Authors: Cassandra Gold
Damien was nothing if not persistent. "What about tonight?" The look he gave Josh was probably supposed to be sexy and come-hither, but came across as more of a leer.
Annoyed, Josh waved a hand at the other man. "Shh! This is awesome." He leaned forward to watch the animatronic pirates moving, talking, and singing. A familiar face caught his eye among the other pirates. He nudged Damien and pointed. "Look. It's Johnny Depp. I can't believe how realistic these things are."
The eye roll he got told Josh Damien wasn't impressed. He shrugged and went back to watching, humming along with the theme song.
At one o'clock, Elaine herded them all into a restaurant styled to look like a colonial house. A waitress dressed in eighteenth century garb got them seated in two groups of ten by scooting tables together. Josh snagged the seat next to Steve. Lyle, his partner from the last ride, sat on his other side. He was pleased when Art sat across from him. He'd met Ray, the burly bald guy who sat across from Steve, when they'd been paired on the roller coaster. Guys whose names he couldn't remember filled in the other seats. They'd removed their name tags, or lost them, so he couldn't use those for help.
He hid a snicker when Damien tried to take the last seat at their table but the shy tall guy from the shuttle slid into it first. What was his name? Something with a "Q." A quick glance at his battered, water spotted name tag revealed the answer: Quinn.
For the first few minutes, chaos reigned as twenty guys looked at menus, asked questions, ordered, and talked to each other. When his turn came, Josh ordered a cheeseburger and fries, more than ready for some junk food.
Steve, who'd ordered a salad, sighed and shook his head. "Didn't you say you're a doctor?"
Putting his hands behind his head, Josh leaned back. "I'm on vacation."
Steve laughed. "What do you think of the park?"
Steve's question was honest, without sarcasm or patronizing attitude. Josh grinned. "I love this place. I can see why so many of my patients got excited when I told them I was coming here." To get a conversation started, he turned to Art. "What was your favorite ride so far?"
Art rubbed his red goatee as if giving the question serious consideration. "I liked the log flume. That drop at the end was fun."
Other guys at the table chimed in. Many of them named the roller coaster as their favorite, including Steve. Wanting to include everyone, Josh smiled at Quinn. Seated at the end of the table, the tall man had been silent throughout the discussion. "What was your favorite?"
Quinn's eyes, which Josh noted were bright blue, widened. He looked around for a second, like he wasn't sure Josh was talking to him. Finally, voice hesitant, he said, "I liked the Haunted Mansion."
The answer made Josh grin. The spooky haunted house, with its holographic ghosts, had fascinated him as well. He'd enjoyed all the rides, but his favorites were the ones that had special effects. Despite knowing they were fake, he loved being immersed in the fantasy. "That was my favorite, too. Those holograms were incredible."
Quinn gazed at Josh, his expression almost suspicious, for a few seconds. Then he smiled back. Combined with his gorgeous blue eyes, his smile turned his face from rough-hewn and severe into something captivating.
Startled, Josh stared. How could a simple facial expression transform someone so completely? His first impression of Quinn, on the shuttle, had been shy, maybe even cold and unfriendly, and huge. He'd sneaked a few looks at the big man during the ride, noting how uncomfortable he seemed. Now Josh wondered if there were hidden depths to the man.
Steve said something that made everyone laugh, breaking the moment. Josh switched his attention to the conversation, but in his mind he was already considering ways to get a chance to talk to Quinn. He cast a surreptitious glance at Art, who appeared to be watching Steve. Maybe there was a way to get Steve and Art together at the same time. He would think of something.
As desserts were being brought out to those who had ordered them, Elaine stood. "All right, gentlemen. Your lunch was included in your trip package. At this point, you're all free to wander the park for the rest of the afternoon. Shuttles will be here at six or ten-thirty to pick you up, or you can take park transportation to Epcot and be picked up there at seven or nine. Any questions?"
Josh nudged Steve. "Let's get out of here, before Damien or Clay tries to tag along."
With an exaggerated shudder, Steve nodded. "What's the plan?"
Plan? What plan? Josh shrugged. "I say we invite a few people along and go to the other side of the park."
"Okay." Steve stood.
Josh did the same. He looked across the table at Art. "Hey, man, we're heading across the park. Want to come?"
Art smiled. "Sure, sounds good."
To make his plan less obvious, Josh cast a quick glance around the table. "Ray, Lyle, you guys in?"
Bald, tattooed Ray and skinny, quiet Lyle both nodded.
"Excellent." Trying to play it cool, Josh turned toward the end of the table. "What about you, Quinn? You want to head over there with us?"
An astonished expression flitted across Quinn's stoic features, before they settled into expressionless once more. "Me?"
"You are Quinn, right?" At the big man's nod, Josh grinned. "Then yeah, I'm talking to you. You coming?"
"Sure." The smile Quinn gave him may have been tentative, but it was a definite smile.
On their way across the park, five of the six men discussed what they wanted to do and decided on Space Mountain. Quinn didn't contribute anything to the conversation. Josh thought about trying to pull him in with a direct question, but decided not to. Maybe being around the smaller group would put him at ease.
At the entrance, a sign announced the wait time for the ride: forty-five minutes. The queue was narrow, so they broke up into three pairs. Steve stepped up next to Art. Lyle and Ray fell into place behind them, leaving Josh next to Quinn, just the way he'd planned.
Six foot was not short, but standing next to Quinn, Josh felt short. The other man had at least six inches and a good sixty or seventy pounds on him. Josh worked primarily with women and children and most often dated guys smaller than him. Being the small one was strange, but not unpleasant.
He cast a look in front of them to check on the status of part one of his plan. Art and Steve seemed to be getting along well. Lyle and Ray did, too, despite being complete opposites. He was a regular matchmaker today. Now he just needed to think of something to talk about with Quinn.
Whatever he brought up should be impersonal enough not to freak Quinn out but personal enough to help him get to know the guy. He searched his mind for a suitable topic. What he thought of was lame, but unthreatening. "Do you like roller coasters?"
Josh got the impression Quinn wanted to ask "Me?" again, but he didn't. After a brief hesitation, he shrugged his wide shoulders. "They're all right. I'm not sure if I'll like this one."
"Why not?"
Quinn frowned and glanced away as if he regretted what he'd said. Silence stretched out between them. Josh watched Quinn's profile for a minute, noting with a clinical eye that his nose had been broken at least once, although the small bump only added to his rugged looks.
He was about to change the subject when Quinn finally answered. "I don't like the dark much." He let out a small laugh that sounded anything but amused. "Isn't that ridiculous?"
Quinn's tone and words seemed to imply that being nervous or afraid at all was ridiculous. Josh wondered if he felt that way because he was a big guy. Some men didn't like to show any kind of weakness, and the larger the guy, the tougher they seemed to feel they had to act. A strange mix of empathy and curiosity rose. Quinn was definitely more than met the eye.
Josh touched Quinn's arm, a light brush of his fingertips over rock-solid muscle. "No, it's not ridiculous at all. I'm afraid of horses. Nothing bad has ever happened to me involving one or anything, but if I get too close to a horse I freeze up."
"Really?"
The tentative smile was back, and it was all Josh could do not to kiss that smile. The sudden, strong attraction to a man who was nothing like his usual type probably should have concerned him, but he decided to go with it. He grinned and bumped Quinn's shoulder with his own. "Really. But don't tell anybody. I have a reputation to uphold, you know."
Solemn, quiet Quinn laughed out loud.
Josh kept grinning, feeling like he'd won the lottery just from making another man laugh.
"Are you sure about this?" Quinn looked from the pastel entrance of the ride with its happy painted children, to Josh, and then back again, dubious. Everyone else had begged off when Josh suggested this particular ride, Lyle and Ray to go back to the hotel and Art and Steve to go shopping. Only Josh's hopeful eyes had convinced him to come along.
The other man rubbed his hands together, gleeful. "I'm positive. This is going to be great. You'll see."
"Whatever you say." Quinn doubted the ride would be great, but what did that matter? Nothing could ruin his day at this point. Everything from lunch on had been wonderful.
Even the morning hadn't been as horrible as he'd feared, thanks to the pair system. None of the guys he'd been paired with had seemed thrilled to be his partner, but at least he only had to worry about one person at a time. Of the six men he'd been paired with, two had been pretty quiet, two had been ogling other guys in the group the whole time, and two had tried to converse with him. Quinn hadn't been attracted to any of them the way he'd been drawn to Josh from the first moment he saw him, but at least he hadn't been miserable the whole time, and the rides had been fun.
Getting a seat at Josh's table, and thwarting Damien's attempt to sit there, had seemed like the icing on the cake at the time. Quinn would never have predicted that Josh would actually talk to him, or invite him to come with Josh and the other guys. Remembered embarrassment heated his face at the way he'd responded. Asking, "Me?" when Josh had said his name was idiotic. For some strange reason, Josh hadn't been put off. The man hadn't even been put off when Quinn confessed his dislike of the dark.
They walked under the archway and went to the end of the short line. Josh was watching the family in front of them, so Quinn took the opportunity to study him. He still couldn't believe such a good-looking, funny guy had singled him out. Sure, Josh had invited him to join a group, but there were a lot better looking and more interesting guys on the tour than Quinn. And Josh could have gone back to the hotel or shopping when the other men didn't want to go on the ride, but he'd chosen to go alone with Quinn. In fact, he'd chosen Quinn every time he'd had the opportunity--standing next to him in the Space Mountain line, riding in a car with him on the Speedway, and walking beside him through the park.
A treacherous little glow of hope kindled in his chest. He tried to beat it down with cold, hard reality. In all likelihood, Josh was hanging out with him because he wasn't looking to hook up with anyone yet. Or maybe he'd asked Quinn to come along to keep Damien from trying to come. Hell, maybe Josh was doing his good deed for the day by helping out the poor shy loser.
The last thought hit close enough to home to crumple his good spirits. Josh was a genuinely nice man. Quinn believed that. Nice enough to want to help him out. The theory fit, and if he were honest with himself, what else could it be? A guy like Josh wasn't going to want a guy like him. He'd have this magical, perfect day, and then Josh would move on to his next project, or a man he was interested in for real. Quinn would have to savor every second of this to remember later.
"Hey. You okay?"
Quinn yanked his gaze up to find Josh's warm brown eyes locked on him, concerned. He forced a smile. "I'm fine."
"Good, because it's time to get in the boat!" Josh was almost bouncing on his toes, much like the little boy ahead of them.
Quinn followed Josh onto the bench seat of the boat, grateful for the upcoming distraction.
A few minutes later, Quinn wasn't grateful anymore. The boat made its slow, meandering way through rooms full of little dolls dressed in the garb of different countries, all singing the same catchy tune. He couldn't decide whether to be annoyed, amused, or horrified.
Next to him, Josh bobbed his head to the music, gazing around at the dolls and grinning like a madman. "Isn't this great?"
"I think this might be the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced." The colors alone would have been enough to traumatize him. Add in the song, and the creepy dolls, and Quinn was pretty sure he'd be scarred for life. He was glad to see the exit approaching.
"Aw, you don't mean that." Josh nudged their shoulders together, his head resting against Quinn for a brief moment.
Quinn managed to refrain from leaning into the other man. "I most certainly do." Some crazy, bold part of him kept talking. "You owe me big time for this."
Too late, he bit his tongue. How stupid was he, pushing for more when he already had more than he'd expected? He scooted out of the boat and walked toward the exit, hoping Josh would ignore his words in the bustle.
No such luck. Josh caught up to him, one eyebrow raised. The surprised expression remained for a few seconds, and then he smiled. "You're right, I do. You were the only guy willing to brave this ride with me, so you deserve a reward. Dinner's on me. I'll even buy dessert."
Quinn ducked his head. He didn't want Josh to feel obligated. "You don't have to do that."
"I know, but I want to. My motives are purely selfish, I assure you."
A woman pushing a stroller and scolding a child at the same time forced them apart. When she was past them, they fell back into step side-by-side. Quinn considered Josh's last comment, not quite sure whether or not to take him seriously. "What do you mean?"
Josh gave him a sidelong glance. "If I buy you dinner and dessert, I get a built-in dining companion. Plus I might be able to con you into shopping with me."