Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
MARCUS
Iwake up with a start. My back is sore from sleeping on this damn couch, and I’m sweaty, despite the open windows. I rub my eyes and look around, trying to get my bearings.
Something definitely woke me.
A bright beam of light cascades through the windows, bathing the room in silver.
The moon.
I rise and walk to the sliding-glass door, studying the sky. Despite how overcast it was earlier, the clouds have thinned, revealing a blanket of twinkling stars and the brightest full moon I’ve ever seen.
The tide has receded, and in the moonlight, Haystack Rock looks like a black obelisk standing watch over the expanse of beach.
Something catches my eye—a flash of yellow. I squint in disbelief and shake my head.
No way that’s him.
I turn and head down the hallway to the bedroom. The door is open, and I find the bed mussed but empty.
“Kid is fucking crazy,” I mutter.
I walk back into the living room, staring out at Jeremy’s lithe form walking along the edge of the ocean. “It’s got to be like forty degrees outside. What the fuck are you doing, Jeremy?”
A wave crashes onto the shore, rushing up at Jeremy’s feet, and he stumbles.
Does he know how high the waves are?
From here, they look angry and turbulent, like dark claws raking at the sand. I grit my teeth. Then grab my coat from where it sits on my duffel bag.
“This is stupid,” I grumble while I toe on my boots, not bothering with the laces.
Then I walk out onto the porch and stomp down the steps to the grass.
As I approach the stairs to the beach, a gust of wind catches my jacket, blowing it open and slinging my hair into my eyes.
I zip my coat closed with a curse. “Who goes for a walk on the beach at three in the fucking morning in November?”
I look around when I reach the sand, but I don’t see Jeremy. The waves are thunderous, and my panic escalates.
What if something happened to him?
I walk as fast as I can, trying not to trip over any stray pieces of driftwood.
I walk until my calves burn. I scan the beach again and finally spot him.
He’s standing on the shore with his hands in his pockets, his hair blowing around his ears.
His sweats are pushed up to his knees, and I balk at the fact that he’s not wearing shoes.
A relieved sigh bursts from my lungs, and I double over, trying to catch my breath.
By contrast, Jeremy appears eerily calm, and it pisses me right off.
I take off toward him, trying to ignore the way my loose laces, now wet with sand and saltwater, slap at my legs.
The cold sinks into my skin, heightening my annoyance, and by the time I’m within ten feet of him, I’m seething.
“Jeremy! What the fuck are you doing?”
He startles but relaxes when our eyes meet, and he smiles.
The fucker actually smiles.
Doesn’t he understand how cold I am right now?
My body is shaking when I reach him, and I clench my teeth to keep them from chattering. My hands are damp and numb, and they ache.
“What’re you doing out here, Marcus?”
“Are you kidding me right now?” I sputter. “Do you have a death wish or something? What’re you doing out here?”
He shrugs. “I couldn’t sleep. I had a nightmare.”
“So you decided it was smart to walk out here in the dark?”
“The moon is out, so I felt safe enough.” His smile is impish as he studies me. “Were you worried about me?”
“Yes!” I don’t know why I’m yelling. While the wind and waves are loud, we’re close enough that we can hear each other just fine. But I was worried, goddammit. And not just worried. I was scared. For him. “What if one of those ninja waves got you?”
He looks amused. “You mean a sneaker wave?”
“Yes, one of those!” My eyes dart to the ocean like one might hit us any second, but the water seems a bit calmer than it was a few minutes ago. “I had one hit me. Knocked me completely off my feet. And I was a full-grown teen, not some little kid.”
Jeremy pinches my chin, turning my gaze back to his, and frowns. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t think about that.”
The anger drains from my body, and I find myself moving closer, till our bodies are inches apart.
With our height difference, he has to peer up at me.
But somehow, as always, he’s still has all the control.
His gentle grip is warm against my skin, and I lean into his touch.
He smiles faintly, and his fingers leave my chin and trail up my cheek to my forehead, pushing the hair from my eyes.
I let him. For once, I want him to touch me, and it’s like he’s siphoning the leftover adrenaline from my system.
My heart pounds louder than the ocean, vibrating my whole body. I feel the ice-cold water lap at my feet and seep into my boots, but I don’t care anymore. Not with the way he’s looking at me like no one ever has.
Like he sees me.
In the moonlight, Jeremy’s pale skin is flawless—almost translucent—and his hair shines silver, giving him an otherworldly aura. He’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.
My eyes drop to his mouth. “Do I want to kiss you?” The rough words spill from my mouth of their own volition, and I suspect I have a look of shock on my face because Jeremy chuckles.
“I don’t know, big guy. Do you?” When I don’t answer, he purses his lips. “Marcus,” he whispers, his voice barely audible over the crashing waves. “Why are you fighting this? What have we really got to lose?”
“Nothing.” Everything.
I lean forward and our mouths meet in what feels like a cataclysmic crash.
Time stops.
It’s just me and him and the sea.
My lips move against his, my tongue begging for entry. And he opens for me with a soft moan, his hands clutching my cheeks and scrubbing through my stubble. I rub my fingers into the soft strands of his hair, tugging gently. My hand molds perfectly to the back of his skull.
I’ve never kissed anyone like this before. It’s feral and needy and the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. I wish I’d given in sooner because now that I’m kissing Jeremy Hart, I never want to stop.
We’re both wearing sweatpants that leave little to the imagination, and our hard cocks rub together as our tongues explore each other’s mouths.
I tug him impossibly closer against my body, but it’s not enough.
As if he feels the same way, Jeremy jumps into my arms, his legs circling my waist. I grab his ass, but stumble back, my equilibrium thrown off, and we fall onto the wet sand.
Our kiss breaks as the air is knocked from my body, but Jeremy straddles me, his knees caging my hips while he grinds his cock against mine. He stares down at me, an animalistic gleam in his teal eyes.
The tide rushes around me, soaking my backside and clothes, but all I feel is the heat of Jeremy’s body. He leans forward and presses us together again, and a needy whine escapes my lips as my eyes roll back in my head.
I’m hot and cold, my cock heavy and aching against my stomach.
I need a release like I need air. Jeremy’s lips are chilled and salty as they brush mine.
He grabs my wrists, hauling them above my head and pushing them into the wet sand while he continues to kiss me.
This time, it’s gentle when our lips dance together, but his hips move against me with purpose, the friction delicious as pleasure builds in my spine.
“Jer,” I pant into his mouth. “Jer, if you don’t stop, I’m going to come.”
He pulls back and chuckles. His breath is hot on my cheeks, and his lips curve in a knowing smirk. I barely notice the salt water stinging my eyes because all I see and feel is him.
“Then why would I stop?” He bears down and crushes our cocks together, and I can’t hold back.
The orgasm steals the air from my lungs and fills my cold, soaking-wet sweats with warm, sticky cum.
I arch my back through it, groaning loudly, and Jeremy’s hands tighten on my wrists as his hips give a final aggressive pump, and then he releases his own orgasm with a needy whimper.
Grit and sand bite into my skin as his grip tightens even more, but the pain just heightens the euphoria.
Jeremy collapses on top of me, his chest heaving, just as another wave washes over us, literally throwing ice water on our moment. I start to laugh, and Jeremy giggles too, his body quaking against mine while we lie on the beach, unable to move.
Suddenly, a bright light hits us.
Jeremy rolls off me, shading his eyes, and I realize with sharp panic that it’s a truck crawling up the beach.
Fucking fuck. Is it Ryan? Did he follow us?
I glance around frantically, wondering if we can make a run for it, but the beach is so exposed. Then, blue and red lights flash with a siren chirp.
“Mood killer.” Jeremy brushes the hair from his eyes, which only serves to leave a dark streak of sand along his brow.
Relieved, I push myself up, doing my best to shake the sand from my sweats, but it’s a losing battle. I may as well have gone swimming in my clothes. I reach down, take Jeremy’s hand, and haul him to his feet as the truck comes to a stop and points the light directly in our faces.
Jeremy tries to drop my hand, but I hold on tighter.
The door opens and a police officer steps out, his boots squishing and squeaking as he walks our way. “Morning. Everything okay here?”
Jeremy trembles against me, and something tugs at my chest. Despite that little voice in the back of my head telling me I should hide, I stand taller and tug him close. I’m tired of ignoring my feelings. Jeremy doesn’t deserve that.
Christ, what if something happened to him tonight?
I know, deep down, I would have been devastated. Truly and utterly destroyed.
The officer gives me an expectant look, and I clear my throat. “Er, yeah,” I say, though my voice comes out raspy, probably from all the heavy breathing that just happened. “Just taking a walk on the beach.”
The guy runs a finger along his mustache, looking skeptical. “Looks more like you went for a swim.”
“Oh.” I glance down, trying not to shiver. “Yeah, we, uh, got hit with a big wave and fell.”
“Are either of you hurt?”
“No, sir.”
The guy asks us a few more questions, but ultimately decides that we’re just two idiots walking on the beach in the middle of the night, which is fair.
As he drives away, I turn to Jeremy. His eyes are unfocused like he’s spooked, and one hand is rubbing circles on his hip.
“Hey,” I say, gently cupping his face. “You okay?”
An exhale shudders out of him, and his eyes follow the cop car moving in the other direction.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” His gaze meets mine, and our breaths mingle.
His hair is limp and wet around his face, but it still glows in the moonlight.
I want to kiss him again, but we’re both freezing, so it’ll have to wait.
“C’mon, Starlight. Let’s get you back and warmed up.”