Page 21 of Below the Barrel

I strip down to nothing and step into the frigid water, letting it cascade over me, but it does little to quench the heat raging beneath my skin. The memory of her is relentless, torturous, and as my pulse quickens, I know that there’s only one way to find relief in this moment.

I let the cool water mix with the heat she’s left behind, as I wrap my rough hand around my hard cock. My hand, slick with water, moves with a mind of its own as I begin pumping slowly. Closing my eyes, my mind replays the curve of her perfect lips, the feel of her soft skin against mine, and the way her breath hitched when our eyes locked.

I imagine her here with me again, her hands replacing mine, and her body pressed against me in a way that sends a bolt of desire straight through me. With a grunt I lean forward, my wet hair waterfalling around me as I use my free hand to hold myself up against the wall.

I pump my cock faster as the tension builds, coiling tighter with each passing second, each flicker of memory. The little breaths and moans she used to let out when we’d fuck swirling through my mind on an endless loop. I can’t stop myself frompicturing how her wet body would fit against mine again, or the way her hands would glide over my slick skin, or how her angelic voice would sound while whispering my name.

The pressure inside me reaches its breaking point as my breathy moans turn into a deep growl. My muscles tense, and with one final pump, I come all over the shower wall, the tension finally releasing.

For a moment, the world is silent, the only sound is the steady patter of the water against the tiles, my breathless breathing, and my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Even now, with the heat sated, the thought of Maliah still lingers—almost stronger than before. It’s not something that can be washed away.

After rinsing the shower wall, I turn off the water on a sigh, grabbing a towel and drying myself off, deciding to return to my breakfast and preparations for today’s competition. I know another moment like today is bound to happen again with Maliah, and when it does, I won’t be able to ignore my urges.

Maliah wasoff in today’s competition. I noticed it from the moment she started to paddle out into the lineup at Bells Beach, her movements not as fluid as normal and her focus completely shifted. The waves were formidable today, rolling in with a power that can either make or break a surfer’s run. Bells Beach is known worldwide as a legendary spot, but it’s also unforgiving. The way that the tides shift, and the swell refracts off the reef can turn any solid wave into a nightmare if the surfer isn’t fully focused.

This would normally be a piece of cake for Maliah, she thrives in conditions like this—carving through the waves with exact precision and confidence. But not today. Today her takeoffs were hesitant, and she struggled with positioning, getting caught too deep or too far out on the shoulder every single time. On a critical wave, she had scared me half to death when she pulled back from a drop at the last second, causing the lip of the wave to crash down on her and send her tumbling underwater in a brutal wipeout.

My heart was in my throat as I watched from the beach, waiting for her to resurface, and when she did, her eyes were filled with frustration as she glanced toward my direction. The rest of the heat hadn’t gone much better, and by the time it had ended, it was clear that she hadn’t done enough to keep us in the lead. We’d gone from first to sixth in a matter of minutes.

I can tell it’s eating her up inside as she sits beside me quietly on the beach, her face a mask of disappointment. I can feel the weight of her self-reproach hanging in the air between us.

“What happened out there?” I ask, trying to figure out how to explain this to Gabriel.

“Koa, stay out of my business,” she snaps, her eyes not meeting mine.

My phone vibrates in my hand. “He’s calling,” I say as I hold up my phone to show an incoming video call from Gabriel.

She stares at it for a moment before nodding. “Answer it.”

So, I do, and I regret it instantly as Gabriel’s furious face comes into view.

“Are you guys fucking kidding me?” he yells, running a frustrated hand through his disheveled hair. “From first to sixth? That must be a record place drop.”

Maliah tenses beside me, her fidgeting fingers now still as she grips onto her knees so tightly that her knuckles turn white.

“The waves were really tough today, Gabriel,” I say, trying to calm him down.

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” he shouts again. “I watched Maliah miss key sections in waves which could have been a huge opportunity to rack up points with a solid maneuver. She even lost her balance during a crucial cutback; she threw the whole thing.”

I hear her breathing grow shallow and quick beside me, and when I glance over, I notice her blinking rapidly, her lashes wet with unshed tears, her body completely curled into itself.

“I don’t know why you tried so hard to make it into this championship tour if you’re just going to throw it away like it doesn’t matter,” he spits.

“It does matter,” she shouts back, her voice cracking on the last word.

She bites down on her lower lip, the pressure turning it pale as she struggles to keep her composure. But the first tear finally escapes and slides down her cheek, Maliah quickly wiping it away with the back of her hand, but more tears follow.

“It does matter,” she repeats quieter, her voice trembling with emotion.

The sight of her crying brings me back to the day I broke her heart, and it slices right through me to see her like this again. I turn back to Gabriel who silently watches, a shocked expression on his face. He’s never seen her cry before, no one has, except for me.

“We’ll talk later,” I say abruptly before ending the call.

“Why did you do that?” she shouts, her voice trembling with emotion.

“Because he shouldn’t be talking to you like that,” I say calmly.

“Yes, he should. He’s my coach and he was right, I screwed up. I deserved to get shit for it,” she continues yelling. “Youshouldn’t have involved yourself in that. You just made it worse for me. Stop involving yourself in my business, I’m tired of it.”

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