Beyond the Sea
Authors: Keira Andrews
Tags: #gay, #lgbt, #bisexual, #Contemporary, #gay romance, #rock star, #mm romance, #desert island, #gay for you, #out for you
An Original Publication From Keira Andrews
B
eyond the Sea
Written and published by Keira Andrews
Cover by
Dar Albert
Formatted by
Frostbite Publishing
Copyright © 2016 by Keira Andrews
All rights reserved.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and locations are either a product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious setting. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or people, living or dead, is strictly coincidental. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written consent from the author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
First Digital Edition, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-988260-02-0
About
Beyond the Sea
Two straight guys. One desert island.
Even if it means quitting their boy band mid-tour, Troy Tanner isn’t going to watch his little brother snort his future away after addiction destroyed their father. On a private jet taking him home from Australia, he and pilot Brian Sinclair soar above the vast South Pacific. Brian lost his passion for flying—and joy in life—after a traumatic crash, but now he and Troy must fight to survive when a cyclone strikes without warning.
Marooned a thousand miles from civilization, the turquoise water and white sand beach look like paradise. But although they can fish and make fire, the smallest infection or bacteria could be deadly. When the days turn into weeks with no sign of rescue, Troy and Brian grow closer, and friendship deepens into desire.
As they learn sexuality is about more than straight or gay and discover their true selves, the world they've built together is thrown into chaos. If Troy and Brian make it off the island, can their love endure?
Thank you to Anne-Marie, Becky, Jay, Jules, Mary for your invaluable beta reading and friendship. Thanks as well to Liz for sharing my fascination with aeronautics and spending many a Saturday watching documentaries on YouTube.
Finally, to Rachel for your honesty, kindness, and unwavering support.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was shoved up his little brother’s nose.
Quads still burning from his workout and run up to the top floor, Troy watched Tyson where he knelt on the floor in his boxers, shirtless and snorting a line of white powder off a hand mirror on the coffee table. The door to Tyson’s suite swung closed, and Troy stood there dumbly in his sweaty workout gear. Even if he’d been able to manage words that weren’t screamed curses, the Rolling Stones were blasting too loudly for anyone to hear.
The curtains in the living area were drawn tight, blocking out the sun and any telephoto lenses. Glasses and bottles cluttered every surface, the stench of cigarettes and pot thick in the air. A few girls in short-shorts and crop tops sprawled on the suite’s couches with Nick, a passable singer and the band’s best dancer. It was a cliché VH1 documentary brought to life.
The fact that one of the women at this secret party was Troy’s girlfriend sent a fresh flare of rage burning through him. He’d thought Savannah didn’t do more than drink or take a toke, yet here she was. The betrayal churned his stomach, hurt and anger warring.
One of the groupies lifted her head and stared at Troy with glazed eyes, a discarded needle on the floor near her dangling fingers. Savannah followed her gaze, leaping to her feet so quickly her boob popped out of her halter top, her long, dark curls flying. Her pupils were too big, blue eyes too bright. She wore makeup as usual, but her lips somehow seemed unnaturally red.
“
Troy!” She hastily straightened herself while kicking Nick, who was completely out of it with his head back and mouth wide open. His shaggy blond hair was matted and skin sallow in the artificial light of the room’s lamps.
Nick’s partying had increased dramatically on this tour, and
fuck
, Troy should have done something about it. Nick was Ty’s best friend and worst influence, and Troy should have known this was coming. He should have gone to Joe, because that’s what managers were for. But he hadn’t wanted to cause trouble. He’d taken a page from his mother’s book and stuck his head in the sand.
But the shitty truth was that Joe and the label knew. Between the crew and all the staff who worked on the tour,
of course
they knew. The members of Next Up couldn’t sneeze without the entourage around them taking notice. They knew, and they hadn’t done a damn thing either.
Nick grunted and muttered something, and Troy wanted to rip him apart with his bare hands and then get his stupid, reckless ass into rehab along with Ty.
Savannah lunged for the iPod stereo dock on the cluttered bar, jabbing a button. In the sudden silence, Tyson’s head jerked up, and he stared at Troy from the floor, still holding the straw.
Tyson was like a mirror of Troy’s former teenage self. They shared the same wavy dark hair that Troy cropped close now and Ty let curl cherubically since every band member had to have a different style. Their dark brown eyes and tan skin were the same, faces a similar round shape down to the little cleft in their chins. But Tyson was a good four inches shorter than Troy’s five-ten and fifty pounds lighter. At twenty-two, he was still the pretty boy baby of the band, an unthreatening pinup for young girls around the world.
Troy wanted to haul him over his shoulder and take him home. Lock him away.
Tyson licked his lips, and his voice cracked. “Hey, man. We’re just…it’s no big deal, BT.”
Short for “Big T
,
” Troy’s fan-coined nickname that the band had co-opted. He stared down at his little brother. Cocaine dusted Tyson’s nostril. Savannah reached out, and as her red-tipped fingers settled on his wrist, Troy realized his blunt nails were close to breaking the skin of his palms where he clenched his fists. He shook her off with a sharp exhale.
She breathed shallowly. “I thought you and Tomas had to do that animal sanctuary ribbon cutting thing?”
“
Greg wanted to see the koalas, so he went instead. I grabbed a workout. Thought maybe we could all hit the pool. Obviously you guys had other plans.”
Ty scoffed defiantly. “Chill, dude.”
“
Chill
? I can’t fucking believe this,” Troy grated out like his throat was lined with broken glass. “You promised.” He stared at his brother. “You
swore
to me.”
Ignoring Savannah’s protests, he stepped around her and yanked Tyson to his feet with one hand, sending the remaining cocaine through the air with the other. Gripping his brother, he stared into his enormous pupils. They looked all wrong in his baby face. Roughly, he examined Tyson’s arm, looking for the track marks. He squeezed hard when he found them. “
Heroin
? Are you kidding me? With a coke chaser to bring you up for the concert?” Glaring toward Nick, he added, “Was this his fucking idea? I bet it was.”
Tyson swallowed audibly, his curls waving as he shook his head. “We’re just…it’s not…” He looked to Nick still slumped on the couch. Help was clearly not forthcoming. “It’s good stuff! It’s not dangerous like street shit is. It’s just for fun. It’s safe.”
“
There’s nothing safe about heroin! Or coke for that matter! It doesn’t matter how pure it is.”
Puffing up, his brows drawing together, Tyson tugged his arm free. Familiar righteous indignation took over. “You’re such a killjoy. You’re supposed to be my brother, not my father. Fuck off.”
“
Are you seriously bringing up Dad right now? If he was here, he’d have been first in line for the smack. He’s the fucking reason you can’t go near this shit.” He glared at Savannah. “Either of you.”
“
God, she’s having fun.” Ty waved dismissively. “She’s sick of you being so fucking boring.”
It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. Troy’s breath came hard and fast, an iron band around his lungs. He shot his gaze to wide-eyed Savannah. “Is she? Good to know.”
I’ve been bored of her for months,
a little voice hissed. She was Next Up’s opening act, and as the endless tour ground on, they had fewer and fewer things to say to each other. He knew they weren’t right together, so why was he coasting along? Sure, she was beautiful—twenty-three and gorgeous with small tits and a huge voice. But he wanted more.
“
Of course I’m not!” Said voice rose several octaves, her words tripping out as she reached for him. “Troy, you know I love you.”
As he stood there in a crazy expensive hotel room on the other side of the world from home, Troy didn’t
know
anything anymore. Fury left pinpricks as it faded, leaving the cold truth behind. “You don’t, actually. And I don’t love you either.”
Jerking, Savannah blinked. Her eyes filled with tears, and guilt slithered through him. He tried to soften his voice. “I’m not saying that to hurt you. It’s just the truth.”
“
Jesus, Troy. Why are you such an asshole?” Tyson’s face twisted. “Don’t be mean to her because you’re pissed at me.”
“
Is there more blow?”