The Honeymoon Gambit (Catalina Dreams Book 2), page 7
“He’s gone,” Todd said, and stepped away so quickly that Eric stumbled forward.
“Uh... whatever,” Eric mumbled. He pushed his hair back, clearing his throat.
“Anyway, excellent job. With that. Very convincing.” Todd nodded to himself. “You know what, I think I will head down to the lounge after all.” He practically ran for the door, though just minutes ago he was settling down to relax.
Eric watched him go.
His skin was tingling again.
I should do yoga, Eric thought as he stood in the middle of their suite.
Eric walked to the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes were narrowed and dark, focused as usual. His mouth was a tight line, just like it was supposed to be. His hair was glossy and as close to perfect as he could get it. His shirt fit his leanly muscled body to a T.
Jordan and Alphonso liked them. Stackler was obviously suspicious, but they’d just given him a convincing show.
Everything was going pretty smoothly.
There was no reason to rock the boat.
I should really do some yoga, Eric thought.
But he wasn’t heading to the bedroom to grab the yoga clothes waiting in his gym bag. He was making sure he had his suite key card in his pocket before slipping his shoes back on and marching out the door, shutting it behind him. He was not thinking about anything in particular other than I should do yoga. Except that in his mind’s eye, he did not see himself doing yoga.
He saw himself kissing Todd. He saw his eyes slipping shut as their mouths met.
It occurred to him, you couldn’t be careful of your expression when you were kissing, not if you were kissing well. You definitely couldn’t keep your mouth in a straight line. That would be a terrible kiss.
Why am I not doing yoga? Eric thought, as he stepped into the elevator and firmly pushed the button for the second floor that said ‘LOUNGE.’
Why are you doing this when you could do yoga? He said it was fine. What reason could you have to do this thing?
A much quieter voice, the one that wanted to laugh at Todd’s jokes even when he was teasing and who was fascinated by the Rubik’s cube on his shelf and the squishy Jigglypuff he squeezed in his hand and which knew everything about Todd’s shellfish preferences whispered, Because I want to.
Half of the second floor of The Delinea’s lounge was out of doors. It was mainly a sprawling patio of umbrella tables and bright white lounge chairs where guests relaxed and sipped from tall drinks featuring yet more umbrellas.
Eric heard Todd’s voice over all the others. He stood near the bar, talking to Jordan. His voice was pitched up high. That meant he was either upset or excited.
“These college boys come back from their Ivy leagues,” Todd was saying, “with their media majors and just think they can skate by and make six figures if they throw out the word viral once in a while and know what a demographic is, and it’s like how low is the bar, right?”
I should really be doing yoga, Eric thought as he marched across the patio.
Todd saw Eric as he approached and he smiled hopefully and was about to speak, but he didn’t get the chance before Eric wrapped an arm around his waist, clapped his other hand to the back of Todd’s head, and kissed him.
8
Todd
Eric was kissing Todd.
Todd was kissing Eric.
His brain registered this but could not process its meaning. It was too busy going haywire. If there were little people in Todd’s brain controlling the mechanics of thought, they were all running around shouting and throwing paper in the air as sirens screamed and lights flashed.
Todd could remember saying a lot of things up in the suite and saying way too much. Eric wasn’t mad. That was good. But the whole thing embarrassed Todd. Once in the lounge, he latched onto Jordan and he had not stopped talking since.
But now Eric was kissing him.
He froze up when Eric took him into his arms. He had thought of what it would be like to kiss Eric a hundred times. He had long entertained the theory that Eric was super passionate beneath his buttoned-up exterior.
Holy shit, I was right, Eric thought.
Because Eric was kissing him like he meant it.
His mouth was no longer a tight line. But it was still firm enough to kiss Todd without the slightest hesitation, their lips sliding together as if it were some choreographed dance. He took Todd’s bottom lip between his own as Todd reached up and clutched his shoulders, pulling him closer. Now he was nudging Todd’s mouth open and Todd sighed, overwhelmed by not just the kiss, but Eric’s cologne and the faintest hint of stubble tickling his chin and the fingers massaging the back of his neck. Todd’s knees were jelly. He was sure he would have crumpled to the ground if Eric were not holding him up.
Eric’s tongue tasted him just before he pulled away, and Todd whimpered.
More, please.
He felt like a child given a taste of ice cream for the first time.
Eric broke away, and Todd heard the rest of the world again like a TV abruptly taken off mute. He blinked, still clutching Eric, and fought to catch his breath. Jordan was rambling about romance and sweetness and passion...
“Uh... hi,” Todd said, blinking dumbly at Eric.
“Sorry,” Eric said. Todd almost burst out laughing, not just at the very idea of an apology, but because Eric sounded just as serious and stiff as usual… yet he’d proven Todd correct.
Eric Yoo was a human volcano.
“I uh... missed you,” Eric said. The quirk of a smile passed over his face as he let go of Todd. Todd leaned heavily on the bar, getting his feet under him again.
“You missed me?” He cleared his throat.
OH.
The fake boyfriend thing.
Oh... right.
It took every bit of Todd’s concentration, but he managed to say, “Aw. That’s sweet, babe. Glad you joined us.”
Did that sound good? Todd had no idea. He wanted to ask Eric if they could make out again, please, which seemed reasonable if they were fake boyfriends.
But then Alphonso and Stackler were walking over and Jordan pulled Todd away. “Oh my God, you guys should have seen this. Eric is a real Casanova! Who’d have thought! Todd, you lucky dog!”
Yeah, Todd thought. Lucky dog.
Eric smiled sheepishly, as if he had not just blown up Todd’s brain.
“You guys seem so opposite at first glance?” Alphonso wagged his finger at Eric and Todd across the table. “Opposites attract, I guess.”
Todd sat close to Eric with his arm slung around those broad shoulders. He was all too aware of their thighs pressed together under the table.
If he took advantage of the situation and let his head rest against Eric, basking in the scent of his high-end cologne (something beachy and masculine), that was his business.
“At first glance, perhaps,” Eric said. He sounded dead sober. It was annoying. “But I think we complement each other. Our strength combined makes up for the other’s weaknesses. For instance, Todd works well under pressure, often coming up with his best ideas at the very last second, while I’m more of a long-term planner. But we learn from each other with our differing styles.”
“Yeah? How’s that work out in bed?” Stackler blurted.
Todd felt Eric tense up beside him. He reached down and squeezed his shoulder for reassurance. “Quite well,” Todd said, smiling slyly and pretending he wasn’t furious. “I assure you.”
Eric stared at him. He hoped he wasn’t going too far. “Anyhow, what about you guys?” Todd said, nodding at Jordan. Best to change the subject as quickly as possible. “How does your relationship affect your work life?”
He sat back and let everyone talk as the evening went on, watching Eric’s eyes light up as he made an important point and the way they narrowed when he disagreed with someone. A lock of his hair fell over one eye, the closest thing Eric had ever been to disheveled. Eventually, he took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. The top button of his shirt came undone and just that set Todd’s blood pumping.
He was beautiful and charismatic, and Todd wanted to kiss him again so badly it was painful.
He stared down at the table and absently tapped his straw on his empty appetizer plate, crusted over with honey mustard and bread crumbs.
“Are you all right?” Eric said in his ear. He sounded softer than usual, plied by tequila. He sounded like a proper boyfriend and Todd shivered. The evening was winding down. Todd thought about excusing himself to go on a walk and get some air.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Todd said.
“Sorry, if I startled you before,” Eric said. His breath was a little boozy.
“Yeah. Why did you do that?” Todd bit his lip.
“Ah, I... thought it would look good?” Eric stared at him. His mouth turned down slightly, one eyebrow raised. Todd had learned to read countless Eric Yoo micro-expressions. He wasn’t sure what this one meant. But it made sense. The kiss had been a grand gesture. Alphonso and Jordan kept mentioning it and Stackler was pissed, which was amusing, if nothing else.
“It was great,” Todd muttered, and immediately flushed. “I mean, it was a great idea.”
They were seated around a table in a plush booth near the railing of the patio. Todd could taste the salt of the sea on his lips as a night breeze blew in, but he pressed his lips together, wishing he could still taste Eric in his mouth. He thought if he closed his eyes, he might recreate it for himself. There was precious little chance of it ever happening again.
“Thanks.” Eric must have been awfully loosened up from the alcohol, because he smiled with teeth and everything. Eric’s gaze traveled down to Todd’s mouth until he looked away again, feeling wobbly.
“I have an important question,” Alphonso declared. He pointed across the table at them. “I want to know when Todd was first romantically interested in Eric. Go!” He rested his chin in his hands and smiled from under his mustache.
The Gigis had asked them lots of questions about their relationship so far. It was all casual enough for them to skate by without too much detail. But alcohol had flowed like a river, and that meant things were getting personal.
Showtime, Todd thought.
Todd sat forward, clearing his throat. “No problem,” he said, waving his hand. “I remember like it was yesterday.”
“Well, it was only six months ago,” Eric said.
“No no no,” Todd said firmly. “He asked when I was first interested. Not when we got together. That is completely different. It was in February. It was like... two years ago.”
“But that’s when you first started at the firm,” Eric argued. “You’d only been there maybe six weeks.”
“I’m aware of that,” Todd said. “I am telling a story. You were with that super douchey ex back then. Let’s not speak his name. Not that you ever talked about it. But I remember he’d call and your voice always changed like you were eternally disappointed. I don’t know. Maybe I just assumed. You never sounded happy talking to him and you kept your office door open and the walls are thin. I don’t always have music blasting. I’d hear you talk to this guy and at the time, you drove me nuts. So particular and serious and eh, cold, I guess.”
“Cold as ice,” Eric said under his breath. “Thaz me.” He slurred it a little and Todd patted his hand.
“No, not at all,” Todd said. “I’m not done. I mean, you guys saw that kiss…” He waved in Jordan’s general direction. “Nothing cold there. Holy shit. Anyway, I had this one opinion of you, but then I’d hear you when your grandmother called.”
“My grandmother?” Eric tilted his head in that curious way he had.
“Yeah, the one you make honey cookies with,” Todd said. “I assumed... at the time. Because we’re dating and everything now, so I know who your grandmother is.”
Pull yourself together, Todd.
He took a deep breath and leaned heavily against Eric, as if drawing strength so he could finish saying his piece. “Your voice always changed again when you talked to her. I always notice when you sound different. You have distinct ways you talk to people. Like when you’d talk to me back then, you sounded like you were right at the end of your goddamn rope. Like you were about to lose your shit, you were so annoyed with me.”
Alphonso and Jordan liked that. They threw their heads back and laughed. “Al totally annoyed me when I first met him!” Jordan declared. “Probably because I knew I was going to fall for him.”
“Right, right exactly.” Todd laughed and took another long swallow of the poorly thought out margarita sitting in front of him. “Anyway, then I’d hear you talk to your grandmother. When you talk to your parents, you sound like an irritated kid all over again or no no, like a kid who’s trying to sound like a grown-up. But with your grandmother, you’re like a different person. You were like…”
“What?” Eric whispered. He sat forward, staring at Todd, apparently waiting with bated breath.
“Soft,” Todd said. He smiled thinking about it. “Soft and sweet. Warm. Like for once you didn’t care how anyone was perceiving you. Probably because you thought nobody heard you.”
“I love this,” Jordan whispered, as if he were watching a movie.
“That was when I knew,” Todd said. “There was something more to you that you didn’t show to anyone else. I figured I would never get to see it.”
Todd stopped talking, wrapped up in his own memories, and distracted by the lock of hair fluttering over Eric’s focussed eye. Everyone was quiet for a moment.
“But then you did,” Alphonso said. “Shoot, Jordie. They have a sweeter story than us. I mean I wanted your ass from the beginning, I just didn’t fall for you until later.”
“Oh, well I definitely wanted his ass,” Todd said. “You should see him do yoga. Oh my God.”
Eric ducked his head. He had been unusually chatty all evening, but now he was quiet again. He stared down into his drink, stirring the ice with his little straw.
“Well,” Jordan said. “I think Al and I will call it a night. I don’t know about you all. Let’s all go relax for the rest of our evening, yes? And tomorrow we’re doing brunch back here in the lounge and then snorkeling.”
“Snorkeling.” Eric blinked at him, roused from whatever quiet place he’d disappeared to. “Snorkeling? Is that... snorkeling?”
Todd nudged him, hoping Eric wouldn’t be able to weasel out of it. The thought of Eric wearing goggles and a snorkel was too much to pass up. He was also looking forward to Eric in trunks, though he was not at all looking forward to wearing them himself.
“I can’t wait,” Stackler said. His eyes looked a little red. He had probably had more to drink than the rest of them. “I love snorkeling.”
Todd would have bet a thousand dollars that Stackler had never been snorkeling in his life. He did not seem like the kind of person who did things for the sheer joy of it, not unless there was also an ulterior motive.
“Okay,” Eric said tightly, as Todd clapped him on the back and took the risk of squeezing his shoulder to assure him again. “Snorkeling.”
Eric and Todd hovered in the corridor outside the lounge as the others filtered into the elevator later.
“I think I’ll go for a walk?” Eric said. He gestured to the flight of stairs that led down to the lobby. “Just get some air. Clear my head.”
Dammit.
Eric obviously wanted to be alone. They had been together nearly all day. Eric had learned to play the part of the stiff-lipped but adoring boyfriend so well, it was easy to forget the man could hardly stand him.
But that kiss…
“Sure thing,” Todd said, nodding curtly. “I think I’ll break in the hot tub then. Have a good walk.”
Eric turned and headed downstairs, and Todd sighed to himself and darted into the next available elevator.
What a dork, he thought to himself.
Have a good walk.
Back in the suite, he headed straight for the bedroom, and pawed through his suitcase until he found his trunks. They were sky blue with a white stripe and would have looked fantastically sexy on, well, Eric. They did not look sexy on Todd, in his opinion. His stomach spilled over the waistband just a little too much and his thighs were just a little too thick. The trunks should have been one size larger. He caught himself in the mirror and grimaced.
Snorkeling was going to suck.
Everyone else on the trip had a great body except him.
At nine o’clock, he immediately changed his mind about not wanting to get buzzed and grabbed his laptop and a wine spritzer from the minibar.
The hot tub sat on the balcony of their suite. Todd flipped on the bubbles and set the laptop on the patio table. He turned on The Kinks and climbed into the hot tub, sighing happily in the bath.
With nothing to do but sit and enjoy the bubbles, all he could think about was kissing Eric. He imagined Eric in the hot tub next to him. He imagined the soft splash of the water if Eric moved through it and straddled Todd’s lap where he sat on the little stone ledge under the water. He imagined Eric kissing him again, except the kiss would last much longer and there would be more of them and his hands would slide up Todd’s chest (in his fantasy, his chest was a bit improved).
Eric would say, “Do you remember when you made me go to the hospital when my appendix burst and you visited me?”
Todd would be so surprised that Eric was bringing this up and that he even remembered Todd’s visit. They never talked about it and Eric was so drugged up at the time. Todd had given him a balloon and Eric had grinned at him; adorable and dopey.
He wondered if Eric’s grandmother had visited him in the hospital and brought him honey cookies, and the thought made him smile as he sipped his wine spritzer.
He returned to the fantasy, shaking off the grandma questions.
Eric would say the thing about the hospital and Todd would say, “Yes. Of course, I remember. I had to make sure you were okay.”
