“I promise you’ll love the water as soon as you know how to swim in it.”
As I say this, Nacho flips to his back and floats by with a serene expression.
Pointing at his friend, Ant asks, “Can I just do that?”
“Of course. You’ll start off by learning how to float, but swimming isn’t much more difficult. Promise.”
Ant bites his lower lip, then nods, some of his bravery returning.
“What I’m going to do is turn you on your back and support you in the water. Sound good?”
He takes a deep breath and nods. “Yes.”
Moving slowly, aware of Levy’s eyes on me, I gently flip Ant face up. He immediately flails, his eyes wild as he grabs my arm, practically cutting off the circulation.
Levy steps in, cradling the back of Ant’s head in his hand. Ant darts a look up at Levy, who smiles reassuringly.
“Your uncle is not going to let you drown, buddy.”
Ant scrunches his nose, but the tension lessens in his grip. Carefully, I lower him a bit more into the water, biting back tears as his narrow chest rises and lowers rapidly. He squeezes my arm again until finally,finally…he gets it.
“See, sobrino. Floating is just letting the water hold you.”
The wrinkle between his brows gives way to uncertainty, then joy. It fills my chest with such emotion that I can’t hold back the tears.
“Are you crying?” he jokes, splashing me as he wobbles, then stands.
“Yes.So?”
“I don’t know what the big deal is,” he says, wiping beads of water off his narrow shoulders. “Floating is super easy.”
Nacho snorts in the background, and Ant shoots him the finger, which makes everyone laugh.
Laughing along, he wraps himself around my side. “Thank you for showing me how to float.”
I exchange a look with Levy and Bram, who both have their hands to their hearts. Being saved from human traffickers is a big thing. Huge. But they know these small victories move the needle from surviving toliving. Thriving while surrounded by people who love him dearly.
Clearing my throat, I hug him back. “We’ve got to get back to the deck, but I’ll show you how to swim soon, okay?”
He nods, and we all rise out of the water. Levy is truly adorable with his boxers spackled to his body. I hate that he’s so self-conscious, so I hang back as the others make their way to the house.
Putting my hand on his back, I lean in and whisper, “You are the sexiest guy out here.”
He snorts in disbelief and pushes me away, but I don’t let him. Stepping closer, I wrap my arms around him, gripping his wet hips as I nose the reddened edge of his ear.
“I’m not lying. The things I want to do to you are obscene. Illegal in two dozen countries.”
Levy shivers as I let him go but doesn’t throw the rules in my face. I’ll take it as progress.
We all put our shorts back on and get to most of the deck in the back. It’s a simple setup, but the combination of the teakwood deck, shiny stainless-steel Airstream, and heavily wooded surroundings lends a mystical quality to the space.
I’d love to christen these decks properly, but I promised Ant I’d join him for dinner at a friend’s house later tonight. I need to wash up and nap before then, so fucking Levy on this beautiful deck and then holding him in my arms while we sleep under the stars will have to wait for later.
I laugh, realizing how much I’ve played myself.Let him come to you.Right. I didn’t just imagine fucking him. I imagined holding him.
Snuggling, for fuck’s sake.
Again.
