Quinn's Hart Read online

  He could almost hear his father yelling, "Speak up! Be a man. What the hell is wrong with you?" Of course an abusive drunk who had died young wasn't the best person to take advice from. None of his father's "lessons" had ever taken, anyway. No amount of yelling or beating had knocked the shyness out of him.

  Laughter from the other table caught Quinn's attention, and he raised his eyes to find Josh saying something that must have been funny, gesturing with his long, slim hands as he spoke. From the rapt attention and amusement on the faces of the other men at his table, it was obvious Josh had them all in the palm of his hand. But who wouldn't be enthralled? The man was gorgeous and funny, and he seemed kind as well, judging from the way he'd diverted the women's attention from Quinn in the shuttle earlier. Or maybe he'd done that for his own reasons and not to help Quinn at all.

  Quinn sighed and lowered his gaze back to his plate. There was no point in even looking. He wasn't going to talk to the man. If he tried he would turn into a shy, bumbling idiot and make a fool out of himself. Even at his age, he still froze up every time he tried to talk to a man he found attractive. Flashbacks of being taunted or ignored in high school and of being too scared to try in college paralyzed him. Afterward, when the moment passed, he always ended up berating himself for missing an opportunity yet again.

  Dessert arrived. After the plates of chocolate cake were delivered, the travel agency employee announced, "Anyone who got a black plate needs to get up and switch tables."

  A quick glance at his plate revealed he would have to switch. Quinn stood and carried his dessert to the other table. He sat beside a small man with dyed black hair and the tightest shirt he'd ever seen.

  The man grinned at him and tossed his long bangs out of his face. "You're a big one, aren't you? I like that. I'm Clay, in case you forgot." He pointed to his name tag as if trying to draw attention to his chest. Then he held out his hand to shake, eyeing Quinn up and down avidly.

  "Quinn." Quinn had no choice but to take the offered hand. He shook and tried to let go, but Clay wouldn't let him. For such a little thing, he had quite a grip, and Quinn didn't want to hurt him.

  He managed to extract his hand after a long moment. Heat crept into his cheeks. He'd never been comfortable with being stared at, and Clay was definitely staring.

  The smaller man leaned closer to him. "Do you have plans for tonight?"

  Not jerking back took up most of his concentration. He muttered, "Um, no."

  Clay's voice lowered to a near-purr. He ran his hand up Quinn's bicep. "Good. Want to come up to my room, tie me up, and spank me 'til I come?"

  The other men at the table stopped their conversations and turned to stare at Clay and Quinn. Quinn's mouth dropped open. At first, he was certain he couldn't have heard what he thought he'd heard. Tie up a total stranger and spank him? Not likely.

  Did Clay think because Quinn was large he liked to hurt people? He got that reaction a lot, and hated it. He didn't want to hurt people, or have meaningless sex with someone who only wanted him because he was big. Maybe Clay hadn't been serious with the invitation and intended it to mock Quinn somehow. Either way, the end result was the same. Everyone was staring at him, waiting for his reaction, and he hated it.

  One of the other men laughed. "I think you scared him, Clay."

  Clay laughed, too, tossing his head again. "Not a big, strong thing like him." He turned back to Quinn, a sultry expression on his face. "What do you say?"

  His voice, when he finally got it to work, was hardly more than a whisper. "N-no. I'm sorry." He stood and got the hell out of there.

  The laughter of his tablemates followed him from the room.

  * * * *

  Why couldn't I have made a joke? Or done anything but run like a scared kid?

  Quinn flopped onto the bed and put an arm over his face. Any other guy would have put Clay off with a joke or witty comeback, said no without getting upset, or even taken him up on the offer. Quinn had panicked and acted like an idiot.

  He had to toughen up and start talking to people, or this whole trip would end up a colossal waste of time. It was time he remembered that he wasn't a scared little kid being taunted by his father for being weak, or a shy, rapidly growing adolescent trying to fit into a succession of foster families and new schools. He was an adult. He couldn't let his shyness and other peoples' misconceptions keep him from trying.

  Tomorrow they were headed to the Magic Kingdom. Maybe there he'd meet someone a little more his speed.

  Chapter 3

  * * *

  By the time he stepped off the shuttle at the Magic Kingdom Park, Josh Hart was a lot more excited than any man over thirty had a right to be. For years, he'd wanted to visit Disney World. After putting it off for way too long, he wasn't about to let anything stop him this time, not even getting dumped a few weeks before the trip. Over the answering machine. He hadn't even rated a "Dear John" letter. He was never going to live that one down.

  At least he didn't have to go by himself, thanks to his travel agent, a helpful young woman named Stephanie. Fortunately, she'd been able to find a large singles group scheduled for the same week as Josh had planned to go with his ex. By the time she got finished rearranging his reservations, Josh was signed on for the singles trip, booked in a much nicer hotel than he had been before, and had gotten several hundred dollars back. Not a bad deal. He couldn't believe how lucky it was that somebody, and a gay somebody at that, had canceled so close to the departure date. If a straight guy had canceled he would have been out of luck.

  At first he'd been a little hesitant about the whole singles thing, but the travel agent had promised him that while it wasn't an all-gay trip, there would be other gay men there. She'd also told him that any guy who would dump him before a trip he was paying for wasn't worth moping over, which made him laugh. She was right. His ex wasn't worth another second of his time.

  So far, everything about the trip had been great. He'd met some interesting people at the dinner last night, and today promised to be even better.

  Clay, who'd sat beside him on the shuttle bus, had been astonished to learn Josh had never been to a theme park. He'd waxed poetic about how much fun they were for kids, but cautioned Josh that he might not like them as much now. Josh shook off the caution, determined to enjoy the day.

  Elaine herded the twenty men together like a mama duck with her ducklings. She handed out tickets and name tags, and told them they'd be paired off for the first few rides so they could get a chance to talk to as many people as possible. After lunch, they'd be free to roam around on their own.

  The trip through the gate was efficient, thanks to Elaine's direction. They entered the park, and Josh gaped. Looking around at the quaint buildings in front of him, he felt as if he'd stepped back in time. Straight ahead was the iconic castle, giving him an even greater sense of unreality. He kept walking along with the rest of the group, but the scents of chocolate and baked goods and the sound of music playing over unseen loudspeakers distracted him.

  Their first stop was a huge tree house. Elaine broke them up into pairs and shooed them to the entrance. Josh's partner, a guy named Doug, immediately started complaining about how lame it was.

  After the third or fourth complaint, Josh had had enough. "Then go find the exit. I think this is pretty cool."

  Doug stomped off, muttering to himself. Josh shrugged and went back to exploring. He ran into Damien, who'd been paired with Art the restaurant guy. Damien rolled his eyes toward Josh in an obvious "I'm not having fun" gesture, but Josh ignored him. No way did he want to get stuck with a high-maintenance drama queen. The brief time they'd spent together showed him Damien was a little too much like his ex, which was the last thing he needed right now. He made his way through the winding stairways and across bridges until he reached the exit.

  For the next ride, a jungle riverboat cruise, Josh ended up paired with a blond, bespectacled accountant named Steve. Sparks didn't fly, but from the instant they started talki
ng, Josh liked the older man. His sense of humor wasn't snarky or cruel like a couple of the other guys Josh had met, and he didn't make fun of the cheesy animatronics or Josh's enthrallment with them. That alone made Josh decide Steve was a friend.

  When the boat was about to dock, Steve leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin. "I got to talk to Art last night at dinner, and I really liked him. I'm trying to get up the nerve to see if he wants to hang out after lunch."

  Josh grinned and clapped Steve on the back. "Leave it to me, buddy."

  "Don't talk to him, I'll be so embarrassed." Steve blushed. "God, I feel like I'm in high school again."

  "I'm not going to embarrass you, but I'll figure something out."

  Steve opened his mouth to reply, but closed it when Damien sauntered over and threw his arm around Josh's shoulders. "Looks like I'm your partner for the next ride."

  Exercising supreme restraint, Josh managed not to shrug off Damien's arm. He gave him a weak smile. "Let's go, then."

  The ride in question was a pirate ride. Apparently, it was a popular attraction, because they had to wait in line for a while. Damien's obvious double entendres and his habit of standing too close had Josh on edge before they reached the boats.

  About two seconds after the ride started, Damien leaned closer to Josh. "Got plans for after lunch?"

  "Sort of," Josh hedged. It wasn't really a lie. He did want to help hook Steve up with Art. He glanced around, desperate for a diversion. A hologram of one of the bad guys from that Johnny Depp pirate movie appeared, making dire pronouncements. He grinned. This had to be the cheesiest thing he'd ever seen in his life. He loved it.

  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 se
emed 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."