Chapter Six
“YOUlook like the cat who swallowed the canary,” Jill said as Devin stepped behind the poolside bar. She paused in the middle of slicing oranges and pointed the knife in his direction. “Fess up. You got laid, didn’t you? Who is it? Rodrigo, the sexy sous chef?”
Devin snorted in amusement and shook his head. Jill had been trying to matchmake for him since he’d arrived on thePearl. She treated him like a favorite kid brother most of the time, although neither of Devin’s sisters had ever expressed any interest in his love life.
“No, I didn’t get laid,” he replied, retrieving a knife of his own from under the bar and reaching for one of the limes Jill had laid out for slicing. “But I did have a very good night. I got to dance with a really hot guy.”
Jill peered at him, seeming disappointed, although he wasn’t sure if it was because he hadn’t gotten laid or that she couldn’t grill him for details. “Well, dancing is something, I guess. But you didn’t answer—Rodrigo? Or was it Armand? Or maybe Alexei from engineering? I swear he starts panting every time you walk by.”
“No, no, and no,” Devin said. He found himself oddly reticent to explain about Paul, but not because he was worried about repercussions. He wasn’t sure where their relationship was going, and he didn’t want to jinx anything by running his mouth. It was probably stupid to be superstitious, but he couldn’t help it. Paul was special, and after last night, Devin was worried Paul might have changed his mind about seeing where their relationship might take them.
They had progressed much more quickly than he’d imagined. He’d hoped by the end of the cruise Paul might agree to see him outside of work, but their moonlight dance had left him brave enough to risk kissing Paul. He was glad he hadn’t wrecked things, and he realized after they’d parted for the night that things could have gone badly. Paul could have charged him with sexual harassment, but worse than that, Devin could have hurt Paul without intending to if he’d read the signs wrong.
Fortunately that hadn’t been the case, and Paul seemed to return Devin’s interest, but Devin wasn’t about to take anything for granted. After that kiss, he wanted Paul more than he’d wanted anyone in longer than he could remember, but he needed to go slow. He’d promised to go at Paul’s pace, and he meant it. Paul said he was feeling better and that Devin had helped him with some of the issues that had been haunting him, but Paul still had issues he needed to deal with. So Devin would let Paul set the pace of their relationship and respect Paul’s boundaries while trying to show Paul that he was a desirable man.
“Earth to Walker!”
Jill’s voice cut into his internal reverie, and Devin smiled sheepishly. “Sorry…. Look, Jill, I don’t want to say anything yet, all right? But I promise you the minute Icansay anything, you’ll be the first to know. How’s that?”
Jill sighed dramatically. “I don’t have any romantic prospects of my own on this tub, so I have to live vicariously through my friends. But you better keep your promise to tell me, or I’ll have to start snooping.”
Devin solemnly crossed his heart. “You have my word,” he said, then started back on the lime still sitting half-sliced in front of him. “Though it could be a while. I’ll probably take Paul Bailey into town after we dock in Montego Bay this afternoon and show him around.” He kept his tone casual, so Jill wouldn’t suspect Paul was the one Devin was interested in.
“How’s that going? Is the corporate bigwig catching on?” Jill asked. “He seems pretty uptight. What’s he in, finance?”
“He’s not uptight,” Devin replied. It was hard not to sound defensive on Paul’s behalf, but he managed it. “He’s a nice person, once you get to know him. He’s just… cautious. He has his reasons for keeping people at a bit of a distance. Not everyone wears their heart on their sleeve.”
“I’d bet money his heart has been broken,” Jill said, shaking her head. “Too bad. He’s really gorgeous, but I’m not looking to be anyone’s rebound relationship.”
You couldn’t heal his heart anyway, Devin thought with a flash of amusement. Jill thought Paul was straight, and that was fine.
The first customers of the day arrived, and he and Jill were kept busy for the rest of the morning, serving drinks and answering questions for guests who hadn’t decided what they wanted to do in port. Fortunately the ship was docking in Jamaica overnight, which gave them plenty of time to explore their options.
When his shift ended at one, Devin slipped away with a brief wave at Jill. The ship was docking at two, and he had just enough time to shower and change before going to look for Paul’s cabin. They hadn’t made any formal plans, but since Devin had been given time off from bartending to shepherd Paul, it seemed like a good idea to lure Paul into town.
As the ship was pulling into port, Devin made his way along the Empress deck corridor to the suite Paul had been given. Devin didn’t often go to the passenger cabins, though he’d been given a tour when he first started so that he could see what the guest accommodations were like. He didn’t know if the line gave execs like Paul suites as a matter of course, or if the larger cabin had been the only one available, but he could tell by the spacing between the doors in the hallway that Paul was in one of the larger suites the ship boasted.
After drawing in a deep breath, he knocked, hoping Paul hadn’t decided to go into town without him. But a few moments later, the door opened, and Paul stood there, looking surprised but pleased.
“I didn’t think I’d see you until later,” Paul said, stepping aside so Devin could enter the suite.
Devin moved past Paul, looking quickly around the suite and admiring the lush appointments. Rather than having the bedroom and sitting area as one continuous space, Paul’s cabin had a separate bedroom with an attached bathroom, and the sitting area was a small living room with a faux leather couch along one wall, a mahogany coffee table with a centerpiece of fresh-cut tropical flowers, and a couple of plush chairs. The media center consisted of a flat-screen TV set in the wall, a Bose sound system, and a recharging station for any device. The suite was decorated in tropical blues and greens accented with white, and every piece of wood and every fixture gleamed, not a speck of dust or an errant fingerprint to be found anywhere.
“Being your guide is considered part of my job this cruise, so I only had to do a morning shift at the bar,” Devin said.
He felt unsure of himself today, not knowing if Paul was having second thoughts, but he stepped closer and smiled. “I could hardly tell Kate I’d happily spend all my free time with you anyway. But I thought you might like to go into town and see the sights. Jamaica is beautiful, and the people are some of the friendliest you could hope to meet.”
Paul’s answering smile was shy as he clasped Devin’s hand. “That sounds like fun.”
“Great!” Relieved, Devin squeezed Paul’s hand. “We can go whenever you like. What you’re wearing should be fine.”
Paul was attired in his usual khakis and a blue-and-white-striped polo shirt. Devin had opted for loose white cotton tropical pants and a short-sleeved shirt with a subdued blue-and-green tropical pattern. They could both pass muster anywhere except the most formal places, but Devin would prefer to show Paul the less touristy parts of the island. Besides, Paul needed to relax and let himself learn to be easy in his own skin again.
“Let me shut down my laptop, and we can leave now, if that’s okay.” Paul released Devin’s hand and went to the coffee table, where his laptop sat.
“That’s fine with me. Don’t forget your passport,” Devin said.
Paul powered down the laptop and closed the lid, and then he detoured to the dresser and grabbed his passport and wallet. “Okay, I’m ready,” he said as he tucked them into his back pocket.
