by Eden Finley
Jet grins. “Friend. That’s cool. We can be friends. Friends who have fun.”
“That’s the plan … or so I’ve been told.”
“It’s a good plan.”
At least we’re on the same page.
I have the sudden urge to lean in and kiss his cute button nose, but I refrain.
I catch movement out of the corner of my eye, and I lift my head to see Matt and Noah on their way back. “Guess I better move.”
Jet pouts. “Guess so.”
“We’ll catch up later back on our island. You should hang with your brothers.”
He lets me go, and I make my way over to Ollie to ask him to dance some more. He has a partner who won’t dance, and I have someone I can’t dance with without drawing attention.
Still, song after song, my gaze can’t help finding Jet’s again and again.
I don’t know his exact intentions with this whole ‘let’s have fun’ thing, but at this point, I’m willing to accept whatever he’ll give me.
In the history of the longest nights ever, this might go down as one of my top three. The first was a game in the playoffs that went into five overtime periods. The second was that night three years ago with Jet. I’d lost the Cup, I’d found a stranger who already meant more to me than my love of hockey before I even knew his name, and then we spent an incredible night together.
I remember every touch. Every word. I held on to everything he was saying because, in my eyes, he was this perfect symbol of life. And change. And fighting to be yourself in a world that rejected you.
Still, tonight is a close third.
Because all I want to do is be back there again.
When the others finally call it, I’m more than ready to get back so I can hang out with Jet.
Only, it becomes obvious he’ll be in no shape to do anything. Matt and Noah hold him up, each taking one of his arms, and we’re lucky we picked a time to leave while it’s high tide because the ladder to the pontoon is several inches shorter than it was when we arrived.
Jet keeps insisting he’s fine, but he sways on his feet. He’s not the only one who’s in bad shape.
Miller, the biggest guy in the group, stumbles down the few steps and practically falls into the boat and lies across the seats. Talon climbs in after him, lifting Miller’s feet to put in his lap.
It was a tight fit on the way here, and now Miller’s taking up two spots. I get on next and take the seat farthest from them. If Miller can puke on a boat while sober, I don’t want to be anywhere near him while he’s drunk.
The other guys fill up the rest of the spots, and Jet’s the last one to get on with the help of Noah who holds him, while Matt climbs in and lifts Jet into the boat.
But as soon as Matt puts his brother down, it’s game on, and both he and Noah vie for the last spots. They easily beat Jet who’s too slow, too sloppy, and looks confused as to what they’re doing.
Realizing there are no more seats, Jet rubs his chin. “Standing room only, huh?”
I’m about to stand to offer him my seat but hesitate. That wouldn’t be suspicious, would it? I mean, it’s a nice thing to do, but will the others read into it?
I hate that my mind goes there because I don’t want the guys on my mind when it comes to Jet.
It confuses me and makes me doubt things.
Before I can make a choice, he takes it out of my hands. His ass lands on my lap.
“Uh …”
“It was either your lap or my brother’s, and I haven’t sat on Matt’s lap since I was, like, two.”
“Aww, baby bro, you can come sit here.” Matt pats his knee.
The group snickers.
Jet shudders on top of me. “That’s kinda creepy now we’re adults. Besides … this is kinda comfy.” Jet stares down at me.
I expect some sort of reaction from the guys, but as I quickly glance at each of their faces, all I see is them waiting for what I’m going to do.
Now’s as good a chance as any to test this out. I mean, sure, they might decide I’m not allowed to touch their precious younger brother figure and shove me off the boat halfway back to the island, but Jet is worth the risk.
And he did say I’m allowed to do anything I’m comfortable doing in front of Matt, so …
I put my hands on Jet’s waist, and I think I even shock the hell out of him.
“Hey, I’m certainly not complaining.” I hold my breath and wait.
“Ooh, looks like Jet’s after a Daddy,” Maddox says.
Yes, a joke. I can handle that.
Jet shifts on my lap. “Hmm, Big Daddy does have a ring to it.”
Oh, I’m going to kill him. Jet’s brown doe eyes stare at me while a smirk ghosts his lips.
“JJ,” Matt growls.
Jet flips him off without taking his gaze off mine. “Calm your tits. I’m just having fun with old Soren.”
“I’m not old.”
“Soren and Jet hooking up makes total sense, though,” Ollie says out of nowhere. I know he’s excited about the possibility of Jet and me, but does he have to spell it out for everyone?
Lennon elbows his boyfriend hard.
“What was that for?” Ollie rubs his arm. “They do make sense. Soren’s all heartbroken. Jet’s a—”
“A what?” Matt asks. His tone suggests he doesn’t actually want to know the answer.
Jet glares at Ollie. “I’m pretty sure manwhore, slut, or any variation was about to come out his mouth, but what would you know, Oliver?”
He glances between Lennon and Jet. “I, uh, read things.” Ollie’s head quickly snaps in Lennon’s direction. “And don’t make a joke about my ability to even do that.”
“Let me guess,” Jet says. “You heard about the orgy with Adam Lambert, Brendon Urie, and Sam Smith?”
“Holy shit,” I exclaim. “Did that really happen?”
“No.” Jet slaps my shoulder. “And their people were not so happy with me for making a joke about it. It got printed as if I was being serious.”
Ollie laughs. “I told you your mouth was going to get you into trouble one day.”
“I told him that too,” Lennon adds.
“Me too,” everyone else says in unison. Well, apart from Miller who’s now snoring.
“Damn straight,” Jet says. “My mouth has serious problems with authority, nosy paps, and with people telling me what to do.” He stares pointedly at his brother.
Matt shrugs him off. “Whatever. Like you ever listen to me anyway.”
“I might have to move to Chicago so Wade learns how to get his way with you two.”
Noah shakes his head. “Nah, he doesn’t have the innocent look you do that’s impossible to say no to.”
Jet’s mouth opens to argue, but we’re ready to go, so Joni unhooks the boat from the dock and moves to the captain’s chair. The engine roars to life, effectively cutting off a potential brotherly argument.
I don’t understand the way Matt and Noah see Jet. Yeah, he has that innocent look, but he’s far from innocent. And he’s not that much younger than Matt, yet they treat him like he’s fifteen.
I wonder if it’s his age, his stature, or his carefree attitude that could easily be seen as irresponsibility that Matt and Noah play off.
Sometimes, I think all Jet wants is to be taken seriously, and when he’s not, it makes him act out more—like what he’s doing right now.
As much as I’d like this little show to be about me, I get the impression it’s got everything to do with his older brother’s attitude.
We hit the open water, the boat flying over the swell and making for a bumpy ride.
Every time Jet’s ass brushes against my cock, I begin to wish we weren’t on a boat in front of an entire group of guys. While I’m at it, I wish we were naked too.
The trip back to our island is short, which is good, because if Jet rubs against me any more, there’s a good chance I’ll come, and there’ll be no hiding that.
Then again, i
t won’t be easy to hide a giant hard-on either.
When we pull up to our private hideaway and the boat slows, Jet shifts on my lap again.
My hand, which has stayed on his hip the whole way, tightens. “Are you trying to drive me crazy?” I ask low in his ear.
“You totally started it by pinning me against a wall earlier and kissing me.”
“Payback, eh? Are you sure you want to play that game?”
Jet taps his chin, pretending to think about it. “Oh, I’m sure.”
“You know how this game ends though, right?”
“How?” Damn Jet and that innocent pout.
“With—” My gaze flies to Matt as if sensing his eyes on me. Yep, Jet’s big brother is for sure plotting my murder.
“With …” Jet prompts.
I open my mouth, but Joni cuts me off.
“All set, boys.”
“Guess you’ll never find out now,” I taunt as Jet climbs off my lap. I stand and lean in close to his ear. “But let’s just say it involved minimal clothing.”
Matt takes Jet’s arm and helps him off the boat, throwing me a “Thanks, I’ve got him from here.”
Yep. That sounds about right.
Chapter Twelve
JET
In the light of a sober morning, I might be questioning my not so brilliant plan to have fun with Soren on this vacation. I knew it was a bad idea last night, and I know it’s a bad idea now, but I’d be lying if I said knocking on the door to his hut wasn’t the first thing I wanted to do when Matt woke me up to get ready for a day on the water.
Miller is too hungover to join us, so Talon’s staying back with him, but the rest of us are taking the jet skis out for a spin.
I almost said no to going so I could hang out with Soren alone, but I’m not sure I can trust myself around him on my own yet. I need to know we can hang out as friends without stupid shit like feelings getting in the way. Then, maybe, I’ll be able to handle the sexy type of fun I promised last night.
I climb his deck and go to knock, when my hand pauses midair.
He’s almost ready to go, but his hands are moving all over his chest, rubbing in a white substance I assume is sunblock, but I’m imagining something else. His hockey-player muscled chest and tight abs … His skin is less pink today, leaving a tanned glow. It’s kinda annoying he tans easily, but just the sight of him has my brain short-circuiting.
He turns to me, a smile present, along with his trademark backward baseball cap. “Gonna knock or …”
“Gonna move your hand lower or …”
Damn the warm sound of his chuckle.
Soren slides open the screen door. “No. Because then you’ll tell the guys I was jerking off when you came to get me, and then that’ll become a running joke.”
“Oh, bless your heart. That’s already a running joke.”
“I know. And I don’t want you making it worse.”
I pretend to think about that for a bit. “I might tell ’em anyway. This vacation’s all about having fun after all.”
“Yeah, but that’s fun for you.”
“Pretty sure if you were jerking off it’d also be fun for you.”
“I wasn’t jerking off,” he exclaims.
“Real shame.”
“Are you going to be like this the whole time?”
“Is it a problem if I am?”
“Nope. I wanted to clarify so I know what I’m in for.”
“Oh, you’re in for a ride, my friend. A roller coaster.”
Soren’s lips twitch. “I have no doubt about that.”
“Ready to go?”
“Almost.” Soren shoves a towel into a backpack. “Want me to take your towel too?”
“Thanks.” I unwrap the towel from around my neck and throw it at him.
“I’m guessing you don’t have a bottle of water on you.” He eyes me from head to toe. “If you do, I don’t want to know where it is.”
“No, I don’t have water.”
He goes to his mini fridge and puts two bottles in his backpack. “Okay, now, we can go.”
“Aww, look at you making sure I stay hydrated.” I gesture for him to leave first. “After you.”
“You just want to check out my ass.”
“Duh. And now I don’t even need to be subtle about it.”
Soren puts a little more hip into his walk as he passes me, making his ass shake.
“Mmm, that’s what I’m talking about.”
I catch up to him and walk by his side, fighting the urge to reach for him.
“You know, if we weren’t about to meet up with your brother, I might’ve held your hand.”
What, is he a mind reader now?
“You don’t know where my hand has been, so I’d rethink that.” Charming, Jet. Really charming.
“See, now that makes me want to ask what you’ve been doing with it.”
We round the corner to head to the beach, but my flirty retort is cut off by Matt and Noah coming from their side of the island.
“Maybe we should’ve stayed in today,” Soren mutters so only I can hear.
“Nah, jet skiing is totally fun. Or so I’ve heard. I like … riding things.”
Of course, Noah overhears that last part. “Too much information, bro.”
“We’re talking about jet skis. Duh.”
Matt glances between me and Soren but doesn’t say anything.
Four jet skis. Eight people. That’s the kind of math I like. All the couples pair up, leaving Soren and me to one jet ski.
Such a shame.
Soren does up his life jacket. “You want in front or behind?” His question is so serious I can’t help but answer seriously. So … seriously.
“Hmm, I could go either way. I’m super versatile … on a jet ski.”
“I’d prefer to be behind you, but I’m good with either too. You pick.”
I put on my own jacket. “We could always flip. Take it in turns.”
“Now, that sounds promising. You drive first.”
Soren lifts the steering column and shuts his backpack in the storage compartment. Then he pushes the jet ski into the shallow part of the water and holds it for me to get on. He slides in behind me, his chest plastering to my back. He’s so much wider than me, and with the life jackets, it feels like he’s surrounding me. His legs cage me in, as well as his arms, and I have to fight the urge to lean back so I’m his completely.
Joni comes around to each of us, showing us how to work the jet skis before sending us off.
We’re last, and I barely hear anything Joni says because I can feel a not-so-mysterious hardness pressing against my lower back.
But I manage to hear enough to get the thing started and to move us forward.
With everyone ahead of us creating their own mini waves, we get a bumpy ride. It reminds me of the boat trip last night.
The sun is warm as it beats down on us, but it’s the heat between our bodies that’s burning me up.
My cock is harder than granite, and my ass wants nothing more than to shuffle back until I’m in Soren’s lap.
I tell my body to calm down and catch up to the other guys.
Damon and Maddox who are in front slow down to a stop, and the others stop beside them.
I go past them and spin, whipping us around to face them all.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Joni says there’s a deserted island to the northwest, if we’re up for it,” Damon says. “Or we can stay close to shore here.”
Lennon leans forward on his jet ski. “As long as this doesn’t turn into an ‘if you were stranded on a deserted island with your friends, who would you eat first?’ kinda thing.”
“Well, Miller would be the obvious choice if he were here,” Maddox says. “More to go around.”
“Guess it’s Ollie or Matt then,” I add.
“You’d kill your own brother?” Matt yells.
“Hmm, tough call.”
Damon cuts in
. “As much as I’d love to see how this Lord of the Flies reenactment would work out, the island’s not that far, and we have GPS.” He holds up a small, bright yellow device attached to the jet ski. “There should be no need to resort to cannibalism.”
“Lord of the what?” I ask.
Damon groans. “I take it back. I vote we kill off anyone who doesn’t understand that reference.”
Everyone agrees.
“What happened to no need to resort to cannibalism?” I exclaim.
“Dire straits,” Damon says.
I break out into Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing.” Everyone looks at me weird. “Oh, sure, I’m uncultured for not knowing Lord of the Flies, but I sing a song that came out before all y’all were born, and I get a blank stare.”
“Last ones there are buying drinks tonight,” Maddox says.
Before I can point out drinks are included in the astronomical price Matt and Noah already paid for booking Joni and Ema’s entire island, the others take off, leaving Soren and me in their waves.
“Competitive motherfuckers,” I grumble.
“Eh, let them win,” Soren says behind me. “I was thinking of having our own fun along the way.” His hand sneaks under my life jacket, and his fingers bite into my skin.
“Yeah? What kind of fun?”
“Start driving and find out.” His voice rumbles in my ear.
I take off, going slow.
Soren’s warm breath hits my neck. “If we lag too far behind, someone’s going to come back for us. Go faster.”
I pull on the throttle harder and lean back against Soren even more.
His hand on my stomach moves lower and unties the knot in my board shorts. I startle and accelerate by accident, jolting us, and Soren has to reach with his free hand to hold the other side of the steering column.
“Unless you want your brother to see my hand in your shorts, you might want to slow down.”
“Go faster. Slow down. Make up your mind.”
“Go fast enough they can still see us coming, but don’t catch up to them.”
“What are you doing?”
Soren’s hand dips into my trunks and wraps around my cock. “I was thinking about getting you off. You know, to help fill our fun quota. Because I cannot take another bumpy ride without touching you, and this is technically in front of your brother … so it doesn’t break the rules.”
