Island Heat (20 page)

“Tonight,” Eli promised. He couldn't wait to get his boyfriend alone. Perhaps soon, it would get easier now that they didn't have to keep it quiet, and as soon as they had an employee. If Kevin had days off, Eli selfishly wanted to take up all of them with dates, sex, and as much attention as Kevin would let him lavish on him.

God, he was stuck on this man. He smiled as he watched Kevin head off across the beach into the grove of trees. Kevin glanced back and waved once, offering another smile before disappearing to head into town.

Eli was grinning like a fool. He shook his head and stood up to jog down to the water again for a cooling swim.

Ice rattled in Troy's shaker and glass as he shook a cocktail and searched Kevin out with his eyes. “Kevin, a French Kiss over at table three.”

“Oh, those are adorable!” Someone was bending over to examine the display cabinet.

In the background, someone else from table six was gesturing with two fingers to beckon Kevin closer, saying something Kevin couldn't make out.

Kevin's head spun as he drew a deep breath. At least his fears had been allayed by the sudden rush of customers that Sunday evening, but now he was struggling to stay afloat and balance everything that needed his attention.

“Thank you,” Troy took over addressing the customer who was complimenting his baking, then held up a finger to table three to indicate that he'd bring a dessert in a moment with the cocktail.

Kevin strode out to table six to see what they wanted, which turned out to be another French Kiss. He hurried back to collect both desserts and deliver them at once, his mind racing as he already heard Troy taking another order.

The bar was full, the tables nearly full, and everyone was drinking and eating – and watching him more than Troy.

Everyone's coming out tonight to see me! Whatever gets them in a seat.
Kevin was extra-careful to smile, joke, and make note of guests' names if he heard them. He had to make a good impression now that everyone knew who he was dating.

Around midnight, there was a sudden hush before people began to murmur again, and Kevin's instincts told him what had happened. He turned to the door, expecting one of two men; he hoped it was Eli.

It was the other one – Tom.

“Hello,” Kevin greeted carefully from the counter. “Our tables are nearly full, but we have one over by the window.”
Treat him like any other customer.

“I just came in to talk to you,” Tom told him. The men at the bar nearby were talking in murmurs and clearly trying to listen in.

Kevin nodded. “About?”

“I'm going to leave you two alone. I just wanted to let you know. I didn't realize... things were so serious between the two of you,” Tom told him as that trademark frown line appeared between his brows. How many movies had Kevin seen it in? And now he was here, making that same face at
him
? God, it was surreal.

“Ah,” Kevin murmured. “Okay... I see.”

Tom's shoulders were stiff, and he looked reluctant even to say it, but he went ahead anyway. “I didn't mean to interfere with anything between you and Eli, and I wish you the best.”

“Thank you,” Kevin answered. He'd relaxed slightly since Tom first walked in, but he was still on his guard. “Did you just come in to say that?”

“Well... I'll be here for a while,” Tom answered. “We're bound to see each other again sometime. I might as well make amends. That, and my manager wanted me to clear the air,” he offered a crooked smile.

“Consider it cleared,” Kevin answered, still trying to be polite. Since finding out that morning that Tom had cheated on the wonderful man who was wooing him, he'd lost all respect for Tom. It was hard to look his former favorite celebrity in the face with this knowledge. “You're staying for the summer?”

“Most likely,” Tom nodded.

“Even though you're not buying the island?”

Tom didn't answer, just glancing to Troy and then looking at the bottles behind the bar.

“Or are you?” Kevin's suspicions raised again as he leaned on the counter.

Tom murmured something and shrugged, glancing at the door.

“What?”

“I said, no comment. Have a good night.” Tom strode out of the dessert bar without a backwards look.

“Wow,” Troy whispered under his breath, quietly lining up three glasses on the bar before beginning to pour mixers.

Kevin didn't have a moment to waste dwelling on that encounter; he could see several empty glasses and plates and another couple were looking around the room in a subtle cue for him to visit their table. He just nodded briskly to Troy and returned to his job.

***

As his key turned in the door, Kevin breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't counted their cash yet, but he was positive that in the morning, they'd discover they were doing
more
than enough business to continue to justify hiring one of the men they'd interviewed that afternoon. Rube would be glad to hear it.

For now, though, his mind lay elsewhere.

“Night,” Troy murmured and raised his hand in a little wave, heading off to walk in the direction of their home.

“Night,” Kevin answered, then turned to Eli, who was leaning against the side of the building. “Ready to go?”

“Hi, lover,” Eli answered, his smile warm as he reached out to take Kevin's hand. “More than ready.”

Kevin smiled at the affectionate term and squeezed Eli's hand. His palm tingled every time he touched Eli's bare skin. The tingles it sent through him were indescribable and addictive.

“How was your night?”

Kevin hummed quietly as they started to walk. They could be closer now, their shoulders brushing as their hands swung through the air. “Fine. Very busy. Lots of people who came in to check me out.”

“Should I be jealous? Or would that be shellfish?” Eli teased.

“No... You netted me already,” Kevin answered, which made Eli laugh.

“Are you joining in on the puns now?”

Kevin snorted. “No...” he teased in return.

Eli pulled him in to brush his lips in a teasing kiss as they turned the corner to walk up the lane towards the mansion.

Kevin almost stumbled, grinning hard. He couldn't get enough of Eli, and it seemed Eli felt the same way about him. They kept walking close all the way up to Eli's house, occasionally leaning in for a kiss or squeezing each other's hand.

It seemed a shame to let go of Eli's hand, but Kevin wanted to take his shoes off at the front door. It seemed more decent. As he did so, he shrugged off his light sweater. Tropical temperatures were nice at night, but they weren't as scorching hot as they were during the day, so he liked to bring one with him. Eli teased him for his sensitivity to the cold given his northern roots, but he ignored it.

“Ready?” Eli grinned after he left his outdoor sweater and shoes downstairs. The house was warm and still. It felt peaceful at this hour of night.

“Very,” Kevin murmured. He had no shame about breaking that silence and stillness for a good cause. He took Eli's hand again to follow him upstairs. “Is Dean home?”

“No. He's been out a lot lately,” Eli murmured with a thoughtful frown, as he held the bedroom door for Kevin, then pushed it closed behind them.

“Good,” Kevin murmured with a wink.

Eli grinned. “Oooh, what do you have in mind?” He took both of Kevin's hands now, looking him up and down slowly.

Kevin licked his lips at the way Eli watched him. Eli's eyes were intent on taking in every detail of his smooth black shirt and slacks. The gaze lingered on the monogrammed logo on his breast pocket, then wandered back up to take in the curve of Kevin's neck before Eli's eyes fell on his lips.

That was when Kevin lost his patience. He pulled Eli's hands to tug him in against his body, lacing their fingers. As their lips slid together, he raised their hands above their heads for a moment. Kevin swayed with him as he lowered their hands again.

Eli moaned through the kiss, disentangling his hands to grab Kevin by the shoulders and steer him over to the bed. “You tempter.” He shoved Kevin down onto the bed.

Kevin's heart raced as his back hit the bed and he scooted up to rest his head on the pillows right away. “Me? Tempting you?” he innocently answered, peeking at him from under his lashes in an imitation of an overly-flirtatious tease.

Eli kissed his forehead and then his cheek, then his lips a few times before those lips started to trail along the five o'clock shadow of Kevin's jawline.

Hot lips caught on stubble and skin as Eli dragged a kiss all the way up to Kevin's ear. By the time Eli's lips carefully pressed against his earlobe, his breath loud in the microphone, Kevin was squirming and pressing up into Eli's body. “G-God...”

“Has anyone ever done
this
before?” Eli murmured quietly from so close to him, then lipped at the lobe, his tongue flicking across it. Apparently, his ear was sensitive as his nipples. A shot of heat traveled through Kevin like whisky burning down through his body, lighting up every nerve for the briefest of moments.

After a moment of writhing in pleasure, Kevin realized he hadn't answered. “N-No...”

Eli chuckled deeply, gently running his tongue along the lobe and then the rim of the ear. Kevin's cock was hard and throbbing in his trousers, and he twitched as Eli reached the top of his ear only to kiss near his hairline just behind the hearing aid.

“Fuck, Eli,” Kevin moaned, kneading his hands into Eli's back. The shirt under his fingers was in the way, so he reached around to start popping buttons open.

Eli grinned as he pulled back enough to let Kevin have easy access to his shirt buttons. “You're not a fish out of water anymore...” Eli undressed Kevin, whipping his black shirt off.

They tussled a little over whose shirt would come off first, but in the end Eli pulled his arms away to let Kevin yank the shirt off. Then, he tugged Kevin's off. Eli's hands running down his bare torso sent thrills of pleasure through Kevin's body.

“I'm just ignoring all the bad puns,” Kevin answered bluntly once he was shirtless.

“What about the good ones?”

Kevin winked. “I might reward you for them.”

“Oooh,” Eli whispered. He tweaked one of Kevin's nipples and then the other. His fingers were skillful and precise, extracting every little bit of pleasure he could from Kevin's body.

Kevin loved how quick his body was to react to the touches. The heat that coursed through him made his chest tighten and his breath hitch in his throat.

Kevin heard Eli's word, soft as it was: “Beautiful.” He blushed, dropping his hands from Eli's back to twist them in the sheets by his head instead and let Eli take over pleasuring him.

Eli was quick to take advantage, shifting his kneeling position until he could press his lips against his exposed collarbone. The skillful little tongue flicks and kisses along the sensitive flesh made quiet sounds escape Kevin's throat, and then those lips were kissing down his breastbone.

“Fuck,” Kevin whispered, his head spinning again. This time, unlike earlier that night, it was in pure pleasure. He
loved
being overwhelmed by this man – emotionally, sexually, physically...

“In a minute,” Eli promised with a roguish wink, dragging his lower lip up from below Kevin's nipple to graze across it.

“Oh!” Kevin's chest rose and fell quickly as the nub was caught and scraped by the smooth, wet, warm skin of a lip. He felt a throb of need pass through him as he choked back his desperate moan. He didn't need to beg; Eli's lips closed around the sensitive flesh as Eli flicked his tongue back and forth across it, then sucked gently and circled his tongue around the nipple in broad swipes.

It felt bizarrely like those lips and tongue were on his cock, and holy
shit
, did Kevin want to feel that again.

Eli raised his mouth, licked his fingers, and teased the nipple he'd just pleased with three fingers, dancing the tips of them around the flesh. Meanwhile, he scooted over with a warm sigh across the dry flesh of the other nipple. Then, he licked it a few times until Kevin's eyes squeezed shut with pleasure and Kevin found himself moaning into his fist. “Mm—nnh... Eli...” he mumbled around his hand.

“Don't hold back,” Eli whispered back, his breath hot on cooling, wet skin. Then, those warm lips were pressing against Kevin's ribs, seemingly kissing randomly along his chest, stomach, and even his sides. When those lips found a spot near his hipbone, Kevin couldn't help a grunt and groan of pleasure.

“You like that, do you?” Eli grinned, his hand trailing up the inside of Kevin's thigh. Kevin quickly spread his legs and planted his feet on the bed, catching his breath as Eli's palm grazed his bulge and teased it.

“Y-Yes...” Kevin managed, running his hand over his face to try to calm down before reaching down to touch Eli's hair for a moment.

Eli's lips were busy kissing and sucking at that spot until Kevin could feel his nerves bursting with pleasure. Desire burned through his stomach and chest, heating his cheeks and making his fingertips tingle. His cock was pulsing with need, throbbing inside his pants and desperate to be released. The slow, occasional rubs of Eli's palm against the tip of his cock kept him hot, but didn't satisfy.

Kevin twisted his hips up, arching off the bed at a particularly hard suck that felt almost like it could break skin. He was going to have a hickey there, and he
loved
it.

Eli's hands rose to his trousers and unfastened them, sliding both slacks and underwear down his thighs and off his feet, along with his socks.

Kevin's cock popped free of the material gladly and lay along his stomach, already throbbing with need.