Page 16 of Yes, Captain

Will reached for Eddie’s hand, and he hesitantly let him grasp it. His grip was warm and firm, the same as it had been before. “I found that picture a decade ago when I was married. I loved the contrast in it—the grungy background against the beauty of the artist. It spoke to me, and it was literally the only thing I took when I left my ex. I wasn’t desperate to have it, but I knew he’d throw it out simply because I’d chosen it. Stefan was spiteful like that.” Will pointed to the lines of the dancer’s body, the curvature in his pose. “I love how fluid his body looks, how beautifully he holds himself. But that’s all. He’s no fantasy that I jerk off to if that’s what you’re asking.”

“So….” Eddie trailed off. Will had stumped him with his earnestness. “Wait, you were married?”

“Yeah. It was pretty toxic to begin with, but when he cheated, I walked.”

“Know that feeling. Henri, my first lover—” He rolled his eyes. “—he wouldn’t let me call him my boyfriend—couldn’t keep it in his pants. If they had a heartbeat, he’d do them. He always said that he needed to appear attainable. I didn’t realize that appearing attainable meant shagging anyone. We never made a commitment to be exclusive, but I thought that once you were with someone, you stopped being with other people. I was straight out of high school and far too naïve for my own good.”

“I was a little like that too. Older, but no less naïve. Stefan was using me right from the word go.”

“Does the picture bring back bad memories? I mean, you got it when you were together.”

Will shook his head. “Nah, not anymore. Especially not when you’re here.”

Eddie swooned. Just a little. All the happy fluttery butterflies alighted, the weightlessness in his belly giving him the sensation that he could float right into Will’s arms. But above all that, he was grateful Will had been able to move past his break-up and see it for what it was. He batted his lashes. “So, tell me more about me.”

Will laughed and wrapped Eddie up in an embrace that had him giggling. Becoming serious, Will tilted Eddie’s face to his and joined their lips together, kissing him until he was drunk and starved for air. Will didn’t just kiss. He was like an ocean that you could fall into and get lost in exploring its wonders. “You captivated me when I saw you dancing for the first time, and since then, I’ve been spellbound. You’re an artist, perfection in motion.”

In the space of a few minutes, Will had rendered Eddie speechless twice. But this time, Eddie was able to let go of the insecure part of him—the gift from Duncan and his cronies, the wound torn open again by Gerard. But Will’s words filled him with new confidence. To take back part of himself. He stood straighter and preened. Will reminded Eddie that he was fabulous. He was fierce. And he certainly wasn’t a basket case freaking out over a picture. Internally shaking his head at himself, Eddie winked at Will and tried to lighten the conversation. “Good answer. So, I could do with a spare toothbrush?”

Will’s answering grin had him smiling too, and when he kissed Eddie’s fingertips still laced with his, Eddie pressed a hand to his chest and sighed dreamily. He watched Will move into the bathroom, and after rummaging around, he held up a toothbrush in a box with a flourish and added a bow after a giggle escaped Eddie’s lips.

“Bravo,” Eddie called out, laughing and clapping at the same time.

nine

Will

Will sat on the bed, waiting for Eddie to finish in his bathroom. He couldn’t decide whether he was suffering from nerves or excitement. Probably a little of both. He’d never had a date like this before, and he hated the idea of it ending. But when Eddie had asked him to stay, Will’s walls had slammed back into place. He had rules in place for a reason—no fraternizing with the staff or crew—and Eddie had crashed through those walls so quickly that Will was still standing there dumbstruck and assessing the rubble when Eddie had thrown him for a loop again. Will didn’t want them to just be about sex; he didn’t want to start making the same mistakes that his mentor had warned him about.

But everything in Will’s body screamed for him to dive headfirst into Eddie. Lord knew he wanted him. But he was scared too. After his relationship with Stefan had fallen apart, Will realized that they’d had no substance beyond good sex. He desperately wanted things to be different with Eddie. The thought of walking away from Eddie with only a painting tore Will up more than it ever had when it had happened with Stefan.

Hook-ups were one thing, but this was the first time Will had found himself wanting more. And that terrified him.

The toilet flushed, and he heard the tap running. Eddie walked out a moment later fresh-faced and clear of the dark eyeliner around his eyes. He stopped dead in his tracks and did a slow perusal of Will’s body. The hunger in his gaze was incendiary, lighting Will up from inside. He’d taken off his shirt and tossed it on the chair but left his dress pants on. In bare feet, Will padded over to him and ran his fingertips down Eddie’s cheek before tipping his chin up and giving in to the need to kiss him.

“I'm really glad you chose me,” Will murmured, closing his eyes and hoping against hope that the man before him would understand Will’s reticence to drop trou and jump into mutual blow jobs, or whatever else they could come up with.

Will savoured the moment when Eddie’s breath caught.

“Go do something with all this perfection.” Eddie waved his hands at all of Will, making him smile. He could tell Eddie was trying to be playful, trying to respect the boundaries he'd set, but the gravel in his voice told him just how much Eddie was struggling. Will sympathized. The desire was overwhelming. That spark between them heating to supernova status.

But was Eddie in it just for sex? Just for the kudos of sleeping with the captain? He hadn’t seemed like the type, but Will had been wrong about a person’s character before. The last person he’d trusted so easily was Stefan, and the man had abused that trust for years. What if Will was wrong again? He stepped away from Eddie and gave him a small smile before heading into the bathroom, needing the privacy and space to collect his thoughts that the small room afforded.

After brushing his teeth, he closed his eyes and took a cleansing breath. Decision made, he hoped Eddie would respect it. Opening the door, the first thing Will noticed was that Eddie had dimmed the lamps to a more intimate level. Lying half under the covers, he could see Eddie was still wearing briefs, if that’s what they could be called. They were tiny. A scrap of bright yellow material that followed the curve of an arse Will wanted to bite. He almost wanted to slap himself silly when he realized how happy he was that Eddie wasn’t stroking himself in the middle of the bed. Because that visual… damn. Will could get on board with that, even if it would have made waiting an impossibility.

He stripped down to his boxer briefs and looked to Eddie to gauge his reaction.

“Get in here,” Eddie spoke, his tone warm. Will slid in next to him, and they rolled onto their sides, facing each other. “This side of the bed okay for me to lie on?” Will nodded his answer and mirrored Eddie’s position, slipping a hand under his pillow and smiling at him. Eddie reached out for Will’s other hand, lacing their fingers together, and complained playfully, “I'm not tired anymore.”

Will bit down on his lip and willed himself not to blush, but he knew it was futile when his cheeks were awash with heat. He had no idea why the hell he was so shy around Eddie, except that he was crushing hard. The crazy butterflies he got every time he thought of Eddie were exciting, especially when the man before him was beautiful and sexy and lovely all at the same time. Will wanted to swoon and laugh and learn everything about Eddie. There were so many questions he wanted to know the answers to while wrapped up in his arms.

“So where did you grow up?” Will asked with a smile.

“Leeds,” he explained. “My parents are both in warehousing. They fell in love, got married, and had five kids. I'm in the middle. You?”

“The Gold Coast. Ma and Dad were big on fishing and boating. I grew up on the water, spent all my spare time at Currumbin in the estuary and on the beach. My younger brother and I are both in the maritime industry.” Will pointed to the photo of his extended family on the desk facing them, everyone in swimwear and lounging around on the deck of a boat, blue water, white sand, and cerulean skies in the background. “That's everyone. Ma and Dad are divorced, and they both have new partners now, but they're still friends.” Will stroked his thumb along Eddie’s hand, enjoying the smooth skin that met his own. Eddie’s eyes softened when he turned back to Will and smiled.

“So different from where I grew up.” Eddie paused and pursed his lips in thought. “When did you know you were gay?”

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