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Straddling Will’s leg, they locked eyes, and Will bit down on his lip, lest he pulled Eddie on top of him to feast on the man. If Will thought Eddie was gorgeous dancing up on the pole or standing a foot away from him in the studio, that close he was stunning. The dark kohl around his emerald eyes made them pop. His pupils flared, and a puff of his breath tickled Will’s face. Eddie leaned in and rubbed himself along Will, and he instinctively shifted, need propelling Will to eliminate the distance between them. Hands on Will’s head, Eddie pulled him close, holding him just out of reach of Eddie’s skin. Eddie arched back and stood, rolling his hips seductively. This close to him, Will was powerless to resist the allure. He forced himself closer and pressed his lips against Eddie’s belly, breathing in his musky scent. Before Will lost any more of his self-control, Eddie shifted, spinning away from Will.
He strutted behind the chair. Eddie hooked his leg over Will’s right shoulder, and Will instinctively reached for Eddie’s calf, squeezing as Eddie’s other foot slipped over his left side. Will wanted to see him, wanted to do more than touch his legs, but he would take what he could get. Eddie straightened then and moved away, the chair jerking as he slid underneath it and through Will’s legs. Writhing on the floor in front of Will, a sexy as fuck grind and slide, Eddie looked over his shoulder and winked at him before pushing up on his arms and rolling his hips. Will didn’t need to use his imagination to know what Eddie would be like in bed. Seductive, teasing, and sexy as hell.
Will hoped that his boner was hidden from the audience. He was so grateful that they had no idea who he was, because he was harder than he’d ever been before when Eddie snapped his hips forward. He bit down on his cheek to stifle the moans that wanted to break free and held tight to the chair so he didn’t palm his dick.
Will could do nothing except hope the song would end before he came in his pants. He was already on edge, pre-cum leaking from his dick like it was a tap. But at the same time, he never wanted it to stop; he could watch Eddie’s moves forever.
Jumping up, Eddie stalked forward, coming at Will like he wanted to devour him. His green eyes blazed, and Will wanted to chase Eddie’s pink tongue, tasting and teasing him, when he swiped it along his bottom lip. Pushing Will’s knees together, Eddie straddled him, pressing against him. From the corner of Will’s eye, he could see the other dancers. He saw just how much farther away from their volunteers they were. Will was up on stage with Eddie in a theatre full of people, but this was no act for the two of them. This was them both giving in to the desire playing out between them. And Will’s self-imposed rule of not dating the staff or crew?
Gone.
Obliterated beyond recognition.
Will ran his hands up Eddie’s legs and cupped his arse, feeling the play of firm muscle against his hands as Eddie moved. He was so freaking beautiful that Will’s breath caught. God, he wanted to take his time with him, to love on him until they were both mindless with lust and completely satiated. But Will’s connection to Eddie was broken far too quickly. The dancer next to them started rapping, and Eddie pulled away, he and the two other performers moving in sync and breakdancing.
Will’s chest heaved, his fingers itched to reach out for Eddie again, but instead, he waited. Impatiently.
Eddie finished the choreographed moves on the floor of the stage and crawled towards Will on his knees. Pulling Will’s knees apart, Eddie slipped between Will’s legs and pulled his bowtie off, wrapping it around the back of Will’s neck, using it to pull him close and rub his face against Will’s. “I really wanna kiss you right now,” he murmured before hopping up, pushing Will’s legs together and sitting on his lap, crossing one leg over the other and resting his chin on his fist. The smirk he flashed Will was adorable. Naughty and far too tempting for his own good.
As the music came to a close and the audience clapped, Eddie stood and grasped Will’s hand, quickly leading him backstage after they bowed. He saw the stairs that led down to the seating area, but Eddie held onto him, waiting for the other guests and dancers to move away. He stepped close, his chest still heaving. Eddie ran his fingertips down Will’s cheek and kissed him. It was just a press of his lips against Will’s, but it was enough to make Will swoon.
“Go,” Will murmured, pushing Eddie away but keeping a hold of the bowtie. “This is mine now. You’ll have to get another one.” Eddie smirked and turned, taking a step before spinning back to Will, gripping the back of his neck and kissing him again, another hard press of his lips. Will laughed as he pulled away, the lightness in his chest matching the butterflies fluttering in his belly.
Will licked his lips and moaned when Eddie’s flavour hit him—something irresistibly sweet mixed with strawberry lip gloss. It was Will’s favourite. Eddie’s nostrils flared, and he visibly clenched his jaw before spinning around and dashing backstage into the change room. Will watched the rest of the performance from that very spot, not wanting any more distance between them than was absolutely necessary.
He’d never had such an innate draw to someone before, not even his ex. But that’s what cruise ships did to people—it was literally an island, and being in close quarters with people 24/7 stirred the melting pot. Will had held out for so long, but suddenly he didn’t want to anymore. He wanted this, wanted Eddie with every fibre of his being.
eight
Eddie
“What the hell were you thinking, Eddie?” Katya hissed at him as the curtain drew to a close, gesticulating wildly and her eyes flashing. “The captain? Your first assignment on a ship, and not only do you not pick a woman, so we’ve got even numbers on stage like the show calls for, but you pick Captain Preston to give a lap dance to? Are you insane?”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. He knew he was playing with fire. In his head, he knew that reaching out for Will when he’d seen him sitting in the second row was a bad idea, but he couldn’t help it. And it wasn’t like Will resisted. Hell, Andrea had asked three men before one of them agreed to come up on stage, and that was only because his friends pushed him out of the seat. Eddie had just asked, and after a moment’s hesitation, Will had followed him up. Had he done it because he didn’t want to cause a scene?
“Look, I know I was supposed to pick a woman, but when I saw Will, I thought it’d be fun to have him up there. Next time I’ll do what I’m supposed to. I can take orders. Really, I can. But I’ve seen him before, spoken to him as well. I didn’t think he’d mind.”
“I didn’t mind.” Will spoke those words in that warm voice of his from behind Eddie. The tension in Eddie’s muscles relaxed, knowing Will wasn’t upset. Coming to stand beside him, Will was close enough that their shoulders touched. His warmth seeped through Eddie’s skin, and he found himself leaning into the bigger man, trying to get closer. “Eddie and I have spoken before, and there’s nothing for you to be upset about, Katya. Eddie’s gay, I assume. I’m gay, and there are passengers on board who identify as LGBTI. I think it’s good he was his authentic self. He made the dance his own while still doing everything he was required. Don’t you agree?” He inclined his head, waiting for an answer from her. In that moment, he was a consummate professional, and Eddie could see why so many people looked up to him. He was, quite literally, the ship’s fearless leader. He carried himself with quiet confidence. There was no empty bravado about him, no aggressive authoritarianism either, just mutual respect for every person in the room.
“Yes, Captain, I apologize. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” She didn’t meet his eyes as she expressed her regret.
“It’s fine, but truly, I enjoyed myself.” Will brushed his fingers against Eddie’s hand, sending tingles through his body. The two kisses they’d shared were innocent and quick. They weren’t enough, but even though it’d be easy for them to fall into bed together and shag each other’s brains out, Eddie was intrigued. He really wanted to get to know Will a little better. Then the other man added, “I do appreciate your level of professionalism, though, Katya.” She looked up at him and smiled, genuinely relieved. Eddie, on the other hand, swooned. Just a little.
Will motioned to Eddie, and with a hand on the small of his back, guided him to a quieter part of the backstage area. He looked down and away, blushing slightly, that adorable, shy boy Eddie had first met making an appearance again. “What time do you finish up?”
Giddy excitement pulsed through Eddie, and he couldn’t help but smile. “You wanna see me again, handsome?” He paused, waiting for Will’s response. When he looked at Eddie through lowered lashes with a small smile playing on his lips, Eddie sighed. “'Cause I’d really like it if you did.”
“I thought maybe we could get a drink together, get to know each other a little.” Then he frowned and looked at Eddie, adding, “Unless you didn’t want that. I mean, if you just want to… well, I’d like to, but I’m not really into that kind of thing.” He winced. “It’s really hard having a private conversation when there’s a million people around all the time.”
Eddie put a hand on his forearm, squeezing it and enjoying the firm, warm muscle tanned to a golden glow, a smattering of light hairs dotting his arm. His skin tone contrasted beautifully with the rolled-up sleeves of his light blue button-down shirt. “Just for the record, I’d love to have a drink with you. But my shift runs for another few hours yet, and I know you mentioned having an early shift tomorrow. What about tomorrow night?”
His smile was disappointed, but he nodded. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“Goodnight, Will.” Eddie wanted to kiss him again, but this time he wanted a proper kiss. Lingering and sexy. He wanted to press himself up against the wall of muscle that Captain Preston was and rub all over him like a cat.
“Night, Eddie.” He squeezed the hand Eddie was still caressing along Will’s muscular forearm, and Will’s eyes darkened as Eddie licked his lips, imagining setting fire to the sheets with this man. Those muscles were just delicious, and he wanted more of them. But he also wanted to see just how far the shy blush that stained Will’s cheeks spread over his body and what would make the colour flare the hardest.
Will disappeared down the stairs, exiting the stage, and Eddie smiled. He knew he looked love-struck and all gushy, but his sexy silver-fox Captain did that.
