ModelLove (4 page)

He grew tired of being that, so he’d stopped entertaining
tourists’ advances. Ian, though, was different. For one,
he’d
been the
one to approach Ian first.
He
was the one who asked Ian on a date. Why?
What was it that made him break his rule?

For as attractive as Ian was, he knew it was more than
looks. He was drawn to Ian. There was something about him. The sadness in those
gray eyes? The sense that Ian needed…something, someone? It was all so hard to
explain and he couldn’t quite put into words yet. He felt it inside, his gut
and instincts guiding him. If he’d learned one thing through his life, it was
to trust where his instincts wanted to lead him.

He shook the thoughts away. All things to be pondered later.
Even if being a good time for Ian was all he could be, it would be nice to have
some company for a while.

Temaru stood from putting away a line and turned to him.
“And now you look beyond amazing.”

Ian lowered his gaze, but quickly raised it again to meet
Temaru’s. “I’m nowhere near in the kind of shape you are.”

Temaru saw Ian’s self-consciousness in his eyes, heard it in
his voice. The urge to hold Ian and reassure him moved through his heart. Ian
needed both of those things. He was sure of it. “But I like your shape because
it’s yours.” He held a hand up toward him. “Welcome aboard.”

Ian took Temaru’s offered hand. The fifteen-foot skiff
rocked with the waves as he stepped into it. He placed his other hand on
Temaru’s waist to steady himself. As the boat rolled, his body swayed forward
and bumped lightly into Temaru. Temaru’s warm breath washed over Ian’s lips. He
took in Temaru’s scent again, that intoxicating fragrance of flowers, coconuts
and masculinity. It was the final thing to unravel his control.

Ian angled his head, closing his eyes as he touched his lips
to Temaru’s in a soft kiss. A low groan of pleasure rumbled in Temaru’s throat.
Ian wrapped his other arm around him, pulling him closer. As their bodies
pressed together, Ian parted his lips. Temaru copied the movement, easing his
tongue into Ian’s mouth.

Ian surrendered to Temaru, letting him take possession of
his mouth and tongue. Temaru sucked Ian’s tongue, only to release it and thrust
into Ian’s mouth again and again.

Ian moaned softly. He pressed tighter to him and felt
Temaru’s hard cock against his own. He wanted to give all of his body to
Temaru, to drop to the boat’s floor and let Temaru have him in any way he
wanted him.

The kiss drew to a slow end. Ian noticed he was breathing
quicker. “I’ve never been kissed breathless before.”

Temaru lightly nipped Ian’s bottom lip. “Haven’t you kissed
many people?”

“I think I’ve probably kissed too many, but from how you
just kissed me, I’m thinking I haven’t been getting kissed right.”

“Then I’ll have to do it a lot more to catch you up on what
you’ve been missing.” As if to prove his words, Temaru kissed him again.

This time, Ian wanted to leave Temaru breathless and took
control of the kiss. He massaged Temaru’s tongue with his own. As he drew his
tongue back, he sucked on Temaru’s. He eased the kiss to an end and felt
Temaru’s fast breath against his lips.

Temaru gave him another light kiss. “And now you’re the one
leaving me breathless.”

“I’m glad I could return the favor.”

Temaru smiled and took a step back. “You’re going to make me
forget about diving with wanting to do other things instead.”

Ian moved behind Temaru and wrapped his arms around him. “I
hope you won’t be offended if I say I’m a little more interested in the other things.”

Temaru loosened one of the lines tying the skiff to the
dock. “Not at all. I’d actually be more offended if you weren’t.”

“But you’re still going to make me go diving, aren’t you?”

Temaru leaned back, pushing his ass into Ian’s crotch. “I’d
never make you do anything you don’t want to do. But for me, I usually prefer
to do
it
after I’ve spent time with someone.”

Ian bowed his head, kissing Temaru’s shoulder. “How much
time are we talking here?”

Temaru reached back with one hand and caressed Ian’s ass.
“For you? I doubt I’ll make it more than two more hours before I need to throw
my naked self at you.”

“That long, huh?” Ian let out an exaggerated sigh, his voice
carrying a joking tone. “I guess I might as well get to know you while I wait
for the time to pass.”

Temaru laughed, giving him a light shove on the chest.
“That’s very gracious.”

“Well, I
am
a gentleman. Minus the whole part just
now of trying to hump you as soon as you came close to me.”

Temaru laughed harder. “Actually, that’s one of the reasons
I said you were gracious.”

Smiling, Ian watched Temaru finish taking in the lines from
the dock. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just relax and continue testing my willpower by looking so
good.”

Ian sat on the bench that ran across the back of the skiff.
“Relaxing I can do. Looking good? Well…” He let the sentence hang to show his
doubt.

Temaru sat on the middle bench and took up the oars, rowing
the skiff away from the dock. “You’re too hard on yourself.”

“It’s a habit I developed a long time ago.”

“Sounds like another one that needs to be broken, like
chewing your fingernails.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“I know I am. You’re too beautiful to view yourself so
poorly.”

Ian stared at Temaru’s back, made speechless by the
compliment. He found enough of his voice to mumble a hushed “Thanks.”

Temaru nodded slightly, showing he’d heard.

Ian gazed at Temaru’s back muscles working as he rowed. It
was no wonder Temaru was in such stunning condition. He spent his time rowing a
boat and swimming all day. Ian flicked his gaze up to the island. And it also
wasn’t surprising Temaru had such a calm, kind and gentle way about him. Who
wouldn’t be happy waking to the songs of tropical birds and walking white sand
beaches to work every day?

“You’ve gotten quiet,” Temaru said.

Ian brought his attention back to him. “Sorry. I was just
admiring everything. I’m starting to think it’s going to be really hard to
leave here.”

“It is for a lot of people. I guess that’s why I never
left.”

“Didn’t you grow up here?”

Temaru shook his head and put up the oars. He stood, going
to the sail and preparing it. “I was born in Tahiti, much to my father’s
dismay. He’s a French diplomat and works at the French embassy there. He wanted
my mother to have me in France, closer to his family. She refused, wanting me
to be born on the island she loves and near her family. I grew up between both
places and when it was time for me to go to university, I started at a school
in Paris. It didn’t last long.”

“Why not?”

“I was studying political science, because my father wanted
me to go into politics like him, but I hated it. Every single thing about it.
So after two years, I dropped out and came back. My father was furious and he
still holds a grudge against me. It’s just one of many things in my life he
doesn’t agree with. My mother is proud of me, though. She said the islands are
too deep in my blood to ever leave them and I think she’s right.” Temaru paused
in adjusting the sail to look at Ian. “And can you picture me wearing a suit
every day? I start to itch just thinking about.”

Ian’s gaze roamed over Temaru’s torso. “Suits can be sexy,
but yeah, I think I prefer you how you’re dressed now. Or in less.”

Temaru grinned and turned back to the sail. “You’ll get me
wearing less a lot easier than trying to put me in a suit.”

“I like hearing that. And I have to agree even more that it
was a good thing you got away from government before it could suck the life out
of you. I think you’re doing exactly what you should be doing.”

With the sail secured, Temaru moved to the back of the skiff
and took a seat on the bench, one hand on the rudder as he guided the boat
along the coastline. “I think so too. But what about you? You said you don’t
model anymore. What do you do now?”

Ian cleared his throat and glanced away from Temaru. “I’m a
waiter.”

“You don’t sound like you enjoy it much.”

“I don’t. But it’s a job and I have to do something to keep
a roof over my head. Unfortunately, when I was modeling, I was painfully stupid
with my money. I thought I was king of the world and my cash flow would never
end. I didn’t save a damn thing, just blew through it all on partying, booze,
clothes and now I don’t have anything to show for it.”

“How long has it been since you stopped modeling?”

“Three years. I started in my early twenties, hit my peak in
my mid-twenties.”

“Then you were very young while you were modeling. It’s not
surprising you felt it would never end. We all have that stage in our lives
where we think we’re immortal and unconquerable.”

“Yeah, well, reality slapped me pretty fucking hard to show
me how untrue that is.”

Temaru sat quiet.

“Go ahead and ask.”

Temaru glanced at him. “How’d you know there was something I
wanted to ask?”

“You took a breath like you were about to say something,
then you were holding it like you’d stopped yourself.”

Temaru leaned against him. “Already getting to know my
habits?”

Ian draped an arm around Temaru’s shoulders. “It was a
pretty obvious one.”

“But it still shows you were paying attention. I wanted to
ask, did modeling go that badly for you? Looking at you, I can’t picture you
being anything but successful at it.”

“There are different levels of modeling. There are models
who you see doing everyday jobs, like presenting a chair in an office-supply
catalog. Then there are the elite jobs, walking runways around the world, being
shot by top photographers, doing editorials and campaigns for the upper echelon
designers. And just about everything in between.”

“What level of model were you?”

Ian paused for a long moment. His voice came quieter as he
spoke again. “I was one of the elite.”

“I guess it shows how unfashionable I am that I didn’t
recognize you.”

Ian shook his head. “My last job was a little more than
three years ago. That’s ancient history in the modeling world and I doubt
anyone in that world would even still remember me. That’s the thing with it.
There’s always someone newer, younger, hotter, on the rise and ready to knock
you off the runway.”

“It sounds very competitive.”

“It is.”

“Is that why you stopped doing it?’

Ian fell silent.

Temaru rested a hand on Ian’s thigh. “I’m sorry. You don’t
have to talk about it.”

Ian took a deep breath. “It’s just…it’s hard talking about
it. I
should
talk about it, I know that. Doesn’t make it any easier to
do it, though. But no, I didn’t leave modeling because it was competitive. Back
then, I loved that about it and the pressure of it. Probably because I knew I
was one of the best. I was cocky, always throwing around attitude and that’s
what got me jobs, because that confidence came through the camera. Now I’m just
a ghost of that man.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Ian met his gaze. “Tonight, when you go home, do an Internet
search of my name. You can still find shots of my old campaigns and editorials,
since nothing dies on the Internet. You’ll see when you look at them.”

Temaru touched his lips to Ian’s cheek in a soft kiss and
whispered, “No matter what I see, I’ll still think you’re more than a ghost.”

Ian turned his head toward him, burying his nose in Temaru’s
hair. The scent of him brought instant calm. “Thanks.”

Temaru gave him another soft kiss and lifted his head.
“We’re here.” He looked at Ian, lifting his voice to be cheerier. “Are you
ready?”

Ian called up a smile, trying to push down his somber
emotions. “Hell yes. Since the sooner I go down with you, the sooner I can go
down on you, right?”

Temaru laughed. “Absolutely.”

Ian stood and held his hands down to Temaru. “Then let’s get
to it.”

Temaru took Ian’s hands, letting Ian pull him to his feet.
He adjusted the sail to slow the boat, took it in and dropped the anchor.

Ian watched him hoist the half-blue, half-white
international alpha flag that warned other seafarers of divers in the water.
Along with it, Temaru raised a red flag with a white stripe slashed diagonally
that was the North American signal for
divers down
as an extra
precaution, probably because many North American tourists would be more
familiar with it. All those times thinking he was going to fall asleep during
the classroom and book portions of his diving lessons with Aiden paid off. He
had actually learned something in knowing the flags and their significance.

Ian pulled the top half of his suit on. “I didn’t think you
needed to wear a wetsuit diving in the tropics.”

“The water is a bit chilly this time of year and it’s good to
protect against scratches and curious nibbling fish.” Temaru smirked at him.
“Would you prefer diving naked?”

“It was an idea until you mentioned curious nibbling fish.”
Ian turned his back to him. “Zip me up?”

Temaru stepped behind him, his gaze locking on a tattoo of
intricate Celtic knotwork on Ian’s back between his shoulder blades. He touched
his fingers to it. “This is very cool.”

“Thanks. I got it years ago during a job in Ireland. I loved
it there and got really wrapped up in the culture and history. And I’ll admit I
was a little drunk when I got it.”

“At least you still made a good choice.” Temaru took the
zipper pull in the fingers of one hand and rested his other on Ian’s hip. He
tugged at the zipper as if it were stuck. “Hmm, it won’t go. Perhaps if I get
better leverage…” He moved his hand to Ian’s ass and placed his palm squarely
on it. He clamped his fingers into one cheek in a firm squeeze and drew the
zipper up. “There it goes.”