Friends and Lovers (18 page)

“You don’t have a problem with your students, do you?”

“No, but my students aren’t as important as my lover’s children.”

Jack was tempted to kiss Tom right there in the gift shop. “What did you want to get for Teddy?” he asked instead.

“I thought maybe… this?”

‘This’ was a pewter statue of a pod of sleek dolphins cavorting through the waves.

“Perfect.”

“Okay. Then that’s settled.” Tom fished through the pockets of the shorts he wore, searching for his wallet. He went to the cashier and paid for the penguins and the dolphins.

“I liked the look of the shop next door.” It was called ‘
P Cubed
’ and sold paintings, prints, and posters. “I want to see if they have something for Mom.”

“Yeah. I’ll get her something too.” He followed Tom into the shop.

“Oh, this is nice!”

Hanging on the wall was a Thomas Kinkade painting of a cottage tucked away in a secluded cove, sunset bathing the entire scene – the slate roof and its many chimneys, smoke drifting from them serenely, the roses that grew up the winding walk to the Dutch door, the waves that broke over the rocks scattered on its shore – with its muted light.

“Mom would love this!” Tom’s eyes widened when he saw the price tag.

The salesgirl smiled at him. “That price includes the frame and shipping within the contiguous states.”

Tom looked torn.

“Y’know, I don’t know what to get for Miz Honey. Would you mind if I went in on this with you, buddy?”

Tom blew out a breath. “That would be great!”

The transaction was completed, and the print was taken down off the wall. Tom was given a tracking number and an approximate date for its arrival in Savannah early the following week.

“Ready to go?”

“You bet.”

Before he got on the scooter, Tom squeezed Jack’s shoulder, then ran his palm up and down Jack’s bicep. Jack liked the feeling.

“Thanks, Jack.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d let me chip in.”

“I’m not proud. My Mom is worth it, but I’d have been eating Hamburger Helper for a couple of months if you hadn’t.”

“My pleasure, buddy. She is worth it.” Even more than his own mother, who couldn’t seem to find the time to spend with Teddy and Cath, although she didn’t have that problem with his sister’s kids.

“Well, if we’re done buying out the town, what do you say we go back to the Inn?”

“Good idea. Just don’t go too fast. I’ve got to balance on the back of the scooter and hold onto all the bags.”

“Let’s see if we can consolidate them.” Tom waggled his eyebrows at him. “I’d like you to have at least one free hand to hold onto me.”

Back at Clinch House Inn once again, they went up to their room. Jack set the bags aside.

Absently humming a Beach Boys tune, Tom opened the French doors that opened onto the balcony – every room on this floor had a balcony that looked out onto the beach and the ocean beyond, and went out and leaned against the railing.

“What do you say we hit the beach for a little while, babe?”

Jack couldn’t take his eyes off the way Tom’s shorts clung to the curves of his ass. He’d been semi-hard all afternoon, and now he stripped off his own shorts, rolled on a condom and slicked it with lube, and stepped out onto the balcony, reaching around to undo Tom’s shorts.

“What… Jack, what are you doing?”

“Can’t help it, babe. I have to have you,” he whispered, feeling his lover shiver from Jack’s breath in his ear. “No one can see, this part of the beach is deserted right now. And if anyone comes by and looks this way, they’ll just think we’re watching the waves.”

“With you standing behind me? Don’t most guys stand shoulder to shoulder?” But Tom wasn’t really protesting. He had a streak of exhibitionism in him. Jack knew – although Tom didn’t know he knew – that he had once fucked a conquest over a pool table in a crowded bar.

Jack pushed shorts and boxers out of the way and slid two coated fingers into Tom’s ass, preparing him. Then he lined up his cock and eased into him. His other hand gripped Tom’s cock and jerked him off in rhythm to his thrusts.

“Jesus, Jack!” Tom groaned. He braced his hands on the railing and bucked back against him.

Jack loved the sounds Tom made when he was buried balls-deep inside him. “Sexiest thing on… on two legs.”

He made it last as long as he could, then came with a growl, biting down on Tom’s neck.

“Jack!” Tom hadn’t come yet.

Jack pulled out of Tom carefully and tied off the condom before it could spill its contents.

“Jack!”

“Easy, babe.” He turned Tom around and dropped to his knees before him, taking his cock in his mouth. He loved Tom’s scent, musky and masculine, and his taste – slightly bitter, slightly salty. He could never leave this and go back to women.

He slid a finger into Tom’s ass, found his prostate, and completed the task of bringing his lover to orgasm.

Hopefully, by the end of this weekend, Tom would know it too.

“Jesus!” Tom’s legs were trembling. He slid down to the cool tile beside Jack, letting the railing support his weight, and panted heavily. “Jack, that was…”

Jack leaned in and kissed him, sharing Tom’s taste with him. “Pretty good?”

“That was better than pretty good!”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They stayed like that for a while.

“Beach, buddy?” Jack asked against his throat.

Tom’s eyes were sleepy, but he smiled. “Sure.”

After a shower, they pulled on swimsuits.

Jack’s suit was just an ordinary pair of trunks his kids had given him for his birthday, but Tom’s was a gift from him. Modeled after rugby shorts, it was a forest green with contrasting yellow side panels. Laces the same yellow secured the fly front.

Tom bent to line up his sandals before he stepped into them, and Jack hung back a bit and admired the way the suit fit him. Damn, he had good taste, both in swimsuits and in lovers.

“Jack?” Tom glanced over his shoulder and saw Jack’s eyes on his ass. He flushed.

Jack grinned at him and winked. “Don’t forget the sunscreen. I don’t want you to burn.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“That’s my job. Towels?”

“No, they’ll be supplied on the beach.”

“Let’s go.” He caught Tom’s hand and tugged him along.

“Hold on a sec! The keycard!”

“This is almost as complicated as taking the kids to the beach when they were little!”

“Very funny. Move, you.”

A door at the end of the hall opened to a staircase that ran down the outside of the Inn. Jack went down first, and when he got to the bottom, he jumped at the feel of Tom’s hand ghosting over his ass. He laughed a little, feeling good when Tom joined in, and they walked toward the white sandy beach.

One of the hotel employees – Sean according to the nametag clipped to his left nipple – sat by a cart that held beach towels. He had his feet up on the edge of the cart, giving anyone who cared to look a nice view up his shorts. He raised his eyes from the book he was reading and smiled at Jack, but his eyes seemed to linger on Tom.

“Help yourself to… a towel.” Was he suggesting something more? Jack frowned at him, but he was too busy watching Tom to notice.

Jack was really tempted to kick out the legs of his chair from under him, but he reminded himself he’d been raised Christian. He settled for imagining how idiotic Sean would look dumped on his ass.

On second thought, he’d probably enjoy it. Jack snorted and turned away.

A volley ball game was going on, the participants dressed in shorts and tank tops. A couple of young men wearing swim thongs – the front pouches unlined, Jack couldn’t help noticing – tossed a Frisbee back and forth.

All eyes were drawn toward his lover. The volley ball went out of bounds. An innocent bystander was hit in the head by the Frisbee.

“I don’t like all these guys gawking at you,” Jack groused.

“Who?”

“These… these…”

“Gym bunnies?” Tom had told him about ‘gym bunnies’ – guys with lots of muscles and bubble butts so firm a quarter could be bounced off them. “They’re just looking. You can’t tell me it doesn’t give you a charge knowing that you’re the one I’m with now.”

“Well… Yeah. But…”

“You know I don’t play with them any more, Jack.”

“Yeah, I know…” But Tom had taken so many of them to his bed. Jack scowled. He didn’t like feeling jealous.

“Jack. You’re drawing as many looks as I am…”

He was?

“… and I like it that they can look but not touch.”

Jack hunched a shoulder and turned to stare out at the ocean. By the occasional flash of pale flesh, Jack could tell that some of the swimmers were taking advantage of the clothing optional option.

“I couldn’t do that.” He nodded toward them, hoping Tom would allow the change of topic.

“You say that now...” He did. “… but if you had a pool in your backyard…”

“Hmmm… Y’know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Jack, your house doesn’t have a big enough backyard to put in a pool.”

“And lots of bushes for privacy…” If he bought a house on a piece of property that was big enough, maybe he could talk Tom into moving in with him. They could go skinny dipping in their own yard; they could make love there… He grinned. “Come on. Help me move these together.”

They put two of the wooden chaises that the Inn provided next to each other and draped their towels over them.

“Ready to go for a swim, buddy?”

“I think I’ll skip it this time.” Tom yawned and lay down on the chaise. “You’ve worn me out.”

“That’s not true. But I do like hearing you say that. You sure you don’t want to join me?”

“I’ll take a rain check, okay, buddy?”

“Okay. Let me put some sunscreen on you. The last thing I want is for you to get a bad burn.”

“That’s the last thing I want either.” Tom’s skin was so fair that until he built up a decent base tan, he could get second degree burns.

Jack squirted the lotion into his palm, then began smoothing it over Tom’s chest, shoulders, and arms. He couldn’t help noticing that he was being watched, and with some degree of envy.

He would even have sworn he heard a slight moan when he started working on Tom’s thighs.

“There. All done.” He patted his lover’s thigh. “I’ll just take a quick dip and be right back.”

Tom opened an eye and smiled up at him. “I’ll be right here when you get back, buddy.”

Jack strolled down to the water’s edge, feeling as if Tom were watching his ass. He glanced back, and sure enough, Tom was leaning up on an elbow. He gave Tom a wave, then frowned when he saw the Frisbee hit the side of the chaise and land in the sand next to Tom’s hip.

One of the young men approached to retrieve it. Instead of returning to his partner, he stood speaking to Tom.

Jack wasn’t close enough to hear what he was saying, but he was close enough to see that this guy was young, buff and blond – bleached? he wondered snidely – with firm muscles and a smooth, hairless chest – exactly the sort Tom had once made a steady diet of. He had no doubt that if Tom raised even his little finger, this… this Frisbee tosser would be on his hands and knees so fast…

Jack chewed on his lower lip. Should he return? As if feeling his glare, the guy cast an uncertain glance in his direction, then stooped and picked up the disk. Tom lay back down, the gym bunny apparently completely forgotten, and after a second’s hesitation, the guy walked back to his friend, his bubble butt framed by his thong, which was the vivid color of… baby poop.

Jack snickered to himself and decided to forget about him too.

He turned and walked into the water. It was just cool enough to be refreshing. He dove over an incoming wave and began to swim with strong, steady strokes out past the breakers.

At fifty yards or so from the beach, he paused to get his bearings. He tossed his head to get the hair out of his eyes and treaded water, and looked back at the shore – just to see how far he had come.

The freaking guy was standing by his lover again. Tom was shielding his eyes and gazing up at him, laughing at something the little twerp said.

Jack didn’t precisely see red, but…

Hell, who was he trying to kid? He saw red.

He struck out for the shore. Stiff-legged, he walked up the white sandy beach and dropped down on the chaise beside his lover. “I’ve had enough swimming for now. I’m going to work on my tan.”

“Okay, Jack. Want me to put some sunscreen on for you?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Okay.” Tom settled himself on his back, but Limpdick didn’t take the hint and leave.

Instead, he cleared his throat. “I really am sorry about the Frisbee almost hitting you. It was careless of … me… to let it go out of control like that.”

“Not a problem.” Tom didn’t open his eyes, so he didn’t see the hungry way this… this bottom boy was staring at his body.