Beach Balls Read online

  “That’s not a lie.”

  “Then you’re even more of an idiot than I thought.”

  “Shit!” Adam punched Sky’s arm, putting them both off balance.

  Sky put his foot down. “Ow. Hell!” The tall human edifice toppled and headed toward the sand in slo-mo, still clutching Adam.

  “Whoa. Hang on.” Damn, he couldn’t. Down he went and landed flat on top of Sky. He rolled quickly to the side. “Sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  Sky’s body shook.

  “Are you okay?” Adam put his arm around the lean, latex-covered body, which was emitting muffled gasping noises. Was he cold? In shock? “Sky?”

  Laughing. The damned man was laughing.

  Adam lay back. “I’m glad you think this whole thing is funny, asshole.”

  Sky stopped laughing but he still grinned. “Sorry. But you’re so self-destructive, you hit the guy you’re trying to hold up.”

  “Okay, it was dumb. I admit it.” Adam took a deep breath. The cold sand prickled his bare back. “I don’t know about you, Mr. Wetsuit, but I’m freezing my ass and you’re probably bleeding out, so can I take you to Carly’s before I have to drive your skinny ass to the morgue?”

  Sky struggled up onto one elbow. “Jesus, you are so melodramatic.”

  “You should talk. That entrance at the city council could have been written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.”

  Sky sputtered, but it sounded more like a laugh than indignation. “I don’t want to go to Carly’s.”

  “Why? It’s right here. We can put some bandages on your foot, and I can get my fucking car.”

  Sky shrugged. “I just don’t want to.”

  “Crap! You sound like a little kid.” He went singsong. “I just don’t want to.”

  The stormy eyes glared at him. “I don’t want to run the fucking gauntlet of your fucking lovers past, present, and future.”

  Adam glared back at him. “There are no fucking lovers. I’ve been sitting in my room all day wishing I was with you, asshole. That’s why I was walking. To get away from the guys. To think about how you’ve fucking wrecked me.”

  “You’re serious.”

  “Yes.” He looked down at Sky’s foot. “Jesus. The shirt is bloody.” He struggled to his feet. “Come on. Quit arguing.”

  He clumsily managed to get Sky up and moving again. The slow trip back to Carly’s felt like it took a year. They limped up to the windowed kitchen door, and Adam banged.

  Waldo looked up from his vegetable chopping.

  Adam yelled, “Help!”

  Waldo rushed to the door and pushed it open. “What happened? Oh dear, this is your young man.”

  No time to argue the point. “He’s bleeding. Help me get him somewhere where we can look at the wound.”

  Waldo took Sky’s other arm, and they helped him into the kitchen and onto a straight-backed chair. A trail of blood stretched across the slate tiles back to the door. Shit. “I’ll go get my car, Waldo. I have to get him to the emergency room.”

  “There’s a doctor here, Mr. Adamson. One of Mr. Cameron’s guests. I’ll get him. Wait with your friend.” Waldo hustled out of the kitchen.

  Sky looked up at Adam. “I’m bleeding all over the pretty floor.”

  “That’s the least of our worries.”

  “Maybe not to Carly.”

  “He’s actually a good guy.”

  Waldo rushed back in with the flaming queen called Maurice. Son of a bitch. He immediately knelt beside Sky. “Waldo, I have my bag in my car. Would you get it, please?” All efficiency. Never judge a book.

  Waldo ran out of the room. One of the guys brought in a warm blanket, and Maurice wrapped it around Sky. Waldo came back in with the bag. Maurice gloved his hands and unwrapped Sky’s foot. All the skin was red from blood. He stood and tossed the shirt in the sink.

  A hand clasped Adam’s shoulder, and he looked back to see Carly. “Hey, buddy, you must be freezing. Why don’t you clean up while the doc takes care of your friend?”

  Adam didn’t budge. Yeah, he was really cold. Half from the temperature and the wet, and half from the sight of Sky’s blood, but he needed to know if Sky was okay.

  Dr. Maurice carefully cleaned off Sky’s foot, getting blood on his tight clamdiggers. “OK, this is a bleeder, but it’s not too bad. I can stitch it up, and you’ll be walking on it in three or four days.”

  Distaste and gratitude warring on his face, Sky looked around at the men who were hanging back but still watching the whole deal. “Thanks, thanks a lot. That would be great.”

  Adam took a deep breath and shivered. Yeah he was cold. Most of the guys seemed daunted by watching a needle go through human flesh, so all but one or two left to go back to their party. Adam put a hand on Sky’s shoulder. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up. I have some clothes you can wear when you’re done.”

  He didn’t smile. “Thanks.”

  Carly followed Adam back to the suite. Inside, Carly leaned against the doorjamb and eyed Adam. “Where did he come from? I got the impression you guys weren’t together.”

  “He was in the same place I met him originally. I guess it’s his research site.”

  “How’d he get hurt?”

  “We were yelling at each other, and he didn’t see the glass. Shit.”

  “You get pretty worked up over that guy, one way or another.”

  Adam shrugged.

  “Just sayin’, girlfriend. Now go get cleaned up.”

  Carly left, and Adam hit the shower. God, the hot spray felt good.

  Carly was right. Adam had gotten worked up over Sky. He wanted to hate himself for it, but he couldn’t. The guy was maddening but sexy as hell. Sky threatened everything Adam wanted, but he admired Sky, who really believed in his causes.

  Could Adam say the same for himself?

  He turned and let the water beat on his back. The tingle against his butt made his cock twitch. He could jerk off right here. He needed it. But he had places to go, environmentalists to see.

  He turned off the water, stepped out, and wrapped himself in a towel. At least he was warmer. He grabbed another towel, leaned over and dried his hair, then threw the wet terry in the hamper and walked back into the bedroom in search of clean, dry clothes.

  Sky lay on the bed, foot bandaged, wearing Adam’s shorts and shirt. Hel-lo, angel.

  “I helped myself to your stuff. I hope this isn’t what you were planning on wearing.”

  Adam stared. The shirt was skimpy but the shorts fit fine, confirming that they were probably about the same weight, even though Sky was taller.

  Seeing Sky in his clothes was heart-stoppingly sexy. Why should that be? No idea, but his cock rose just looking at Sky. Adam glanced down. A tent rose in the towel.

  Sky grinned. “Happy to see me?”

  Jesus. Half-embarrassed and half-turned-on, he hurried to the closet and grabbed a pair of shorts. “How are you feeling?”

  “Pretty crappy, but the doc gave me some mild painkillers. He says the stitches will take care of it. Since it’s on the side of my foot, I should even be able to walk in a pair of flip-flops.”

  “Good.”

  “The doc’s a nice guy. Do you know he’s a pediatrician?”

  Adam shook his head. “None of us talk about work. But can you see a lot of these guys have good reason for being in the closet? Some parents would shy from having a gay pediatrician.”

  “That’s stupid.”

  “But it’s a fact of life.”

  “And who wouldn’t know that Maurice was gay?”

  Adam smiled. Point taken. “Sometimes people don’t like having their suspicions confirmed.”

  He sat on the bed by Sky’s feet. High arches and long toes. Sexy feet on a sexy man. With one finger he gently touched the white bandage. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”

  Sky’s blue-gray eyes narrowed. “Are we talking about my foot?”

  Adam sighed. “We could be.”

  Breathless sil
ence. Sky reached out a hand, and Adam took it. He scooted closer until he was sitting beside Sky’s chest. Sky touched Adam’s bare torso, then threaded his fingers through Adam’s hair.

  Sky sighed. “Why did you have to be Adam Fucking James?”

  Every cell in Adam’s body screamed in longing. Longing for Sky’s touch. And more. Longing for his trust, his friendship. “Maybe I could be somebody else?”

  “I can’t begin to tell you how much I wish that were possible. I’d do the same if I could. But this isn’t happening, Adam. It makes no sense. We’re too different. Even if we weren’t on opposite sides of a huge issue that can literally mean people’s lives and health, I don’t want to be with a man who’s in the closet. It doesn’t work for me. I’ll never out you, but I can’t be with you either.”

  “You didn’t say that before.”

  Sky stared at him. “I didn’t know how much I cared before.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah.” Slowly that hand tightened in Adam’s hair and pulled his head down. Sky’s lips touched Adam’s. Soft. His mouth opened, and Sky’s tongue caressed Adam’s lips, then slipped inside. Adam moaned and heard a sound from Sky that was almost a cry. Another hand grabbed his hair, and Sky devoured Adam’s mouth, tongue pressing in so far Adam could barely breathe.

  He didn’t care. He wanted to dissolve into this man and be whomever Sky wanted, do whatever Sky wanted, as long as they never had to stop kissing.

  Adam found himself shaking, but now he was shaking from the warmth, not the cold.

  Sky dragged Adam across his body, gasped, and then jerked back, wincing. “Damn.”

  “Did you hurt yourself?”

  “Yeah.”

  Adam sat upright and watched the war in Sky’s eyes.

  Finally Sky took a deep breath. “I’ve got to stop this. It’s bad for me. You’re bad for me.”

  Adam’s breath caught. His heart stopped. All the light in the world seemed to disappear. “Is this good-bye?”

  “No. We’re still going to see each other across a hell of a lot of issues. This isn’t playtime for me. I’m serious.”

  “So am I.” He was, wasn’t he?

  “I’m sorry.” Sky hauled himself upright off the pillows. “Will you take me to my car?”

  “You shouldn’t drive.”

  “The bandage is on my left foot, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “Still.”

  “Please.”

  Adam stood slowly, feeling exhausted, as though he could sleep for a year. “Okay.” He helped Sky off the bed and accepted part of his weight as they walked slowly to the bedroom door. The warmth of Sky’s skin seeped into Adam’s body—but he couldn’t get rid of the cold.

  Chapter Five

  JERRY POINTED to Sky’s bandage. “What happened to your foot?”

  Sky finished his mineral water. Glancing at the waiter, he cocked a finger toward his glass and then looked at his three friends. Friends he didn’t see enough. Friends he ignored in favor of octopuses and fish—just like he’d been taught.

  Rodney and Hunter sipped their wine. The two of them, the tiny painter and the tall, hunky teacher, made Sky smile. The odd couple—but not as odd as he and Adam. That was too odd. Wasn’t it?

  He sighed. “I stepped on some glass. Anyone need anything else to drink before we order?”

  Jerry leaned back in his chair. “No, I’m good. Hey, man, you’re usually so careful. Was it dark?”

  “Yeah.”

  Rodney pushed pink bangs out of his eyes with a graceful hand. “It certainly is bandaged, darling. Was it really bad?”

  “No. Couple stitches. This doctor did it for me, so I didn’t have to go to the emergency room.”

  Jerry chortled. “You were on the beach at night bleeding. How the hell did you come up with a doctor?” Jerry seemed like an airhead, but he didn’t miss much.

  “Uh, this guy I know was there, and he helped me back to this other guy’s house. They were having a party, and the doctor was a guest.”

  Jerry leaned in. “Was the guy you know diving with you?”

  “No, he was on the beach.”

  “Waiting for you?”

  “No. He just happened to be there.”

  Jerry’s eyes narrowed. “Is this the guy? You know, from yoga?”

  Sky sighed. “Yeah.”

  “So you two are back together? That’s great, man. I knew it would work out.”

  Rod smiled at him. “That’s wonderful news. Do we know him? Who is he?”

  Sky’s stomach fell to the floor. “No, nobody. He’s nobody. We’re not together. We’ll never be together.”

  Warm, comforting hands touched Sky’s arms, Jerry on one side and Hunter on the other.

  Jerry patted him. “I’m sorry, man.”

  Sky shook his head. “It’s okay. You don’t have to feel bad for me.”

  Jerry patted his arm. “You don’t let us in often. I think you want to tell us, ya know?”

  Sky stared at his hands. Is that why he invited them to dinner? Was Jerry right? “We just met by accident.”

  Rodney put his hand over Hunter’s. “I thought you seemed upset tonight. So you ran into this guy by accident, and he helped you?”

  “Yeah, but he distracted me. That’s why I didn’t see the glass. His fault. So he had to help me, didn’t he?”

  “It seems like this guy really gets to you.” Though spoken softly, Hunter’s words sounded like a bugle.

  “He’s a fucking developer.” He looked up at the people at surrounding tables. He didn’t want to make a scene, but he couldn’t stop shaking. Shit. He shouldn’t talk about this. “Jesus, at my parents knee I learned ‘See Spot Run’ and ‘Developers are environmental rapists.’ It’s in my blood.”

  Rod leaned across the table. “I know some developers who are really nice people.”

  Sky shook his head. Why did he always want to cry over Adam? “Not this one.”

  Jerry smiled. “What don’t you like about him?”

  Sky swallowed hard. “He’s a lying snake who’s trying to push a toxic development through in Newport Beach, and on top of that, he’s in the fucking closet.” A man and woman at the next table glanced at him, and he lowered his voice. “I’m going to crush him.” Jesus. The words came down on him like a hammer. Crush Adam? Could he?

  Jerry’s hand tightened. “You care about him, buddy. You’ve got to figure out why. What do you like?”

  Sky shook his head again. “I don’t…. He’s funny and has this sweetness under the hardboiled exterior. His charm isn’t phony. People really like him.”

  “So he cares about stuff?”

  “I suppose.” He sighed. “Just not the right stuff.”

  Jerry shrugged. “I think he cares about you.”

  Did he? Did Adam care? Sky remembered Adam’s face as they’d left his bedroom. Pain. At least as much as Sky’s own. Shit. “Caring about me isn’t the right stuff.”

  Hunter shared his beautiful smile. “Sounds like it to me.”

  THIS GUY’S a phony. Adam glanced again at the page of data he’d just searched on Clifton Westman III, then back up at the man himself, who was holding forth in the WMA conference room. The tall, white-haired man looked like an ad for an insurance company. Seriously trustworthy demeanor, and his credits seemed to support that idea on the surface. He’d been lead environmental consultant on a boatload of big cases. But when Adam looked deeper, he saw a pattern. Every case was questionable. Many of the projects were quietly dropped because the developers couldn’t afford to do the cleanup after Westman pushed them through the committees.

  Adam sighed. Even the soft leather conference chair felt uncomfortable. Hell, his skin didn’t fit. He shifted.

  Bill leaned over. He whispered because the other partners were hanging on Westman’s every word. “You okay, Adam?”

  The answer to that question was a resounding no. Adam lowered his voice to a soft murmur. “I don’t like this guy. I don
’t trust him.”

  “He’s the best.”

  “Maybe. But at what?”

  Bill smiled, made a dismissive gesture, then sat upright in his chair. “Clifton, you’re quite sure we can discredit the evidence presented by the community’s expert?”

  Westman smiled. “No problem. I know how Mickeljohn works, and we’ll be prepared.”

  Adam frowned. “How does he work?”

  “He’s an extremist and a pervert.”

  Adam’s spine turned to ice.

  Westman added, “Why would cities like him or respect him? They’re just looking for a reason to reject his evidence. I’ll give them a well-presented argument, and they’ll sign to get the tax revenues.”

  Adam spoke slowly. “Our city council seemed pretty damned impressed by him. Why do you call him a pervert, may I ask?”

  “Everyone knows he’s gay, Adam. Surely that’s not news to you.”

  “Ah, I see. A gay pervert.”

  His chilly tone must have alerted Bill, who looked at Adam and said, “Of course, Clifton is only speaking biblically, I’m sure. Mickeljohn can be whatever he likes. He just can’t wreck our plans for this project. The city needs the development, and we need the money.” He laughed.

  Adam let his breath out slowly. The money. He needed the money. He needed the money? Odd how the whole thing changed with one question mark. “Excuse me, but can I interject something?”

  Bill nodded.

  “What if we win and it turns out Mickeljohn is right?”

  Bill shook his head. “Not gonna happen—”

  “Wait a second.” He stood and paced toward the wall of glass, staring at the view of Fashion Island. “What if the land is as toxic as he says? What the fuck do we do then?” His reflection was superimposed on the lights of the big, artificial shopping plaza. He turned back to the five men gathered around the table. “We’ll own it. How many millions would it take to attempt to remediate the land sufficiently to try to build on it? Have we really got an estimate of sewage disposal? Water? Hell, the traffic alone is going to cost three times what we calculated.” His voice got louder. “What if the pervert is right? It’s one thing to hoodwink a city council. Westman, here, has a track record of doing just that. But what about the cost to actually win? To build a project that people love and we can sell? Can we afford it? Can we sustain it?”