They filed in line with the other passengers returning from a day on Aruba. Nathan’s skin prickled with too much sun, and his body was itchy with salt.
Since they didn’t have enough time to rent a Jeep to see the desert island, Nathan had called on an old friend, Cameron, a druid who worked at a hotel in Oranjestad with a private island that had iguanas and flamingos on the beaches. Cameron even hooked them up with free snorkeling gear.
Josh waited patiently for Nathan to answer.
Not wanting to make his new lover uncomfortable, Nathan put his arm around Josh and kissed his cheek. “Yes, several times. But I love you.”
That adorable blush returned to Josh’s cheeks, and he smiled, his eyes darting around the crowd, as if nervous about the PDA.
Nathan tightened his arm around Josh’s neck in a brotherly way and pressed his forehead to Josh’s temple. “But you know what? When I saw Cameron, I sensed how much he wanted me—well, both of us, actually.”
“Really?” That blush deepened.
“Yup,” Nathan whispered. “But my demon wasn’t having any of it. It was offended, if you wanna know the truth. I almost told Cameron we didn’t want to go to the island, but I wanted you to see it. I didn’t want him at all.”
Josh craned his neck to study Nathan for truth. “Not even a little? He was really cute.”
Nathan shrugged, smirking. “Not nearly as cute as my boyfriend.”
Boyfriend.
He could hardly believe this was all happening.
Tonight when they were in Josh’s cabin, Nathan wanted to give Josh every part of him, the way Josh had offered up his innocence to Nathan. He had never wanted another man to have his magic as badly as he wanted to share it with Josh.
It’d been several years since Nathan had come. He experienced everything his partner did and more as he absorbed the power of their orgasm. The harder Nathan tried to please his partner, the better their orgasm was and the better Nathan’s feeding was. Now that he truly understood the power of his own personal orgasm, he knew how special it was to give away. It was way too intense and too powerful for the human brain to process without context, and why so many men over the years had desperately fallen in love with Nathan. They didn’t even understand why they loved Nathan.
But it wasn’t love, it was magic.
When they made love tonight, Josh would give Nathan what was left of his virginity, and Nathan would give Josh his full incubus magic.
It was going to be perfect.
“There you are!” Mrs. Gilbert cried, hurrying through the crowds in the lobby, her smile as broad as her wide-brimmed sunhat. Dr. Gilbert, Aaron, and Clare brought up the rear, carrying bags plastered with designer names.
“Somebody’s been doing some serious shopping,” Nathan said, pointing at the bags. Josh squirmed a bit beneath his arm, but Nathan didn’t lower it.
Josh was his, and he wanted everyone to know.
“Just some last-minute holiday shopping,” Dr. Gilbert said.
“You should see the cute outfit I got.” Aaron held up his bag. “This one store had the best stuff. Clare, you totally should’ve got that bikini. You were rocking it.”
“I don’t see too many bikinis in my future,” she muttered, and Nathan wondered if the rest of the family noticed her touch her stomach.
Mrs. Gilbert’s gaze lingered on Josh’s and Nathan’s arms around each other, and then she smiled. “You boys look like you’ve been swimming. Did you go snorkeling again?”
“Yes, Nathan’s friend got us into this hotel that has a private island with two beaches. One beach has iguanas, and the other beach is full of pink flamingos. It was so cool.”
“Did you get pictures?” Clare asked.
“We didn’t see flamingos,” Aaron said. “But I swear those iguana things were everywhere, waiting in the bushes to bite us.”
Dr. Gilbert chuckled. “I told you, iguanas are vegetarian. They’re harmless.”
“Says you.” Aaron shuddered.
“The flamingos aren’t native to the island,” Nathan explained. “They import them and feed them. It’s their gimmick.”
Josh stepped out from Nathan’s arm to withdraw his phone and show his family the pictures of the flamingos. Nathan smiled, looking on.
“That’s one awesome gimmick,” Dr. Gilbert said.
“And look at the picture of you two,” Clare cooed. “It’s so cute.”
“You should totally frame it,” Aaron said.
Nathan had to admit the photograph Cameron had taken of them, with the pink flamingos walking in the shallow turquoise water behind them, was quite good. He didn’t even want to touch it up with filters. He loved the crisp intensity of the moment.
“We should frame it,” Nathan said, smiling at Josh.
There was something in Josh’s expression that Nathan couldn’t read.
“Will you be able to join us for dinner, Nathan?” Mrs. Gilbert asked.
“I’ll double-check, but today is my day off. So yeah, I should be able to. That is, if Josh wants me to,” he said, insecurity prickling the back of his mind. Why had Josh looked at him funny when he suggested they frame the picture?
“Of course I do,” Josh said very quickly.
Nathan took a relieved breath. “Then I’ll see you at the seven-thirty dinner service.” Without hesitation, Nathan leaned in and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Inside, his demon clawed to take the kiss further but purred with contentment when Josh blushed and his smile widened.
Nathan waved at the rest of the Gilbert clan, pleased beyond belief to see the smiles on their faces. He didn’t make it two steps away before Clare and Mrs. Gilbert were squealing with excitement about Nathan kissing Josh.
Josh quickly told them, “Be quiet and stop making such a big deal out of everything.”
But it was a big deal.
They were in love.
Nathan couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if he tried.
BEFORE CLEANING up for dinner, Nathan sought out Darrius. He wanted to know what happened with the water dragons and Sarah. Josh had mentioned her several times today—making Nathan love him all the more. Josh had shown the same sympathy for Nathan’s troubled past as he did for young Sarah. He’d want to know how her day went.
Nathan headed to the kitchen where the nocturnal Darrius usually had his morning herbal tea around this time of day—6:00 p.m. was the start of his morning. Darrius kept a lab in the kitchens, and his coven staff made tinctures, salves, and all sorts of magical remedies for anything one might need on a cruise ship. Seasickness medication, hangover cures, ointments for sunburn or insect bites, they had it all.
“Is Darrius back?” Nathan asked an old witch named Linda.
She flipped her thumb to the vast magical library Darrius called his office. Nathan made his way over and knocked on the open door. “May I come in?”
“Nathan!” Darrius waved him into the cabin. It felt like they were in an old English cottage, not behind the kitchens of a Caribbean cruise ship. “Just the incubus I wanted to see.”
“I’m the only one on the ship.”
“For now.”
“Are we getting another incubus?” Nathan asked, his stomach clenching tight.
“Oh, heavens no. Demons are solitary creatures. Have no business with a feeding ground such as this at their disposal. No, Nathan, you’re one of the only demons fit to be here, because you’re more human than incubus. How did everything go with Josh?”
“Good. He seems really accepting of everything.”
Darrius gave him a wink, his grin full of mischief. “I’m sure the sex helps.”
“I like to think it’s a little more than that,” Nathan said at his teasing.
He narrowed his gaze. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Nathan?”
“I’m not giving you sex details.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Darrius did not chuckle. “I’m not Fae, so I don’t want the details. But there’s
something important you’re not telling me.”
“I don’t know what it could be.”
“Tell me everything,” Darrius said, not letting whatever hunch he had go.
Nathan studied him curiously. “Everything’s great. He accepted what I am really easily. I mean, there are some things to figure out. You know, I live here, and he lives on the mainland. And there’s the business of him being a virgin, so I need to be—”
“A virgin?” Darrius shouted.
All the people on the other side of the open door grew quiet. “Shh! They all heard you,” Nathan scolded. Josh wouldn’t want anyone to know.
“This is extremely important.”
“It is?”
“Yes, you’re in love with a virgin. Don’t you understand what that means?”
“That I need to be gentle and take things slowly?” he asked, not sure what Darrius was getting at or why he was suddenly so interested in the details.
“No.” Darrius shook his head. “Well, of course you should treat him kindly. But I meant that if you take his virginity and give him your incubus magic, you’ll make a demon bond with him.”
Nathan jerked in surprise. “How’s that possible? I don’t even know how much of a virgin he technically is now. It’s not like we’ve been innocent these last few days,” he said, his face reddening. Since when am I so shy about sex?
“Has he been with anyone else?”
“No, just me,” Nathan said, the thought making him both possessive and happy.
Josh belonged to Nathan and no one else.
Mine!
“I can sense the possessiveness of your demon from over here,” Darrius told him. “You love this man. He has never touched another man, correct?”
“Kisses, but I’m the only one… you know?”
Darrius nodded, face grave. “Because you love him, if you give him your incubus magic, it will bond your demon to Josh till death do you part, literally. No one else. Just Josh for the remainder of your days.”
Nathan was not surprised by the smile on his face.
The seriousness of Darrius’s expression softened. “I see the idea does not bother you. Don’t you think you should see what Josh thinks of becoming the solitary feeding source for a demon?”
Nathan twiddled his thumbs. “Yeah, I suppose I’ll have to see what he says.”
A demon bond.
Just imagining Josh belonging to Nathan for eternity made him inexplicably happy. But Darrius was right. He needed to talk to Josh about it.
Suddenly his stomach knotted. “What if he doesn’t want me that way?”
Darrius made a clucking sound. “Don’t worry. He may need time to think, but this is true love.”
“How do you know for sure?” He couldn’t stop his voice from sounding childlike and unsure. “I mean, do I even deserve this?”
“There, there,” Darrius said, patting Nathan on the shoulder. “Everyone deserves happiness. Happiness and family.”
“I don’t have a family. Well, I guess except for you guys.”
“Yes, indeed we’re all family here aboard the Pride. But sometimes family has to move away.”
“Are you leaving?”
Darrius gave him a strange look. “No, but you will be.”
“I will?”
And then Nathan thought about it.
Josh was a passenger on the ship. He was going home Sunday to Indiana. And Nathan lived here on the Pride, where he had spent the most peaceful years of his adult life. But if he bonded with Josh, he would have to go wherever Josh went.
His demon sent a surge of hearty approval through Nathan’s body.
“Yes, I guess I am leaving.”
Darrius tipped his head to the side. “I’ll miss you. But you will come back and visit me often, I’m sure.”
“I will, um, we will,” Nathan corrected, unbelievably giddy as he thought about their future.
He couldn’t wait to tell Josh!
He could all but imagine himself at Sunday dinners at the Gilberts’ house. Did they have those? Maybe he and Josh could host a family barbecue during the summer. The women would fuss over Clare’s baby, while Aaron and Luke bantered over who would man the grill…. A normal human life with Josh seemed so unbelievable, yet it was actually possible.
Nathan had never been happier.
“Sarah is settling in nicely with the Wongs,” Darrius said, interrupting Nathan’s daydreams and bringing him back into the conversation.
“I feel bad for her. And her parents. Not knowing the truth. Misunderstanding everything she did.”
“I would like for you to call her and talk to her,” he said as he continued dusting his spell books. “You, more than most, understand exactly how she feels.”
“Yeah,” Nathan said, smiling. “I’ll definitely talk to her.”
As terribly as Bartholomew had treated him, Nathan wished he’d met him sooner. Maybe some of his innocence could’ve been salvaged like Sarah’s.
“Once you get settled, you should call your mother too,” Darrius said.
That shocked Nathan. “Why would I do that?”
Again Darrius looked at him as if he were stupid. “Because she’s your mother. She’d be happy to know that you settled down. Perhaps bridges can be mended.”
Nathan wasn’t sure if he wanted to rebuild those bridges… but maybe he did. “I doubt she’ll believe it. I can hardly believe it.”
Darrius sat in his comfy chair beside his crackling fire. Not for the first time, Nathan thought Darrius looked so out of place in his cottage-like quarters, wearing a track suit and tennis shoes like a retiree in Florida rather than an unbelievably powerful ancient wizard. He supposed the look blended in better on deck than robes and staffs.
“You’ve been interesting to study,” he told Nathan. “Mostly human with demon tendencies. And some demon magic. Your human side now rules you, but you will always have the instinct of a demon. And once they make up their mind, it does not waver. You love this man.”
“More than anything.”
“Then go,” Darrius said, waving his hands at him as if he was shooing away an ornery puppy. “Go put your fancy clothes on, pretend to be a passenger, and have fun.”
“I’M HAVING a great time,” Nathan whispered in Josh’s ear, making him shiver.
They were sitting at a round table with his family, enjoying the wild acrobatic feats of a dance troupe twirling onstage and from silk cords draped from the ceiling of the great ballroom.
“Me too,” Josh whispered back, squeezing their clasped hands. Dinner with his family had gone better than the first time. They talked about music—Dad was thrilled Nathan was a Bob Seger fan—and Mom didn’t embarrass Josh once. Ramona had apparently given up shopping the boyfriend menu for Josh, and she and Luke were gracious and welcoming to Nathan, as was Clare. Aaron already knew the room was all Josh’s tonight, and he’d only teased him a little about it.
Tonight’s the night I finally go all the way.
His knee bounced with nervous excitement.
Nathan leaned close and inhaled. “You’re ready to go back to the room.”
It wasn’t a question.
Chewing his lower lip, Josh nodded.
Nathan’s wide mouth—a mouth that had brought Josh unimaginable pleasure—pursed in a smile. “Can we go for a walk first?”
Josh squirmed as his dick hardened from Nathan’s nearness. Good God, he wanted to go back to the room now! But showing some decorum, he nodded.
“We’ll see you guys later,” Josh said, not even looking at his family when Nathan stood and held out his hand. Josh believed Nathan wasn’t using magic, but he felt as if a spell had been cast upon him as he followed Nathan wordlessly out of the ballroom.
He didn’t even care that Aaron and Clare were giggling.
Nathan took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “Wanna go up on deck?”
“Sure,” Josh said, his entire body keyed up and ready for more of Nathan.
How had he gotten so lucky?
“I hope you ate enough at dinner,” Nathan said with a wicked grin.
“Oh, I did,” Josh assured him.
“Did you like the show?”
“Yes, what were they?” Josh asked. “The dancers, I mean.”
“Fairies, a few witches, and a couple shifters. They’re a pretty eclectic troupe.”
“You could say that again.” Josh laughed.
The warm tropical air wafted over them when they stepped outside. A few other passengers were enjoying the romantic night more than the shipboard entertainment.
Josh’s mind was on a totally different kind of entertainment.
“All right, we saw the deck, had a walk,” Josh declared. “Can we just go back to my room now?”
“Actually, I need to tell you something. Something I didn’t even know until I met you.”
“You sound serious.”
“I am serious.”
“Hi, Serious, I’m Horny. Nice to meet you.” Josh reached over and stroked Nathan’s cock.
Chuckling and squirming under Josh’s teasing, Nathan managed to remove Josh’s hand. Then the humor faded from his face.
His sudden change in demeanor startled Josh. “What is it?”
“C’mon. Let’s sit down.” Nathan led them to an empty café table on the promenade, where they sat beside each other.
So Nathan needed to sit for whatever he wanted to tell Josh?
This couldn’t be good.
Was Nathan going to break up with him?
“Josh,” Nathan whispered. “What’s wrong? I can sense your anxiety.”
“You can? I’m not anxious.”
Nathan placed a hand on Josh’s bouncing knee. “Relax, babe. What I have to tell you is a good thing. Well….” He hesitated and sat back. “I think it’s a good thing, and I hope you do too.”
Josh’s pulse slowed to a less than thunderous pace. Calm down, and stop jumping to conclusions. He nodded. “Okay, continue.”
Nathan took a deep breath, then said, “There’s this thing called a demon bond.”
Not what he expected Nathan to say.
“Like a demon contract at a crossroads?” Josh asked, thinking of that TV show Supernatural.
“No, and yes. I’m not a full demon, but apparently I do have the ability to make a bond. Remember I told you about Bartholomew, and how he wanted to turn me into his slave?”
The Boyfriend Cruise Page 17
