AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ve thought about it before, actually,” Miles continued.
“Me throwing you into the ocean?”
“No. You manhandling me.”
Beckett flinched. “What? Why?”
“Maybe because you’re so gentle. I rarely see you mad. Not that I want to see you angry, it’s more that…” Miles trailed off.
If Beckett pushed him around, it meant he’d be touching Miles, skin to skin. It’d also mean he’d lose control, his calm demeanor melting away. Maybe that was why Miles had imagined Beckett manhandling him before, but skin contact and witnessing Beckett lose control were two things that Miles had already done this trip.
When Miles didn’t continue, Beckett asked, “What else have you thought about?”
“This freckle,” he said, pressing his fingertip against the freckle above Beckett’s left shoulder blade. “And this.” He pinched a curl of Beckett’s hair between his thumb and forefinger and pulled gently. “I’ve thought about doing that for a while.”
Beckett put Miles down, gently, rather than throwing him into the ocean. When Miles saw Beckett’s face, he was smiling, revealing his perfectly straight teeth. Droplets of water gathered on the tips of his hair and trailed slowly over his skin, making him look ethereal, like a god of the ocean.
“Want me to carry you on my back?” Beckett asked. “It’ll be more comfortable.”
“You don’t have to carry me around.”
“I don’t mind.”
Miles smiled and nodded. He’d take every opportunity to touch Beckett. He had to while he still had the chance.
Beckett turned around, bending his knees to lower his body. Miles got on, bringing his hands over Beckett’s shoulders and hanging them in front of Beckett’s chest like a necklace. Beckett held the underside of his thighs.
Miles rested his cheek against Beckett’s hair. “Hey, Beckett?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me more about this secret crush of yours.”
“My secret crush?”
“Mm-hmm. What’s he like? I already know that he has a nice smile, freckles, blond hair, and that he’s fairly tall. But what’s his personality like?”
“Well,” Beckett said. “He’s very smart. One of the smartest people I’ve ever met.”
Was he smarter than Miles? He hoped not.
“When I first met him, I assumed he was naturally a genius. He is, but as I got to know him, I realized he tries harder than anyone else I know. He’s very dedicated to his goals.”
Those were qualities Miles could respect. Damn it. He wanted to hate the guy.
“But even though he’s probably got an IQ of like 157—”
“Actually, IQ scores aren’t an accurate measure of intelligence,” Miles couldn’t resist interrupting.
“Alright.” Beckett chuckled to himself even though Miles didn’t think it was that amusing. “As I was saying, even though he’s extremely clever, he can be clueless about some things.”
“Oh? Like what?” Miles asked, perking up.
“Well, he’s oblivious when it comes to people and their feelings.”
“In what way?”
Beckett hummed. “It’s taken him forever to realize I’m in love with him.”
