Swim Coach: A Novel

by Sam E. Kraemer

  "Fuck," he hissed as we slipped off our shoes and picked them up so as not to track sand through the beautiful home. He looked at me with regret and I felt his pain, but his parents were great people. Besides, I didn't have it in me to be rude.

  I grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen with me. "Miss Leslie, how was your day?" I asked with a smile. Andre took the wet towels, blanket, and his wetsuit to the laundry room while I began cleaning out the cooler.

  She turned to me from her place at the stove and smiled. "Ah, did you boys go to the beach?"

  "Yeah. He wanted to surf, and I've wanted to see what it was like in person. He's very good," I commented as I loaded the container the fruit had been in into the dishwasher.

  "He spends a lot of time surfing during the summer. I'm not surprised he wanted to go this weekend. What else did you boys do today? Are you hungry? I made turkey tetrazzini. I'm just about to put it in the oven, and it takes about forty-five minutes to bake, so you have enough time to get cleaned up."

  Andre came into the kitchen and walked over to see what she was doing, kissing her on the cheek. I turned to see the tender smile on her face. "I see you had fun."

  "The waves were great. Next time I get Colton to come home with me, I'm going to teach him," Andre told her as he reached into the pan and pulled out a sautéing mushroom, earning a slap of Les' hand. He laughed as he walked to the fridge and grabbed two beers. He pulled out an open bottle of wine and filled a glass for his mom, earning him a pat on the cheek. I quietly chuckled at the two of them, enjoying their interaction.

  Andre sat down at the counter and patted the seat next to him for me. I sat down and took his hand, taking a swig of the cold beer and enjoying the easy feel of being in his parents’ home. "Colton, do you have any desire to learn to surf? I could never get the hang of it. Jean-Luc used to go with Andre when we first moved here, and I tried once, but I couldn't get up. It's a lot trickier than it looks."

  I laughed. "Yeah, it's nice to watch, and those who can do it make it look very easy, but I had a hard time learning to skateboard and I never got the hang of skiing, so I doubt I'd be able to actually surf. Maybe I could do that paddle surf thing, but I know the water has to be calm for that," I offered.

  "Oh, that's definitely a possibility. There are places to do it around here, I’m sure. Maybe Spring Break?" Andre asked.

  Damn, that’s four months away and he was already making plans for us to do things together? It had a lot of promise…while simultaneously scaring the living daylights out of me.

  I turned to see him looking at me for an answer, so I leaned forward and kissed him gently. "Definitely something to consider," I offered, not saying yes or no, and not allowing myself to get too nervous at the prospect.

  Les brought her glass of wine over to the counter and stood in front of us. "How are you doing?"

  She was looking at both of us, and I knew what she was asking. She wanted to know her son was safe in my presence, and I couldn't have blamed her in the least. "I can't speak for Andre, but I haven't felt this relaxed and happy in a while. It's peaceful here, and there's definitely a feeling of unconditional acceptance which has been very helpful at keeping my anxiety away.

  "Maybe, if you have time in the morning, we could sit down and talk a bit?" I asked her. I trusted her, and I wanted the help I never imagined I'd seek. If I thought I could lock the two of us in a room for a week and I'd come out cured, I'd do it.

  She reached over and touched my hand. "Actually, I spoke with Eve today and she’s free tomorrow. Would you mind if she comes out to prune my rose garden? She likes to do it because she gets to take home flowers. She has an amazing green thumb. I’ve found, over the years, it's easier to talk about things when the hands are busy. Let's say eight o'clock? I’ll text her," she offered.

  I worried about meeting the woman, but if I was going to ever learn how to handle the fucked-up situation Fate had seen fit to present to me? Well, I had to get comfortable with talking about shit to someone who Leslie trusted. I trusted her, so I was sure her friend would be a good substitute. "It's a date, Doc," I teased as I squeezed her hand in return. She winked at me and smiled. I could see a triumphant look in her eyes and I hoped to hell she was right and Eve Brownley could help me figure out how the fuck to get over myself…if that was even a possibility.

  Andre took my hand and squeezed it. "We're going to go get cleaned up for dinner. Is Père coming home soon?" Andre asked as he finished his beer. He looked at me and winked, so I finished mine as well. He grabbed two more and stood next to me, placing his hand gently on my shoulder as we awaited her answer.

  "He should be home in a while. He had an emergency surgery earlier, and I think he's hanging around to make sure his patient is stable. We'll eat without him if we have to. We're trying to go to a nine o'clock movie in case you're interested."

  "What movie?" Andre asked, squeezing my shoulder. The woman could have said any movie and he'd have said ‘hell no’, I was sure.

  "It's the new action movie with that beautiful blond woman your father likes and that handsome young man I like. Interested?"

  I looked down to hide the smirk. "I’ll let you decide if it’s worth the watch. Remember, we’re poor college students. We’ll look for it on Netflix.” He pulled me from the stool and led me toward the stairs.

  "One hour, boys," she called behind us. We both laugh as we hurried up the stairs and stopped in the hallway. Andre had a pensive look on his face, and I had something I wanted to do.

  "Get your shit and come shower with me," I whispered. His eyes lit up, and my heart soared.

  "Actually, the shower in my bathroom is bigger. I mean, I'll gladly shower with you, but mine is a bit roomier," he explained with a sly smile.

  I cupped my hand over his semi-hard cock and smiled in return. "Give me a minute to get my stuff. I'll be right there." I went to the spare room and grabbed my toiletry kit and clean clothes. I opened the spare room door and looked up and down the hall, not seeing anyone.

  Andre’s bedroom door was cracked, so I let myself in and closed it, clicking the lock. There was music playing in the background, and I could hear he was in the bathroom, singing along with Norah Jones. I had a feeling he was trying to seduce me, and while he didn't need to bother because I was definitely on board with getting naked and feeling him next to me, I did appreciate the effort.

  I walked to the bathroom door and saw he was standing at the sink with a towel around his waist. He was shaving, and he looked sexy as hell. I walked up behind him and placed my hands on his hips after I saw the smile on his face so I didn't frighten him and cause him to nick that gorgeous, albeit a little bruised, face.

  "I do love the feel of your smooth face, but the stubble is sexy as hell," I told him as I kissed between his shoulder blades, feeling him shudder a bit.

  "When we get back to school, I'll only shave every other day, but Mom bitches about…God, can we not talk about my mom right now?"

  I laughed as I stripped off behind him, piling my clothes next to his on the floor. I couldn't lie and say I wasn't nervous, but I needed to take the step to do something as normal as showering with my boyfriend.

  I stepped into the tile-covered space as he continued to shave. I heard the door open, and his sexy voice. "Babe, I'm coming in." My head was under the spray and my eyes were closed so I appreciated his warning. I prayed we could figure a way out for me to be comfortable and yet, the two of us to be intimate without me overreacting all the time.

  There were shower heads everywhere in that fucking shower. I counted at least twelve of them, and they provided a relaxing atmosphere. Coupled with the music in the background, it was amazing.

  "Your parents won't be pissed at us showering together, will they?" I asked quietly.

  He smiled as he stood in front of me, hands clenched and gorgeous body glistening in the subtle lighting with water cascading down him. He was a fine, fine specimen of a man, and he was mine. That wasn't easy t
o wrap my head around, but as he stood there apparently aching to touch me, it was obvious.

  "Come here, Sexy," I told him as I held my arms open to him. He put his hands on my hips, but I wanted…needed…him to hold me close. I swallowed down the feelings of fear and made a move.

  I moved closer to him so our bodies were touching, and I moved his arms around my back so he was holding me, low beneath the dirty words that were there forever. I was nervous, but I tried to quell it. I wanted him to hold me. I needed the contact.

  "Colton, I…are you sure this is okay?" he asked nervously.

  I let out a sigh as I moved my hands to play in his wild locks. I slicked it back so I could see those expressive eyes. They'd become a grounding rod for me, and I needed to see them. "Babe, I'm trying. I want us to have what everybody else seems to have, and I trust you. Hell, I more than trust you. I know you'd never do anything I wasn't okay with, so yeah, this is okay." I felt his fingers gently pulsing against my skin as I leaned forward and kissed him, sweeping my tongue over his plump lips.

  The kisses were amazing. The friction of our bodies rubbing together was sublime. Him…washing my hair and allowing me to wash him was indescribable. Feeling the tender touch of his hands as he tried to show me how he felt while respecting my issues, I knew without a doubt he loved me as much as I loved him. He didn't say it, and I didn't need to hear it. I felt it.

  We finished our shower and got out, drying each other with our mouths connected. I had a smile on my face as I absorbed the good feelings. I pulled out my razor and shaving cream as he sat down on the commode with a towel around his waist to watch me.

  "Have you thought about a major?" he asked as he crossed his ankle over his knee.

  I glanced sideways at him and saw a smile I was happy to see. "I've thought about a few things. Criminal justice with a concentration in law enforcement is one thing. Arresting the bad guys is appealing, but it would mean after I finish school, I'd have to go to the police academy. That's a lot of schooling.

  "When I was a kid, I thought I wanted to be a vet, but that's a lot of schooling as well. I thought about teaching, but I can't settle on a subject, though I like history a lot. Maybe I should chuck school and become a stripper," I teased to see if he was paying attention. His eyes had glazed over, and I wasn't sure why.

  "I think you'd be…wait, what? A stripper? Oh, hell no. My boyfriend will not make his money taking off his clothes. I'll go along with a lot of shit, but a stripper? Fuck no. This," he gestured down my body as I stood at the sink trying not to laugh at how pissed he'd become in record speed, "is for my eyes only. I'm willing to give you control over a lot of things, Colton, but I'll put my foot down on that one."

  I rinsed the razor and went after my neck, trying not to slit my throat from laughing at his overreaction. I didn't answer him immediately, finishing my task. I washed my face and then stood between his legs where he sat. I put my hands on both sides of his handsome face, pulling his chin up to look at me.

  "You wouldn't like it if your boyfriend was a stripper?" I teased as I thrust my hips forward a little. His jealousy had turned me the fuck on, and my cock was aching.

  "Not one fucking bit." He was very firm in his answer, and it only made me harder. I pulled off the towel around my waist.

  "Will you…would you…God, I hate feeling like this."

  "You don't need to ask. You just have to say it's okay," he stated softly.

  "Please?"

  He engulfed my erection in his mouth without another word. It felt so fucking good, I lost my breath. I looked down my body and saw his soft lips taking me inside him, and I couldn't think. His hands were on my hips, and he was pulling me forward, allowing me to fuck his mouth. I wound a hand in his damp hair and scratched my fingers against his scalp. I was losing myself in the feeling of his mouth on me. It took all coherent thoughts away.

  I rode out the feeling of his swirling tongue and the feeling of him swallowing around the head of my cock, and when I couldn't take it any longer, I tried to pull away so as not to force him to swallow because I'd never force anything on anyone.

  He placed his hands on my ass and held me still, gently but firmly swallowing around the head until I couldn't hold back. "Fuck, baby, I'm coming," I announced loudly. It echoed off the bathroom walls, but the rumbling moan from him as he swallowed around me made me forget everything else except the feel of his hands and his mouth on my body.

  When he released my softening cock from his mouth, he looked up at me with a sexy smirk. "I think we just broke down another brick in the wall, didn't we?"

  The musical reference made me laugh. "All in all, we're just another brick in the wall? Pink Floyd? How fucking old are you?" I teased as I backed up and pulled him from his seated position.

  "Old enough to know what I want, Colton. I want you for a long time," he whispered against my neck as he kissed his way to my mouth, giving me an incredible kiss. I didn't push him away. I didn't feel threatened. I felt loved, and it felt good.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Into the Deep End

  "I need your help tomorrow," Jean-Luc told Andre as we were eating dinner. The food looked great and I was starving. Leslie Dupree was a hell of a cook, and the meal made me miss my mother, another great cook.

  "Not the Christmas lights," Andre whined as he dropped his fork on his plate.

  "Hey, don't bitch at me. Go after your mother," Jean-Luc deflected as he glanced at his wife with a gentle smile.

  "You know you love helping Père do the lights. Eve is coming over to show me how to prune the roses and after she and Colton finish in the garden, we'll help. Get that scowl off your face. It might freeze there and you're far too handsome for Colton to have to look at that every day," she taunted. I laughed as I took a drink of my water.

  I reached over and squeezed his leg. His parents were fantastic, and it wasn't that big a deal, in my opinion. I remembered helping my dad with the lights when he was home, and I’d done it myself since he’d passed. That was when I decided I was taking Andre to Unionville with me to meet Momma and we'd put up her Christmas lights together.

  "Help your father, and I'll help your mom’s friend. It'll be good practice for when we go to Unionville and put up my mom's," I commented as I squeezed his thigh before I released it.

  He turned to me and smiled. "We're going to Unionville?"

  "If you're up for it? Mom likes her Christmas lights as well, and I’ve had to do them by myself the last few years. It would be nice to have someone hold the damn ladder," I joked. Les and Jean-Luc laughed along with me, and I was relieved.

  "Well, when are we going?" he asked as I continued to consume the most incredible casserole I'd ever eaten. The Thanksgiving dinner had been great, but the leftovers were even better.

  I thought about it, factoring in finals and Christmas break. "If you're free, next weekend might be the best. We can get it out of the way before we have to study for finals, and she'll have her lights and reindeer all set out. Can you swing that? I have to work on Friday until noon, and my last class is over at two. I'll be ready when you get out at three. We can be there by seven, just in time for dinner," I offered.

  "Are you going to, um, we can talk about this later," Andre responded quietly as he glanced at his parents.

  I wiped my mouth. "Am I gonna tell my momma you're my boyfriend and I'm bringing you home to meet her properly? You betcha."

  He looked at me and smiled, taking my hand and holding it. "Well, okay."

  After we cleaned up dinner, Les and Jean-Luc went outside with a bottle of wine, and Andre and I went to the family room. It was a show he seemed to like so he laid his head in my lap with my feet propped on the coffee table. It felt so normal I was overcome with emotions. I stroked his hair, so happy to be there with him.

  When a commercial came on, I touched his cheek and turned his head to look at me. "I love you."

  Immediately, the tears hit me but I blinked them away before they fell, f
eeling embarrassed over my outburst. His breath stilled as he looked into my eyes. He had a gentle smile on his face, and he held his hand up waiting for me to let him know it was okay to touch me. I nodded, and he immediately pulled me over him, grazing his lips with mine.

  He pushed me back gently and looked into my eyes. "I love you, too. I've been too afraid to say it, but you opened the door and walked through it, Colton. No taking it back."

  I kissed him again, moving my hand down to his stomach and tickling my fingers over it. He laughed as I kissed him, and it was perfect. "I'd never take it back." I meant it. I didn't know where we'd go from there or how we'd get through the mountain of issues I had, but I held onto that perfect moment because maybe I only got one? If that was it, then I wanted to make it last.

  I was pacing the spare room like an expectant father. We'd watched television until Andre fell asleep on my lap, both of us eager for his parents to go to bed. I wasn't sure he'd welcome me showing up in his room so late at night, considering how tired he was after surfing that evening. While I wanted to…I wanted to make love to him, I'd considered maybe we should wait until we got back to school on Sunday so we could have privacy. When I really thought about it, I didn't want to wait. We'd said the words and I wanted to follow up on it with the physical act in order to cement it in our souls.

  I heard the feminine giggle and then the closing of a bedroom door, so I grabbed a condom and the lube from my toiletry bag and I hoped for the best. I tiptoed across the hall and quietly opened the door, happy it wasn't locked.

  He was sitting up in bed, naked from the waist up with the light on while leaning against the headboard. He was reading a book, and when he saw me, he tossed it on the floor and pulled the covers back. I closed the door and locked it in the event Leslie decide to check on her baby boy in the middle of the night.