The Captain and the Best Man

by Catherine Curzon

  Fringe like a poet.

  Josh had never written a poem in his life, but he wasn’t about to argue with Guy’s description of him.

  “This place is great!” Josh grinned. “Erm…where’s Guy? I know he’ll be busy, what with it being his birthday, and there must be loads of his friends here, but I just want to thank him for upgrading me.”

  And I can’t wait to see his smile again.

  “He’s busy reveling in the attention.” Teri replied. “But this’ll make his night. I’ll give him a shout?”

  Her bottle clinked against Josh’s glass again and she danced away, into the crowd on the veranda.

  Josh dabbed at his cheek, hoping he hadn’t managed to get food around his face. His heart pounded as he remembered the pilot he’d met that morning, and who had seen him safely across the Atlantic.

  The pilot who had left him a message.

  He tried to look casual and not peer keenly after Teri, but it was too tempting not to. Guy was somewhere in the center of the scrum, somewhere in the middle of the 80s tunes.

  Josh saw the crowd part a moment before Guy emerged.

  Was it possible that he was even more handsome than before?

  As much as the pilot’s uniform had suited him, seeing Guy relaxed in a loose shirt and cargo shorts, his hair tousled, Josh could only smile at him with a huge, idiotic grin. And Guy wanted to go to dinner with him? He’d even invited him to his birthday party… How is this possible? But it was. And, not knowing what else to do, Josh waved to him.

  And Guy waved back, his grin as huge but, Josh was sure, far less idiotic than Josh’s own.

  “Get a new bloody phone.” Guy laughed as he reached Josh’s table. “You’re the hardest man in the islands to track down!”

  “Fate has a funny way of forcing us together, doesn’t it?” Josh got up from his seat. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to shake hands with Guy, but that seemed rather formal so he leaned forward and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. “And at the same time, fate’s trying to keep us apart! So great to see you again, Guy. It’s brilliant!”

  “You’re going to join us?” Guy kissed Josh’s cheek in return. “But until you’ve eaten this feast of yours, I’m going to invite myself to your spare seat.”

  “You’re more than welcome to, but are you sure? What about all your mates?”

  “Oh, they’ll manage without me.” Guy settled onto the chair and helped himself to one of the king prawns from Josh’s banquet. “So, how do you like St Seb?”

  “It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.” Josh scooped some rice onto his spoon and brought it to his mouth. “I went for a swim in the sea earlier, and the water’s as warm as a bath! And this place is fantastic—I wish my local was as buzzing as this.”

  “This is like a little secret island,” Guy told him. “Off the beaten track and all the better for it. It’s one of those places that you’ll never forget, and always come back to. It’s a state of mind.”

  “It’s magical,” Josh decided. “That must be how we’ve met again!”

  “I like that.” Guy nodded, his gaze never leaving Josh’s. “The island where magic happens?”

  “Definitely.” Josh’s fringe had fallen forward again, the humidity rendering his hair uncontrollable. But he left it there and peered back at Guy through his fall of hair. As the music went on playing in the bar, Josh asked, “Are you going to take me dancing?”

  “On the sand, under the stars.” Guy smiled. He reached across the table and touched Josh’s hand, letting it linger. “I’ll take you dancing.”

  Josh covered Guy’s hand with his own. He had felt something at Guy’s touch. A spark, or a tremble, he wasn’t sure. “See, I told you this place is magical.”

  “You’re not going to believe me, but I don’t make a habit of this.”

  The noise of the party seemed to have faded, leaving the two of them alone. It was as if their table existed in its own little bubble, where nobody could touch them.

  “Nor do I.” Josh grinned. He stroked the back of Guy’s hand with his fingertip, and he made a point of looking now at the hand that controlled huge airplanes, but at the same time was so graceful. So light.

  “Then we’re a good match.”

  Josh wondered if that was true. What would the glamorous, dashing pilot think when he realized that Josh wasn’t a poet, but an HR manager from Basingstoke? Although on the magical island of St Sebastian, maybe that wouldn’t matter. For as long as they were here, Josh could be whoever he wanted to be—even the sort of man worthy of the handsome Captain Collingwood.

  “Shall we have another drink?” Guy gestured toward the bar, which seemed to be all it took to produce two more glasses of punch. “I hope you like birthday cake, because we have a ton of it get through.”

  “I love birthday cake! Oh, and thanks for the drink.” Josh raised his drink. “Cheers! And happy birthday.”

  “Are you really going to eat all of this?” Guy nodded toward the plate. “Can I steal another prawn?”

  “Grab a fork, help yourself!” Josh said. “Dig in, mate.”

  Mate? Hardly the word of a poet.

  “So, tell me about Josh?” Guy took a napkin-wrapped bundle from the jar of cutlery on the table. “What do you do when you’re not at weddings or generously letting pilots steal your supper?”

  “Are you sure you want to know?” Josh swept his troublesome fringe aside and it managed to stay out of the way for all of a couple of seconds before falling over his eye again. “I could tell you I’m a pearl diver who lives in a shack by the sea. It’s more interesting than the reality!”

  “You could tell me anything you like,” Guy agreed. “It won’t make you any less gorgeous.”

  Josh chuckled. He took a sip of his drink for courage, then made his admission. “I live in Basingstoke, near my parents’ house, in a nice little flat of my own. My parents are both teachers—Dad’s a primary school headmaster, Mum teaches maths in a secondary school. They love caravanning. And I’m an HR manager with an MBA, who’d never been to the Caribbean before. See—a pearl diver would be far more interesting!”

  “Basingstoke?” Guy blinked, and whatever he was about to say, he seemed to think better of it. He dug his fork into the rice. “In case you were wondering—because I know we pilots have a bit of a rep—I’m single. You might not be wondering, but just in case.”

  “It’s okay. I can imagine there’s pilots who make the most of being thousands of miles away from home on a regular basis!” Josh took another mouthful of his drink, then remarked, “And there’s probably some HR managers who do too, but I’m not one of them. Single. I’ve had boyfriends on and off, but…nothing that’s lasted.”

  “The fools,” Guy teased. “This is a very, very small island, but if you want someone to show you around…”

  “I’d love that! So you’re staying on the island then? I’m in one of those huts over there.” Josh pointed out into the darkness. “I love it—I dived off the balcony earlier. Never done that before!”

  “Me too—the hut, not the diving. I’m just round the headland.”

  The palace on stilts.

  “That place is huge! Have you brought all your mates along plus half the passengers on the plane?” Josh chuckled. “I swam round the headland—wanted to see what was on the other side.”

  “Just me and a few mates,” Guy replied with a smile. “Some of them probably served you your lunch on the plane! Next time you swim past, come up for a drink?”

  “Certainly will!” Josh wondered what on Earth that would look like, as he rose from the sea like a masculine Ursula Andress. Looking down at the empty plate, Josh grinned. “That was delicious!”

  “Una’s the best cook you’ll ever meet. If she’s not catering this wedding of yours, it’s a bloody crime.” As Guy spoke, the waiter approached their table. “Noah, regards to Madame Mere—she’s done it again!”

  Noah squeezed Guy’s shoulder. “And tha
t’s why you always come back!” He glanced at Josh and what appeared to be a look of realization crossed his face. Followed quickly by a smile. “And you’ll come back too, right?”

  Guy looked to Josh, one eyebrow raised.

  Josh tried to forget about the enormous figure on his credit card to afford his brief sojourn in paradise. “I’d love to! One day, maybe.”

  “Captain Guy can stow you away on his plane,” Noah told him with a wink.

  Guy laughed and slapped Noah’s back matily. “I’m sure I can work my BA magic somehow!”

  Noah grinned. For a moment, he seemed to forget that he was running the place, then he glanced at the queue at the bar. “Customers are waiting—I’ll see you two around.” And he headed back behind the bar.

  “I guarantee you that Teri won’t find her way back to the cabana tonight,” Guy confided. “So, do you want to join the party or would you rather have a stroll on the beach? Your choice, it’s your first time on St Seb!”

  “I wouldn’t want to take you away from your party. Not on your birthday. But…” Josh took Guy’s hand again. “It’s a lovely evening for a stroll.”

  “My birthday goes on for at least a week. There’s plenty of time for celebrations.” Guy’s fingers twined with Josh’s and when he spoke again, his voice was low. “Let’s go.”

  Josh was fairly sure his heart hadn’t just skipped a beat but leaped one, and he couldn’t quite find the breath to speak. This is happening. Really. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. Guy was still there, still holding his hand.

  “Let’s go,” Josh echoed, and rose from his seat. Together they made their way through the bar and out onto the beach, where the music and laughter seemed louder than ever. The sky was black now and studded with stars, but the air was as warm as the sand beneath their feet and Josh could hear the waves lapping softly at the edge of the shoreline as though in a dream.

  He glanced at Guy, his profile picked out in the glow from the strings of lights that draped the bars along the shore. As if confiding a secret, Josh whispered, “I’m glad today has been extra long. Because it’s been a brilliant day, hasn’t it?”

  “It’s been perfect.” Guy smiled. “I’m just glad you fancied a cinnamon bun this morning.”

  Josh held Guy’s hand a little tighter. “I fancied something else this morning too…”

  “Was it a latte, by any chance?” he asked innocently.

  “Yes…and this bloke—or should I say, this guy who looked fit as in his uniform.” Josh grinned. “Haven’t stopped thinking about him all day.”

  “I hope I pass muster in my civvies,” Guy said casually. He lifted their joined hands and lightly kissed Josh’s fingers. “I met this gorgeous chap with a wonderfully floppy fringe. I’m sure he was flirting with me!”

  “Do you think so? Whatever gave you that idea?” Josh asked. “And by the way, I think you’re even more handsome out of your uniform. I mean…out of your uniform and into your civvies. Although, who am I to say, maybe you’re at your most handsome wearing nothing at all!”

  “I’m a modest sort of fellow, so I couldn’t say,” Guy told him, more innocent than ever. “I’d have to give you the casting vote.”

  “That’s very kind of you!” Josh kissed Guy’s cheek. He lingered just a moment longer than he had in the bar, breathing in the inimitable scent of him. “You even smell gorgeous.”

  “When I saw you getting on my plane…” Guy turned just a little, so they were facing each other. His free hand came to rest on Josh’s hip, gentle and light. “You know I’m just a bit older than you? Quite a bit, really… Is that okay?”

  “You told me, you’re forty-nine.” Josh brushed the edge of Guy’s jaw with the back of his hand. “It’s fine. Really. It doesn’t matter one bit. You’re so attractive—I don’t care that you’re older than me. Do you mind me being younger?”

  “Not a bit,” he said softly. Then he closed the narrow space between them and put his lips to Josh’s, kissing him.

  Josh sighed, closing his eyes and enjoying every moment of their kiss. It was gentle, but Josh could feel something else—the promise of heat. He slipped his arms around Guy, holding him close as he allowed the kiss to deepen.

  And he hadn’t been lying—he really didn’t do this sort of thing. Then again, he didn’t meet men like Guy Collingwood often either, or stroll on moonlit tropical beaches beneath gently waving palm trees. Or at least, he didn’t until tonight.

  Josh wanted him. Desired him. Needed him. Hadn’t even realized until he’d met Guy that he could crave another human being like this. It couldn’t just be the beautiful beach—he’d have felt the same if he’d been kissing Guy at the caravan park in Weston Super Mare.

  “I need you,” Josh whispered, convinced those three words would send Guy running off to his luxury hut.

  It sounds too much.

  “My place?” Guy’s lips moved lower, ghosting over his throat. “Or yours?”

  “Mine? It’s nearer…” Josh winced. “Sorry…I don’t want to sound desperate! It’s just…I don’t want to waste a second with you.”

  Because we’ll go back to England and I’ll be sat in an office while you’re flying the globe.

  “Lead me to it,” Guy decided. “And don’t apologize—I feel exactly the same way about you.”

  “Seriously?” Josh stroked through Guy’s luxuriantly thick hair. “Right, come this way…it’s the hut with the spotty towel hanging over the balcony!”

  “Of course it is.” Guy laughed. “I should’ve guessed!”

  “Just through here…” Josh led Guy by the hand, unlocking a gate that took them onto the hotel’s part of the beach. His room was close by, and Josh headed up the steps to the door, fumbling as he tried to put the key in the lock. The soft touch of Guy’s lips on the back of his neck didn’t help him focus either, nice though it was, and he was happy to feel Guy’s hand close over his, guiding the key into the lock.

  The metal finally bit and Josh turned the key. For a moment, he panicked, convinced he’d left his room in a mess, but the thought vanished. Because he was going to take the captain to his bed, and nothing else mattered at that moment.

  By the time the door closed behind them, they were in each other’s arms once more, everything else forgotten. This was the best room in the world, Josh decided. It had to be.

  He tugged at Guy’s shirt, trying to pull it over his head, and tried to take his own off at the same time, and kicked off his sandals and got into a muddle. “Sorry…” he whispered with a chuckle against Guy’s neck. “I’m…not normally this clumsy!”

  “Blame the jet lag,” Guy told him smoothly. He kissed Josh again, nimbly unfastening the buttons on the dark blue shirt Josh had chosen earlier, when he had expected a quiet night with his own company. Without breaking the kiss, Guy slid his hands over Josh’s chest, caressing and exploring.

  Josh breathed carefully now, trying not to get too carried away. He slowly unbuttoned Guy’s shirt and caressed his firm chest as it appeared from beneath the soft fabric. Josh had never gone to bed with a man of forty-nine before, and he hadn’t known what to expect, but Guy’s figure was pretty impressive.

  And as confident as Guy was, Josh suspected that he probably knew it too.

  “Pearl diving suits you,” Guy decided against Josh’s lips. “You’re bloody perfect.”

  “And flying planes certainly suits you.” Josh caressed between their bodies, down Guy’s stomach to the top of his shorts. “Do you want me to…?”

  “I would love you to.” He grinned, shrugging off his shirt to reveal strong arms. Arms made for embracing HR managers. “Would you be more comfortable on the bed?”

  “Yes.” Josh’s room wasn’t particularly large and he reached the mosquito net from where they stood and parted it. “I pretend they’re the diaphanous curtains of a luxurious four-poster bed.”

  “What do you mean, pretend?” Guy winked. “A man could get happily lost in
a bed like this, especially if he had a good-looking chap from Basingstoke with him!”

  Josh laughed as he led Guy through the curtains. “Welcome to my glamorous bed!”

  “A perfect bed!” Guy bounced down onto the mattress and drew Josh with him. This time the embrace that followed was even closer, their torsos pressed together. Josh felt those elegant fingers in his hair, Guy’s skin warm against his.

  Josh was vaguely aware of the sound of the fan turning in the warm air, and of the gentle swish of the waves against the beach. But above that he heard their kisses, and the rustle of their clothes as they caressed.

  He unbuttoned Guy’s shorts and reached inside. A soft gasp of approval escaped Guy’s lips and he dropped his mouth to Josh’s throat, pressing heated kisses to his neck. Those arms were around him now, holding him in a tender embrace. My captain’s arms.

  With his other hand, Josh inched down Guy’s shorts. He glanced at him and whispered, “See…you’re so handsome without your clothes!”

  “I’m very pleased to hear it,” Guy replied, apparently as confident naked as he was in uniform. And why not? “And entirely at your disposal, of course!”

  Josh slipped his arms free of his shirt and dropped it onto the bed, then kissed Guy more intensely as he stroked Guy’s erection. He roamed his other hand across Guy’s toned stomach and chest, and firm thighs. This was turning out to be quite an evening.

  And it was only getting better, he realized, as Guy’s fingers undid his belt and trousers. For a moment his hands rested on Josh’s waist, then he slid them beneath the waistband of both his trousers and boxers, cupping the curve of Josh’s buttocks.

  Josh moaned. “I want you. I want to know what it’s like to be in experienced hands.”

  “I’m sure we can teach each other a few things,” Guy whispered, nibbling softly at Josh’s earlobe as he teased one fingertip down the cleft of his buttocks. “And if there’s anything your captain can do for you…” His mouth moved lower, trailing kisses over Josh’s chest until the tip of his tongue flicked over one nipple.