Chapter Eight

Denton

I used the towel on my shoulders to rub absently at my wet hair, searching for something to say now we were alone. There were so many thoughts running through Victor's head, I could see them in the changing expressions I couldn't keep up with. Was he okay with sharing with me? Had I seen desire? Longing? Was that wishful thinking when his gaze had dipped and he'd looked at my body?

I didn't have a gym honed body, but my job kept me physically fit and when I could be bothered, I liked to run. It cleared my head and right now, I could do with that when I couldn't decide how to act around Victor.

Not once when I'd thought about sharing with him and revealing my attraction had I considered how awkward I'd feel. It didn't help that I'd never seen him dressed as he was. Have I ever seen him in a pair of shorts?

Looking at him dressed in them, they revealed smooth, lean legs, and I imagined them hooked around my hips while he rode…

I shut down my thoughts when I considered my state of undress. I didn't need to scare Victor and have him running to find Leeson to ask to swap with someone else.

I'd had a moment when I'd entered the stateroom and was glad no one else had witnessed my freakout at seeing the enormous bed I'd get to share with Victor. A grown man of thirty-six surely shouldn't feel like the seventeen-year-old who was about to lose his virginity. I'd told myself that throughout my shower, when my brain painted images of me in bed with Victor and not the twin beds I'd envisioned would be in the room.

I blew out a breath, counted to ten, and gave Victor a bright smile. "You okay with sharing the bed?" I glanced at the couch that looked big enough to accommodate my long frame… just. "I could bunk on the couch… if you want?"

Please say no.

Yes, I'd agreed to share, but sharing a bed with a guy I'd been having hot and sweaty dreams about was asking a lot when that man was Victor. I wanted to take it slow and show Victor I was interested in more than just sex. I just needed other parts of me to get on board with that idea, too!

Victor rubbed at his jaw, a sure sign he was uncertain. "The bed's big," he murmured, hardly loud enough for me to catch, almost as if he was talking to himself.

"It is. I'm sure you could fit four people in it," I pointed out, because it really was that big. Still, I'd be having a conversation with Leeson. The damn minx had to have known the rooms held only one bed.

Victor hopped from one sneakered foot to the other, his gaze remaining on the bed as the pink in his cheeks darkened. "I think us two is more than enough for me."

The way he said it gave me pause. Had he been picturing himself on the bed with me? Or was he thinking about other men? The ship was full of them. I'd seen a few very attractive men when I'd boarded. Men who I was sure would take one look at Victor's blond good looks and eyes that held a vulnerability that punched at the gut and would want to get to know him better.

Why hadn't I thought about that before?

A neanderthal was never a good look on any man.

When he looked at me, my heart bounced hard against my ribcage at what I could see there in his eyes. "Will you be okay sharing with me?"

I frowned, not liking the implication I'd have a problem being next to him. "I'm not sure what you mean, Vic?" I asked, not wanting to second guess him.

The blush deepened so much, he looked like he had a severe case of sunburn. "I'm gay."

"Yep… I know that, what's your point?" Instead of replying, he chewed nervously on his lower lip and it struck he might not have figured out I was bisexual. "You know I'm bisexual, right, Vic? I have no problem sharing a bed with a guy. None."

The room must have excellent sound-proofing because there was no other noise coming from outside or the staterooms on either side of us, making the silence more noticeable. The lip he was chewing on popped out, all plump and biteable. But the silence remained unbroken between us at my last comment.

Visible tension rolled off him as his mouth closed, opened, closed, and opened once more, yet he said nothing. Whatever he was thinking, I couldn't get a read on whether this news was good or bad.

My own nerves were playing havoc with me, so I broke eye contact by bringing the towel up to rub at my hair. "I should get dressed, then we can go find the bar and the others." I kept my tone light, going to the closet where I'd placed my clothes when I'd first arrived.

I dug out a pair of board shorts and a slim fitting T-shirt in black and continued to prattle on, leaving intermittent breaks for Victor to answer. When he didn't answer, I started to sweat, rendering my shower pointless. I kept my gaze away from him, hoping that by keeping acting like this was a normal situation, neither of us would freak the fuck out. I was close to him when I dropped my towel to the floor, going for a locker room vibe.

The indrawn breath was loud enough to give my heart another, smaller jolt. I decided to forgo underwear in case I wanted to take a dip in the pool as it was hot outside already and was only going to get hotter. The little bit of exhibitionist in me couldn't resist giving a brief show, so I flexed my ass before stepping into my shorts. I'd been told more than once my bubble butt was hot as fuck. Working on that, I took my time to pull up my shorts, feeling Victor's gaze on me before I turned and smiled at him. I didn't miss where he was staring, or the definite desire that gave his eyes a beautiful glow.

That has to be a good start, right?

I directed my gaze to his clothes. "You gonna go as you are, or change?"

"Leeson wants us all to match."

I cringed inwardly at thoughts of wearing a Hawaiian print shirt. The orange flowers on Victor's were… hideous. "Does he have shirts for all of us?" I enquired, keeping my thoughts to myself about that.

For the first time, Victor grinned widely, clearly hearing the trepidation I'd failed to hide behind my words. The transformation to his features made me stare and acknowledge the warmth that always followed when he looked at me in this way. "Yep. He has different ones for the activities he's got planned for the bachelor parties."

I groaned and picked up my T-shirt, tugging the towel I'd dangling around my neck and dropping it on top of the other one. "Is this the price we're paying for the cruise?" Head through the hole, I slipped on the T-shirt.

"Isn't it worth it?" Victor turned in a circle, his sunny smile remaining. "This is rad! I'd never have been able to afford the luxury of this kind of trip." He chuckled. "If I'd had to pay, I'd be stuck somewhere with no window and probably next to an engine rattling my bones all night."

I fake shuddered, matching his grin with one of my own. "Hawaiian shirts it is." I picked up the damp towels and headed into the bathroom to hang them up.

Back in the main room a few seconds later, with my travel clothes tucked under my arm, I found Victor had opened the glass doors and was standing outside. The smell of warm, salty sea air was welcome. Seagull cries and laughter weren't what gave me the cheerful buzz growing inside me. It was the man who leaned casually against the rail, looking more relaxed than I'd seen him in the three years of friendship I'd cultivated with him.

I blew out a breath and went to stack my clothes into the bags they supplied for laundry, then rolled my shoulders back to release my inner tension from his reaction at finding me as his bed partner for two weeks. He wasn't freaking out, I was.

Far easier to focus on doing something, I quickly applied sun cream to my exposed skin. I took a deep inhale and slowly exhaled, before I called out, "Ready to go have fun?"