Beneath the Current Read online

"T-to change," Casey whispered in an almost child-like voice. "Please, sir, I need the moon."

  Shawn frowned. He sincerely hoped Casey wasn't reliving something that had actually happened to him because at first it sounded like he was pleading for someone to stop doing something to him, and that would totally piss Shawn off. But 'to change' and 'needing the moon'...? It didn't really make any sense, but dreams and nightmares sometimes didn't. He shook Casey gently, urging him out of sleep. "Casey, come on, babe, wake up."

  Casey slowly blinked at him, jumping at first that someone else was in his bed. But focus and recognition came quickly and he relaxed in Shawn's arms again. He frowned slightly, wondering why Shawn had woken him.

  "What's wrong?"

  "You were just having a nightmare," Shawn explained, kissing Casey's forehead.

  "Really? I don't usually...well, at least I didn't think I had them much anymore," he said, rubbing his face tiredly as he sank back into the pillow of Shawn's arm. "Did I say anything?"

  "Just some no's and something about changing and needing the moon," Shawn said carelessly. "Do you remember what you were dreaming about?"

  Shawn barely caught a dark frown marring Casey's face before it was buried in his shoulder. "No, not really."

  Shawn chuckled, curling Casey closer. "Maybe you dreamed you were a werewolf," he joked.

  "Maybe," Casey agreed, as he let out a big yawn. "Sorry I woke you."

  "Don't care how often I wake up, as long as you're in my arms," Shawn said, snuggling Casey closer, loving the feel of how the other man's body fit against his so perfectly.

  Casey shifted, throwing a leg over Shawn's. "Thank you," he whispered.

  Shawn frowned in the dark. "For what?"

  "For giving me this time with you."

  The breath caught in Shawn's chest as it sounded ominously like that time was coming to an end. "I'll always be here for you."

  Casey was heavy now on his side, obviously fading quickly back to sleep. His hand petted across Shawn's chest for a moment before going still. "I hope so. Because I... love... you."

  The last words were barely more than a soft whisper on his breath as the man drifted back to sleep, but Shawn stroked the lean planes of Casey's back as he held the man close. "I love you too. So very much."

  ****

  Casey was hot. Like really hot. He squirmed slightly in his bed before he realized why he was so freaking hot.

  Shawn.

  The man was nearly wrapped around him as if protecting him... or keeping him from running away. Casey smiled lazily as he took in all the beautiful golden skin of the man wrapped around him. The dark hair was tousled, and his dark lashes lay peacefully against his cheeks in his sleep. His breathing was deep and even, feathering warm gusts against Casey's shoulder.

  Damn, what a way to wake up.

  Casey knew he probably should move, but he just couldn't. He was already half hard, just waking up from a pleasant dream, and now he was filling out quickly knowing Shawn's naked body was pressed against him. He bit back a moan as Shawn shifted, causing their cocks to rub together. He couldn't help thrusting his hips minutely for the smallest amount of pleasure that he could manage without waking Shawn up.

  With memories of last night's lovemaking floating in his mind, he knew he wouldn't last too long. The night had been so perfect. Even with the small amount of pain at first, Shawn had so carefully guided him through it he barely even remembered it in the onslaught of the delicious orgasm that Shawn had wrung out of him.

  And waking up in Shawn's arms this morning, only made the whole night even more perfect. He'd slept with the man he loved. And he wanted to do it for the rest of his life.

  He felt Shawn shift again, but he was so caught up in finding his pleasure rubbing against Shawn's body that he didn't realize that Shawn's cock had hardened as well and they were now rubbing together.

  Casey sucked in a startled breath when Shawn's arms suddenly tightened around him and his breath became uneven and ragged.

  "Morning," Casey grinned as he reached between them and took both their cocks in his hand and began stroking them together.

  "Oooh, mooorning," Shawn groaned, dropping his head back.

  A few more quick tugs had them both coming nearly together, creating a sticky mess on their stomachs. Casey smiled lazily, kissing Shawn's chin. He was already thinking about just staying here all day.

  Maybe Martin wouldn't notice or care if he didn't see Casey before leaving for the clinic.

  As if summoned by his thoughts, there was a knock on the door and a rattle of the doorknob. Both of them froze instinctively, but Casey wasn't worried about his uncle actually coming in since he'd locked both locks on his door.

  "Casey," Martin's voice called. "Are you still sleeping?"

  "Yeah, I was," Casey called, controlling his voice carefully.

  "Are you sick? Open the door and let me check on you," Martin demanded. "It isn't like you to sleep in so late. Maybe something is actually off with your system and we need to check before—"

  "I'm fine!" Casey yelled cutting of his uncle before he revealed too much to Shawn. "I just stayed up too late reading and listening to my music."

  There was a brief silence from the other side of the door. "I did sort of hear your music later than usual. Think I even fell asleep before you turned it off."

  "I'll be up shortly, I just need to shower first," Casey said, biting back a chuckle as Shawn swirled his finger through the cum coating Casey's stomach.

  "Okay, I'll see you downstairs in a bit."

  They both sighed heavily in relief when they heard Martin's footsteps on the stairs. Then they broke down into fits of laughter.

  "Come on, let's get showered and dressed before I get in any more trouble with the warden," Casey joked, shoving Shawn out the bed.

  ****

  After they had both showered, together, Casey reluctantly left Shawn alone in his room again, even though all he wanted to do was to snuggle back under the covers with him. He'd opened the window as they dressed, allowing the cool morning breeze to blow in, the salty tang in the air caused an anxious twitch in his belly that radiated down his thighs.

  Damn, he could already feel the pull to shift, and the full moon wasn't even until tomorrow night.

  ****

  After having left Shawn with a deep kiss, he'd made his way to the kitchen where his uncle was sitting reading the news on his tablet and drinking his coffee. Casey grabbed a banana and ate it while preparing his own coffee. He felt a bit guilty eating while he knew Shawn was waiting upstairs unable to eat and probably starving as much as he was. But he could feel Martin's eyes on him, studying him like he so often did.

  "You're sure you're okay?" his uncle finally asked.

  Casey was sure his smile was brighter than normal, but he was having a hard time taming his emotions. "Yeah, I'm fine. Really."

  Casey's hand shook slightly as he stirred the sugar and cream into his coffee. Shit, the shifting urge was worse than it had ever been before, probably because he'd denied his mer side its freedom for so much this last month. Between Martin's demands and spending all his free time with Shawn, he had barely shifted maybe five times in all, and some of those had been in the tank.

  Tomorrow night was going to be a bitch to hold back long enough to get to the cove.

  "You're shaking," Martin stated, and Casey clenched his fist closed.

  "I'm just feeling itchy. I haven't shifted that much this month," Casey admitted.

  Martin's eyes pierced him for several long minutes, before he let out a long sigh. "I suspected as much. Your myglobin count is a bit higher this month, but the lack of shifts would account for that. I'll take you out on the boat today, that should take the edge off."

  Casey nearly dropped the mug he was holding. "What?" His uncle never offered to take him out to the open ocean without a secondary purpose.

  "I have a couple of little charts to finish up, then we'll head out. So go change," Marti
n said as he wandered into his study and shut the door.

  Oh crap, Casey breathed. What the hell was he going to do with Shawn? For a moment, he was bitterly disappointed that he wouldn't get to spend the day with Shawn, since his uncle had obviously chosen not to go in to the clinic. But then he secretly praised his uncle for giving him an out. Today and tomorrow would be torture being with Shawn with the urge to shift constantly itching at his skin. He definitely wouldn't be able to go in the water with Shawn.

  But if he was able to go out today for a bit, maybe he could see Shawn later this afternoon. He hoped that maybe Martin was just choosing to go into the clinic a little later than usual rather than not at all.

  He quickly brought his thoughts back to focus, turning to the fridge and grabbed several bottles of juice, cream cheese, and jam, as well as a knife . Then he turned to the counter and grabbed the small bag of bagels as well as several pieces of fruit. He managed to juggle everything back upstairs without his uncle noticing.

  He nearly stumbled into the door, as he called softly for Shawn to open it. There was a long pause before it seemed to open magically, as Shawn kept himself hidden behind it. Casey quickly dumped the makeshift breakfast on the desk as Shawn raised his brows in amusement before locking the door again.

  "I got you some stuff to eat," Casey said breathlessly.

  "I see that," Shawn's voice held a tinge of amusement as he opened a bottle of juice. "What? No coffee?"

  "Well, I couldn't manage—" Casey started seriously, worried he'd offended Shawn in some way.

  "Case, I'm kidding. You've brought a feast," Shawn laughed, then he obviously noted the tenseness in Casey's shoulders. "What's wrong?"

  ****

  Shawn could see the odd twitchiness in Casey's hands as he arranged and rearranged the breakfast offerings. Was he nervous now that they had slept together? He hadn't seemed that way this morning, but maybe, now in the full light of the day, especially after facing his uncle, he was having second thoughts.

  Shawn moved slowly into Casey's space, soothing an arm down his shoulder before catching one shaking hand in his. He smiled slightly as his touch seemed to calm his lover rather than make it worse. That was a good sign, at least. The tenseness in Casey's shoulders seemed to slide out of them, and his hand stilled in Shawn's as Shawn brought the palm up to press a kiss in it.

  "Casey, sweetheart, what's going on? You seem... anxious all of a sudden. Are you upset about last night or this mor—"

  "No!" Casey practically yelled as his head shot up in surprise, his hand clamped down around Shawn's as if he were afraid Shawn was suddenly going to disappear. "No, that's not it," he added softly, leaning into Shawn. "That was... that was... the best night of my life. And morning too," he tacked on with a smirk.

  "Then—"

  "No, it's just some stuff has come up. Uncle Martin wants to go out in the boat this morning."

  "Oh good..." Shawn sighed, glad it wasn't something wrong between them, but then he realized that he wouldn't get to spend the day with Casey today. He'd become spoiled on his daily dose of Casey, and this morning wasn't going to be enough. "Oh, I see," he amended, dejection strong in his voice.

  "I'm sorry," Casey said softly, clutching his hands in tight fists.

  Shawn smiled softly, leaning in to kiss Casey's soft lips. "It's okay. You're his nephew, you're bound to want to spend time with him too."

  "No, not really," Casey muttered back. "But he wants to so I think I should."

  Shawn had the distinct impression that he probably didn't have a choice in the matter either, but it was probably best for Casey to spend a day with his uncle to help cast off any suspicions the man might have. Shawn was sure the man wouldn't be blind to what was going on forever, but if it made Casey happy to put off any confrontation with his uncle, then he'd keep quiet.

  "Don't worry about it. Go, have fun," Shawn said. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

  Casey relaxed a bit more. "After we leave, you'll be able to sneak out back to your house, but in the mean time, eat."

  Shawn picked up a bagel and spread some cream cheese on it as Casey disappeared into the closet, reappearing a few minutes later dressed in his swim shorts and a pair of leather sandals. No matter how often Shawn saw Casey, he would never stop thinking that the man was sexy as hell.

  He grinned as he bit down into his bagel. And that beautiful man was all his.

  Chapter 24

  The minute his uncle had deemed them far enough out, Casey had stripped and dove into the water, the tingling itch that had begun to plague him soothed immediately as he transformed. For some reason, his uncle had allowed him over an hour of freedom, following him idly in the boat instead of calling him back when he strayed too far. Casey thought maybe this little concession was in response to his small demands last night.

  His mer side demanded he forget everything else and just be. It wanted to be free to wander on its own, not be constrained by human demands to be safe. Casey knew most of the reason he was feeling this way was because he'd denied it so long, and with the full moon so damn close, it was almost too hard to ignore.

  But one thing held him back—and it wasn't his uncle's fucking collar. It was Shawn. Thoughts of last night's happiness mingled with the exhilaration of darting through the salty currents beneath the surface. And for a while, he was totally at peace.

  By the time Martin drew him back to reality and demanded they head back, Casey felt a little more at ease in his own skin. While he knew the urge would return in full force tomorrow with the full moon, at least for now he was content enough not to be too fidgety.

  He was vaguely aware of his uncle staring at him a lot, but he didn't care. Even though Martin had taken him out on the boat, presumably to keep Casey somewhat happy, the man was still in a dark mood. Well, darker than usual. Casey wasn't sure exactly why, but he didn't really care either. He actually hoped that the man would still go in to the clinic, and maybe Casey would get to see Shawn again before the full moon. Martin would definitely stay home tomorrow, and Casey wasn't sure he'd want to risk being with Shawn on the full moon anyway. Today would have been risky enough if he hadn't just been able to stretch his tail, so to speak.

  So he was actually a little shocked when Martin did announce after they were docked that he was going in to the clinic for a couple hours. Casey lingered in the kitchen while Martin grabbed his bag and left. Casey was sure the SUV was barely out of sight before he darted out the door and through the woods to the cottage porch.

  He'd found Shawn sitting on his deck, with his feet up and his laptop propped up on his lap. The dark head smiled up at him as he jumped up the steps.

  "I was hoping you might be over," Shawn said as Casey leaned over and kissed him.

  It felt oddly domestic, Casey thought, like coming home.

  "Uncle Martin decided he was going to go in for a couple hours today," Casey said, taking a seat in the other chair. He shifted, figuring now would be a good time to let Shawn know that he wouldn't be able to see him tomorrow. "He, uh, said he isn't going in tomorrow."

  A small frown marred Shawn's sun-bronzed face. "A whole day without seeing you? That's not fair."

  Casey smacked his shoulder playfully. "Very funny."

  Shawn set his laptop aside as he climbed out of his chair. Casey eyed the broad expanse of his chest as it loomed over him before Shawn carefully lowered himself to Casey's lap. Casey felt his breath hitch when Shawn's hands smoothed down his chest, brushing over his pebbled nipples.

  Shawn's voice was low and sultry as he leaned over and planted kisses along Casey's jaw, dropping lower and lower. "Well, I guess I just have to make use of the time I have now."

  Well, damn. Casey wasn't going to argue with that.

  ****

  Casey woke late the next morning again, but this time it wasn't because of being contentedly snuggled against a warm body like it had been yesterday. He'd been fidgety and unable to rest last night, only falling asleep fina
lly out of pure exhaustion. Knowing the full moon was on the horizon, as well as the fact that he wouldn't be able to be with Shawn today, had kept him anxious and restless.

  By the time he wandered down for breakfast, Martin was already cleaning out the coffee pot.

  "What's with the sleeping late?" Martin snapped, obviously already irritated for some reason that Casey wasn't even going to bother asking about.

  "Couldn't sleep. Full moon jitters," he said as an excuse. It was partly true anyway.

  "Hmmm." Martin also looked tired, but Casey couldn't bring himself to really care.

  When his uncle didn't say anything else and just stared at Casey like he used to after Thomas had died, Casey couldn't stand the silence anymore.

  "Looks like some clouds are coming in," Casey remarked as he grabbed a glass and made tea instead.

  Martin just glared at him as he turned to head for his study. Casey gazed after him with a frown.

  "And a jolly good morning to you too," he muttered.

  ****

  Martin ensconced himself in his study all day. He tried working on finalizing details on his paper, but little things distracted him today. The doctoral certificate on the wall. The set of mythology books on the shelf. The silly cup that held his pens and pencils on his desk. The painting of the Rocky Mountains.

  Thomas.

  They were all reminders of Thomas. Of their life together. A life they no longer had.

  He grabbed up the bottle of bourbon from the bottom of his desk drawer. His little aid on days like this. Their anniversary.

  Trying to write the paper and keep his thoughts factual and focused was impossible today when all he wanted was to forget the bastard that had stolen his love's life from him. He shut down the computer, giving up entirely as he poured a generous glass of the amber liquid. It was barely after noon, but he didn't care.

  He settled himself back in his chair, pulling out one of Thomas's favorite books from the book shelf behind him. He could lose himself for a bit, before he had to deal with Casey tonight. He swallowed back a large gulp of the bitter fluid, wincing as it burned his throat. It might hurt now, but he was already hurting. Eventually, he thought, at least it might numb the pain.