Page 53 of Fish Out of Water

It took him less time than he’d hoped to reach his limit. A month or two without sex would do that, and with Robbie kneeling before him, Jake had never really stood a chance. “Robbie, stop,” he panted.

Robbie glanced up, his eyes sparkling. He didn’t stop. He kept going, harder, faster, and despite all of Jake’s best attempts, he couldn’t prevent himself from coming. He bit down hard on his lip to silence whatever sounds he wanted to make. The faintest whimper escaped his mouth, his eyes squeezing shut as stars formed in his blackened vision.

Robbie pulled away, and Jake bent forward, resting his hands on his thighs as his body wilted, sapped of every last bit of strength and energy. A hand rested on his back, and whenJake straightened up and opened his eyes, Robbie was standing again, watching him. In silence, he handed Jake the other half of the tissue he’d torn previously.

Jake pursed his lips. He didn’t want to admit what he was about to say, but Robbie really did deserve to hear it.

“That was good,” he mumbled.

“What?” Robbie leaned in closer.

Jake rolled his eyes. “Isaidyou were good.”

Robbie nodded. “I thought that’s what you said. Huh.”

“What now?”

“I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

“Surprised about what?”

“That it was actually fun.”

“Yeah, getting your dick sucked usually is pretty fun.”

“No, I mean, I enjoyed myself—with you.” Robbie picked his sweater up and shook it out. “I guess you were right. Maybe that’s exactly what we needed.”

“Told you so.” Jake cleared his throat. “Anyway, I, uh, I’m gonna head back home. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I’m pretty exhausted.”

“Yeah, me too,” Robbie said quickly. “See you tomorrow.”

Before he could stop himself, Jake cringed. “Tomorrow, yes. Here again. At the beach.”

Robbie’s expression changed in the blink of an eye. His rosy cheeks lost their color; his eyes dulled. “That’s not going to be a problem for you, is it?”

“Nope. I have a rule: one and done. That’s how I like it, and I’m sure as hell not changing it because of you.”

“Good, because if you think I’meverhaving sex with you again, you’re sorely mistaken, Jake. We talked about this—I’m looking for something real. Got it?”

“Oh, I’ve got it.”

“Good.”

Jake gave a firm nod. “Good.”

They walked back to the parking lot in silence, Robbie’s sweater trailing pathetically on the ground as his grip on it weakened by the second.

14

JUST FRIENDS

Jake awoke from a restless sleep mere hours after he got home. The sun was breaking past the curtains, which meant it was well into morning, and Isabel would be worrying if he didn’t get up soon. She had no knowledge of what had made him so tired, and he certainly couldn’t tell her the truth if she asked, but he didn’t want to lie again either.

He shuffled into the bathroom, turned the fan on, and made to pull his T-shirt over his arms, but he caught a whiff of it as it covered his nose and let it slip back down. The scent from Robbie’s cologne hadn’t faded at all since they were last together on the beach. A shower could wait.

“How many hours do you have left for your community service?” Isabel asked as Jake sat down at the table with a cup of coffee, feeling more like a zombie than a fully put-together human being.

“About twenty.”