Beneath the Current Page 14

  "Really?" Casey asked, and Martin could see that the boy was desperately wanting to believe every word he said. That was what Martin had been counting on.

  "Yes, of course," Martin said as he brushed a hand over the boy's cheek, watching the hope of a sliver of love wash across the boy's beautiful features.

  It was that hope that he could exploit. The boy's guilt was another, but that was for another day. As for himself, he wasn't going to let love get in the way ever again. He'd allowed that to happen once, and it had nearly destroyed him.

  "Here, I'm sure you could use a bit of sun before I have to leave," Martin stated. "Let's finish our coffee on the deck."

  A small frown marred Casey's face, but he nodded and finished fixing his coffee. Martin picked up his own cup and his tablet and headed out onto the deck. He settled in the padded deck chair before his nephew followed him out and sat in the second chair.

  Figuring he needed to keep up appearances of concern, Martin stared out over the ocean. From the height of the deck over the small cliff, it was easy to see into the crystal turquoise waters. From here, they could see the reef as well as some of the larger fish and sea turtles. There were no dolphins today, but they could see the long dark shape of the reef shark that sometimes scoured just off shore for easy meals.

  "You need to be careful out there," Martin stated. "It looks like that reef shark is hanging around more often."

  Casey nodded. "I've seen it a few times. I wonder if it's a female. She could be looking to give birth in the shallower waters."

  "Could be," Martin agreed. "In that case, you'll need to be even more careful if you go out in the mornings. If she does deliver young, they might hang around a bit."

  Casey shrugged. "They tend to stay away from me. I think I look like a dolphin or something."

  "Guess that makes sense, considering how you were engineered," Martin stated, taking a sip of his coffee. He didn't miss way Casey's body went rigid. Martin smiled into his cup. It didn't hurt to remind the boy of his origins every once in a while, especially if he was thinking he could survive without Martin.

  ****

  Shawn grinned up at Casey. His head was resting on the back of the couch, his body practically boneless. He gave one last lick at the now very sensitive cock softening in front of him.

  Casey jerked as the sensation ricocheted through him. "Shit!"

  Shawn just smirked, climbing up to press kisses along the heaving ribcage until he reached Casey's neck. He carefully kissed along the collarbone, avoiding the thick silver chain around his neck.

  He had a moment again of wondering if Casey kept the chain from his Uncle Thomas on out of love or guilt. After broaching the subject about it before and releasing the dam of guilt that Casey had built (he hadn't meant to cause Casey so much emotional turmoil), but it seemed as if the man just held on to so much guilt over the death of his uncle. Shawn had tried to convince him otherwise, but he wasn't sure how much Casey believed him.

  Maybe he'd bring it up later, when Casey wasn't mindless in the afterglow of his first blowjob.

  "So, what do you think?" Shawn asked huskily. "As good as you thought it would be?"

  Casey barely managed to roll his head in Shawn's direction. "Oh, hell, even after seeing it in videos, I never expected it to be like that."

  "Baby, nothing is better than the real thing," Shawn growled against Casey's throat. "I love the way you taste, so salty and sweet."

  He could sense Casey's embarrassment before Casey even shifted. So he climbed up and straddled Casey's lap before he could move, and he grabbed Casey's face in his hands. "You were beautiful, Case. You don't need to hide from me. I know what you're feeling. I've been there too. And I'm just excited to be your first."

  The flush over Casey's cheeks was adorable, and Shawn could see the indecision in his eyes as to what to do next. Casey obviously thought he should reciprocate, but Shawn wasn't sure he was quite ready. While they'd done a lot of kissing and touching, they'd only jerked each other off a couple of times so far.

  Today, when Casey had arrived, he'd seemed oddly tense. Casey only said that his uncle was acting weird this morning but didn't explain much more than that. Shawn noticed Casey was clinging to him more today, and that made him wonder just what the hell Martin had said or done. Casey worried his bottom lip, looking like he wanted to say more, but couldn't.

  Shawn had found himself sitting on the floor in front of Casey, attempting to soothe his nerves by offering a foot massage. Casey had slowly relaxed back into the couch, and while he didn't divulge whatever was on his mind, he did allow Shawn to slowly work the massage up his calves and thighs, and eventually higher.

  ****

  Shit, when Shawn's hot mouth had engulfed him, he'd almost come right then.

  He'd been worried about Martin's attitude this morning. It wasn't like the man to be, well... it wasn't affectionate... but congenial, maybe? For a while, Casey actually believed that Martin was trying to tell him that he really did care for him, in his own way.

  But then he'd brought up the fact that Casey wasn't human—that he was just an experiment. It wasn't that Casey didn't know that—he'd always known, well, at least since he was about seven or eight, that he was the result of a genetic experiment. He'd always had dreams about a different place where he'd lived before here, and Thomas and Martin had eventually told him the truth when he'd wanted to know why he could shift and they couldn't. It also explained why they often took blood samples and did tests as he was growing up.

  So it wasn't knowing he was a mutant that bothered him so much, it was his uncle reminding him that he was just an anomaly, a thing that needed to be tested and observed constantly for changes. Both of his uncles had always been worried about the stability of his genes, whether the shifting would cause his body to deteriorate faster given the strain on his bones and muscles.

  It was why he couldn't leave. Martin was the only one who knew who he was and whether or not his body would continue to thrive or not. He didn't feel like he was going to fall apart, but Martin constantly seemed worried about it, always doing tests and taking blood and other samples. Casey often wondered what the results were, but Martin never shared and Casey couldn't read them. So he just figured if it was becoming a problem, his uncle would tell him. Maybe. Wouldn't he? Or would he just keep taking samples and recording his demise? Maybe if he couldn't do anything about it, maybe his uncle had decided not to tell him to spare him the anxiety of knowing he was dying?

  Shit. Now, he was wondering if he was dying. Damn it. He didn't feel like it. But would he feel the changes, or would they be so subtle that he wouldn't notice?

  His brain had run amok after his uncle's off-handed comment. He was suddenly anxious again about things he thought he'd accepted long ago. He couldn't change how things were, so why should he worry about it.

  But now there was Shawn. And he'd been thinking about his future. A possible future with Shawn. Maybe his fears were surfacing again because he had considered telling Shawn about his 'dysfunction.' As much as he was worried about what Shawn might think, he was getting to the point where he wanted Shawn to know everything. He hated keeping his mer side so contained and secret. And he was terrified that Shawn would find out accidently and be even more freaked out. Maybe if he told him, broke it to him gently....

  Oh, hell! Casey had gasped as Shawn's massaging of his feet and legs suddenly morphed into a moist heat engulfing his semi-hard cock, breaking him from his thoughts.

  After that, Casey couldn't remember what he'd been thinking about.

  ****

  Casey couldn't believe that Shawn had done that. He'd dreamed about it, certainly. Hell, he'd dreamed about even more, but he wasn't sure if or when they might progress farther than hand jobs. But hell, that was... fucking awesome.

  But now he was embarrassed, and worried, that maybe Shawn had done it expecting that Casey would return the favor. And it wasn't that he didn't want to try, but he was nervous he wou
ldn't do it right. Would Shawn find him too clumsy and inadequate? Shit, if Shawn didn't like it, would he decide Casey wasn't worth his time anymore?

  "Stop thinking," Shawn's voice invaded his thoughts with a smile.

  Casey focused on the hands holding onto him, on the blue eyes piercing his heart, and he relaxed. "I just... I want to..."

  Shawn was smirking and shaking his head. "No, not right now."

  Casey stared at him incredulously. He was turning him down? "You don't want me to—?"

  "I do, but not right now," Shawn said softly. "This was just for you. I wanted to make you feel good, to forget whatever it was that was putting that frown on your face."

  Casey chuckled. "Well, you certainly managed that."

  "Good," Shawn smirked, pressing a quick kiss to Casey's lips as he stood and patted Casey's thigh. "Now, let's go for a run. I need to expend some energy."

  Casey wasn't sure if he could move yet as Shawn disappeared into the kitchen for a couple bottles of water. "You know, I could help relieve some of that energy in other ways."

  Shawn quirked his lips. "Maybe later, after I build up a bit more sexual frustration by staring at your ass while we run."

  "What makes you think you'll get to stare at my ass? Maybe I'll be the one staring at yours," Casey shot back with a grin as he took one of the bottles of water.

  "Fine, we'll take turns staring at each other's asses," Shawn conceded. "Now let's go."

  For the next half hour, they spent the time making laps back and forth along the shore. Casey enjoyed having someone to compete with, since he'd never had anyone to run with before—hell, to do anything with really, since Thomas died. It was fun and energizing to sprint after Shawn, sometimes catching him before taking off again and becoming the prey.

  Finally, they waded into the surf briefly to cool off. Casey made sure they didn't wander too far in since he wasn't sure if the prowling reef shark had decided to retreat back to open waters or not.

  Shawn started walking down the beach, taking Casey's hand. Shawn brought their hands to his lips and kissed the back of Casey's hand before smiling and walking on. Casey felt his heart flutter at the oddly intimate gesture.

  They walked in silence for a few minutes before Casey's thoughts started to run rampant again. "Shawn," Casey began hesitantly, "how much longer are you planning on staying here?"

  Shawn's hand tightened on his, and Casey glanced over at him, worried about the answer. He didn't want to think about it, but when he'd thought about telling Shawn his secret, about falling in love with Shawn, it had occurred to him that maybe Shawn wasn't planning on hanging around. Shawn had told him when they'd first met that he was here just to escape public scrutiny for a bit. Didn't that mean he was planning on heading back at some point, maybe sometime soon?

  Chapter 18

  Shawn was taken aback by Casey's question. Was that what had Casey so wound up today? He was worried about him leaving?

  "Casey, babe," he said gently, "I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon."

  Those gray eyes shot up to meet his. "But you will, won't you? You'll have to go back to your family, to your life."

  "No, I don't. My family knows where I am, and I'm right where I want to be, with you."

  Damn those eyes were expressive, Shawn mused as he took in the confusion, hope, and desire warring within them.

  "But—your job, your—"

  Shawn cut off Casey's protests. "My job I can do anywhere. All I want right now is to be able to write, which I am doing, and to be with you, which I hope you'll continue to allow."

  "Really?" Casey's voice was ridiculously soft, and the hopefulness in it nearly broke Shawn's heart. God, had Casey never felt wanted? Desired? Loved?

  Shawn squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Yes, sweetheart, that's all I want right now."

  "And you don't want to leave here? You'd stay here for me?" Casey seemed to have a hard time believing in Shawn's words.

  "At some point, I'll probably want to leave," Shawn admitted and, of course, regretted it instantly when Casey looked like Shawn had just stomped on his heart. "But when I do, I'm hoping you'd come with me."

  "With you?" Casey looked like he couldn't comprehend leaving the island. Shawn knew that he was close to his uncle and was scared about upsetting or disappointing the man, but he'd hoped that what they had developing between them would be worth it to Casey to fight for.

  "I know you're not ready to think about that," Shawn said gently, "and I'm willing to wait. I'm fine here with you. But someday, I'd love to share part of my world with you. To introduce you to my family. To show you that TV can have more than three channels."

  Casey looked at him stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. "I think I might like that," he finally admitted. "But I'm not sure...I mean, this is all I've ever known, and Uncle Martin he'd never—"

  "Case," Shawn stopped their progress along the beach to take Casey by the shoulders. "Your uncle doesn't own you. You are your own man. I know you love him very much..." Shawn couldn't help but notice a flicker of uncertainty in Casey's face as he continued, "But even he would eventually understand that you might not want to stay here forever. That you might want a life of your own."

  Casey was already shaking his head slightly, but Shawn wasn't sure why. Did he not believe him? Or was he just that afraid of leaving the island?

  "He might not like me much," Shawn admitted, "but he wouldn't deny you your happiness if you decided to come with me, would he?"

  "Actually, he probably would," Casey stated sullenly. "Why do you think I don't want him to know I see you all the time?

  Shawn frowned. "I kinda thought he was just over-protective. You know, like the dad with a shotgun on the porch kinda thing."

  "Except that if he even saw you coming, he'd shoot first and ask your intentions later," Casey stated.

  "Damn, he's worse than I thought," Shawn muttered, stunned. "Well, then we'll just elope." He grinned. "We'll just jump in my jeep and take off, whenever you're ready."

  "I—" Casey faltered. For a second, Shawn saw excitement flood the younger man's features, but then it faded as his hand fluttered to his neck, his fingers toying with the silver chain. "I—I can't."

  Shawn waited for him to elaborate, but Casey just stared past him out to the ocean.

  "Oookay," he drawled, not sure how to take Casey's reluctance to leave with him. "Maybe we can talk more about it later?"

  Casey dropped his gaze, and Shawn was sure he saw the evidence of unshed tears pooling in those smoky eyes. Casey nodded slightly, keeping his face turned from him.

  Shit, what the hell had he said now? Shawn thought.

  He tried to think of something to distract his lover's thoughts. He shifted his gaze over Casey's shoulder, eyeing the craggy rocks that the surf was pounding on.

  "Hey, what's that over there?" Shawn asked, pointing. "It looks like a cave or something."

  ****

  Casey's head jerked around. He hadn't realized how far they had walked. They had managed to round the southern end of the island, and Shawn could now see the edge of his gated cave.

  "It's nothing, just a small cave, that's all," Casey said quickly. "Let's head back in. I think I need another bottle of water."

  "Yeah, sure, just a second. I want to see the cave," Shawn said, grabbing Casey's hand and tugging him along.

  "It's not that interesting."

  "Maybe not to you," Shawn said excitedly, "but I don't get to see that many ocean caves."

  There wasn't much Casey could do now that they were almost there. While it made Casey nervous for Shawn to be seeing his private cage, there was nothing that Shawn would probably find odd about it, except the gate.

  The brunette dropped his hand and he climbed over some rocks at the edge of the cave. Casey stood back and watched Shawn peer through the gate to see into the depths. The waves splashed over the rocks and through the bars in their gentle rhythm as Shawn gripped the bars for support.
>
  "Why is there a gate on it?" Shawn asked.

  Casey jumped down into the wide cove that funneled toward his cavern, floating to the other side as Shawn made his way across the gate as well to see if he could get a better view from the opposite side.

  It didn't take much for Casey to think of an excuse for the gate. "It keeps larger sea animals from getting marooned in there during low tide."

  Shawn looked at him in a bit of confusion, and Casey elaborated. "When it's high tide, the water level is much higher, obviously. And it's possible for a dolphin..." he hesitated mentioning sharks again, "... or something to get in there and then be stuck if they don't get back out before the tide goes down. So the gate keeps them out." Or something like me in, he thought to himself.

  Casey couldn't help but look away, embarrassed now to think about how Shawn might view him if he knew that Casey was often caged in that cavern. He realized now that it made him look more like the animal, the mutant, that he was rather than human. Shit, Shawn would freak out for sure if Casey ever let him find out.

  Martin was right. There was no one else Casey could trust but him.

  "Case?" Shawn called softly, and Casey looked up to see that Shawn was almost right next to him, apparently having given up his exploration of the gated cave. "You okay?"

  "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he said, clearing his throat a bit. He rushed to fill the impending awkward silence before it could develop. "Uncle Martin had it gated and padlocked a few years ago."

  "Hmm, you'd think the salt and water would corrode the lock more," Shawn said as he flipped the padlock with his fingers. "It looks practically new."

  "Well, it is, mostly," Casey admitted. "He changes them pretty often to keep that from happening." Can't have the lock not working when he needed to cage Casey in it, could he? Casey thought ruefully, but then he fought back his new scorn for the cave. It had always been a place of peace for him before, an escape, a way to enjoy being in the crashing ocean waters on the nights of his beloved full moon. But today, seeing it as he knew Shawn would see it if he knew what Casey really was, it seemed different and he hated it.