CHAPTER 16

nick

I was convinced last night had been just a dream, one I'd had more times than I could count in the past fortnight since Ajay had stepped onto the beach and into my life.

But the sound of his soft breathing as he slept on my pillow, curls all tumbled around his beautiful face, told me it had all been real, that Ajay had truly spent the night with me in my bed. That the kiss had been real. That last night had really happened.

It had been more perfect than anything I had been able to conjure in my dreams. He'd been nervous but I could see how much he wanted it, had revelled in every single touch, every single kiss.

I watched him sleep, this perfect boy with his perfect face and that sun kissed body that was designed just to fit mine. Everything about him called to me.

I might have been in a lot more trouble than I realised.

Yesterday had been a massive challenge in self-restraint. I'd spent the entire training course up in Wollongong thinking about that kiss out under the cold tap, trying to replay every single moment and component in my head. To separate fact from fiction. Had I succumbed to the madness he had placed over me and kissed him? Or had he kissed me first?

In my memory it was Ajay who had broken the thrall and closed the tiny gap between our lips. And it was also Ajay who had come down the hallway and knocked on my door last night.

Bloody hell, this boy.

I could only think of his bravery with admiration. I mean, sure, anyone within a ten foot radius would have been able to pick up on how badly I was crushing on him. But I had tried to hide it as best I could from the man himself, mostly because I didn't want to be crushed under the weight of disappointment.

I was so far from disappointed there wasn't even a word in the English language to describe it.

I also quite liked the fact that Ajay had shifted to share my pillow during the night despite the vast expanse of bed on his other side. I liked that a whole lot.

I didn't like the fact that there was a sheet covering his lower half, splayed on his hip like a taunt. I wanted to see all of him just like the way he'd let me see him last night. I'd seen every part of him, had tasted him, touched him. Still wanted a whole lot more of him.

Ajay's eyes blinked open. He didn't panic like he had the other morning when we'd woken up pressed together on the sofa, his hand a centimetre from my hard cock. He just looked at me with those big, soulful brown eyes, a shy smile on his pretty lips.

"Morning, gorgeous," I said, watching as that shy smile broadened into a real one.

"Morning," he replied, throat a little scratchy. He just watched me a little longer, clearly in no hurry to move from my bed. Which was fine because I wanted him there for as long as I could keep him.

"I suppose we should get up for a surf," he said at length. "Unless they were just excuses to spend time with me."

"They were definitely that," I laughed. "But I still want to surf with you."

"Good. Shall we then?" he asked. He still hadn't moved an inch and I smirked a little as my eyes ran down his body, still unfortunately covered by that sheet.

"We could," I agreed with a nod. "Or …" I dropped suggestively, running my hand down his side to where the sheet lay across his hip, teasing his skin there a little.

"Or?" Ajay pressed, eyes already darkening.

"Or I could give you a morning wakeup call you'll never forget," I said, grinning as those eyes widened even further. "And then we can go for a surf."

"Yes. Yes that," he rasped. I could only grin at him as my fingers gripped onto that annoying little sheet, tugging it down his gorgeous body and letting my greedy eyes feast on everything I'd been wanting to see and taste for the second time.

I really wasn't sure how I had managed to last out nearly two weeks without making a move on Ajay. I could hardly even bear the fact he was out of immediate arm's reach right now as he bobbed on his surfboard not far from me.

But those smiles he was sending me were designed purely to remind me of the fact I'd just had him spread out naked, my head buried between his thighs. The little tease. And now our morning wake up call was all I could think about.

Ajay managed to paddle onto a nice, curling wave and I just sat and watched him sail away. At least one of us was paying attention to the elements. I'd been too distracted by Ajay to catch even a single wave but I tried to shake him from my thoughts and concentrated on the next one.

Ajay had improved so much on the back of a board since he'd started coming out with me every day. I missed giving him tips and using the opportunities to touch him but I was also kind of proud of how far he had come. And I had to admit I really loved sharing the dawn with him like this, our own special time and place away from everyone else.

We ended up having a repeat of yesterday morning under the cold outdoor shower, a quick reminder of how far and fast things had escalated between us. Ajay was a little more confident this morning, letting his hands trail down my chest while mine grabbed a handful of his ass as he kissed me back as good as he was getting.

This boy was going to be the death of me.

Dane was making coffee in the kitchen when we came back inside, still a little riled up from that kiss. I saw the hint of panic track across Ajay's face when he realised his friend was already up while we'd been having our steamy little moment outside. Not that the outdoor shower was visible from inside the house but Ajay clearly wanted to keep our little tryst a secret and that was fair enough. I could respect that.

For now.

"Hey," Dane said, acknowledging Ajay while completely ignoring me. Like usual. "You going to be around this afternoon?"

"Ah, yeah," Ajay replied, eyes flicking to me before returning to Dane. "Why?"

"No reason," Dane shrugged.

Except, of course, there was a reason, and that reason became painfully apparent later that afternoon in the guise of the most unwelcome visitor on the face of the entire planet. To make matters even worse, I'd finally just gotten Ajay all to myself after Dane had gone up to his room to practice his guitar, coaxing him out to the deck for a swim in our severely underutilised pool. It hadn't been a difficult sell.

Now he was soaking in the hot sun on one of the loungers, bronze skin shining in the sun, curls damp from the water. He looked a little warm and perhaps in need of a nice, cool drink. And if that meant I got to keep him out here to myself a little longer, well then who was anyone else to question if I had ulterior motives? Hydration was important. I made us both tall glasses of iced tea and joined him back on the sun lounger next to his.

"I could sure get used to this lifestyle," Ajay sighed, a pensive smile on his face.

"I could get used to waking up every day like we did this morning," I volleyed, keeping my tone light. I risked a look across at him, seeing his eyes narrow as he looked back at me.

"Hmm," he mulled. "Do you make everything about sex?"

"Well, usually only every single opportunity I can."

He grinned. I was about to ask him for his views on the matter when he set his drink aside and shifted towards me. He cocked his ear towards the upstairs window where we could hear Dane playing his guitar and then shocked the hell out of me when he placed a knee on my sun lounge and straddled my waist. My hands instantly went to his hips, pulling him down closer as a smile escaped my lips.

"Hello," I said, grinding his hips down on me and watching as his gaze darkened.

"Hello," he returned. His hands slipped from my shoulders on a slow torturous path to my pecs and he palmed me there, eyes fixed on my mouth as all my blood instantly flowed south.

"I think I'm starting to get it," I mulled. "This whole innocent look is just a cover, right?"

"Innocent look? I have no idea what you're talking about," he smirked before he leaned down and kissed me, all but confirming my statement. I had no complaints. I loved it when he took what he wanted from me like this, not just sitting back and waiting for me to make a move. In fact, Ajay had been the one to initiate most of our interactions, something that just tore at my heart strings.

It wasn't that I didn't want to put the moves on him. Because I really, really did. But I had a lot more to lose here. I already had a full deck of cards out on the table between us while he was still holding a full set. I was less certain of how he felt about things escalating between us. It was less of a risk for him when he already knew I was gay and there had been more than enough sufficient hints to know I was also very, very keen.

Very keen indeed.

Ajay moaned into the kiss as I ground his hips down onto me, letting him know exactly how much I was enjoying his company.

"I really want to take you upstairs," I murmured, breaking the kiss to find that spot just below his ear that had him sucking in a jagged breath.

"I really want to go upstairs with you," Ajay replied breathlessly.

I was just racking through my brain for options that didn't involve debauching my brother's best friend out in the open when a loud knock at the front door called time on our heavy make out session.

"Are you bloody kidding me?" I groaned. Ajay sighed deeply, the weight of the world in that sound before shifting his body off me and settling back down on his sun lounger. He reached down to adjust himself with a deep sigh and I grinned back at him, delighted at how affected he was by me. I knew, I was just as affected by him.

Dane had stopped playing his guitar and I assumed he had gone to answer the door. I had no intentions of answering it either way. I was not in a particularly forgiving mood with whoever had just interrupted me from having my way with Ajay.

But then, lo and behold, barely a moment had passed before the sliding door creaked in its salty tracks and out onto the deck popped my public enemy number one.

Could the day get any worse? Why yes, as a matter of fact, it could.