Chapter 8
REAL
On the fifth day on the island, I wake up to the morning sun streaming through the sliding glass door that leads to the balcony.
The golden rays fall over Flynn's bare back, casting some of the most beautiful shadows I've ever seen.
My hands itch for my camera, desperate to capture the image before it's lost forever.
Since I don't have my camera, I settle for snapping a few pictures with my phone.
They almost do Flynn's heartbreaking good looks justice.
He continues to sleep soundly as I set my phone back down and shamelessly lean forward to trail my lips along the same path the sunshine is taking, tasting the heat of his skin.
His muscles twitch, a sleepy moan slipping from his lips.
He arches into my touch, and I tug the sheets down to expose his plump, gorgeous bare ass.
I kiss along his spine until I reach his ass and then give his cheek a playful bite. Flynn yelps, awake in an instant and trying to buck me off while I laugh and bite him again.
“You’re so mean. I was having a dream about a giant waffle,” he grumbles, and I continue to chuckle as I crawl back up the bed and wiggle my way into his arms. He tugs me close, his skin warm against mine, his beard tickling my skin as he tucks his face into the crook of my neck and breathes deeply.
“What time is it?” he asks sleepily.
“No clue. Early, I think.”
He grunts and then yawns. “What should we do today?”
“Hmm,” I hum as I consider the options. We’ve kept busy all week, spending our days on the beach and exploring the town.
Down the main street there is an incredible ice cream shop called Creamed, a cool arcade filled with games we used to play as kids, a donut shop—which we haven’t visited yet, but the name alone has us intrigued—and about a dozen various little shops that I honestly hadn’t expected.
And, of course, we’ve spent our nights burning up the sheets.
I haven’t spent more than ten minutes in my own room since the first night. It’s still the best money I’ve ever spent though.
“What about the carousel?” I suggest.
“Sure,” he agrees, starting to wake up a little more now as he nuzzles and kisses my neck.
There’s no rush to get out of bed, so I reach between us to palm his hot, thick erection. We might as well get the morning started off right.
Two, maybe three times...
****
We manage to make it out of his room, freshly showered and completely rung out some time just before noon. After a stop for a leisurely brunch, we go in search of the rainbow carousel that Trick mentioned a few days ago.
“Where do you think this thing is?” Flynn asks as the two of us walk down the quiet street.
After five days, we’re getting to know the rhythm of the place.
Before about two in the afternoon, everyone seems to be sleeping off their hangovers or going for a second round with whoever tumbled into their bed the night before.
Anyone who is awake is usually down at the beach or up in the hills for a hike.
“No clue.” We probably should’ve asked someone, but the island isn’t that big. How hard can it be to find a carousel?
Halfway down the street, I notice a sign on the front lawn of one of the houses.
It has a picture of a fluffy brown-and-black cat, honestly more like a mug shot.
Written beside the picture is an explanation: Mr. Tubbs is an underwear thief.
If you lost a pair of underwear, check the clothesline.
There’s an arrow pointing to the right. If you’ve found a pair of underwear, please place them there as well.
Sure enough, there’s a dozen or so different pairs of underwear hung up waiting to be claimed, as well as a man.
He’s possibly the largest human I’ve ever seen, definitely over six feet.
He’s a bear of a guy with a soft body and brown hair.
He clips a pair of lacy panties onto the line with a clothespin and then bends down to pick up a small paper bag off the ground.
“Hey,” I say, hoping he’ll be able to point us in the right direction.
He gives us a relaxed, friendly smile. “Hey. Lux,” he says, offering his hand. “Can I help you guys with something?”
“Yeah, we’re looking for the rainbow carousel. Do you know where it is?” With a name like Lux, something tells me he’s a local. Seriously, can’t just one of them be named John or something?
Not that I have a lot of room to talk, I guess. My eyes drop to the paper bag in his hand, and I notice the word Easy scrawled across it sloppily in black marker.
“Okay, what the hell does Easy mean? We’ve seen it everywhere,” I ask before he can answer my first question. “It was on a sign, tattooed on some random guy’s ass, and now it’s written on your bag.”
Lux glances down at the paper bag as if he’s just now realizing he’s holding it.
“He’s my best friend and roommate,” he answers as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m bringing him his lunch. He forgot it this morning, and if I don’t take it to him, he’ll eat donuts all day.”
“Your roommate is named Easy?” Flynn asks, sounding skeptical.
“Yeah, he’ll fuck anyone. He pretty much has.
” He frowns as if a thought just occurred to him.
“Except for me. Anyway, if you’re looking for the rainbow carousel, you want to take the trail that leads up to the hills.
About a mile in, you’ll find a clearing to your left.
” His relaxed smile returns. “There are signs. You can’t miss it. ”
“That’s one mystery solved, I guess,” I muse. “Thanks for the help.”
“No problem. I run the surf shop down by the long beach. Stop by if you want to rent kitesurfing equipment or whatever else.”
“Thanks,” we both say.
Lux gives us a quick wave and then takes off, leaving us on our quest to find the carousel.
FLYNN
When Trick mentioned the carousel, I kind of figured it would be on a boardwalk somewhere or something.
I didn’t anticipate having to trudge through an overgrown trail to find it.
We make it through the trees, following the signs that Lux had mentioned, and as we step into the clearing, I hear Real gasp.
The sun shines down on the small, brightly painted carousel.
It looks so out of place out in the middle of the woods but clearly well maintained.
Wildflowers are growing all around it, honeybees and butterflies dancing through the air without a care in the world.
Birds chirping and the gentle breeze through the trees are the only sounds that reach us.
It feels like we’ve stepped into a fairytale.
“I am so mad at Robbie right now for making me leave my camera at home,” Real laments, staring in awe at the beautiful scene in front of us.
“We’ll come back sometime, and you can bring your camera,” I say. He squeezes my hand, turning a sweet, hopeful smile on me.
“I’d like that.”
I lean in and brush a soft kiss against his lips. He sighs against me, swaying into me as if he can’t help but get closer. My heart beats faster, every inch of my skin tingling with awareness at his presence.
We only have one more full day on the island after this, and then we have to head home to reality.
As sure as I am that I’m not going to let him slip away once we’re back to our real lives, I am nervous about what things will be like once we break this perfect vacation bubble we’ve been living in all week.
Nervous and excited. Desperate to see what the future holds for us, but not wanting to disturb this thing we’ve spent this week carefully building.
“Do you think it works?” I ask, nodding toward the carousel.
“Only one way to find out.” He grins at me again and tugs me through the clearing toward the ride. There’s a control panel beside it with a sign attached giving instructions on how to get it to start.
“There is no guarantee the ride will work. Harold decides. Please don’t complain to anyone. It’s out of our hands,” I read off the bottom of the sign. “This place is so strange.”
“I think it’s kind of fun,” Real says with a shrug, fiddling with the panel to see if he can get the thing to start. The lights and music come on, but it doesn’t move an inch.
“I guess Harry is feeling lazy today,” I reason. “Come on.” Even if it’s not going to move, we came all the way out here. We might as well enjoy it.
We pick a couple of plastic unicorns right next to each other and climb on. Real wraps his hands around the gold pole that connects his horse to the floor and ceiling and looks wistfully around the clearing once more.
“You know, this has been the best week of my life,” he says.
“Mine too,” I tell him honestly.
“Do you mean it about coming back sometime…together?” Real asks, looking at me with a hint of nerves.
“I mean all of it. This week is just the start of us, of the new us, the way we were always meant to be.”
A smile creeps over his lips, his eyes still searching my face. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
My heart leaps inside my chest, a surprised, joyful sound bubbling up out of my throat. “Well, thank fuck for that because I’ve been in love with you half my life already.”
Real grabs the front of my shirt, and we collide in a kiss, leaning over to fill the space between our two noble steeds.
With a lurch, the carousel comes to life, toppling us even closer together as it starts to move.
We laugh against each other’s lips and scramble to get our balance, unwilling to break the kiss.
Our lips and tongues slide against each other between bouts of laughter as our unicorns move up and down out of sync with each other, making the whole thing more than a little tricky but that much more fun.
“Do you think this means Harold blesses our union?” Real muses.
“Hm, maybe all these crazy locals are on to something after all.”