Undercurrent (Sand Dollar Shoal Book 1)

by Pandora Pine

  “Come on, man. We’ve been friends for half of our lives. I know you, Noble. You let a total stranger stay at the hotel because he said he was convinced his muse was there. After spending so much time with you, it’s natural he’d develop feelings for a man who is so kind and generous.” Griff took a deep breath. “The man you were for the last two years wasn’t the real Noble Killington. We both know that. That Noble was hurt and lonely and damaged. There’s nothing to say that you can’t go back to being the old you and somehow or other, Landon is showing you the way.”

  Noble nodded even though Griff couldn’t see his gesture. “I never thought about it that way. Thanks, Griffin. I owe you one.”

  “No you don’t. Friends don’t keep score. Just promise me one thing, Noble…”

  “Anything.” Noble meant it. He owed Griffin his life in more ways than one.

  “You, Landon and Charlie are so much more important than bricks and glass. You get the hell out of there if it comes down to it. Promise me, Noble.” Griff sounded like he was getting emotional.

  “I promise. Landon and I are keeping on top of the weather reports. We’ll get away from the water if the storm gets too bad. One thing we’re gonna need to invest in for next winter, for sure, is a plow. I’m getting too old to be pushing a snow blower around.”

  “Can do. I should have thought of it sooner myself. I’ll have one delivered to you once the storm passes. Be safe, man. I’m really looking forward to meeting your Landon.”

  Noble bit back the urge to tell Griff that Landon wasn’t his, but why lie? It was the truth. Landon was his and come hell or high snow drifts and he wasn’t going to let him go.

  23

  Landon was sitting at a high-top table near the front of the Black Cat Bistro waiting for Noble. He’d been standing in the checkout line at the supermarket with two loaded carts when he’d gotten a text asking him to meet his boyfriend here for lunch. He’d never heard of the place before and had to Google Map it just to get here.

  The bistro was a cute little place with black and white pictures of old sailing ships with Hyannis ties. The walls were studded with old-fashioned brass instruments meant to measure wind and weather conditions on ships. Nowadays, iPhone apps and on-board computers were able to do all of those things.

  The restaurant also had a front deck looking out at Hyannis harbor which was across the street. There would be no outdoor dining today, but Landon would bet there wasn’t a summer afternoon when that deck wouldn’t be full of tourists laughing and enjoying a meal.

  Landon was happy for this moment of peace and quiet. The supermarket had been an absolute zoo with people pushing and shoving to grab the last of the essential supplies. He’d managed to grab two loaves of bread and a couple of cases of bottled water before they were all gone. Everything else he’d picked up had been non-perishable, including two twenty pound bags of Charlie’s dog food, a couple of jars of peanut butter and a lot of canned soup. The fireplace had a metal arm with a hook on it and a cast-iron cook kettle, so if they lost power, they’d be able to heat a hot meal over the fire.

  In addition to the food, Landon had also grabbed some first aid necessities and some cold and flu meds. He had no idea what possessed him to buy those things, but he figured it would be safe to be prepared for any eventuality. Lastly, he’d grabbed fixings for s’mores, including metal rods for roasting marshmallows and some Jiffy Pop popcorn. He figured Noble would get a kick out making the sweet treats together and being able to make popcorn over the fire.

  “Hey, there you are.”

  Noble’s sudden appearance shocked Landon out of his head. He hopped off his stool to give his boyfriend a quick hug and peck on the lips.

  Noble wasn’t having any of that. He wrapped his hand around the back of Landon’s head, holding him close while their lips got reacquainted. “Hi,” Noble whispered.

  “Hi, yourself.” Landon took half a step back, knowing they wouldn’t end up eating lunch if they kept kissing each other like that. He hopped back up onto his stool, while Noble shrugged out of his coat. Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but smile over Noble’s greeting.

  “Been here long?” Noble reached out a hand for Landon, smiling when his boyfriend linked hands with him.

  “Only a few minutes. I got everything on the list we made and a few things that weren’t...” Landon felt the shame creeping up his neck. He’d lost about ten pounds since getting here but still felt guilty for splurging.

  “You look great, babe.” Noble gave their joined hand a little squeeze. “We’ve got so much work to do over the next few days that you’ll easily burn off whatever treats you bought us.”

  In the past, Landon hadn’t believed other lovers when they told him they were into his body, but he believed Noble. “You’re gonna work me like a dog? Is that what you’re saying?”

  Noble laughed. “And then some. We’ve got all of those windows to board up and I want to bring in as much firewood as we can too.”

  Landon felt a bolt of nausea twist his stomach. The hotel was four stories tall with a total of seventy-two windows. Were they going to board them all up?

  “Don’t worry, Wordsmith.” Noble winked at him. “It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

  “What could possibly go wrong with boarding up seventy-two windows, eighteen of which are on the fourth floor?” Landon shook his head, his stomach pitching and turning.

  Noble opened his mouth to reply when a waitress dressed in black pants and a matching sweatshirt with the restaurant’s logo on it stepped up to their table. “Hi boys, I’m Betty. What can I get’cha?”

  “Clam chowder and fish and chips for me,” Noble said without hesitation.

  Landon smiled at him and in that instant forgot about the grilled salmon and rice he’d planned on ordering. “I’ll have the same thing with a coke.”

  “Make that two.” Noble grinned at the waitress before turning his attention back to Landon. “I’d never let anything happen to you. I promise. I’ll show you how the scaffolding platform works and we’ll go as slow as you need.”

  Landon nodded. “I trust you.”

  “Right back at you, handsome.” Noble was all smiles.

  It wasn’t like Noble to be so free-flowing with the compliments. Landon couldn’t help wonder what had put Noble in this mood. “How did it go at Home Depot?” He was hoping to draw the answer out of Noble without having to come out and ask straight up.

  Noble shook his head. “It was crazy there. The kid who was filling my plywood order told me it was all hands on deck for the employees. Some of the checkout lines were five people deep inside the store.”

  “What were they buying?”

  “Some were getting plywood to board up windows like me but others were stocking up on batteries, flashlights and portable radios. The store was also having a run on generators and snow blowers.”

  Landon nodded. Those all sounded like sensible purchases. “Why doesn’t Sand Dollar Shoal have a generator?”

  “I didn’t really think I’d need one being down here by myself. It’s something I’ll talk to Griff about when he comes up for good in the spring. He agreed to send me a plow for my truck when the storm has passed.”

  “When did he agree to do that?” Landon didn’t remember Noble mentioning anything about talking to his friend.

  “I called him on my way to the store and got his voicemail. Griff called me back about twenty minutes later.”

  That explained a lot, but only if Noble had told his friend about their relationship. It wouldn’t surprise him if Presley had told their other friends about Landon staying at the hotel. Another wave of nausea rolled through him. Would Noble’s friends like him? Landon cleared his throat. “I’m glad he agreed to a plow. It’s going to be a lot of work for you with the snow blower.”

  Noble nodded, looking out the front window of the restaurant toward Hyannis Harbor. “Griff is looking forward to meeting you.”

  “Wait! What?” Griffin F
ox, son of hotel magnate Astor Fox, wanted to meet him?

  Bursting out laughing, Noble pulled Landon’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against his knuckles. “Pres had called him to tell him all of the juicy details about you. Griff even told me that Presley thinks you’re cute, so hands off when you meet him.”

  Landon rolled his eyes. The only man he wanted touching him was Noble. “You want me to meet your friends?”

  “Here we are, boys! Soup’s up!” Betty set the steaming crocks of chowder on the table with some small packages of oyster crackers. “Is there anything else I can get’cha before your lunch comes out?”

  Landon shook his head at Noble.

  “We’re all set, Betty. Thanks!” Noble smiled at the waitress before turning his attention back to Landon. “This thing between us isn’t some winter fling. At least it isn’t for me,” Noble amended. “I know it feels like we’re tucked away from the world at Sand Dollar Shoal, but hermiting myself away from all the people I love is what I did after Vincent died. I don’t want to hide you away from the world, Landon. I want to show you off.”

  Feeling too stunned to speak, Landon just stared into Noble’s too-blue eyes. It had felt like they were in their own little world here in Hyannis, but now Noble was saying that he wanted to introduce him to all of his friends. It was almost too much. He shook his head, tears pricking the back of his eyes. “I’m stunned,” Landon said in a half-whisper.

  Giving Landon’s hand another squeeze, Noble smiled. “I know your parents didn’t think you were worth much in their eyes, but to me…” Noble paused, taking a deep breath. “To me, you’re everything.”

  Gasping, Landon felt a rogue tear slip down his cheek. He quickly swiped it away and grabbed for one of the dry cocktail napkins on the table. Reaching into his back pocket, he grabbed his ever-present ink pen and started to write.

  “What are you doing?” Noble was shooting him a curious grin.

  Landon hummed noncommittally and kept writing. When he put the pen down he looked up at Noble. “Sorry, that line was perfect. I love what you said so much, I want one of the characters in Killer Instinct to say it, probably Norris, since he’s modeled after you.” Landon stopped and took a deep breath. “You’re my everything too, Noble. You and Charlie. I can’t wait to meet your friends.”

  “I miss our girl.”Noble grinned.

  Landon laughed. “This is the first date we’ve been on without Charlie.”

  Noble laughed along with him. “She’d hate this place. It’s named after a cat.”

  Picking up his soup spoon, Landon laughed harder.

  XX

  Noble could see the fear etched into Landon’s handsome face. They were standing on the construction scaffolding hanging plywood on the fourth floor windows facing the ocean. Noble hadn’t used traditional scaffolding like you see when a building is being remodeled. He was using a rope scaffold like window washers on high rise buildings use.

  To his credit, Landon hadn’t complained once about being up here. “I’m coming around to your right side to nail down the lower corner.” They were working on the sixth window of the fourth floor. All Noble had to do was nail down the lower right corner and they’d be done with this window.

  “Okay,” Landon mumbled.

  As he scooted behind his boyfriend on the narrow scaffolding, Noble could feel the tension in his body. Landon was so stiff, Noble could use him as a surfboard. Unable to help himself, Noble started laughing.

  “We’re eighty feet off the ground, the angry ocean is flinging itself halfway up the beach and he’s laughing,” Landon mumbled to himself. “What the hell is so funny?”

  Noble hit the trigger of the nail gun, securing the lower right side of the plywood over the window. “I noticed how tense you were when I moved behind you. I was thinking you were so stiff that I could use you to go surfing.”

  Landon snorted. “Yeah, well, I can think of a better use of my stiffness.”

  Noble stood up slowly, not wanting to send the scaffolding swinging. “I like the way you think, Wordsmith.” Noble set his face against Landon’s back, pressing a kissing against his fleece hat. “What scares you so much about being up here?”

  Landon sighed. “Fear of falling. I guess.”

  Scooting to the other side, Noble turned around to look out over the ocean. It wasn’t as calm as it had been this morning. The sky had turned leaden and the waves were crashing above the high tide line. “Turn around.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Landon muttered. He started to turn slowly. His eyes were focused on his boots.

  “Good job. Now look out at the ocean.” Noble took a deep breath of sea air.

  “Jesus, Noble, I-” Landon was shaking his head, his eyes still glued to his feet.

  “Please, Landon, do it for me,” Noble urged with a smile.

  “Okay.” Landon lifted his eyes, locking them with Noble’s.

  “I was never a fan of heights either. One summer day, I was working with my dad on the roof of a house. I was just like you, keeping my eyes on the job until my father asked me to turn around. Again, just like you, I didn’t want to do it, but I did. My dad asks me how many people I thought got to see this version of our hometown today. From as high up as we were, I could see City Hall and the high school, hell, I could practically see New Hampshire from where we were standing. I might have been scared of heights and of falling, but no one else was seeing things from this perspective either.”

  Landon nodded, taking his eyes off Noble to stare out over the ocean. “It’s gorgeous and you’re right. Who else gets to see the ocean from this angle today besides the two of us?”

  “The best part,” Noble pressed a kiss to Landon’s cold cheek, “is that we’re seeing it together.” He could feel some of the tension ebbing out of Landon’s body.

  “Yeah, that is pretty cool.”

  “Damn straight it is.” Noble paused for a minute, taking in the scene around him. “Thank you for staying with me. I-I didn’t want you to leave. I just didn’t want you in the line of fire.”

  “You’re welcome.” Landon took his eyes off the ocean to stare at his boyfriend. “I know you didn’t want me to go, but I couldn’t leave you. Do you get what I’m saying?”

  Noble heard him loud and clear. Griffin had been right about Landon having deeper feelings for him. It was obvious Landon wasn’t ready to say them out loud yet, but he definitely got what Landon was driving toward. “I get you completely.” Noble pressed a kiss to Landon’s lips, sighing when his lover opened up to him, sweeping his tongue out to mate with Noble’s.

  Unable to help himself, Noble chuckled.

  “Now what’s so funny?” Landon rolled his golden eyes.

  “Five minutes ago you were scared enough to shit a brick and now look at you, kissing me like you’ve got all day to do it.”

  Landon laughed along with him. “True.”

  “If you like, we can join the quarter-mile high club!” Noble waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  “What quarter-mile? We’re eighty feet off the ground, doofus.” Landon laughed before capturing Noble’s lips again.

  “I didn’t hear a ‘no’ in there, Wordsmith.” Noble palmed the front of Landon’s jeans. To his delight, Landon’s cock was hard and ready for him. Dropping his lover a wink, Noble quickly unzipped Landon’s jeans and stuck his hand into his boxers, his fingers gliding along his hardened shaft.

  “Jesus, Noble,” Landon hissed, clutching Noble’s parka with both hands.

  “Feels good, huh?” Noble grinned, wrapping his fingers around Landon’s girth, stroking him slowly.

  “Fuck! You know it does. Every time you touch me it feels fucking amazing.” Landon kissed Noble, his tongue licking out over the closed seam of his lover’s lips.

  Encouraged by Landon’s response, Noble sped up the motion of his hand. He wasn’t able to move as freely as he’d like, but based on the sexy little sounds Landon was making, he was definitely hitting all the right spot
s.

  Pulling his lips away from Noble’s, Landon moved them to Noble’s ear. “Feels so fuckin’ good,” Landon whispered. “Your hand on my cock is heaven. Harder, Noble! Jack me off harder. I gotta come.”

  “Oh, you’re gonna come all right.” Noble loved this side of Landon. He was uninhibited and Noble was entranced by the deep, needy tone in Landon’s voice.

  “Gonna blow my load all over your hand.” Landon was gasping for breath, holding Noble tighter.

  “That’s it babe, come for me. Come all over me.” Noble tightened his hold on Landon’s dick and tried to give his lover enough friction to push him over the edge.

  “Fuck, Noble! Coming!” Landon shouted Noble’s name again and again while his cock jerked in Noble’s fist.

  Noble watched in fascination while Landon yelled through his release. He’d never seen his gorgeous man this free before. Landon had always been buttoned down, but this more vocal, less inhibited side of his lover was so damn sexy.

  Slumping a bit against Noble when his cock stopped twitching, Landon started to laugh.

  “You okay, Wordsmith?” Noble started to chuckle along with him.

  Landon nodded, reaching down to rearrange himself in his pants and zip them back up again. “Peachy keen, jelly bean, but the next time you want to have sex this high off the ground, let’s make sure we’re inside the building, huh?”

  Laughing along with him, Noble pressed a kiss to the stubbled side of Landon’s jaw. “How many other men got to have sex like this today, hmm?”

  “Just me. I’m the luckiest man on earth.”

  Noble shook his head. No, he was the luckiest man on earth thanks to Landon.

  24

  Every muscle in Landon’s body ached. He and Noble spent the rest of the afternoon boarding up the hotel’s windows. Once that task was complete, Landon had hauled every last piece of firewood they had into the hotel dining room, while Noble went around packing up equipment and putting away anything that could take flight during the storm.

  After a quick shower, Landon had come down to the kitchen to make a batch of chili. While he sautéed a pound of lean ground beef, Charlie napped in her favorite spot in front of the double ovens. Landon was opening a can of dark kidney beans when Noble came into the kitchen.