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The sweltering heat enveloped Tony the moment he stepped out of his car. He groaned, rolling his head and trying to ignore the beads of sweat he could already feel forming on the back of his neck. The sun was beating down on him and, in an effort to distract himself from the discomfort, he took a moment to analyze his surroundings.
The beach was so crowded that Tony had half a mind to turn back. Why had he come here again?
“It’s so sunny out,” Peter commented, stepping out of the car and coming to stand by Tony.
Right. That was why.
“The lab would have AC,” Tony said wistfully, a small frown on his face.
Peter nudged his ribs. “The lab doesn’t have an ocean.”
When Tony brought up the idea of vacationing in his Malibu home—which was rebuilt and remained vacant until their recent stay—Peter was all for it. Tony had been too distracted by the dazzling grin on Peter’s face to remember why he’d left Malibu in the first place. Despite the trauma he’d undergone here and having constructed an SI building in New York, the heat in California was what truly drove him to leave Malibu behind.
Yet here he was again years later, with more trauma and a boyfriend he couldn’t say no to; hence why they were at the beach.
Tony was too hot to take Peter’s hand, as he would have done in more humane weather. They trudged side by side through the sand, carefully navigating all the beach chairs and towels, avoiding running children and flying volleyballs.
Peter came to a sudden halt with an annoyed sigh. “We forgot to pay for parking.”
“I’ll go pay,” Tony assured him. He wanted Peter’s first time at the beach to go off without a hitch, even if he had to trek through all that sand again. “Just find a spot for our things.”
Peter brightened up. “You’re the best.”
Tony winked at him and started walking back the way they came, inwardly groaning. The things he did for Peter.
He did his best to move swiftly, but the sand slowed his pace. It took far too long for Tony to make his way to the parking lot, pay for his spot, and relocate Peter. He could feel his shoulders burning already and grumbled to himself. He hadn’t even had a chance to swim yet and he was burning. It wasn’t fair.
Tony scanned the shore for Peter. Despite the considerable size of the crowd, it didn’t take long to find him. Tony swore sometimes that he and Peter were connected; he could feel a pull toward him no matter where they were. Peter would roll his eyes and blush whenever Tony brought it up, but he never argued against the claim.
His eyes settled on Peter’s chestnut curls gleaming beneath the sun. Tony took a moment to admire him, whistling softly when he realized that Peter had already taken his shirt off. His hands itched to trace the lines of Peter’s chest…only to realize that someone had beaten him to the punch.
A girl in her twenties stood before Peter, batting her eyelashes at him and running the tips of her fingers along his abs. Tony watched with narrowed eyes as Peter laughed uncomfortably and swept a hand through his curls. The girl leaned closer, her face a mere few inches from Peter’s, and Tony’s hands curled into fists.
This was not happening. Absolutely not.
Tony would gladly admit that Peter was attractive, whenever and wherever. He just forgot sometimes that he wasn’t the only one who thought so. Clearly, this girl shared his belief on Peter’s looks—which was fine on its own, but she was acting on that belief, and that was most certainly not fine.
Tony set off toward the pair, fuming. He could hear snippets of their conversation from afar.
“You must work out a lot,” the girl purred, her eyes boring into Peter’s.
Peter chuckled stiffly. “Ah, yeah, I guess you could say that.”
“Do you happen to need any help with sunscreen?” The girl leered at him. “I could help you, you know. I’m very good with my hands.”
If Tony got his way, she wouldn’t have hands for much longer. He still had a way to go, though, and the girl was already reaching for Peter’s sunscreen without waiting for an answer.
“That’s okay, you don’t have to do that,” Peter told her with an awkward grimace.
The girl waved him off. “Oh, I really don’t mind.”
She uncapped the sunscreen and poured some onto Peter’s shoulders, massaging it into his skin at a slow and sensual pace. An angry knot twisted in Tony’s chest, and he finally reached the two with a heated expression on his face.
“I’ve got that covered.” Tony cut in. “You can run along, sweetheart.”
The girl blanched. “Excuse you, we were having a private moment.”
Peter shook his head at Tony, his eyes pleading for rescue. Tony gave him a tiny, reassuring nod. The girl remained oblivious to the interaction.
“Bimbos don’t get to have private moments with my boyfriend,” Tony said with a shrug.
The girl sputtered in disbelief. “How dare you?”
Tony gave her a stony glare, and after receiving no support from Peter, the girl scowled and stormed off.
“Don’t you think you were a little too harsh?” Peter winced. “I mean, calling her a ‘bimbo’?”
Tony crossed his arms. “She was all over you!”
“I had it handled.”
Tony raised an unimpressed brow. “She was rubbing sunscreen on you. You call that handling it?”
“I just never know what to do in those situations,” Peter conceded. “Thanks for the save.”
Tony pulled him into a rough kiss. He’d intervened to help Peter, of course, but also to help himself. He couldn’t stand watching anyone flirt with his man. He hated that everyone thought Peter was single. If only there was a way to make it known that Peter was his, or at the very least unavailable…
Perhaps it was time to go ring-shopping.