The Captain and the Best Man

by Catherine Curzon

  Chapter Eight

  Josh woke up in Guy’s arms again. He couldn’t think of anywhere nicer to wake up and turned his head to kiss Guy’s cheek.

  “Morning…” he whispered.

  Guy’s eyelids flickered for a moment before he opened his eyes, his gaze as filled with merriment as ever.

  “Good morning, best man.” He snuggled Josh closer. “Was it a nice sleep?”

  “A very nice sleep.” Josh nuzzled against him as a high-pitched wind whistled through the palm trees outside and the waves thudded along the beach. “It’s so cozy in here, with all that wind outside!”

  “Fingers crossed this is as bad as it gets.” Guy kissed Josh’s hair, letting his lips linger. “I never asked how it went yesterday, darling, we were too busy falling for each other! Were rehearsals okay?”

  “Depends what you mean by okay,” Josh said. “If it means the bride nearly had a meltdown because she’d left her something blue at Heathrow, and one of the bridesmaids may or may not be intriguing with a waiter who just so happens to be Pierre’s nephew, then yeah, it went okay. I know I shouldn’t say this, but my god, Rey’s mum is terrifying. Then the bride’s mum was being terrifying too, and if it hadn’t been for Rey’s dad and Pierre being really laid-back, then there probably would be no wedding at all!”

  “Vadim’s been cozying up to a bridesmaid?” Guy gave a hearty chuckle at the revelation. “Well, she could do a whole lot worse than that! Why do mums get so worked up when it comes to weddings? It’s supposed to be a day to celebrate love, but we see them out on the beach all the time and they look more stressed than happy until the show actually gets on the road. Then they relax, so hopefully you’ve seen the worst of it and today will be all romance and roses.”

  “Maybe that’s why champagne was invented—to make the mums chill!” Josh rested his head on Guy’s chest. “Poor Rey was not enjoying himself. I think he just wanted a simple wedding on the beach, and various family members have conspired to turn it into the wedding of the century, no slip-ups allowed. It would seriously do my nut if it happened to me.”

  “Been there, done that, got the battle scars to prove it,” Guy told him with a smile. “The casual weddings we get out here once in a blue moon always seem much nicer. Just one big party with marriage vows. Everyone’s relaxed, nobody’s dressed in a boned meringue… But each to their own, I suppose. If boned meringues are your thing, then good luck to you!”

  “I’m not sure one’d suit me!” Josh grinned. “Unless I develop a taste for drag. And, well, I’d need a fiancé first, of course.” Realizing his cheeks were burning with embarrassment, Josh tipped his head to one side. That was part of his red face hidden from Guy, at least.

  “Well, who knows what the future might bring,” Guy breathed, stroking his fingers over Josh’s shoulder. “Everyone’s got wedding fever at the moment. Teri and Noah got engaged yesterday, so I’m losing my partner in crime and my best purser in one fell swoop! I can’t imagine they’ll trade St Seb’s for England once they’re hitched.”

  “It’s nice here even if the weather’s a bit ropey!” Josh gazed out of the window at the bending palm trees. “I really don’t want to get out of this bed, but I suppose my tuxedo calls. Don’t want to find Rey banging on my door!”

  “What time do they need you?” He heard Guy reach out for his watch on the bedside table. “I assume you’ve got to be there to straighten ties and pose for thousands of photos?”

  “Oh, yes. I was sent a timetable two months ago.” Josh rolled his eyes. “I’ve got to be in my tux and on the beach for eleven. Dare I ask what time it is now? Please don’t say 10:45!”

  “It’s just gone eleven.”

  The bed, the whole room, the whole house, the entire island, seemed to lurch. Josh froze, staring in wide-eyed panic at Guy. “Oh God, no, Rey’s mum really will feed me to the sharks! I’ve got to go!”

  “So that was a really, really bad attempt at a joke! It’s just turned nine.” Guy caught Josh in his arms and grinned. “Sorry, darling, you’ve gone drip white!”

  Josh puffed out his cheeks. “You’d turn white if you’d ever met Rey’s mum! She’d feed you to the sharks as well! Phew. We can cuddle for longer. Don’t suppose you’ve got cinnamon buns for breakfast? Or just lovely firm buns?”

  Josh reached beneath the bedsheet, down to Guy’s hips, and stroked the side of one very firm bun indeed.

  “Luckily for us, I can provide both,” Guy told him. “And I’ve even ironed a shirt and polished my cufflinks ready to be your plus one.”

  “Do you think we’ve got half an hour? Maybe?” Josh asked hopefully.

  “It’s only a short walk back to your place, so we’ve got at least half an hour.” Guy’s hands caressed Josh’s back, smooth against his skin. “Then I’ll see you safely home, darling.”

  “Can we have buns in bed?” Josh raised an insinuating eyebrow. He suspected that Guy wouldn’t mind at all if they got crumbs in the bed.

  “Are you allowed a naughty Buck’s Fizz or are you on the fruit juice and tea this morning?”

  “Sod being sensible—I’d love a Buck’s Fizz.” And if they’d had more time, there was something else Josh would have loved too.

  “That’s the right answer!” Guy kissed his hair. “Keep the bed warm, First Officer, I’ll be back with buns before you have time to miss me!”

  Josh pushed himself up against the pillows, keeping one eye on the weather outside. It was blowy, that was for sure, but maybe it’d wear itself out and leave them with a sunny day instead.

  Hopefully.

  He watched Guy as he left the bed and stretched, giving Josh ample time to admire those other buns, and Josh had a feeling that was why Guy had done it. His wonderful peacocking pilot was never shy, after all. Then he padded across the room to retrieve his robe from a chair and pulled it on.

  “Just in case Teri’s in residence,” Guy explained as he knotted the belt. “Don’t want to give her a fright over her cornflakes!”

  “I’d say she’d be getting a treat!”

  Guy laughed and replied, “She might not agree!” At the door he paused, turning back to Josh. For a moment he was silent then he said, “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am right now. Thank you, darling, for the necklace and the kisses and for just being Josh. Sensible or otherwise.”

  Josh blinked at him. He couldn’t remember anyone saying that to him before. “Thanks for being my captain,” he replied.

  My captain.

  He let the thought warm him while Guy was gathering their breakfast, losing himself in daydreams of the two of them at the wedding, Josh in his morning suit and Guy—he hoped—in uniform. Even the week he would have to endure in England while his captain was still enjoying the Caribbean sun didn’t seem too arduous because at the end of it, there’d be a reunion to look forward to and he’d be in Guy’s arms all over again. If this was what falling in love felt like, no wonder people got so excited about it.

  Outside the waves seemed to be crashing against the headland harder than ever, but Josh hoped that on the beach things might somehow be calmer. Perhaps there was more shelter from the mainland there, he reasoned. Perhaps the wedding on the white sands of St Sebastian might still be a possibility, and if not, the hotel was luxurious enough to keep any bride happy.

  Even Stella.

  “I think we’re alone,” Guy announced as he slipped through the door, carrying a tray piled high with fresh fruit and cinnamon buns, as well as a sparkling and very generous jug of Buck’s Fizz. “Teri must still be celebrating her engagement!”

  “If only every day started like this!” Josh drew back the sheet and plumped Guy’s pillows up for him. “That said, if they did, I’d never get out of bed.”

  “I’m going to miss her, you know,” Guy admitted as he set the tray down and unfastened his robe. “I know I’ve not exactly shone as a dad but Teri was always a bit of a second chance. Her pa and I flew together for years an
d she was only a girl when we lost him. I hope she thinks I did all right after her pa passed on. Filled in the gap before her mum got hitched again and all that…”

  Josh held his hand out to Guy, drawing him into the bed. “She’s obviously very fond of you. Are you going to help out with her wedding, by the way?”

  “Well, it’s funny you should ask that.” He smiled, kissing Josh’s cheek. “Because you might not be the only senior wedding chap in Gosh before too long. She wants me to give her away and her stepdad has apparently said he’s more than happy for me to do it. But I think we should both do it, me and him. What do you reckon?”

  Josh slipped his arm around Guy. “Both would be adorable. Have you suggested it?”

  “Not yet, but I’m going to.” Guy picked up the tray from the bedside table and put it carefully on his lap. “I do wonder if my boy’s married, you know, but…I don’t know if I want to know. Because then I know he’s done it without me and that feels sort of final, doesn’t it?” He shook his head and sighed. “Right, that’s enough angst for one year! Buns, booze and boyfriend, that’s all I need right now!”

  “Maybe you’ll find him soon. I could help, you know.” Josh kissed Guy on the cheek, then helped himself to a cinnamon bun, which had a starburst pattern in icing on top of its spiraled pastry. “Now this looks better than the one at the airport!”

  “Made by the fair Una, Teri’s mother-in-law-to-be!” Guy poured two glasses of Buck’s Fizz and put the jug out of harm’s way on the bedside table. “She likes you, in case you’re wondering. She thinks it’s about time, apparently! I don’t know what it is about me, Josh, but I have mums everywhere looking out for my best interests and plying me with cake.”

  “About time you lounged about in bed with your very own pearl-diver poet merman?” Josh took a glass and raised it in salute. “I think they might be right. I certainly know it’s time I drank Buck’s Fizz in bed with a hot pilot.”

  “And wouldn’t you just know that I’ve been searching for a red-hot HR manager!” Guy clinked his glass against Josh’s. “Especially one who’s a pearl-diving poet merman in his spare time. We’re made for each other!”

  Josh nestled against Guy and kissed his shoulder. He grinned up at him. “Best breakfast ever?”

  “Best since yesterday.” He smiled. “I’ve a feeling that’s just life with Josh.”

  Josh nodded as he bit into his cinnamon bun. Crumbs fell onto the bed, but he left them there, making no attempt to brush them away. There were crumbs on Guy’s chest too, he noticed. That broad chest that felt so good to snuggle up to.

  “God bless cinnamon buns,” Guy sighed. “Bringing lovers together!”

  “Would you like me to sort out your naughty crumbs?”

  “Oh well, since you’re offering…” Guy put the tray aside and ran his hand down Josh’s cheek. “I wouldn’t say no.”

  Josh pressed his lips to Guy’s then, before they could be distracted by a kiss, he roamed his kisses south, down Guy’s neck and onto his chest. Josh tweaked Guy’s nipple as he kissed his way over the chest, licking each crumb up with tender effort. Now this was the best sort of serving for a cinnamon bun—a broad, firm chest, with a heartbeat against his lips.

  And was there ever a finer sound than Guy’s soft moans and sighs, or the way the breath caught in his throat as he reached up to tangle his fingers in Josh’s hair? He felt Guy’s nipple grow harder at his touch and marveled again that this man was his.

  And somehow Josh would have to get out of this bed and go to a wedding.

  No, I’m not thinking about that.

  Because now there was something far more tempting for Josh. He straddled Guy’s hips and, although most of the crumbs had gone, he drew shapes on Guy’s chest with his tongue.

  Guy’s back arched and he gave a groan that was pure desire, topped off with an irresistible heat. My captain…

  “Josh,” he gasped, Guy’s voice sending a fresh pulse of excitement through Josh. “God, that’s good…”

  Josh moved farther down Guy’s body, circling his tongue in Guy’s navel. He took Guy’s erection in his hand and pouted toward it before asking, “I don’t suppose you’d like me to lick all of you? I really should, just to make sure I don’t miss any crumbs.”

  “You better had,” Guy replied in a breathless voice. “Just in case…”

  “As you say, it’s good to be sensible sometimes.” Josh winked at Guy, then ran his tongue from the base of Guy’s erection slowly up its length to its tip. He didn’t look away from him, gazing at Guy’s expression of bliss as Josh laved his tongue along his erection again.

  He could happily get lost in Guy’s blue gaze, as clear and bright as the sparkling sea that surrounded their magical island. All that natural charm, the combination of tenderness and assurance, was beguiling. And sensible Josh, that Josh who had met the glamorous pilot back at the airport, had beguiled Guy in turn. And it was wonderful.

  Josh caressed with his tongue, teasing and loving, before he put the tip of Guy’s erection into his mouth and slowly took in his whole length. Josh held Guy at the waist, his fingertips slipping around to gently massage Guy’s buttocks. Guy’s breath caught again and he stroked his fingers over Josh’s hair, tangling lightly. Pleasuring Guy was pleasure itself to Josh, as he felt the strength of the man beneath him and sheer manliness of him. What an amazing figure Guy had, and at that moment, Josh was the master of him.

  Guy’s head tipped back, his lips slightly parted in a sigh of pleasure. His hips lifted just a touch but it was Josh who was leading. Captain Collingwood had surrendered to his lover, and Josh loved it.

  Josh went on pleasuring, enjoying every second. As he looked up the length of Guy’s body, he pictured the two of them dancing on the beach at the wedding reception, Josh the envy of everyone as he danced in the arms of his captain.

  Maybe they’d be dancing at their own wedding reception one day too.

  He saw the by-now-familiar tension in Guy’s muscles and felt the delicious tightening as his orgasm grew nearer. Every bit of Josh was sensation, focused on his lover’s pleasure. Josh intensified his caresses, his own arousal building as Guy’s climax approached.

  The fingers in Josh’s hair tightened then, with a groan of utter ecstasy, Guy’s orgasm swept through him. His back arched up from the mattress and his hips thrust against Josh.

  Josh lay down beside Guy and held him tight, murmuring softly against his neck. He loved how Guy looked after an orgasm, like a slumbering Greek hero who’d somehow forgotten his clothes. Guy’s arm slipped around Josh’s waist and held him tight, then he whispered, “Thank you, darling. That was a hell of a wake up.”

  “When you’re up in the sky, will you think of me kissing you just there?” Josh snuggled close to him. “And will you want the plane to go even faster so I can kiss you again?”

  “When I’m up in the sky, I’ll be wishing I was right here with you.” He kissed Josh’s hair. “Just like this, cuddled with my man.”

  Josh was about to kiss Guy again when a sharp bang came from outside. He glanced up and saw a shutter waving back and forth in the wind as if trying to signal distress. But they were nice and cozy and safe in Guy’s house. At least, until Josh had to leave.

  “Just out of interest,” Guy said, trailing his finger down Josh’s spine, “what’s the best man up to on the wedding night? I assume, since your official duties will all be done, you might be free?”

  “Oh, very free!” Josh sighed as he trembled against Guy’s touch. “We could always come back to your bed and tidy up the crumbs again, if you’d like?”

  “It’s a date.” He rested his cheek against Josh’s hair, breathing softly. “Are you enjoying your holiday, darling?”

  “Best holiday ever,” Josh replied.

  “Much as I don’t want you to go, I suppose you ought to be off to get your best man show on the road.” Guy sighed. “Shall we grab a shower before we have a wander through the storm? No rain yet, but
I don’t think this is beach wedding weather.”

  “We should hop in the shower, yes…” Josh pouted as he peeled back the sheets. “But at least you’ll be in the shower too!”

  And just like everything else seemed to be with Captain Collingwood, the shower was as sensual as their morning in bed and the night that came before it. The minutes were ticking past, but as Guy went down on his knees beneath the warm water and took Josh between his lips again, he forgot the passing time. Every bit of him was concentrated instead on experiencing this moment. He was living at last.

  All too soon it was over.

  After their shower, Josh picked up his swimming shorts from the windowsill where they’d fallen the evening before. It wasn’t a particularly substantial outfit, especially in the powerful wind, which looked as if it was gaining in strength.

  “Guy, can I borrow some clothes off you, just so I can get back to my hut?” Josh held up his shorts with a comical grimace.

  “Another one of my shirts?” Guy teased then frowned at the shorts. “’Course you can. Help yourself to anything you fancy.”

  Josh went for a rummage through Guy’s wardrobe, emerging with a shirt and cargo shorts. He slipped them on, then tried to slick back his unruly fringe. “How do I look?”

  Guy, by now dressed in what Josh knew was his own favorite outfit of shorts and one of his seemingly endless supply of airy shirts, grinned at Josh. “Like the very best of best men.”

  “Just you wait until you see me in my tux! I’m going to feel ridiculous wearing one on a beach, but still…” Josh bundled up his shorts and buttoned them into a pocket. “I hope I’ll look amazing for the slow dance with Captain Collingwood at the reception.”

  “There’s nobody I’d rather slow dance with.” Guy held out his hand. “Ready to face some turbulence?”

  Josh took Guy’s hand. “I’m hanging on to you—I don’t want to get blown away!” Although that put a very different image into Josh’s mind. “I mean, by the wind…”

  “I know exactly what you mean!” Guy turned the key and opened one of the glass doors into the howling winds. As if by instinct he wrapped his arm around Josh’s shoulders and held him tight to his body, as though that alone would shelter him from the storm that lashed the beach. And Josh had never felt a storm quite like this one.