“So, you’re not pissed that I didn’t call?” Gannon asked, and Cam realized that was what was bothering him.

“Should I be?” he questioned, wiping his mouth with a napkin as he chewed.

“Hell if I know,” Gannon blurted with a rough chuckle.

The vulnerability etched across Gannon’s face made him want to wrap his arms around him. It was endearing, and oddly not what Cam would’ve expected.

“I’m not pissed,” Cam assured him. Narrowing his eyes, he added, “But don’t let it happen again.”

“I’ll do my best,” Gannon said, his shoulders relaxing.

“Eat,” Cam said, pointing at Gannon with a French fry. “Then I’ll take you down to the cove for a swim.”

“At night?” Gannon’s eyebrows lifted.

Cam huffed out a laugh, trying to figure out if Gannon was serious.

He was.

Holy shit.

The laughter built in his chest and rumbled out.

“Ah, hell. You’re not joking,” Gannon said, his eyes dancing now as he clearly saw the amusement in it.

“Nope, I’m serious.”

Gannon didn’t say anything for a minute, still staring at Cam, that heated gaze lighting up the nerve endings throughout Cam’s body.

“Okay,” Gannon finally said, the minor reluctance in his tone quite charming.

Yep, Cam was suddenly looking forward to a nighttime swim.

Really looking forward to it.

“Aren’t we supposed to wait thirty minutes before we get in the water?” Gannon asked Cam as they walked down the sandy beach toward the waterline.

“Scared?” Cam asked, bumping Gannon’s shoulder.

Yes. “No,” he lied.

When Cam suddenly stopped, Gannon did, too, turning to face him.

The look on Cam’s face was one of wonder, but there didn’t appear to be any judgment in his eyes, which surprised Gannon.

Truth was, coming here tonight had been a gamble in the first place. He’d feared what Cam would say since Gannon hadn’t had a chance to call him all week though he’d wanted to. It felt as though he’d grabbed his phone a million times, intending to call or even text Cam just for the hell of it, but something had always tripped him up.

Figuring he’d already done the damage, he’d hopped in his car and made the hour drive to see Cam, intending to beg for forgiveness if necessary.

But Cam hadn’t been pissed, and that had thrown Gannon for a loop.

Big, warm hands came up to cup Gannon’s face and his breath lodged in his chest.

“I’ve wanted to do this since Tuesday,” Cam breathed out roughly before his mouth met Gannon’s.

An involuntary groan escaped him as he gripped Cam’s thick wrists, holding tightly as the kiss consumed him. He’d wanted to do this since Tuesday, as well. Hell, for the last few days, he’d thought of Cam day and night, wishing like hell he had even a few minutes to spend with him. Which was why he’d forced himself to leave the office early and to ensure that Milly had cleared his calendar for the weekend.

A first for him. One that Milly had made sure to point out. Half a dozen times.

Although he would pay for taking a couple of days off, spending time with Cam seemed more urgent at the moment.

Cam’s tongue was insistent, gliding against his own, yet somehow Gannon managed to keep from closing the distance between them. He feared if he touched Cam too much, he wouldn’t let go until some of the lust that had consumed him as of late was sated. He’d been walking around with a raging hard-on since the last time he’d seen Cam. He hadn’t had to deal with hormones the likes of these since he was a fucking teenager, a time when no matter how many times he’d jerked off, it’d never seemed to help.

And he doubted he’d be able to slake the lust until he’d buried himself deep inside Cam’s delicious body.

When they broke apart for air, Gannon opened his eyes to see Cam staring back at him. He didn’t look away as Cam pulled Gannon’s glasses off his face. Cam folded the arms in and tucked them into Gannon’s pocket.

“Definitely like the glasses,” Cam whispered seductively. “So fucking much.”

Gannon’s cock thickened, intrigued by Cam’s tone and the sparkle in his eyes.

“Not sure about you, but I need to cool off,” Cam said, his voice low, rough. “Let’s get in the water.”

“Yeah, about that…” Gannon turned to look at the dark water before them.

Cam chuckled. “You’re safe with me. I promise.”

Gannon wasn’t so sure about that, and he wasn’t referring to the water.

“I didn’t bring swim shorts,” Gannon announced.

Although it was dark, Gannon could still see the heat glimmering in those blue eyes that seemed intrinsically focused on him at the moment.

“Then I guess you better get naked.”

Aww, fuck. A blazing bolt of fire shot through his body, lighting him up like a rocket at lift-off.

While his brain was on the fritz, Gannon could do nothing more than stare at Cam as he slowly worked his T-shirt off, giving Gannon the first look at his thickly muscled chest.

His breath caught in his throat as he read the script that looped across those beautiful pecs.

Reckless.

Interesting, because that was exactly how Gannon felt anytime he was around Cam.

A glint of light caught his eye, and Gannon’s eyes trailed down to see a silver barbell pierced through Cam’s nipple. Yep, Milly had been right. There was a matching one in the other nipple. Holy fuck. Another growl rumbled up from inside him at the sight. That was so fucking sexy… Shit, the mere thought of it made Gannon’s dick jump.

He didn’t try to hide his interest as he scanned Cam’s smooth, muscled torso in the near darkness. He catalogued the other tattoos, several that ran down Cam’s sides, one that ran from hip to hip beneath his navel, visible above Cam’s shorts, which rode enticingly low on his hips. He wished there was more light so he could see Cam better, but if this was what he was being offered, he damn sure wasn’t going to complain.

“Your turn,” Cam said, amusement lacing his words.

Swallowing hard, Gannon reached behind him and grabbed a handful of cotton before tugging his shirt up and over his head.

“Very nice,” Cam whispered, surprising Gannon.

Gannon definitely wasn’t built like Cam. He wasn’t rippling with muscle, though he was relatively toned, right down to the six-pack he worked hard to keep. The searing heat he felt coming from Cam made him grateful he’d worked so hard to keep up with his workouts, even though he could’ve easily allowed work to interfere.

Cam kicked off his flip-flops, shooting another beaming grin at Gannon before turning and walking toward the water.

“We’re really gonna do this?” Gannon asked, speaking up so Cam could hear him.

“We are,” Cam hollered back.

“What’s in it for me?” The words were hardly out of his mouth before he was struck by the most beautiful sight.

Gannon stood rooted in place as he watched Cam shuck his shorts, allowing them to fall to the ground, his tight glutes and thick thighs the only thing Gannon could focus on. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he was breathing.

“Come on, Gannon,” Cam called out, still heading toward the water.

“Fuck me,” Gannon breathed out roughly, keeping his voice low. “The man’s gonna kill me.”

He didn’t look away until Cam’s lower half was submerged in the water, and only then did he release the air that had been locked in his chest.

As hesitant as he was to get in the water, Gannon now had pretty damn good incentive.

Twelve

Cam didn’t bother pretending not to stare when Gannon emerged from the tree line completely naked.

Seriously. Beautifully. Naked.

His body… Holy fuck. Talk about taking someone’s breath away.

The spattering of dark hair across Gannon’s chest caught his attention first, along with the sleek muscle that lined his entire body. Long, toned arms, even longer legs. Mmm. If he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t expected it.