3
Dane
I’ve spent my entire life wondering what it would be like to have family. Well, now I know. I’m out here on a trip with my brother and sister. God, it feels weird to write that. Almost as weird as walking up to someone and seeing myself in their features. People take family resemblances for granted. It’s an awesome feeling to realize that I was never really alone in the world. -M
Followinga nap in what was undoubtedly one of the most comfortable hotel beds I’d ever slept in, I took my time preparing for dinner with James. Luckily he hadn’t been offended by my lack of formality, but I couldn’t bring myself to refer to him as my uncle, not when we’d only met a few hours ago.
Shortly after picking me up at the airport, he’d offered to take me to dinner this evening. I’d told him that wasn’t necessary, that I’d be happy with sandwiches in the hotel lobby, but he’d insisted he wanted to show me the town his family had called home almost as long as I’d been alive. I hadn’t asked what had prompted my grandparents to move states away while the egg donor was pregnant with me or how they could have abandoned their son and unborn grandchild. James had only been a teenager at the time, so I doubted he’d have any valuable information.
In time, I did plan to figure out a way to ask him why he’d suddenly reached out to his brother, who happened to be incarcerated. He knew where to find my dad, so he’d obviously heard about the case. Hell, everyone had heard about the case, it seemed. It would have been great if he or his parents had bothered to give a shit when everything was going down, not that I was bitter. Much.
Once the bathroom filled with steam, I stepped into the shower, impressed again. I considered myself to be a man of few needs, but I wished more hotels around the country were like this one. Whoever had spearheaded the ongoing renovations obviously knew how to keep guests returning year after year. Before long I’d be begging James to let me stay here forever because my place had nothing on this room overlooking the ocean.
I took extra care with my appearance, trimming my beard, combing some product through my hair. I lied to myself, saying it had nothing to do with the adorable front desk clerk who’d practically swallowed his tongue as he gave me the once-over. And he was most definitely checking me out. He’d be fun for a night or two, but I couldn’t do that. I wasn’t going to fuck and run on one of my uncle’s employees.
The alarm sounded on my phone at five fifty, signaling it was time to get to know my long-lost uncle. The lobby was empty when I approached. It was an eerie feeling, not seeing anyone in a place like this. I ignored the stab of disappointment when even the front desk was abandoned. I’d been hoping to see—
“Oh, hey.” I spun to see who belonged to the voice, smiling broadly when I noticed it was the clerk from earlier. Brock? Brooks? No, Brook. That’s what James had said this kid’s name was. “James called and said he’s running behind. If you’re hungry, he asked me to take you to Bomber’s and get some food in you.”
“I can wait,” I assured him. Brook’s gaze traveled the length of my body, a sultry smirk forming as our eyes met. Damn, this guy was gorgeous, even if he wasn’t my usual type. I wanted a man who felt substantial in my arms, someone I didn’t have to worry about breaking if I manhandled him a bit. I still wasn’t convinced he was legal, and I wasn’t into jailbait, so I bit back my suggestion as to how we could pass the time until James returned.
I wandered through the lobby, wondering what on earth had made James choose such dark colors. This was the beach, and while it might be cliché, whites and blues would have created far more ambiance than jewel tones better suited for a dimly lit cigar bar. I opened the french doors leading to a massive patio at the back of the building. When I closed my eyes, I could smell the salt in the air, hear every bird screeching, every wave rolling across the shore. I swayed gently, eyes still closed as I began to understand why Grady was such a fan of the beach.
“It’s a beautiful day.” My eyes shot open to find Brook standing less than a foot away from me, leaning against the rail. “This is my favorite time of year out here.”
“Why’s that?” I asked, mimicking his position.
Brook shrugged, his focus somewhere on the horizon. “A lot of the locals like spring because they can enjoy the water before the tourists descend, but to me, it’s about serenity. It’s cool enough to sit in the sand all day, watching the tide come in and go back out without burning to a crisp. After Memorial Day, I’ll start waking up early enough to get my run in before the first families start staking their territory for the day.”
“Not a fan of the crowds either?” I couldn’t imagine living in a place like this, so quiet part of the year, then exploding to life for a few months. New York was never quiet, but at least it was consistent. And as nice as the calm of the beach was, it was too quiet. Too slow-paced. From what I’d seen on our way into town, there wasn’t much to do here unless you were into watersports, and I wasn’t talking about the kinky kind.
“It’s not that so much as it’s hard to run along the beach when you’re not to trip over little kids playing in the sand, or worse, fall into a hole one of them dug and abandoned.” Brook winced, as if remembering a particularly painful incident.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but is it really a great place to live for a guy like you?” Shit, there was no other way to take that than offensive.
“What, you mean someone short and cute?” Brook smiled, causing his already high cheekbones to lift even higher. I had friends—acquaintances—in New York who’d kill to get their hands on that face. His eyes sparkled with pending mischief, his jaw soft without being feminine. He was dressed more casually than earlier, and the tank top beneath his open short-sleeved button-down drew my attention straight to his collarbones. Simply put, the guy was a walking wet dream. And still, quite possibly too young for me to even be thinking about.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I meant.” I laughed, bumping my arm against his shoulder.
“Oh, so you must mean the flaming gay thing.”
I coughed, taken by surprise by his deadpan delivery.
He shrugged again, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t lick my lips as I stared at the exposed skin at the base of his neck. He cleared his throat, warning me that I’d been caught. “It may not be the greatest place, but it’s not the worst either. Beach life is its own breed. People out here are laid-back for the most part, don’t give a damn what you do or who you do it with as long as everything’s legal.”
“But what do you do for fun? Where do you go when you want to get laid? It seems like the type of place where everyone knows everyone’s business.” I needed to shut the hell up before Brook told me to fuck myself. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me.”
“Depends on why you were asking.”
“Knowledge is power,” I said, trying to keep the conversation from turning awkward. “If I’m going to be here for a while, it’d be cool to know where to go and where to avoid.”
Brook grinned, squeezing my biceps. He didn’t let go, but I was totally fine with his hand resting on my arm. “Don’t you worry, honey, I’ll show you all the hot spots. And after next weekend, the pickings will be ripe. All that tourist flesh looking for a quick release.”
Those words sounded wrong coming from such a sweet looking guy. Maybe he was a freak in the sheets, but it seemed more likely he was turning up the camp just for me. I didn’t want him thinking he needed to play a role. If I was stuck here for the next couple weeks and would likely be coming back to see my dad from time to time, I wanted to get to know the real Brook.
Okay, I had to know. “Are you even legal?”
Brook grunted in disgust, reaching into his back pocket. Rather than simply telling me his age, he handed me his driver’s license. It took a minute to find the birthdate, and when I did, I gaped, thinking this had to be a fake.
