Mouth to Mouth (Surf City Littles #2)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Luca

Early in the morning, just past dawn, it was almost as if the world had stopped around him, and Luca could just be.

Paddling out into the ocean there were no demands for his time and attention.

The voicemails from his family could be ignored.

The responsibility of school and managing a coffee shop were back at shore.

Out here Luca was finally able to breathe.

All in all Luca loved his life. He’d come to Surf City nearly six years ago to get away from his overbearing and massive family and make his own way through life.

Somehow instead of becoming the free young man that Luca intended, he was once again bogged down in responsibilities.

At least this time every obligation that chased him was of Luca’s making.

Slicing his hand through the cold ocean water as he sat on his board staring out at the vast ocean Luca lifted his face toward the sky. The rising sun warmed the skin on his face as Luca was mostly covered in a wet suit.

He soaked up the quiet of the early morning.

Everyone was always so damn curious about Luca’s plans for the future.

Where he saw himself in five years, or ten, or hell even twenty.

His answers were never good enough. Why couldn’t Luca focus on catching the perfect wave as he dabbled in education to see if any subject caught his attention while also running the best coffee shop on the beach?

Why did there have to be more to his life than that?

It wasn’t that Luca lacked ambition. He just didn’t see the point of settling on something when there were so many opportunities to explore.

Money wasn’t everything to him. Luca didn’t chase the American dream of having a career, settling down with a family, and letting his life pass him by.

He was twenty-five fucking years old! Luca was happy and content. Yet, he was constantly questioned about his future.

Okay, that wasn’t completely fair. Luca had an amazing group of friends that supported him and often laughed at the numerous sassy ways Luca answered the inevitable question about what he wanted to do with his life.

Luca had so much experience in his replies that it was getting difficult to come up with new ones.

And why the hell was he even thinking about this when Luca should be enjoying his early morning surfing session?

Except Luca knew why. That man had shown up at the coffee shop when Luca had headed out for his morning surf.

It wasn’t his turn to open the store for the day and instead he’d rushed to beat the crowd to the beach.

Brad Addison thought he was superior to Luca.

Irritation ate at Luca, ruining the good vibes he’d been trying to attain.

That night at a club when Luca had spotted the too-hot-for-his-own-good Brad Addison ended up biting him in the ass.

And not in the way that Luca usually enjoyed.

After immersing himself in his little persona for hours, playing with the other littles, middles, and pups in the club, Luca had changed back into his street clothes before exiting the locker room.

And he’d ran straight into Brad’s wide chest. Wide, sweaty, naked chest.

Brad had been taking a break from dancing in the main part of the club and Luca had nearly swallowed his tongue when the sexy man wrapped his arms around him to keep Luca on his feet.

Instant lust had filled Luca. And even though he’d been tired Luca had allowed Brad to push him back into the locker room as their lips had somehow found each other’s.

No idea how that happened. Who had moved first, him or Brad.

The kiss might have been the hottest exchange in Luca’s twenty-five years.

Luca had gotten hard so fast that his head had spun as he gave himself over to the older man.

And Brad had taken what Luca offered. Especially when in one of the private shower stalls Luca had gladly dropped to his knees. He might not have known Brad’s name at the time but Luca knew how delicious he tasted.

Everything had been going perfectly until Brad had helped Luca to his feet and kissed him, sharing the flavor of his own cum with Luca. Luca had almost reached subspace when he’d said one word that had ruined the night.

Luca had called Brad Daddy.

Brad’s reaction had been immediate. He’d reared back, looking at Luca in disgust. It had been more than obvious to Luca that he’d made a mistake. Luckily Brad’s reaction had yanked Luca from that soft floating feeling and he was able to hide how hurt he was. Fucking Brad Addison.

Not that Luca minded hooking up or even having a one-night stand but he usually knew the score in advance. It had been months since he’d gotten to touch anyone’s cock but his own and he might have gotten a little carried away.

Luca had left before Brad could start calling him names or even get physical in a way that Luca wouldn’t like. It had happened before. And Brad had tried to grab him.

Agile and swift, Luca had slipped easily away.

He’d been gone from the club before Brad had his pants pulled back up.

That was the last time Luca hoped to run into the other man.

With his busy schedule Luca didn’t make it to the club a couple hours away that often.

He’d been sure that the incident, as Luca now thought of that night, would be his own little dark secret.

Instead Brad had shown up at Luca’s coffee shop as the newest addition at the Surf City Fire and Rescue Department.

Now it was nearly impossible to avoid Brad.

Not when their small group of friends were so entwined.

The members of the fire department were permanent fixtures at the coffee house.

James, who Luca thought of as a younger brother, worked for Luca at the coffee shop and part-time at the firehouse until James was done with his probationary period.

The crews made it a point to stop by before every shift.

And they brought Brad along with them. That stupid hot guy. Like, seriously, no one should be that fucking attractive. He wasn’t the only one that had to do a double take when Brad walked into a room. No, Luca wasn’t going to think about that prick anymore. Or the prick’s dick. Ha! That was funny.

The sound of a boat approaching snagged Luca’s attention. Turning his head, Luca spotted the marked rescue boat cutting through the waves. He was already close enough that he knew the two forms inside the boat.

Josh spotted him and waved enthusiastically.

Lifting his hand, Luca returned Josh a two-finger salute.

Brad was on the boat with Josh yet Luca acted like he didn’t even see the older man, just like normal.

They were probably headed for more training as Josh ran one of the country’s best water rescue training units.

From what Luca had overheard, and yes he might have been eavesdropping while cleaning the coffee shop, Brad had come specifically to get certified in water rescue.

Because apparently being a firefighter and paramedic wasn’t enough.

Fucking overachiever.

Surf City needed help though. They were about to hit the busy season. In three short days it would be the dreaded Memorial weekend.

With the school sessions ending and tourists flocking to their small town, the beaches and oceans would be filled with people, taking away Luca’s peace. The surfing tournament that Luca signed up for was another reason that Luca was out here thinking.

The offer. Another offer. It wasn’t the first and probably wasn’t the last Luca would receive. Luca had chosen Surf City University because of the surfing scene. He could catch a wave while getting an education. Or that had been the plan.

Luca was a good surfer. Ha! That was putting it mildly.

He knew that he would be rated in the top ten of the country if Luca dedicated his life to the sport.

And it was a sport. Anyone who said otherwise was just an asshole.

Yet Luca didn’t want to put in the work needed to ensure a lifestyle that most would be envious of.

The constant traveling abroad, the parties, the money.

Fuck! The money. And all that sounded amazing and still it wasn’t what Luca wanted.

Which meant turning down the offer that he’d just received from the energy drink company that was sponsoring the Memorial weekend surfing competition. For the first time Luca had actually been tempted to at least consider though. It wasn’t just the money.

Luca was starting to question if he would regret not following through with his plan. Allowing himself to become absorbed in the community and refusing to live how others wanted him to.

Who needed a plan anyway?

Not Luca.

Turning the board around, Luca paddled back toward the shore. He’d lost any desire to be on the water. Maybe he’d meditate before his shift at the coffee shop. Tomorrow was a new day and he would be back out on the water in the morning.

This section of the beach was nearly empty as Luca returned to the sand.

One lone figure sat with his knees up to his chest and arms wrapped around them.

Luca yanked the zipper down from the back of his suit and pushed the top part down to his waist. Carefully Luca approached.

It broke his heart a little that this was the third time this week Luca had returned to the beach to find his friend sitting looking like a devastated lost soul.

“Hey!” Luca called softly. He wasn’t surprised when there was no response. Fuck! There was no telling how long Dawson had been sitting in the cold. He wasn’t even properly dressed. Dawson’s sweatpants were thin with a couple of holes in the knees and his T-shirt wasn’t in much better condition.

“Dawson?” Luca lifted his voice a little.

Still his friend sat staring out at the ocean. Sadly this was a semi-familiar scene. Luca circled around Dawson’s front so that he wasn’t coming up behind him. Before moving in with Luca, the two of them had a long talk about Dawson’s triggers.