Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“You’re sure?” Calder asked, still sounding breathless from the kiss.
“Yes. I love the idea of you creating something just for me.”
Lucien closed his eyes, cuddled between the two men who made his life absolute heaven. This new business venture could bomb. It could turn out to be insanely successful. Either way, the only thing that mattered to him was that they created it together.
Calder
Calder straddled his surfboard, lazily bobbing in the ocean, watching the rise and fall of the waves as they rushed toward the shore. The sky was a clear blue overhead with not a cloud in sight. He felt a little guilty for being out there when his mates were on the beach under a large umbrella relaxing and munching on the snacks they’d brought along.
This outing had been his idea in the first place. Lucien’s new restaurant had been open for four months, and it had been a hell of a lot of work getting it up and running. He and Lucien had spent countless hours there, and then Gio would join them after he put in a long day of restoring antiques.
Of course, things didn’t slow down after they finally got the place open. There had been staffing issues, supply problems, and liquor license delays.
This Sunday was the first time the three of them had managed to take some time off to be together.
It had been tempting to stay in bed and enjoy each other—and that was definitely coming later—but Calder knew Lucien couldn’t stand to remain still for too long. A few hours out on Tybee Island before it was overrun with tourists seemed like a good idea.
Until Calder reached the beach and discovered that the waves were perfect for surfing. He’d brought his board along at Gio’s request, but he hadn’t planned on using it. His mates had urged him and the water was calling to him, begging him to play.
Just as he was planning to turn around and paddle back to the shore, the wave he’d been waiting for showed up. He’d ridden a few small ones, but good tall waves were harder to find on the East Coast. They were nothing like the joy he’d found surfing on the West Coast or in Hawaii.
Grinning to himself, he paddled into position, watching the wave growing, building in height. He gauged where it would break and grabbed it, popping up onto the board with a practiced ease. With feet spread, he directed the board into that perfect curl, gliding across the water. He hadn’t worn the crystal the goddesses had given him out of fear of losing it in the water, but he didn’t need it. He didn’t need to control or guide the water. When he was on his board, he was just part of the water and the wave, letting it guide him back toward the shore and his heart.
The ride lasted only a few seconds, but exhilaration pumped through his veins as he dropped into the water at the end of the ride with a laugh. He surfaced, grabbed his board, and started to swim the last few yards to the shore.
To his shock, both Gio and Lucien were on their feet at the water’s edge, cheering and waving in excitement. It stopped him short to be greeted with such a sight. He’d never dated anyone who supported him quite like that. There were friends he surfed with and who understood the excitement of finding that perfect wave after spending hours in the water.
But Lucien and Gio weren’t surfers. How were they not bored out of their minds from waiting for him?
When he stood up out of the water, board under his arm, Gio and Lucien ran out the last few feet, crashing into him.
“That was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like that!” Gio shouted, hugging him tight.
“Fucking awesome! I got the whole thing on video,” Lucien announced, holding his phone in front of Calder so he could see the replay of the video of himself surfing. He had looked pretty good.
“Can you teach me?” Gio asked.
Calder could only blink at him. “Really?”
“Of course! That seemed like a lot of fun. I want to give it a try.”
For a second, he was just speechless. “Um…yeah, sure. I’d love to teach you.” He started to take a step toward their umbrella and blanket, when Lucien placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
“You’re not going back out? You only caught a few waves.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m good. You two have got to be bored with watching me.” He tried to take another step, but this time Gio stopped him.
“We are not bored. We love watching you do something that’s so important to you.”
Calder melted right there in the sand. How could he not? His two mates were right there, urging him to surf and be happy. But as tempting as the crash of the waves were, it couldn’t compete with Lucien and Gio.