Chapter 10
Leaving the others to their own respective evenings, Demarien went on a walk with Boone and Brownie.
His cottage had access to a small, private beach.
The wind carried the ocean's steady hush as they walked side by side along the damp, packed sand.
Waves rolled in with a rhythmic certainty, stretching and retreating, leaving behind glimmering sand.
Demarien tucked his hands into the sleeves of his oversized sweater, leaning slightly into Boone as a gust of cool air swept past them. “You’d think I’d be used to this by now,” he said, smiling faintly. “Doesn’t matter how long I've lived here. It’s always colder than I expect.”
Boone chuckled, slipping his arm around Demarien’s shoulders and pulling him closer. “That’s part of the charm. Keeps you awake. Makes everything feel sharper.”
“Sharper?” Demarien asked, glancing up at him.
“Yeah. The sound of the waves, the smell of the salt, and you complaining about the cold. Keeps me on my toes.”
“I am not complaining,” he said with a laugh, nudging Boone with his elbow.
The alpha grinned. “Right. Not complaining. Just passionately observing.”
Demarien rolled his eyes but didn’t pull away. Instead, he rested his head briefly against Boone’s shoulder as they continued walking. Ahead, a jagged outcropping of rock jutted into the water, dark and steady against the deep red horizon.
“It’s beautiful,” Demarien said quietly. “I’ve always loved this place. It feels like the world stops out here.”
Boone followed his gaze. “No noise. No rush. Just this.”
“And us,” Demarien added.
“And us,” Boone agreed, his voice softer now.
Something skittered between them, and Boone yelped.
Demarien chuckled. “And a crab.”
The crab sat on Boone’s foot for a moment. Demarien noticed it was missing one of its back legs. Otherwise, the creature seemed fine as it stared at them with its beady eyes. Brownie ran to them and sniffed the creature. Satisfied that it smelled okay, the dog went back to waddling down the beach.
“There’s a crab on my foot.” Boone gave Demarien a solemn look. “Why is there a crab on my foot?”
“Life is strange.” Demarien shrugged, grinning.
The crab click clacked away after a moment of watching them, weaving in a strange pattern as it went back into the sea.
Demarien rubbed his chin. “I shall name him Casanova.”
“What?”
“He really liked you, so he has great taste.”
“I’ve never had a crab sit on my foot before.”
“He was your first.”
“Hopefully my last.”
They walked in silence for a while, their footsteps leaving a winding trail behind them. A pair of seabirds swooped low over the water, their cries carried faintly on the wind.
Demarien bent down suddenly, picking something up from the sand. “Look,” he said, holding out a small, smooth shell streaked with pale pink. “It’s perfect.”
Boone examined it, then looked at him instead. “Not quite.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And why not?”
“It’s missing something.” He reached out, brushing a thumb across Demarien’s bottom lip. “A story.”
Demarien gulped, then smiled a wobbling grin. “Then tell me one.”
Boone hesitated, just for a second, as if weighing the moment.
The ocean roared gently behind them, the sky shifting into deeper shades of red as the sun dipped lower.
“Okay,” he said finally. “This couple is walking along the coast. It’s cold, and the wind won’t quit, and the cute one is pretending he’s not freezing. ”
“I am not—”
“And the scarred one is trying to figure out how he got so lucky,” Boone continued, his voice steady now, even as his hand found Demarien’s. “Because somehow, out of all the places he could be, he’s exactly where he wants to be.”
Demarien’s teasing expression faded into something quieter, more vulnerable. He tightened his fingers around Boone’s. “That’s a pretty good story,” he said softly.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He stepped closer, their foreheads nearly touching. “I think it might be my favorite.”
The waves rolled in again, steady and endless, as they stood there together, wrapped in silence.
Something ran between them, click-clacking across their feet.
“Casanova’s back,” Boone said with a sigh, kissing Demarien’s forehead.
“He must really like you.” Demarien felt his face heat as he put the shell in his pocket. “I really like you too.”
“The feeling is very mutual.” Boone pressed his lips to Demarien’s, licking softly until the omega parted his lips. He took Demarien’s mouth, devouring him.
Demarien’s knees weakened, and he leaned heavily against the other man. The kiss broke when their need for air overrode their hunger.
“Come back to my place?” Demarien asked, panting slightly. “I’ll cook for you.”
“I’d never turn that down,” Boone said with a grin.
Demarien led him back to the cottage as the sun set and rain started to fall.
While he and his friends had waited to work on the main house, they had focused on the secondary buildings.
His cottage was freshly painted a bright yellow.
Felix had repaired and painted the wooden fencing around the house and built a lovely arbor at each entrance.
Puck had already worked his landscaping magic, planting flowers and shrubs.
In the spring and summer, his garden would be full of color and life.
They went through the back, into a small mudroom.
Inside, they shook the rain from their bodies, and Demarien toweled down Brownie.
As he put the towel back on the rack, he felt Boone’s heat at his back.
His dick started to harden. They barely touched, but the man’s body so close to his own made goosebumps spread along his arms. He wanted to turn and grab Boone’s wide shoulders.
Instead, Boone spun him around and pinned him to the wall, kissing him, his big body flush against Demarien’s. Boone’s lips were gentle, even as his body was hard. Everywhere.
Demarien’s tongue played with Boone’s, and the alpha moaned and tightened a hand in Demarien’s hair. For a long moment, all there was in the whole world was the feel of Boone’s body against his and the taste of the alpha on his tongue.
Somehow, they managed to stumble up the stairs to the bedroom, their lips seldom parting and Demarien’s clothing falling behind them.
In the bedroom, Demarien peeled Boone’s shirt off and pressed kisses to his shoulders, then trailed his mouth down his chest. His fingers teased tight, pink nipples, then he took his time nibbling.
Boone’s groan sent shivers down Demarien’s back, and he slid to his knees and pulled the man’s pants down to free his erection.
Demarien wrapped his hands around Boone’s dick and tugged, pumping him hard while he watched the alpha’s face fill with pleasure. He leaned forward and sucked the tip into his mouth as he continued to jack him.
“Oh, fuck,” Boone said, voice hoarse. He pulled Demarien to his feet and kissed him again. His hands slid down Demarien’s back and cupped his ass, pulling their hips together before picking him up and setting him in the middle of the big bed.
Boone grabbed the bottle next to Demarien’s bed, then a moment later, pressed a lubed finger against Demarien’s pucker, slipping the tip in.
Demarien panted and spread his legs wider when Boone’s finger pushed deeper.
The alpha’s lips trailed kisses along Demarien’s jaw, and he slid more fingers in, stretching Demarien before angling his hips and slowly sinking into him.
They moved slowly together, fitting like a dream. He clenched around Boone’s dick when he came, and his alpha groaned, pressing his face against Demarien’s neck before filling his ass with his cum.
They panted against each other, both wearing wide grins.
When he woke, the room was quiet except for the steady rhythm of rain tapping against the window. A soft lamp cast a warm glow across the bed, catching on the curve of Boone’s shoulder as he leaned back against the headboard.
Demarien sat up with a yawn and watched the alpha. There was something about the way Boone looked at him, open and certain, that made the rest of the world feel distant.
“You’re staring,” Boone said, a small smile forming.
“Yeah,” Demarien admitted, wiggling closer. “Just making sure you’re real.”
Boone reached for him, fingers brushing Demarien’s wrist before lacing their hands together. “I’m real.”
Demarien scooted closer until their knees touched. The contact was small, but it sent a quiet warmth through him. He lifted his free hand, hesitating just for a second before resting it against Boone’s cheek.
Their eyes met with a shared understanding.
When they kissed, it was slow at first. Careful. Like they were both learning something important and didn’t want to get it wrong. Boone’s hand slid up Demarien’s arm, pulling him closer, and the space between them disappeared.
Demarien let himself sink into the warmth, the closeness, the steady presence of someone who wanted him just as much as he wanted them. The tension he carried melted away. Boone was still there and wasn’t going to leave.
They broke apart only long enough to breathe, foreheads resting together.
“You okay?” Boone murmured.
Demarien smiled softly. “Yeah. More than okay.”
The rain kept falling outside, but inside, everything felt still, anchored in the way they held each other, in the quiet trust growing between them as they lay back together, wrapped in warmth and something deeper than words.