Chapter Twenty-Two #2
The ones who’d managed to get past the shore break initially didn’t have the skill—or likely the strength or stamina—to paddle fast enough to get out of the impact zone. They clearly were too new to know how to duck dive under a breaking wave and come out safely on the backside.
Lachlan grabbed his radio. “Orange ATV to Central: could be a mass rescue here north of the flags. I’m in.”
“Copy that—backup’s coming.”
After tossing his sunnies and stripping off his uniform shirt, Lachlan grabbed the rescue board off the side of the buggy and sprinted. It flashed through his mind—Callum McLeod’s desperate hand sticking above the water and vanishing—before he switched into autopilot.
He punched through the shore break, paddling as hard as he could toward two middle-aged women.
“Grab my board!” He sat up, hauling one of them close by her arm. He told her he had them and they were safe, but he wasn’t sure they understood.
The women spoke to each other in Korean, and he tried to think of something comforting to say from watching the occasional K-drama and came up with, “Gwaenchanayo.”
One of the women nodded her thanks and replied something he couldn’t understand.
Blake was using a surfboard to hold up a few other people, and Lachlan spotted the surf instructor on the shore shouting uselessly. Gritting his teeth, Lachlan focused on getting the women into shore, relieved to see Ronnie, Damo, and Tim paddling out.
More sets were approaching in the distance, and he slapped his board and tugged one of the women, trying to communicate that he needed them to get on the board.
Fast.
He pulled and pointed, and finally got them facing forward on their bellies, his head practically up the closest woman’s arse as he paddled, glancing back to clock the incoming wave. If he timed it right…
Water surged beneath them, and the women squealed as they rode the wave almost all the way in. There was no graceful way to get two patients off a rescue board, and they all tumbled into the shallow water.
Lachlan hauled them up as another wave broke, and a few bystanders helped get them to dry sand. Then Lachlan was back in for another man who coughed and panicked in the shore break even though it was shallow enough to stand up.
Cheap surfboards got washed onto shore and then sucked back out in a cycle, the red-faced surf instructor stomping after them. To one woman, he shouted, “I told you to paddle hard!”
After Lachlan made sure his patients were all safe and didn’t need first aid, he marched over to the instructor, whose black T-shirt read: Learn to Surf Barking Beach with Kayde.
“Is everyone accounted for?” Lachlan asked.
“Huh? I guess. I need all the boards back.” He—presumably Kayde—splashed over to another.
“I don’t give a stuff about the boards. Are all your students accounted for?”
Lips thin, Kayde looked around and did a head count. “Yup. Thanks.”
“It’s far too rough for beginners.”
“Yeah, well.” He shrugged. “They paid to try to surf at Barkers, so here we are.”
“You need to give refunds next time. You can’t do lessons in these conditions.”
Kayde muttered, “Whatever.”
Tim appeared at Lachlan’s side, shirtless in his board shorts, wiping water from his face. “What did you say? This lifeguard gave you an order, and you’d better bloody listen. You’ve got no business taking beginners anywhere but a wading pool.”
“Liam had a chat to him before too,” Lachlan said. “The groups are too big.”
“Where’s your permit?” Tim asked calmly. Too calmly.
Lachlan knew he wanted to tear a strip off Kayde, and he couldn’t lie—it was sexy as.
“I don’t, like, carry it with me.”
“Where’re you from?” Tim asked.
“Around.”
From where he crouched by a shaken patient, Damo called, “He’s not a local. Showed up last month, I reckon. Bet he doesn’t have a permit. Probably a kook who can’t even surf.”
“I’m not a fuckin’ kook,” Kayde spat. “Look, they’re only here a day and they wanted to go. They paid their money. I told them the risks and they signed the waiver.” He held out his hands and let them drop.
“Tourists who don’t understand the ocean don’t understand the bloody risks,” Tim growled. “And you need one instructor for every six students at a minimum.”
Kayde scoffed. “You know how much that costs?”
“Mate, these people could’ve died.”
The hard T in Tim’s “mate” had Lachlan raising his hands and saying to Kayde, “You’ve been told. Now check on your students and get off the beach. And we need to see your permit before you teach another lesson at Barking.”
“Look, I told them the risks!” Kayde insisted.
Flatly, Tim said, “Righto, champ,” and turned on his heel.
Lachlan’s breath caught at the dismissal. Shit!
Clenching his fists, Kayde snarled, “What the fuck is your problem, old man?” He lunged after Tim, but Lachlan blocked him with a firm hand to his chest. Kayde thankfully stepped back.
“Don’t!” Lachlan snapped. “Not if you ever want to come back to this beach.”
Bright red now, the man snarled, “That dog cunt’s got no—”
“Off the beach,” Lachlan gritted out, his fingers twitching. He’d never punched anyone, but he was ready to try. “Now.”
A few feet away, Tim watched, nostrils flaring.
“Mate!” Damo shouted at Kayde. “You heard him. Bugger off!”
Still frothing, Kayde stalked off to a round of applause from the people who’d gathered to watch the excitement.
Lachlan’s gaze met Tim’s, and they shared a tiny, secret smile that said, “Later.”
Thongs slapping the footpath as the last rays of the pink sunset faded behind them, Lachlan and Tim climbed the hill toward Lachlan’s house.
By some unspoken agreement, they walked in silence until they were past the cricket field at the top of the hill and heading down into the valley with Barking behind them. Ravens cawed in the gloaming.
“You did it,” Tim said, finally. “First rescue after. And it was a double. Good work.”
Lachlan glowed at Tim’s praise. “I guess I did, hey? Like riding a bike.”
“How did it feel?”
“Satisfying. I guess it’s a relief in a strange way. Like, I didn’t forget how to do my job.”
“You did your job on Friday too. Don’t ever think for a second you didn’t. Did you ring the counselor?”
Lachlan nodded. “Have an appointment for Thursday arvo.”
“Good. And I’m glad you’re keen to give Mark a hand.”
With a rush of satisfaction, Lachlan said, “I am. Looking forward to doing the research.”
Tim shuddered. “This is why you’re the lawyer and I’m the…well, lifeguard for now. Not for much longer at Barkers.”
“Have you heard from Teddy?”
“Not yet.” He exhaled noisily. “Shit, I really hate giving him something else to worry about. He should only be concentrating on getting better.”
“I hear you. But it’s done. We can’t change it.”
“I hope I can make it right eventually.”
“You will.”
They walked in silence, and Lachlan reached for Tim’s hand and threaded their fingers together, the urge to touch too much to resist. They reached the bottom of the valley, and darkness settled around them, the faint pools of the streetlights few and far between.
A car drove past, but the streets were already quiet.
And if someone did see them? Let them.
Tim clearly didn’t care either, since he squeezed Lachlan’s hand with his warm, callused fingers.
“You know what you need to do,” Lachlan said.
“Do I? Aside from fucking you senseless the minute we walk in the door?”
Heat flooding him, Lachlan tried to stay focused. “You definitely need to do that, but I’m talking about opening a surf school. A proper one. Then the tourists and grommets can learn from someone responsible.”
“Been there, tried that. Failed miserably.”
“Because your mate conned you. Not because you’re unfit for the job. You know these breaks like the back of your hand. You’re patient. Kind. Generous. There’s no one better.”
“You’re making it really hard to wait until we get to your place to kiss you.”
Leaning in, Lachlan caught Tim’s mouth in a long, sweet kiss. Rubbing his cheek against Tim’s beard, he murmured, “That’s a sneak peek.”
“Can’t wait for the main attraction.” Tim stroked his thumb over Lachlan’s knuckles in a way that had Lachlan’s arsehole squeezing in anticipation.
“Mmm. But I’m not dropping this, for the record.
Your business in Queensland had an office, right?
You don’t need that. You need a website and storage for surfboards.
I’ve got plenty of room at the moment. Your office can be the beach.
Charge more for small class sizes. Make it exclusive.
The tourists’ll pay. And you need a permit, of course. ”
Tim chuckled as they walked on. “Goes without saying. But it’s the end of the season. This is the worst time to start a surf-related business.”
“There are still tourists here in the winter who want to have a go. It warms right up on sunny days. You’ll need wetsuits, but that’s certainly doable.
And the other seasonal businesses typically close, so you’ll have a captive audience.
You can start small in the off-season and, well, get your feet wet. ”
Tim chuckled, then was quiet for a minute. Lachlan wanted to say more, but backed off.
They turned onto Lachlan’s street, and Tim said, “You might be onto something. After what happened out east, I didn’t let myself even imagine the possibility. Closed that door completely.”
“But you can picture it now?”
Tim nodded. “It’s worth a good think.” He squeezed Lachlan’s hand, their palms warm. “I can imagine a lot that I never thought I’d have. Never thought I’d want.”
Breath catching, Lachlan asked, “What do you want right now?”
“You.” Tim stroked with his thumb. “Now. Later. Tomorrow. Next week. In a fortnight. A month—”
Anticipation and affection fizzing through him, Lachlan tugged Tim along the footpath past his neighbors’ houses. They made it down the driveway past Lachlan’s SUV and through the gate to the covered al fresco before Tim shoved him against the wall and dropped to his knees—with a slight groan.
Already hard, Lachlan bit his lip to stifle his cries as Tim swallowed him to the root. He wound his hands through Tim’s hair as Tim sucked him fiercely and made his legs tremble.
“Wait, wait!” Lachlan gasped. “I want you to fuck me.”
Releasing him with a wet, dirty slurp, Tim grinned up wickedly. In the faint light from the neighbor’s yard, his lips were shiny. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m going to make you come again when I’m inside you.”
And he did.
Twice.