Josh shrugged. “That, and I was always told you wash up afterward.”
“Nope. Get used to being covered in spunk, baby,” Nathan said, trailing a finger behind his ear.
“Oh, you’re such a romantic.” He fake swooned.
Nathan chuckled, then sobered. “So what do you think?”
“Of cum being part of my new skin-care regimen? Okay, I guess. It’s supposed to be good for wrinkles.”
“No, silly, of the sex.” Nathan gave him a tentative smile.
Shaking his head, he raised his brows. How to describe it? “It was electric, scary, wonderful. Awesome. I’m tired as hell, but I also feel… different.”
Nathan shifted them so they were lying on their sides, sharing one pillow and facing each other. “That’s because my magic is still inside you. Your body is absorbing it.”
He thought about that. “As soon as your cum gets absorbed or washed out of me, then I won’t feel like this anymore?”
Nathan grinned wickedly. “I’ll keep you so filled up with my cum that part of me will be inside you all the time.”
“What about when I fuck you?” Josh challenged. “Will I have to wear your jizz like body lotion?”
“Mmm,” he purred, tangling their legs and pressing their groins together. Nathan was already hard again, and Josh knew he wouldn’t be that far behind. “I like the idea of you fucking me. Maybe me coming on your face.”
Suddenly every porn he’d ever watched played out in his mind, and his face flamed. He wanted to try all of it with Nathan.
Nathan leaned in and took a deep inhale of Josh’s neck, purring. “Somebody just thought of something that made him hornier than he was a second ago.”
“I wonder who that could be?” He shimmied closer so their cocks were pressed tight. He loved how Nathan’s cock pulled up higher and his own went down and to the side. It gave them lots of skin to glide against as they tried to line up their cocks, dragging out the decadent sensations.
“Tell me what you want,” Nathan whispered, nibbling on his collarbone, hands gripping Josh’s ass. His fingers slid into Josh’s crack, and when he pulled Josh’s hips closer, Josh moaned as those digits dug into his sensitive places.
“I want you to fuck me again,” Josh murmured, cupping Nathan’s face and gazing into his beautiful green eyes. He didn’t know if his ass could take another hammering, but suddenly all he could think of was Nathan pinning him to the bed on his back, hands over his head and knees over those broad shoulders.
“But nice and slow this time,” Josh finished his fantasy out loud, breathless. “Slow and deep. I wanna feel you… take control.”
Nathan rolled him onto his back and ground his cock into him. Josh shuddered and raised his hands above his head, submissive and trusting.
He trusted Nathan with his entire heart, body, and soul.
Their eyes met, and Nathan took ahold of Josh’s wrists. Pulse pounding, Josh spread his legs so Nathan could fit in between.
“Like this?” Nathan asked. “Me holding you down?” He thrust against the bottom of Josh’s sac, and a powerful wave of desire ripped through him.
He groaned, unable to speak for a moment, overcome with how perfectly Nathan understood his needs.
Nathan grinned knowingly. “I’ll take that as a yes, you want me inside you again.”
“You’re already there.” Then Josh freed one hand, gently placing it over his own heart. “In here.”
Chapter Twenty
Day Seven, Christmas Day, At Sea
“THEY’RE BLOWING up my phone,” Josh groaned as he dropped back onto the bed.
Across the room, Nathan zipped his pants and buttoned them. He smiled at Josh, who was wearing only a towel after the shower they’d just taken. Josh lay across the tousled bed, his hair wet and cheeks flushed from the warm water.
Nathan had to catch his breath. And he’s all mine, forever.
He could hardly believe it.
“It’s Christmas morning, sweetie,” Nathan told him as he turned toward the mirror. “Of course they’re blowing up your phone.” Studying his reflection, he saw a different man staring back at him. A man he’d never seen before. There were no dark circles under his eyes, and his skin had a healthy glow. His hunger was fully quenched for the first time in all his life, and worries about where his next meal would come from did not plague him. He’d fed well last night—three solo orgasms from Josh and two shared orgasms. He’d never felt this good physically, or emotionally, for that matter.
Glancing at Josh lying on the bed, Nathan ran a brush through his wet blond hair, pushing it into place. “What time are you supposed to meet them?”
“Right about now.” Though he sounded annoyed, Josh had a healthy glow about him too.
Nathan had ordered Josh an extra-large meat lover’s pizza at four in the morning, and Josh had devoured the entire thing. Nathan loved keeping his fiancé healthy and satisfied.
Fiancé—I love saying that word, but husband will be better.
“Mom wants to open presents,” Josh went on. “They’re already up at their beach-chair-central on the pool deck waiting. Clare is hounding me because she wants to give them her presents. Apparently she bought Grandma and Grandpa T-shirts as a reveal, and she wants me to record it for William.”
Nathan smiled at Josh. “Oh, that’s cute.”
Josh pushed himself up and sat on the end of the bed. “I know it’s Christmas, and it only comes once a year, but I’d rather stay here and come with you.”
Nathan threw back his head and laughed. “All right, you’re becoming a sex fiend. I’m not going anywhere, so you can just calm down a little bit. No need to skip Christmas.” Nathan didn’t have many good holiday memories, and though nervous about joining the Gilberts this morning, he was looking forward to it. He broke off a corner of a palm tree cut-out cookie magically left out for Santa in their stateroom last night and popped it into his mouth.
Josh crossed the room and hugged Nathan from behind, nuzzling his bare back. “I never knew I’d become a sex fiend, but God….” He squeezed Nathan’s pecs, and when he grazed his teeth across his shoulder blade, Nathan shivered. “You make me insatiable.”
Crunching on a cookie and smiling, Nathan turned in his embrace and wrapped his arms around Josh. “Insatiable. I like the sound of that.”
“Oh God, don’t look at me like that,” he cried, laughing and waving his hands. “I know you say you’re not using magic on me, but….”
Nathan didn’t need compliments about his lovemaking skills—he was a sex demon, after all—but Josh’s words were precious to him. “I think you were a sex fiend long before I met you.”
“Hard to be a sex fiend and a virgin, don’t you think?”
“I believe you confessed to having some large toys last night. And you rode my dick like you ride some of those toys.” Nathan swayed them. “How naughty are your fantasies when you ride a dildo and jerk off?”
Cheeks pinkening, Josh looked up at him through those long eyelashes and smiled. “I don’t know.”
“Tell me,” Nathan whispered, his voice rough. “You didn’t have a problem showing me.”
He buried his face in Nathan’s chest, chuckling. “Pretty naughty.”
“Like?”
“I don’t know!” His face was bright red now.
Nathan dipped his head to whisper, “You’ll have to tell me all of them so I can make them come true.”
Josh trembled. Then he raised his head and tipped it to the side. “This is surreal.”
“Which part? Finding true love on a magical cruise ship and getting engaged? Or getting engaged to a partial sex demon?”
Josh laughed, his belly rumbling against Nathan’s and sending a stir of arousal through him. Though completely satiated, it would not take Nathan much convincing to let Josh bend him over the bed right then and there.
“Yes, pretty much all of the above,” Josh agreed.
Nathan gave him a squeeze
. “But it is real. And I love you.” He brushed his knuckles down Josh’s jawline.
They kissed tenderly, Nathan’s tongue rolling across Josh’s, their lips dancing.
Nathan withdrew. “But it’s Christmas morning, and you need to go open presents with your family.”
“You’re coming with me, right?” His face wrinkled in concern.
Nathan would go with him, but he worried about not having any gifts. He didn’t want to make a bad impression now that they were engaged. And even with all the excitement last night and the congratulations, he wasn’t 100 percent sure he had Josh’s family’s full approval. While they’d all but adopted Aaron as their own, would they welcome a partial incubus in love with their son?
“Why are you making that face?” Josh asked. “You don’t want to go?”
Nathan stepped away and picked up his tuxedo shirt from the night before. “No, I do want to go. But I don’t have any presents.”
“Of course you don’t. My family won’t care. They’re not expecting anything.”
Nathan hesitated before he slipped his shirt on. “Are you sure they like me?”
“What’s not to like?” Josh gave him a head to toe sweep of his gaze.
“I’m being serious. This was all so fast. I know that we know we love each other, and the magic has connected us on a level your average human could never understand. But do you think I fit in with them?”
Josh studied him with a curious smile. “I think you’re the one who’s adorable when they’re nervous. Of course you fit in. Dad encouraged me to go for it. The girls, they pretty much brought me on the ship to find a husband. Aaron’s is more thrilled that I got engaged than finally getting laid. And Luke, he’s really cool. Why are you worried?”
“Yes, I know all that’s true, but I am a little nervous.”
“Nervous about Christmas morning or nervous about coming to Indiana with me?”
The hesitant, almost frightened pitch in Josh’s voice drew Nathan toward him. He pulled Josh into his arms. “I’m going wherever you go. If you move to Siberia, I’ll be at your side. Not only am I bonded to you with my demon, but you’re everything to me. I’ve never felt happiness like this. Like peaceful inside. You do that for me. But there’s also reality when we get up there.”
“Meaning?”
Now that his demon had gotten what it wanted—bonded to Josh—Nathan could think more clearly about reality, not just his end goal of making Josh his.
“You were right to worry and think things over. I’m a photographer and a cruise ship singer. Yes, I can give you the best sex of your life anytime and every time. But in the real world, I don’t have much to offer. I didn’t even finish high school. I make a little money selling my portraits, and I have a lot of followers on my blog—”
Josh pressed two fingers to Nathan’s lips, and their eyes met. “I have a good job. We’ll find you something. You don’t have to worry about that at all. But it is nice to know I’m not the only one who worried.”
“All right, I agree, you were smart to be worried. I should’ve been thinking about our future too, but my demon just wanted you so badly that I….”
“In the light of day, reality does have a way of sneaking up on you, doesn’t it?”
Nathan nodded.
“How about this?” Josh offered. “We’ll just get settled and take our time making a plan. I don’t need a dining room table right away. All I need is you.”
Nathan smiled as a wash of relief swept over him. Josh had told the story of his dad feeling like a failure for not providing his wife with a table for so many years of their marriage, and how Mrs. Gilbert had laughed and said a table meant nothing because of what they did have—love, trust, and family.
Nothing else mattered.
Josh and Nathan had that too.
Nathan gave Josh a hip bump. “Okay, we’ll worry about that later. Let’s get dressed and go do your family Christmas.”
Suddenly Josh froze, looking stricken. “I didn’t get you a gift!”
“Yes, you gave me the greatest gift. Your virginity, your trust.” Nathan lowered his voice. “Your heart.”
Josh wore a cute smile. “Yeah, I know, but… everyone should have something to unwrap on Christmas morning. Maybe I can hit a gift shop before we meet my family.”
“No, you don’t need to do that.” He’d been given countless gifts from lovers, but Josh’s sweet innocence reminded Nathan of being a child, back when he’d had family and love on the holiday. The prospect he’d get to have that kind of life again, but with Josh, was better than any trinket from a cruise ship.
“I want to,” he insisted.
An idea struck him. “How about this? This afternoon, we go to the jewelry store and shop for rings? Then, as far as gifts to unwrap, we can come back here and unwrap each other.”
The grin that crossed Josh’s face was answer enough. “I love that idea. Can we wear the rings right away? I know guys don’t usually but….”
“We will do whatever you want, babe,” Nathan assured him. “But I say yes, we wear them. I want everyone to know you’re mine as soon as possible.”
“Sounds perfect.” Josh picked up a fresh pair of bikinis from his suitcase—red this time. “Do you have Christmas plans with friends?”
“The captain always has an open house in his quarters. The staff sort of comes and goes, but we’re all still working so the passengers are taken care of.”
“That sounds nice.” Josh dropped his towel and slid on the red bikinis.
Nathan openly stared at Josh’s beautiful body, soaking up the sight of him in the morning sunlight. He swallowed back saliva and asked, “Would you like to come with me?”
Josh began rummaging in his suitcase for shorts, giving Nathan a healthy eyeful of that delicious ass. “Seeing as I’m forcing you to spend Christmas morning with my family, I should do your family Christmas too, right?”
“Yeah,” Nathan said, enamored with the idea of figuring out dual family holiday logistics. It was so unbelievably normal and human. Like something people did in a holiday movie. And then they were going engagement ring shopping.
Surreal, indeed.
“You can meet everyone officially for who they really are. If you think you’re ready?”
Josh turned and raised his chin in challenge. “I think I handled the paranormal last night pretty well, don’t you?”
Nathan swept his body with a feral look. Damn, I love those bikinis. “Yes. You were perfect.”
THE GILBERTS had made themselves quite at home on the Pride, their regular corner of sequestered loungers now covered in presents and gift bags, everyone in beachwear themed for the holiday.
Ramona had a skimpy red bikini with pointy green elf trim. Luke had green swim trunks and an “I Heart Aruba” T-shirt, and Clare’s long beach sarong was a swirl of colorful poinsettias. Aaron’s white tank top and swim trunks—with Rudolph’s red nose strategically placed in the front—were as wet as his curly hair, as if he’d already taken a dip in the pool. The Gilbert parents wore matching smiles and Santa hats and Mr. and Mrs. Claus T-shirts.
Nathan and Josh made a quick stop in Nathan’s cabin before joining the Gilberts on deck so Nathan could get fresh clothing—white uniform shorts and a blue golf shirt. He hadn’t noticed until they all sat down that even Josh wore green shorts and a white T-shirt with red stripes.
“Where’s my camera when I need it,” Nathan said, holding both hands out and framing them with fingers in two Ls. “You guys are the picture-perfect Christmas cruise-ship family.”
“I wondered if we were gonna ever see you two out of that room,” Mrs. Gilbert said, standing up and rushing over to hug her son.
“Pay up, Aaron,” Clare said, holding out her hand, palm up. “I told you Josh wouldn’t miss presents.”
Aaron made an elaborate eye roll. “How about I buy your drinks the rest of the day?”
“You guys bet on me?” Josh said over his mother’s shoul
der. When the rest of the family all chuckled, Nathan felt his cheeks warm.
Josh’s modesty was rubbing off on him.
His cheeks warmed to a full flame when Mrs. Gilbert gave him a fierce embrace next. “Welcome to the family, Nathan. You make my little Josh so happy. I’ve never seen him smile like this.” She pulled back and cupped both of his cheeks in her hands. “The two of you are so lucky you found each other.” And then she pinched both of his cheeks.
“Oh my God, she’s cheek-pinching already,” Aaron declared. “We’re really gonna need to invest in wrinkle cream.” He winked at Josh.
Everyone laughed, and Nathan felt an odd flutter in his stomach.
Aboard the Pride, Nathan was always incubus and demon, never a human. With his family, he’d been the disturbed sexual deviant in desperate need of therapy. But for the first time in so long, he was simply Nathan.
Though they could probably never tell the family about Nathan’s bloodline, the Gilberts saw him as the man in love with their son. They saw Nathan the way he felt on the inside.
The sensation of acceptance was so overwhelming, Nathan was proud of himself for not breaking down in sobs. Forcing his voice to cooperate, Nathan said, “Josh has made me the happiest man on the planet, Mrs. Gilbert.”
“Call me Hannah, or Mom if you like.” She patted his cheeks once more and then clapped her hands at everyone else. “Time for presents!”
There was a collective buzz of excitement around their little group. Nathan and Josh sat beside each other on one of the long loungers. Nathan instinctively put his arm around Josh, and Josh placed his hand on Nathan’s knee. He didn’t squirm. He wasn’t uncomfortable.
Incubus magic had given him a little confidence.
But then again, maybe it was just love.
“How did you get a tree, Mom?” Josh asked, pointing at the three-foot-tall Christmas tree on the table. “Did you bring it from your room?”
“Oh no, that nice purser, Raoul, told me he set it up for us in our usual spot by the pool when he brought my earring back.” Smiling wide, she showed off her earlobe with a sparkling diamond. “Can you believe someone actually found it? It’s like a Christmas miracle.” Then she beamed at Nathan and Josh. “There are just so many Christmas miracles, I feel like the luckiest woman in the entire world!”
The Boyfriend Cruise Page 21
