Page 33 of High

Manny

The sun struck me in the eyes and had me squinting as I pushed open the door of the third-floor balcony and stepped out, gazing at the wide stretch of golden sand that made up Pleasant Beach, which had given this city its name. The view wasn’t significantly different from the one I’d had in my old bedroom at Pedregal, or even from Thio’s house for that matter, but the waves here broke harder than in either of those spots.

The long-forgotten thrill for the ocean shot through me as white caps rolled in and broke close to shore. I let out a sigh of relief when I was able to stand and study the fall of the waves without an accompanying anxiety. I had no idea what was different here that I wasn’t feeling the way I had earlier today, but I would take the change and be happy about it.

“What do you think, hermoso?” Thio’s question floated out to me from somewhere deeper in the apartment. His steps came up behind me, and an entirely different hot shiver of excitement sizzled through my stomach.

“I think this is the perfect spot to stay forever,” I murmured back over my shoulder, and then smiled as warm arms slid around my waist. I closed my eyes and swallowed, enjoying the way his strength supported me.

“Forever?”

“Well, I can stand two weeks of it, anyway,” I said snidely and blinked my eyes open.

Thio let out a grunt, plastered his front against my back, and then moved until he could peek over my shoulder to stare into my eyes. “I don’t remember you being this sarcastic.”

“It’s new.” I flashed him my teeth, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a smile.

“I’m not sure I like it.”

Shrugging, I stood there, and my stomach dropped because my feelings were actually hurt a little. “I haven’t exactly spent the last few years brushing up on my people skills. You said you were going to take me out?”

He rested his cheek against my temple and gave me a squeeze. I wriggled, and he hugged me again in a way that was meant to shake me out of my bad mood, I was sure. I felt the irritation slipping from me in spite of the fact it felt kind of good to wallow in the bad feelings—or at least it was familiar. “Yes, I did say that, didn’t I?”

“You sound like you have regrets.” I rested my hands on his forearms and the imbécil flexed. In spite of myself I snickered.

“No, noes eso. I’m just realizing that this is as alone with you as I’ve yet been since I got you back.” I turned in his arms and shivered at the long look he gave me. He’d changed into a simple T-shirt for the drive here and the white was bright against his tan. I traced the line of his collar with my pointer finger, caressing the soft skin at his neck. He tightened his arms around me, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

Shy, and not clear why I was feeling that way all of the sudden, I leaned in and kissed his neck where I imagined his pulse would be thudding. “You promised. I want to try to forget about the problem I had.”

Part of me worried this wouldn’t work, and then what? He’d shot someone earlier because of me, and he wasn’t wrong. Showing weakness didn’t seem to be an option, so I had to get my shit together soon. “Thio, I don’t want you putting bullets in people for me.”

“We’re not talking about that. I’ll do what I need to do.” He pressed a kiss to the side of my head.

“But—”

“No.”

I huffed. “Fine, but you still promised to take me out.”

He laughed and nudged his forehead against mine until I met his focused gaze. “I did.” He gave me a tight squeeze. “Then we’re back here for the night.” His voice slid low and my body jolted—one violent shiver that attacked me everywhere. He chuckled and the sound brushed through me, hitting the inside of my stomach and sparking heat there that slid down and plumped my dick.

“Okay. Yeah, back here.”

From somewhere, maybe the apartment below us, the scent of strawberry incense drifted, exotic and rich, on the breeze, and mixed into a lush perfume with the salty air and Thio’s masculine musk. Sighing, I rested my forehead on his shoulder and let my eyes slip closed. The heat of his body, the solidness of his muscles… they made my mind fuzzy, and at the same time convinced me this wasn’t a psychotic break. If he was a hallucination and I was actually still stuck in Pedregal staring at the ceiling in my room, he was a good one. I shivered at the jumbled thoughts that battered at me.

“Tired?”

“Not really. I’m just not used to doing so much, which sounds… stupid.” I shrugged.

“No, it doesn’t.” He ran a hand through my hair and I arched into his touch.

The shifting of the ocean was a comforting rush in the background, and my attention was snagged by the water once more. “Do you want to hit the waves with me? There’s probably a board rental place on the beach somewhere. They’re always on beaches like this. Tourist traps.”

He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I’m not sure I’m prepared for that. Wait. Do it tomorrow.”

My gut twisted. My whole life seemed like it had been built on the disturbingly unstable sands of waiting. I tried not to think about anything except Thio holding me, and us together, here, right now. Thio wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable, and when I leaned back, he was smiling down at me, his blue eyes lit up with whatever happy memory he was thinking about. My tight shoulder muscles unclenched a little and I was able to take a deep breath. “Okay. What do you want to do, then?”

“Food.” He smirked. “I may have some other ideas, too.”