Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Sawyer

"I can't believe you're finally taking me wakeboarding!" Shua said.

"Wakesurfing," I corrected as I loaded my board, along with the smaller one I'd rented for Shua, into the boat. "It's easier for beginners."

"Whatever. I get to go!"

I turned. "No, not whatever. If you're going to do this, you need to learn the different sports. Take them seriously. They all have risks, and you have to be—" I stopped mid-lecture. "Again with the turtle?"

Shua held it by the shell, and the turtle's feet windmilled through the air.

"Raphael was in the road," Shua said. "That's not safe."

"Well, he's sure as hell not safe in the boat."

"They."

"What?"

"Raphael can't tell us their pronouns, so just to be safe, we'll assume they're nonbinary."

"Oh." I nodded. "Sorry, Raphael. I assumed based on your name, and that wasn't right. I should have asked."

Shua beamed. "Can I put them in your house?"

"Raphael doesn't need to be inside. You can go put them in the shade under my camper. Get them a water bowl if you want, okay? Then we'll finish our talk about safety."

Shua sighed. "I thought this was gonna be fun."

"It's not fun unless you're safe."

Brooks, Cash, and Skylar approached while we talked.

"Instructor Sawyer is on the job!" Cash said with a grin.

I flipped him off, and Shua laughed as they jogged back up the path to my camper.

"Hey, no shade," Cash said. "You're a great teacher."

"Which is good," Skylar said, sounding nervous. "Because I've never done this."

"Well, luckily, we're close enough in size we can all use my board. We have a smaller group today."

Poppy was in a festival over in Osage Beach, and Fisher and Hudson had already left for Granville.

"More wake time for me," Cash said.

Fewer people wasn't necessarily a problem, but I grabbed a couple of extra ballast bags. I had to weight the boat properly to create enough wake to surf. There were tech systems out there that could create wake with the touch of a button, but my used 2010 Supra wasn't outfitted for that, so we'd be doing it the old-fashioned way.

Shua returned, and everyone boarded. Because both the teen and Skylar were new to this, I put on my tour guide hat and laid out the basics of what to expect while we cruised toward open water where we could safely surf.

"We'll only be going about 12 miles per hour," I called over the wind noise. "When you fall, it shouldn't be too rough. Just stay put and wave your fist in the air. We'll toss a flotation device and circle back for you."

"Hey, look, Ash is out on the deck at the houseboat!" Cash called, pointing. "Should we invite him along or do you still hate him even though you're kissing now?"

"You're kissing someone?" Shua asked, perking up.

They'd appeared zoned out during my spiel on safety, but of course, this caught their attention.

"I don't hate Ash," I muttered, slowing as we came alongside the houseboat.

I'd kissed Ash. Come with him. Assured him that I didn't hate him, anymore. Was I ready to hang out like best friends again? I wasn't sure.

But…if he came along, I'd have more fun. My friends were novices. But Ash knew what he was doing, and I could get more surf time with him at the wheel.

Ash stood up as we eased to a stop. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"We're heading out to wakesurf," I called. "It's Skylar and Shua's first time."

Ash's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah? Sounds fun."

"You coming or what?"

He blinked, looking surprised. "Oh, uh?—"

Mel emerged from the sliding doors behind him. My jaw clenched. "Nevermind. You're busy."

"No! Mel was just leaving." Ash glanced at her. "Thanks for helping me get all my stuff. I know you've got somewhere to be. I'm good now."

He gave her a look, and she glanced over at us hesitantly, then smiled as her gaze landed on me. "Sawyer, hey! Looking good." Her gaze flitted over Cash, Brooks, Skylar, and Shua. "Wow. You're all looking good."

Ash gave her a little shove. "Mel is leaving, and I'm grabbing my board." He locked eyes with me. "Don't take off. I want to come with you."

Mel kept popping up like a bad smell. A rather attractive, flirty smell who seemed to be trying to eye-fuck the whole boat—minus Shua, anyway—but still. A smell I didn't need on my first day out for some fun in a long-ass time.

"Fuck this," I muttered and reached for the throttle.

Brooks stayed my hand, speaking quietly. "Just hold up. He wants to be with you, not her."

Ash jogged back out of the boat cabin with a top-of-the-line skim-style board under one arm.

The board was smaller than the surf-style I had and more difficult to master, but it would let him do a lot more tricks.

Ash hopped down into the boat with an enviable ease and locked his board into place.

"Ready!" he said with a bright grin.

I glanced back at the houseboat, where I'd last seen Mel. She was climbing down a ladder and into a small boat.

"Just friends, remember?" Ash murmured into my ear. "No parts touching."

I shot him an annoyed look, but he appeared serious despite the flippant response. He held my gaze. "I haven't done this in a long time. I'd really like to do it with you."

"Wakesurfing?" I asked, unsure if that was what he actually meant.

His lips quirked. "Yeah, that too."

I hit the throttle and we headed out toward a spot where I knew there'd be less traffic or other obstacles to pose hazards to surfers.

Cash surfed first, because I wanted Shua and Skylar to see an example of a basic ride. Cash preferred wakeboarding for the thrill of the speed, but he wasn't a sport enthusiast like me or Ash.

"How long has it really been since you've been wakesurfing?" I asked Ash.

He looked abashed. "A few years, at least. You?"

"A few months."

He nodded. "You loved it too much to ever give it up."

"You didn't?" I challenged.

He shrugged. "I loved doing it with you. When I didn't have that…it was just okay."

My heart clenched. "But you did the sporting competitions, even after we fell out."

"Yep." He smiled wryly. "It was a good chance to run into you, talk some shit, try to get a reaction out of you."

I kept an eye on Cash while we talked. Driving to create wake without a fancy tech system took a little more skill.

"Is that what you were after all those times you were an asshole?"

Ash laughed, his eyes bright. "You were an asshole too!"

I adjusted the direction of the boat slightly as Cash let go of the rope, now fully riding the wake. He let out a whoop, shifting his balance to ride it out as long as possible.

With a boat wake, the wave was never-ending, but that didn't mean your balance or endurance was endless.

Cash got a little overly ambitious and wiped out while slashing the board, essentially weaving back and forth across the wake.

I slowed and Brooks tossed the flotation device overboard, then we came around to pick him up.

"Damn, man, I was doing so good too," Cash said, just before shaking his hair like a dog and spraying everyone with droplets. "I need another go."

Shua squealed. "No way! I want to try now!"

Ash and I exchanged a grin, and memory punched me in the gut.

Me and Ash, younger even than Shua, hopping up and down with excitement on my dad's boat.

"Me next!" Ash said.

"No, me! It's my dad's boat so I go first!"

"You get to go out with your dad way more than me! I should go first!"

My dad had turned to both of us. "Boys, there's plenty of wake for everyone. Now, I'm going to give you the secret to settling an argument like this."

"What is it?" Ash asked eagerly.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors," he said decisively.

"But that's just a dumb game," I'd said.

"It's more than that, Sawyer. You can use Rock-Paper-Scissors to settle any dispute. Trust me, it's fail proof."

At the same time, as if we were mind linked, Ash and I said, "Rock-Paper-Scissors for it!"

Shua looked between us. "What?"

"Everyone wants a turn," I said. "But you and Sky are our newbies, so you two Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who goes first. Cash will just have to wait until everyone else takes a turn."

Cash pouted, and Skylar looked uneasy. "Oh, I don't need to go yet. Or at all…"

Ash made a loud buzzer sound. "Nope. Rock-Paper-Scissors is our code out here. It must be done."

"It's true," I said gravely. "It must be done."

Brooks and Cash exchanged a look.

"Wow," Cash said. "That is eerie. "

Brooks smirked. "It sure is. I mean, I knew they used to be friends, but…"

Cash mock shivered. "I didn't know they were creepy Jedi-mind-trick friends."

Skylar and Shua gamely did a round of Rock-Paper-Scissors, and Skylar looked way too relieved when Shua won.

"You don't have to do this, if you don't want," I said. "It's supposed to be fun."

Skylar chuckled. "I know. I just worry I'll crash and look like a fool."

"Oh, you definitely will," Ash said. "It's all part of the learning curve. But we won't judge you if you mess up that pretty boy hair."

Shua got into the water, and I called out advice before starting up the boat.

"Remember, don't try to rise up on your own. Let the boat pull you, and dig your heels in?—"

"I got it! Let's go!"

I eased the throttle forward, and Shua fell over. I cut the engine, and since we didn't go far, there was no need to come back around to pick them up.

Shua scrambled back onto the board and took hold of the rope they'd dropped.

"What were you saying?" Cash teased. "You got it?"

Shua pouted. "What did I do wrong?"

"Let the boat pull you up," I repeated. "Just stay in the water, dig your heels into the board, and hold on to the rope. The boat will do the work."

"Okay!" Shua maneuvered into position again, sitting in the water as Cash had demonstrated, leaning back with feet pressed to the board.

I eased forward, slowly picking up speed, and this time Shua made it halfway up before they fell. We repeated their attempts three more times, and the last time, they made it all the way up.

"I did it!" they cried with a fist pump…and immediately lost their balance.

"Good thing we've got all day," Ash said with a chuckle.

"They're really close. Anyone object to letting them try one more time?"

"We're in no hurry," Brooks said. "Give the kid a few more tips."

I pulled out every tidbit of advice I remembered from when Ash and I first learned, and Shua finally made it onto the wake and dropped the rope.

Once the kid got the basics of getting up and balancing, they were golden. They surfed for even longer than Cash, though without any attempts at tricks.

By the time they returned to the boat dripping wet, their face was glazed with an exhilaration that marked them a lifelong convert.

"Yesss! That was amaaaazing!" Shua exclaimed. "I want to do it again and again. Oh, and you've got to teach me some tricks!"

"Well, then, let's put Ash in the water and show you what you can really do."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Sure you don't want to go first?"

"Nah. I want to see that skim board of yours in action."

Ash grabbed his lighter, smaller board and headed to the stern, where he'd jump into the water. The boat had an inboard motor so there was no danger of rotor-blade injuries.

"You sure you don't just want to see him in action?" Cash asked me.

"It's been a while since I've seen him surf. He says it's been years. Maybe he'll wipe out."

"I don't think that's what you really want to see," he said.

Maybe not, but I wasn't giving Cash any ammunition. He was already a pain in my ass without me admitting I might enjoy watching the flex of Ash's thighs as he shifted through positions.

Ash was an experienced wakesurfer, so he got up in no time, and damn, that man looked good doing it.

It might have been a few years since he'd ridden, but Ash still had the muscle memory to ride well. He started with some slides that took him onto the crest of the wake, then added an ollie, some spins, an air grab, and more.

He looked sleek and fast, and when he nearly bit it, I called out encouragement. "Dig your right heel back!"

Ash adjusted, giving me a thumbs-up.

"Wow," Shua said. "He's amazing."

"Wait until you see Sawyer," Brooks said.

"I don't think I compare to that," I murmured, something hot and needy rising inside as I watched Ash carve the shit out of the wake.

"Oh, yes you do," Cash said. "You're crazy skilled out there. Why don't you show Shua why they've got the best teacher ever?"

With my friends' encouragement, I hit the water next, pulling out all my tricks, driven to impress Ash. I didn't want to outdo him, as I had when we were teens. This was different.

I liked that he was watching me. I wanted him to like what he saw.

I wanted that same craving to hit him, the desire to get his hands on a guy who knew how to shred with the best of them.

My adrenaline raced as I did a chop hop, landed, and then transitioned into a 360 spin.

We spent hours on the lake, coaching Skylar through his first time—he got up faster than Shua but didn't ride the wake nearly as well—then giving everyone another turn.

By the time we headed back in, we were all sun-baked, exhausted, and fucking starving.

And in my case, horny as fuck.

I had no idea when Ash joined us just how much I'd like showing off for him. Or watching all the ways he showed off for me.

There was no doubt, based on the searing looks he shot my way, that he was down for another hookup.

It was surreal—this sexual draw between us—but so strong there was no denying it.

I craved that cocky mouth under mine.

I wanted to pin him down and make him whimper.

There was no doubt Ash was still the golden boy, the spoiled rich guy who got everything he wanted.

But now he wanted me, and I wanted to make him so aware of it that he begged me to touch him.

Was it a little petty? This urge to pin him down, make him squirm, to take control of his body. Yeah, probably.

Would I like it? Hell yeah. Hopefully, he would too. Otherwise, what was the point?

"Can we cook out at your place?" Shua asked as we crossed the lake.

I groaned, partly from exhaustion and partly from the thought of waiting even longer to get Ash under me.

But my friends were already making noises of agreement.

"Too bad there's not a food boat out here," Skylar teased. "We could just order some tacos."

Ash clapped a hand over his heart. "You're so cruel. You know I'm sick of everyone going for the stupid tacos. You could at last order the Redneck Fries!"

"That's not really something you're putting on the menu, is it?" Skylar asked, sounding a little worried.

Ash laughed. "No." He paused. "Unless you think they'd sell?"

Cash and I exchanged a look, then said, "Probably."

"Jinx, you owe me a beer!" Cash called. "Now we have to cook out."

"That's not how that works," I grumbled. "I owe you a Coke."

"And we're only cooking out if I can run the grill," Ash said.

A cheer went up in the boat.

"You're all a bunch of traitors," I muttered.

Ash leaned in close. "You look tired. I'm just trying to help out. Besides, the sooner, we eat, the sooner we'll get our energy up for other things."

He wiggled his eyebrows, and heat flared once more. "Hell yeah," I said, "I'm hungry too."

I locked eyes with Ash, letting him know that it wasn't only his food I wanted on the menu this time.

Judging by the slow, sinful curve of his smile, he got the message crystal clear.