Overboard (9 page)

D
uncan stretched
himself awake the next morning. The sunlight poked through a small opening in the curtain. Duncan rolled over to escape the light and found that Sebastian had already left the bed.

He rolled out of bed and knocked on the bathroom door.

“Hey, Sebastian. You in there?”

No one answered.

While Duncan peed, he wondered where Sebastian had gone without him.

An ice-cold stab of fear shot through his heart.

He had given in to Sebastian’s advances and now Sebastian was done with him. He was probably already flirting with someone else, feeding some other guy some line about how he needed the guy to help close some hole in his heart that his daddy had left there.

If Sebastian had ditched him, Duncan wanted to find him and give him a piece of his mind. He hurried though a shower and brushed his teeth as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t until he stepped into the hall that he considered that Sebastian might have let him sleep in.

He needed to find his new boyfriend and figure out what was really going on. Until he found him, he tried to assume the best.

A hand grabbed him from behind.

“What the fuck?” he said. “Oh. Mom. Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts. Didn’t notice you.”

She laughed. “It’s okay. I’ve heard you say worse. I don’t approve, but you’re your own man now. I don’t question your decisions. I had to come back for my glasses so I could read the paper during breakfast. Your friend is already down there with your dad. Are you coming to join us?”

Duncan’s skin froze at the thought of Sebastian alone with his dad. His dad smoked cigars, liked pro football, and told dirty jokes that frequently had punch lines that made his mom blush and say, “Oh, George. Not in front of me, please.”

One friendly meal had been a miracle. There was no way the two of them being left completely alone would end well. Sebastian was probably bragging about his conquest, hopefully without naming names. But Duncan wasn’t sure he could trust Sebastian that much.

What the hell was I thinking fucking him?

Nancy pulled Duncan’s arm. “Come on. You need to eat.”

The familiar words from the familiar voice forced Duncan on a surreal walk through the cruise ship and along its dizzying carpets that seemed to twist and swirl around him.

You should have woken me. You should have made up some excuse to get away from my dad. You’re going to ruin everything for me.

Duncan’s fears didn’t materialize, though.

As they entered the dining room George threw back his head and laughed at something Sebastian had said.

“You dirty bastard. That’s fantastic. Duncan, has he told you about the girl selling grapes on the side of the road?”

Duncan smiled, shook his head, and tried to think of any reason he shouldn’t jump off the side of the ship.

His mom clicked her tongue and said, “George, if those grapes end up in the girl’s vagina, then don’t you dare tell that joke. And shame on you for telling it to him, Sebastian. He’s just a dirty old man. Don’t stoop to his level.”

George laughed again and gave Nancy a friendly pat on her butt.

Duncan looked away too late. The sight would be seared into his eyeballs for years to come.

“You should have woke me,” Duncan whispered as he sat next to Sebastian.

Sebastian didn’t keep his own voice quiet. “I tried. You were snoring so loudly, you must not have heard me.”

Duncan gawked as his dad laughed again. He couldn’t remember the last time that George had been happy around him. He wondered what was happening to his dad. Was his mood from the magic of the seas or the magic of Sebastian? Maybe this could work out, if Sebastian was really interested in something long term.

It seemed like such a thin thread to hang hope from, but now that he had fucked him, he needed to pray that it held.

“He used to wake us up with that snoring when he lived at home. Like a chainsaw. I guess it matches those hideous flannels he’s always wearing.”

Sebastian patted George’s arm while the two men laughed.

They’re like peas in a pod.

It was worse than Duncan could have feared. If his dad liked Sebastian, he would want to be around him during the cruise. It would have been much easier if Sebastian had just stayed in bed and not spent breakfast bonding with his dad.

“Besides,” George said a little too loudly. “It’s not like you two are lovers. He probably wanted to get away from you so he’d have a chance of you not scaring away all the pretty men. Pretty? Is that what you go for?”

Duncan coughed on the orange juice he had been drinking. This conversation was not happening. But somehow Duncan had no way to stop it.

“Well, I get jealous if they are prettier than me, so I normally go for the rough around the edges types. The diamonds in the rough. Big men with big, rough, callused hands.”

“Shit. Sounds like you need a guy like Duncan.”

Duncan blushed and tried to imagine curling into a ball. He had to be sleeping. This nightmare could only be happening in his dreams.

“Only gay, of course,” George finished.

“No. Not like Duncan. He dresses like shit. I may not want pretty boys, but I’m not looking for a hobo either.”

The laughter around the table continued at Duncan’s expense.

He was going to kill Sebastian when they were alone. While his family laughed, he imagined ways to do it. He settled on feeding Sebastian to sharks.

Nancy sighed, “I just wish Duncan could talk as freely as you do. He just needs to find a good woman, but can’t seem to manage more than a couple sentences around them.”

Sebastian nodded and pointed at Duncan. “He really doesn’t have a way with the women. Somedays I wonder how in the world he’s going to find a good chick to agree to settle down with him. Or even a bad one. I hope you weren’t hoping for grandbabies from this one.”

“We just want him to be happy.” Nancy patted his cheek. “His little woman is out there somewhere.”

Happy. But with a woman. That’s what would make his parents happy.

Duncan forced a smile He was being attacked on all sides. He sighed and bit into the dry toast and chased it with some cold coffee.

The day had was starting disastrously and promised to get worse. It was a day at sea. The giant cruise ship felt very tiny.

“As soon as Duncan finishes up, we’re going to have to head out. I’m going to try and help him make a lady friend at the pool today. You guys should probably stay away. No woman wants her big strong man to have his parents hovering around.”

George winked at Sebastian. “Good man. Take care of our little scared butterfly. Don’t forget to find a stud for yourself”

“I promise to make sure we do our best.”

How can they not hear what he’s really saying?

Duncan shoved the rest of the toast into his mouth and let Sebastian lead him from the table.

“What the hell was that in there?”

Sebastian looked confused. “Are you mad?”

“Of course. You probably have my dad busy looking for a gay lover for you and my mom will expect you to have me married to some woman before the end of the day.”

“I thought I was helping. Your parents will leave you alone today. They’ll think we’re on the prowl to get you laid. Little do they know, you’ll strike out with the ladies all day and still get laid.”

“You’ve got to stop talking like that. Someone will hear.”

Sebastian bumped Duncan’s hip with his own. “You worry too much, but I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more careful. Now what would you like to do today?”

“I’m still starving but I can’t go back there.”

Sebastian held up a finger to tell Duncan to stay put. “Give me one second.”

He returned a couple of minutes later with a bagel, three doughnuts, an apple, and a banana carried in a little makeshift pouch he had made by folding up the bottom of his shirt.

Watching his pretty hero, Duncan’s anger faded a little.

“I wasn’t sure what big mountain men like you eat for breakfast so I just grabbed whatever I could carry.”

Duncan grabbed the doughnuts. “Thanks. Should we go set this stuff back in the room?”

“I have a feeling you’ll eat it all.”

“Probably. I always eat too much when I’m stressed.” Duncan took several deep breaths to calm himself. “Man, I wish I would have brought a book. I haven’t relaxed with a book in a long time.”

“Follow me.”

Duncan felt he could get used to having Sebastian taking such good care of him, but he worried that Sebastian would eventually get mad when he couldn’t return the favor.

What will happen when he learns that I can’t pull my own weight in this relationship?

S
ebastian led
Duncan down an empty hallway. He was proud of his desire to help his giant lover.

He still could believe that they had made love. Sebastian had fucked many times in the past, but he couldn’t remember ever
making love
. It was amazing how much better the sex had been with his heart and mind in the game along with his body.

While walking, Sebastian thought about Duncan’s parents. His mom was a total sweetie. She would embrace Duncan being gay very quickly. The bigger threat was clearly his dad. Sebastian suspected that George would quickly learn to accept that his son was gay, but Sebastian would never be the one to bring it up. He would wait for Duncan to handle it.

Until then, Sebastian would just take whatever Duncan could give him. After making such a mess of things with his own father, he had learned that he was not good at broaching the subject of one’s sexuality with parents.

“Where are we going?” Duncan asked.

“The library. I was talking to this little old lady before your parents came to breakfast. She told me about it. She said she was going to grab some trashy novels and suntan topless later. Crazy broad. Here we are.”

They rounded a corner and entered a small room with about a dozen bookcases. Duncan walked from shelf to shelf, dragging his finger along spines of books without picking up anything.

“What do you like to read?” Sebastian asked.

“Man, I don’t even know anymore. It’s been years since I’ve touched anything besides carpentry magazines. I used to like books with dragons when I was a kid.”

Sebastian tried to picture Duncan as a child. He had probably still towered over other kids his own age. Sebastian chuckled when he imagined grade-school-age Duncan: young, but still too big to get in and out of the seats attached to the school desks.

Sebastian risked grabbing Duncan’s arm to guide him to a shelf on the opposite wall. When he squeezed his arm, Duncan spun to check for others entering the room.

“Sorry. I’ll stop. But your arms feel good. I’ll be thinking about them.”

Duncan cupped Sebastian’s neck with his hand. “I’ll be thinking about you touching me, too.”

Sebastian couldn’t believe that Duncan had risked touching him so intimately in a public area. He started daydreaming about ways they could safely do more.

Duncan checked out two novels while Sebastian picked up one on from the nonfiction section about how to be a good manager.

“Okay. Now to the pool,” Sebastian ordered.

While setting into a couple of chairs in the sun near the pool, Duncan noticed the book Sebastian had chosen. He raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Well, if we’re going to run a company together, I’m going to need to learn some things so I can pull my weight. Don’t worry about what I’m reading though. You need to be checking out the ladies.”

Sebastian flinched when Duncan hit him with one of his books.

The two settled into a comfortable silence while they read. Sebastian occasionally glanced over to watch Duncan. The paperback looked so tiny in Duncan’s huge hands. The way he moved his mouth while reading was almost too adorable.

When the words started to blur in front of Sebastian, he asked if Duncan was ready to swim.

“You go ahead,” Duncan answered. He looked at the pool nervously. “This book’s pretty good.”

“What’s wrong? You feeling okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. I just don’t like to swim very much.”

Sebastian pulled Duncan to his feet. “Let’s go. Your parents aren’t going to believe that you’re trying to meet anyone if you stay over here reading a book.”

Sebastian cannonballed into the water. He turned while backing away to give Duncan plenty of room. Instead of following him, Duncan had walked to the ladder and was slowly lowering himself into the water.

When he touched the bottom he slowly started making his way through a crowd of kids over to Sebastian.

“This water is so cold.”

“That’s why you’re supposed to just jump and get your whole body wet all at once. You adjust quicker that way. It’s not that cold, though, you baby.”

“Well, I didn’t know how deep the pool was.”

While floating lazily on his back, Sebastian said, “Don’t tell me that you don’t know how to swim?”

Duncan crossed his arms over his chest and shivered while saying, “It just never seemed to come up, I guess. I was more into the ball sports.”

“I bet you were,” Sebastian said with a wink.

Duncan groaned.

He nearly turned white when two kids bumped against his back while playing a game of tag.

“I think I’ll just go back and read. Maybe I’ll get back in when things settle down.”

Sebastian grabbed Duncan’s arm before she could get away. “Hold on. Let’s try the hot tub. It’s smaller, warmer, and there won’t be any kids. Just you, me, and the girls we’re supposed to pretend to hit on.”

Duncan nodded and followed as Sebastian dragged him toward the edge of the pool. Sebastian assessed the two hot tubs. One was empty. One had two pretty, college-aged girls who were taking unsubtle peeks at them both. Sebastian led Duncan to the empty hot tub. If asked, they could say they were playing hard to get. The truth was that Sebastian hoped for a little privacy beneath the bubbles of the hot tub.

Duncan moaned when he sat in the hot tub.

Sebastian loved the deep, manly rumbling sound. He sat next to his boyfriend amazed that he had such an awesome guy to call his own. With their thighs pressed against each other beneath the bubbles, Sebastian wondered if he could do anything with his hands. He knew what he was wanted to do, but that would certainly make Duncan run away.

He had to be subtle. He needed to just remain friends out in public and hope Duncan had a change of heart.

“So what you want to do to tomorrow? Did you get a chance to look over the excursions?”

“Not yet. I’ve been so nervous about everything and have so little money. I’ve been too busy jumping at every shadow, thinking that my parents are going to say boo. Does anything look good?”

Sebastian whispered, “You do.”

Duncan splashed him.

“Sorry. No one was around. I’ll knock it off. I was thinking we could go snorkeling tomorrow, but based on what happened at the pool, I’m guessing you might not be interested in that.”

Duncan lowered his body until only his head was above water. “Let’s give it a try. But maybe not tomorrow. Let me get used to the water in these pools first. My family will definitely spend the day shopping. What can we do to get way far away from them?”

“I think the furthest thing away would be some Mayan pyramids. How does that sound?”

“Are you kidding? We can really do that? I’ve always wanted to see pyramids. I did a report on them back in grade school. I don’t even remember anything about it anymore, but I’ve always wanted to go see them. And with you? That’ll be even better. Everything is great with you.”

It was Sebastian’s turn to look around to see if they had been overheard. He couldn’t believe that Duncan had risked flirting in public. He wanted to lean against Duncan’s strong chest. He hoped that after the cruise was over they would tell everyone they were together right away.

Sebastian needed a real relationship. The nonsense of keeping things secret was killing him. He just knew he was going to screw something up.

Sebastian started to describe what the brochure said about the ruins, but nearly jumped out of the hot tub when something brushed against his dick.

Duncan laughed at his surprise. “What’s wrong?” He said quietly in his deep growl. “You don’t like when I touch you?”

“Your parents might see,” Sebastian reminded him.

“To hell with them. For a couple seconds at least.”

Duncan slowly trailed the back of his fingernails up the inside of Sebastian’s leg from his knee up toward his crotch. Sebastian’s heart pounded for the brave man who was taking such a chance in public.

Duncan laid his palm against Sebastian’s quickly hardening dick and whispered into his ear, “Getting ready for me?”

“Always ready,” he whispered back.

“What are you two talking about?” a perky voice behind them said.

Katey had found them.

“Just work stuff.” Duncan said, flinching away.

Sebastian felt a stab of loss when Duncan removed his hand.

“Trade secrets? Hush-hush stuff? How exciting!”

Katey removed her white swim wrap. Her blue one-piece swimsuit matched her eyes and looked pretty against her blond hair. She sat on the wall, but pushed her legs into the water between the two men.

“Where’s your man?” Duncan asked.

Sebastian heard the annoyance in his voice but thought that Katey might have missed it.

“Relax, Duncan. Don’t be too hard on him.”

Of course she heard it, Sebastian thought. She’d had more than twenty years of listening to her big brother. Sebastian couldn’t compete with that. Someday he might have that level of connection with Duncan, if things worked out, but it would take time.

“So where is he?”

“Still sick. The medicine should have kicked in by now. I don’t understand. I’m really getting worried. Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“You mean marrying someone that you never even introduced to your big brother.”

Katey stood and yelled, “Fuck you, Dunc. You never even...”

Duncan pulled her back down. “I’m sorry. It was just a shitty joke. My lame-ass way of trying to apologize for not being around more. It’s just Dad. I can’t...”

“I don’t understand the two of you,” Katey said, frowning at her bother. “He’s not that bad of a guy. He’s just a dad, you know? He does dad stuff. But he loves us. Isn’t that what matters?”

“Probably,” Duncan conceded. “But it’s still tough. I’ll stay civil for you this week and even try to come around more after the wedding.”

Katey hugged her big brother.

“So what are you two up to?”

Duncan met Sebastian’s eyes and nodded away from the pool area.

Sebastian took the hint. “We were just getting ready to leave. None of the guys here are my type and Duncan hasn’t worked up the nerve to talk to any women yet. So we’re going to try somewhere else. You should stay here, though. If the girls see us with someone as pretty as you, they’ll be too afraid of the competition to talk to Duncan.”

“Oh, I like this sweet talker, Dunc. He’s not going to have any trouble finding a new boyfriend. I bet he’ll be able to get you hooked up, too.”

“I bet I can,” Sebastian said as Duncan pulled him away.

When they had cleared earshot, Duncan hissed, “That was too close. No more touching.”

Sebastian pulled out of Duncan’s grip. “That was all you, man. Make up your mind. Only in the room? Everywhere? Nowhere? What the hell do you want?”

Sebastian could understand Duncan being confused, but he had to draw the line on Duncan blaming him for things he himself initiated.

“Sorry. I’m confused and pissed. I want...fuck it. I’ll be okay. Let’s go find something to do before I go any crazier, though.”

Sebastian’s heart went out to his friend. He wished he could find the words to make everything better.