“See?” Dee smirked in satisfaction. “Told ya you wouldn’t need all those clothes you were gonna pack for this trip.”

They’d already had a swim, and now he and Ryo were stretched out on comfortable loungers by the hotel’s pool, shaded by beach umbrellas and relaxing in the warmth of the sun. It was absolute bliss.

“Yes, fine, you were right,” Ryo murmured, drowsy and content. “But not bringing any clothes at all wouldn’t have worked. I don’t think they’d let us in the hotel dining room wearing nothing but our trunks.”

Dee snorted. “Their loss.”

That brought Ryo fully awake again and he stared aghast at his lover. “Dee!”

“What? You look smokin’ hot, and I know I look pretty good too.”

Ryo wasn’t about to argue with that because it was true, Dee’s body was well worth admiring, and he knew it; he’d never been the bashful kind, unlike Ryo himself. Still…

“You shouldn’t say things like that! Not around other people.” Ryo flushed and buried his face in his folded arms.

“Relax, babe. No one’s listenin’ to us, they’re all too busy enjoyin’ themselves.”

Taking a quick, surreptitious look around, Ryo saw that his partner was right. The loungers nearest to them on either side were empty, although there were a few people further away on this side of the pool, and more on the far side, which was in full sun. It was off-season, so the pool area was busy, but far from crowded, the groups of people having spread themselves out, giving each other space and a degree of privacy.

Mollified, Ryo did as his lover had suggested and relaxed again. They needed this break; work had been insane recently, and their stress levels had gone through the roof as they’d worked as part of a city-wide taskforce trying to catch a gang that was abducting the children of illegal immigrants and selling them into slavery.

All but one of the children were now back with their parents, and it was hoped the final child’s parents would be located soon, but at least she was safe. As a reward for their hard work, everyone involved with the taskforce had been granted three additional paid days off, although for obvious reasons, they hadn’t all been able to take their extra vacation days at the same time. Dee and Ryo had gone straight back to their regular shifts while waiting for their turn, so they were beyond ready for some serious downtime. At least they’d been able to go online and book somewhere suitable to stay.

The hotel wasn’t the Ritz or anything, but the rooms were clean and comfortable, the food was good, and they had the pool to lounge around, which in Dee’s opinion was the most important part.

In a while, they’d go inside, take a quick shower, pull on jeans and t-shirts, and have lunch at the café across the street. Then they’d come back to the hotel, spend the afternoon relaxing by the pool, maybe swim a bit, have dinner in the hotel dining room, and spend the evening entertaining themselves in their hotel room. Or maybe they wouldn’t bother getting dressed up and would order room service instead; that was always an option.

It didn’t really matter what they did, provided they rested, and caught up on their sleep. In a couple of days, they’d be back at work, hopefully looking tanned and relaxed, ready to jump back into the fray, but for now…

Dee cracked open his eyes behind his sunglasses and feasted on the sight of Ryo, wearing nothing but damp swimming trunks that moulded themselves to his ass, stretched out and drowsing face down on the neighboring lounger, the book he’d bought with him long since forgotten. Yeah, this short break was exactly what they both needed.


The End