"You're looking a little red there, brah," Kono commented to Danny as they strode through the shallow waves toward shore. They'd spent the day on the ocean, as Danny was determined to learn to surf with Grace, despite disliking most things beach related. "You did wear sunscreen, right?"
He raised a brow at her. "Of course. I'm not a masochist, but I think the sun here is closer to us than it is in Jersey…and how is it possible that my shoulders feel burnt? I spent the entire day falling ass over tea kettle into the water!"
Like all new surfers, Danny had fallen off his board…a lot. His hair was a mess, his face and shoulders glowing a rosy red and his board shorts (she'd taken him shopping so as to avoid another appearance of the cut-off jeans) hung low on his hips, revealing a tantalizing iliac crest…
Yeah, she liked seeing Danny a little ruffled.
Giving herself a mental shake, Kono wondered if mentioning that Hawaii was, in fact, closer to the equator than New Jersey would actually make his head explode. As discretion was the better part of valor, she simply said, "C'mon, I've got some aloe at my place."
Danny made a relieved sound and said, "You are officially my hero."
She grinned and, after wiping down their boards, they made their way to her house. As promised, she had a large bottle of aloe and, after finding it, she held it up to Danny and asked, "Why'd you even bother putting on your shirt?"
Gingerly peeling off his T-shirt, Danny replied, "Unlike someone of our shared acquaintance, I prefer keeping my clothes on in public."
The little voice in her head, the one that caused trouble by encouraging her to do things like put her foot in her mouth, though that was a shame, but her brain to mouth filter was working today, so instead she just said, "Sit down."
Before leaving to hunt for the aloe, she'd laid a dry towel over the couch cushions. Danny lowered himself onto it, saying, "I can manage this myself, Kono. Not that I don't appreciate the help, but…"
"Hey, I got this," she said, laying a hand gently on his shoulder. The skin radiated heat against her palm. "You got burned up."
When she applied the first palm full of the lotion to his shoulders, he gasped, drawing a sharp breath and stiffening. She paused, feeling his muscles twitching under the skin, but, when he offered no further protest, she continued, smearing the green goo down his back.
Little by little, he relaxed into her touch, making the occasional, happy noise, so she figured he was enjoying himself. Shifting the position of her hands, Kono placed her thumbs on either side of his vertebrae, where the neck and skull met. Fingertips under his ears and along his jaw line, she began to apply pressure in small circles, that grew wider and wider as his muscles loosened and relaxed..
Five minutes later found her hands supporting the weight of his head, able to roll it side to side without any resistance. She turned it slightly, peeking at his relaxed profile. The long, blond lashes rested on his cheekbones as he dozed. Gently, she eased his chin to his chest, so as to have better access to his shoulders.
Her thumbs followed his spine, fingers manipulating the muscles within their reach, careful not to stray too far in the direction any overly burned skin. She took extra care to seek the knots that had formed around his shoulder blades. Some of them seemed to be nearly the size of her fist and were stubborn, took a lot of pressure and repetition to release. When she reached the base of his spine, her hands lingered to massage the lower back, tight, tense muscles telling her he carried a lot of stress there. He stirred a bit, then she applied herself to the knots hidden deep in the trapezoid muscles. His torso sagged, lower and lower, as his muscles relaxed in response to her ministrations.
Impulsively, she pulled him back against her torso, his head against her stomach, shoulders resting on her thighs as she slipped her hands down his chest to his pectoral muscles. Kono drew lazy circles with her fingers, before pressing hard and deep into the tight muscle. She could feel his chest hair tugging on her calluses, an additional hint of friction against her fingers. His head rubbed against her abdomen, adding sensation layered upon sensation.
A purely friendly gesture had taken a decidedly erotic turn, but she caught herself before passing her thumbs over his nipples. She breathed deeply, bikini clad breasts rising and falling just above his eyes. She looked down to meet his gaze, hazy and sleepy, but there was definitely lust there as well. She knew he was seeing the same thing as he looked at her.
Minus the sleepiness.
She was wide awake.
"Hey," he murmured, blinking up at her. Rarely had she heard him use such a quiet tone, but it was like he feared breaking the spell that seemed to have fallen over them.
Looking down at him, Kono bit her lip and noted (with not a little pleasure) that Danny's eyes tracked the movement. "This okay?" she asked, allowing her fingernails scrape lightly over the curve of his pecs.
"More than okay," he replied, catching her hands and drawing one up to plant a kiss on her knuckles. "So long as I can return the favor when I can move my upper body without feeling like my skin's gonna crack."
Kono grinned and leaned forwards, curving her spine so she could almost brush her nose against his. "I'm going to hold you to that."
The End….or the beginning.
Comments, pretty please?