QUINN'S HART

by

CASSANDRA GOLD

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.amberquill.com

Quinn's Hart An Amber Quill

Press Book

This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or
have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com
http://www.AmberHeat.com
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All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without
permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

Copyright © 2010 by Cassandra Gold

ISBN 978-1-60272-636-9 Cover Art ©
2010 Trace Edward Zaber

Layout and Formatting Provided by:

Elemental Alchemy

Published in the United States of America

 Dedication

To Qwillia, who helped me more than she knows.

Quinn D elaney felt like a sardine in a can. Shifting uncom fortably, he

tried to get into a position that would allow him at least a little freedom
of m ovem ent. At six foot seven and two hundred and fifty pounds, the
odds were against him . His knees were right up against the seat in
front of him , blocking his access to the tray table, and the arm rests
hem m ed him in on either side in a way that m ade him
claustrophobic.

Airplane seats were m ade for people like the wom an next to him ,
who was thin enough that a strong gust of wind could blow her away.
She'd given Quinn a few nervous looks when he'd taken his seat
beside her. Used to that sort of reaction from wom en, and som etim
es m en, he hadn't m ade any attem pt to talk to her. W hen he was
younger, her reaction would have hurt. He had a thicker skin now, or
so he tried to tell him self. After a few m inutes she had relaxed and
put on som e headphones.

He sighed. All this for a singles trip he hadn't even wanted to attend in
the first place. He'd tried to tell Stephanie Disney W orld was ridiculous
for a m an his age. She hadn't listened, of course.
He wished he had brought his iPod, or anything to distract him self
with. He had a book, but he couldn't stay interested in the storyline.
There wasn't enough room for him to get out his laptop, unless he m
anaged to shrink him self, which didn't seem too likely. Even sleep
would be difficult, since he couldn't stretch out.

Bored and uncom fortable was not a good com bination with m ore
than two hours of flight tim e left. Quinn glanced around the section
of the cabin he could see, seeking out anything of interest. A few
seats behind him and to the right, a m other scolded a little boy who
had spilled his drink. Further back, a couple argued in raised voices
until a flight
attendant approached them . U ncom fortable at seeing what should
have been a private m om ent, Quinn turned his gaze forward.

A few seats ahead of him , in the aisle seat like he was but on the
opposite side of the plane, a m an talked to one of the m ale flight
attendants. They were both laughing. To Quinn's none-too-discerning
eye, it looked like the flight attendant was flirting with the passenger. O
f course, anyone, m ale or fem ale, would notice him.

Quinn stared. If he described his ideal m an, the end result would be
pretty dam ned close to the m an in front of him . The guy had blond-
streaked brown hair long enough to cover the tops of his ears, dark
eyes, and the kind of sm ile that m ade people want to sm ile back.
Quinn couldn't see m uch of his body from his vantage point, but the
m an had nice broad shoulders and his left arm looked nicely m
uscled.
M aybe he's going on the singles trip, too. N o, Quinn would never be
that lucky. Besides, if the guy was on the trip, he'd end up being one
of the straight guys. It was supposed to be a m ixed trip, with gay,
lesbian, and straight travelers. According to his friend Stephanie, a
travel agent who'd helped set up the trip, they would be separated
into their various "possibility groups" for dinner tonight and breakfast
tom orrow in order for everyone to know who they should be flirting
with. There were also a few scheduled activities, but after the first
couple of days they were on their own.

Quinn didn't know whether he dreaded the structured activities or

the unstructured days m ore. The activities would force him to m
eet new people and m ingle, two things he hated, but at least he
wouldn't be alone. O nce the tour guides turned them loose, he
doubted anyone would choose to pair up with him .

Closing his eyes, he blocked out the sight of the good-looking m an.
There was no point in getting his hopes up. M aybe he could get com
fortable enough to take a nap instead.

****
By the tim e the plane touched down at O rlando International
Airport, Quinn was ready to jum p out of his skin. Sleep had eluded
him , m ostly due to his pretzel-like position. Instead, he'd whiled
away m uch of the two hours watching the cute guy a few rows
ahead of him . Alm ost every tim e Quinn caught a glim pse of him ,
he was sm iling or laughing. Quinn couldn't help wondering what it
would be like to bask in that happiness, just for a little while. He
pushed the thought out of his head as soon as it occurred.
Quinn waited until the plane was close to em pty before he exited. He
grabbed his laptop case and followed the few rem aining stragglers off
the plane and into the term inal. O nce inside, he figured the other
people on the flight would lead him to the baggage claim , so he kept
following them . The sm all procession wended its way through the
term inal, past stores and restaurants. The scents of coffee, ham
burgers, pizza, tacos, and cinnam on rolls all m ixed together to form
a com bination that wasn't very appetizing. Quinn wrinkled his nose
and walked faster.

Luckily, Quinn's strategy of following other passengers worked. He

stood against the wall to wait for his luggage, out of the way of the
bustling travelers all around him . He spotted several people who had
been in his section on the plane, including the tiny wom an who'd sat
next to him . N earby, two children chattered about the rides they
would go on at Disney W orld. He sm iled a little at their enthusiasm .
If he were that age again, he m ight be m ore excited about going to
the park. W ould it be fun at his age? The part of him that had never
gotten the chance to be a child said yes. The practical part of him
said probably not so m uch.

N ot liking the turn of his thoughts, he glanced around for som ething
to take his m ind off the wait. Advertisem ents encrusted the walls, m
ostly for Disney W orld, Universal Studios, and Sea W orld. Each
poster featured sm iling, happy children or fam ilies. O f course the ads
had to show happy people. Angry or bored people wouldn't sell m any
tickets. Still, the whole happy vibe felt like m ore pressure, which was
the last thing he needed.
At last, his plain black Pullm an suitcase appeared on the conveyor
belt. He hefted it and wondered what to do next. Stephanie had told
him transportation to the hotel would be provided, but he wasn't sure
where to go.

A wom an in a business suit sm iled at him . "Can I help

you?"

He felt stupid. He should have asked m ore questions the last tim e
he talked to Stephanie. "I'm supposed to have transportation to m y
hotel, but I'm not sure what kind."

The wom an didn't appear to think his question was dum b. "Are you
here as part of a group?"

Quinn's face heated. He m um bled, "Yes, a singles'

tour."

Her sm ile brightened. She held up a sign that read Carlisle Tours.
"You're with m e, then. I'm Elaine."

"Nice to m eet you, Elaine. I'm

Quinn."

"Follow m e, Quinn. You're the last person on the list from this
flight, so we can head to the hotel." She m otioned toward the
shuttle area.

"G reat." Quinn fell into step behind her, stifling his urge to run
away.

****
A few m inutes later, Elaine herded Quinn out to a shuttle. He clim bed
into the last rem aining seat, and she hopped into the front passenger
seat. As the driver pulled away from the curb, she twisted in her seat
to face the passengers in the back. "W e'll be at the hotel in about
twenty m inutes. At eight o'clock tonight, there will be a m eet and
greet dinner. Appetizers and drinks will be available starting at
seven-thirty. W e encourage everyone to attend so you can m eet the
other singles."

That sounded awful to Quinn. It m ade him think of standing by the

wall at high school dances, knowing nobody wanted to dance with him
. O r the
N ew Year's party Stephanie had dragged him to a couple of years
ago, where he hadn't known anyone. The other passengers didn't
seem to share Quinn's dim view of the evening. The two wom en in
the backseat, a slim redhead and a curvy brunette, squealed with
delight. Between them sat a m an whose expression changed from
worried to pleased and back again.

The other two passengers were m en. N ext to Quinn, a slim , elegant
type with frosted highlights and stylish, expensive clothing reclined
against the seat like he was posing. From the way he kept checking
out the other guys, Quinn figured he fell on the gay end of the
spectrum . Either that or he was sizing up the com petition, which
didn't seem likely.

At the far end of the bench seat was Quinn's dream m an. Quinn
glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to be caught
staring. He was even m ore attractive up close, with his bright, genuine
sm ile and dark eyes.

"So, what's your nam e?" The brunette's voice, directed at the m an
next to him , broke into Quinn's attem pt to determ ine what color his
dream guy's eyes were.

M r. Frosted Highlights slanted a practiced grin at the wom an.

"I'm Dam ien Arnold. I'm an entrepreneur."

The redhead leaned forward. "G ay or

straight?"

"Gay, I'm afraid." Dam ien winked at the wom

en.

"Darn." Her lips pursed in a ridiculous pout, the redhead switched her
attention to the Quinn. Her eyes widened as she took in his
appearance. His size no doubt caused the reaction, but his face
wasn't anything to write hom e about either.

Quinn hunched in his seat, wishing he could disappear. His face

heated. He tried to think of som ething to say, anything at all, but his
m ind was blank.
The redhead opened her m outh to speak, but the m an from the
plane beat her to the punch. "Are you ladies ready for the m eet
and greet tonight?"

His com m ent diverted the wom en. "I've got the hottest dress,"
the brunette gushed, and the conversation turned to the night
ahead.
Quinn let out a breath of pure relief, grateful for the reprieve. O ne of
these days he hoped he would be able to talk to people without
freezing up, but apparently today wasn't that day. He'd been
paralyzed with nerves anytim e he m et new people since he was a
child. At thirty-six, he ought to be better at this. He leaned against the
door and half-listened to the chatter around him , sneaking looks at
his sexy rescuer. He didn't even know the m an's nam e.

Quinn sighed. He doubted the m eet and greet dinner would be the
m agical event the wom en seem ed to be envisioning, but m aybe
he'd be wrong.
/

Had there ever been a worse idea in the history of the universe? As
he got him self ready for the m eet and greet, Quinn began to think
there hadn't. W hy had he let Stephanie talk him into taking a
singles trip, to Disney W orld of all places? He hated crowds and m
eeting new people. This was going to be a disaster. An awkward,
hum iliating disaster.

O nly Stephanie's unflinching optim ism and constant nagging had

convinced him to sign up for the trip in the first place. He'd said no
when she called a week ago to tell him they had accidentally
overbooked a group trip she'd helped organize and she needed one
m ore gay m an to even the num bers. O f course, she'd kept calling
until he finally agreed to go.
Ever the optim ist, Stephanie seem ed convinced he would m eet M r.
Right on the trip, which he found doubtful. He had no illusions about
his own attractiveness, either physically or personality-wise.
Stephanie could have asked any of his exes from his few, pitiful
relationships, and they would tell her Quinn wasn't m uch of a catch.
His dism al track record was all the m ore reason to believe this trip
was doom ed to fail. If he was very lucky, m aybe she would take his
m iserable failure as a sign and stop trying to fix him up. Not likely.

Five m inutes before eight, Quinn slipped into the large conference
room where the pre-dinner drinks and appetizers were being served.
M en and wom en packed the room , m ost dressed to im press. They
stood talking and drinking in pairs and sm all groups spread
throughout the large space. The outside-looking-in feeling he always
got struck, and he paused for a m om ent, fiddling with the cuffs on his
shirt.

N ervous didn't even begin to describe Quinn's m indset. He was a

wreck. The urge to go back up to his room and hide plagued him , but
he refused
to give in to it. W hether he wanted to be here or not, he'd paid for
the trip, and he'd prom ised Stephanie he would try his best. Hiding
out in his room would not be his best.

He sm oothed a hand over the front of his favorite dress shirt, black
with dark gray pinstripes. M aybe the shirt had been a poor choice.
His slacks were black as well. W ith his dark hair and his
less-than-handsom e features, he m ust look like an undertaker. O r
a wannabe m obster. W hat had he been thinking?
N o tim e to go back to the room and change, though, because
Elaine from the airport spotted him . She sm iled and strode in his
direction. Stifling a resigned sigh, he m et her halfway. "Hello."

"I'm glad you decided to com e down. Let's get you a nam e tag." She
took his arm and towed him to a sm all table in the corner.

At the table, a tiny young wom an peered up at him . "W hat's your
nam e?"

"Quinn Delaney." He hunched his shoulders to keep from loom ing

over the girl, a tough feat at his size.

The young wom an found a nam e tag with a red border and handed
it to him . "Here you go, sir. You'll be eating in Room Two. Enjoy!"

Elaine beam ed and waved him toward the crowded room . "Dinner
will be starting in a couple of m inutes. Anyone with a red border on
their nam e tag is in your possibility group. There are twenty of you."

Possibility group. G od. W hy had Stephanie thought he'd enjoy this?

Quinn dredged up a quick sm ile for the two wom en and m ade his
way to the wall. He leaned against the bland beige surface and looked
around the room with new interest. Scattered am ong what had to be
at least a hundred people were nineteen other gay m en. He spotted a
lot of m en and wom en wearing blue nam e tags, and som e wom en
who had yellow ones. The sm irky guy, Dam ien, from the shuttle
stood in the opposite corner of the room , holding court in the center of
a group of m en wearing red nam e tags.
To his disappointm ent, Quinn didn't see the one face he'd been
hoping to see--the attractive m an from the plane and the shuttle. O f
course there wasn't m uch point in getting his hopes up. G iven his
luck, the m an would be either straight or not interested.

"Attention everyone!" Elaine clapped her hands and the room

slowly quieted. "Dinner is about to begin."

People began to m ake their way to their assigned dinner room s,

and the noise level went right back up. Quinn held back, staying at
the wall until m ost of the other people had left. Trying not to succum
b to nerves, he took a deep breath and followed the crowd.

He reached Room Two just in tim e to hear one of the tour's organizer
speaking. "Before you eat, I'd like you to introduce yourselves. G ive
your nam e and occupation, and anything else you'd like." The older m
an glanced around the room . His gaze landed on Quinn. "W hy don't
you start for us?"

Certain he looked like a deer in the headlights, or perhaps one that

had already been hit by a car, Quinn choked out, "Quinn D elaney.
Thirty-six. Engineer." His face felt like he'd been standing by a blast
furnace, just from the attention of twenty people for a few seconds.
He was never going to survive this week.

The m an nearest to him , a short, stocky redhead with a goatee,

spoke next, taking the attention away from Quinn. "I'm Art Jackson.
I'm forty years old, and I own a restaurant."

After that, the introductions flew fast and furious. Quinn breathed a
sigh of relief at having his over with and tried to listen to the others.
All of the m en were between thirty and forty-five and held a wide
array of jobs. It was reassuring to see that while som e of them were
very attractive, others were m ore average. N one of them cam e
close to m atching his height, som ething he had resigned him self to
long ago.

"I guess I'm last."

The fam iliar voice jerked Quinn out of his thoughts. He looked up to
see the brunet from the plane and the shuttle, dressed in dark boot
cut jeans and a sim ple white long-sleeved dress shirt. Staring at him
now, Quinn could see that he hadn't exaggerated the m an's appeal
in his m ind. The m an stood about six feet tall and had a nice build,
m uscled in a sleek way rather than bulky like him self.

"I'm Josh Hart. I'm thirty-one, and I'm a pediatrician." Josh grinned
and added, "And I'm starving. Can we eat?"

Everyone laughed. The travel com pany em ployee rem inded them of
breakfast at nine in the m orning and directed them to the buffet line.
Quinn took his tim e getting there. He picked up a plate and selected a
few things that looked good, hoping his appetite would return when his
nerves let up a bit.

He dawdled so long he had to take the last seat at one of the two
large tables. Josh was at the other table, as was Dam ien. Their table
laughed and talked like old friends. The table Quinn joined had a m
ore subdued atm osphere, for which he was grateful. He pushed his
food around and listened to the talk around him , trying to get up the
courage to m ake eye contact with som eone, or contribute to the
conversation.
He could alm ost hear his father yelling, "Speak up! Be a m an. W hat
the hell is wrong with you?" O f course an abusive drunk who had died
young wasn't the best person to take advice from . N one of his
father's "lessons" had ever taken, anyway. N o am ount of yelling or
beating had knocked the shyness out of him .

Laughter from the other table caught Quinn's attention, and he raised
his eyes to find Josh saying som ething that m ust have been funny,
gesturing with his long, slim hands as he spoke. From the rapt
attention and am usem ent on the faces of the other m en at his table,
it was obvious Josh had them all in the palm of his hand. But who
wouldn't be enthralled? The m an was gorgeous and funny, and he
seem ed kind as well, judging from the way he'd diverted the wom
en's attention from
Quinn in the shuttle earlier. O r m aybe he'd done that for his own
reasons and not to help Quinn at all.

Quinn sighed and lowered his gaze back to his plate. There was no
point in even looking. He wasn't going to talk to the m an. If he tried
he would turn into a shy, bum bling idiot and m ake a fool out of him
self. Even at his age, he still froze up every tim e he tried to talk to a
m an he found attractive. Flashbacks of being taunted or ignored in
high school and of being too scared to try in college paralyzed him .
Afterward, when the m om ent passed, he always ended up berating
him self for m issing an opportunity yet again.

D essert arrived. After the plates of chocolate cake were delivered, the
travel agency em ployee announced, "Anyone who got a black plate
needs to get up and switch tables."
A quick glance at his plate revealed he would have to switch. Quinn
stood and carried his dessert to the other table. He sat beside a sm
all m an with dyed black hair and the tightest shirt he'd ever seen.

The m an grinned at him and tossed his long bangs out of his face.
"You're a big one, aren't you? I like that. I'm Clay, in case you forgot."
He pointed to his nam e tag as if trying to draw attention to his chest.
Then he held out his hand to shake, eyeing Quinn up and down
avidly.

"Quinn." Quinn had no choice but to take the offered hand. He shook
and tried to let go, but Clay wouldn't let him . For such a little thing, he
had quite a grip, and Quinn didn't want to hurt him .

He m anaged to extract his hand after a long m om ent. Heat crept

into his cheeks. He'd never been com fortable with being stared at,
and Clay was definitely staring.

The sm aller m an leaned closer to him . "Do you have plans for
tonight?"

N ot jerking back took up m ost of his concentration. He m uttered,

"U m , no."
Clay's voice lowered to a near-purr. He ran his hand up Quinn's
bicep. "Good. W ant to com e up to m y room , tie m e up, and
spank m e 'til I com e?"

The other m en at the table stopped their conversations and turned to

stare at Clay and Quinn. Quinn's m outh dropped open. At first, he
was certain he couldn't have heard what he thought he'd heard. Tie up
a total stranger and spank him ? N ot likely.

D id Clay think because Quinn was large he liked to hurt people? He

got that reaction a lot, and hated it. He didn't want to hurt people, or
have m eaningless sex with som eone who only wanted him because
he was big. M aybe Clay hadn't been serious with the invitation and
intended it to m ock Quinn som ehow. Either way, the end result was
the sam e. Everyone was staring at him , waiting for his reaction, and
he hated it.

O ne of the other m en laughed. "I think you scared him ,

Clay."

Clay laughed, too, tossing his head again. "N ot a big, strong thing
like him ." He turned back to Quinn, a sultry expression on his face.
"W hat do you say?"

His voice, when he finally got it to work, was hardly m ore than a
whisper. "N -no. I'm sorry." He stood and got the hell out of there.

The laughter of his tablem ates followed him from the

room .

****

W hy couldn't I have made a joke? O r done anything but run like a

scared kid?

Quinn flopped onto the bed and put an arm over his face. Any other
guy would have put Clay off with a joke or witty com eback, said no
without getting upset, or even taken him up on the offer. Quinn had
panicked and acted like an idiot.
He had to toughen up and start talking to people, or this whole trip
would end up a colossal waste of tim e. It was tim e he rem em bered
that he wasn't a scared little kid being taunted by his father for being
weak, or a shy, rapidly growing adolescent trying to fit into a
succession of foster fam ilies and new schools. He was an adult. He
couldn't let his shyness and other peoples' m isconceptions keep him
from trying.

Tom orrow they were headed to the M agic Kingdom . M aybe there
he'd m eet som eone a little m ore his speed.
/

By the tim e he stepped off the shuttle at the M agic Kingdom Park,
Josh Hart was a lot m ore excited than any m an over thirty had a
right to be. For years, he'd wanted to visit Disney W orld. After
putting it off for way too long, he wasn't about to let anything stop
him this tim e, not even getting dum ped a few weeks before the trip.
O ver the answering m achine. He hadn't even rated a "Dear John"
letter. He was never going to live that one down.

At least he didn't have to go by him self, thanks to his travel agent, a

helpful young wom an nam ed Stephanie. Fortunately, she'd been
able to find a large singles group scheduled for the sam e week as
Josh had planned to go with his ex. By the tim e she got finished
rearranging his reservations, Josh was signed on for the singles trip,
booked in a m uch nicer hotel than he had been before, and had
gotten several hundred dollars back. N ot a bad deal. He couldn't
believe how lucky it was that som ebody, and a gay som ebody at
that, had canceled so close to the departure date. If a straight guy
had canceled he would have been out of luck.

At first he'd been a little hesitant about the whole singles thing, but
the travel agent had prom ised him that while it wasn't an all-gay trip,
there would be other gay m en there. She'd also told him that any
guy who would dum p him before a trip he was paying for wasn't
worth m oping over, which m ade him laugh. She was right. His ex
wasn't worth another second of his tim e.

So far, everything about the trip had been great. He'd m et som e
interesting people at the dinner last night, and today prom ised to be
even better.
Clay, who'd sat beside him on the shuttle bus, had been astonished to
learn Josh had never been to a them e park. He'd waxed poetic about
how m uch fun they were for kids, but cautioned Josh that he m ight
not like them as m uch now. Josh shook off the caution, determ ined
to enjoy the day.

Elaine herded the twenty m en together like a m am a duck with her

ducklings. She handed out tickets and nam e tags, and told them
they'd be paired off for the first few rides so they could get a chance to
talk to as m any people as possible. After lunch, they'd be free to roam
around on their own.

The trip through the gate was efficient, thanks to Elaine's direction.
They entered the park, and Josh gaped. Looking around at the quaint
buildings in front of him , he felt as if he'd stepped back in tim e.
Straight ahead was the iconic castle, giving him an even greater
sense of unreality. He kept walking along with the rest of the group,
but the scents of chocolate and baked goods and the sound of m usic
playing over unseen loudspeakers distracted him .

Their first stop was a huge tree house. Elaine broke them up into
pairs and shooed them to the entrance. Josh's partner, a guy nam
ed Doug, im m ediately started com plaining about how lam e it
was.

After the third or fourth com plaint, Josh had had enough. "Then go
find the exit. I think this is pretty cool."

Doug stom ped off, m uttering to him self. Josh shrugged and went
back to exploring. He ran into Dam ien, who'd been paired with Art the
restaurant guy. Dam ien rolled his eyes toward Josh in an obvious
"I'm not having fun" gesture, but Josh ignored him . N o way did he
want to get stuck with a high-m aintenance dram a queen. The brief
tim e they'd spent together showed him Dam ien was a little too m uch
like his ex, which was the last thing he needed right now. He m ade
his way through the winding stairways and across bridges until he
reached the exit.
For the next ride, a jungle riverboat cruise, Josh ended up paired with
a blond, bespectacled accountant nam ed Steve. Sparks didn't fly, but
from the instant they started talking, Josh liked the older m an. His
sense of hum or wasn't snarky or cruel like a couple of the other guys
Josh had m et, and he didn't m ake fun of the cheesy anim atronics or
Josh's enthrallm ent with them . That alone m ade Josh decide Steve
was a friend.
W hen the boat was about to dock, Steve leaned forward with a
conspiratorial grin. "I got to talk to Art last night at dinner, and I
really liked him . I'm trying to get up the nerve to see if he wants to
hang out after lunch."

Josh grinned and clapped Steve on the back. "Leave it to m e,

buddy."

"Don't talk to him , I'll be so em barrassed." Steve blushed. "G od, I

feel like I'm in high school again."

"I'm not going to em barrass you, but I'll figure som ething
out."

Steve opened his m outh to reply, but closed it when Dam ien
sauntered over and threw his arm around Josh's shoulders. "Looks
like I'm your partner for the next ride."

Exercising suprem e restraint, Josh m anaged not to shrug off

Dam ien's arm . He gave him a weak sm ile. "Let's go, then."

The ride in question was a pirate ride. Apparently, it was a popular

attraction, because they had to wait in line for a while. Dam ien's
obvious double entendres and his habit of standing too close had
Josh on edge before they reached the boats.

About two seconds after the ride started, Dam ien leaned closer to
Josh. "G ot plans for after lunch?"

"Sort of," Josh hedged. It wasn't really a lie. He did want to help
hook Steve up with Art. He glanced around, desperate for a
diversion. A hologram of one of the bad guys from that Johnny
Depp pirate m ovie
appeared, m aking dire pronouncem ents. He grinned. This had to
be the cheesiest thing he'd ever seen in his life. He loved it.

Dam ien was nothing if not persistent. "W hat about tonight?" The
look he gave Josh was probably supposed to be sexy and com
e-hither, but cam e across as m ore of a leer.

Annoyed, Josh waved a hand at the other m an. "Shh! This is

awesom e." He leaned forward to watch the anim atronic pirates m
oving, talking, and singing. A fam iliar face caught his eye am ong the
other pirates. He nudged Dam ien and pointed. "Look. It's Johnny
Depp. I can't believe how realistic these things are."

The eye roll he got told Josh Dam ien wasn't im pressed. He
shrugged and went back to watching, hum m ing along with the them
e song.

****

At one o'clock, Elaine herded them all into a restaurant styled to look
like a colonial house. A waitress dressed in eighteenth century garb
got them seated in two groups of ten by scooting tables together. Josh
snagged the seat next to Steve. Lyle, his partner from the last ride, sat
on his other side. He was pleased when Art sat across from him . He'd
m et Ray, the burly bald guy who sat across from Steve, when they'd
been paired on the roller coaster. G uys whose nam es he couldn't
rem em ber filled in the other seats. They'd rem oved their nam e tags,
or lost them , so he couldn't use those for help.

He hid a snicker when Dam ien tried to take the last seat at their table
but the shy tall guy from the shuttle slid into it first. W hat was his nam
e? Som ething with a "Q." A quick glance at his battered, water
spotted nam e tag revealed the answer: Quinn.

For the first few m inutes, chaos reigned as twenty guys looked at m
enus, asked questions, ordered, and talked to each other. W hen his
turn cam e, Josh ordered a cheeseburger and fries, m ore than ready
for som e junk food.
Steve, who'd ordered a salad, sighed and shook his head. "Didn't you
say you're a doctor?"

Putting his hands behind his head, Josh leaned back. "I'm on
vacation."

Steve laughed. "W hat do you think of the

park?"

Steve's question was honest, without sarcasm or patronizing

attitude. Josh grinned. "I love this place. I can see why so m any of
m y patients got excited when I told them I was com ing here." To get
a conversation started, he turned to Art. "W hat was your favorite
ride so far?"

Art rubbed his red goatee as if giving the question serious

consideration. "I liked the log flum e. That drop at the end was fun."

O ther guys at the table chim ed in. M any of them nam ed the roller
coaster as their favorite, including Steve. W anting to include
everyone, Josh sm iled at Quinn. Seated at the end of the table, the
tall m an had been silent throughout the discussion. "W hat was your
favorite?"

Quinn's eyes, which Josh noted were bright blue, widened. He

looked around for a second, like he wasn't sure Josh was talking to
him . Finally, voice hesitant, he said, "I liked the Haunted M ansion."

The answer m ade Josh grin. The spooky haunted house, with its
holographic ghosts, had fascinated him as well. He'd enjoyed all the
rides, but his favorites were the ones that had special effects. Despite
knowing they were fake, he loved being im m ersed in the fantasy.
"That was m y favorite, too. Those hologram s were incredible."

Quinn gazed at Josh, his expression alm ost suspicious, for a few
seconds. Then he sm iled back. Com bined with his gorgeous blue
eyes, his sm ile turned his face from rough-hewn and severe into som
ething captivating.

Startled, Josh stared. How could a sim ple facial expression transform
som eone so com pletely? His first im pression of Quinn, on the
shuttle, had been shy, m aybe even cold and unfriendly, and huge.
He'd sneaked a few
looks at the big m an during the ride, noting how uncom fortable he
seem ed. N ow Josh wondered if there were hidden depths to the
m an.

Steve said som ething that m ade everyone laugh, breaking the m
om ent. Josh switched his attention to the conversation, but in his m
ind he was already considering ways to get a chance to talk to
Quinn. He cast a surreptitious glance at Art, who appeared to be
watching Steve. M aybe there was a way to get Steve and Art
together at the sam e tim e. He would think of som ething.

****

As desserts were being brought out to those who had ordered them ,
Elaine stood. "All right, gentlem en. Your lunch was included in your
trip package. At this point, you're all free to wander the park for the
rest of the afternoon. Shuttles will be here at six or ten-thirty to pick
you up, or you can take park transportation to Epcot and be picked
up there at seven or nine. Any questions?"

Josh nudged Steve. "Let's get out of here, before Dam ien or Clay
tries to tag along."

W ith an exaggerated shudder, Steve nodded. "W hat's the

plan?"

Plan? W hat plan? Josh shrugged. "I say we invite a few people
along and go to the other side of the park."

"O kay." Steve stood.

Josh did the sam e. He looked across the table at Art. "Hey, m an,
we're heading across the park. W ant to com e?"

Art sm iled. "Sure, sounds

good."

To m ake his plan less obvious, Josh cast a quick glance around the
table. "Ray, Lyle, you guys in?"

Bald, tattooed Ray and skinny, quiet Lyle both

nodded.
"Excellent." Trying to play it cool, Josh turned toward the end of the
table. "W hat about you, Quinn? You want to head over there with us?"

An astonished expression flitted across Quinn's stoic features, before

they settled into expressionless once m ore. "M e?"

"You are Quinn, right?" At the big m an's nod, Josh grinned. "Then
yeah, I'm talking to you. You com ing?"

"Sure." The sm ile Quinn gave him m ay have been tentative, but it
was a definite sm ile.

****

O n their way across the park, five of the six m en discussed what
they wanted to do and decided on Space M ountain. Quinn didn't
contribute anything to the conversation. Josh thought about trying
to pull him in with a direct question, but decided not to. M aybe
being around the sm aller group would put him at ease.

At the entrance, a sign announced the wait tim e for the ride:
forty-five m inutes. The queue was narrow, so they broke up into
three pairs. Steve stepped up next to Art. Lyle and Ray fell into place
behind them , leaving Josh next to Quinn, just the way he'd planned.

Six foot was not short, but standing next to Quinn, Josh felt short.
The other m an had at least six inches and a good sixty or seventy
pounds on him . Josh worked prim arily with wom en and children
and m ost often dated guys sm aller than him . Being the sm all one
was strange, but not unpleasant.

He cast a look in front of them to check on the status of part one of his
plan. Art and Steve seem ed to be getting along well. Lyle and Ray did,
too, despite being com plete opposites. He was a regular m atchm
aker today. N ow he just needed to think of som ething to talk about
with Quinn.

W hatever he brought up should be im personal enough not to freak

Quinn out but personal enough to help him get to know the guy. He
searched
his m ind for a suitable topic. W hat he thought of was lam e,
but unthreatening. "Do you like roller coasters?"

Josh got the im pression Quinn wanted to ask "M e?" again, but he
didn't. After a brief hesitation, he shrugged his wide shoulders.
"They're all right. I'm not sure if I'll like this one."

"W hy not?"

Quinn frowned and glanced away as if he regretted what he'd said.

Silence stretched out between them . Josh watched Quinn's profile
for a m inute, noting with a clinical eye that his nose had been
broken at least once, although the sm all bum p only added to his
rugged looks.

He was about to change the subject when Quinn finally answered. "I
don't like the dark m uch." He let out a sm all laugh that sounded
anything but am used. "Isn't that ridiculous?"

Quinn's tone and words seem ed to im ply that being nervous or afraid
at all was ridiculous. Josh wondered if he felt that way because he was
a big guy. Som e m en didn't like to show any kind of weakness, and
the larger the guy, the tougher they seem ed to feel they had to act. A
strange m ix of em pathy and curiosity rose. Quinn was definitely m ore
than m et the eye.

Josh touched Quinn's arm , a light brush of his fingertips over

rock-solid m uscle. "N o, it's not ridiculous at all. I'm afraid of horses. N
othing bad has ever happened to m e involving one or anything, but if
I get too close to a horse I freeze up."

"Really?"

The tentative sm ile was back, and it was all Josh could do not to
kiss that sm ile. The sudden, strong attraction to a m an who was
nothing like his usual type probably should have concerned him , but
he decided to go with it. He grinned and bum ped Quinn's shoulder
with his own. "Really. But don't tell anybody. I have a reputation to
uphold, you know."

Solem n, quiet Quinn laughed out

loud.
Josh kept grinning, feeling like he'd won the lottery just from m
aking another m an laugh.
/
"Are you sure about this?" Quinn looked from the pastel entrance of
the ride with its happy painted children, to Josh, and then back again,
dubious. Everyone else had begged off when Josh suggested this
particular ride, Lyle and Ray to go back to the hotel and Art and Steve
to go shopping. O nly Josh's hopeful eyes had convinced him to com
e along.

The other m an rubbed his hands together, gleeful. "I'm positive.

This is going to be great. You'll see."

"W hatever you say." Quinn doubted the ride would be great, but
what did that m atter? N othing could ruin his day at this point.
Everything from lunch on had been wonderful.

Even the m orning hadn't been as horrible as he'd feared, thanks to

the pair system . N one of the guys he'd been paired with had seem
ed thrilled to be his partner, but at least he only had to worry about
one person at a tim e. O f the six m en he'd been paired with, two had
been pretty quiet, two had been ogling other guys in the group the
whole tim e, and two had tried to converse with him . Quinn hadn't
been attracted to any of them the way he'd been drawn to Josh from
the first m om ent he saw him , but at least he hadn't been m iserable
the whole tim e, and the rides had been fun.

G etting a seat at Josh's table, and thwarting Dam ien's attem pt to sit
there, had seem ed like the icing on the cake at the tim e. Quinn
would never have predicted that Josh would actually talk to him , or
invite him to com e with Josh and the other guys. Rem em bered em
barrassm ent heated his face at the way he'd responded. Asking, "M
e?" when Josh had said his nam e was idiotic. For som e strange
reason, Josh hadn't been put off. The m an hadn't even been put off
when Quinn confessed his dislike of the dark.
They walked under the archway and went to the end of the short line.
Josh was watching the fam ily in front of them , so Quinn took the
opportunity to study him . He still couldn't believe such a good-looking,
funny guy had singled him out. Sure, Josh had invited him to join a
group, but there were a lot better looking and m ore interesting guys
on the tour than Quinn. And Josh could have gone back to the hotel or
shopping when the other m en didn't want to go on the ride, but he'd
chosen to go alone with Quinn. In fact, he'd chosen Quinn every tim e
he'd had the opportunity--standing next to him in the Space M ountain
line, riding in a car with him on the Speedway, and walking beside him
through the park.

A treacherous little glow of hope kindled in his chest. He tried to beat

it down with cold, hard reality. In all likelihood, Josh was hanging out
with him because he wasn't looking to hook up with anyone yet. O r
m aybe he'd asked Quinn to com e along to keep Dam ien from
trying to com e. Hell, m aybe Josh was doing his good deed for the
day by helping out the poor shy loser.

The last thought hit close enough to hom e to crum ple his good
spirits. Josh was a genuinely nice m an. Quinn believed that. N ice
enough to want to help him out. The theory fit, and if he were honest
with him self, what else could it be? A guy like Josh wasn't going to
want a guy like him . He'd have this m agical, perfect day, and then
Josh would m ove on to his next project, or a m an he was interested
in for real. Quinn would have to savor every second of this to rem em
ber later.

"Hey. You okay?"

Quinn yanked his gaze up to find Josh's warm brown eyes locked on
him , concerned. He forced a sm ile. "I'm fine."

"G ood, because it's tim e to get in the boat!" Josh was alm ost
bouncing on his toes, m uch like the little boy ahead of them .

Quinn followed Josh onto the bench seat of the boat, grateful for
the upcom ing distraction.
****

A few m inutes later, Quinn wasn't grateful anym ore. The boat m
ade its slow, m eandering way through room s full of little dolls
dressed in the garb of different countries, all singing the sam e
catchy tune. He couldn't decide whether to be annoyed, am used, or
horrified.

N ext to him , Josh bobbed his head to the m usic, gazing around
at the dolls and grinning like a m adm an. "Isn't this great?"

"I think this m ight be the m ost terrifying thing I've ever experienced."
The colors alone would have been enough to traum atize him . Add in
the song, and the creepy dolls, and Quinn was pretty sure he'd be
scarred for life. He was glad to see the exit approaching.

"Aw, you don't m ean that." Josh nudged their shoulders together,
his head resting against Quinn for a brief m om ent.

Quinn m anaged to refrain from leaning into the other m an. "I m ost
certainly do." Som e crazy, bold part of him kept talking. "You owe m
e big tim e for this."

Too late, he bit his tongue. How stupid was he, pushing for m ore
when he already had m ore than he'd expected? He scooted out of the
boat and walked toward the exit, hoping Josh would ignore his words
in the bustle.

N o such luck. Josh caught up to him , one eyebrow raised. The

surprised expression rem ained for a few seconds, and then he sm
iled. "You're right, I do. You were the only guy willing to brave this ride
with m e, so you deserve a reward. Dinner's on m e. I'll even buy
dessert."

Quinn ducked his head. He didn't want Josh to feel obligated. "You
don't have to do that."

"I know, but I want to. M y m otives are purely selfish, I assure
you."

A wom an pushing a stroller and scolding a child at the sam e tim e

forced them apart. W hen she was past them , they fell back into
step side-by-
side. Quinn considered Josh's last com m ent, not quite sure
whether or not to take him seriously. "W hat do you m ean?"

Josh gave him a sidelong glance. "If I buy you dinner and dessert, I
get a built-in dining com panion. Plus I m ight be able to con you into
shopping with m e."

W as Josh saying he wanted to spend m ore tim e with Quinn, or he

wanted som ebody to hang out with and Quinn would do? Quinn
rubbed at the back of his neck. Trying to figure out the other m an's m
otives was stupid. He was being ridiculous, analyzing every little thing
to death. Better to go with the flow for now. He nodded. "O kay." The
bold stranger who'd taken up residence in his vocal cords added, "I
would have gone with you without the bribe, you know."

Josh laughed. "N ow you tell m

e."

****

By unspoken agreem ent, they m ade their way toward M ain Street.
The shops were there, and according to Quinn's park guide the parade
and fireworks were in that area as well. Josh stared at everything they
passed, wide-eyed and enthralled. His enthusiasm m ade Quinn sm
ile. He couldn't rem em ber the last tim e he had been that excited
about anything--except for being here with Josh.

The other m an m ust have noticed his glances, because he let out a
rueful laugh. "I've never been to an am usem ent park before. It's
pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Quinn shrugged. "I haven't either."

Quinn's revelation sent both Josh's eyebrows up toward his hairline.

"Really? Everybody else I've told that to has acted like I'm som e
kind of anom aly."
"I guess we're both anom alies, then." They had m ore in com m
on than Quinn would have guessed.
He doubted Josh's reasons for never going to an am usem ent park
were the sam e as his. His father had been too broke, drunk, and
uncaring to take him anywhere at all, other than the liquor store or a
bar, and he'd had to wait outside at those places, no m atter what
the tim e or the weather. M em ories of tim e spent huddled in an
alley at three A.M ., scared and alone, still had the power to m ake
him shiver thirty years later.

After his father died, none of his foster fam ilies had taken him
anywhere except for school and church. Since he'd becom e an adult,
he hadn't had the inclination to visit a them e park. Fun hadn't been m
uch of a priority in years.

Josh's voice pulled him out of his dark thoughts. "I'm glad I'm not the
only one. W hen I was a kid, m y parents didn't want m e doing
'frivolous' activities. I was hom eschooled by m y m om , who's a
physicist, up until ninth grade."

Josh's childhood sounded alm ost as Spartan as his own, but for
very different reasons. "I bet it was hard to adjust, after being hom
eschooled for so long."

Josh laughed. "You have no idea. The other kids hated m e. I was a
scrawny geek, and I was two years younger than they were, thanks to
m y m om . I worked m y ass off to graduate early and get out of
there."
Quinn could relate. N ot to the graduating early part, but to the being
different and not fitting in. "I had the opposite problem . I was bigger
than everyone else."

"Being different really sucks, especially in high

school."

Quinn nodded. "Especially when you change schools four tim

es."

Eyes sym pathetic, Josh touched his arm . "That's

terrible."
N ot wanting to discuss his childhood, Quinn shrugged and brushed it
off. "Four foster hom es, four schools. M y dad died when I was
thirteen. M y m om died years before that, so there wasn't m uch
choice."

"W ow. I'm sorry."

And now Quinn was depressing them both. "It was a long tim e
ago." He tried to sm ile. "W hat happened? You don't look like a
scrawny geek to m e."

Josh grinned. "I went to college and m ade new im age for m yself. G
rowing a few inches helped."

O bviously Josh had succeeded in reinventing his im age, because

he was attractive and self-possessed now. Quinn hadn't been so
lucky. He hadn't been able to shake off his shyness and rem ake him
self, no m atter how hard he'd tried.
"W ant to get hot dogs?"

Quinn chuckled at the abrupt change of subject.

"Sure."

His eyes on the m enu, Josh asked, "Regular or

corndog?"

"Corndog? N o thanks. Regular for m e." Corndogs brought back

bad m em ories of digging through the freezer to find som ething to
eat when his dad passed out drunk. Frozen corndogs had often
been his only choice, and he'd hated them ever since.

"G otcha. W hy don't you snag us a seat? I'll be

back."

Josh went in one direction, Quinn went the other. N ot far away, he
found a sm all table with an um brella. He sat in one of the uncom
fortable wrought iron chairs to wait. The scents of hot dogs, baked
goods, hot asphalt, and sunscreen perm eated the air. Fam ilies,
pairs, and sm all groups wandered past. M ost of the children were
wide-eyed and excited, like Josh. A few looked to be past their naptim
es. Quinn watched a m an
walk by, cradling a sleepy little boy against his shoulder. The m an
rubbed the boy's back as he walked.

At least there were people out there who took care of their children.
The sight sent a stab of m elancholy through Quinn. Som etim es he
wondered if his own childhood had screwed him up too m uch for him
to fit in anywhere. He sighed.
A paper basket containing a hot dog and fries appeared on the table
in front of him , along with a large paper cup of soda. He glanced up
to find Josh sm iling down at him . "G etting tired?"

"Just thinking." Josh's sm ile was contagious. Quinn couldn't help

sm iling back. "D id you bring ketchup?"

"And m ustard, and relish." The other m an put a pile of little

packets on the table between them . He tore open a packet of m
ustard and poured the contents onto his hot dog.

Quinn seasoned his own food to his liking. "Thanks. And thanks
for dinner."

Josh gave him a devilish grin. "Don't thank m e yet. I haven't

dragged you through all the stores."
/

First im pressions weren't always accurate. Josh couldn't believe how

wrong he'd been about Quinn. Sure, the guy was shy around crowds,
and he'd taken som e tim e to warm up to Josh, but once they'd been
on their own for a while Josh learned the truth. Quinn was funny. And
sweet. The m ore tim e Josh spent around him , the m ore attractive
he found him .

Josh had dragged Quinn through every store on M ain Street. He'd
bought several gifts for friends and a few things to take into the office.
Quinn hadn't purchased anything. He had offered to carry Josh's
bags, though.

Quinn looked at his watch. "The parade's going to start pretty soon,
and then fireworks at ten."

A parade and fireworks m ade for a great ending to an interesting

day. All the night needed to m ake it com plete was the dessert they
hadn't eaten earlier. "O h, cool. I'm going to get an ice cream cone.
You want one?" At Quinn's hesitant look, he added, "I did prom ise
you dessert."

The big m an nodded. "I could go for som e ice

cream ."

M ost people m ust have already m ade their way to the part of the
street where the parade would be held, because the ice cream shop
was pretty deserted. Josh ordered a rocky road waffle cone for him
self. Quinn eyed the m enu for a few m inutes before asking for
chocolate chip.

Carrying their ice cream , they m ade their way down the street to the
parade area. Crowds of people m assed along the circle at the end of
M ain Street, waiting for the parade to begin. Quinn stood calm and
patient, eating his ice cream with a m ethodical slowness. Josh, on the
other hand, felt im patient. He gnawed at the edge of his cone and
fidgeted. A big lick of rocky road distracted him , so he took a few m
ore.
W hen he turned to ask Quinn how he liked his ice cream , he caught
the other m an staring at his m outh. To be sure, he licked his lips.
Quinn's gaze followed the m ovem ent, only to skitter away seconds
later. Josh grinned and went back to his ice cream . It looked like the
attraction he felt wasn't one-sided.

****

The parade of lighted floats featuring costum ed characters had been,

as a young girl near them put it, super cool, but the fireworks display
blew Josh's m ind. He stared up in awe as thousands of tiny sparks lit
the sky. There was a story of sorts, and m usic, and the castle was
bathed in different colored lights. The whole thing com bined to form
som ething he should have thought was silly, or overdone, or too
sentim ental. Instead, he felt like a kid again, am azed and perfectly
happy in the m om ent.

He glanced over at Quinn, whose angular features glowed with the

soft, purplish light from the castle. "How can a bunch of black powder
m ake som ething so beautiful?"

The corners of Quinn's lips turned up in a half-sm ile. "I don't know.
The whole is m ore than the sum of its parts, I guess."

Quinn's words struck Josh. He paused to consider them . "Is it weird

that that sounded poetic to m e?"

"Yes." Quinn's sm ile

widened.

"Hey! I see how you are." Yeah, Quinn was a funny guy, when he
let his sense of hum or out. Josh wanted to see m ore of it. He
punched the bigger m an's arm to no effect. Quinn didn't even
budge. Josh scowled. "And you could at least pretend to be hurt."

"O h, sorry." Quinn clutched his arm , an exaggerated expression of

pain on his face. "O w!"

Rolling his eyes, Josh turned his gaze back to the show. A wild array
of starbursts lit the sky, accom panied by soaring m usic, pops, and
crackles.
For a m om ent the night was ablaze with sparkles. He held his
breath at the incredible sight.

Then the light faded, the m usic and explosions replaced by clapping
and cheering. The heavy scent of burnt powder hung in the air.
People began to m ake their way to the exits.

Quinn glanced at his watch. "W e'd better get to the pickup spot. W e
don't want to m iss the shuttle."

W as it Josh's im agination, or did Quinn sound as reluctant as he

him self felt? "Yeah. Let's go."

****

They arrived at the pickup area at ten-twenty five, right as the shuttle
pulled up. The driver opened the door, and they clim bed onto the
sm all bus. The driver, a portly wom an with gray hair, sm iled at
them . "Did you gentlem en have a nice day?"

Josh grinned back. "It was

great."
"I'm glad to hear it. Have a seat. W e'll wait a few m inutes and then
head back to the hotel."

Josh m ade his way to the last seat, a bench m uch larger than the
others due to not having an aisle, and sat, dropping his bags on the
floor at his feet. He leaned against the side of the bus, the activity of
the day catching up to him now that he was sitting down. He was tired,
but a good kind of tired.

After a m om ent's hesitation, Quinn sat beside him . N either of

them spoke. Josh closed his eyes to rest a bit.

A loud clatter m ade him open them again. A couple of m en from

their group, and som e wom en--who m ust have been from the
lesbian "possibility group" if the entwined hands of two of them were
any indication--entered the bus. Laughing and talking, the newcom
ers found
seats. Josh sighed, a little disappointed to have his and Quinn's
quiet solitude interrupted.

The bus driver looked out the door and then closed it. The overhead
lights dim m ed to a low level. "All right everyone, we're off." She
pulled the shuttle away from the curb and into the exit lane.

In the near dark, Josh couldn't read Quinn's expression. His profile
looked as severe and unsm iling as it had been before they spent the
day together. Josh shifted the tiniest bit closer to the other m an, until
he could feel his warm th.

They were near the hotel when Quinn's voice, soft and low, broke
the silence. "I had a lot of fun today. Thanks."

Josh considered the words, and the tone. Quinn sounded sad. W hy?
"I had fun, too." Tom orrow prom ised to be another day full of
surprises and new experiences. The day was set up m uch like today
had been, with scheduled activities, lunch, and free tim e in the
afternoon. He im agined he would be paired with som e of the guys he
hadn't gotten a chance to talk to this m orning. He m ight m eet som
eone he wanted to spend m ore tim e with like he had today. And
Quinn m ight do the sam e.

The thought of not hanging out with Quinn tom orrow gave him a
twinge of unhappiness, which was weird after only part of a day. He
norm ally wasn't one to get attached so fast, but he had to adm it
Quinn had him intrigued. He wanted to get to know the m an better, to
see where the attraction m ight lead. He'd com e here to break out of
his norm al life, have fun and m eet new people. He'd done all of the
above. Instinct told him Quinn was som ething special. Forcing him
self to find a different guy to talk to every day would be dum b, when
what he wanted was right next to him .

For once, he decided to go with his feelings rather than using logic on
the situation. "I know there's som e scheduled stuff tom orrow m
orning at Epcot, but do you want to hang out again after lunch?"
Quinn's large fram e went still beside him . "You m ight m eet som
ebody tom orrow m orning that you'd rather spend the afternoon
with."

His eyes on the other m an's tight jaw, Josh tried to figure out what
was going through his m ind. "O r you m ight."
"I doubt that." Quinn frowned. "It m ight be better if you waited
until tom orrow to ask m e."

The instant reply told Josh exactly what he wanted to hear. Quinn
wanted to spend tim e with him , but for som e reason the m an had
doubts about Josh's own desire. Josh could fix that soon enough. He
sm iled. "I don't need to wait, Quinn. I'd like to spend the afternoon
with you tom orrow. If you don't want to, say so, but I'd like it if you
did."

At last Quinn turned toward him , his eyes dark and unreadable in the
dim light. "I'd like that, too."

"Excellent. W e can m ake plans during lunch." Josh leaned against

the wall again, relaxed.

"O kay." Quinn focused his gaze forward once m

ore.

It was hard to tell in the dark, but it looked like Quinn was sm
iling.

****

Back at the hotel, they took the elevator to the seventh floor. They
both went the sam e way at the fork in the hallway. They passed
room after room , and Quinn didn't turn off.

Josh's room was the last one on the right. He laughed when they
reached the second to last room and Quinn halted. "This is your room
?"

Expression puzzled, Quinn

nodded.

"I'm next door." Josh pointed. "I can't believe we haven't run into
each other yet."
Quinn grinned, wry. "At least I'm not next door to Clay. O r Dam
ien."

Putting a hand to his chest, Josh faked hurt. "I think I've just
been insulted."

Quinn laughed and unlocked his door. "G ood night." He

disappeared inside the room .

"N ight, Quinn." Josh walked the short distance to his own room
and let him self in. He put his bags of souvenirs on the floor.

G etting ready for bed a few m inutes later, he glanced at the wall and
wondered what Quinn was doing next door. The sam e thought went
through his head as he lay in bed. O nly a wall separated them . W as
Quinn thinking of him ?

An im age of the other m an's big, m uscular body popped into his
head. He'd always been, if not larger than his boyfriends, at least the
sam e size. W hat would it be like to have all those m uscles, and all
that strength, next to him ? W ould Quinn go slow, cautious and shy
like he seem ed to be, or would he be aggressive once he broke out of
his shell?
For the m ost part Josh topped because that was what guys expected
from him . He didn't m ind bottom ing, even enjoyed it with the right
partner. He would be willing to bet Quinn could m ake him enjoy it.
The m an had an aura of gentleness that tem pered his obvious
strength. He'd never hurt anyone. Josh would bet on that, too.

The turn of his thoughts had Josh squirm ing. His dick pressed
against his boxer briefs, hard and hot. Top, bottom , m utual blow
jobs, even a good m ake-out session, anything sounded good right
about now.

Closing his eyes, he slipped his hand under the waistband of his
underwear and grasped his erection. He gave it a slow, languorous
stroke, im agining Quinn's large hand in place of his. He hissed and
repeated the m otion, adding a squeeze to the head.
His other hand slid up his chest to toy with an already peaked nipple.
His fingertips teased the tiny nub as his other hand continued to
stroke his cock. He m oved faster, the tight friction driving him crazy.
Prim ed by his im agination, his orgasm built quickly.

In his m ind's eye, Quinn closed his lips over Josh's nipple while his
hand continued to pum p his dick. Josh's head fell back. Heat spread
through his body, and he arched into the pleasure.

W ith a stifled gasp, he cam e, sem en gushing over his hand and
stom ach. He flopped back onto the bed. A breathless laugh slipped
out. He'd com e harder than he had in weeks from jacking off to a
fantasy of a guy he barely knew, but he was too satisfied and sleepy
to care.
He snagged a tissue from the box on the nightstand and cleaned up
the m ess enough to sleep without sticking to the sheets. He could
take a shower tom orrow m orning.

As he drifted off, he wondered if Quinn was thinking about

him .
/

"W e Are Fam ily" blared next to Quinn's ear, jerking him out of a
very pleasant dream starring a certain sexy brunet. He scowled and
scrabbled for his cell phone. Stephanie was always changing his
ringtones, and her special tone always had lyrics about friends or
fam ily. Since she was his form er foster sister and best friend, he let
her get away with it.

W hen he finally m anaged to capture the phone, he flipped the case

open. "Hello?"

Stephanie's voice, way too bright and cheery for m orning, blared
in his ear. "G ood m orning, sunshine! How'd it go yesterday? Did
you talk to anyone?"

Since she'd called early, he decided to tease her a little. "The first
night was terrible. Som e guy asked if I wanted to tie him up and
beat him ."
Her voice instantly becam e apologetic. "That's awful. I had no idea
that kind of m an would be there. I'm so sorry."

"It's no big deal." She sounded so disappointed he couldn't bear to

tease her any m ore. "You were right, I'm having fun. I m et a guy
yesterday, and he asked m e if I wanted to hang out this afternoon."

The squeal Stephanie let out alm ost broke his eardrum . He cringed
and held the phone away. He could still hear her easily. "You m et
som eone? D id you say you'd hang out? Is he nice? Is he cute?"

"Jeez, Steph." He laughed. "His nam e's Josh. He's definitely cute. So
cute I'm not quite sure why he wants to spend tim e with m e when he
could get any of the guys in the group. And he'd have to be pretty nice
to put up with m e and m y m oods, don't you think?"
His friend went from squealing to serious in warp speed. "Don't
put yourself down, Quinn. You're a great guy. M aybe this Josh
is sm art enough to figure that out."

He had no answer for that. He hadn't found a m an yet who had

thought he was great enough to hold on to. O ne afternoon together
didn't give him the right to expect anything from Josh. He would
have to see how things went and try not to hope for too m uch.

A quick glance at the clock told him he needed to get up if he

wanted to have tim e to shower and grab som ething to eat before
he caught the shuttle to Epcot. "I have to go. Epcot today."

"Have fun! And keep m e

updated."
"I will. Bye, Steph." He flipped the phone shut and clim bed out of
bed. U nlike the day before, he was m ore than ready to get going.

****

Despite Quinn's best efforts, the m orning dragged. He enjoyed the

shuttle ride, sitting on the big back bench seat with Josh, Steve, and
Art, m ore than the park itself. The first attraction they visited, inside
the huge sphere at the front of the park, was interesting enough, but
his partner, Doug, was a whiny bore. The next ride was a sim ulated
space flight. He ended up with Clay, who giggled and flirted through
the whole six m inute ride. Being partnered with Art for the test track
ride was a huge relief. The m an was quiet, but when he spoke he had
som ething interesting to say. Quinn saw Josh a few tim es, and they
exchanged hellos. The bright sm ile Josh gave him any tim e their
eyes m et m ade Quinn's heart leap.

The final paired activity, a science and invention related attraction

held at one of the pavilions, was the worst of all. It would have been
interesting and fun, except Quinn got stuck with Dam ien, whose
barely concealed scorn and veiled insults cut in spite of Quinn's attem
pts to ignore them . Quinn couldn't help withdrawing into him self,
which only brought on m ore insults phrased to sound helpful, or
kindly m eant, although they
were neither. Com m ents like, "You know, you'd be a lot m ore
interesting if you talked," and "At your height, you probably shouldn't
wear that color. It m akes you stand out way too m uch," could hardly
be construed as helpful, no m atter how sugary the tone.
They were nearing the exit when Dam ien turned to him , a fake sm
ile on his face. "You don't seem to be having fun. M aybe you should
go back to the hotel after lunch."

For about half a second, Quinn considered the advice. Then he rem
em bered Josh's invitation. Rather than reply to Dam ien's
suggestion, he shrugged.

Fortunately, Elaine appeared at the exit and announced it was tim e

for lunch. The m en followed her in the direction of the restaurant.
Josh fell into step beside Quinn. "Hey. How'd your m orning go?"

Quinn's grim ace m ust have been answer enough. Josh frowned.
"That bad, huh?"

O nce again, Quinn's m outh ran off without any input from his brain.
"It's better now that you're here." W ay to scare him off, idiot.

Instead of the uncom fortable silence he expected, Josh sm iled at

him and said, "Ditto."

Quinn sm iled back, Dam ien's obnoxious rem arks fading into
unpleasant m em ories.

****

Lunch was a lot m ore pleasant than the day before, in part due to the
different seating arrangem ents. The large group was broken into two
tables of six and one of eight. Josh claim ed one of the sm aller
tables. This tim e, when Josh sat, Quinn took the seat beside him
without hesitation. Art and Steve joined them , as did Ray and Lyle,
who laughed and joked together and seem ed very chum m y.
The food was good, and the conversation am using. Quinn didn't say
m uch, but nobody m ade him feel bad about that. It was nice to be
able to sit and listen without feeling pressured to talk.

For dessert, Josh asked if he'd like to share a chocolate m ousse.

Quinn had never shared a dessert with anyone before, and the
experience was unexpectedly sweet, in m ore ways than one. He got
up the nerve to tease the other m an about his junk food intake and
being a bad exam ple for his patients. To Quinn's shock, Josh
retaliated by swiping a spoonful of m ousse across the bridge of
Quinn's nose. They all sat there in dead silence for a m inute, and
then the whole table burst into laughter, including him . It felt good to
be com fortable enough to tease and be teased.

After lunch, the six of them headed to the first of the areas
representing different countries that ringed the park's large lake. U
nlike the previous day, there weren't m any rides. The different them e
areas were decorated in the style of the countries they represented
and had m ostly shows, shops, and restaurants.

At the first pavilion they cam e to, Steve picked up a sm all package of
som e strange candy m ade with chili peppers. "This is weird." He
paused, a grin appearing on his narrow face. "Hey, I've got an idea.
Let's m ake this interesting."

Ray rubbed his chin.

"How?"
"I say we have a contest. W e each put in five dollars. The guy who
finds the weirdest thing at one of the shops gets the m oney at the
end of the day."

Frowning, Lyle picked up a different kind of candy. "But what if the

weird thing is really expensive? I'm not buying som e freaky thing that
costs a hundred bucks to win thirty."

"Hm , good point." Steve tapped his fingers on the shelf,

thinking.
Quinn looked around the group. "Josh has a digital cam era. You
guys do, too. I'm the only one without one, looks like. So why don't
we split up into pairs and take pictures of what we find? W e can com
pare pictures tonight and vote on who found the weirdest thing."

"G reat idea, Quinn."

Quinn blushed at Josh's adm iring grin. "Just trying to save us all
som e m oney."

Everyone agreed to the plan, and they split up. O ver his shoulder,
Steve called, "You guys are going down."

"In your dream s, Steve!" Josh turned to Quinn. "O kay, we're on a m
ission. I hate losing."

Quinn had to laugh at the other m an's com petitive streak. "W hat's
this w e you're talking about? Every m an for him self."

Josh looked so surprised that Quinn burst out laughing. "O kay, fine.
But if we win we split the m oney."

"O f course." W ith a beam ing sm ile, Josh started to scour the
pavilion for som ething suitably bizarre.

****

Quinn had never liked shopping, but being with Josh m ade the
experience fun. Their conversation centered on people they saw and
item s in the stores, and Josh's running com m entary kept Quinn
chuckling. Josh decided to buy one food item and one random thing at
each country's shop--the cheesier the better, he said. As a m an who
had never owned m any frivolous possessions, or m any possessions
at all, really, the idea of buying random things just for the kitsch factor
was odd to Quinn.

At the third pavilion they went to, Josh found a truly unusual, and
hideous, statue and took a picture of it. He m oved in close and
showed
Quinn the im age, grinning like a kid. "W e've got this one in the
bag. N obody's going to find anything as weird as this."

Quinn just shook his head and sm iled. Excited, flushed with
predicted victory, Josh looked wonderful. His eyes lit up, and his
gleeful sm ile encouraged Quinn to join in. Due to their close proxim
ity, Quinn could feel the warm th of Josh's body. He sucked in a
breath and caught a light, spicy scent that had to be Josh.

Quinn had a sudden urge to kiss him , which he quickly stifled. For all
he knew, Josh wasn't attracted to him at all and only wanted a new
friend. He needed to rem ind him self of that before he started getting
his hopes up. That never worked out well. Annoyed with him self, he
started walking toward the store's exit. Josh trailed behind him .

O utside once m ore, they strolled along the path and over a bridge.
Every two seconds Josh stopped to take pictures. He snapped a quick
picture of Quinn, who grim aced when he realized what had
happened. G etting his picture taken was one of Quinn's top ten least
favorite things. He looked so big and surly in pictures. But m aybe he
always looked that way. He frowned at the thought.

"I need to find a restroom . I think there's one com ing up." Josh
tried to juggle his cam era, m ap, and bags until Quinn took pity on
him and grabbed the cam era. "Thanks. You need to stop, too?"

"No, but I'm thirsty. W hy don't I hold your stuff for you and go get
us som ething to drink?"

"That'd be great. Thanks, Quinn." Josh handed off his bags, and
with a quick sm ile over his shoulder he headed for the restroom s.

A nearby stand advertised ice cold lem onade. That sounded pretty
good, so Quinn m ade his way to the line to get som e. He'd been
waiting about five m inutes when he sensed som eone behind him .
He didn't turn until he heard a fam iliar and unwelcom e voice.

"W ell, look who it is. Hey there,

Quinn."
He turned to face the newcom er, stifling a scowl. "Hello, Dam
ien."
The other m an sm irked. "Having a good tim
e?"

Like you care. He forced a sm ile.

"Yes."

"G ood. That's good." Dam ien ran his well-m anicured hand
through his perfect highlighted hair. "Josh is nice, isn't he?"

W ondering where Dam ien intended the conversation to lead,

Quinn nodded.

"It's cute how he's taken you under his wing. N obody else in the
group would have done that." His expression all innocence and
concern, Dam ien leaned forward. "I hope he rem em bers to save
som e tim e for him self, though. You wouldn't want to m onopolize his
whole vacation, would you?"

How was he supposed to answer a question like that? N o m atter

what he said his answer would be used against him . Quinn opened
his m outh to say som ething--he wasn't sure what--but before he
could he reached the front of the line.

The cheerful young wom an behind the counter swished her

blonde ponytail and sm iled at him . "W hat can I get for you?"

"I'll take two lem onades,

please."

She told him the total and another worker got the drinks. Quinn dug
his wallet out of his pocket and paid. "Thanks." He picked up the
two cups and looked around for Josh.

Apparently Dam ien hadn't intended to buy lem onade, because he

followed Quinn out of the line. Quinn tried to ignore him by watching
the people who walked by. He spotted Josh com ing toward him and
sm iled. Ignoring his uninvited tagalong becam e a lot easier.
Josh grinned back and loped over to him . Quinn handed him one
of the drinks, which m ade his grin widen. "Lem onade, great. I'm
thirsty." He took a big drink.

The sight of Josh's lips pursed around the straw, and his throat
working as he swallowed, sent Quinn's m ind to places it shouldn't be
going. To distract him self, he said, "There's a band starting at the
next pavilion in a couple of m inutes. W ant to head over there?"

Dam ien butted in before Josh could answer. "That sounds like fun. M
ind if I join you?"

"N ot at all," Quinn m uttered through clenched

teeth.

Josh started walking toward the next pavilion. Hurrying to catch

up, Dam ien walked beside him . That left Quinn a little behind
them , by him self. Dam ien m oved closer to Josh and began
chatting about som ething, not attem pting to include Quinn in
the conversation. W hatever he'd said, it m ade both he and Josh
laugh.

Quinn didn't try to catch up, or force his way back into the
conversation. Dam ien m ight be obnoxious, but he was a lot m ore
attractive than Quinn, and apparently funnier, too. Quinn was out of his
league, and he knew it.
/

Som ehow, when he wasn't looking, Josh's day had turned to crap.
He'd planned to spend the day hanging out with Quinn, getting to
know him better. Instead, he was stuck listening to Dam ien blather
on about things he could care less about. Since Dam ien had shown
up while he was in the bathroom , the m an had hung onto him like a
leech. Quinn hadn't said anything in a long tim e, probably because
he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

There had to be a way to get rid of their third wheel. Josh had hoped
to take Quinn to one of the nice restaurants and talk over dinner, like
a real date. N o way did he want Dam ien along. He risked a glance
at Quinn, unhappy to see that the other m an's rem ote expression
had returned.

He paused to take a picture of a cool Japanese pagoda and gather

his thoughts. O f course, Dam ien stood right beside him , in his
personal space. Quinn hung back so far he looked like he wasn't
with them at all.

"You okay, Quinn?" Josh tried to m eet the big m an's eyes, but
Quinn stared at the ground.
"I'm fine." His voice sounded anything but
fine.

"You definitely are." Clay appeared like m agic and plastered him
self against Quinn's side.

The urge to sm ack his head against the nearest hard surface rose,
and Josh had to restrain a snarl. N ow he had two unwanted people to
get rid of, and with Clay's lim pet-like grip on Quinn's arm , that wasn't
going to be easy. He didn't want to com e right out and tell Dam ien
and Clay to get lost. Being rude wasn't his preferred m ethod of
dealing with annoyances, but he was starting to consider the idea.
If he could just get Quinn to look at him , he would feel a lot better
about the situation. The way Quinn had withdrawn worried him . It
rem inded him too m uch of the shuttle ride, and dinner the first night,
when the big m an had som ehow m anaged to becom e invisible
despite his size.

"Josh, com e check this out." Dam ien's voice, loud and strident,
broke into his thoughts. Josh watched Quinn hunch a little at the
sound, and that was the last straw. He was going to tell Dam ien to
get lost in the nicest way he could m anage. Right now he didn't think
it would be all that nice, but he'd do his best. He stalked over to where
Dam ien stood. "W hat?"

Leaning into his personal space again, Dam ien pointed at a

restaurant m enu. "This looks like a really good place to eat. W ant to
get som e dinner with m e?"
The sheer nerve required to burst in on som eone else's day and try
to rearrange it without consulting, or inviting, one of the people
involved m ade Josh's m outh drop open. Dam ien couldn't possibly
be so clueless as not to see Josh wanted to spend tim e with Quinn,
could he? He took a deep breath. "Look, Dam ien. I'm sure the
restaurant is great, but I've already got plans for dinner."

O ne perfect, m anicured eyebrow went up. "O h? W ith

who?"

N obody could be that dense. N ot even M r. Frosted Highlights him

self. Josh gritted his teeth. "Q uinn. The guy I was hanging out with all
day, until you showed up."

A sm ug sm ile appeared on Dam ien's face. "I guess Quinn m ust

not have known that, or he changed his m ind."

"W hat are you talking about?" Josh twisted to look for Quinn, but he
was gone. "W here the hell did he go?"

Dam ien shrugged. "He walked off with

Clay."

Quinn had left with Clay? Josh m ust have fucked up even m ore
than he knew, because Quinn sure as hell hadn't seem ed to like
the annoying
little flirt the other night. "Dam n it!" W ithout another word, Josh
hurried in the direction he figured Quinn would have gone.

Behind him , Dam ien spluttered som ething unintelligible, but he

ignored it. M aybe he could catch up with Quinn and apologize for
not telling Dam ien to get lost sooner.

****

After searching for over an hour, Josh didn't find Quinn. He found
Steve and Art, and later, Ray and Lyle, but none of them had seen
Quinn. They did look at the picture Josh had taken of the statue he'd
found and agree he had found the weirdest item , but winning the m
oney didn't cheer him up. Quinn's unhappy, closed expression kept
jum ping into his m ind. He couldn't help contrasting that with how
Quinn had sm iled and m ade jokes when they were alone. He had
been getting a glim pse into the real Quinn, but he hadn't had tim e to
appreciate it.

Finally, he ran into D oug near the entrance. N ot expecting m

uch, he asked, "Have you seen Quinn?"

To his surprise, the other m an nodded. "Yeah. I saw him catch the
shuttle back to the hotel a couple of hours ago."

Josh sighed. N othing was going the way he'd expected today. He m
ight as well go back to the hotel him self. Staying here would be
pointless if he wasn't having fun.

The walk to the shuttle pickup area took about fifteen m inutes. He
had to sit on a bench and wait for another thirty before the shuttle
arrived. The wait gave him plenty of tim e to think, and realize just
how badly he'd screwed up.

Although he'd m et Quinn only a couple of days ago, Josh knew how
uncom fortable he was around people, especially people like Dam
ien and Clay. W hen they were alone, Quinn was like a different m
an. Josh liked that m an. A lot. Coaxing a sm ile or a laugh from him
gave Josh a warm feeling he couldn't explain. He'd never had to
expend m uch effort to
catch a guy before--never wanted to, to be honest--but he thought
Quinn would be worth it.

The shuttle finally pulled up, and he got on. There were several
people from the straight group already on board, talking and laughing.
Their obvious enjoym ent depressed him . If he had taken a stand
earlier, he and Quinn could be eating dinner together right now.

W hen they arrived at the hotel, Josh went straight up to his floor. O n
the way, he decided he would go to Quinn's room and see if he was
there. If so, he would apologize and see if they could salvage som
ething out of the night.

He stopped at Quinn's door and knocked. He waited a couple of m

inutes, but no one answered. He tried again, harder. N o response. G
iving into tem ptation, he put his ear to the door. N ot a sound.

Disappointed, he went to his own room . Could Quinn have gone som
ewhere with Clay? He wouldn't have thought so before, but now he
wasn't so sure. After only knowing the m an for a couple of days, the
thought of him with som eone else shouldn't upset him . Som ehow it
did.

****
Had that been a knock on his door? Quinn tilted his head to listen
better, but the sound didn't com e again. Just to be sure, he left his
seat on his room 's tiny balcony and went back into the room . He
reached the door in a few quick strides. W hen he opened it, the
hallway was em pty, as he'd suspected it would be. W ho would be
com ing to visit him ? N obody in the group knew which room was his,
except for Josh, and Josh was still at the park.

Quinn sighed and went back out to the balcony and resum ed his
seat. The view of people splashing in the pool, laughing and playing,
didn't m atch his m ood. The day had started out so well. He'd had
hanging out with Josh to look forward to. W hat tim e they had been
able to spend together had been fun. M ore fun than Quinn had had in
m onths, if not years. Josh
wasn't just a pretty face, although he was very attractive. Quinn
thought his lithe, slim ly m uscled body was sexy, but his eyes were
what Quinn liked m ost. They were deep and warm , the kind of eyes
that laughed with you, not at you.

He hated to adm it it, but Dam ien was right. Trying to m onopolize
Josh's whole vacation wouldn't be right. Quinn had been stupid to
hope there was m ore to Josh's behavior than being nice. Josh
probably wouldn't have acted like he m inded if Quinn had chosen to
stick around, but obviously there were other people who were
interested in him .

Although Dam ien m ight be an obnoxious jerk, in Quinn's opinion at

least, he was good-looking in a high m aintenance kind of way. He
looked right standing next to Josh in a way Quinn knew he him self
didn't. The m an was even funny, unlike Quinn, even if his hum or was
on the m ean side. "Too serious," "closed-off," and "boring" were just
a few of the ways Quinn had been described in the past, none of
which was a personality trait a guy like Josh would be looking for.

O f course, Quinn could always go for Clay. The clingy m an had m

ade his willingness to do whatever Quinn wanted, whenever he
wanted it, crystal clear when he'd followed Quinn out of the park and
back to the hotel. Too bad Quinn wasn't into sex for sex's sake.
Besides, Clay didn't want him for him . He doubted Clay had any
interest in getting to know him at all. The sm all m an seem ed to
regard him as a giant sex toy, and som eone convenient to flirt with
and easy to fluster.

M aybe what Clay offered was the best he could get. He hadn't had m
uch luck with relationships. The guys he m et either wanted him
because he was a big guy they thought would dom inate them or get
rough with them , or acted like he was invisible. N either of those m
ade him happy. All he wanted was a nice, norm al relationship with a
nice, norm al guy. The guy didn't have to be hot, or rich, or popular, or
practiced in bed. Quinn would settle for caring, unafraid to com m it,
and a good personality. W here he was going to find those qualities in
a guy who was willing to overlook his oversized body, average looks,
and shyness was a m ystery. If
his own father had seen him as worthless and weak, how could he
expect total strangers to see him as anything m ore?

He let his head fall to the chair back and sighed. This dating stuff was
hard, and it only got harder. Poor Steph had tried to get him in a
situation where he could have a chance. U nfortunately, he couldn't
seem to run with it like she'd hoped he would. He dreaded calling her
to tell her the trip was destined for failure, especially after he'd m
entioned Josh earlier.
/

The next m orning, Quinn went out of his way to avoid everyone.
He dawdled over showering and dressing in his swim trunks and a
T-shirt. Then he skipped breakfast and boarded the shuttle at the
last possible m om ent. He considered hiding out at the hotel rather
than suffering through a day at the water park, but the thought of
Stephanie's disappointm ent in him spurred him into going.

W ithout even attem pting to spot Josh, Quinn sat in the front seat of
the bus. Lyle, who sat next to Ray in the seat behind Quinn, leaned
forward. "Josh was looking for you yesterday."

"He was?" Quinn frowned, surprised and a little confused. He'd

figured the m an would barely notice he'd left.

Ray nodded, his expression disapproving. "He looked for you for
quite a while. I think he was pretty upset that you left without telling
him ."

Lyle chim ed in. "Yeah, and he went back to the hotel to find you. I
guess he never did."

"N o. He never did."

Quinn thought of the sound he'd heard last night. He'd thought it was
a knock. It m ight have been Josh, looking for him . The hope he'd
been so determ ined to crush rose again, greater than before. Josh
had looked for him , and been upset he'd left. If he hadn't ruined
everything by running away, he m ight have a chance after all. He
decided to risk letting Lyle and Ray in on part of his dilem m a.

"I guess I shouldn't have left yesterday, at least not without telling him
. Dam ien showed up and started talking to him , and then Clay
showed up, and I kind of felt like I shouldn't be there."
"D am ien is a jerk. Josh isn't looking for a guy like that." Ray
scowled. His bald head, tattoos, and fierce frown would have m ade
him look pretty intim idating if Quinn hadn't been bigger than him ,
and hadn't known what a nice guy he really was.

Lyle sm iled and put a hand on Quinn's shoulder. "I know it's hard,
being shy. I've dealt with the sam e problem all m y life. You've got to
put yourself out there, though, no m atter how hard it is. You know
that saying about regretting the things you don't do m ore than the
things you do."

Lyle was right. Quinn had to start taking chances if he ever wanted to
be happy. He'd spent a great deal of his life regretting things he
hadn't done or said. Sure, he'd som etim es regretted things he had
done or said, but not nearly as often. If he let Josh slip away because
he hadn't tried, he would feel terrible about it. He shouldn't listen to
what Dam ien had to say. The m an liked to put others down, like
Quinn's father and som e other people he'd m et over the years. He'd
spent far too long letting people like that control his behavior.
Besides, Ray and Lyle both seem ed confident that Josh had som e
interest in him .

He sm iled at both m en. "You guys are right. I m essed up

yesterday, but I'm not going to let Dam ien chase m e off today."

Ray clapped him on the back. "Good for you, m

an."

He faced the front again, unable to stop sm iling. N ow that he'd

decided to stand his ground and take a risk or two, he felt better about

the day. The only thing he needed was a plan. ​* * * *

The short ride to the water park gave Quinn plenty of tim e to decide
what to do. He sneaked a few glances toward the back of the bus and
spotted Josh sitting in the farthest row again, between Art and Dam
ien. U nlike yesterday, he wasn't sm iling. His m outh had a distinct
downward cast to
it, and his eyes were distant. W hen Dam ien spoke to him and
leaned into his side, he leaned away.

Quinn quickly turned his gaze to the front again, not wanting to be
caught staring. W hat he'd seen added m ore credibility to what Ray
and Lyle had told him . It looked like Josh m ight find Dam ien as
annoying as he did.

His best bet would be to talk to Josh right away. If Dam ien insisted on
tagging along, he would do his best to ignore the m an until he could
figure out how to get rid of him in a tactful m anner. He'd cross that
bridge if he cam e to it.
"Typhoon Lagoon," the driver announced. She stopped the bus and
opened the door. Since there were no scheduled events, Elaine hadn't
com e with them . The m en were on their own for the day. The driver
added, "A shuttle will be here at two, four, and eight. If you want to
leave at another tim e, catch the park transportation to the Anim al
Kingdom . I'll be there at three and six."

Quinn was first off the shuttle. Instead of going into the park, he
stood aside and waited for Josh to walk by. Lyle and Ray stopped
beside him .

They waited while the other m en in the group filed off the bus and
headed into the park, breaking up into pairs and sm all groups. Josh
was one of the last m en to exit. His eyes were downcast as he
stepped off the bus.

Quinn gathered his courage.

"Hey."

That deep brown gaze flew up to m eet his own, startled.

"Hey."

He m anaged a sm all sm ile. "I'm sorry I ran off yesterday. I shouldn't

have done that."

Josh's answering sm ile lit his whole face. "N o, I'm sorry. I should
have noticed you weren't com fortable sooner."
"That's okay. I shouldn't let people get to m e. I've got to work on
that." Quinn decided to take another risk. "You want to try again
today?"
"Hm ." Josh rubbed his chin, m ock-thoughtful. "I suppose I could
pencil you in."

A bony elbow in his ribs jerked Quinn's attention away from the
conversation. He twisted to find Lyle staring at him . Lyle's lips form
ed the word "run." Confused, he frowned. Lyle tilted his head m
eaningfully toward Dam ien, who had been waylaid by Ray.

G iving Lyle a grateful sm ile, he turned back to Josh. "Let's get

out of here."

Josh grinned.

****

They m ade their getaway without incident and walked toward the
other end of the park. W hen they were safely away, Josh started
laughing. "I feel like we're in a spy m ovie or som ething, sneaking
around like this."

Quinn rolled his eyes. "It's ridiculous, isn't it? N ow I feel even worse
for leaving you with him yesterday."

"W ell, you should. He's the m ost narcissistic person I've m et in m y
entire life. I ditched him right after you left with Clay." Josh's grin was
still in place, but his eyes darkened with what looked suspiciously like
hurt, and m aybe a little jealousy.

Quinn found it hard to believe anyone would be hurt or jealous over

him , but the evidence was right in front of him . He shouldn't have
been happy about provoking that kind of negative em otion, and yet a
sm all part of him wanted to dance. He offered Josh an apologetic sm
ile. "I didn't leave with Clay. I left, and he followed m e. He finally took
the hint about the third tim e I told him I wasn't interested." He
shrugged. "I don't know why he picked m e to follow around in the first
place. There are plenty of other guys to choose from ."
Josh raised an eyebrow. "You really don't see it, do
you?"

W as there som e secret everybody was in on but Quinn? "See

what?"

The other m an stopped and eyed him up and down.

"Yourself."

Quinn saw him self every day in the m irror. He was a huge, shy dork.
W hat was Josh talking about? He frowned. "W hat do you m ean?"

"You've got a lot going for you. You just don't know it yet." W ith
those cryptic words, Josh turned and resum ed walking.

Quinn stared after him for a full thirty seconds before hurrying to
catch up. Flustered, he didn't ask what Josh had m eant. Instead,
he blurted, "W ant to go on a waterslide?"

"Sure, but let's find som e lockers first. I want to put m y stuff
away."

For the first tim e, Quinn noticed Josh carried a bag. "W hat's in
there?" After he asked, he wondered if the question was too nosy.
Apparently the other m an didn't think so, because he answered
without m issing a beat. "I've got a book, a towel, sunscreen, and a
bottle of water."

Quinn had brought only a towel and his sunglasses. He cringed at

the thought of the horrible sunburn he was going to get. "I forgot to
bring sunscreen. I'd better go buy som e."

"N o problem . You can borrow som e of m ine." Josh grinned. "An
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. O r aloe, in this case."

"That's terrible." Quinn couldn't help chuckling at the lam e joke.

"Thanks for letting m e use som e of your sunscreen."

"N o problem . Hey, I see som e lockers over there." Josh pointed,
and they headed toward them .
A few m inutes later, m ost of their belongings were stowed in a
locker, with the exception of Josh's sunscreen. Josh handed the
bottle to Quinn. "I already put som e on." He stripped off his shirt,
revealing lightly tanned skin and a lean, fit torso. He had the kind of
m uscles honed by work and play rather than excessive weightlifting.

Quinn tried not to stare, turning his attention to slathering him self
with slick, coconut-scented lotion. He pulled off his own shirt and
covered the parts he could reach, but despite their length his arm s
couldn't get som e parts of his back.

Josh laughed and took the bottle from him , squeezed a sm all pool
of sunscreen into his hand, and handed the bottle back to Quinn.
"Let m e help you."
Quinn shrugged and put the sunscreen bottle in the locker. "O
kay."

Josh used his other hand to scoop som e of the lotion up and m oved
to stand behind Quinn. "W e don't want you to get burned. You have
unusual coloring."

That was a com m ent Quinn had heard often. His pale skin, blue
eyes, and dark hair were a strange com bination. Som e people had
referred to him as "black Irish" based on his last nam e. He didn't
know what his heritage was, but his father had been a redhead. M
aybe he was part Irish.

He started to respond, but the first touch of Josh's cool, lotion-covered

fingers stole his words. He closed his eyes, savoring the way Josh's
strong, gentle fingers m oved over his back. Josh used long, firm
strokes to cover all the areas Quinn hadn't been able to reach, and
then he went back over them with a lingering, m ore teasing touch.

Finally, Josh stepped back. "There. All done." His voice sounded
huskier than before.

Quinn restrained a shiver at the loss of the touch and the sexy tone.
The urge to grab Josh and drag him back to the hotel like som e
cavem an hit. He rem inded him self the shuttle wouldn't be back for
hours. To hide his
reaction, he looked over his shoulder and sm iled. "Ready to hit
the waterslides?"
/
At the last waterslide in the park, Josh took the opportunity to watch
his com panion as they waited in line. Quinn fully dressed was im
posing. Quinn in swim trunks, no shirt, was incredible. Josh had
trouble not drooling at the sight of that wide, m uscled chest and
shoulders. The m an could pose for a statue of Hercules, or m aybe
Superm an. Josh would be willing to bet Quinn could pick him up with
ease, probably even bench press him without breaking a sweat, no
sm all feat since he weighed a hundred and eighty pounds. Big and
brawny had never been one of the traits he looked for in a guy, but
now he was reconsidering. Quinn's cluelessness about his own
desirability only m ade him hotter.

They'd m ade a quick circuit through all the other slides in the park,
and to Josh's delight, Quinn was turning out to be a bit of an
adrenaline junkie. After each slide, he seem ed exhilarated and
wanted to go straight to the next one. Josh enjoyed seeing him anim
ated and alm ost chatty.

W hen they reached the front of the line, Josh was pleased to
discover they would be sliding in a sm all tandem raft. Quinn sat in
the back, his long legs reaching to the front of the raft and beyond.
Josh sat in the front, between Quinn's legs. He deliberately sat as
close to Quinn as he could, his back inches from Quinn's chest.
Heat radiated from the other m an's skin, and he had the urge to
lean back the rest of the way.
He glanced up and over his shoulder at Quinn, who stared at
him , a m ixture of surprise and heat in his eyes. M ission accom
plished. Josh grinned and gripped the raft handles. "Let's go."

And they were off, racing down a large half-pipe filled with water. Air
rushed past them , whipping Josh's hair around his face. The slide
took several wild twists and turns before they splashed into the
large pool at the bottom . W ater flew everywhere, splattering them
both.
Behind him , Quinn laughed. "N ow that was
fun."

"Yeah, it was." Josh clam bered out of the raft and towed Quinn to
shore. "You ready to get som ething to eat?"

"I'm starving." Quinn turned in their raft to a park em ployee. "Do

you need your stuff?"

Josh nodded. "M y m oney's in the locker." He headed in the

direction of the lockers.

Quinn fell into step beside him , closer than he'd walked before.
"You want to go to the beach for a while after we eat?"

"Sounds good." W hile they were there, he'd ask Quinn to help
him reapply his sunscreen. He'd take any excuse to get those big
hands on him .

****
After a lunch of burgers and fries, Josh was ready to kick back on
the beach. Sitting by the wave pool m ight not have been quite as
relaxing as sitting by the ocean, but the artificial beach was real
enough for him . O n the way, he stopped to buy a beer.

W hen the guy behind the counter handed him a bottle, he

glanced at Quinn. "You want one?"

Quinn shook his head. "N o, thanks. I'll stick with water. M y father
was an alcoholic."

O kay. That wasn't good. Josh looked at the bottle in his hand. "W
ould you rather I didn't drink either?"

The sm ile Quinn sent him was reassuring, as was his quick reply.
"N ot at all. I don't have a problem with other people drinking, but
I've read that alcoholism can be hereditary, and I don't want to go
down that road."
He wasn't sure what to say. Quinn's conviction was sensible. Sad, but
sensible. And it m ight help explain a few things. W hat kind of
childhood m ust Quinn have endured, with an alcoholic father who
had died when Quinn was only thirteen? The few hints the m an had
given him told him it hadn't been pleasant.

N ot wanting to dwell on a subject that probably m ade Quinn

unhappy, Josh changed the subject. "Ready to hit the beach?"

"Definitely."

They found a pair of white lounge chairs near the wave pool and
spread their towels over them . Josh sat on his and reapplied
sunscreen wherever he could reach, offering the bottle to Quinn.

Quinn peered down at his chest, which hadn't turned pink from the
sun yet. "G ood idea. The last thing I need is to get sunburned."

"W ant m e to get your back?" Josh kept his voice cool and calm ,
trying not to telegraph how m uch he wanted to touch Quinn, and
have Quinn touch him .

"Sure." Quinn turned to present his back. "I'll get yours for you
in a m inute."

Score. Josh didn't bother to hide his trium phant grin. He sm oothed
the sunscreen over the hard m uscles and sm ooth, cream y skin of
Quinn's back using slow, sensual strokes of his fingertips. He traced
the indentation of Quinn's spine, trying not to be too obvious about it.
Quite a few sm all scars m arred the surface of his back, and Josh
traced those as well. The feel of warm skin beneath his hands was
addictive. He had to force him self to stop.

"O kay, all done."

Quinn twisted around to grab the sunscreen bottle. "N ow I'll do

yours. You can lay on your stom ach if you want."
Lying on his stom ach was a sm art m ove. Quinn's large, strong
hands, slick with lotion, ghosted over his back with surprising
gentleness. The m om ent they touched him , Josh's dick took notice.
The touch wasn't sexual, but it was Quinn, and som ehow that m ade
all the difference.
Quinn rubbed over a knot in his shoulder, and Josh winced. "O
w."

Quinn im m ediately stopped. "Did I hurt

you?"

He sounded so concerned, Josh chuckled. "N o, I've got a knot

there. N ot your fault."

"O h. G ood." A pause. "I could try to take care of it for you, if you
want."

Josh wanted. O nce again he tried to play cool, but wasn't sure
how successful he was. "I'd appreciate that. Thanks."

He closed his eyes as Quinn's hands resum ed their previous

position, only this tim e Quinn kneaded the tight m uscles in his
shoulders. The knot, along with a few others, dissolved under Quinn's
determ ined probing. He couldn't help groaning at how good it felt.
The thought of those hands stroking other parts of his body popped
into his head, and his half-hard cock sprang to full attention. He was
going to have to stay on his stom ach for a while, unless he wanted to
em barrass them both.

Finally Quinn stopped his m assage. He didn't lift his hands from
Josh's back, though. "Is that better?"

"M uch. You have great hands." And I w ish you'd put them all over
me. Josh wisely refrained from saying that out loud. He didn't want
to scare Quinn off. He peered up to catch Quinn's reaction to his
statem ent.

The big m an was blushing. "Thanks." He slowly took his hands from
Josh's back, like he was reluctant to stop touching.

Josh chose to take that as a good sign. He grinned and laid his head
down on his arm s. This was turning out to be a great day.
****

They lounged on the beach for a couple of hours. For a while they m
ade sm all talk, but then Quinn dozed off and Josh opened his book.
Josh had never been crazy about silence, but with Quinn he didn't m
ind. Sitting together was com fortable.

He stole occasional glances at the m an next to him , adm iring. At

first he focused on Quinn's body. It was hard not to--the m an was
huge. And hot. The m ore he watched, though, the m ore Josh noticed
other things, like Quinn's long, dark eyelashes and the way his hair
tried to curl despite its short length.

W hen Josh found him self wanting to run his fingers through Quinn's
hair to test its softness, he decided he'd better focus on his book. The
story kept him entertained for short bursts, but his gaze continued to
stray back to Quinn. The last tim e he caught him self staring, he
noticed Quinn's skin had acquired the faintest tinge of pink, despite
the sunscreen. They shouldn't spend too m uch longer in the sun.

"Quinn." He ran his fingertips over Quinn's shoulder gently. "Tim

e to wake up."

Sleepy blue eyes blinked at him . "Did I fall asleep?" Quinn lifted his
head, m ore alert and clearly em barrassed. "I'm sorry."

Josh grinned. "N o problem . I have that effect on

people."

"It wasn't you--"

"I know. I'm kidding." Josh sat up and stretched. "You're starting to
get pink, though. I'm about ready to go back to the hotel. W hat
about you?"

Quinn sat up as well. "Sure, I guess." He sounded

disappointed.

Josh hoped it was because the day was alm ost over. If so, he
had the perfect cure. "W ant to get dinner? W e could hit the hotel
restaurant
when we get back. W ell, after we shower and put on som e real
clothes." U nder his book, he crossed his fingers.

Quinn's face lit up. "That sounds

great."

"G ood. W e should have tim e to catch the shuttle, if we hurry." Josh
hopped out of his chair, energized. Everything was going perfectly. If
he could just m anage to avoid the screw-ups of the previous days,
anyway...
/
Quinn hum m ed under his breath as he stepped out of the shower.
He dried off and rubbed at the fogged m irror with his towel. The m an
who stared back at him from the m isty glass didn't look like him . This
m an was sm iling, happy, at ease with the world and his place in it.
Quinn didn't know who the guy in the m irror was, but he liked him . W
ho knew taking a few tiny risks and spending a day having fun could
m ake such a difference?

The day really had been fun. He'd never been on a waterslide before,
but the experience had been thrilling--especially the one in which he
and Josh had shared a raft. Having Josh close to him like that had
been well worth any nerves and discom fort involved.

He closed his eyes and rem em bered putting sunscreen on Josh's

back at the beach. His m ind conjured up the im age of Josh's skin,
warm from the sun and silky-sm ooth. He couldn't help but enjoy
touching Josh, and from the other m an's reaction he'd liked it as well.
He hadn't tensed up, and when Quinn had given him a m assage he'd
groaned. Then again, a lot of people probably groaned when they
were getting m assages. Quinn needed to keep that in m ind and not
read too m uch into anything. Josh wanted to have dinner with him ,
which was wonderful in and of itself. He would take anything else as
icing on the cake.

"W e are Fam ily" blared from the nightstand, but Quinn didn't answer
the sum m ons. If he answered, Stephanie would pum p him for
inform ation about his day, and Josh. A childish fear of jinxing him
self m ade him not want to discuss anything just yet. He'd learned not
to count his chickens before they hatched, so to speak. He also didn't
want to be late, and Stephanie was notorious for being difficult to end
a conversation with. She let people off the phone if and when she felt
like it, and not a m om ent before.
The phone rang a few m ore tim es before it fell silent. The chim e for
a new voice m essage went off a couple of m inutes later. He threw an
apologetic look toward the nightstand. "Sorry, Stephie. I prom ise I'll fill
you in later."

He needed to get m oving. He pulled on a pair of boxers and the

nicest khakis he'd brought. Deciding what shirt to wear took m ore tim
e than he wanted to spend, but he wanted to look good. The deep
blue polo shirt he selected brought out his eyes, or so Stephanie
claim ed.

A quick search revealed his wallet, which he stuffed into his pocket.
He didn't bother looking for his watch. He was on vacation.

Satisfied, he stepped into the hallway. The sound of a nearby door

closing drew his attention to the room next door, where Josh had just
com e out of his room . Josh wore khakis, too, and a brown
long-sleeved dress shirt with lighter pinstripes, m anaging to be casual
and pulled-together at the sam e tim e. Quinn sm iled. "Good tim ing."

Josh grinned, looking genuinely pleased to see him . "Yeah. I'd like to
say I planned it, but I'm not that sm ooth."

"I don't know, you got m e to go to dinner with you." W ere those
words com ing out of his m outh? Quinn was astonished at both the
words, and his flirtatious tone. He had never been good at flirting.

Josh pretended to buff his fingernails on his shirt. "And that took
som e doing, too. You're right. I am that sm ooth."

Quinn laughed. "And so m odest, too. I'm im

pressed."

"You haven't seen anything yet." Josh's sexy sm ile and hot stare
prom ised m uch m ore to com e.

Quinn's heart raced. He could hardly

wait.

****
They arrived at the restaurant early enough to get seated right away.
The hostess led them to a sm all, secluded table off in a corner by
itself. After handing them m enus and prom ising their server would
be with them soon, she left.

Quinn glanced around at the sim ple décor of cream and green, with
dark wood trim and som e nice paintings in gold fram es. W ell, Quinn
liked them , but he wasn't an art connoisseur. For all he knew they
could be terrible quality.

Each table had a forest green tablecloth and an unlit candle in a

hurricane holder. The place was nice, but not fancy or intim idating.
The m enu proved to be the sam e way, full of food Quinn could
identify rather than overpriced, unpronounceable item s.
A nice-looking young m an wearing the traditional waiter's uniform of
a white shirt and black pants appeared at their table. "Hi, I'm M iguel.
I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you som ething to drink?"

Quinn ordered an iced tea.

Josh gave M iguel a charm ing grin. "That sounds good. I'll have one,
too."

The waiter nodded. "I'll have those for you in a few m inutes." He sm
iled and left.

Quinn considered Josh's drink order. Had Josh wanted som ething
alcoholic, and been too considerate to order it? W orries like that
were one reason Quinn rarely told anyone about his past. He also
didn't want to deal with pity, or too m any questions. His childhood
wasn't som ething he enjoyed discussing.

There wasn't any point in stressing over Josh's drink choice. He

had enough other things to stress him self over. Like what to
say.

Fortunately Josh saved him from that particular worry. The other m
an leaned forward. "So, you're an engineer? W hat kind?"
His job was safe and fam iliar ground. He seized on the topic. "I'm an
environm ental engineer. I work for a firm in St. Louis. W e do
consulting, sam ples and testing, and rem ediation of polluted sites."

U nlike som e people he'd told about his job, Josh appeared
very interested. "How long have you been in the field?"
"Fourteen years. I enjoy it, even the sam ple taking and
paperwork."

Josh grinned. "You're a better m an than I. I hate

paperwork."

Totally at ease now, Quinn chuckled. "You're in the wrong line of

work, then. D on't doctors have a ton of paperwork?"

Josh nodded. "And how. I try to pass it off to the nurses or m y

receptionist as often as I can, but I have to do a lot of it m yself."
He shrugged. "It's worth it, I suppose. I love working with kids."

Quinn liked kids, too, but he was always a little nervous around them .
They seem ed so tiny and fragile. He of all people knew kids were
tougher than they looked, but still.

Before he could com e up with a reply, M iguel returned to take

their orders. Josh asked for a steak and a baked potato. Quinn
ordered the sam e, with a salad.

W hen Josh raised an eyebrow, he sm iled. "O ne of us has to eat som

ething healthy, Dr. Hart."

Josh rolled his eyes.

****

Their food cam e quickly. W hile they ate, they m ade sm all talk about
television shows, books, and m ovies they liked or didn't like. N either
of them watched a lot of TV due to their busy schedules, but what they
did watch was m ostly different. Josh enjoyed watching baseball and
true crim e shows. Quinn preferred basketball and nature program s.
They were
both addicted to a show that took urban legends and tested them to
see if they were true.

Their reading and m ovie tastes were also different. Josh liked
action books and m ovies. As he put it, "The m ore ridiculous
they are, the better." Quinn stuck m ainly to nonfiction and
docum entaries.

O n the surface they had alm ost nothing in com m on, other than
being gay and m ale. W hat about his shy, boring, over analytical self
could a guy like Josh find appealing? U nable to ask that question, he
ventured, "W e don't seem to have m uch in com m on."

Josh didn't laugh or blow off his com m ent. Instead, he looked like he
was really considering it. "M aybe on the surface. But that's not such
a bad thing. The old saying 'opposites attract' exists for a reason." He
paused, sm iled. "I'm definitely attracted to you, in case you couldn't
tell."

O kay, that was blunt. And arousing. Quinn's heartbeat sped up. "I'm
glad. I'm attracted to you, too. Very m uch."

Josh's sm ile widened. He opened his m outh to speak, but a loud

ring cut him off. He gave Quinn an apologetic look and reached into
his pocket. "That's the ringtone for the work calls I had forwarded. I
have to take this."
"O f course. N o problem
."

Josh stood and left the table. Quinn heard him answer the phone, and
then he was too far away to hear. Quinn pushed what was left of his
food around on his plate, his m ind wandering. Josh was interested in
him , and had com e right out and said so. He wasn't used to such
boldness, but he liked it. He wished he could be a bit bolder him self.
Then again, he had been m ore at ease with Josh than he had been
with anyone in a long tim e. He liked that, too.

A few m inutes later, Josh returned to the table, his face drawn and
anxious. "I hate to do this, Quinn, but I have to cut our evening short.
O ne of m y patients is sick and his m om 's terrified. I have to call her
back in a
few m inutes to try to calm her down and figure out what she
needs to do."

Disappointm ent filled Quinn, but he m anaged a sm ile. "O f

course you have to take care of your patients. Are you going back
to your room ?"

Josh nodded.

"W ell, if you have a m inute I'll charge this to m y room and walk you
up." Quinn waited, hopeful.

"That'd be great." Josh's anxious frown softened into a sm

ile.
 ****

Flagging down M iguel and charging the dinner to his room took alm
ost no tim e. Quinn signed the bill and stood. Josh followed suit, and
they left the restaurant.

They m ade their way to the elevator. Quinn pushed the button for
their floor. N ext to him , Josh stood quiet and tense. Quinn felt as if
their roles had been reversed. U p until this m om ent, he had been
the one to be tense and silent while Josh was calm and at ease.

He hated seeing Josh unhappy. Taking another chance, he reached

over and took Josh's hand in his. Rather than pulling away or tensing
up, Josh laced their fingers together and squeezed. Quinn risked a
glance at him . Their eyes m et, and Josh's lips turned up into a sm
all sm ile.

Quinn sm iled back, delighted. Then he leaned against the elevator

wall and savored the warm pressure of Josh's hand in his. He
couldn't rem em ber the last tim e he'd held hands with anyone.
Josh's hand was slim , long-fingered, and strong. It was sm aller
than Quinn's, but not tiny or fragile in any way.

The elevator dinged, signaling their floor, and the doors opened.
They stepped out and walked the short distance to their room s. At
Quinn's door, they stopped.
Josh gazed up at him , his brown eyes regretful and worried.
"Thanks for everything. I'm sorry about this."

"It's no problem ." Quinn gave Josh a rueful sm ile. "W e seem to
have bad luck."

That m ade Josh laugh. "W e do, don't we?" He squeezed Quinn's
hand again. "W ant to try again tom orrow?"

O f course Quinn wanted to try again. Anytim e, anywhere. He

nodded.

"G ood. How about I com e get you for breakfast tom orrow, at
about eight?"

"That sounds good to m e." Quinn released Josh's hand, expecting

the other m an to head straight for his room . To his surprise, Josh
leaned up and pressed a quick, soft kiss to his lips.

"N ight, Quinn." W ith a last sm ile, Josh turned and walked the
short distance to his room .

Quinn opened his door and went inside. His hand went to his m outh
of its own accord. Josh had kissed him . He wanted to run after Josh
and kiss him back, to freeze the m om ent in his m em ory.

That wasn't going to happen tonight. Josh had a patient to take care
of. Quinn sighed and looked for his cell phone. At least he could call
Stephanie back before she got m ad at him . Preparing him self for
loud, excited squealing, he dialed her num ber.
/
G ritty, half-closed eyes greeted Josh as he peered into the m irror.
The harsh light of the bathroom confirm ed what he'd suspected: he
looked like hell. He'd been on the phone half the night with Am anda
O 'Connell, talking her through what to do about little Jim m y's fever
and keeping her calm . W ith her husband in Afghanistan on a fifteen
m onth com bat tour and her fam ily hundreds of m iles away, she
didn't have anyone else. She'd apologized several tim es for
interrupting his vacation. He'd assured her it was fine, and it was. He
didn't regret helping her. He couldn't help his disappointm ent about
having to leave Quinn, but he'd done what he had to do.

This m orning, what he had to do was be at Quinn's room by eight. He

had less than fifteen m inutes to m ake him self presentable, a
daunting task. He turned the water in the shower to cool and stepped
in, hoping a quick shower would wake him up.

As he scrubbed him self with the citrus-scented soap, his thoughts

turned to the night before. The way Quinn had taken his hand in the
elevator had been sweet. He'd never been m uch of a hand holder in
the past, but he couldn't deny how warm and good Quinn's large hand
had felt covering his.

His m ind tried to wander to other places Quinn's hand would feel
good on, but he stifled the wayward thought. He didn't have tim e to
jerk off right now, and he didn't want to show up at Quinn's door with a
hard-on. He rinsed the sham poo out of his hair, turned off the water,
and got out of the shower.

After a quick rubdown with a towel, he brushed his teeth and went
back into the bedroom . He dressed in boxer briefs, khaki cargo
shorts, and a m aroon T-shirt with the logo of the m edical center that
housed his
practice on the chest. He found his wallet, shoved his feet into a pair
of sandals, and stuck his sunglasses on his head. O nce he found
his sunscreen and stuck it in one of the pockets of his shorts, he was
ready. The clock on the bedside table read seven fifty-nine.

He hurried next door to Quinn's room , pausing when he got there to

take a deep breath and try to look like he hadn't been hurrying. He
raised his fist and knocked. The door opened im m ediately.

"G ood m orning." Josh tilted his head up to m eet Quinn's gaze. The
taller m an's blue eyes were bright with pleasure.

"It is now," Quinn said, and blushed.

The blush was adorable, especially on such a big guy. Josh

grinned. "I agree. Ready for breakfast?"

Quinn nodded and stepped into the hallway, letting the door shut
behind him . "How did it go with the little boy last night? Is everything
okay?"

Sexy and thoughtful. The m an was too good to be true. "Yeah, I'm
sure Jim m y's going to be fine. I gave his m om instructions on what
to do for him , and when she should take him to the hospital if things
got worse. I don't think that will happen, though. She needed
reassurance m ore than anything else."

Quinn sm iled at him , adm iration clear in his expression. "W hat
you did was very kind. You m ust be a great doctor."

N ow it was Josh's turn to blush. "I was just doing m y

job."

"U h huh." Quinn's tone said he didn't believe the protest, but he
changed the subject. "W hat are you going to have for breakfast?"

****

O ver plates of fruit, eggs, bacon, and toast, they discussed the
destination for the day, the Anim al Kingdom Park. Quinn confided that
as a child he
had wanted to be a veterinarian, to the point of trying to help any
injured anim al he cam e across--including a skunk. N eedless to say,
bringing a skunk hom e had been a terrible idea, with disastrous
results. He had Josh laughing hard enough to bring tears to his eyes.
How had Josh ever thought Quinn was serious and severe?

As they were finishing their breakfasts, Dam ien appeared in the

doorway. He spotted them right away and strutted over to their table.
He gave Josh what was probably supposed to be a sexy pout. The
expression cam e across as petulant instead. "Josh. I looked all over
for you yesterday. W here did you go?"

Stifling a sigh, Josh put his fork down. His hand tightened into a fist on
the table. W hat would it take to get rid of Dam ien? The m an could
not take a hint. "Quinn and I spent the day on the slides and at the
beach. W e were around all day."

Dam ien put a hand on his hip, still pouting. He didn't even
acknowledge Quinn. "I ended up spending m ost of the day with
Clay. He followed m e around like a puppy, and it's all your fault. M
aybe you can m ake it up to m e today..." He trailed off, his
expression m orphing into an attem pt at coquettish, another look he
couldn't quite pull off.

"W ell, actually," Josh began, but Quinn's hand covering the hand
he'd clenched stopped him . Dam ien's gaze darted to their hands
as well.

Quinn spoke, his deep voice soft yet assertive. "Josh and I are
spending the day together. You'll have to find som eone else to
hang out with."

Dam ien's m outh dropped open. He ran a hand through his artfully m
essy hair. Then a disdainful sneer twisted his lips. "So that's how it
is." He turned to Josh. "I didn't know your taste ran to big, ugly N
eanderthals." W ith a toss of his head, he flounced away from their
table.

Josh stared after him , shocked at Dam ien's vicious words. He'd
expected the m an to be snotty, but not outright cruel. He glanced at
Quinn to see his reaction, hoping not to see him withdrawn or upset.
To his surprise, Quinn was grinning, his eyes full of m ischief. "So,
tell m e about this N eanderthal fetish of yours. W as it m y prom
inent brow that attracted you?"
Josh burst out laughing. "O h, yeah. I'm very into your brow." He
sobered. "I'm sorry Dam ien was such a jerk to you."

Quinn shrugged. "I guess he's

jealous."

"That's no excuse. He rem inds m e of m y ex. All flash and no

substance. I'm glad to be rid of them both."

That m ade Quinn sm ile. "Don't be so sure. He's

persistent."

Josh groaned.

****

They were am ong the first people to get into the shuttle. Quinn led
the way to the bench in the back, where he sat against the wall.
Josh sat beside him , not leaving m uch space between them .
Steve and Art boarded a couple of m inutes later and cam e back to
join them on the bench.

W ith two m ore people, the am ount of space dwindled. Josh seized
on the excuse to close the sm all distance between him and Quinn.
The warm , solid press of Quinn's thigh against his own m ade him
wish they were alone.

To distract him self, he focused on Steve and Art. They both looked
pleased with them selves and the world in general. He grinned at
them . "So, how's it going?"
Steve's sm ile had a dream y edge to it. "G
reat."

Josh tried not to laugh. "You two have a good

night?"

Art raised an eyebrow, but chuckled. "Yes. Is it that

obvious?"
"Yep." The shuttle went around a curve, and Josh allowed him self to
lean into Quinn.

Steve m ust have noticed, because he darted a glance from Josh to

Quinn, and then tilted his head as if to ask a question.

Josh shook his head. He knew what Steve wanted to know. His new
friend had to have seen the way Josh had been trailing after Quinn,
trying to get the m an to notice him and com e out of his shell. N ow
that Steve had hooked up with Art for real, he probably wanted to
return the favor for Josh.

Steve frowned. Josh grinned in reply and leaned against Quinn again.
The big m an turned from his contem plation of the scenery and sm
iled down at him . O ut of the corner of his eye, Josh saw Steve's
frown becom e a sm ile.

****

The m om ent they stepped into the Anim al Kingdom Park, Josh
was enthralled. He kept stopping to look at everything, which was
fine until Steve, and later Art, ran into his back.
Quinn grinned at him . "Are you having
fun?"

He blushed and tried to explain, feeling silly. "W hen I was a kid, I
went through phases of being interested in different things, like the
stars, plants, or anim als. M y parents used to encourage m e to
learn about everything, but I never felt any real connection to any of
it. It was all just m ore knowledge, until I started learning about m
edicine."

"And you've got that sam e feeling

now?"

Quinn was perceptive. Josh nodded. He stopped and stared in awe at

a group of colorful birds, their feathers brighter than any rainbow. "The
last couple of days I've been looking at things, and people, and
thinking how incredible they are. D o you think that sounds stupid?"
The other m an sm iled. "N ot at all. I think that's wonderful. It's im
portant to notice things around us and not take them for granted."

Everything seem ed especially beautiful. Josh relished the hot,

sunny day and the soft breeze that ruffled his hair, bringing with it the
scents of snack foods and sunscreen. He couldn't help adm iring
Quinn in his navy shorts and white T-shirt, sm iling and happy. The
aura of shy satisfaction around Steve and Art, and the way they
looked at each other when they thought no one was looking, m ade
Josh grin. The day seem ed m ade just for the four of them .

They stuck together, am bling along a trail with anim als exhibited.
They cam e to the entrance to a safari ride. Quinn tilted his head
toward the ride. "W hat do you think?"

Josh grinned. "I'm in."

Art and Steve both sm iled and nodded their agreem ent. The line
wasn't too long yet. The four of them took their places at the end to
wait. Steve stood close to Art, who didn't seem to m ind a bit.

Josh elbowed Quinn and tilted his head toward the other two m en.
Quinn leaned down until his lips hovered near Josh's ear. "They seem
happy today."

Shivering at the warm breath ghosting over the sensitive shell of his
ear, Josh m urm ured, "U h huh."

Quinn didn't step back. "W onder

why?"

From the tone of Quinn's voice, it was obvious that he had a pretty
good idea why. Josh stifled another shiver and turned his gaze to m
eet Quinn's, their lips inches apart. "I can't im agine."

The harsh sound of a throat clearing ahead of them broke the spell.
They both faced the front to find Art and Steve staring at them ,
grinning. Josh's cheeks warm ed.
"Line's m oving, boys." Art jerked a thum b in the direction of the
rest of the line, which had m oved a considerable distance.

"O h." Steve's knowing sm irk sent m ore heat rushing to Josh's face.
"W e'd better catch up then." He strode forward, leaving the others to
follow.

Poorly stifled snickers rang in his ears. Determ ined to ignore them
, he changed the subject. "W here are Lyle and Ray?"

Steve answered. "I think they were going to catch a later shuttle.
They were busy this m orning."

Busy, huh? Josh rolled his eyes. "Talk about opposites attracting. I m
issed m y calling. I should have been a professional m atchm aker."

"I think that only works if you know the couples are going to get
together, not if you just pick random people and they happen to hit it
off." Despite pointing out the flaw in Josh's plan, Steve was sm iling.
"But you did help som e of us on our way." He glanced at Art, his sm
ile taking on new dim ensions.

Josh didn't get a chance to reply. They'd reached the front of the line,
and it was tim e for them to board. They clim bed, Josh first, into one
row of a large vehicle designed to look like a battered bush truck. The
driver gave a little spiel about the "safari" they were about to em bark
on, and they were off.

Antelope, gazelle, zebras, giraffes, and m any other creatures roam

ed the open land around them . It was like a zoo, only a lot m ore
interesting because the anim als could go wherever they wanted.
Josh snapped picture after picture.

N ext to him , Quinn chuckled. "I hope you have a huge m em ory
card in that thing."
Feeling playful and carefree, Josh stuck his tongue out and took a
picture of Quinn when he laughed.
Quinn pretended to scowl. "W hy'd you have to do
that?"

Josh tilted the cam era to get the glare off the viewing screen. "I don't
know why you're com plaining. You look good." Quinn's face sm iled
up at him from the screen, in m iniature, happy and very attractive.
Unlike Billy and Dam ien, Quinn seem ed to be one of those people
who grew better looking with further acquaintance.

Quinn's gaze went to his feet. "I always look so big and angry in
pictures."

"N ot this one. Look." Josh held the cam era

out.

The hand that took it from him was hesitant, as if Quinn were afraid
to look. There was a m om ent of silence, and then Quinn let out a
breath. "I'm sm iling."

"O f course you are. W e're having fun, right?" Josh bum ped
their shoulders together.

Quinn handed him the cam era. "Yeah, we

are."

"Good."

The loudspeaker cam e to life, announcing they were going to go

after a poacher. Josh held on tight as the vehicle roared and leapt
forward. Quinn put a steadying arm around him .

Josh leaned into the hard, strong body next to him , letting Quinn
keep them both anchored. He was really starting to like the whole
size- difference thing.