Unfamiliar Waters Page 5

  “You’re—” Garrett was at a loss for words, though they weren’t his forte anyway, especially when it came to expressing his feelings. “A live wire….”

  “Is that good?” Nigel shifted slowly, putting himself back into his pants.

  “Yeah. It’s good. Sexy and exciting.” Garrett smiled.

  “Am I like the other man?”

  “You mean David? No. You’re very different from him.” He sighed. “You don’t have to compete with him or anyone.”

  Nigel put his hands on his hips, a glare shining in his eyes. “Right. There are three of us here right now: you, me, and him. I know he’s here, because he came with you. He’s in your mind no matter what. That isn’t necessarily bad, but he’s gone.”

  Garrett stifled a growl. “David was the other half of me. I’m just supposed to let him go and not think of him anymore? My mother keeps telling me that it’s time to move on. One of the other officers even offered to set me up on a date.” He clenched his fists and looked back toward the rockfall. Maybe it was time for him to go back to the boat and…. “Shit,” he whispered under his breath. Garrett had never run away from a fight or a challenge in his life, and a twenty-two-year-old kid with eyes as beautiful as the sea, hair the color of gold, and everything any gay man on the planet would want, had him running scared. He made Garrett uncomfortable and got him thinking that maybe it really was time for him to get on with his life.

  “You’re supposed to think of him, but not live for him.” Nigel turned toward the fire. “That’s what Aunt Phyllis told me after the funeral. It was okay for us to remember and love our mom and dad, but we had to go ahead and learn to live without them. She said that was part of why she was going to bring us here.”

  Garrett clamped his eyes closed and tried to tamp down the flips in his belly, but they didn’t settle, so he opened his eyes. Nigel sat nearby on the sand, watching the flames, the light glowing in his hair like a halo. Garrett had to remind himself that this wasn’t the city and that not everyone had some ulterior motive for everything they did. Nigel seemed to be honest about what he wanted from Garrett.

  “I think that’s good advice,” Garrett said softly as some of the tension flowed out of him and his belly finally stopped roiling. “I’ll try.”

  Nigel jumped to his feet. “I’ll be right back.” He hurried out of the cave, out of sight, and returned in just a few minutes carrying something wrapped in a green plastic tarp. “I told Aunt Phyllis and Fairfield that I was going camping tonight. Jules is doing the same, but out near the turtle eggs so he can watch them. He won’t get too close, but he wants to make sure they’re okay.” Nigel set down the bundle and unwrapped the plastic, folding it and placing it off to the side. It held a white canvas bag that he set down, opened, and pulled out an old blanket with a tear in one corner. He spread it on the sand and then got a second one. This was nicer and in one piece. He put that over the other blanket before setting the mostly empty bag on top of the tarp. “There’s some rope in there that I can use to string up the tarp if I need to, but we don’t need that tonight.”

  “Camping?” Garrett asked.

  “Sure. I love to camp out. It drives Fairfield a little crazy, but he’s gotten used to it, and as long as we promise not to go in the water, he’s okay with it.” Nigel sat down on the blanket, slipped off his shoes, and wiped the sand off his feet before putting them on the fabric. “It isn’t like either of us can actually go very far. The island is only so big. But after Jules nearly drowned, he took away my canoe and he and Aunt Phyllis made new rules about going in the water.” He held out his hand, and Garrett got to his feet, brushing himself off, and took the same precautions before sitting on the blanket. Nigel scooched next to him and put another piece of wood on the fire. He still had a pile of it.

  “Do we have to keep the fire burning all night?”

  “No. There is nothing that will bother us. You might wake up with a lizard hanging around, but they scamper away as soon as you move.” Nigel took off his shirt and lay down. Garrett did the same, and Nigel slid right up behind him, arm slipping around Garrett’s waist. It wasn’t until then that Garrett realized he’d been seduced. Nigel had an honest, up-front, yet innocent way of getting what he wanted. And apparently he wanted Garrett.

  “Have you had other people visit the island?” The fire settled into the depression in the sand, its light slowly dimming.

  “Once, a while ago. Some people were having trouble with their boat. They drifted onto shore near the house. Fairfield went out and helped them, and then they left. I wanted to go down and help, but Aunt Phyllis played games with us in the house. She said that one of the men on the boat had been sick and that she didn’t want us to get what he had. We’re not exactly on anyone’s vacation list, and Aunt Phyllis owns nearly the entire island. We are officially part of Martinique, but they leave us alone.”

  “So you’ve spent much of the last… what, I’m guessing… ten or eleven, maybe twelve years pretty much alone on this island? Has your aunt said why?” The cop in him was more than a little curious, but he also didn’t want Nigel to think he was giving him the third degree. “It seems a little unusual.” He kept his voice light, but Nigel hung on every word.

  “I guess it might seem that way. Aunt Phyllis tells the story of how she spent her childhood down here on the island she inherited from my grandparents, and she says that after the death of our mom and dad, eleven years ago, she had had enough and wanted to find a place where she could raise Jules and me without the threat of us getting hurt. Fairfield has been with my family for nearly thirty years, so he came with her to help protect us.” Nigel smiled. “I once asked him if he was a butler after reading about one in a book, and he said that he was that and a lot more.”

  “Do you like him?” Garrett asked.

  “Questions, questions,” Nigel said. “Of course I like him. If I didn’t, I think Aunt Phyllis would send him off the island. We all get along pretty well, I guess.” He sighed softly. “What are things like with your family?”

  “My mom and dad live in a house they built outside Baltimore a few years ago. Dad will retire in the next five years, and then he and Mom want to move to Florida. My mother has always had people to clean up after her. My grandfather started a clothing business in Baltimore. He sold it thirty years ago for a lot of money, so my mom doesn’t quite get the concept of picking up after herself.” Garrett shifted nervously. His relationship with his parents was complicated, very much so, and it was hard for him to describe.

  “Fairfield and Aunt Phyllis never pick up after either Jules or me. We have to do our chores and keep our rooms clean.”

  “I love my mom and my dad, but they didn’t understand when I told them I was gay.” Garrett watched the fire as he spoke. “They thought it was a phase… something I would grow out of.”

  “But you didn’t,” Nigel said. “I used to wonder if it would change for me. I never talked to Aunt Phyllis or Fairfield about it. It didn’t seem like it was any of their business. Did things change for you?”

  “Mom and Dad loved David. I think he helped them see that I could have a full life. He was one of those people who is able to disarm anyone’s argument with a smile. The first time he met my mother, he kissed her hand and charmed her. When he and I got married, my mom and dad were there, and they miss him too.” Garrett rolled away from the fire to face Nigel. “But David is gone. Things with my folks are tough right now. I guess I didn’t realize how much of the relationship we had as adults was because of him.” So many of the good things in his life had been because of David. “I’m sorry. I need to stop talking about him all the time.”

  “I think I might have liked him.”

  Garrett laughed. He couldn’t help it. “You and David probably would never have met. David hated boats and would never have gotten on one for as long as it took to come here. My dad used to sail, and he taught me and my sister. David once tried sailing for me and spent the entire day getting si
ck.” God, he’d hated that sight. “I cut the sail short and just took him home.”

  “See, you’re a good person too. It wasn’t just him. He wanted to make you happy, and you took care of him when it didn’t work out. It’s what people who love each other do.” Nigel held his gaze. “I bet you did things for him too.”

  Garrett nodded, but he was a little tired of talking about David. Usually, talking about him made his chest ache, but now, telling Nigel stories about David didn’t hurt like that. “I did. He was easy to love. And I bet he would have liked you. If I could have gotten him here, he would have gone swimming, and he’d have loved to see your underwater collections.” Garrett laughed. He could just see David and Nigel together. “When I went through his things, I found all his old collections… stamps, rocks, coins, baseball cards, Pokémon cards—you name it, he loved to collect it. They were all in boxes, carefully labeled and stored in the back of his closet.” He sighed. “I think that’s enough talk about our families. What else do you like to do besides read, camp out, and roam the island? Do you have television or the internet?”

  “Not really. There isn’t internet and no television stations, though Fairfield has a television and he plays movies on it sometimes that he gets when he goes out for supplies. But other than that, we don’t watch stuff. There’s so much to do outside and at the beach that Jules and I don’t need to spend our time watching a screen with images of flat people on it. What do you like?”

  “The Harry Potter movies,” Garrett said.

  Nigel perked right up. “They made the books into movies? I loved those stories. I think I would really like to see those.”

  Garrett wished he could make that desire come true, but he didn’t have copies of the movies with him, and the internet connection from the boat was out of the question.

  A breeze blew up off the water, swirling through the cave. It flickered the flames and then died away. It was so peaceful here, and whether he wanted it or not, that peace slipped into Garrett’s spirit. Either that or it was Nigel.

  “Garrett,” Nigel whispered, drawing closer. “I don’t want to talk anymore.” His eyes shone in the firelight. “I feel like I’m being naughty, lying a little, being out here with you.”

  Nigel lifted the light blanket for them and shimmied underneath. Then he snuggled in again, tugging Garrett against him, holding him as he kissed forcefully. Garrett returned the kiss, winding his fingers through Nigel’s soft hair, his other hand sliding down his back. He kept expecting to encounter fabric, but his hand slid over smooth skin to the small of his back, then over the curve of his butt. Garrett shivered with desire. Damn, Nigel certainly knew what he wanted and didn’t have to say a word to get it. But that wasn’t enough—this wasn’t enough. Garrett needed to know that this was all right.

  “Nigel,” Garrett whispered as he stilled them both, rolling on his back, drawing Nigel on top of him. “Is this what you really want?” He cupped his butt, holding heaven in his hands.

  “Yes,” Nigel whispered.

  “But why?” Things were moving really fast. Garrett could understand if Nigel was horny and just wanted to have sex. At his age, Garrett had most certainly been like that.

  “You’re a good man. You said no the first time I asked.” Nigel put his hand over Garrett’s chest. “I think you have a good heart.”

  “How do you know?” Nigel was way too trusting. “I’m here now, but you know I’m not going to be able to stay.” And he doubted Nigel would be willing to run away with him. “I could just be interested in you for sex.”

  Nigel snorted. “Then why did you say no the first time and then tell me all that stuff by the waterfall?” He shook his head. “You are a good man and you care. I can tell.”

  Garrett waited for Nigel to make the next move. If this was what he really wanted, then Garrett wasn’t going to argue.

  Nigel leaned forward once again and took Garrett’s lips in a kiss that seared all the way to his soul. He thought he’d had that part of him well secured, but Nigel seemed to have breached his defenses without much effort at all.

  Nigel managed to get Garret’s pants unfastened somehow. There was a lot of rolling and shifting, but they ended up on the sand at the edge of the blanket. Not that either of them cared. Nigel sighed as his entire body came in contact with Garrett’s, found it as if he’d finally located something he’d been searching years for. Or maybe that was Garrett and he was just too scared to admit it. Either way, their kisses quickly grew frantic as they rocked and rubbed against each other.

  Garrett squeezed Nigel’s perfect firm butt, taking charge of their movements, because if he didn’t, he was going to come within seconds. It had been years since he’d felt like a teenager, but Nigel had enough energy for them both and he sent it out in all directions, lighting up Garrett’s mind with carefree passion. Garrett held on to Nigel and gave up control, letting him set the pace. Being with Nigel was like a recharge on his battered soul and spirit. He caressed up Nigel’s back and across his shoulders, then up to his cheeks, holding them in his hands as he gazed into Nigel’s shining eyes. “You’re amazing, do you know that?”

  “I like to think so,” Nigel quipped back, and Garrett kissed the smirk off his face, turning his soft chuckle into a moan that went on for the longest time.

  “You are. Somehow you touched my heart when I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone to,” Garrett whispered, letting the words fall away as pleasure—pure, basic, and wonderful—built inside him.

  The fire sputtered and died, the last of the light fading away, leaving them in the darkness, just the two of them exploring and touching, one learning the joys of first love, and the other learning it was okay to love again. The ocean beat time, and their bodies picked up on it, heaving, flowing, until neither could control it any longer and their passion overwhelmed them.

  Garrett held Nigel tightly, not wanting to let him go as lightness took over his heart. In the darkness, with Nigel still pressed to him, Garrett learned that his heart did indeed have room enough inside it for two, and if he wasn’t careful, Nigel would take up residence.

  Chapter 5

  GARRETT WOKE to Nigel getting out of the blankets. He pretended to stay asleep just so he could watch Nigel’s pert butt swing a little as he made his way to the far side of the clearing before stepping over some rocks. He returned a few minutes later and got back under the blanket. At least on the sand, he couldn’t shake the mattress when climbing back in.

  “I know you’re awake. You breathe differently.” Nigel settled, a warm hand sliding around Garrett’s waist.

  “You can’t fault a guy for wanting to watch, can you?” Garrett grinned and held his breath as Nigel’s hand wandered lower. “I didn’t think so.” He rolled over and tugged Nigel closer, then shifted until Nigel stared down at him. He loved this position, with Nigel’s weight on top of him, his ass accessible for holding and grabbing. Nigel was already groaning as he ground his hips, sliding his cock alongside Garrett’s. It shouldn’t have been surprising that once Nigel got a taste of sex, he was raring to go. Not that Garrett wasn’t also.

  It was so simple, Garrett was almost shocked. He had never been an easygoing guy. But with Nigel it seemed to come naturally. He forgot about loss and pain, work, suspicions, and questions, and could just be, letting the moment take him. And damn, the moment turned into many strung together in a blissful, passionate circle that ran between him and Nigel. They both fed on it, enhancing it until it flowed back again, wilder, more powerful, until neither of them could hold out any longer. They cried out their passion, letting it hang in the air around them before being taken away, spread out on the breeze.

  Garrett held Nigel and fell back to sleep. He woke once again to Nigel slipping away.

  “I have to go. Aunt Phyllis will worry if I am not back soon, and Fairfield will come out looking for me.” He pulled on his clothes, and Garrett stretched and dressed as well.

  Garrett helped Nigel fold away their campsite a
nd cover the cold firepit with sand. Nigel kissed him hard, one thing led to another, and soon they were necking vigorously. Finally Nigel pulled away, said goodbye, climbed the rockfall, and disappeared from view. Garrett followed more slowly, taking advantage of a bush to do his business before using the small boat to paddle back to the sailboat.

  He made a quick breakfast, thinking that, given Nigel’s pattern, it wasn’t likely he would be back until later in the day. So he hoisted the sails, hauled up the anchor, and headed for the other side of the island to see if the village had any of the supplies he needed.

  IT FELT good to be out on the water, though it would have been nicer to have Nigel with him. They hadn’t spent all that much time together, but Garrett still missed him. He even turned to the empty space next to him once, intending to ask a question, before he remembered he was alone.

  The breeze freshened as he came out of the lee of the island, and he had to tack, turning into the wind a number of times to take advantage of the wind direction. Eventually Garrett saw the village near the shore and drew closer.

  Ramshackle buildings—put together with wood, corrugated metal, and stone from the island—clustered together in a cove that faced north. The area seemed to provide a natural breakwater, and Garrett easily sailed into the bay, anchored offshore, and rowed the inflatable in.

  A few people stopped to look and wonder, but most seemed busy and continued with their tasks. Old men worked with nets, while some women in bright clothes gathered under a tree, huddled near a cook fire, the spicy scent making his stomach rumble.