Page 4 of The Man on the Beach
“You’re very fit,” Adam complimented. “What’s your routine?”
“I, uh…” Nathan shivered again as the gel spread over the middle of his back. “I play soccer. Or I did. For Goshe University. I graduated in May.”
“Congratulations. D1, that’s serious. Your mile time must be insane.”
“Five minutes,” Nathan reported, casually. Adam laughed.
“I’d say ‘oh to be young again’, but I never did a mile in five. Six, maybe.”
“What’s your mile time now?” Nathan asked innocently. Adam was working the gel over his ribs. He chuckled.
“You’re not trying to embarrass me are you? Probably closer to seven. I don’t really consider myself a runner, but I try to get a couple miles in every day to keep my brain fresh. It helps me write. And,” Adam cleared his throat and lowered his voice, “it helps prevent heart disease.” Nathan laughed.
“I’ve heard that.”
“Once you hit your thirties you have to fight to maintain everything. Suddenly everyone’s talking to you about protein, blood pressure, bone density… You skip a couple of runs, and you can feel your stamina deteriorating.”
Adam’s hands were getting closer to the waistband of Nathan’s shorts. Nathan’s thoughts were racing. He didn’t want Adam to stop touching him.
“You must work really hard to stay in shape, then.”
“I appreciate the compliment, especially from a man with a five-minute mile.” Adam finished spreading the gel along Nathan’s lower back, and he put the container back on the table. Nathan looked at it and considered.
He was alone with a kind, smoking hot, older man who seemed to find Nathan attractive. His disaster of a bachelor party trip had the potential for a 180 turn. Was Adam going to make a move on him? Maybe. But maybe not; he had been pretty perfunctory when he put his hands on Nathan. It might be up to Nathan to make a move.
Adam was back in his seat. He looked at Nathan with curiosity as Nathan stared at the aloe container and worked out his decision.
“Would you let me return the favor?” Nathan finally asked. It might not be a great move, but it was the only one he could summon. He looked at Adam, who looked confused. Nathan picked up the container.
“Rub… your shoulders. If you’re okay with that.” Nathan felt his face burning and he was thankful he was already red from the sun. “If you don’t feel like that’s weird.”
“No!” Adam said immediately. “I mean, no, I don’t feel that way. Yes, you can…” He gestured at the bottle in Nathan’s hands.
“Can you sit on the floor?” Nathan gestured to the carpet in front of the sofa. “Or, are your knees bad?” Adam gave him awithering look before pulling off his t-shirt and walking the few paces to the spot in front of the couch.
“Are your knees bad,” Adam grumbled, sinking to the carpet and folding his legs under him. Nathan climbed onto the sofa behind him and squeezed aloe into his hand.
Adam’s shoulders were broad. He had a faint tan, but he clearly didn’t spend much time lying in the sun. Nathan remembered him saying that he wrote most of the day.
Nathan brushed some aloe onto Adam’s shoulders before digging his thumbs into the trapezius muscles. He ran his thumbs along the muscle in a slow, deep stroke.
“Oh fuck, that’s incredible,” Adam murmured. He dropped his head forward. Nathan slid his thumbs back up the traps and to the base of Adam’s skull.
Nathan had been with a few men during his college years. He’d dated a few women and a few men. His experience with men had been limited to other inexperienced men. Nathan didn’t feel confident that he was very good at sex with men. As he dug his thumbs into Adam’s back, he grew concerned he might have bitten off more than he could chew. A gorgeous, out, middle aged man? Adam must be experienced. Nathan cringed inwardly.
Adam allowed himself to be pushed forward slightly so Nathan could work into the middle of his back.
“Are you going to miss your ride back home?” Adam asked as Nathan made small circles with his thumbs.
“No, we’re not leaving until tomorrow afternoon. They’ll be back out on the beach today.” Nathan wished they were going back today.
“I hope they’re not burned like you, they’ll roast.”
“I made some dumb decisions yesterday. I got wasted too early because I was pissed I had to spend my weekend doing this stupid bachelor party. I didn’t sunscreen well either. I remember I kept telling myself I was going to do it, and then I remember feeling really hot and needing to lie down.”
“Oh, no,” Adam chucked.
“And then I remember this really hot guy asking me if I needed an ambulance.” Adam didn’t respond, but he turned halfway towards Nathan to look up at him. He reached up and rested a hand on Nathan’s knee. Nathan swallowed. He could feel his heart beating in his chest.
