With no job and no boyfriend, Justin sees no reason to make a big deal out of Christmas this year, so he plunks down his severance pay on a cottage in the Caribbean and jets away for some Me Time. Not that he'd mind a little Us Time, you understand, but the handsome young islanders of his acquaintance are all friendly, fun, and straight as they come. He sure didn't leave San Diego looking for any middle-aged American gym jock, but when one washes up at his favorite local watering hole, Justin discovers there are worse ways to dance the night away. Too bad the sexy stranger is on a cruise and the next port is calling.<br><br>When he spies the ship still in port while he tends to his Christmas Eve hangover, Justin knows he must manage his expectations. Just because the ship's still here doesn't mean the guy will come ashore, and so what if they do cross paths again? Did they really connect as Justin thinks he remembers, or is that just the beer filling in the blanks? He invents an errand, throws on some clothes, and heads for the dock, figuring there's one way to find out.

Isle Be Home for Christmas

After a couple tugs by the tide, my toes can’t reach the sand. I lay back and let my feet float level with my shoulders, shutting my eyes against the sun. The waves rock me gently, now against Cole, now away from him, and shortly I feel his hands under me, one between my shoulders and one half-supporting, half-groping my ass. I smile without opening my eyes and, thus protected, give myself over to the sense of weightlessness. The sea is calm, the water is warm, and I am as One with the big blue marble. I don’t worry about my job. I don’t worry about my eyes. I don’t worry about sweetened condensed milk. I float, free of everything but Cole, whose breath I feel and hear and taste as this moment, known to the two of us alone, becomes Everything. I sigh, noisy and deep, and the air rushing from my lungs takes my buoyancy with it. I settle into Cole’s arms and he carries me in.


Chapter 10