Chapter 16

Casey passed the next several days in a haze--a lust-filled, contented haze. He didn't care what his uncle's attitude was like, or whether the man snipped at him for not having dinner ready on time. Because the thought of being in Shawn's arms during those few hours they had together each day carried him through the drudgery of his uncle's disdain. Sometimes, Casey felt like he couldn't get enough of Shawn. He craved Shawn's touch, and he had wondered if Shawn was right in that he might just be aching for any touch of affection.

And Casey had to admit that maybe that first day on the couch that Shawn might have had a point. Maybe he had just wanted to be touched, held, and he'd let his emotions get away from him. But over the last few days that feeling had changed. Because he'd spent time thinking over what he felt for Shawn, and it was more than just a base urge that anyone could fill. He didn't get aroused thinking of other men like he did before--okay, well, maybe just a little--but with Shawn, he felt whole, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.

Casey not only felt safe in Shawn's arms, but he felt cherished, maybe even... loved.

Each day, he couldn't wait to be with the man, not just because Shawn offered companionship, but because Shawn completed him in a way he hadn't known he was missing.

He'd nearly choked, though, when Shawn had asked him about the locked silver chain around his neck a few days ago. It didn't occur to him that Shawn might wonder about it.

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"So," Casey listened to the rumble of Shawn's voice from where it vibrated from under his head that was laying on the man's chest. He could feel the man's fingers rubbing soothing circles on his back from where Casey had sprawled on top of him on the couch. Neither one of them had shirts on, each enjoying the sensual play of skin against skin. He felt fingers slide up his spine, and he shivered, his cock responding to Shawn's touch as it did every time.

He didn't even notice when Shawn's fingers slipped under the silver padlocked choker at the back of his neck.

"So, I've noticed you never take this off, even while swimming," Shawn's breath ghosted over the top of his head, and Casey stiffened as he felt the chain tug slightly at his throat. "Is it a fashion statement that I can talk you out of? Or something more?"

Casey's hand had been splayed across Shawn's chest, and he slowly slid it down the ripped planes of Shawn's abs, attempting to distract the man. He would have sworn it was working with the ripple of muscles under his fingertips and the soft moan from Shawn's lips. But then Shawn's other hand caught his wrist.

"That's not going to work," Shawn growled.

Casey smirked and peered up at him through his soft sandy bangs. "You haven't even given it a chance yet."

"Yeah, I know, that's my point. You're avoiding the question again," Shawn stated.

And Casey sighed heavily. He'd managed to successfully use the tactic when Shawn had asked him about Thomas yesterday. Casey hadn't been ready for Shawn to judge him, to know that he'd been responsible for his uncle's death. It was too raw, too painful to imagine what Shawn would think of him. Much like he was certain Shawn would be disgusted if he ever found out that he'd been screwing around with a mutant.

"It--it... was given to me by my uncle," he managed to say, hoping Shawn wouldn't demand more of an explanation.

"Your Uncle Thomas?" Shawn guessed, "Is that why you don't take it off, because you feel closer to him that way?"

Casey found himself nodding, lying to the man he was slowly coming to realize that he might love. Could he be a more horrible person? But there was no way he could tell Shawn the true nature of the choker collar.

The hand at his back slid back to running patterns around his spine as Shawn released his wrist and allowed Casey to flatten his hand on the hard abs below it.

"You loved him a lot, didn't you?" Shawn prompted. And with that the dam broke.

Casey found himself babbling the entire story (minus his mer side) of Thomas's death--of him getting caught in the fishing net, after Casey had insisted they go out boating that day, that he'd been playing around and hadn't seen that Thomas was in trouble sooner. And Thomas had suffered for it.

Tears streaked his face, slicking Shawn's tanned skin under him before Shawn grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him up, forcing Casey to meet his eyes.

"Fuck, Casey," Shawn breathed, and Casey noticed the red-rimmed, glassy look of those blue eyes staring at him in shock. He wanted to curl away from the accusations he was sure would come next, but Shawn held him firmly. "You are not responsible for his death, you know that, right?"

But Casey was already shaking his head.

Shawn gripped his chin to stop his self-guilt before it ran rampant as Shawn obviously noticed it was threatening to do. "No, damn it. Listen to me. It was an accident. No one could have known that would happen, least of all a fifteen year old kid."

"No, Uncle Martin said--"

"Screw your Uncle Martin!" Shawn snapped, jolting Casey from his guilt-fogged brain. "Fuck, Casey, you saved your uncle from fucking drowning! It's not your fault he suffered from that decompression whatever. He told you he was fine. You were a kid! There's no way you could have known something like that might happen. If anything, when Thomas was still feeling ill, he should have gone earlier to get checked out."

Casey found himself searching those blue eyes for lies. Why was Shawn saying this? Why was he lying like that?

But there weren't any. And Casey's aching heart was suddenly latching on to that hope, that thought, that maybe... maybe he wasn't quite as responsible as he'd always thought--as Uncle Martin had always told him.

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That had been three days ago. And he'd never felt freer than when he'd fallen apart in Shawn's arms, the strong embrace holding together the pieces, so that when he'd finally crawled out of the dark place he'd been for so long, someone was there to put him back together.

So yesterday when Uncle Martin had decided that they needed to go pearl hunting, Casey had nearly revolted. But he had managed to hold himself in check before he gave himself away to his uncle. He didn't want to go out on the boat with his uncle, afraid that the man would somehow ruin what little hope he'd finally found in this pathetic life. He was upset that he had no way to let Shawn know that he wouldn't be coming, and he hoped that Shawn understood.

Fortunately, Casey had noticed Shawn on his deck as Martin maneuvered the boat north toward the best oyster beds. They'd had to pass Shawn's end of the island, and Casey could feel Shawn's blue eyes following him. At least, Shawn had seen him leaving with Martin, so he'd know that Casey hadn't just decided not to come by.

In the past, pearl diving had become one of his favorite things as it was one of the few times that Uncle Martin would take the boat out, and he could hope that his uncle would give him a little open-ocean swim time. The dark quiet of the depths further from shore were mesmerizing, so different from the coral reefs close to shore. He often felt more a peace there.

But yesterday, it hadn't been the same. He had wanted nothing more than to collect enough pearls and be done with it. Being in Uncle Martin's presence lately for more than an hour was more tedious than it had ever been before. The icy, cold demeanor of his uncle grated on him more and more each day, and he found himself retreating to his room whenever his uncle was in the house.

So after missing even just the one day with Shawn, Casey had nearly ran over to the cottage today as soon as Martin had left. Casey hadn't even given Shawn a chance to say anything when he opened the door--he just grabbed Shawn by the neck and hauled him close for a deep kiss, leaving them both breathless. An instant later, Shawn had him pinned against the wall.

"So where were you and your uncle off to yesterday?" Shawn asked him as they made their way down to the beach after an intense make out session where Shawn had devoured Casey against the wall.

It had been a couple days since they'd done any swimming, so today they decided to take a break from the couch. Some days they spent in Shawn's cabin curled up on the couch, others they hung out on the beach or did some swimming. Of course, they hadn't seen each other at all yesterday because of Martin's impromptu trip to the oyster beds. Fortunately, it had been relatively benign and quiet. His uncle obviously hadn't been in the mood to berate him too much, and as he'd shifted, he relished the feel of the salty waters soothing him.

Casey did have to admit that the trip at least relieved his itch to shift in the open waters of the ocean. Since spending so much time with Shawn and getting caught that one morning by Martin, he'd stuck to using the tank to tame the urges. But the full moon was approaching next week, and he could practically feel the need to soar through the waters vibrating through him, especially since he'd forced himself to tame the urge lately.

"Case?" Shawn looked over at him when he hadn't answered right away.

"Oh, he took me pearl diving," Casey threw back over his shoulder as he laid out his towel.

"Pearl diving? Really?" And Casey heard Shawn's voice pitch up in interest.

Casey smiled. "Yeah. We go about once a month or so."

"That's so cool," Shawn said in genuine awe. "So you like actually dive down and bring up real clams and get pearls from them."

"Oysters," Casey corrected. "Most pearls come from oysters not clams."

Shawn gave him that look that said he was going overboard again with the picky semantics, since Shawn wouldn't know the difference between a clam or an oyster anyway.

"Okay, sorry," Casey laughed.

"I didn't know that you scuba dive too," Shawn said as he finished rubbing sun block on his arms. He automatically handed the tube over to Casey to get his back. Normally, Shawn used the spray stuff so he could get his back himself, so Casey grinned at the thought that maybe Shawn had purposefully chosen the lotion kind instead.

Casey took the lotion, squirting out a bit and smoothing it over Shawn's strong back. He'd already explored every inch of Shawn's back and chest and neck and...well, pretty much everything above the man's board shorts, so as his hands mapped over the smooth skin now, blood rushed south at the tantalizing feel of Shawn's body under his fingertips. His fingers followed the length of the man's spine to the small hollow that disappeared beneath the low hanging swim trunks. He so wanted to continue following that line to...

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"Case?" Shawn questioned when he didn't get a response to his statement about scuba diving. Shawn smirked at the smaller man who was lost in the task of smoothing on the sun block--really well. "Guess you're not thinking about diving?"

Casey shoved him playfully on the back of the shoulder. "Screw you. What do you expect when you ask me to rub fucking lotion all over you?"

Shawn laughingly started wriggling his hips, dancing and singing, "If you want my body, and you think I'm sexy, come on honey let me know..."

"That's so not fair," Casey gasped out while cracking up.

"...If you really need me," Shawn continued shaking his ass at Casey, "...just reach out and touch me, come on--"

Shawn gasped when Casey's arms wrapped around his torso, Casey's bare chest pressed up against his back. Those lotion-slicked hands slid over his chest before sliding down his ribs and snaking into the waist band of his swim trunks. Shawn sucked in a sharp breath.

"How's this for 'letting you know'?" Casey's hot breath whispered in his ear.

"Shit, Casey..." Shawn groaned, dropping his head back on Casey's shoulder, as fingers slid dangerously close to his cock. When a firm grip took control of his arousal, he bucked in the tight hold. "Fuck!"

He could practically hear Casey smiling, if that was even possible, from the small chuckle in his ear. But he couldn't focus anymore on anything except the torturously slow grip stroking him. His hands blindly fumbled for something to grab on to, to anchor him before he lost all control, and he finally reached behind him just far enough to get a grip on Casey's swim suit. He grabbed fistfuls of the fabric, yanking the man closer, pinning his hips against his ass.

The deep moan that elicited from Casey told him at least he wasn't the only one so fucking turned on. His cock popped from the restraining fabric of his swim shorts, a thumb swiping over the head at the pearly fluid leaking from it. A deep groan was dragged out of him, and he kept shifting his hips for more friction, encouraging Casey to move faster.

"Oh, God, Casey..." Movements became faster. He felt Casey's skin sliding across his, and Casey's cock was rubbing against him, seeking its own pleasure. Casey abruptly gasped, as his teeth dug into Shawn's shoulder, and Shawn knew Casey had just come while rubbing off on him. The image of that pushed Shawn over the edge.

He was suddenly chasing his orgasm in Casey's hand, grunting as he arched into the man holding him, and shooting cum out like a small fountain to land in the sand in front of him.

"Shawn..." Casey groaned against his shoulder.

"Shit, Casey," Shawn mumbled, rolling his head to Casey's on his shoulder. He'd swear if they weren't propped up against each other, they'd probably both be collapsed on the ground. They stood like that for several long moments, each trying to get their breathing back to normal. Shawn realized that, at some point, Casey had moved his hand and both of the man's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist now.

"I can't believe you just did that," Shawn finally was able to mutter more than just Casey's name and a few curse words, now that his brain wasn't being short-circuited anymore.

When Casey didn't respond immediately, Shawn studied his lover's face more closely. The uncertainty Casey's face had him frowning. "Casey?"

"W-was that..." Casey started but didn't seem to be able to find the words for what he wanted to say. Shawn abruptly realized that maybe now that the sexual tension had been released, Casey might be having doubts.

Shawn turned abruptly in his arms, his hands cupping the smaller man's face. He could see the apprehension in the bright gray eyes. Shawn smiled, leaning in to kiss those delicious pink lips. He delved into the sweet moistness, cupping the back of Casey's head.

Instantly, the tension in Casey's lean body dissolved, and Shawn could feel Casey's heart pounding against his.

When they finally broke apart to breathe, Casey's distress was fading fast to hopefulness. "So it was...?"

"Hell, Casey, do you even have to ask?" Shawn groaned, as he ground his hips against Casey's.

A small smile appeared. "So you didn't mind?"

"Mind? Are you crazy? Why the hell would I mind?"

"Well, you know," Casey's voice took on a teasing tone, "You stopped me before because you thought it was too soon."

Shawn tightened his grip on the smaller man. "I stopped you before because I wanted you to be sure it was me you really wanted," he growled softly, kissing Casey on the nose.

"So... if I'm sure now?"

Shawn pretended to think about it. "Well, you've probably had enough cooling down time, since it's been over a week, to make a more informed decision."

Casey snorted, "I wouldn't call it 'cooling down' time."

Shawn laughed. "Good, because I was boiling over too."

"Kiss me again," Casey demanded. "Please."

"Aww, baby, that's never a burden," Shawn said, leaning down to kiss those sweet lips again.

Finally, they pulled back a bit, each knowing they'd crossed another milestone in their tentative relationship. The squeeze from Casey hand told him everything he needed to know--Casey was his now, if he was willing to hold on to him.

"Come on," Shawn said grinning, "Let's get you cleaned up."

Casey glanced down, blushing furiously. "You knew that I...?"

"Came?" Shawn finished with a smirk. "Hell, yeah, if you didn't, that was some fucking act."

Golden wisps fell over those gray eyes that Shawn couldn't get enough of. "Shit, that's so embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? What the hell for? I came all over the freaking sand here." Shawn threw his arms wide, looking around the empty beach. "Who the hell's going to see? That's the beauty of this place. It's just ours. Fuck, we could swim naked if we wanted." He suddenly pinned his gaze on Casey's. "And I know you like to."

Casey chuckled, still embarrassed that Shawn had previously seen him naked before they'd even met. Laughing, they both shucked their swim trunks and ran towards the surf. They chased each other a few times up and down the shoreline before finally stopping to rest.

"So," Shawn finally asked after they'd both regained their breath, "Can you teach me to dive too?"

Casey looked at him in confusion. Dive? What the hell was he talking about?

Shawn apparently noticed his confusion and frowned. "You know, scuba dive? Like you were doing yesterday when you went hunting pearls in oysters."

Casey laughed abruptly. "I don't scuba dive. I just dive. You know, hold my breath and go."

"You--?" But Shawn cut himself off, obviously surprised. "Really? You can do that?"

"Well, yeah." Casey grinned.

Shawn was shaking his head. "Damn. I knew you could hold your breath longer than most, but man..."

"How do you think pearls were collected in the past?" Casey asked. "You know, before ships and oyster farms."

Shawn narrowed his eyes at Casey's logic. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it much," he ground out. Then he suddenly grinned. "Maybe one day we'll figure out a better use of that awesome breath-holding skill of yours."

Casey looked over at him in confusion for a second until Shawn wriggled his eyebrows. Ohh. Casey found himself blushing again as he realized another one of his fantasies might be dawning on the horizon sooner than he'd thought.