I forced myself to stop before he came, kissing his chest instead. Our bodies moved against each other in a slow grind, but it still wasn't close enough.
Maybe we should have waited, but need has its own gravity. I lunged for my pack, fumbling for the condom and lube I'd tossed in without thinking I'd use them—at least not so soon and not with a stranger on the beach.
He took the bottle from me. "Please," he said—only one word.
I rolled on the condom while his hands spread lube along my cock. It was slippery, slick, and perfect, making me gasp.
He was tight, and it took multiple thrusts.
I pounded into him hard, forgetting everything except his heat wrapped tight around me. His tightness gripped my cock hard. It had been forever since I'd been a man's first time.
His cock slid against my stomach, leaving trails of slick precum that made me want to lose every last bit of control. I gripped him by the waist, fingers digging in just enough so he'd feel them later and know this was real.
His breath hitched with every thrust, and his nails raked down my back. He was getting close—I could tell by the way he shook beneath me. His muscles tensed, and his eyes squeezed shut.
I wanted to see him. Wanted to watch him fall apart as our gazes locked.
"Open your eyes," I breathed against his neck.
He looked up at me, wild, wrecked, and beautiful beyond anything I'd ever imagined. My hand moved between us, wrapping around his cock in time with the rhythm of our bodies. I stroked him fast and hard until every gasp turned into a helpless moan.
He was there—right there—his whole body trembling as I drove him toward the edge again. And when he came, it wasn't soft or quiet.
He came shaking, biting down hard on his own skin to muffle the sound. It sounded like I broke him—just a little. I held on through it, watching his chest rise and fall like a man learning to breathe.
And when it was over, neither of us moved.
He rested his head against my shoulder, and I kept my hand at the small of his back, feeling the tremor that hadn't left him yet.
Behind us, the waves washed in, soft and slow, gnawing at the shore.
I'd wanted to be alone when I stepped onto the beach, but now he was here, and I wasn't sure what I wanted anymore. I only knew that I didn't want to let go just yet.
His breathing slowed against my skin. Measured. Careful.
I stared past him at the sky turning copper over the water. It was the kind of beauty people flew halfway around the world to see. I hadn't seen anything remotely like it for months or maybe years.
As my breathing returned to normal, all I could think about was how tired I was—exhaustion that rots you from the inside.
It wasn't something that sleep fixes. I'd been sleeping—sort of. I experienced blackout stretches that were more like disappearing than rest.
I spent numb hours between shifts and took long showers, leaning my head against the tile until the water ran cold.
A memory flooded back. My brother, Marcus, saw the exhaustion first. Of course, he did.
Two weeks ago, he picked me up for breakfast and locked his truck doors. He treated me like I was some sort of feral criminal who would look for an escape route. Tossing me a plane ticket to Tahiti, he said, "Either you take a break now, or you break later."
His voice wasn't loud or accusing. He never did that, but he leaned toward me and looked at me like I was a case he didn't want to solve.
"You think I can't see it? You still clench your jaw whenever someone mentions Dad, even though it's been years. You haven't called Matt back in over a week. And the guys say you won't let yourself blink in the locker room because you'll come apart if you stop moving for half a second."
I tried to laugh it off. I said I didn't need a vacation, only a good night's sleep.
I thought it might work with Marcus, but then Miles—calm, steady Miles, our youngest brother, the one with the psych degree—appeared at the truck's passenger side. "You're not okay, Michael. We're not asking."
They'd booked the flight already. Marcus pointed out it was nonrefundable, and my colleagues were told I was taking a spring break. It all pissed me off, but I realized they were right.
So I packed a bag and left my badge on the kitchen counter. I boarded the damn plane and ended up here. With him.
