Page 56 of Totally Wrecked
Until I turned twelve, me, my sister, Mam and my Da lived on the green, rolling land of Limerick. My parents met at Dublin College. My Chicagoian Da stayed in Ireland after graduation, working first as a runner, then working his way up to camera operator, and finally head technician. The news studio was a second home for me—I pretended that I hated it, but in reality I loved hanging out with all the cameras, cables, and moving sets.
But then Grandpa got sick; American Grandpa, not Granda Lonergan. And like many of our forebears, we moved across the sea.
Da was snapped up straight away by NBC. Mam continued on quietly with her research for her endless novel—she’s a scholar of Irish literature. It was crazy how quickly she adapted to the city. I didn’t. It was so noisy and hard. I think that’s why I became fascinated with sound. There was something about filtering out all the racket and concentrating on just one sound that I found soothing.
“How long do you think he’ll stick at it?” Gray asks me, nodding to Harvey.
“I imagine until he gets more fish than I did. Harvey is the competitive type. ”
“How well do you know him?”
“Harvey?” I flop down on the sand. “Hardly at all, but I know some people who hate him, and some people who love him, so I guess he’s a divisive figure. My gut says we need to be careful—he seems like he’s going to melt down any time now.”
Gray flops next to me, almost taking me out with one of his massive rugby player shoulders. Our bodies touching sends a little frisson through me.
“Why do you think that?” Gray asks.
Gray’s lying on his back now, flipping a pebble into the air and catching it over and over. He’s used his tee-shirt like a headwrap, and that leaves his broad chest naked, tan, and dripping with sweat.
I tear my eyes away and answer his question. “He has a dodgy reputation in the TV world. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.”
Gray nods slowly. “I’ll keep a closer eye on him. Brooke—she and Harvey were together, right?”
I realize that Gray, Rex, and Harvey still don’t know that Brooke is actually Daisy. It’s not my secret to tell, so I’ll keep my mouth shut. But I will tell the truth about Harvey.
“They are not together, and she really doesn’t want anything to do with him.”
Gray is quiet for a moment then says, “Good.”
“Good?”
“I like her. I wouldn’t want her with a man like that.”
Seems like Gray and I have the same taste in ladies. The trouble is, I’d also like a taste of Gray himself. He’s beautiful, in a “man of constant sorrow” way. I want to ease his pain, if I can. It might go some way to easing my own.
Stop it, Killian.
We are trapped on a deserted island, and I’m attracted to someone who does not seem at all bi-curious.
Feck, I certainly could do with some cold Irish rain now to wash away my horny thoughts. I got so turned on with Daisy the other night that my libido, despite the fact I’m battered, dehydrated, and shipwrecked, is at eleven. Feck, sweet Daisy—it’s like she pried the lid of my heart and now I’ve got feelings coming at me left and right.
All of a sudden Gray sits bolt upright and slaps himself over the shoulder. “Fuck, something just bit me!”
“Lean over.” I kneel behind him and run my hand over his shoulder blade. He’s right; there is a red mark that is instantly swelling. “Yeah, you’ve been bit alright.”
“Stings like a motherfucker.”
I stand and put my hand out to him. “Let’s move away from whatever got you.” He takes my hand and pulls himself to his feet, grumbling, then sits down again a few feet away. “Now wait here.”
“Like I’ve anywhere else to go.”
I jog down to the water, strip off my tee shirt and soak it in the shallows. Back in the shade, I lay it over the bite. “Maybe salt water will help?”
“It does feel a little better.”
I hold the cold compress on his shoulder blade, folding it over and rotating it every few minutes. As I do, I can’t help but stare at the ripple of abs that peek up from the waistband of his shorts.
“I’ll go rinse this out again.”
