Shades on, tee off. Cargo shorts pockets filled with snacks.
He’d already dug out one fun-sized bag of chips and a Ziploc bag with cashews. Who knew what else he had in there.
With Carl and Garrick lost in their bubble, it was easy to tune out the world and just see Reid.
I brushed my fingers along his legs, and I caught his eyes opening behind his shades.
A twist of his lips, affection written all over him.
He didn’t say anything, and it wasn’t necessary.
He was enjoying this. It meant something to him.
Reid’s affection didn’t include lovey-dovey looks or blurting out sweet nothings. It was more about what he didn’t say. When he could relax in someone’s company, it meant he liked them. When he didn’t feel the need to fill a void with words and actions; he could just be.
Not that he would actually fill any silence with anything. He’d just leave.
“What’re you thinkin’ about?” he asked drowsily. His voice was almost drowned out by the sound of the engine and the water.
I smirked a little, feeling way more relaxed now too. “You and your mindfucky ways.”
He chuckled and took another swig of his beer. “You should’ve stopped at the first word.”
Yeah, maybe.
I dropped my gaze to his legs, and I ran my fingers down an old scar below his knee.
Touching him like this was probably more dangerous than fighting him during a kink party. Kink could be dismissed as a fun activity that scratched an itch when we were both single. The kissing, sharing a bed, the casual little touches—they spoke of something else.
Could I handle that?
Reid belonged in a box in my head. I’d never opened it fully, because I’d always known he posed a threat. I’d acknowledged attraction and my borderline unhealthy need to be near him—as a friend. Or whatever. But soon, that wouldn’t be enough.
I mean, I loved the motherfucker. He was family. My best friend. I couldn’t imagine going a week without seeing him. Hell, I couldn’t go a day without talking to him in some way, whether we met up for lunch, talked on the phone, or sent a few texts.
“I’m not looking for a sub.”
I reached for my beer and chugged half of it.
We anchored some 150 feet off the island that was surrounded by perfectly turquoise waters. Sugar-white sand hugged the shore and framed a jungle shaped by the elements. Bent palm trees, mangroves, ferns—nothing grew too high out here because of hurricanes.
I estimated it would take maybe ten, fifteen minutes to walk around the whole island, and it certainly looked like a good place for a takedown. We were far away from the mainland, so we wouldn’t have to worry too much about wildlife. At least in comparison to Homestead.
The boys gushed over how gorgeous everything was, and it didn’t take long before our plans changed. Cas went all, “Just putting it out there…” and suggested a day of catching some sun and enjoying the water, and that way, we could have our takedown around sunset.
“In that case, we’re definitely spending the night.” Sam was pleased as punch.
I didn’t have a preference, as long as I got to act out my wildest fantasies with Reid. And soak up this moment of us acting like we belonged together.
Goddamn, I was so screwed.
But it wasn’t my fucking fault. He’d upped the stakes. He’d changed. We’d never been this close before, even on vacation.
It could only lead to trouble, no matter how many times he told me he wasn’t looking for a sub. Which he probably meant for this trip. Back home…okay, even then, he wasn’t drawn exclusively to subs, though certainly to men on that side of the spectrum.
I scratched my forehead, sick of my own overthinking.
Everyone was in a great mood as we swam ashore—with too few supplies for my comfort. When I went hiking, I had some necessities I didn’t wanna be without, such as a tent, a mattress, and a barrier between the mosquitos and me.
We had none of that. We had two of our coolers with food and drinks and some blankets stuffed inside drybags.
Aftercare kits too. Could I find an air-conditioned tent in there? Fuck me, it was hot today.
I stayed in the water as most of the others headed up the beach with the coolers to make sure no water had gotten inside.
The ocean was far from shallow here. Some fifteen feet out, the water reached my chest.
I peered down at the pale bottom, then glanced at my fingers below the surface, and I did my best to let the temperature cool me off and hopefully reset my brain—
“You comin’, darlin’?”
Please stop before I beg you to never stop.
I glanced up at the beach and saw Reid watching me.
His body glistened with water and sun, and I couldn’t fucking speak.
Because what was I supposed to say? He’d told me, or half joked, that I wouldn’t be aware if he fucked with my head, but I’d never been so aware in my life.
So…he wasn’t even trying to mess with me, and still, he did a superb job.
His faint smile morphed into a familiar expression of “what am I gonna do with you?” He liked to give me shit for overthinking things, and I…I wanted to give him shit for being able to stay so damn chill.
He came back out into the water and didn’t stop until he was standing right in front of me. I stared into his eyes, wondering what was going on in that brain of his. He was too good at composure.
One of the reasons I never played poker with him.