“I’ve been really selfish,” I say, placing a hand on the sand behind me and turning my body to face Darius. He mirrors my position, which brings our faces closer. My eyes dart to his lips and I pull back slightly, shaking off the urge to kiss him.
“In what way?”
“You’ve given me so much and I haven’t hesitated to lean on you, yet I’ve given you nothing in return.”
Darius shifts, changing his position so he’s directly in front of me, on his knees. “Firstly, friendships,relationshipsof any kind, are not a balanced scale. You needed more from me now because of what was going on in your life. It won’t always be that way. Secondly, you’ve given me more than you realise.”
“That’s not true.” I shake my head, blond curls flopping in front of my face. I brush them away when I look at him again.
“My dad is rich, Ollie. Like super fucking rich. I have wanted for nothing material my entire life. But you know what I always wanted? More of his time. Attention. Someone to want to be with me without their mind elsewhere.Yougive me that. Hours sat on my sofa watching television, quiet dinners, phone calls. The drive down here. You gave me all your attention.”
For all the confidence and calmness he exudes, there’s a sadness in his voice when he talks about the one thing he’s always wanted. From what I’ve learned about his dad, the man loves Darius, but his business is every bit his child, too.
“That’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done, D. You can have it all.”
All of me. Everything.
He smiles. “See? You’re not selfish, puppy.”
That makes me laugh and I feel a weight lift. I said goodbye to my old life, and I’m staring at my new one. All five foot seven of him. With windswept blond hair and dimples to make a man weak.
I didn’t feel a sense of closure looking at my father’s casket, but perhaps this entire trip was my closure, and even if the ghosts of my past always haunt me, it’s time to start living again.
“Swim with me?” I stand, brushing my hands on my trousers before holding out a hand for Darius. He doesn’t take it. Instead, he springs to his feet, rips his camisole over his head and then starts undoing his trousers.
“Last one in is the loser,” he jokes, already working the fabric down over his feet, andfuck me, there is no chance I can beat him, because not only do I get a glimpse of the sunflower tattoo beneath his ribs, but under his trousers he’s wearing a pair of baby blue lace shorts. I am frozen. Utterly fucking mesmerised.
I got a peek of his lace underwear that night in his apartment when he’d rolled to the floor, but I hadn’t seen more than thehem. And as I stand, blatantly staring at him, I decide that lace is my weakness. Or more accurately,Dariusin lace is my weakness.
With a shit-eating grin on his face, he steps forward and taps me on the cheek.
“Try not to take losing too hard, okay?” And then he’s off, his feet kicking up sand as he runs towards the waves. I finally work my trousers off, throwing them aside and then covering the distance between us as fast as I can, catching up to Darius as he jumps over the first wave, shrieking when the icy water hits him.
He slows down, his earlier eagerness waylaid by the temperature of the water, and I use it to my advantage, running ahead of him until the gentle swell is lapping at my chest.
“Too cold for you, angel?” I taunt, dipping my hands beneath the water and splashing lightly in front of me. His eyes track the movement and he shakes his head.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I splash a little harder, droplets hitting his chest.
“Wouldn’t I?”
“Oliver.” He takes a step back.
“Darius.” I splash even harder, while moving closer to him.
He smiles, but he’s shaking his head. “Don’t you fucking –” he doesn’t get the rest of the sentence out before I’m darting forward, tackling him around the waist and throwing us both beneath the surf.
We both break the surface of the water, catching our breaths. Darius shakes the hair out of his eyes, a huge smile taking over his whole face. “Asshole,” he laughs, splashing water at me before he turns and legs it in the opposite direction. I give chase, using my arms to propel me through the water. Then I dive beneath, grab his legs and pull him under.
When he comes up, he’s laughing so hard he can barely breathe. He holds up a hand in surrender, tricking me to lowermy guard as he darts forward. I catch him, my arms wrapping around his back as his legs encase my hips and his hands land on my shoulders.
Time pauses. The only movement the swell of the sea.
“Hi,” he whispers, his chest heaving as he catches his breath. A strand of hair has fallen in front of his eye, and I unclasp my hands to push it aside.
“Hi.” My voice is husky and the adrenaline from our play fighting and his almost naked proximity to me is making my pulse race. My cock is half hard in my black boxers, but when Darius moves and the lace of his shorts rubs against me, an obvious bulge within, my arousal grows. My desire for him at an insurmountable level.
