Page 29 of Not Strictly Ballroom

Eventually, Riley calls time and climbs out of the pool. Now we’ve calmed down, hunger pangs edge in, and I climb out too. I grab a towel, handing one to Nick as he flops down onto the grass. Kieran joins us and once he’s also partly dry, hands round sausage rolls, sandwiches, and packets of crisps. He fetches out a bottle of beer each too, and although the picnic is simple, I can’t remember a time I’ve enjoyed myself so much.

After we’ve eaten and cleared the rubbish away, Nick stands and offers me his hand. I take it and he pulls me up.

“C’mon,” he whispers with a smile. Nick has a hundred different smiles, and this one holds promises.

I glance back at Riley and Kieran, but they look to be dozing in the afternoon sun.

We walk to the top of the overhang and look over.

“On three?” Nick asks, and I nod.

We jump in, still holding hands, and this time because I’ve already acclimatised to the water—which isn’t as cold when you get used to it—I stay breathing properly.

Nick tugs me to the edge of the pool so we’re directly below the overhang. There’s a rocky ledge where we can stand, the water at waist height. I’m surprised at how secluded it is. Even if anyone did walk along the path, they wouldn’t be able to see down here. Nick’s promise-filled smile is accentuated by his darkening eyes as he places a hand on my waist and cups my face with the other, drawing me in for a kiss. I raise my hands to the nape of his neck, pulling him down further and deeper into the kiss as his tongue finds mine. He pushes his hips forward, grinding slowly. I can feel his hard cock through the flimsy material of his swim shorts and my own thickens in response. I know he feels the effect he’s having on me as he grins against my mouth and I nip his lip, earning me a soft groan in the process. That only serves to make my cock bounce slightly, and he chuckles gently. He pulls back from the kiss and looks at me. He runs his fingers across my chest and then traces lower, stopping just above the surface of the water.

“Can I?” he whispers. The request, given so respectfully, lodges somewhere in my ribcage, and I can only nod my assent because you need breath to speak and I don’t have any left.

His eyes never leave mine as his fingers run along the waistband of my shorts and dip inside. He grazes the tip of my cockhead and I jerk slightly from the sensitivity of it, despite being underwater. He eases my shorts down until my cock is freed. The water is surprisingly clear, and I watch as he runs his hand up its length. I’ve fantasised about what it would be like to have his hands on me, but whatever I imagined doesn’t come close to the delicate touch he has. And yet still I want more.

“I want to see you,” I whisper, suddenly wanting to see what his cock looks like.

“Oh yes, D,” he says as he pulls his shorts down, too. I reach out and explore with my hand. It’s long and thick, a bit more than mine, but not excessively.

“Mmmm.” Nick edges a little closer until his cock touches mine and I feel a frisson of excitement, and thrust a little at him, a move which catches me by surprise. I see delight dance across his face.

“Put your hands on my hips,” he says, and I comply. My curiosity at his command is satisfied when he takes both of us together in one hand and starts languidly stroking up and down.

“Holy fuck, Nick!” The words slip out and he chuckles breathily. I can’t keep my hands on his hips, because one wants to grab the perfect flesh of his ass, pulling us closer while the other clings to his shoulder. What I cannot do is tear my eyes away from the sight, even underwater, of his hand rhythmically sliding up and down. I’m mesmerised at the sight of our cockheads disappearing and reappearing through his fist. I’m aware of the friction of his hand on one side and the solidity of his cock on the other. It’s all I can do to try to hold on, to allow this moment to go on forever, but I can’t. A warmth blooms through my lower back and my balls tighten.

“Nick, I—” He doesn’t let me finish as he captures my mouth, kissing me hard while he increases the pressure with his hand. It’s enough to push me over the edge and I jerk as my orgasm washes over me. He strokes a couple more times and I feel him shudder against me, his kisses lightening, and eventually he pulls away. He looks at me, and although he is smiling, he’s gnawing slightly on his bottom lip. I know this to be a nervous trait, which doesn’t happen very often, and I realise he’s waiting for my reaction. My heart feels too big right now, like there is no longer any room for its expansion, though it could just be because it’s pumping harder than normal. I swallow.

“I have no idea what that was, but when can we do it again?”

He releases a huge breath and gives me a smile, like I’ve just given him the world.

I look down between us, at the white strings floating on the water’s surface, and wonder if we should have desecrated this beautiful spot in such a manner. Even worse is that they cling to us.

“Um, should we have done that?” I see some of them start floating across the pool, heading for the stream that runs towards the river.

“I don’t know.” Nick laughs. “But maybe we should get out for a bit.”

I can’t agree quickly enough.

Drowsily blinking in the light, I realise I must’ve dozed off in the sunshine. Nick is lying next to me, propped up on one elbow. I can’t see Riley or Kieran, though all the bags, clothes, and towels are still strewn across the ground. I hear laughter and splashing, so assume they’re in the pool. I stretch in the warmth, content and enjoying the feeling of not needing to be anywhere, not doing anything for a while.

Nick glances down at me.

“Hey sleepy,” he says.

I yawn. “Well, someone drained the life out of me.” And it earns me a giggle. I notice he is turning something over in his mouth.

“What have you got there?” I ask, knowing full well it’ll be something sweet based.

“What’s it say?” he asks, and flips it over between his teeth. It’s a candy heart, with “Be Mine” written across it.

“It says, ‘Be mine,’” I dutifully read out to him, and get the merest flash of his mischievous smile before his lips are on mine and he tongues the sweet into my mouth. I don’t have a chance to resist, but I’m up for the game, and as he draws his mouth away, I follow him, wanting more kisses. He tastes of candy, and while I don’t have quite the sweet tooth he does, I could develop a liking for him tasting of it. I push the sweet back into his mouth and halfway in he bites down, breaking it in two. Half each. It’s silly, it’s just a sweet, but when we break apart and I crunch on the rest of it, letting the pieces dissolve on my tongue, I can’t help feeling that, once again, the prism has shifted and my life is now pre-sweet and post-sweet.

I raise my glass and take a long drink of the cool beer.

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