Beyond the Sea (26 page)

“
Eh, it’s okay. Serviceable. Ty’s voice is way better.”

Brian glared. “Would you stop putting yourself down? Sing another one. Please?”

Troy nodded, the tightness in his chest loosening with each verse. By the third song, he’d opened his eyes. He watched the fire, and could see Brian from the corner of his eye, listening intently. Troy’s voice was warming up and smoothing out, and joy bubbled through him. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed it.

Brian applauded at the end of each song and told him how good he was. Even if Brian was only being polite, Troy flushed warm all over. It wasn’t thousands of screaming fans, but in a weird way, it was so much better.

He cast about for another song, thinking back to the charity album Next Up had performed on a couple years before. “My Mom loves this one. It’s really old, but it’s a classic.”

“
I’m all ears.” Brian smiled softly.

The older versions of “Beyond the Sea” were pretty swingy, but Next Up had gone against type and done a slower, pared-down version with only a few instruments. It was romantic and bittersweet, and Troy had loved recording it. He took another swig of water before starting in, keeping his voice low and wistful, a change of pace from the peppier songs.

Flames danced before him as he sang of golden sands and kissing a lost lover past the moon and stars. He spotted movement as Brian sat up, but kept his focus on the lyrics. When he finished the final words, fading out on the last notes, he waited. But there was no applause this time.

Shit. That must have sucked.

With a dismissive laugh, he turned to Brian. “I know, that was totally lame. I should stick with our pop stuff and leave the classics alone, right?”

Sitting on his blanket, Brian stared at him, the firelight painting his face yellow and orange in the darkness. His lips were parted, and his chest rose and fell faster than usual. Troy frowned. “You okay?”

Brian didn’t answer. He shifted closer and went up on his knees, and Troy watched as he reached out a hand. That hand slid against Troy’s cheek, Brian’s palm hot against his skin. Blood thundered in Troy’s ears as Brian’s gaze flicked down to his mouth and back to his eyes. Pulse galloping, Troy didn’t move—didn’t breathe.

Not even as Brian lowered his head and touched their lips together.

As Brian
kissed him
.

Their mouths met, and Brian touched Troy’s ear where he held his face. Troy’s lungs screamed, his heart beating too hard. They were both frozen, shmushed together, lips pressing.
Kissing. They were kissing.

Troy’s nostrils flared and he pulled back, opening his mouth to suck in a breath. He tingled all over, birds flapping at his ribcage as he met Brian’s wide eyes. Brian still held Troy’s cheek, gently stroking with his thumb.

“
I don’t… I’m sorry,” Brian croaked. But he didn’t let go.

What are we doing? We can’t do this!

Another voice rose from a whisper to a shout that filled Troy’s mind:
Why not? Want this.

Breathing shallowly, he closed the few inches between their mouths to lick across Brian’s lower lip.

If they had been frozen into timid stone before, now they shattered and broke free, tongues meeting. In a frantic haze, they clutched at each other, kissing and groaning. Troy’s head whirled, desire burning through him as blood rushed to his dick. He tugged, and Brian pushed him back onto the blanket, sand flying.

A moan tore from Troy’s throat, and this time he didn’t try to muffle it. Brian was heavy on top of him, his chest hair rubbing roughly against Troy’s nipples, and it was
so fucking good
.

He gripped Brian to him, torn between the feel of Brian’s chest against his own and wanting to explore it with his hands and mouth. Troy spread his legs, and the way their hips fit felt completely natural.

Completely right.

Rutting together, their teeth bashed as they tried to kiss, licking into each other’s mouths desperately, stubble rasping. They tore at their shorts, but couldn’t seem to stop touching long enough to get them off. Troy was so turned on he knew he’d blow his load soon, and he didn’t care as long as he could kiss and taste and run his hands over Brian’s skin.

Jerking his hips up, he shoved his hands under Brian’s boxers and gripped his ass, urging him on. Grunting, Brian fucked against him, his hot breath on Troy’s face as their kisses got even messier.

Their cocks were out of their shorts, straining and leaking, and the sensation of Brian’s dick rubbing against his was the hottest thing Troy had ever experienced.

He’d never needed to come so badly in his life. There was a seashell jammed into his back beneath the blanket, but all that mattered was Brian kissing him and covering him with his weight.

“
Brian,” he mumbled, digging his fingers into Brian’s ass and thrusting up harder.

Gasping, Brian’s head shot back, the long line of his neck exposed as he came hot and sticky on Troy’s belly. Troy watched, and as he thought about what it would be like to come on Brian’s chest, he shuddered with his orgasm, a fiery rush that left him panting and shivery, limbs like jelly.

Brian opened his eyes, and they stared, sticky and slick, glued together from hips to rising and falling chests.

Oh fuck. What did we just do?

Troy knew he should have been horrified. He was supposed to be…wasn’t he? His throat was like sandpaper, and he swallowed thickly, trying to think of a single thing to say other than
stay
and
please.

His mouth open, breath coming hard, Brian pushed up to his knees, and Troy whimpered at the loss of contact. He snatched his hands off Brian’s ass, waiting for Brian to leap up and leave.

But a moment later, Brian stretched over him again, pulling the other sandy blanket high around them. It blocked the fire’s glow, and in the secret shadows, their lips met once more.

There was sand in his ear.

Blinking into the first rays of morning, Brian stuck in his pinkie to dislodge what he could. He was flat on his back, the sky a pale, watery blue that would deepen as the sun continued its journey. Or the Earth, he supposed. Either way, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen.

Another day in paradise.

He forced his lungs to expand and turned his head to the right. Troy had spooned him for part of the night, and then they’d separated in sleep, and Troy was on his side facing away. Freckles danced across his shoulder blades, and Brian fisted his hand to keep from reaching out.

The blanket that was tangled around Brian’s thighs had slipped down to Troy’s waist. Brian assumed Troy’s cock was hanging out of his shorts the way his was. He
knew
Troy was also sticky with dried semen.

This was the second night in a row they’d ended up sleeping by the fire and not in their teepee. Insect bites itched near his ankles, and he scratched at a series of red bumps on his arm. And shit, it hadn’t rained. A pulse of fear stuttered his heart. They’d have to boil the brackish, muddy stream water from the jungle.
We have purification tablets. It’s okay.
But what if the rain stayed away for days? Weeks?

Stomach churning, Brian banished the worry. They’d deal with it. Because right now, he had enough on his plate. Because this morning, instead of waking puffy and drained from sobbing his guts out, he was boneless from…

Possibly the greatest sex of my life.

It had been the most intense, that was for sure. Thinking about it sent a shiver of heat through him, his balls tingling, cock stirring. Maybe he was going crazy from being stuck on the island, but if he was being honest… Hell, he’d never wanted anyone so badly. Or maybe he had, and he just couldn’t recall the bone-deep desperation?

He pondered it. He and Alicia had had some good sex in their years together, and it was nice with Rebecca and others. Satisfying. He’d never had cause to complain.

But he’d never known it could be like this. He’d never wanted to crawl into someone else’s skin.

Because we’re stuck here together without women. We’re horny. Troy could have been anyone.

The lie had barely flitted through his brain when acid flooded his gut. No, the last person Troy could be was
anyone
.

Listening to him sing had been fun at first. But then when he’d done the old song in that clear, rounded voice, sitting in the firelight with the stars looking close enough to touch…

Maybe it was bizarre to think of another guy as beautiful, but Brian had filled with awe and wanting. Wanting that had demanded action, pushing and prodding with hot fingers until he moved. The urge to kiss Troy had been overpowering. The urge to touch—
really
touch him, not just a perfunctory hand job that wasn’t supposed to mean anything.

Looking at Troy’s back now, Brian wanted to spoon up behind him and kiss the freckles dotting his shoulders. Wanted to nuzzle against his neck and…

Squeezing his eyes shut against the wave of desire, Brian exhaled shakily. Troy was his friend. Hell, here he was the only other person in the world. Of course Brian felt affection for him, and gratitude. Troy was a great guy. Their friendship and horniness were getting confused. It was probably normal.

“
So…”

Brian jumped a little as Troy spoke. Watching Troy’s back, he held his breath.

“
Is this the part where everything’s weird and awkward and we pretend nothing happened?” His voice was a little hoarse, and Brian flushed, thinking of how Troy had cried out so loudly while they’d gotten off. Brian wanted to hear that sound again.

Heart thumping, Brian shook his head, then realized Troy couldn’t see him. He cleared his throat. “No.”

Troy rolled onto his back. They were an inch apart, and Brian could feel the heat of Troy’s body, but he stayed motionless. Troy met his gaze. “We’re not going to avoid each other?”

“
Kind of hard here on… We really need to name this island.”

Troy’s lips twitched. “We do.” He faced the brightening sky, the rays of the rising sun through the trees giving his tanned skin a pink glow. “Hmm. I guess Gilligan’s Island doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. And there’s no giant gorilla, so Skull Island is out.”

“
Fantasy Island could work. We might see ‘da plane, da plane’ if we’re lucky.” At the furrow in Troy’s brow, he added, “Never mind—you’re too young for that reference. I practically am too, but it was my Gran’s favorite. Along with
The Love Boat.
One of the first things I remember is wanting to go on a cruise.”

“
A plane or a boat would do right now. Hmm. How about Isla Nublar?”

“
Because we need a T. rex to come crashing out of the jungle? Pass.”

“
Good point. And anything related to Dr. Moreau is obviously out.”

The line from “Beyond the Sea” popped into Brian’s mind. “Golden Sands.”

Troy’s chocolate eyes met his, and he smiled tentatively. Humming the song softly and horribly off-key, Brian mustered up the courage to roll onto his side, pressing against him. He flattened his hand over Troy’s trembling belly and bumped their noses together. Troy sighed into his kiss, and they explored each other’s mouths, their stubble scraping roughly.

Brian didn’t care that they had morning breath, or that this was undeniably
gay
. He wanted to touch Troy all over and drink him in. Wanted to get lost in him. Wanted…everything.

Breathing hard, he pulled back. Troy’s eyes were glazed, and Brian’s dick lengthened against Troy’s hip. “Have you ever done this before?” Brian asked. “With a guy?” He quickly added, “I don’t care if you have. It doesn’t matter to me. But I’ve never done this before.”

Troy shook his head. “Me either. Not since I was a kid, just fooling around. All the guys did it. Circle jerks and that stuff. It wasn’t real. Not like this.” With a shaky breath, he ran his hand over Brian’s chest, teasing his hair and nipples. “I like this,” he whispered. “Like it with you.”

“
Me too. Even if I don’t know what I’m doing.” A laugh tripped out in a nervous tumble.

Troy’s smile was sweet. “Me either. Guess it’s all pretty much the same when you get down to it.”

He supposed it was. Brian stroked his thumb over the cleft in Troy’s chin. Then he bent and pressed a kiss to it, caressing Troy’s belly with his other hand, earning a shudder. A little voice still shouted that they shouldn’t be doing this, but Brian focused on the salt-sweat taste of Troy’s skin, and how his nipples hardened when sucked.

Troy’s sparse chest hair tickled his nose, and it was different from being with a woman, but…he liked it. And he
loved
how Troy tightened his fingers in Brian’s hair and moaned loudly. It was the best sound on the island—no wait, on Golden Sands.

Brian licked and teased as Troy called out, and then they were kissing again and tugging at their shorts, stopping long enough to toss them aside and kick the blanket free, not caring that sand was creeping everywhere. Brian narrowly avoided hitting the smoldering fire with his boxers, and they laughed and yanked the cotton back to safety.