IslandAffair (2 page)

Chapter Two

Robin swirled the ice in the bottom of his second double
whiskey and debated whether to order a third. What on earth had possessed him
to get here early? He looked around, taking in the bamboo furniture and the
open patio leading to the lit pool. It was quiet; there were only a handful of
couples sitting at secluded tables. The bartender was polishing glasses at the
far end of the bar where he perched on a stool. Robin absently admired that
slender body whenever the man wasn’t looking. He was pretty, no doubt, but
Robin found himself wanting blue eyes, not brown, and a Scottish accent instead
of the lyrical Spanish the bartender was emphasizing for him.

He had told Robin that there was a beach party tonight and
most of the hotel’s guests were attending it. Robin should have been there too
but he’d missed the announcement and he ignored the server’s subtle hints that
said he would be happy to take him. Truth was, Robin probably wouldn’t have
gone anyway. As beautiful as the resort was, he was a little uncomfortable.
He’d thought that being in an environment where everyone was batting for the
same side would be liberating but instead he felt even more isolated. All the
guys here seemed entirely at ease with their sexuality and Rob hadn’t reached
that point yet. So he’d spent the day perusing the island’s gift shops trying
to decide whether to meet an enigmatic Scotsman and hoping the man’s headache
wasn’t too bad.

What on earth possessed him to come at all?

Yes, John was attractive, even with his jaw unshaven and
eyes blurry with pain. His long, leanly muscled frame had been clearly defined
by his soaked clothes. And Rob had run his hands over most of it to check where
he was injured. But this island was full of attractive men and he hadn’t
accepted any of
their
offers. Perhaps it was just gratitude. He
shuddered to think how different things could have turned out. Why had the damn
fool tried to grab him? It was only water, he wouldn’t have melted. And only
four feet deep too, so Robin wouldn’t have drowned even if he couldn’t swim
like a fish.

John nearly had, though. His heart gave a foolish little
flutter at the thought. It was a dumb thing to do in retrospect, but to be fair
he probably hadn’t expected Robin to actually pull him in with him.
I at
least owe him for his misplaced chivalry
, he told himself. It had very
little to do with how Rob’s cock had begun to get hard in his shorts as he’d
run his hands over that firm, hair-roughened body.

So, instead of attending the party he was sitting in a bar
waiting for a man who probably wouldn’t show up. He caught the barman’s eye and
pointed to his drink. The man raised a brow in an “are you sure?” gesture.
Great, even the barman felt the need to baby-sit him. It was apparently obvious
to every man here that he was all but a virgin. The fact that it was true made
him want to squirm in his seat like a teenage girl on a first date.

Except John. He hadn’t looked as if he wanted to baby-sit
him today. The look he had given Rob had made heat sweep through his body. That
was the reason he was here, he admitted. This vacation was supposed to be all
about leaving the smothering cocoon of the small town where he was a swimming
coach and experiencing things he never had before. Things Robin couldn’t do
under the watchful eyes of the town. He just wasn’t sure he was ready for all
of Barretts Cross to know he was gay. And every single one of them would know
within half an hour of his first glance at another man. That was the beauty of
living in a small town. As much as he loved his home he knew they weren’t ready
to accept a gay swimming coach. The minute they learned about his sexual
preferences he could kiss his job goodbye. Just like Dominic York, an English
tutor, had last year. He had made the mistake of coming out and gradually lost
almost every one of his students until he had been forced to look elsewhere for
work.

No.

Coming out was not a good idea.

But here, here he was free to look all he wanted. John
appeared as though he could show him all sorts of things and not one of them
could be described as “nice”. Delicious, hot, maybe even forbidden. That’s what
he wanted. He gulped down the last of his ice-cold drink in a vain attempt to
cool the fire the thoughts raised in his body. How was he going to tell John
that he wanted to do all the wicked things his eyes hinted at?

“
Feashar math
, Robin.”

He turned quickly toward the gravelly masculine voice behind
him and had to grab the edge of the bar to steady himself. He shivered. John
could have been reciting a menu to him in that voice and it would still turn
him on.

“Wha—” he cleared his throat and started again. “What did
you just say to me?”

The eyes he had been dreaming about a few moments ago smiled
at him, warming from a winter to a summer sky as they swept over him.

“I said good evenin’ but I should have added that you look
eireachdail
.
Handsome.”

The short-sleeved, black silk T-shirt outlined every inch of
Robin’s chest and his tight jeans might as well have been painted on. There
were ragged holes ripped in the denim in strategic places. It was just the sort
of outfit he would never have worn at home lest he gave himself away. He almost
hadn’t worn it tonight. One glance, one word from this man and he forgot all
his reservations.

“Uh… Thank you…was that Gaelic?”

“Yes, but don’t be too impressed, those are just about the
only words I know. And I was taught them by an American friend to pick up guys.
Did they work?”

Robin rolled his eyes and chuckled. “How’s your head?”

John ran a hand through his strawberry-blond hair. “The
doctor said I’d be fine after a night in bed…”

John’s eyes again drifted over his body in a slow, teasing
perusal and Rob’s voice quavered in reaction. “Bet you he also said no
alcohol.”

“What can I say? I don’t follow orders very well.”

His nipples tightened when John’s gaze lingered there,
pressing against the front of the silk shirt. What was it about
this
man
that made Rob want to do anything if he would just touch him? A warm,
ocean-scented breeze blew softly through the open front of the bar and caressed
his heated skin. Every cell in Robin’s body reached toward John, and he felt
himself leaning closer. Wondering what it would feel like to have John’s lips
on his, his arms around him. Wondering if he would… “Kiss me.” Rob pressed his
lips together and winced,
Ah shit! Did I say that out loud?
A blush
heated his cheeks as he watched a grin form on John’s face, his eyes twinkling
with amusement.
Yep, I did.

“Well then. It appears I owe the man who sold me this
aftershave an apology. It really does make me irresistible. And here I thought
he was comin’ on to me.”

As John stepped closer to him, Rob caught scent of the
aftershave in question, a light, sandalwood fragrance. It smelled expensive.
“I, uh…didn’t…”

John pressed his finger lightly to his mouth, halting his
words, and whispered in that deliciously husky Scottish accent, “Oh no, you
don’t get to take it back. But I think I should tell you, lad, that I’m not
that kind of guy.” He smiled slowly, “I don’t put out on the first date.”

Robin moistened suddenly dry lips, the tip of his tongue
brushing John’s finger. Heat flared in John’s eyes and he shivered. His grin
slid from amused to rueful. “But…if you do that again, I might be tempted.”

He stepped away from Robin with visible reluctance and
turned to order as the bartender set Rob’s fresh drink down, giving Robin time
to regain his composure. Or try to anyway. John certainly didn’t look as if he
was any the worse for wear from this afternoon’s events except for the bruised
bump on his forehead. Robin looked him over unobtrusively. The strawberry-blond
hair was damp and mussed as though John had just finger combed it and his
square jaw was clean-shaven. He was wearing faded blue jeans and another
Hawaiian shirt. The shirt was a little more subdued than this afternoon’s, in
dusky blues and soft green. The image didn’t fit with expensive aftershave.
Robin’s usual inhibitions overcome by whiskey, he decided to satisfy his curiosity.

“What do you do?”

John turned back to him, one golden eyebrow crooked in
question. “Do?”

“Yes. I mean here you are staying in this resort…and believe
me, I know how expensive it is. You have bodyguards…and yet you look…” Robin
waved a hand at his scruffy attire. John turned to pay for his bottled beer and
for a moment Rob didn’t think he was going to answer him. When the other man
looked at him he saw the evasiveness in his eyes.

“I’m between projects at the moment. I’m…getting away from
it all.” His mouth curved as though at some secret joke. He tipped his bottle
toward Robin and then lifted it to his lips and took a long swallow.

Rob frowned. “And when you aren’t between projects?”

“I work in an accounting firm, for my father. Nothing
exciting.” John put his bottle down and moved closer, again surrounding him
with his heat and masculine scent. “What about you, Robin, what do you do when
you’re not rescuin’ drowning men?” It was an obvious way to change the subject
but when Robin looked into his warm eyes he decided to let himself be diverted.

“I teach kids to swim. I’m a coach in a small town in
Texas.”

John chuckled and stroked his fingertips over Robin’s hand
where it rested on the bar. He had long, elegant fingers, piano-player’s hands.
“Now why didn’t any of my teachers ever look like you?” His lips crooked into
that delicious half smile again. “I never thought a plain black swimsuit could
be such a turn-on.”

“Um, thanks. Me either.”

Robin flushed and resisted the urge to look around and see
who was watching them. No one here cared whether another man was coming on to
him; he was only touching his hand. Hell, John could probably run his hands
over Robin’s whole body and it would only attract a few smirks and raised
eyebrows as long as no one was actually naked. His cock twitched at the
thought. Rob squirmed on his stool and nearly fell off backward, only John’s
quick reflexes preventing it as he threw his arm around Rob’s waist.

“Whoa! Look out, it’s a long way down.” He took the drink
from his hands. “Maybe you’d better not have that.”

Mortified, he dropped his head into his hands and groaned.
“Aw man! I’m not drunk, honestly… This shit happens to me with no alcohol
involved. The incident by the pool? Not unusual.” He lifted his head again and
shrugged. “I think you should know before we spend any more time together that
I’m a klutz, always have been.” Robin ran his hands through his hair and rolled
his eyes. “It’s how I ended up on the swim team at school instead of basketball
or football…or track for that matter. Though I did try that one…it only lasted
‘til I tripped over my own feet and broke my wrist on landing.”

John grinned at him and passed his drink back. “Thanks for
the warnin’, I think I’ll take the risk. But let’s do it where there’s less height.”
He picked up his drink and led the way to a booth in the corner. As he slid in
beside him, Rob relished the heat of John’s body along the length of his. John
ran his fingers along his arm in a gentle caress, drawing Robin’s attention
from his drink back to his face. The spacious bar suddenly felt about the size
of a shoebox.

“So what brings you to Paradise, Robin? Aren’t you tired of
water, doing what you do?”

John had such a natural self-confidence and was so relaxed
that Robin found it easy to follow his lead. Forgetting for once in his life
that he was different. Feeling comfortable for the first time in the presence
of a man he was attracted to. And so it began. Small talk and small touches so
innocent that it was impossible to find offense in them. And yet each touch
inflamed his skin until Robin was torn between asking John to stop and begging
for more. His jeans got tighter and he began to worry about the location of one
of those strategic tears as his cock pressed against soft cotton of his underwear.
They talked of his job and Paradise while Rob became more and more distracted.
He no longer noticed that John avoided questions about himself with all the
skill of a politician dodging a scandal. When the bartender began sweeping the
floor around them John drew him to his feet and out into the night.

The pool terrace was deserted and but for the laughter he
heard in the distance he and John might have been alone on the resort. A warm,
sweetly scented breeze flirted with the edges of John’s shirt. Swished through
the flowering bushes bordering the path and rippled through the tops of the
palm trees high above them. Behind this, the advance and retreat of the ocean,
the ever-present beat of the island’s heart. John kept Rob’s hand in his as
they walked in silent accord across the cool sand toward the softly lit porch
of his cabin.

“So, where are your bodyguards tonight?”

“They’re around. Don’t worry, they won’t bother us.”

“I’m not worried.” And he wasn’t, Rob realized. It
should
bother him that there were strangers who were watching their every move but it
didn’t. It’s not as if he was having sex in front of them after all. Though the
thought caused a shiver of arousal, he didn’t think he would ever be ready for
that.

Rob flushed and smiled guiltily as John stepped closer,
sheltering him from the ocean breeze. It was odd to find himself in the role of
the protected instead of the other way ‘round. And enjoying it. The few
liaisons he had had in college had been all about sex. A release and nothing
more. Always behind closed doors since he hadn’t been out and occasionally
neither had his partner. He had only ever dated women and had naturally taken
the lead. But it felt good, right, to let John take that position. Rob wasn’t
sure he liked what that said about him. Did it make him weak? He frowned and
John cocked his head in question.