That was ridiculous. Quinn couldn't believe anyone would resent Josh's dedication to his patients. It was part of what made Josh who he was. "So he dumped you for that, didn't talk to you for a few weeks, and then came down here to try and get you back?"
"That's Billy. He does things without thinking about the consequences." Josh shrugged. "I guess he thought I'd be so happy to see him I'd forget about everything else."
Quinn had to smile a little at that. "He was surprised to see me."
Josh caught Quinn's hand and cradled it in both of his. "The things he said earlier--I hope you didn't listen to him."
"What, that I was ugly, not your type, and nothing but a vacation trick?" Quinn's voice came out rawer than he'd intended, to his embarrassment. He couldn't pretend the words hadn't cut, no matter how much he wanted to.
"Yeah, that." Josh kept hold of Quinn's hand with one of his. The other, he raised to smooth along Quinn's jaw. "None of it is true, you know."
Did he know? Quinn wasn't sure. He looked down, unable to meet Josh's eyes.
Josh wasn't having any of it. He raised Quinn's chin with gentle fingertips, forcing him to look up. "He was just jealous. He was always trying to bulk up and get strong. He was taking boxing classes and doing weights with a personal trainer when we were together."
The first thing that came to Quinn's mind slipped out. "With a punch like that? His trainer isn't doing much of a job."
Josh's laugh sounded surprised. Quinn was a little surprised at himself, but pleased, too. He rarely said exactly what he thought, and it was liberating in an unexpected way. He decided to try it again. "You were pretty angry earlier."
"I was furious," Josh admitted, a sheepish expression crossing his face. "I tried not to yell at him, but I couldn't help it. And I probably shouldn't have grabbed him like that at the end."
Considering the way Billy had acted, Josh had been the model of restraint. "Maybe not, but you didn't hit him. You did what you had to do to keep him from hitting me again. You stood up for me. Other than one of my foster sisters, nobody's ever done that for me before." Quinn smiled. "I think I should be the one saying, 'my hero.'"
Josh raised an eyebrow in a comical leer. "Well, if you want to make it up to me, I have a few ideas of how you could do it."
They were right back where they'd started, before Josh's ex had burst in. Quinn's smile widened. "Are you going to tell me what they are, or do I have to guess?"
Josh must have recognized the reference, because he grinned. "Why don't you guess?"
"Tell me when I'm getting warm." Quinn put a hand on Josh's thigh and leaned in to kiss him. Josh met him halfway, and their lips touched. At first it was just a soft, sweet pressure, but Quinn grew impatient. He needed to taste. Josh opened to him the moment his tongue touched the seam of Josh's lips.
Josh moaned as Quinn's tongue stroked along his own, giving Quinn a sense of heady power. Being able to affect someone so much with just a kiss was a new thing to him, and he liked it. Using his greater strength and weight, he pushed Josh down to the bed. Josh didn't seem bothered by the move at all. He allowed Quinn to move him without resistance. Then he drew away far enough to whisper, "You're getting warmer."
Quinn smiled and closed the tiny distance between them, kissing Josh again. He also reached down to cup Josh's erection through his shorts. Josh pulled his mouth away, panting. "Warmer."
"What about now?" Quinn popped the button on Josh's shorts and pushed his hand inside. Silky, naked skin greeted him. He brushed a fingertip over the long line of Josh's erection, imagining what it would feel like inside him.
"Red hot," Josh whispered, threading his arms around Quinn's neck and drawing him down for a deep, hard kiss.
Dividing his attention, Quinn kissed Josh back and grasped his erection, stroking it until Josh moaned into his mouth, writhing. This time he pulled away, his gaze questioning. "Your turn?"
"God, yes." Desire blazed bright in Josh's eyes as he stared up at Quinn. "Roll over."
Quinn obliged, rolling to his back in the center of the bed. Due to his grip on Quinn's neck, Josh rolled with him. He ended up on top, grinning. "That was fun."
Quinn laughed. He started to reply, but by that time Josh had gotten his shorts open and pushed a hand inside. Whatever Quinn had intended to say flew out of his mind, replaced by a hiss of pleasure.
Josh slid down his body, stopping to tease Quinn's belly button with his tongue. Painfully ticklish, Quinn squirmed and laughed. "Stop!"
The knowing look in Josh's eyes promised he'd be using the information later, but he kept moving. He shoved Quinn's boxers and shorts down in one push. Freed at last, Quinn's cock sprang up to meet him.
Josh grinned again. Locking eyes with Quinn, he licked a long stripe up one side of Quinn's dick. Quinn whimpered. "More. Please."
"Well, since you asked so nicely..." Josh took the head of Quinn's cock into his mouth and sucked.
Josh's mouth was hot, wet perfection. Quinn barely recognized the sounds he made. Tiny whimpers, moans, and pleas slipped out as Josh licked and sucked, working the bottom half of Quinn's erection with his hand. He thought he could come just watching Josh sucking him.
Then it got even better. A slick finger traced the path between his balls and his hole, rimming the edge several times. Finally it sank into his body, slow and steady, and he groaned at the sweet invasion. After the initial slow breach, Josh finger-fucked him with quick, deep pushes, all the while keeping his dick surrounded by the moist heat of his mouth. Quinn lost himself in the dual pleasure.
He was about to come. His balls drew up, and he could feel the warning throb in his cock. He threw his head back, ready.
At that moment, Josh clamped down on the base of his dick with one hand and removed his fingers from Quinn's ass. The orgasm receded as quickly as it had built. Quinn whimpered in disappointment.
Josh crawled back up the bed and pressed a quick, hard kiss to his lips. "Can't have you coming yet."
A little dazed, Quinn didn't protest. He stayed right where he was. Josh grabbed lube and a condom from the bedside table. He tore the wrapper open and rolled the thin latex over his erection, then smeared the remaining lube onto his fingers.
Quinn watched Josh slick his cock, his desire simmering again. When Josh reached down to open him up, he shook his head. "Make me feel it."
Josh sucked in a breath. His eyes darkened. He swiped the remaining lube on his fingers over Quinn's hole. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't. Please." Quinn kept his gaze locked on Josh's face as Josh lined up and pushed in slowly. Pressure turned into a slight burn of pain. It had been quite a while since Quinn had had sex at all, let alone bottomed. He breathed and forced himself to relax. The pain faded, replaced by a pleasant sense of fullness.
Josh started to thrust then, and the feeling of fullness expanded. Josh's long, hard cock scraped against his inner walls, and with each push in nudged closer and closer to the spot inside him that made him melt.
Quinn shifted, tilting his ass up just enough to make the perfect angle. Josh bumped his gland, and he cried out at the sheer ecstasy of it. Clearly knowing what he'd done, Josh grabbed Quinn's hips to hold him in place and started thrusting quick and hard, nailing his prostate with each thrust.
"Touch yourself," Josh ordered.
Quinn couldn't do anything but obey. He grasped his bobbing erection and stroked in time with Josh's movements. Pleasure streaked through him, coiling inside him, ready to be unleashed. His skin felt hot and tight. "Please," he moaned.
Josh's eyes locked on his face, narrowed with concentration and need. "Come for me." He coupled his words with a particularly hard thrust, and Quinn lost it. "Josh!" He threw back his head and gave himself over to the fierce climax that washed over him. His cock pulsed, covering his stomach and chest in hot release.
Josh let out a wordless cry and pumped into him twice more, his face a mask of pleasure. He collapsed onto Quinn's chest,
breathing hard. Quinn brought his arms up to hold Josh close. For a few minutes they lay in silence, hearts pounding in unison.
Finally, Josh lifted his head, a sated grin curving his lips. "Now that's a good way to start the morning."
Quinn laughed.
* * * *
Hours later, Quinn stared at himself in the mirror, hoping he looked okay. After they'd skipped the water park outing to stay in bed most of the day, Josh had decided they should make up for being so lazy by going to a club. Quinn had never been much for clubbing, but he'd agreed to go. With Josh, it might be fun.
A knock at the door made him jump. He strode out of the bathroom and opened the door. Josh stood there, grinning. "You ready to go?"
Quinn shrugged. "Am I ready?" He stood with his arms out, showing his blue button-up shirt and khakis.
Josh's grin widened. "You look great."
"So do you." His words weren't an empty compliment. Josh's jeans and black shirt fit him to perfection.
"Come on." Josh held out a hand. Quinn took it. Together, they walked to the elevator.
A thought occurred to Quinn as they waited for the elevator to descend to the first floor. "How are we getting to the club?"
"I called a cab."
"Oh, good." Duh. The answer seemed pretty obvious now that he'd asked.
At the ground floor, Quinn released Josh's hand. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of walking through the lobby hand in hand, which annoyed him. He shouldn't be worried about things like that.
Josh didn't appear to mind. He was smiling as the doors opened and they made their way out of the hotel. A taxi waited for them outside.
The ride to the club took a few minutes. Quinn fidgeted with his seatbelt, hoping he wouldn't dance horribly or do something to embarrass Josh. He was glad when they reached their destination so he wouldn't have to think about it anymore.
The club was a large, brightly lit building sporting a purple neon sign. Josh paid the cabbie and they slid out of the taxi. They'd arrived early enough that there wasn't much of a line to get in. They waited about five minutes before a bouncer checked their IDs and Josh paid the cover.
Inside, the club was divided into several large rooms. The first one was bathed in smoky purple light. All the furniture was square, and white, as was the bar. Trendily dressed men stood in small clusters around the room, talking and drinking martinis. Quinn wrinkled his nose.
Laughing, Josh ushered him into the next room. It was similar, only the light was normal and everything was round. They kept walking.
The third room was set up for stage performances, but nobody was onstage. It was deserted. The beat of music from another room beckoned them to keep going.
Josh brightened when they reached the final room, a dance area. Without the muffling walls, the pounding bass made the air shiver. The loudness didn't seem to bother Josh in the least. He turned to Quinn and said, "Drink or dance?"
Quinn had to rely on his weak lip-reading skills to decipher the question. He yelled back, "Drink, then dance." For once, Quinn wished he drank alcohol. Dancing always made him feel like he had about five left feet.
Josh nodded and towed Quinn toward the bar, which had a strange S-shape. He ordered rum and Coke for himself and a plain Coke for Quinn. Quinn smiled at him as he took the offered soda, pleased at the thoughtful gesture. A few guys he'd dated had tried to get him to drink alcohol, which he couldn't understand. Why would they care whether he drank or not, as long as he wasn't telling them they couldn't? Apparently he wouldn't have to worry about Josh doing that.
They stood at the bar and watched the dancers for a while. The club began to fill up, and so did the dance floor. Some of the guys ground against each other, others danced by themselves. Next to Quinn, Josh finished his second drink. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes sparkled. The way his gaze remained on the dance floor told Quinn he wanted to dance.
Despite his nerves, Quinn held out a hand. "Ready?"
Josh's face lit up. He took Quinn's hand and rushed them onto the floor. Once there, he immediately started moving to the music.
Quinn did his best to keep up. At his size, grace was difficult to manage, but he'd settle for not looking like a marionette.
After a few songs, he felt like he was beginning to get the hang of dancing. It was kind of fun. He grinned at Josh, who beamed back.
Another long, bass-heavy techno song began. Suddenly thirsty, and a little tired, Quinn yelled, "Want another drink?"
Josh nodded.
"Be right back." Quinn threw a smile over his shoulder and headed back to the bar. He waited his turn, and then got another rum and Coke for Josh and a bottle of water for himself.
He opened the bottle of water and took a large gulp. Being away from the crowd, and having a cold drink, revived him. Ready to get back to Josh, he slipped through the men on the floor as best he could.
Josh was still at the same place he'd been when Quinn left, only he had attracted an admirer. A big, burly man dressed in leather danced close behind Josh. The frown Quinn could feel forming lightened when Josh brushed the man off and resumed dancing.
It wasn't until the guy tried again that Quinn got annoyed. Couldn't the man see Josh wasn't interested? He set the drinks on a nearby table, stalked across the floor and tapped the man on the shoulder.
The man gave Quinn a glare, apparently not caring that Quinn had several inches--and pounds--on him. "Get lost."
Quinn was too pissed off to be intimidated. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared the man down. "No, you get lost. That's my boyfriend you're bothering, and I don't share." He practically growled the last few words.
"Hey, man, I didn't know." Leather guy held up his hands and backed off.
Quinn didn't relax his stance. "Well, now you do." He watched the guy until he was no longer in sight, swallowed up by the crowd.
A warm presence next to him drew his attention back to Josh, who had moved to stand right beside him. Then he realized what he'd said. He'd called Josh his boyfriend, and implied that they were exclusive, all without discussing it with Josh. On top of everything else, he'd implied Josh couldn't take care of himself. Quinn's face heated.
Before he could stammer an apology, Josh twined his arms around Quinn's neck and pulled him down until his lips brushed Quinn's ear. "Do you know how hot that was?"
Quinn shivered at the brief contact. "Acting like a caveman is hot?"
Josh's warm, rich chuckle tickled his ear, making him shiver again. "Surprisingly, yeah. Maybe I do have a Neanderthal fetish after all. Want to go back to the hotel? You can show me some more caveman moves."
The thoughts Josh's words put into Quinn's head were definitely not appropriate for a public place, even this one. He nodded.
"Let's go then." Josh pulled back and held out his hand.
Quinn smiled and took it.
Chapter 17
* * *
The last full day of his vacation flew by, and while the Hollywood Studios Park was a lot of fun, the real joy was being with Quinn. Josh spent much of the day thinking about the night before. The way Quinn had stared down that guy, and the things he'd said, stuck in Josh's mind. Quinn had called him his boyfriend and said he didn't share. Josh had only been half-joking when he'd said caveman was hot. He found Quinn's protectiveness sexy, something he would never have guessed about himself.
Of course Quinn had been embarrassed about the incident afterward, but Josh couldn't help hoping he'd meant the words on some level. He didn't want to say goodbye at the end of the trip. They both lived in St. Louis. Nothing stood in the way of them being together, except maybe themselves.
Throughout the day, Josh's thoughts distracted him. Steve and Art noticed. Lyle and Ray probably did, too. Nobody said anything, though.
At dinnertime, the group broke up to do whatever they'd planned for the evening. They exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. Josh entered the information into his phone. It was hard to believe he'd
made so many friends in such a short time.
Steve hugged Josh. "Thanks. If you hadn't asked Art to hang out with us, I'd probably still be trying to gather the courage to talk to him."
Josh laughed. "Nah, you'd have done it on your own. Eventually."
Steve laughed, too. "Keep in touch, okay? And good luck with Quinn. He's a keeper."
"He is, isn't he?" Josh smiled at Quinn, who was talking to Ray. "Good luck to you, too. Maybe we can get coffee or something after we get back. I'll email you."
"Great. I'll see you then." With a last smile, Steve turned to Art. "Ready?" Walking close together, they headed off to wherever they were going.
Ray and Lyle left, too, waving.
To lighten the mood, Josh leered at Quinn. "Alone at last."
Quinn smiled. "Whatever shall we do?"
About half a dozen ideas sprang to mind. "I say we go up to your room and order room service."
"Good plan."
The way Quinn hurried to the elevators was flattering. Josh rushed after him, just as eager to get upstairs.
* * * *
In the elevator, Josh tried to restrain himself. He stood a respectable distance away from Quinn, and when the elevator stopped at the second floor to admit a middle-aged couple and their four children, none of them noticed a thing. They got off at the third floor, the two younger kids arguing while everyone else chatted loudly.
Josh moved a little closer to Quinn. Quinn kept his gaze focused on the doors, but his lips turned up in a half smile. He reached out and curled his hand around Josh's.
The elevator stopped again, and Josh glanced up, irritated to see that they'd stopped at the fourth floor. Were they ever going to get up to their floor? The doors slid open, and Clay stepped into the elevator. To Josh's surprise, Quinn didn't let go of his hand.
Quinn's Hart Page 10
