When her eyes began to mist over, Dr. Gilbert put his arm around her and smiled. “We’re all lucky, Hannah. But how about we tackle those presents?”
Nathan smiled and watched them all exchange gifts, from novelty mugs to gift cards. Everyone was gracious and happy with their presents. Throughout the gift exchange, several fairies walked by, giving Nathan winks, thumbs-up, or mouthing, “Thank you.”
“What’s that about?” Josh whispered when he noticed.
“Remember I told you what incubus magic does to the Fae?”
“Oh, yeah.” He swallowed hard, and his face colored.
Nathan wouldn’t be surprised if the fairies were lingering in the hallway when he and Josh went to bed tonight.
“I have one more gift,” Clare announced. She looked meaningfully at Josh, and he pulled out his phone.
Josh gave Nathan’s leg a squeeze, then began recording.
Clare handed her parents a white box with a red ribbon.
“Another gift?” Their parents shared confused looks.
Josh and Nathan grinned at Clare. She rolled her lips, barely containing a smile of excitement. “Go on, open it.”
They both tore into the wrapped box, shoving aside tissue and pulling out matching T-shirts.
“What’s this?” Mrs. Gilbert said, and then her eyes widened. “Wait… oh my God! It says grandma!”
The earsplitting squeal of excitement drew the attention of everyone on the pool deck, and almost all conversation ceased as Mrs. Gilbert cried, “I’m gonna be a grandma! You’re pregnant!”
Josh was practically bouncing up and down too, so Nathan took his phone and resumed filming so Josh could join in the celebration. Everyone was hugging and squealing. Nathan sat back on the chair and recorded in wonder as they congratulated Clare and bombarded her with a million questions.
Across the pool deck at the tiki bar, Nathan spied Roxy watching all of the hullabaloo. He raised a finger in the air and did a circle, indicating a round of drinks for the whole group. A champagne toast was just what everyone needed.
None of the Gilberts quit talking, all of them excited about the upcoming baby and hoping Clare’s husband—who was apparently in the Marines—would be home for the delivery. When Nathan noticed that Ramona’s smile seemed forced, he ended the recording and set the phone down.
Josh had told him that his brother and his wife had been trying to have a baby for six years. Nathan couldn’t imagine the confusing feelings of happiness and joy mingled with jealousy she must be struggling with.
Roxy arrived then with a tray of champagne flutes filled to the top.
“I brought you sparkling apple juice,” Roxy told the new mom-to-be.
Everyone, including Nathan, reached for a glass of champagne.
“A toast,” Dr. Gilbert said, and they all held up their glasses.
Before he could get a word out, Roxy was clicking her tongue. “Oh, none for you, missy.” Roxy snatched Ramona’s flute from her hand.
“Excuse me?” Ramona said, her attitude enough to frighten.
“Nope.” Roxy shook her head, undeterred. “Mommies-to-be get sparkling juice. I’ll be right back.”
Ramona and Luke exchanged shocked looks.
“You’re pregnant, Ramona?” Clare questioned.
Nathan half expected her to squeal like her mother had.
“I can’t be, no….” Ramona stared at Luke. “There’s no way, no.”
“Are you sure?” The hope in Luke’s expression was almost heartbreaking.
“She must be confused,” Ramona said, shaking her head again.
“No, she isn’t,” Nathan assured them both.
Everyone’s gaze shot to him.
Nathan cleared his throat, unsure how to say this without saying too much. “I know it seems far-fetched, but Roxy’s psychic. I’ve never seen her be wrong about stuff like this. If Roxy said it, you’re pregnant.”
“Oh my God, I’m gonna be an uncle twice!” Josh squealed, sounding adorably like his mother.
“I’m gonna be a dad!” Luke said, and both brothers were hugging each other and jumping up and down, making Nathan, Aaron, and Clare laugh. Mrs. Gilbert was in full-blown tears, and Dr. Gilbert just kept hugging her and laughing.
But Ramona just sat on the lawn chair, face dumbstruck, not daring to believe. “No, I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“I told you, baby.” Luke seized her by the shoulders and pulled her to her feet. He gave her a loving shake. “I told you, we just needed to forget about it and have a vacation, and it would happen. And now it happened.”
Ramona fought a smile. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I need to pee on a stick.”
“Nathan said the bartender is a psychic. Why question it? She’s gotta be right.” He looked at Nathan hopefully. “Right?”
Now that Roxy had pointed it out, Nathan sensed the growing life in Ramona’s belly. “Pee on a stick if it’ll make you feel better, but you’re pregnant.”
Luke looked at Josh and whispered, “I told her doing it three times last night would work.”
Ramona blushed deep and slapped him on the arm. “Be quiet about that.”
Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert shared a smile. “So we weren’t the only ones with love in the air,” he whispered, and she blushed, looking just like Josh.
Nathan’s and Josh’s eyes met, and Josh’s face was as red as the stripes on his shirt. Nathan gave him a shrug. It was all part of the incubus magic. Naturally everyone on their deck was making love last night, especially those closest to their stateroom.
Hand shielding her mouth from everyone else—though Nathan could still hear her—Clare grumbled to Aaron, “Like I need to hear about everyone having sex. Being pregnant makes me horny. The dreams I had last night, whew!”
“You should’ve just took care of yourself in the shower, like I did,” Aaron whispered back.
“Gross!” she cried, making everyone look over. “That’s my shower.”
Aaron didn’t look sorry, and Josh asked, “What’s gross?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Nathan promised.
Ramona seemed happy, but not as convinced as everyone else in the clan. But when Roxy returned with her sparkling juice, she made no protests.
As everyone chattered about the upcoming babies, she would let out little breathless laughs, her eyes darting across the floor, hand to her stomach.
“Is she really pregnant?” Josh whispered in Nathan’s ear, sounding as nervous and hopeful as his brother had.
“Yes, but not very long. Maybe a few hours.”
“How can you tell?”
“I wasn’t paying attention until Roxy said it, but I can sense both of them with life in their bellies. I think your sister is having twins.”
Josh’s eyes got huge, and Nathan quickly put his hand over his mouth. “Let’s not make this weirder. How can I explain knowing that?”
Nodding, Josh whispered, “Oh my God, three? This is the greatest week of my life.”
They were with the group, sitting slightly off to the side, allowing them a measure of privacy to speak. “Do you want children?” Nathan asked.
Josh shrugged. “I like kids, but the idea of being an uncle is so much more appealing. Like we could take them on camping trips and to Disney World. And do the whole kid thing, but then send them home so we could Netflix and chill all weekend. Feel me?”
Nathan laughed, and then they shared a tender kiss. “I will later.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“THIS BELONGS to you.”
An angry man stopped them in the hallway and thrust a camera at Nathan.
Startled, Josh looked back and forth between the two men. They had returned to Josh’s suite to drop off gifts and were headed to the captain’s holiday open house for the crew. Then it was off to ring shopping.
Josh could hardly wait for the latter.
“Did Penelope take pictures?” Nathan asked the man.
“Oh, she t
ook pictures, all right,” the attractive dark-haired man said. “And her composition is excellent. She’s a natural.”
Nathan scowled. “Then what’s with the attitude, Kevin? Raoul got his pictures. Everybody wins.”
“Yes, but every single picture was of middle-aged or old men. There’s no family pictures. No couples. Nothing.” Kevin looked right at Josh. “And I think there’s a hundred of your dad.”
Nathan and Josh both laughed. “I’ll take the heat with Raoul. Don’t worry about it.”
That seemed to appease Kevin, and he gave them both a begrudging smile. “Well, I should say thank you for last night. It was amazing. You guys are like a machine.” He made a gesture with his hands. “I’m assuming there’s going to be an encore. Maybe this afternoon? And this evening? I’d like to be prepared with a fuck boy or three at my side.”
“Kevin’s Fae,” Nathan explained to Josh. To Kevin, he said, “I’m not texting you before we have sex, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Josh’s face burned.
“Fine, be that way.” Then Kevin sauntered down the hallway.
Josh looked up at Nathan. “So when we were doing it, all the fairies were doing it, and so was my whole family?”
“Technically, Aaron was jerking off and Clare was having wet dreams.”
“Oh God! I’m not sure if… I don’t….” Josh shook his head. “Is that what they were whispering about? Oh no… I just can’t think about that right now. Or ever!”
Nathan chuckled, threw his arm about Josh’s neck, and kissed the top of his head. “But you got a little niece or nephew out of it, so it can’t be all that embarrassing.”
“My brother told me once he has low sperm count, and I guess Ramona’s eggs have aged faster than normal. Do you think your magic helped?”
“Without a doubt,” Nathan said confidently.
Josh shook his head in wonderment, still unable to believe he was living in a world where magic existed. Paranormal creatures coexisted with humans. And Josh even had a little magic of his own.
“Thank you for that,” Josh said, smiling at him.
“I don’t really have any control over it, but I’m glad it helped them.”
They arrived at the crew quarters, and Nathan looked down at him. “Are you ready to be inundated with my real world?”
Josh pursed his lips and nodded. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
When Josh walked into the captain’s quarters this time, he prepared himself for the unexpected. The last time he’d been there, he’d discovered the young girl at the pool was half dragon and the man he was falling in love with was a partial sex demon.
What would he discover today?
With knowing eyes and nervous anticipation, Josh held on to Nathan’s hand as they entered the party. About a dozen people mingled in the room, but apparently more of the crew would be coming and going throughout the afternoon to share Christmas gifts, laughs, and kisses under the mistletoe. There were sparkling icicles hanging from the ceiling, and glistening gold trees gave the illusion of an enchanted forest, no pretense about hiding the magic here. A generous spread of every food Josh could imagine made his stomach rumble.
Josh had expected to see magic, but he hadn’t expected a hearty round of applause.
Before they saw it coming, a bunch of paras came up to Nathan, thanking him for the great sex last night.
“Are you guys gonna do it some more? Because I’m gonna request maid service on your floor,” one woman with wings asked.
“You can’t do that,” a tiny woman beside her said. “That’s my floor, and you’re not honing in on my job.”
“I don’t want your job, Jacklyn,” the fairy snapped back. “I want his incubus magic, duh.”
“Who says I want to share it?”
“Ladies,” Nathan said, putting his hand on both of their shoulders. “I’m glad you enjoyed my magic, but we’re not laying out a timetable of when we’re having sex for the rest of the cruise.”
The woman with wings stomped her foot. Then she looked at Josh. “Do a striptease to make him come… anything! Now that he’s engaged, he’s leaving. We might not have incubus sex again for a hundred years.”
Josh’s mouth was agape, and his face was on fire. He couldn’t believe this conversation was happening! He’d never met so many people demanding that a gay couple have sex, let alone to their face.
Jacklyn smiled at Josh. “Oh, you’re cute when you blush. Little humans, they’re so embarrassed all the time.”
And then the two fairies walked away, arm in arm, their arguments over who would be working on Josh’s deck to receive the effects of Nathan’s magic apparently resolved.
A blue-haired woman with blue wings floated by with a tray of mimosas, her feet hovering above the ground. Nathan plucked two off the tray and handed one over.
“Sorry about that,” Nathan said. “It’s been a few years since I had an orgasm. They’re a little excited.”
“Years? I can’t go three days without jerking off,” Josh admitted without thinking, and then his face went hotter.
Nathan chuckled and nuzzled up against his neck, kissing him below his ear. “Will you let me watch you?”
Josh squirmed from the ticklish lips and gave him a bashful glance. “Maybe.”
Inhaling deep from his neck, Nathan groaned hungrily. “We’re definitely doing that when we go back to the room. I better get you fed so you’ll have the energy.”
Josh’s dick got a little hard as he thought about doing something so brazen. Nathan had stripped away all trace of the nervous virgin. He hadn’t used magic on Josh, so all these wild imaginations and desires were truly Josh’s.
Maybe Josh could keep his incubus guessing.
Emboldened, he whispered to Nathan, “Maybe I’ll finger myself while I jerk off for you.”
Nathan actually shuddered. “Yes, please!” he sang.
Josh chuckled, and then he had a question. “Do you need to come more often, or is that something you need just once in a while?” he whispered, though he wasn’t sure what kind of super hearing all of these paras in the room had.
“Everything you feel when you come, I feel times ten,” Nathan told him. “And when I come, you experience what I experience from your orgasms.”
“Wow,” Josh said, recalling how amazing it had been when Nathan came. “And that’s what it feels like for you every time?”
“Yes, why do you think it blew me away when you came while we were snorkeling? I didn’t see it coming, then bam! There it was, rolling through me, over and over.”
“So you experienced what you gave me last night?” he clarified. “When we were snorkeling?”
“Mind-blowing, right? That’s why I don’t need to come, just you do. I’ll give you my magic whenever you want it. But as long as you feed me with orgasms, I’ll be good to go.”
Josh raised a hand in protest. “I think you’re gonna do it more often than you think.”
Nathan chuckled. “You are a horny little bastard, and I like it.”
“You created this monster,” Josh reminded him.
“No, I just woke him up.” Nathan goosed Josh, and he yelped.
Laughing, Josh pushed his hand away before he did it again. “I guess we’re perfectly compatible.”
A “Ho ho ho” danced through the room, and Josh turned as a fat white-haired man in a red velvet suit entered the party. He had a black sack slung over his shoulder, big boots, and a buckle to match. “Merry Christmas, everyone!”
Josh stared in shock. No, it couldn’t be. “Is that the real…?”
With one finger, Nathan closed Josh’s gaping mouth. “No, that’s not the real Santa Claus. That’s Rick from the engine room. He’s a polar bear shifter. Loves playing Santa.”
“Oh,” Josh said, feeling silly but also very disappointed. “Is Santa real?” Though he sounded like a little kid, he just had to know.
Nathan shrugged. “Probably, but I’ve never met him. I c
an ask the captain if he’s ever vacationed with us before. We do get elves on board often enough.”
Josh made a face. “Are you teasing me or being for real?”
With an impish grin, Nathan kissed his cheek. “That, my dear fiancé, is all I’m going to say. Don’t want to spoil all the magic in the world for you. Wouldn’t you be disappointed if you learned Santa and Mrs. Claus sold their rights to Christmas years ago and are retired in Scottsdale? I know I would be.”
Josh gasped and grabbed Nathan’s forearm to whisper, “Is that where they are?”
“Nathan!” The wizard Darrius hurried across the floor toward them. He wore a navy blue velour track suit and white sneakers—his gray hair was as wild as his eyes, the only parts of him very wizard-like.
“Darrius.” Nathan waved, not answering Josh.
Well, Josh was going to make Nathan clarify this Santa business sooner or later.
Darrius joined them and clasped one of Nathan’s hands in both of his, bringing it to his lips to kiss. And then he did the same affectionate gesture to Josh. “Oh, my two lovebirds. The two of you have sent the crew into a tizzy! I didn’t get any work done last night because these fairies were going at it like wild rabbits. Nonstop! I could sense your magic too, but I have some decorum. Not the fairies!”
Josh could not wrap his head around how casually they were talking about Nathan’s orgasms, but he laughed. “His magic helped my sister-in-law get pregnant.”
“Wonderful! It was a fairy gang bang down here. Are you planning on doing it again tonight, Nathan? I need to know so the staff can be prepared.”
“Would you rather I wait until we’re off the ship?” Nathan asked seriously.
“I suppose that’s up to you,” Darrius said to Josh.
Nathan and Darrius were both looking at Josh expectantly. “Um, I kinda wouldn’t mind, um, I’d like to… I mean, it is the last night of our cruise.”
The Boyfriend Cruise Page 22