Chapter Ten
THEbeeping of his watch pulled Devin out of a deep sleep. After months on the ship, it took him only a moment to recognize from the lack of movement that they had made it to port, which meant they’d arrived back in Galveston and the cruise was over. Sighing with regret, he silenced the alarm, but he was unable to resist the urge to wrap his arms around Paul and spoon up against his back, pressing his lips to Paul’s exposed nape. He breathed in deeply, letting Paul’s scent fill his senses, wondering how in only two brief weeks Paul had become so entwined with Devin’s happiness that Devin wanted to wake up next to him every morning for the rest of their lives.
It did seem sudden and almost frighteningly intense, but Devin thought it was good luck that Paul had been assigned to thePearland that Kate had made Devin his liaison. Or maybe it was fate. Devin believed in destiny, having seen it in action among his family and friends. His cousins Beau and Liam had both found love through the strange workings of fate, and Devin felt lucky that he’d also been blessed. Not that either he or Paul had said the words yet, but Devin knew what he felt, and he was optimistic enough to believe that if Paul wasn’t in love with him yet, it was only a matter of time.
The watch beeped again, and this time Devin groaned. He didn’t want to move, but he had responsibilities. He nipped lightly at Paul’s sensitive skin. “Time to rise and shine,” he said. “I have to help with debarking the passengers, and you have a meeting with Kate.”
Paul released a slow, sleepy sigh and nestled closer to Devin. “Right now?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Duty calls.” Devin moved one hand down to the curve of Paul’s bare ass, caressing for a moment, then giving it a small smack. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t let you out of this bed for another two weeks. But Kate might make both of us walk the plank.”
Grumbling, Paul stretched, and then he rolled over to face Devin, his expression pensive. “How long before you’ll be free?”
Devin raised one eyebrow, wondering what had Paul worried. “It’ll take until nearly noon to get all the passengers off. Then I have to help with restocking, though that won’t take too long. I’m supposed to meet with Kate myself around two, and then I’m done.”
Other than Devin’s invitation for Paul to come to Buffalo Lick, they hadn’t discussed what would happen when the cruise was over. Devin was taking two weeks of leave, so he would miss thePearl’s next cruise. He’d had plans to go back to Buffalo Lick, but if Paul wanted him to come to Charleston, Devin would happily go. But Paul hadn’t extended the invitation, and Devin had been too focused on enjoying their time together to dwell much on what might happen afterward, preferring to leave it in the hands of fate.
“I’m not heading back to Charleston right away.” Paul gnawed on his bottom lip as he searched Devin’s face. “I thought I’d get a hotel room for tonight, at least. I’ll text you the info, and you could meet me there? We could order room service and stay in.”
“I’d like that.” Devin caressed Paul’s cheek. “Is something wrong?”
“No, just a reaction to reality setting back in, I think.” Paul smiled wryly. “These past two weeks have been idyllic, and I hate to leave the ship.”
“So do I,” Devin admitted. Something felt a bit off-kilter, and Devin’s warm sense of contentment evaporated. Maybe Paul was right and it was simply the return to reality, so he smiled and pressed his lips to Paul’s, claiming a slow, gentle kiss. He had to trust that fate knew what it was doing, and, after all, Paul was staying in Galveston at least for the night. They’d have to talk about plans for the future, but Devin was sure they could make things work. “Everything will be fine, right? We can discuss it tonight. Maybe we can figure out a way that the idyll doesn’t have to end here.”
Paul’s smile grew warm, and he slid his fingers through Devin’s hair, stroking it gently. “I’d like that.”
That smile helped to quiet Devin’s fears, and he leaned into Paul’s caressing hand. “Good. I don’t know if I’ll be able to see you once we leave this suite until I can leave the ship, but I want more. More of you. I’ll meet you wherever you’d like, even if it means coming to Charleston.” Maybe he was pushing too hard, but he wanted Paul to know he was serious.
“I’ve got some work to do after I meet Kate,” Paul said, massaging Devin’s scalp with his fingertips. “I need to finish up my paperwork and send it in, and I should probably make a couple of calls. But I’m going to find a hotel as soon as I leave the ship and work from there. I should be finished by the time you’re free. We can figure out everything else from there.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Devin wrapped his arms around Paul, then rolled to the side, pulling Paul on top of him and giving him a teasing grin. “So give me a goodbye-for-now kiss to hold me until tonight. You wouldn’t want me to starve for the lack of kisses before you see me again, would you?”
“Definitely not.” Affection tinged with heat flared in Paul’s eyes as he bent his head and kissed Devin, slow and deep. Devin returned the kiss, holding nothing back, running his hands over Paul’s back as desire flared high and hot. He wanted nothing more than for Paul to take him again, but his sense of responsibility ran deep.
Reluctantly, Devin pulled back from the kiss, then arched upward so Paul could feel how aroused he was. “Think about this until tonight. I know I will.”
“So will I.” Paul ran his hand along the length of Devin’s torso and ended with a squeeze of his hip. “Believe me, paperwork and phone calls have never been more unwelcome than they are right now.”
“Or helping little old ladies find their three tons of luggage, or counting wine bottles.” Devin sighed, then gave Paul’s ass a light smack. “Okay, you’d better let me out of this bed before my body convinces my conscience that work is vastly overrated compared to you fucking me through the mattress. Which is the truth, but I’m trying to be an adult today.”
“We both have to be adults today,” Paul said, sounding as aggrieved as Devin felt, as he rolled off Devin and sat on the edge of the bed so he could put on his prosthetic. Devin watched him move, letting his gaze rove over Paul’s body, glad Paul had lost any apparent self-consciousness about Devin looking at him.
With a wry chuckle, Devin got out of bed and went to the sofa of the suite, where he’d left a clean uniform the previous night. He ducked into the bathroom for a few moments, then emerged dressed and with his hair combed and pulled back into the braid he wore while on duty. “I have to run. I have five minutes to get up to my station,” he said. He gave Paul another swift kiss. “Until tonight?”
“Until tonight,” Paul said with a firm nod. He’d put on a pair of boxers but nothing else yet, and he presented a tempting sight.
“Gah! I hate being an adult,” Devin grumbled. He claimed a final kiss, then resolutely turned for the door. “Think about me,” he called back over his shoulder, then slipped out of the suite while he still could.
He made it to his duty station in the nick of time, earning a raised eyebrow from Jill, who was his partner on the Atlantic deck. Their job was to herd the endless line of passengers toward the ramp down to the port building, helping those who got turned around, summoning assistance for any emergencies, and generally trying to help keep things positive during what was the worst part of any cruise. It required Devin to keep focused, but the time still dragged.
“You look preoccupied,” Jill said during a brief lull in the action. “Is anything wrong?”
“Not really. Just ready to have this over,” Devin replied. “I have plans for later.”
“I thought you were heading home,” Jill said. “In fact, you’ve been so scarce this cruise I haven’t even gotten to ask you how your liaison thing went. Obviously you survived, but you’ve barely said a word about your gorgeous corporate flunky.”
The thought of Paul made Devin smile. It hadn’t been easy for him and Paul to keep their relationship private, but they’d managed. Devin’s roommate was the only one who was aware Devin wasn’t sleeping in his own cabin, and Enrique didn’t mind since it meant he could let his girlfriend spend the night. “He was fine. I like him.”
