Sandcastles & Second Chances Read online

  “And what if you throw me in the water and the papers run a story that they have CCTV footage of me leaving with a tall, handsome stranger?” Diego crossed his arms as if upset, but there was a smirk at his lips.

  “Handsome?” I perked up a bit.

  “That’s what you got out of my abduction story?” He looked flabbergasted and opened and closed his mouth like a fish. Then he laughed and poked me playfully.

  Diego walked ahead of me a little bit. “Okay, let’s go.” Well, he wasn’t quite ready to give himself fully over to me. Like I could blame him. But at least he was willing to hear me out.

  We reached a nice area tucked away from the busy beach. Sitting down on a flat part of the rocky outcrop, I was equal parts anxious and exhilarated. I patted the area beside me, indicating for him to sit down.

  “So I know it’s been a long year. I owe you an explanation and I appreciate you letting me give you one.” I glanced his way.

  His whole body language was far from carefree: a partial scowl and crossed arms as he said, “Keltie, I’ll hear you out, but I can’t guarantee what my reaction will be. You really hurt me back then.”

  I put my hand out to console him but retracted it quickly. I had no right in any case. Plus, he could easily reject me after he listened. I’d just have to move on. Easier said than done.

  “That kiss … our kiss, Diego, it was my first kiss. Ever. And it meant the world to me. I still treasure the memory”—my eyes were closed—“of your soft lips, your dark skin, the softness of the hair at the back of your neck.” My eyes opened and I saw him studying me intently. “But it was also reckless, crazy, and scary to feel so strongly. I just knew I had to try.” Then I met his gaze.

  “You mean our first kiss.” Seeing him twiddle his fingers showed me the first sign of any nervousness I’d seen on his end. There was still something between us even after all this time. Maybe he could feel it too.

  “No, Diego, my first, my only kiss, ah, ever.” My hands seemed to grip my legs enough to leave a bruise.

  “But you’re what, thirty? How’s that?” Then he slapped his hands over his mouth. “I’m terrible. Didn’t mean to judge you like that. I tend to say what I’m thinking and I was taken aback is all.” He patted my leg as if offering reassurance.

  I smiled at him. “Well actually I’m thirty-three, but thanks. I was waiting for the right guy.” I ran my hands through my hair. “I know I had no right, but I was scared. Back then, no one knew I was gay. I’d been in the closet. When I met you, I wanted nothing more than you. Truly. When my assistant knocked at the door, I went into instinctual avoidance tactics.”

  “Wow.”

  “You’re telling me.” I let out a puff of air. Something in me was at peace now. Of course, I’d gone through so much this year, but this right here, telling Diego? It was the most important and last piece of the puzzle.

  “Go on.” He rubbed my knuckles, making me feel more at ease.

  “So, I’ve come out in the past year. It was hard. And unexpected to some.”

  “Before, you had dates? Girlfriends? Or—?”

  “No, just me. I started on the sandcastle circuit helping my dad and then he passed away.” I looked out at the water, instinctively thinking of him. “Anyway, I kept going on my own after that. Ten years or something. Traveling. Competing. I knew I was attracted to men. But that went hand in hand with being petrified to do anything about it. I don’t know. I guess I could have had someone before now, but it just never happened for me. I’m shy as you know, so.”

  “And when people asked you ‘when are you getting married’ or ‘don’t you have a partner’?”

  “Lord knows there were lots of those, but no, my mum has passed away too. And I’m an only child, a lone wolf.”

  “How do I … so I mean, where? Our kiss. What ah?” Diego looked confused.

  I turned to him. “It wasn’t my plan. Completely caught me off guard. But after we connected, how I felt so at ease with you, I knew. I finally was ready to be true to myself. It hasn’t been easy. I mean, look at me.” I trailed off.

  “Okay, I will. Look at you.” He gave me a peck on the cheek.

  “I mean, I don’t know what the epitome of a gay man is, but I don’t exactly embody it—on the outside. But I’m at ease with it all. And the most important part was telling you, Diego. You helped me see my true self. The journey had many ups and downs that I won’t bore you with now, but could we maybe … would you give me a second chance?”

  He leaned over to hug me and I moved so his head was in my lap. We sat there like that for a long time. The sea air swirled around us and had a calming effect. I could hear the babble of the crowd down at the beach we’d left behind.

  Waiting for his response seemed to last an eternity. But I would wait.

  Eventually he sat up and then stood up. “Diego Vega? I believe I owe you a drink,” I said to him. He tried to pull me up I had to have at least fifty pounds on him. So I stood up and admired him before taking his proffered hand. He squeezed it tight as we walked back towards the beach.

  6

  DIEGO

  Keltie’s story was not what I expected. I was ready to be upset, angry, or some other negative emotion. But as I listened, I was blown away by his bravery and courage. That this wonderful man was here with me again, asking me for a second chance, well, I didn’t want to waste another moment.

  We wandered back down the cliff, hand in hand. “Oh, so after I left, did you tell Dylan the real story?” I asked. Everything just clicked into place so effortlessly, it was almost like we’d known each other forever.

  Still looking ahead, he chuckled. “Not exactly. I guess he kinda knew? He saw you leave and gave me many jokes about hotties, one-night stands, and delectable exotic men, which I found quite funny at the time since I’d never spelled it out that I was gay. I guess I hadn’t said that I was straight, either.”

  I rubbed my hands together then. “Can’t wait to meet him for real then. Do we get to tease and antagonize you?”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” He leaned over to kiss me and then pointed to a small food truck that was set up with some tables with umbrellas. “This look good?”

  “Great.” I glanced at my watch. “I’ll have to get to the practice area in an hour or so. You too?”

  “Yeah, true. Dylan will be looking for me, no doubt.”

  “Same with my assistant. It’s like he thinks I need a babysitter.”

  “Well, you did tell me last year about your sense of direction. Or lack thereof.”

  “Oh, of course you remember that.”

  Keltie looked into my eyes and then bent to kiss me. “I remember everything.”

  Had I been in a rom-com movie I would have swooned right there in front of him, hoping he’d catch me. Letting out a sigh, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck.

  As we sat down together the whole atmosphere had changed from earlier. I smiled. Changed for the better. Who knew that I’d be with this man again? I smiled at the thought. He was special. Even when I’d met up with men over the past year it was purely sex, no real connection. I’d thought back to our night many times, even if it had ended badly.

  The menu was brought over and I couldn’t help looking at him like a dog would look at his owner eating dinner and hoping for any scrap to drop.

  “What? Do I have something on my face?” he asked, laughing.

  “No, I was hoping you’d tell me your secret plans for the competition.”

  “And feel the wrath of Dylan. No.” He shook his head and then pointed a finger at me. “And I know that’s not what was on your mind.”

  “You know me so well already. You think so?” I laughed.

  When the waitress came over, we both ordered a Kremsnita—a Croatian custard cream cake and sparkling water.

  “Not to be egotistical”—he stood up—“but I know you can’t resist looking at all this.” He waved his arms up and down his sides.


  My grin reached ear to ear. “Cheeky. But I like it.”

  “For some reason I feel like I can be myself around you. Let down any guard. It’s a rare occurrence. I did even back when you spilled my drink on my crotch. Did you do that on purpose?”

  The waitress came over with our drinks and desserts then. I lifted the glass of water up and pretended to do the same again. “Of course it wasn’t on purpose. I was horrified.” Some nervous laughter bubbled out.

  “You don’t seem the type to embarrass easy. I love that about you.” Keltie’s bite stopped in midair. “Love that … you. Wow I really shouldn’t be allowed to talk.”

  “Your blush is adorable right now.” I wiped some crumbs from my lips with a napkin. “Hate to love you and leave you, but I better get going. Are you coming, too, or will I see you at the practice area?”

  “I’ll see you there. And later?”

  “I shall follow you to your room.” I got up and kissed him. “On one condition: that I don’t get booted out this time.”

  “Sure thing. If you’re positive you won’t get lost trying to find your way there.”

  “Mierda,” I muttered under my breath.

  7

  KELTIE

  “Come on,” Dylan called from the door. I took an extra minute in front of the mirror in my room to check my hair and then thought what was the point. I was going to get hot and messy within the hour anyway. My mind directly wandered to Diego, but no, not that type of thought. We had work to do now on our sculpture.

  Running out the door, I walked next to Dylan. “So I thought we could work on one large turtle and then put smaller animals on his shell and around him? What do you think?” I always valued Dylan’s opinion for this kind of thing.

  “We want to make sure they can tell what it is right away. Do you think a turtle has enough detail for that?”

  I tapped my hand on my chin. “That’s true. Okay, so what about a 3-D view as if you were really scuba diving underwater: flora and fauna, seaweed, fish. We can build it up and have a few layers. That will really give the best visual effect.”

  He clapped his hands together. “Genius. That’s why they call you ‘The King.’”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” My competitive spirit was kicking in as I envisioned the idea. “But we should try to win this one.”

  He pushed his hand in the air in a fist pump. “Yes, beat that Diego Vega after he won last time.”

  “Ah … yeah, about him.” I could feel a blush creep up as my cheeks heated.

  “You didn’t? Oh, you dog. Was it good? Tell me, where did it happen, how—” I shoved my hand over his mouth. “No, even better, did you find out what they’re doing for the competition?”

  I laughed heartily. “Funny, that never even came up. We just click or something. I can’t even explain it. But we are ‘something,’ I guess. I did tell him what happened last year, so I’m just going to take it as it comes. Okay, enough with the third degree.”

  He held his hands up. “Of course. I’m just teasing you.”

  “But I promise you, nothing will get in the way of the competition. We just do our thing as usual.”

  “Oh, totally. No, I never would have thought that. I’m happy if you’re happy. You deserve it.”

  We walked the rest of the way to the sculpting area, both in our own thoughts. Once we arrived, the heat was overwhelming and we hadn’t even started digging or creating anything.

  I put my bag down and went to the small shaded change area to put on sunscreen, then pulled out my Tilley hat. It was hideous but needed in these circumstances. Someone popped in their head and I turned. My face went from stunned to smiling when I saw Diego there. “Oh, hello stranger.”

  “Want me to get your back,” he murmured. As he rubbed the sunscreen on me, I tried not to moan too much or let my erection show.

  “Okay, thank you.” I turned to him. “If you keep going like this, I’ll be walking out to my spot with a huge hard-on.” I bent to kiss him.

  “I’ll stop then, even though I don’t want to. See you after.”

  “See you.” I walked out to our station, trying not to be too overly happy, but it was hard to contain. I was like a child about to go on summer vacation.

  “Aye, happy to start our project, or something else?” Dylan asked me.

  I tapped my nose. “I don’t kiss and tell. Now let’s get to work.”

  “You do know that’s as good as telling me you did kiss, right? But I agree, let’s get to work.”

  For a few hours we worked on carving out the general position of all of the parts of our sculpture with shovels and trowels. Standing up, I grabbed my bottle of water and took huge gulps from it. “Wow, the heat is intense, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, no doubt. Do you want to take a break and then we can come back and work on the finer points? The fun part is coming up. Carving out their eyes, faces, and everything.”

  I glanced around trying to catch Diego’s eye, wondering when they were taking a break.

  He waved at me, then came over. “Want to grab lunch? We’re just about to break.”

  “Yes, sure. Diego, this is Dylan, my assistant. Dylan, Diego.” Thankfully he didn’t make any embarrassing remarks about last year, instead, focusing on the job at hand.

  “Good to officially meet you. You’re so talented.”

  “Hey!” I poked him. “You work for me, remember?”

  “Yes, but did you see what Diego and—what’s your assistant’s name?—created back in Mexico?” He waved to him over at Diego’s station.

  “Leo. Yes, I’m proud of that one, no doubt.” Then he came to stand beside me and when he wrapped his arm around me, I couldn’t help the warm fuzzies that enveloped me. “But Keltie here is a fabulous artist too. Now, we’ll see you later, Dylan.” And he turned us towards the bustling crowd outside of the sand-sculpting area.

  “It’s way too hot. How is your practice run going?” I asked him.

  “I’m used to the heat, but this competition is different, you know.”

  “How so?” I pointed to an outdoor café where we could grab some food and find shade for a little while.

  “You, it’s all your fault.” Diego let out a melodious laugh that was music to my ears. “I’m enjoying it. Going with the flow. Now, I don’t know if that’s for the best or not, competition wise, but”—he reached up to move my hat off my head—“I’m not in my usual intense competitor mode.” He pulled a cloth from his back pocket and patted it along my forehead.

  “That’s funny, because it’s the same for me. All I can think of is you and when I’ll see you or get to spend time with you. It’s scary in some ways because I don’t want to lose my touch.”

  “Oh, I don’t think you will. With me anyway.”

  Sitting down with drinks and sandwiches on the beach, the breeze from the sea air felt like heaven. Diego sat crosslegged beside me. “I can’t believe you can still do that.”

  “A skill, my man, a real skill. Hey is Dylan, ah, gay? I think he has a thing for my Leo.”

  I wiped my chin and finished chewing before I spoke. “Hmm, not too sure. That would be funny, though, wouldn’t it? I’d have to check if Leo is a good guy.”

  We finished eating and Diego leaned back on his forearms. “Wow, I could stay here all day.” He squinted when he looked over at me. “Do I have to go back?”

  “If we don’t, we’ll get the wrath of Dylan and Leo, you realize.” I leaned down to him and kissed him gently. His soft lips felt like heaven. “I don’t want this week to end.”

  Diego smiled up at me. “Me either.” He put his hand on my neck and pulled me in for another kiss. Then he sat up and nestled in to sit in front of me in the sand, his butt at my groin. I draped my arms over his shoulders and leaned my head on his.

  There was buzzing of people chatting and laughing around us, but to me, it was as if we were the only two in our own little bubble. I checked my watch. “Unfortunately, we better get back or Dylan
will be over here ‘accidentally’ kicking sand into our laps.”

  “Tonight, after, do you want to come over.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” I pulled him up to a standing position. “I’ll ask Leo for the directions though.”

  8

  DIEGO

  I waited anxiously then I heard a knock at the door. I knew who it was. Leo had gone to a club or something and I’d made sure there’d be no impromptu visitors. And there’d definitely be no repeat of last year—of anyone leaving or being shooed out with no explanation. As soon as I opened the door, a handsome Keltie filled my view.

  “Come in,” I said, and as I pushed the door to close and lock it, he grabbed me and kissed me long and hard, taking control. I leaned into Keltie, enjoying this side of him.

  Keltie moved me so my back was against the wall and massaged the front of my shorts. “Is this okay?” He nibbled my ear. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day. Watching you work after we parted at lunch was like a sweet torture.”

  “More than okay.” I rubbed at his bulge and then moved to lift his shirt off. Caressing his abs and chest, I let out a sigh. “We’ll do anything you want. As much or as little,” I reassured him.”

  “I, I want it all. I just don’t fully know what I’m doing.” He was endearing and enthusiastic.

  “Well then, practice makes perfect, doesn’t it?” I pulled him over to the huge sectional sofa that took up a large portion of the main room. It was luxurious and sexy.

  Keltie pulled himself up onto the cushions and started to remove his shorts. His large cock burst out and stood at attention. It was as if he knew what I was thinking without any spoken words between us. He licked his lips. “I want … Diego, please …”

  That was my cue and as I pushed off my shorts, I heard Keltie growl; I’d gone commando when I got back to the hotel earlier. Crawling up between his legs, I took his cock in my mouth and sucked him down so deeply that it touched the back of my throat. He barely fit but after I took a breath, I wrapped around him again. Then I began moving up and down on his shaft.