15. The Boat, Beau

In that minute, life was as right as rain as it could get. I walked along a path at Mud River's edge, trying to balance myself along the rough terrain. Dash walked step by step behind me, complaining nonstop about every second of the trek we made. My guy was a city boy through and through.

"I'm carryin' all the gear. Just walk in my steps, or stay here, I'll come carry you on my back…"

"Ha. You're so funny. Why do we have to come out here to fish? I don't think I even like fishing. It seems really boring," Dash complained irritably.

"Stop," I said, and did that very thing, glaring at him over my shoulder. He came to a sudden halt too. His foot slipping off the rock I stood on, landing straight into the river. "It's the opposite of boring."

"I got my foot wet. How long is it gonna take to dry?" His frustrated gaze bounced between the shoe and my face then back down at the shoe again. His index finger pointed me in that direction.

My laughter rang loud. "Fishin' isn't boring. It's one of the things I wanna do when I grow up." Wet shoes were just part of the fun. I started forward again. We had about twenty feet to go to reach my secret fishing hole. "Fishin's relaxin' in a way I can't explain. The most relaxed I've ever been."

"I bet I could come up with a thing or two more relaxing," he quipped, and I completely ignored him.

"A person unplugs around the water. It's quiet and peaceful. No judgment or anger, just calm. When a fish takes your bait, you're launched into immediate exhilaration as you try to hook the fish and reel it in without it getting away. I love everything about it. I wanna get some money saved then come back down here and figure out how to start a charter service. Well, I guess maybe not down here now," I said, teasing Dash about the resort. "Somewhere that still has mom and pops."

At the end of the rocks, I leaped to a patch of dirt, mixed with sand. My quiet place.

"I wanna be a UPS driver until I save enough money to buy a deep-sea boat. Ever heard of anyone wantin' to do that for a livin'?"

I set the tackle box down and the poles against it. By the time I turned, Dash had gone past me toward the short, abandoned boat dock, with a row-style canoe tied to the end. "Does that work?"

"Work like rows itself? No. Floats? Seems like it."

I believe he saw the humor in my answer, but instead of a silly reply in return, Dash gave his charming, maybe edged with hints of wickedness, smile. Oh man, that smile sent my toes curling.

"To answer your question, no, I've never heard of anyone ever wanting to be a delivery driver."

"You're not hangin' out with a good crowd then," I said, sauntering over to him.

"I'm not?"

"Nope. Doesn't seem like it. In my world, that's a great job. UPS is union." He immediately shook his head.

"The world might swallow my father up whole if he heard your excitement." Dash slung the backpack over his shoulder. He had a way of easily unzipping it without placing it on the ground, probably because he used it so much. As expected, he pulled out a towel that he called a blanket and a packet of bug repellent wipes. Two water bottles had to be in there. He always toted them around, but we never drank from them. "Wanna try the boat first?"

"What? No. I have to show you how to fish first. It's harder to balance and learn on the boat. It's not really a fishing boat," I explained, and he still paused before dropping the towel down.

"But the boat seems more romantic," he said and hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

Ah, I was learning my guy too well. Maybe two weeks of spending every day together taught me a thing or two. I let my eyes roll and dropped down to the tackle box, flipping the clips up. "You're just tryin' to make out. It's all you ever wanna do with me. I'm a piece of meat to you."

Dash barked out a harsh sound, maybe a laugh, but he didn't deny it.

Silence held between us as I pulled out the small tub of worms from my tackle box that I'd dug up this morning. We were going preschool learning today. Dash was getting a bobber. I decided on that approach because he was only here for me. Everything we did was for me, keeping me hidden away and safe from prying eyes. And secondly, I really liked the idea of making out with him too. If I gave in now, we'd be inside that boat, like I planned, floating around until we hit the ocean before we resurfaced.

The warmth that was all Dash spread through me, hugging my heart.

"You're not listening to me," he said. Not only was I not listening, I hadn't even heard his approach. His tennis shoe covered feet came into my peripheral vision. I bent my head as far as it could go and still barely saw his face.

"You don't know that," I quipped. Man, my joking game was on point. I dipped my gaze, using my index finger to retrieve a single worm.

"Then what did I say?"

Of course, the obvious question to my question. Instead of answering, I did something to ensure Dash's horror as I began setting a portion of the worm on the hook. From splitting it in half to threading it around the hook, Dash set off in a stream of ewws and disgustings .

"Did I tell you that I'm the Mobile County skipping rock champion two years running?"

"No. That's why you're always picking up rocks and throwing them."

"Yep, I'll thread the hook until you're ready to try…" I said. Dash took a giant step away.

"I'll watch you fish," he shot back and took a couple more steps backward.

"No. You'll like it. I promise," I said and followed him. "Put the stuff down. We'll use it on the boat. Come try." When he was still hesitant, I decided to show him with a first cast. I threw the line, letting it go until it landed in the water about where I wanted it to.

The bobber sank then popped out of the water. About a minute later, the angler began to move. Since I was at one with every fishing pole ever created, I knew the feel and quickly jerked the rod backward, setting the hook. I had it and began to reel the fish in. The excitement drew Dash to stand right beside me.

"Get the net." I didn't really need it, but I wanted his involvement. Strangely, he stayed quiet and was back in a second. "Here, you take the rod. It feels like a nice size."

He did, holding the rod in a death grip.

"It's probably a cat. Be careful with your line. There's a balance you have to find, you need enough drag but not…" The fish jumped out of the water, showing its size. Dash gave a holler in excitement. I took a backseat and let him go. He had it from there.

"Don't you lie to me," he teased. "This boat's awfully clean to be abandoned here like this. Know anything about that?"

My grin grew bigger, yeah, I knew plenty about it. My hand trailed under the hem of Dash's shirt, giving my fingertips the skin on skin contact they craved. How we'd managed to stretch out over the bottom of a handmade canoe, made about forty years ago, spoke more toward our willingness to be on top of each other than anything else.

"We're just lucky I guess." For me, I lay with my face toward the sun, my other arm tucked under my head, where my wadded-up T-shirt was too. A vintage AM radio played quietly from an old local country music station. The twang relaxing as the boat gently rocked.

"Really?" Dash laid at an angle on the side of my body, his cheek on my chest, a knee positioned between my parted legs. His thigh casually brushed against my hard as heck length. I no longer even attempted to hide my desire. I'm not sure he ever did. But we hadn't gotten much past a hot and heavy make out session.

I lost the question he asked when his fingertip lightly caressed my nipple. Dang, he made it so sensitive. The bud tightened with tingles of desire shooting from my nipple all across my body.

"I'll take your silence as an acceptance of my discovery."

"Mmm," I said and closed my eyes. The visions of Dash were right there waiting. I gave a small smile remembering his excitement of reeling in one fish after another. And his frustration when I'd let them go back in the river. Whether he liked it or not, my guy was a natural fisherman to his core.

"I like when you smile like that. I like to think you're thinking of me," Dash murmured. I dropped my chin and cracked my lids to see him staring down at me. He rose enough to place a series of small kisses on my lips. The boat rocked at the disruption of our balance. I didn't care in the least, but he did. He lifted and stayed still until it stopped moving.

"We're good. We're evenly spaced. Kiss me again." He didn't do that, but the hand that had played with my nipple caressed down my chest and over my tummy. It slipped under the waistband of my cargo shorts. Not the first time his fingertips had touched me, but my body gave the same over-the-top reaction as every other time. He skimmed my tip, massaging there in small, circular strokes, spreading the leaking bit over me.

Even though I'd denied wanting to take our relationship to the next level, claiming we needed more time, I was truly ready.

"Is that for me?" Dash whispered and pushed his hand lower. That was new. It felt too good, better than anything I was able to do on my own. My body bowed as my eyes rolled into the back of my head. He lifted above me, pressing his lips against mine. "Do you trust me?"

How could I retain anything asked when the heel of his palm used pressure, rising and falling over me? He used both knees to spread my legs apart as the tip of his tongue lavished the shell of my ear before pushing inside. The quiet whisper was almost my undoing. "I love you. You have to know."

His hand gripped my length with purpose in every tug. My eyes opened, my head tilted, my gaze searching his. The words he spoke were etched on his face with certainty and strength.

My heart thumped wildly against the knowledge that he plotted every moment we were together, making sure it was special until he got us right here together. I gave small shallow puffs, my mind reeling with the pleasure below.

"I love you too. I have since…you know."

"Me too." Dash moved carefully between my thighs, most certainly trying to keep balance. "My birthday's in a few days. I want us to make love. For that to be my birthday present from you." He deftly shoved his shorts down past his butt, springing himself free. My hips pumped back and forth while he unzipped my shorts and pushed my underwear low. Seconds later, he had us in his fist, jacking us off together.

Oh, Jesus. I was gay. I was so gloriously gay. My breath panted, and my vision blurred. The moment had me dropping my head backward, imprinting the size and shape of his cock, down to the lines and veins running over it, into the deepest recesses of my mind. I'd never seen anything so beautiful in my life.

"You and me. In my room at the resort. I'll slip you in," he said, all breathy and husky. "Say yes."

He pumped his fists up and down like a pro. The friction spoke of decadence and wickedness in the best possible way. My body coasted on pleasure, finding the freedom to love all the different layers of me.

From head to toe, every muscle in my body tightened and strained. I wasn't breathing. I had to breathe. But staving off my release took all my energy.

My hands reached low, needing to feel him. Dash guided me and clutched my hand in his, holding us tightly together. It all became too much. Survival took over. I exhaled in a whoosh and took a deep cleansing inhale. From there, my breath came in short shallow puffs. My world turned into vivid technicolor.

"Look at me," he instructed. My balls tingled, my hips arched forward and stayed locked there.

I had no hesitancy when I opened my eyes and reached out for Dash, cradling his face in my palm. Sweet agony mixed with the most delicious desire.

"These weeks have been the best of my life. I love you," Dash repeated.

How could he hold enough thought to form coherent sentences? "I can't hold it…"

As I looked down the length of my body, I watched our heads bound together, dripping. Dash's need was as great as my own. His lips came down on mine, his tongue pushing inside my mouth, taking what he wanted. My hips arched one last time before my release barreled forward. Oblivion surrounded me. A perfect moment in time. I found perfection. Sleep pushed me under.