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“We will, thank you,” Will replied bluntly, his displeasure at the other man’s reaction obvious. Chastised, the man handed back their ID cards and smiled politely at them. Once they got out of earshot, Will pulled him close, adding, “I’m sorry. I hate that they look at you differently because you’re with me. If it’s too much—”
“If it’s too much, I’ll tell them to grow the fuck up and butt the hell out of my life, Will. We’ve already been through enough. There’s no way in hell I’m walking away from you because someone else has their nose out of joint. I thought you realized I’m not that man.”
Will smiled, a blush staining his cheeks, and he kissed Eddie’s knuckles softly. He didn’t need Will to thank him to see just how much Eddie’s loyalty meant to him.
“Ma told me I should protect you from anyone being an arse to you,” he said sheepishly when they were seated in a corner of the tender boat. There were people around them, but they paid them no attention, talking to each other in hushed tones.
“You told your mother about me?” Eddie squeaked, nerves assailing him. What happened if his mum didn’t like Eddie? He knew how much Will valued his family and how important it was to him that their relationship be completely different to the one he’d had with Stefan—the bastard—but bloody hell! Every irrational fear ran through his mind, and yet his heart whispered that he’d wanted to move things forward too. He’d made things more official as well and had taken a step that was important to him. And just like that, he was smiling again. His smile spread even more broadly when Will nodded.
Eddie squeezed his hand and tried to tamper down his nervous excitement. “I know she already knows, but I made things a little more official too.” Eddie paused, adding, “That’s how I knew that you had time off today.”
“Who?” Will furrowed his eyebrows and then grinned. “Emira. The HR Director,” Will clarified, smoothing his thumb over the palm of Eddie’s hand.
“Yeah.” Eddie looked at him, hoping Will was okay with him having spoken to her in an official capacity without Will’s knowledge. Any concern he had dissipated when Will’s smile turned boyishly shy. He was adorable, and Eddie wanted to kiss him. That was the wonderful thing about Will being out of uniform—Eddie could, so he did.
“Thank you.” Will ran his fingertips down Eddie’s face in the way he loved. He was quickly coming to crave Will’s touch. His affections. “For waiting for me and still moving us forward.”
“I’m not pressuring you—”
“I know. This is good. We’re good. We are good, aren’t we? Do I need to do anything?”
“We’re good. I asked the director whether we needed to do anything. She said that given you’re not my immediate supervisor, there’s no additional protocols that need to be put in place.”
He nodded, smiling, but before Will said anything, his gaze cut to the window over his other shoulder. They’d pulled up to the jetty, and the tender was being lashed to the pylons so they could get off. Will picked up the basket Eddie had set between his feet and waved off his protests.
Eddie followed him out, and as soon as he stood on the pier, he understood why Will was enamoured with the island. It was exactly as he’d pictured the South Pacific. Swaying palm trees and water so clear that he could see the fish and turtles swimming below them and every piece of coral and seagrass on the sandy bottom. Buildings made of weathered logs and palm-frond roofs lined the hill away from the beach. A larger open-air pergola-like structure stood in the middle of the village, with a lawn surrounding it. Flowers blossomed on bushes lining the paths, and fruit dangled heavily from the branches of others. The smell of barbequed meat and fish surrounded them, and Eddie’s mouth watered. He’d be stopping there on the way back from their swim.
“There’s lots to see on the island. What would you like to do?”
“Your favourite thing,” Eddie replied, hoping like hell he didn’t want to go for a swim at the same beach that every other passenger from the ship was swimming at. Even though it was busy, everyone had their own space along what looked like a mile-long stretch of sand, but there was no privacy, and Eddie was dearly hoping for that. “But I would love a swim.”
“Follow me.” His heart sank when Will led them to the beach, but Eddie bit his tongue. He wanted the day to be special for Will, and if swimming at the main beach was his favourite spot, then that’s where they’d go.
They walked down the steep descent onto the sandy foreshore, and Eddie kicked off his flip-flops before pulling his hat out of the bag.
They traversed the full length of the beach, walking along the waterline on the hard-packed sand. Children played at the water’s edge, their parents snapping photos and chasing after them, laughing. People young and old snorkelled in the shallow reefs along the beach and swam while others stretched out on towels in and out of the sun. The atmosphere was relaxed, and Eddie basked in it, his body needing a few hours to soak up the oasis of calm after a couple of weeks of crazy schedules, run-ins with a person he’d rather forget, and non-stop performances. He was living the dream, but it was damn good to unwind. It was also the perfect opportunity to spend time with Will. If only the beach wasn’t quite as busy.
At the end of the long stretch of sand, there was a steep, narrow, rock-strewn path disappearing between dense vegetation and tall palm trees. Will didn’t hesitate to push aside the low-hanging branches and motion for Eddie to go first. The noise level dipped immediately when Will let the branch go, and it slipped back into place. A bird’s song had Eddie smiling and looking around in wonder at the pocket of rainforest they’d entered. The ground was no longer sandy but covered in leaf litter, and the air seemed thicker. The brush of the palms and flowering vines against Eddie’s skin were soft, their perfume making the shadowed walk along the narrow path a degustation for all the senses.
Breaking through to the other side took less than a minute, but it was like emerging a world away. The only indication there were a thousand-odd guests only footsteps away on the tiny island was the cruise ship floating peacefully in the deep waters off the island.
A small cove stood before Eddie, with the same white sand and perfect clear water as the other beach. Except that this one was deserted and blissfully quiet. The almost vertical bluff running down to the sand ensured there was only one easy entrance and exit for their secluded getaway, and the trees behind them shielded them from prying eyes. The afternoon would see the little cove in shadow, but at that time of the morning, brilliant sunlight lit the beach, drying the sand and making the water sparkle like diamonds. The tide lapped against the shoreline, the tiny waves barely ebbing and flowing. The rustle of the trees behind them in the soft breeze was music to the caress of the wind against Eddie’s skin. He closed his eyes and breathed deep when Will’s arm slipped around his waist, sighing happily.
“It’s perfect here. Like an oasis.”
“This beach is underwater when the tide is at its highest. We’ve only got a few hours here before we’ll have to shift back over to the other side,” Will explained. “But it’s worth it.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s heaven.” Eddie breathed again, letting relaxation wash over him as the salt breeze filled his lungs.
“I’m glad you like it.” Will was behind him then, his big body pressed against Eddie’s as he wrapped his arms around him. He kissed down Eddie’s throat and tugged his tee out of the way so Will could nibble along his shoulder, and Eddie’s knees almost buckled. Will’s touch lit a fire of need in him that he could quite easily cave to. Damn, he wanted that. He wanted to give himself to Will.
But he wanted to wait and give Will the respect he deserved. The love he deserved, and if he didn’t move away, he’d be on his knees within moments. So, forcing himself away, Eddie laid out the towels and patted the one next to him, kneeling down and wiggling in the sand to get comfortable.
He stripped off his tee and turned to see Will staring at him. The man above him licked his lips, looking hungry. As if given half a chance, he’d devour him. Damn, Eddie wanted that too.
Eddie sucked in a breath when Will peeled off the loose singlet he wore and dropped it on the sand without hesitation. Stalking towards him, Will ignored the towel and knelt before him, reaching out to clasp Eddie’s nape and drag his body close. Their lips crashed together, and Will took his mouth in a needy kiss. Their tongues tangled, and Will squeezed the hand on Eddie’s arse, aligning their bodies from nose to knees.
They broke apart long moments later, Eddie sucking in a breath as his world spun in dizzying circles. “What’s up, handsome?” Eddie’s tease came out huskier than usual, the rasp pronounced. Will shook his head as if forcing himself back into the present and ran his fingers down Eddie’s pale chest.
