by T S McKinney
“Why? Did my front get burned yesterday?” I asked, looking down at my chest and stomach. I didn’t see pink or red staining my flesh, but did notice that while I wasn’t ripped and muscular like Eli, my body was lean and without fat. There was just a hint of abdominal muscles beginning to show since I’d started working out with Seth and Baker. Looking around at everybody else, I realized I had nothing to be ashamed of, but I still felt like I didn’t really fit in.
“No, your front didn’t get burned yesterday,” Eli answered quietly. “I’d just really appreciate the view of your backside while we sunbathe. I mean, fuck, Ari, you do realize the back of your speedos is nothing more than pink lace, right? How the fuck could you expect me not to want to gaze at the lace-covered globes all damn day long?”
His voice sounded like a sexy growl and my body soaked up the admiration like a sponge. While I loved that he wanted to look at my ass, I didn’t want to appear too overly zealous, so I tried for a nonchalant shrug and said, “Sure; if that’s what you want.” Actually, it was a win/win situation for both of us. He could, with my wholehearted approval stare at my ass all damn day long as he’d said, and I would be able to hide my growing erection.
I was careful not to touch any parts of the chair Eli hadn’t patiently covered with towels as I spread out, ass-up, onto the lounge chair. Since it was still early in the morning, the sun wasn’t too bright and offered just enough sultry warmth to make it feel like it kissed every inch of me. If all the nerves in my body, especially those leading to my dick, weren’t buzzing with arousal, I could probably drift off for a nice morning nap. As it was, I couldn’t think of anything except how hard my cock was getting and how exposed my ass was. The lace certainly didn’t offer much coverage. Thankfully, my skin wasn’t overly sensitive to the sun. While I’d never surfed or even swam in the ocean on more times than I had fingers, I had the surfer-boy image down naturally. Well, I had until I dyed my hair. The sun-kissed blond was now hidden beneath the darker shade. Did Eli hate it? He didn’t seem to mind.
Why? Why was I so fucking insecure?
More than anything I wanted to be a person who was strong—brave enough to take what they wanted, when they wanted it, and how they wanted it. Instead…I waited.
Chapter Six
Eli
The day was slightly overcast, and the ocean breeze was perfect to cool what sun managed to peek through the fluffy clouds, but my skin burned like I walked through fire. Every damn inch of me—fire. Every thought inside my head—fire. At least an hour had passed since I slowly rubbed sunscreen over Ari’s lean body, but my hands still felt that same burn that plagued the rest of my body. I’d given up trying to do something to hide my boner because, fuck it to all, there was no way to hide that monster, and it wasn’t going to go away any time soon—not as long as my eyes were glued to Ari’s lace-covered ass cheeks.
I supposed I could force myself to look away, but I’d probably come closer to winning the lottery than making myself look at anything except those perfectly shaped globes. How many fucking squats did a man have to do to make his ass so…bubbly? I wanted to bury my face in his crease and suck his pucker until he screamed my name loud enough for the entire boat to hear. I wanted to use my tongue, hands, and dick to make him somehow forget the last three years, to make him forget how incredibly angry he was at me, even if I still stood firmly with the fact that I’d done the right thing. Yes, it had nearly killed me, but it had still been the right thing to do. If today was any indication, there would have been no way I could have kept my cock from finding a way into his ass, even if he was too young.
So, I’d left. Now, I was back, and it was like nothing had changed. My heart loved him just as much as it had when we’d first met and formed an unbreakable bond. I wasn’t sure he felt the same magnetic pull I did, but I was determined to find out. He’d loved me once; I wanted him to love me again.
There was a problem, though. With all of Ari’s sassiness, bravado, and sexy underwear and outerwear, he still possessed that same innocence as before. How was that even possible? Someone as sexy and gorgeous as Arizona had to have had countless lovers while I’d been MIA, but one would never know it by how he acted. Even today, wearing the sexiest damn swimsuit I’d ever laid eyes on in my entire life, he seemed uncomfortable in his own skin. Fidgety—like we were back in college where he struggled to try and fit in.
The thing was, I wasn’t a man who gave up easily. I wanted Ari and was determined to prove to him that leaving him behind was the hardest damn thing I’d done in my life. I was, however, going to have to take a mid-morning break before implementing my game strategy. My cock, hard since morning and even harder since I’d spent the last hour staring at his peek-a-boo lace ass cheeks, demanded some attention. In a perfect world, I’d feel comfortable enough to leave Ari behind, allow him to continue sun bathing and cat-napping. I felt confident there wasn’t a threat on the boat, but it still wasn’t a chance I was willing to take—not when Ari’s safety was involved. He’d just have to go to the room with me, maybe eat a snack on the balcony as he soaked up the view…while I jacked off in the bathroom.
Yeah, perfect plan.
I picked up my phone and texted a room service order to be delivered to our room. A simple fruit and cheese platter should keep him distracted to give me the few minutes that my demanding body required. As a last thought, I added some chocolate covered strawberries because I knew he was a chocolate fiend, and then promised a hefty tip if they could have it there in the next thirty minutes. Surely I could survive another thirty minutes?
If dicks could talk, mine just cussed me out.
“This feels delicious,” Ari mumbled, his words muffled by the ocean breeze and by the fact that his face was virtually buried in the beach towel. When he sat up on his elbows to look back at me, the globes of his ass flexed…as did my cock.
Yeah, I’d endured about all this torture that I could handle for the morning portion of the day. I had a feeling there would be several more trips to our cabin to release my, uh, frustrations, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep plying him with food as a distraction, but hopefully I’d come up with something. After checking my watch to make certain enough time had passed for the platter to be delivered to the room, I said, “I need to go to the room for a few minutes, angel.”
He frowned, looked around the deck, and answered, “Okay, then. I guess. I’ll just lie in the sun. You won’t be long, will you?”
Sweetest. Words. Ever.
“You know I can’t leave you out here by yourself. What kind of bodyguard would I be if I did that, huh? I ordered you a platter of snacks to keep you occupied while I take care of some business. Please don’t argue with me, angel. I really need to do this.”
He pouted—something he’d obviously perfected over the years I’d been away. Don’t get me wrong, he’d been a master at it before, but he’d clearly taken it to an entirely different level now. “We aren’t supposed to be working on this cruise, Eli. It’s my vacation. I’m not interested in going to the room while you catch up on work, even if you did order me a platter of goodies to stand in as babysitter while you work.”
Hmmm…to be honest or lie?
Honestly—I only planned on lying to Ari about one thing and one thing only, and it wasn’t whether or not I needed to jerk off before my cock exploded on its own.
“I’m not exactly going to the room to work, angel,” he said quietly. “I have a…problem that has to be dealt with.” My eyes drifted down to where my engorged cock fought a battle with the swim trunks trying to confine them in a lycra prison—a prison which it refused to stay hidden in. “Watching your glorious ass swathed in that pretty pink lace all morning has taken its toll on me. My cock has a date with my hand and I’m not leaving you out here, unprotected while I go jerk off…not so sure I could defend that one to your father or my sister.”
He looked at me strangely for a few seconds—my eyes, then my cock, then my eyes—before he fin
ally shrugged nonchalantly and answered, “Oh…okay. I am a little hungry. Not eating yesterday took its toll on me.” He sat up and began packing his stuff into the cabana boy bag. “Thank goodness the bracelets seem to be working, though. It would have been horrible if I’d been sick the entire time. Do you think I’ve worn them long enough to take them off now? It might have just been the alcohol. I hadn’t drunk that much in my entire life, much less in one sitting. What do you think? Would I still be sick?”
He was chatting nervously—one sentence right after another, like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown or really damned excited about something. I couldn’t tell which. When he started to put his cropped top back on, I stopped the movement by grabbing his arm. “No need to get dressed. We’ll be coming right back out in a few minutes.” I honestly felt myself blush. “Anyway, I enjoy seeing you show some skin…as long as I’m around to make sure others only look and don’t dare try to touch.”
He giggled like a schoolgirl. Yeah, he was nervous about something.
“Are you sure? What if people laugh at me? That would hurt my feelings.”
I gaped at him. “Why in the motherfucking hell would anybody laugh at you? You’re the hottest piece of ass on this entire cruise ship, angel. If I’m not careful, they’ll resort to a pack mentality and work together to toss me overboard just to get rid of me so they can have their way with you!”
He giggled again, but I noticed he tucked his folded clothes into his bag instead of putting them on. It was going to be a damned long elevator ride or walk back to our room.
“I hate to lose these chairs,” he said as he slid his feet into his flip flops. “They were in a perfect spot.” He looked around the deck, paused as he watched a few men playing in the pool, and then allowed his eyes to finish their sweep of the area around us.
Scantily clad men were everywhere—some wearing even less than Ari, but not looking nearly as fucking hot. Many kissed and clung to each other in a way that I knew so many of us weren’t comfortable doing out in public in regular settings. It was sad—straight people were blessed with the opportunity to show their affection and love for each other anywhere, but if we did…we were perverts or, at least, gawked at like we were some sort of exhibit. The safe setting on the cruise was refreshing.
“Don’t worry about the chairs, angel. I’ll make sure we get another perfect spot when we come back up on deck.” If I needed to, I’d toss somebody overboard to make Ari smile.
As we started walking, my eyes glued to his ass, he said, “I’m gonna be honest with you. I thought things might not be so…tame on this cruise.” He laughed and added, “I don’t know what I based that on, but in my head, things were pictured much differently.”
Laughing, I answered, “I’m pretty sure what you’re referring to is what happens up on the top deck—the clothes optional level.” I pointed to the top of deck of the cruise ship, where naked men were leaning over the railing, and said, “Maybe that’s what you had in mind?”
Ari stopped mid-stride, causing me to almost run smack into him, and gazed upward. His eyes were round as saucers and his mouth was gaped open in shock. A cute pink shade tinged his cheeks. “Oh…so that’s like the, uh, adult deck, huh?”
“I’m starting to get a bit jealous here, angel,” I said as I took my hand and guided his face away from the wanton display of cocks and asses. “I mean, if your eyes got any wider, they would fall out of the sockets and roll around on the deck, leaving me to have to retrieve them.” I gave his bubble ass a firm swat and said, “On top of that, we’re all adults here. The crowd on the upper deck just enjoys partying naked.” Hell, between the plumpness of his cheeks and the feel of the lace against my palm, my cock threatened to detonate.
He turned around and glared at me, more color exploding onto his cheeks. “Stop doing that! I already told you I’m not into that stuff like Seth and Baker,” he huffed.
With those words, he skewered a portion of my heart, but I forced myself to ignore it. For Ari, I’d give up anything. “It was just a birthday swat, birthday boy. You only have nineteen more to go before the day is up.” Anything. Anything for Arizona.
He stared at me for several long, uncomfortable seconds before asking, “So…you aren’t into the stuff that Seth and Baker are? Is that what you’re saying?”
I chose my words carefully—not intending to lie but knowing I was walking the edge. Sins of omission. He didn’t have to know everything about me. “I’m definitely not into the things that Seth and Baker do in their playroom, angel. Seth uses all sorts of instruments of torture on poor Baker. I’d never use anything like that on my lover.” There. A truth…of sorts.
“Good,” he answered immediately. “I know I wouldn’t get off on that.” With those words, he turned to start back toward the room but then paused again. “Hey, Eli—I wanna go on the upper deck before the cruise is over. Okay?”
Well, shit. Apparently, torturing me was Ari’s new favorite thing. “Of course, you do,” I answered as we made our way toward the elevator. Thank the Lord for small favors—I wouldn’t have to watch his ass flex as we climbed down the three floors to our cabin.
As soon as the elevator door slid open, Ari said, “Let’s just walk. I need the extra exercise after that huge breakfast.”
He tugged on my hand and I, of course, followed. He was stalling, but I couldn’t begin to guess why. Did he want me to come in my swimming trunks like a teenage boy?
Just as I’d known it would happen, my eyes kept straying toward the lace panel that put forth very little effort at covering his ass cheeks. Damn, he was gorgeous and perfect. An older couple that passed us on the stairs laughed as they noted my predicament…and where my eyes lingered.
“Oh, to be young again!” One man said to the other while he winked at me. “Good luck with that,” he said as he nodded toward Ari.
They kept walking so there was no reason for me to respond. Hell, I needed all the luck I could get my hands on. We were only on the second day of the cruise and I already suffered from the worst case of blue-balls in the history of mankind. Well, there might not be historical data to back that statement up, but I felt like it was nothing but the cold, lonely truth.
“Did you know them? What were they talking about? Why did they say that? Do I look too young? I don’t look too young, do I?”
He chattered nonstop. Yeah, he was definitely stalling…and incredibly nervous. Did the idea that I had to jerk off bother him so much? Did I frighten him? More importantly, was he afraid I might try to force myself on him? No, he had to know better than that. Hell, if I were that kind of person I would have gone ahead and taken advantage of the situation years ago.
I wasn’t that person, though. Not only did I know and understand how wrong that would have been in the eyes of the courts and public opinion, I’d loved Ari too much—still loved Ari.
By the time we reached our cabin, I was more nervous than he was, and my erection had all but disappeared. Looking at Ari was enjoyable but if I couldn’t do it without getting hard and then scaring him, then I’d have to have my fucking eyes glued shut for the remainder of the cruise.
Since I was busy reprimanding myself, I was thankful that Ari searched within his cabana boy bag to find his key to unlock our spacious suite. I’d been on several cruises before this, but I’d never splurged for the larger, more luxurious cabins like Ari had. As I stepped inside, I couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty and added comfort the extra money offered. While closing the door, I said, “I’m glad you splurged for the rich boy cabin, angel. It’s nice in h…”
I never got to finish my sentence. Ari’s lean body rammed into me, slamming me against the door, and his lips were on mine all before I could even register that he’d moved. Between wet, hungry kisses, he corrected, “Rich man, Eli—not boy.” Kiss. Nibble. Bite. “You need to get that shit out of your pretty little head really quick because you’re about to fuck me hard enough to really get this boat rocking!”
His hand reached down and gripped my cock and balls, probably a bit harder than one would normally find comfortable, but since it was Ari, I didn’t fucking care if he locked me in a vice. Blood surged back toward my cock, and all I could think about was that Ari, my angel, was touching me…kissing me…climbing me like I was the monkey bars at the playground.
His nervousness seemed to have disappeared and a hungry, wild man had taken up residence in his body. His free hand squeezed my ass a couple of times and then he was on his knees in front of me, pulling my trunks off. In shock, I looked down in time to see my cock, rock-hard again, pop free and bounce against his face. A drop of pre-cum smeared his chin.
“I’ve wanted you for so fucking long,” Ari said with a naughty grin as he looked up at me. “There’s absolutely no need for you to take care of this by yourself when I’m readily available to lend a helping hand.” As he spoke the words, his hands followed the action—cupping my balls and giving my cock a tight stroke. When he moved his head, like he was about to suck the head of my cock, I reached down and jerked him back into a standing position.
“Fuck, angel, where did that come from?” I asked as I held his squirming body. He was desperately trying to force me to let him back down on his knees. He’d acted innocent enough since my return, but obviously he enjoyed giving head…which fucked with my head. The very thoughts of Ari on his knees in front of another man, cum on his chin and a wicked gleam in his eye, caused my heart to deflate. No, it wasn’t fair to feel that way, but I couldn’t seem to stop the dark emotion from swirling around inside me.
Jealousy. She was an ugly bitch.
Ari on his knees for another man or allowing another man to fuck him was exactly why I’d left him years ago…but it didn’t mean I had to like it. Not. One. Damn. Bit.
