“So...my place then?”
“You just wanted a hookup?” Rooster’s mouth did that wiggly thing again. “That all you’re up for? Thought you promised trouble.”
“We don’t have to hook up,” Canaan spoke too fast again. He wasn’t going to turn down anything Rooster had in mind. A hookup would be fabulous, but honestly, before he woke up from this most excellent dream, he’d be happy to simply hang out. “What sort of trouble are you in the mood for?”
“Nothing illegal.” Rooster’s voice hardened, like there was actually a chance Canaan might be into that shit.
“Darn. No tagging downtown? No base jumping? No underground rave?” He smiled up at Rooster. And it was up. The guy was taller, which wasn’t hard seeing as Canaan had to work hard to claim five foot nine, but he had a good six or seven inches on Canaan in addition to all that extra bulk.
“Nope.” Miracle of miracles, Rooster actually smiled back, the first one since he’d emerged from the shadows. He had a chin dimple when he smiled, a spot that looked tailor made for Canaan’s tongue, but he restrained himself. Barely. “You from around here?”
“Born and raised.”
“I’m from Philly. Been here a few years but never really explored. Take me somewhere I’ve never been. Surprise me?”
Oh hell yes. Canaan could so work with this. Few things he liked more than a spirit of adventure. He thought fast about all his favorite haunts, considering and discarding options.
“You got a vehicle? I take the bus here most days, and I can find us something on a bus line if you’re without a car.”
“I have a truck.” Rooster sounded more than a little proud of this fact. “Just bought it off a guy getting transferred to Guam. You give me directions, and I can drive us wherever.”
Rooster headed out, apparently sure that Canaan would follow. He wasn’t wrong, and Canaan jogged to keep up with his long strides.
“So, nothing illegal, no drinking, and nothing too touristy. I’m going to take you to some spots I think you’ll like. How are you with heights?”
“Heights?” Slowing down, Rooster grinned broadly. “Dude. I’m a SEAL. I scale rock walls, climb ship hulls, and jump out of planes. Me and heights are tight. Bring it on.”
“Excellent.” Canaan whipped out his phone and typed in an address. “I’m programming my GPS so it reads you directions, but I’m not going to tell you where until we’re there.”
“I like this already.” Rooster led him to a red truck that while not new, was obviously well-loved, what with the gleaming finish and spotless exterior and interior. Canaan found his up-for-anything attitude even more of a turn-on than the looks he’d been admiring for months, and couldn’t help smiling himself as he swung up into the passenger seat.
“Have you eaten?” Canaan asked as Rooster started the truck. Rooster had an almost full tank of gas, which was good as Canaan intended to take the long way to places, maximize his time with the guy. “One of the stops can be food related if you’re hungry.”
“I can always eat. But I’m doing a video tomorrow so nothing too heavy or greasy. And no food in the truck.”
“Got it.” Canaan sat back as Rooster drove through the base.
The guy working the exit gate apparently recognized Rooster. “Bianchi! How’s it shaking? You guys shipping out soon?”
“Man, I wish.” Rooster groaned. “No, we’re in a lull right now. Sucks.”
Canaan waited until the GPS directed them north on I-5 to say, “I watched some of your videos on break. Pretty awesome stuff.”
“Yeah?” A slow smile spread across Rooster’s face. “One I’m doing tomorrow’s gonna be sick. Buddy’s brother found me some truck tires to toss around. I built a whole workout around them.”
“That sounds awesome. Your friend in the service too?”
“SEAL boat team, yeah. We work out together some. His brother has a place with a backyard in Chula Vista. That’s where we usually film. His girlfriend’s the one who does most of my filming.”
“How’d you get into doing the videos?”
“Hmm.” Rooster’s perfect white teeth worried his full lower lip, and warmth spread down Canaan’s spine. “It’s kinda stupid actually...”
“Try me.”
“Okay, well, I was kind of a heavy kid. Terrible skin too. Glasses. Even when I decided to join the navy and started seriously working out, it took forever to show results. Started taking pics in front of my mirror to motivate me. Skin cleared up. Got LASIK on my eyes. I shared on my Facebook, and all these kids from my high school started commenting about the changes. It was cool, you know?”
Canaan could totally understand the impulse. Attention was intoxicating. “I bet.”
“Then after a couple of years of that, Instagram was a thing and one of them told me I could help motivate other people. I was in the SEALs by then, so I had to be careful with my social media, but I shot a couple of videos and my followers doubled with each one.”