Chapter 1 #2
Ugh! What did he find now? I wondered as I made my way down the other side of the mound.
I did a quick review of some of the “presents” Dad had let him bring home in the past: seaweed, stinky clam shells, a single bling-encrusted flip-flop (the left one).
Once, the dog had even tangled with a jellyfish that hadn’t wanted to be fetched.
Fingers crossed, this discovery wouldn’t sting and necessitate a trip to the vet.
I got closer. Now, it looked like Casey hadn’t found something. He’d found…someone?
Involuntarily, I slowed my approach. I could just make out long, bare limbs splayed out on the damp sand by the water. Casey was licking and nudging at them, but I couldn’t detect any movement.
I froze in place.
For me, the sight was a major trigger. Memories I’d walled off long ago suddenly broke free and came flooding back to me. My heart rate accelerated. I couldn’t breathe. The ghost of a cramp started to burn in my left leg. I felt like I was drowning all over again.
I made myself inhale. And exhale.
I reminded myself I was fine.
Inhale…
I was safe.
Exhale…
I hadn’t drowned. Probably because, back when I’d been washed ashore, someone had helped me. Those three women had helped me, hadn’t they? Now, here was someone who needed my help. It was time to pull on my big-girl panties and pay it forward.
Casey looked over his shoulder at me and barked as if asking, “Are you coming or what?”
That snapped me out of my stupor. Running ahead, I prayed this poor soul was okay.
I hoped their plight was the result of a swimming accident and not something more nefarious.
But I had to wonder who in the world would have gone swimming on a day like this.
Maybe this person was one of those…what did they call themselves?
Polar Bears? Those old guys who plunged into the ocean in freezing temperatures every New Year’s Day or thereabouts.
I came up behind Casey, and—
Oh.
Oh my.
It was a guy, but he wasn’t old. And he wasn’t wearing a swimsuit. In fact, he wasn’t wearing anything at all, save for a strand of shells and beads and other trinkets around his neck. He was in the prime of his life, athletic and fit, and—
I realized I was staring.
Clearly, it had been a while since I’d been alone with a naked man. Too long a while, it seemed.
Regaining my composure and getting my head back in the game, I dropped to the sand and tried to assess the situation.
“Hello?” I said loudly, thumping the ground by his side. “Hello? Can you hear me?”
I yanked off my gloves and used two fingertips to feel for a pulse. I thought I found a faint one. That was a good sign, at least.
Holding my long hair back, I leaned in closer to try to determine if he was breathing. I put my ear over his mouth, and—
“Hello,” said a soft, deep voice right in my ear.
With a gasp, I reeled back.
I looked down at him and found myself peering into the most amazing eyes I’d ever seen.
They were an unusual shade of green—or more like many different shades of green, all mixed together—and their effect on me was nothing short of hypnotic.
I felt like I was in a trance. Or like maybe I’d been in a trance, and I was just waking up? Or—
I shook my head to clear it. What was wrong with me? He was the one who’d just been unconscious.
“Are—are you okay?” I asked him.
He squinted at me for a moment. Then, his whole face seemed to light up with delight. “I am now,” he said.
He looked at me expectantly, but I wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Before I could say anything else, Casey licked the guy’s face.
The guy turned and blinked at him. “Wait, don’t tell me,” he said, his pure delight multiplying. “Is this…is this…is this a dog?”
“Uh, yeah,” I said, noting his confusion. Perhaps he had a head injury?
“Can I touch him?”
“You can pet him, sure,” I said. “He’s friendly.”
The guy started to sit up, but I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea, so I put my hand out to stop him. Without my gloves on, and with my full palm pressed flat against his bare chest, his skin felt warm. Very warm. Shockingly warm, considering the circumstances.
“You’re hot,” I said.
He grinned. “Thank you.”
Realizing what I’d just said, I felt my cheeks redden with embarrassment. I was mortified because, well…he was hot.
His face was handsome in a way that seemed almost unreal, all strong jaw and high forehead and sharp cheekbones.
His long, wavy red hair was like a halo of flames.
And although I was doing my best to keep my gaze at an appropriate level, that initial glimpse of his full-frontal nakedness was burned into my brain.
He had a swimmer’s build, broad shoulders with a narrow waist and well-defined muscles.
His penis was large and—unlike the few men I’d been with—uncircumcised.
And in the pale winter light, his smooth, hairless white skin appeared almost iridescent.
He reminded me of a reclining nude carved out of marble.
But more than anything else, the thing that struck me was his smile. It was open and friendly and somehow…familiar?
Despite my effort to dissuade him, the man sat all the way up. Having no choice but to pull my hand back from his exceptionally developed pecs, I struggled to keep my eyes on his face.
“N-no,” I stammered. “What I mean is, uh…your skin is hot. Maybe feverish?”
“I’m sure I’m fine,” he insisted as he reached out and ran his fingers through Casey’s fur. “Wow. Soft.”
“You should probably get checked out anyway. Just to be on the safe side.” As he continued to pet Casey, I got to my feet and removed my coat.
“Here,” I said, tossing the coat over him.
“Put this on.” I turned away to give him some privacy to dress—for his sake as well as mine—while I reached into the back pocket of my jeans to retrieve my iPhone. “I’ll call 911.”
“No, don’t!” he said with surprising urgency. “Don’t call for help. Not for me.”
Phone in hand, I turned back. He was on his feet now, wrapping himself in my coat.
It was oversize on me but still too small for him.
The sleeves just covered his elbows, and the bottom reached barely past his knees.
The thick knit fabric was stretched tight over his massive shoulders.
He should have looked ridiculous, but he didn’t.
Not to me, anyway. For once, I understood why guys seemed to find it sexy when women wore their clothing.
I shivered. From the cold, of course. Why else would I be shivering?
And, um…what had we been talking about?
I looked down at the phone in my hand. Right. 911.
“You really might need to see a doctor,” I told him.
“No, please,” he said, practically begging me. “No doctors.”
Something occurred to me. “Do you not have any health insurance?” I asked gently.
He hesitated. Then, he smiled that smile again. “That’s right,” he said. His tone was oddly chipper, given the topic. “No health insurance.”
I stood there for a moment, not sure what to do. I didn’t feel right just leaving him like this. “Do you have somewhere to go?” I asked.
“I don’t have any pressing engagements at the moment,” he said. “If that’s what you mean.”
It wasn’t what I meant, but I didn’t know how to ask him tactfully if he was unhoused. So, I tried a different tack. “Well, where are your clothes?” I asked. “Can you tell me what happened?”
His smile faded, and his eyes clouded over. “If it’s all the same to you,” he said, “I’d really rather not talk about it.”
His reply struck a chord with me. A major chord. I didn’t like to talk about my near drowning, either. I didn’t even like to think about it.
I shivered again. This time, it was unquestionably from the cold.
“Would you like to get a cup of coffee?” I asked on impulse, slipping my phone back into my pocket.
“With you?” he asked, as though he couldn’t believe his luck.
I paused, really looking at him. Again, he seemed to be waiting for something—hoping, even—but I didn’t know what. How could I? I didn’t know him.
Did I…?
No. No, of course I didn’t. God knows, if we’d met before, I’d have certainly remembered him.
“Uh, yeah,” I said, answering his question. “With me.”
He smiled that glorious smile of his one more time. “Then, yes, please,” he said. “I would love to taste coffee.”