Quinn's Hart (7 page)

Quinn was first off the shuttle. Instead of going into the park, he stood aside and waited for Josh to walk by. Lyle and Ray stopped beside him.

They waited while the other men in the group filed off the bus and headed into the park, breaking up into pairs and small groups. Josh was one of the last men to exit. His eyes were downcast as he stepped off the bus.

Quinn gathered his courage. "Hey."

That deep brown gaze flew up to meet his own, startled. "Hey."

He managed a small smile. "I'm sorry I ran off yesterday. I shouldn't have done that."

Josh's answering smile lit his whole face. "No, I'm sorry. I should have noticed you weren't comfortable sooner."

"That's okay. I shouldn't let people get to me. I've got to work on that." Quinn decided to take another risk. "You want to try again today?"

"Hm." Josh rubbed his chin, mock-thoughtful. "I suppose I could pencil you in."

A bony elbow in his ribs jerked Quinn's attention away from the conversation. He twisted to find Lyle staring at him. Lyle's lips formed the word "run." Confused, he frowned. Lyle tilted his head meaningfully toward Damien, who had been waylaid by Ray.

Giving Lyle a grateful smile, he turned back to Josh. "Let's get out of here."

Josh grinned.

They made their getaway without incident and walked toward the other end of the park. When they were safely away, Josh started laughing. "I feel like we're in a spy movie or something, sneaking around like this."

Quinn rolled his eyes. "It's ridiculous, isn't it? Now I feel even worse for leaving you with him yesterday."

"Well, you should. He's the most narcissistic person I've met in my entire life. I ditched him right after you left with Clay." Josh's grin was still in place, but his eyes darkened with what looked suspiciously like hurt, and maybe a little jealousy.

Quinn found it hard to believe anyone would be hurt or jealous over him, but the evidence was right in front of him. He shouldn't have been happy about provoking that kind of negative emotion, and yet a small part of him wanted to dance. He offered Josh an apologetic smile. "I didn't leave with Clay. I left, and he followed me. He finally took the hint about the third time I told him I wasn't interested." He shrugged. "I don't know why he picked me to follow around in the first place. There are plenty of other guys to choose from."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "You really don't see it, do you?"

Was there some secret everybody was in on but Quinn? "See what?"

The other man stopped and eyed him up and down. "Yourself."

Quinn saw himself every day in the mirror. He was a huge, shy dork. What was Josh talking about? He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You've got a lot going for you. You just don't know it yet." With those cryptic words, Josh turned and resumed walking.

Quinn stared after him for a full thirty seconds before hurrying to catch up. Flustered, he didn't ask what Josh had meant. Instead, he blurted, "Want to go on a waterslide?"

"Sure, but let's find some lockers first. I want to put my stuff away."

For the first time, Quinn noticed Josh carried a bag. "What's in there?" After he asked, he wondered if the question was too nosy.

Apparently the other man didn't think so, because he answered without missing a beat. "I've got a book, a towel, sunscreen, and a bottle of water."

Quinn had brought only a towel and his sunglasses. He cringed at the thought of the horrible sunburn he was going to get. "I forgot to bring sunscreen. I'd better go buy some."

"No problem. You can borrow some of mine." Josh grinned. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Or aloe, in this case."

"That's terrible." Quinn couldn't help chuckling at the lame joke. "Thanks for letting me use some of your sunscreen."

"No problem. Hey, I see some lockers over there." Josh pointed, and they headed toward them.

A few minutes later, most of their belongings were stowed in a locker, with the exception of Josh's sunscreen. Josh handed the bottle to Quinn. "I already put some on." He stripped off his shirt, revealing lightly tanned skin and a lean, fit torso. He had the kind of muscles honed by work and play rather than excessive weightlifting.

Quinn tried not to stare, turning his attention to slathering himself with slick, coconut-scented lotion. He pulled off his own shirt and covered the parts he could reach, but despite their length his arms couldn't get some parts of his back.

Josh laughed and took the bottle from him, squeezed a small pool of sunscreen into his hand, and handed the bottle back to Quinn. "Let me help you."

Quinn shrugged and put the sunscreen bottle in the locker. "Okay."

Josh used his other hand to scoop some of the lotion up and moved to stand behind Quinn. "We don't want you to get burned. You have unusual coloring."

That was a comment Quinn had heard often. His pale skin, blue eyes, and dark hair were a strange combination. Some people had referred to him as "black Irish" based on his last name. He didn't know what his heritage was, but his father had been a redhead. Maybe he was part Irish.

He started to respond, but the first touch of Josh's cool, lotion-covered fingers stole his words. He closed his eyes, savoring the way Josh's strong, gentle fingers moved over his back. Josh used long, firm strokes to cover all the areas Quinn hadn't been able to reach, and then he went back over them with a lingering, more teasing touch.

Finally, Josh stepped back. "There. All done." His voice sounded huskier than before.

Quinn restrained a shiver at the loss of the touch and the sexy tone. The urge to grab Josh and drag him back to the hotel like some caveman hit. He reminded himself the shuttle wouldn't be back for hours. To hide his reaction, he looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Ready to hit the waterslides?"

At the last waterslide in the park, Josh took the opportunity to watch his companion as they waited in line. Quinn fully dressed was imposing. Quinn in swim trunks, no shirt, was incredible. Josh had trouble not drooling at the sight of that wide, muscled chest and shoulders. The man could pose for a statue of Hercules, or maybe Superman. Josh would be willing to bet Quinn could pick him up with ease, probably even bench press him without breaking a sweat, no small feat since he weighed a hundred and eighty pounds. Big and brawny had never been one of the traits he looked for in a guy, but now he was reconsidering. Quinn's cluelessness about his own desirability only made him hotter.

They'd made a quick circuit through all the other slides in the park, and to Josh's delight, Quinn was turning out to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie. After each slide, he seemed exhilarated and wanted to go straight to the next one. Josh enjoyed seeing him animated and almost chatty.

When they reached the front of the line, Josh was pleased to discover they would be sliding in a small tandem raft. Quinn sat in the back, his long legs reaching to the front of the raft and beyond. Josh sat in the front, between Quinn's legs. He deliberately sat as close to Quinn as he could, his back inches from Quinn's chest. Heat radiated from the other man's skin, and he had the urge to lean back the rest of the way.

He glanced up and over his shoulder at Quinn, who stared at him, a mixture of surprise and heat in his eyes. Mission accomplished. Josh grinned and gripped the raft handles. "Let's go."

And they were off, racing down a large half-pipe filled with water. Air rushed past them, whipping Josh's hair around his face. The slide took several wild twists and turns before they splashed into the large pool at the bottom. Water flew everywhere, splattering them both.

Behind him, Quinn laughed. "Now that was fun."

"Yeah, it was." Josh clambered out of the raft and towed Quinn to shore. "You ready to get something to eat?"

"I'm starving." Quinn turned in their raft to a park employee. "Do you need your stuff?"

Josh nodded. "My money's in the locker." He headed in the direction of the lockers.

Quinn fell into step beside him, closer than he'd walked before. "You want to go to the beach for a while after we eat?"

"Sounds good." While they were there, he'd ask Quinn to help him reapply his sunscreen. He'd take any excuse to get those big hands on him.

After a lunch of burgers and fries, Josh was ready to kick back on the beach. Sitting by the wave pool might not have been quite as relaxing as sitting by the ocean, but the artificial beach was real enough for him. On the way, he stopped to buy a beer.

When the guy behind the counter handed him a bottle, he glanced at Quinn. "You want one?"

Quinn shook his head. "No, thanks. I'll stick with water. My father was an alcoholic."

Okay. That wasn't good. Josh looked at the bottle in his hand. "Would you rather I didn't drink either?"

The smile Quinn sent him was reassuring, as was his quick reply. "Not at all. I don't have a problem with other people drinking, but I've read that alcoholism can be hereditary, and I don't want to go down that road."

He wasn't sure what to say. Quinn's conviction was sensible. Sad, but sensible. And it might help explain a few things. What kind of childhood must Quinn have endured, with an alcoholic father who had died when Quinn was only thirteen? The few hints the man had given him told him it hadn't been pleasant.

Not wanting to dwell on a subject that probably made Quinn unhappy, Josh changed the subject. "Ready to hit the beach?"

"Definitely."

They found a pair of white lounge chairs near the wave pool and spread their towels over them. Josh sat on his and reapplied sunscreen wherever he could reach, offering the bottle to Quinn.

Quinn peered down at his chest, which hadn't turned pink from the sun yet. "Good idea. The last thing I need is to get sunburned."

"Want me to get your back?" Josh kept his voice cool and calm, trying not to telegraph how much he wanted to touch Quinn, and have Quinn touch him.

"Sure." Quinn turned to present his back. "I'll get yours for you in a minute."

Score.
Josh didn't bother to hide his triumphant grin. He smoothed the sunscreen over the hard muscles and smooth, creamy skin of Quinn's back using slow, sensual strokes of his fingertips. He traced the indentation of Quinn's spine, trying not to be too obvious about it. Quite a few small scars marred the surface of his back, and Josh traced those as well. The feel of warm skin beneath his hands was addictive. He had to force himself to stop.

"Okay, all done."

Quinn twisted around to grab the sunscreen bottle. "Now I'll do yours. You can lay on your stomach if you want."

Lying on his stomach was a smart move. Quinn's large, strong hands, slick with lotion, ghosted over his back with surprising gentleness. The moment they touched him, Josh's dick took notice. The touch wasn't sexual, but it was Quinn, and somehow that made all the difference.

Quinn rubbed over a knot in his shoulder, and Josh winced. "Ow."

Quinn immediately stopped. "Did I hurt you?"

He sounded so concerned, Josh chuckled. "No, I've got a knot there. Not your fault."

"Oh. Good." A pause. "I could try to take care of it for you, if you want."

Josh wanted. Once again he tried to play cool, but wasn't sure how successful he was. "I'd appreciate that. Thanks."

He closed his eyes as Quinn's hands resumed their previous position, only this time Quinn kneaded the tight muscles in his shoulders. The knot, along with a few others, dissolved under Quinn's determined probing. He couldn't help groaning at how good it felt. The thought of those hands stroking other parts of his body popped into his head, and his half-hard cock sprang to full attention. He was going to have to stay on his stomach for a while, unless he wanted to embarrass them both.

Finally Quinn stopped his massage. He didn't lift his hands from Josh's back, though. "Is that better?"

"Much. You have great hands."
And I wish you'd put them all over me.
Josh wisely refrained from saying that out loud. He didn't want to scare Quinn off. He peered up to catch Quinn's reaction to his statement.

The big man was blushing. "Thanks." He slowly took his hands from Josh's back, like he was reluctant to stop touching.

Josh chose to take that as a good sign. He grinned and laid his head down on his arms. This was turning out to be a great day.

They lounged on the beach for a couple of hours. For a while they made small talk, but then Quinn dozed off and Josh opened his book. Josh had never been crazy about silence, but with Quinn he didn't mind. Sitting together was comfortable.

He stole occasional glances at the man next to him, admiring. At first he focused on Quinn's body. It was hard not to--the man was huge. And hot. The more he watched, though, the more Josh noticed other things, like Quinn's long, dark eyelashes and the way his hair tried to curl despite its short length.

When Josh found himself wanting to run his fingers through Quinn's hair to test its softness, he decided he'd better focus on his book. The story kept him entertained for short bursts, but his gaze continued to stray back to Quinn. The last time he caught himself staring, he noticed Quinn's skin had acquired the faintest tinge of pink, despite the sunscreen. They shouldn't spend too much longer in the sun.

"Quinn." He ran his fingertips over Quinn's shoulder gently. "Time to wake up."

Sleepy blue eyes blinked at him. "Did I fall asleep?" Quinn lifted his head, more alert and clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

Josh grinned. "No problem. I have that effect on people."

"It wasn't you--"

"I know. I'm kidding." Josh sat up and stretched. "You're starting to get pink, though. I'm about ready to go back to the hotel. What about you?"

Quinn sat up as well. "Sure, I guess." He sounded disappointed.

Josh hoped it was because the day was almost over. If so, he had the perfect cure. "Want to get dinner? We could hit the hotel restaurant when we get back. Well, after we shower and put on some real clothes." Under his book, he crossed his fingers.