Read Online Don't Read in the Closet: Volume Four by Various Authors - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Various Authors
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At dinner on
Friday night, Takumi felt relaxed enough to joke and laugh as if with
a close friend. It was only after he went to bed, alone again, that he
understood that Asai had deliberately set out to relax him, and still
they hadn’t gotten to first base. He was sure that Asai knew what he
wanted. Was he waiting for Takumi to make the first move? But then
why did he pull away any time that Takumi tried to flirt?
They swam with Riku before lunch on Saturday morning. Takumi
told himself he wasn’t going to worry about showing his body this
time, but Asai had stripped off and jumped into the water before
Takumi had hardly started undressing Riku. They swam out beyond
the rocks to a place where the currents between the island and the
opposite coastline created breaking waves even on calm days. Here
they played.
Asai’s dolphin body, sleek and glorious, curled around Takumi in
the water, teasing and testing. He butted: with a flip of the tail Takumi
dove over and under him, flipped over to expose his belly and let
Don’t Read in the Closet – volume four 53
Asai’s underside touch him for a moment of dolphin foreplay. Then
he raced away with Asai in pursuit.
They both forgot about Riku until they heard a plaintive bleat
from somewhere below them. The calf came up with seaweed around
his tail. Takumi disentangled it with his teeth. He nudged Riku up to
the surface to breathe, then dropped back down and blew bubble
rings, to Riku’s delight.
After a while Asai began tossing the calf on his nose just under
the surface, as if he were playing with a ball. Riku squealed with joy.
He would have played this game forever, but Asai tired of it much
faster. He passed the calf to Takumi and left them, flashing through
the water by himself, displaying his strength.
Determined to continue the game, Riku began ducking up and
down, splashing wildly in the waves. Takumi tried to calm him down
but Riku looked so cute, Takumi didn’t try very hard. At least half of
his mind was on Asai. Even in dolphin form, he felt he’d found his
mate and wanted to be with him. So when trouble came, he wasn’t
paying attention.
It started when Takumi’s echolocation registered something
swimming toward them. He assumed it was Asai. It was about the
right size, moving a little slower than Asai would move, perhaps, but
not out of the ballpark. So instead of checking it out more thoroughly,
Takumi went on playing with Riku. When the other was closer, he
gave his signature whistle in greeting.
Even then, when Asai didn’t respond, Takumi thought he was just
teasing, sneaking up on them. But Riku whistled, still there was no
response, and still the form came closer. That was when Takumi
started to realize that there was something wrong. He turned in the
direction of the approaching creature. Echolocation and his eyes at the
same time showed him the distinct outline of a tiger shark.
Takumi’s instinct told him to race away, but he didn’t do it. He
could have escaped the shark easily if he’d been alone. The creature
wasn’t full-grown: it probably wouldn’t even bother to chase an adult
Don’t Read in the Closet – volume four 54
dolphin. But Takumi wasn’t alone. Little Riku couldn’t swim fast
enough, and his young body would make delicious tender meat. He
had no chance of getting away without Takumi’s help.
Takumi sent frantic signals to Asai or any other dolphin in the
area: Shark! Help! He swam around Riku and pushed him on, trying
to fool the vicious fish into thinking that Takumi was the only dolphin
in the sea. But like all sharks, it had a hyper-sensitive sense of smell:
it knew that something good to eat was right there in front of its nose,
even if it couldn’t see it. The shark kept right on coming.
Riku was signaling too now with panicky little cries that showed
he knew he was in terrible danger. The poor calf was swimming as
fast as he could but it wasn’t enough.
Friday night, Takumi felt relaxed enough to joke and laugh as if with
a close friend. It was only after he went to bed, alone again, that he
understood that Asai had deliberately set out to relax him, and still
they hadn’t gotten to first base. He was sure that Asai knew what he
wanted. Was he waiting for Takumi to make the first move? But then
why did he pull away any time that Takumi tried to flirt?
They swam with Riku before lunch on Saturday morning. Takumi
told himself he wasn’t going to worry about showing his body this
time, but Asai had stripped off and jumped into the water before
Takumi had hardly started undressing Riku. They swam out beyond
the rocks to a place where the currents between the island and the
opposite coastline created breaking waves even on calm days. Here
they played.
Asai’s dolphin body, sleek and glorious, curled around Takumi in
the water, teasing and testing. He butted: with a flip of the tail Takumi
dove over and under him, flipped over to expose his belly and let
Don’t Read in the Closet – volume four 53
Asai’s underside touch him for a moment of dolphin foreplay. Then
he raced away with Asai in pursuit.
They both forgot about Riku until they heard a plaintive bleat
from somewhere below them. The calf came up with seaweed around
his tail. Takumi disentangled it with his teeth. He nudged Riku up to
the surface to breathe, then dropped back down and blew bubble
rings, to Riku’s delight.
After a while Asai began tossing the calf on his nose just under
the surface, as if he were playing with a ball. Riku squealed with joy.
He would have played this game forever, but Asai tired of it much
faster. He passed the calf to Takumi and left them, flashing through
the water by himself, displaying his strength.
Determined to continue the game, Riku began ducking up and
down, splashing wildly in the waves. Takumi tried to calm him down
but Riku looked so cute, Takumi didn’t try very hard. At least half of
his mind was on Asai. Even in dolphin form, he felt he’d found his
mate and wanted to be with him. So when trouble came, he wasn’t
paying attention.
It started when Takumi’s echolocation registered something
swimming toward them. He assumed it was Asai. It was about the
right size, moving a little slower than Asai would move, perhaps, but
not out of the ballpark. So instead of checking it out more thoroughly,
Takumi went on playing with Riku. When the other was closer, he
gave his signature whistle in greeting.
Even then, when Asai didn’t respond, Takumi thought he was just
teasing, sneaking up on them. But Riku whistled, still there was no
response, and still the form came closer. That was when Takumi
started to realize that there was something wrong. He turned in the
direction of the approaching creature. Echolocation and his eyes at the
same time showed him the distinct outline of a tiger shark.
Takumi’s instinct told him to race away, but he didn’t do it. He
could have escaped the shark easily if he’d been alone. The creature
wasn’t full-grown: it probably wouldn’t even bother to chase an adult
Don’t Read in the Closet – volume four 54
dolphin. But Takumi wasn’t alone. Little Riku couldn’t swim fast
enough, and his young body would make delicious tender meat. He
had no chance of getting away without Takumi’s help.
Takumi sent frantic signals to Asai or any other dolphin in the
area: Shark! Help! He swam around Riku and pushed him on, trying
to fool the vicious fish into thinking that Takumi was the only dolphin
in the sea. But like all sharks, it had a hyper-sensitive sense of smell:
it knew that something good to eat was right there in front of its nose,
even if it couldn’t see it. The shark kept right on coming.
Riku was signaling too now with panicky little cries that showed
he knew he was in terrible danger. The poor calf was swimming as
fast as he could but it wasn’t enough.
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