CHAPTER THREE #2
Harris was ready with a half dozen suggestions but reminded himself not to be overeager.
“Me too. You could come by, and we could surf or take out the Jet Skis or the boat. Or you could drive here, and we could take the bikes out for a ride and get food.” Slow down and stop rambling, he told himself. Give the guy a chance to process.
“I’m up for all of it,” Wolf replied right away. “I’m leaving now.”
“Cool.” Harris didn’t know why he expected Wolf to be busy or uninterested in any of the things he suggested, and he began to wonder what Wolf did in his free time now that he wasn’t with Ethan. He imagined the guy spent a lot of his time alone, and it made Harris sad.
While he waited for Wolf, he checked the Jet Skis to make sure they had gas.
He hadn’t been to the marina in a while but paid someone over there to take care of the boat so it should be ready to go.
He inspected the contents of his refrigerator and kitchen cabinets.
There was plenty of beer and snacks, and a couple of steaks and burgers in the refrigerator, in case they decided to hang out here and use the grill.
With nothing left to do but wait for Wolf, he grabbed a bottle of water and sat on the deck watching the waves.
His phone finally buzzed with a text message that Wolf was out front, and he practically ran through the house, not bothering to close the sliders.
He was so excited, he greeted Wolf with a bro hug, something they rarely shared.
Wolf looked a little surprised but returned the gesture. “Traffic was a bitch, but I’m here.”
“Cool. Let’s go out back and figure out what we want to do first.”
The Jet Skis were out of the garage and on the trailer sitting on the sand, waiting to either get hauled to the boat or directly into the ocean ahead. At seeing them, Wolf leaned over the balcony. “I know what I want to do first. I haven’t been on a Jet Ski at all this year.”
Wolf was already wearing swim trunks, so Harris changed in record speed, then hauled the Jet Ski’s to the shore and into the water.
These were new, upgraded from the models he’d previously owned, and they were powerful.
He was about to tell Wolf to take it easy until he got the feel of the throttle, when Wolf suddenly took off.
“Be careful! Slow down!” Harris yelled, trying to catch up to Wolf.
There were people in the water and a few surfers, and Wolf zipped through them, faster than he should be going.
Harris took a clearer path to the open water and caught up to Wolf, who was doing giant donuts in the water at top speed.
Harris paused for a moment to watch his friend and the smile and joy on Wolf’s face as he soared through the water, almost wiping out a few times.
The guy was reckless and out of control sometimes, but he was having the time of his life.
With a smile on his face and lightness in his chest, Harris joined Wolf so the two of them were making a giant number eight in the water. With no one out this far, they had the entire ocean to themselves.
“This is awesome!” Wolf shouted as they passed one another.
“I know!” Harris yelled back. They sliced through the water, bouncing off the waves, and headed toward the horizon, side by side. Every once in a while, they looked at one another, laughter and a glint of mischief in their eyes.
The water got rough, and the waves started to feel like he was hitting a slab of cement. Even Wolf slowed down and looked a little nervous.
“We better head back,” Harris called, not realizing how much distance they covered. They were closer to large boats than to the shore, hence the rough waves.
Wolf nodded and they turned around to ride back to the beach. The water calmed a bit, but then the waves picked up again, and it was a fight to keep control of the Jet Skis. “You OK?” he shouted to Wolf over the pounding surf.
“Yeah,” Wolf shouted back. “We’re out pretty far.”
That was the fucking truth. But they made it back to a more reasonable distance from the shore without too much trouble, and they resumed their shenanigans of riding in circles and figure eights.
Wolf zipped past Harris like a rocket. The guy was fucking flying. Another Jet Ski appeared, and it was obvious that person wasn’t aware of Wolf’s high speed because he was crossing Wolf’s path. If one of them didn’t get out of the way, they were sure to collide.
“Look out!” Harris called, frantically waving his arms, but neither heard him over the noise of the waves and the Jet Skis.
The two finally saw one another and veered off in opposite directions.
The sharp turn and high speed caused Wolf’s Jet Ski to skid across the water and flip over.
Luckily, it rolled and popped back up, but Wolf was no longer sitting on it, and Harris didn’t see him.
“Wolf!” Harris hollered and gunned the throttle. “Wolf!”
“I’m OK!” Wolf called back. He was in the water on the opposite side of the Jet Ski.
“You scared the fuck outta me! Are you sure you’re OK? You went down hard.”
“I think so. Where’d that guy go? Is he OK?”
“Yeah. He took off. I don’t think he knew you wiped out. Can you get back on?”
It took several attempts, but Wolf finally made it back on the Jet Ski, but now the damn thing didn’t start.
“What’s wrong?” Harris asked.
Wolf pointed in the water. “I’m not sure. But I think that piece might be important.”
There was a piece of . . . something . . . floating in the water next to the Jet Ski. “Shit.”
“Sorry, dude. I’ll pay to fix it. Can I hitch a ride back?”
“Wait. Let me get closer.” Harris maneuvered the Jet Ski so they were side by side, almost touching, and Wolf climbed on.
Wolf’s thighs were pressed against Harris’, his hands were on Harris’ waist, his breath on the back of Harris’ neck, and when they took off, Wolf’s chest hit Harris’ back every so often.
Oh. My. God.
It was too much contact. Too much body heat.
“I’m sorry,” Wolf said into Harris’ ear.
But Harris didn’t care about his Jet Ski. If it meant that Wolf would be practically straddling him like this, he would’ve broken the Jet Ski himself. When they got to the shore, the lifeguard was waiting and thankfully handed them each a towel because Harris was overstimulated.
“Do you need medical attention?” the lifeguard asked Wolf.
“No. I’m fine.”
“Can someone tow my Jet Ski in?” Harris asked. “It needs a repair.”
“They’re on their way.”
Harris and Wolf returned to the house. After they rinsed off under the outdoor shower, and Harris put the one Jet Ski in the garage, they sat on the deck.
“Here.” Harris handed Wolf a beer and let out a breath. “That was fucked up. You could’ve gotten really hurt. Why were you going so fast?”
Wolf grinned. “I was having a good time. It’s awesome here at the beach.” He fanned his hand in a semi-circle in front of him. “There’s so much to do.”
“Do you like it better than the mountains?”
“No. It’s just different. I like the privacy of living high above everyone else. I still get nature, and there are plenty of trails to hike. If I want the beach, I can just drive here.”
“Anytime, bruh.” Harris’ stomach rumbled reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. “Do you want to go out for food after the tow guy comes?”
“I’m hungry. But I’d rather order something and stay right here. It’s relaxing.”
Harris loved the idea of spending time alone with Wolf instead of in a public place which sometimes necessitated security and had intrusive fans. “I can grill a couple of steaks.”
“Steak it is! What else?”
Harris wasn’t sure, since his housekeeper did the shopping, but knew the refrigerator was full. “Let’s go see.”
While Harris checked the contents of his refrigerator, Wolf looked over his shoulder. “There’s corn on the cob.”
“And Snickers bars.” Wolf reached into the shelf to grab one and winced. He pulled his arm back and cricked his neck to the side while he rubbed his shoulder.
“What happened?”
“I think I hurt my shoulder when I wiped out.”
Harris immediately brought Wolf to a chair in the kitchen and made him sit down. “How bad is it?”
“Not bad. Just sore.” He rotated his arm. “I must have pulled a muscle.”
“I have one of those gel ice packs. Let me get it for you.” After retrieving it from the freezer, Harris put it on Wolf’s shoulder. “I have Aleve if you need it.”
“Nah. It’s not that bad.”
“Let’s sit outside in the sun.” They returned to the deck, but not before Harris swiped the candy bar from the refrigerator.
“This is nice,” Wolf said, relaxing in the Adirondack chair. “The sun feels good.”
“Here.” Harris handed Wolf the Snickers bar.
“Awesome. I love them cold.” As Wolf tore the wrapping off the candy bar, the ice pack fell onto the deck.
Harris picked it up and held it on Wolf’s shoulder so he could enjoy the snack.
“Thanks,” Wolf said between bites. “I could use a little massage too.”
It was said as a joke, but Harris wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity.
He tossed the ice pack onto the table, pushed Wolf’s hair out of the way, and went to work rubbing and kneading Wolf’s shoulder and the side of his neck.
He’d never touched Wolf like this before, and it gave Harris a thrilling rush.
Wolf leaned into Harris’ hands and rolled his head to the side.
“That feels good. Wait.” He slipped his T-shirt over his head, and Harris stood there looking down at Wolf’s naked back.
There was a slight tan line at the base of his neck from their afternoon on the water, and a scattering of freckles covered the upper part of Wolf’s back and shoulders.
The guy wasn’t very muscular, nor too thin either.
Everything about him was perfectly proportionate.
Harris resumed the massage, enjoying the feel of the silky skin beneath his fingers.
He rotated his thumbs in a circular motion while applying soft pressure.
He admired the arc of Wolf’s back, all the way down to his waistband, and his eyes landed on two sexy dimples on either side of Wolf’s spine.
Harris’ mind started to wander, and he imagined his hands moving lower.
Wolf let out a small moan and looked up at Harris, the corners of his lips curled into a smile. “You’re good at this. You should do it for a living.”
Heat rushed to Harris’ cheeks and he froze, unable to move his hands another inch.
“Don’t stop.” Wolf took the last bite of his candy bar, balled up the wrapper, and tossed it onto the patio table.
Harris finally let out the breath he’d been holding. Feeling flushed and overheated, he started massaging Wolf’s shoulder again, but it was too much. Too electrifying. Too wonderful. Too tempting.
Thankfully, a rumble diverted his attention to the sand as the tow truck driver hauling the disabled Jet Ski saved Harris from his inappropriate thoughts.
He met the driver, and they went over referrals for a repair shop, then he paid for the tow, both from the water and to the suggested repair shop.
When Harris returned to the deck, Wolf was already grilling the steaks and the corn on the cob, and his shirt was back on.
“Wolf, you don’t have to do that. I was gonna do it.”
“I broke your Jet Ski. I’m not even buying you dinner. The least I can do is cook it.”
The steaks came out amazing and were done to perfection.
The corn was sweet and charred and buttery, and Wolf grilled a bunch of asparagus that he found in the refrigerator that tasted like something Harris never expected.
He never knew he liked asparagus or that his housekeeper bought it.
He wondered if asparagus always tasted so good or if Wolf had some kind of secret culinary skills that made them delicious.
“I cooked. You clean up,” Wolf said, leaning back in his chair. “I was only joking!” He jumped up and took the plate out of Harris’ hand. “I got it. You can find something for us to watch on TV.” Wolf paused. “Unless you want me to leave.”
Harris’ shoulders fell. “Why in the world would I want you to leave? You got hurt on my Jet Ski. You made this awesome meal. Now you want to clean up.” He jutted his thumb toward the house.
“The kitchen garbage needs changing too—I’m kidding!
” Harris quickly clarified, a happy smile on his face.
Although he could have done without Wolf taking a tumble in the water, he had an awesome time today, and he certainly wasn’t ready for it to be over. “We’ll both clean up.”
When they were done, they went outside to sit on the deck. “This is beautiful,” Wolf said. “The breeze is chilly, but it’s invigorating.”
“I have a hoodie or blanket if you need it.”
“I’m good. If I get too cold, I’ll let you know.”
They ended up watching a movie on the deck, thanks to Harris’ new giant outdoor TV.
He looked over at Wolf, now huddled under a blanket, and the memory of how he clung to the blanket after he woke from the nightmare a few weeks ago resurfaced.
Harris hated thinking about that night. He hated that Wolf was going through a difficult time, which seemed to be ongoing.
Wolf shifted his gaze from the TV screen to Harris and gave him a lopsided smile. “Why are you looking at me instead of watching the movie?”
Harris felt genuine heartache for this man. He wanted to wrap his arms around Wolf and hold him until all his worries and troubles disappeared. Instead, he reached over and placed his hand on Wolf’s arm. “How’s your shoulder?”
“It’s good.” Wolf demonstrated by raising his arm. “I’m glad I came over today. I’m having a great time.”
“Me too.” Harris smiled. “I’m happy we’re spending more time together.”