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“Are you finished for the night?”
Eddie nodded, deciding that any conversation with his superior officer was better than none. “Finished up an hour ago. I just came down here to unwind. What about you? Just starting?”Stupid question, Eddie. Of course he’s just starting.
“Yes, twelve-hour shift, then a short break before I do another shorter shift to get us into port.” Will hung his things up and pulled a towel out of his bag, together with a couple of bottles—shampoo and body wash by the look of it.
“I’ll, ah…” Eddie left the rest unsaid, knowing how inappropriate it would be to ask the captain if he could wash his hair for him. His back. Hell, everywhere. Eddie fished around in his bag for the bottle of water stashed in there and gulped it down, suddenly parched. But it had nothing to do with the pole workout. No, it was entirely the captain making Eddie desperate to quench his thirst.
Will paused, watching everything Eddie did, and heat flared in Eddie’s gut. But the difference in Will was so pronounced that it gave Eddie pause. In the studio, he’d been standing there all tousled and sexy, with a shy smile and desire staining his cheeks an adorable pink. But since Eddie had recognized him, he’d become a walled-off ball of tension.
Eddie wanted to see that sexy smile again. The heat in his eyes.
He knew he shouldn’t think about the captain that way, but it didn’t matter. His body overrode any rational thought floating in his mind.
Without thinking, Eddie blurted, “I’ll be dreaming of you tonight, handsome.” Eddie disguised his horror at himself at the likelihood he’d blown any chance at a permanent position on the ship by sauntering out, adding a swish to his hips, and throwing a wink over his shoulder. Eddie hoped Will would think it was a joke, but he’d never been more serious. However the captain took it though, it was worth it when Will smiled.
It was breathtaking.
Eddie stumbled, tripping over his own feet.
“Sweet dreams, Eddie.” Will blushed, and Eddie had the insane urge to kiss those sweet lips. Instead, he just smiled and stepped away from the door, letting it swing closed and break their connection. His stomach flip-flopped, his grin ridiculous as he thought about the cute captain and how endearing he was.
seven
Will
Will hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off his face for his entire shift, even when maintenance called to give him the bad news about the shower in his stateroom. The crack in the wall wasn’t just cosmetic—the whole shower lining needed to be replaced, but they didn’t have the materials on board to match the décor in his stateroom. So, they were putting up a temporary fix until they could get the parts when the ship next docked in Sydney. But the temporary fix was still at least two days away from being completed because of the need to drain the water and thoroughly dry the steel frame before the crack could be sealed.
Until then, Will would be shower-hopping. He should have been a lot more upset about it, but the sliver of excitement at the possibility of seeing Eddie again washed it away. He was like a breath of fresh air, clearing the cobwebs from a rickety old house. It was obvious that the young man lived every moment being authentically himself, and while Will wasn’t in the closet, no one really knew which way he swung. He’d never given in to any of the offers that had been tossed his way or bothered answering any of the whispered questions about his sexuality, mainly because it was irrelevant. He’d vowed never to date anyone on the ship. The temptation that Eddie presented was far too alluring for Will’s own good.
He smiled, remembering how the make-up had highlighted Eddie’s best features—his eyes and those pouty lips—and the almost slight figure that hid the sheer strength in his body. The whole unapologetically flirty and utterly sexy package Eddie presented was alluring, and Will was crushing hard.
It was laughable, though, that crush. Will had sworn he wouldn’t be one of those people. Executives that bed-hopped with the staff or crew complicated things, and Will wanted to run a smooth ship. Relationships between staff and guests were absolutely prohibited—one of the few offences that would result in a person’s immediate sacking—but it was a different story if the two people worked on board.
“El Capitan,”Will’s first mate, Felice, teased as she grinned broadly. She was second in charge on the ship, and they always got along well. “Someone had a good shift.” She nudged him playfully, and Will tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter. “You feel like giving me the rundown before you head out partying for the night?”
Will couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “I have a wild night of working out, dinner, and an in-room movie planned, and if I’m feeling adventurous, I might even read a book.”
“You should watch the performance tonight, Capitan. It’s the new one that’s been choreographed by whoever does Bruno Mars’s concerts.” At the mention of the singer, she had Will’s attention, but it wasn’t the show on stage that night he was thinking about. No, it was strictly a private viewing—one of Eddie stripped naked and dancing just for him on that pole. God, if the show was anything like what he’d seen of Eddie the night before, it’d be a hit.
Will had seen all the performances before, but it wasn’t something he often indulged in. This time though, the possibility of seeing Eddie in action was too tempting for his own good. He was taunting his “no dating on board” rule, poking it with a stick. He should avoid the performance; he should keep to his original plan and have a quiet night in. But… yeah, nah. There was no way he was missing out.
Was Will hyping himself up, though? Talking up the man?
He was sure that if he saw Eddie again, it would prove his crush was just that—a crush that wouldn’t go anywhere. It wouldn’t mean anything.
It was easy to convince himself he’d over exaggerated how sexy Eddie was. No one was that perfect. Surely he’d just built the other man up so much that Will was fixating on him.
Think things through rationally.Will couldn’t just break his rules—rules he’d put in place so his professionalism could never be questioned, and he was never the subject of a conflict of interest. Will had to get Eddie out of his head.
He was going to the show. If for no other reason than to prove that he was being ridiculous.
Will nodded and smiled. “I might just do that.”
*****
Two hours later, Will had run five kilometres of laps around the track on the top deck and was in the staff lift heading down into the bowels of the ship. His destination was the performers’ change rooms for a shower.
When Will swiped his card against the lock, the door opened to a hive of activity. Racks of costumes were lined up with each performer’s name on them. Not one person in the room looked up from what they were doing, checking and rechecking the clothes that would be moved into the backstage changing area.
