Quinn's Hart Read online

  Solemn, quiet Quinn laughed out loud.

  Josh kept grinning, feeling like he'd won the lottery just from making another man laugh.

  Chapter 4

  * * *

  "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."

  Was Josh saying he wanted to spend more time with Quinn, or he wanted somebody to hang out with and Quinn would do? Quinn rubbed at the back of his neck. Trying to figure out the other man's motives was stupid. He was being ridiculous, analyzing every little thing to death. Better to go with the flow for now. He nodded. "Okay." The bold stranger who'd taken up residence in his vocal cords added, "I would have gone with you without the bribe, you know."

  Josh laughed. "Now you tell me."

  * * * *

  By unspoken agreement, they made their way toward Main Street. The shops were there, and according to Quinn's park guide the parade and fireworks were in that area as well. Josh stared at everything they passed, wide-eyed and enthralled. His enthusiasm made Quinn smile. He couldn't remember the last time he had been that excited about anything--except for being here with Josh.

  The other man must have noticed his glances, because he let out a rueful laugh. "I've never been to an amusement park before. It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

  Quinn shrugged. "I haven't either."

  Quinn's revelation sent both Josh's eyebrows up toward his hairline. "Really? Everybody else I've told that to has acted like I'm some kind of anomaly."

  "I guess we're both anomalies, then." They had more in common than Quinn would have guessed.

  He doubted Josh's reasons for never going to an amusement park were the same as his. His father had been too broke, drunk, and uncaring to take him anywhere at all, other than the liquor store or a bar, and he'd had to wait outside at those places, no matter what the time or the weather. Memories of time spent huddled in an alley at three A.M., scared and alone, still had the power to make him shiver thirty years later.

  After his father died, none of his foster families had taken him anywhere except for school and church. Since he'd become an adult, he hadn't had the inclination to visit a theme park. Fun hadn't been much of a priority in years.

  Josh's voice pulled him out of his dark thoughts. "I'm glad I'm not the only one. When I was a kid, my parents didn't want me doing 'frivolous' activities. I was homeschooled by my mom, who's a physicist, up until ninth grade."

  Josh's childhood sounded almost as Spartan as his own, but for very different reasons. "I bet it was hard to adjust, after being homeschooled for so long."

  Josh laughed. "You have no idea. The other kids hated me. I was a scrawny geek, and I was two years y
ounger than they were, thanks to my mom. I worked my ass off to graduate early and get out of there."

  Quinn could relate. Not to the graduating early part, but to the being different and not fitting in. "I had the opposite problem. I was bigger than everyone else."

  "Being different really sucks, especially in high school."

  Quinn nodded. "Especially when you change schools four times."

  Eyes sympathetic, Josh touched his arm. "That's terrible."

  Not wanting to discuss his childhood, Quinn shrugged and brushed it off. "Four foster homes, four schools. My dad died when I was thirteen. My mom died years before that, so there wasn't much choice."

  "Wow. I'm sorry."

  And now Quinn was depressing them both. "It was a long time ago." He tried to smile. "What happened? You don't look like a scrawny geek to me."

  Josh grinned. "I went to college and made new image for myself. Growing a few inches helped."

  Obviously Josh had succeeded in reinventing his image, because he was attractive and self-possessed now. Quinn hadn't been so lucky. He hadn't been able to shake off his shyness and remake himself, no matter how hard he'd tried.

  "Want to get hot dogs?"

  Quinn chuckled at the abrupt change of subject. "Sure."

  His eyes on the menu, Josh asked, "Regular or corndog?"

  "Corndog? No thanks. Regular for me." Corndogs brought back bad memories of digging through the freezer to find something to eat when his dad passed out drunk. Frozen corndogs had often been his only choice, and he'd hated them ever since.

  "Gotcha. Why don't you snag us a seat? I'll be back."

  Josh went in one direction, Quinn went the other. Not far away, he found a small table with an umbrella. He sat in one of the uncomfortable wrought iron chairs to wait. The scents of hot dogs, baked goods, hot asphalt, and sunscreen permeated the air. Families, pairs, and small groups wandered past. Most of the children were wide-eyed and excited, like Josh. A few looked to be past their naptimes. Quinn watched a man walk by, cradling a sleepy little boy against his shoulder. The man rubbed the boy's back as he walked.

  At least there were people out there who took care of their children. The sight sent a stab of melancholy through Quinn. Sometimes he wondered if his own childhood had screwed him up too much for him to fit in anywhere. He sighed.

  A paper basket containing a hot dog and fries appeared on the table in front of him, along with a large paper cup of soda. He glanced up to find Josh smiling down at him. "Getting tired?"

  "Just thinking." Josh's smile was contagious. Quinn couldn't help smiling back. "Did you bring ketchup?"

  "And mustard, and relish." The other man put a pile of little packets on the table between them. He tore open a packet of mustard and poured the contents onto his hot dog.

  Quinn seasoned his own food to his liking. "Thanks. And thanks for dinner."

  Josh gave him a devilish grin. "Don't thank me yet. I haven't dragged you through all the stores."

  Chapter 5

  * * *

  First impressions weren't always accurate. Josh couldn't believe how wrong he'd been about Quinn. Sure, the guy was shy around crowds, and he'd taken some time to warm up to Josh, but once they'd been on their own for a while Josh learned the truth. Quinn was funny. And sweet. The more time Josh spent around him, the more attractive he found him.

  Josh had dragged Quinn through every store on Main Street. He'd bought several gifts for friends and a few things to take into the office. Quinn hadn't purchased anything. He had offered to carry Josh's bags, though.

  Quinn looked at his watch. "The parade's going to start pretty soon, and then fireworks at ten."

  A parade and fireworks made for a great ending to an interesting day. All the night needed to make it complete was the dessert they hadn't eaten earlier. "Oh, cool. I'm going to get an ice cream cone. You want one?" At Quinn's hesitant look, he added, "I did promise you dessert."

  The big man nodded. "I could go for some ice cream."

  Most people must have already made their way to the part of the street where the parade would be held, because the ice cream shop was pretty deserted. Josh ordered a rocky road waffle cone for himself. Quinn eyed the menu for a few minutes before asking for chocolate chip.

  Carrying their ice cream, they made their way down the street to the parade area. Crowds of people massed along the circle at the end of Main Street, waiting for the parade to begin. Quinn stood calm and patient, eating his ice cream with a methodical slowness. Josh, on the other hand, felt impatient. He gnawed at the edge of his cone and fidgeted. A big lick of rocky road distracted him, so he took a few more.

  When he turned to ask Quinn how he liked his ice cream, he caught the other man staring at his mouth. To be sure, he licked his lips. Quinn's gaze followed the movement, only to skitter away seconds later. Josh grinned and went back to his ice cream. It looked like the attraction he felt wasn't one-sided.

  * * * *

  The parade of lighted floats featuring costumed characters had been, as a young girl near them put it, super cool, but the fireworks display blew Josh's mind. He stared up in awe as thousands of tiny sparks lit the sky. There was a story of sorts, and music, and the castle was bathed in different colored lights. The whole thing combined to form something he should have thought was silly, or overdone, or too sentimental. Instead, he felt like a kid again, amazed and perfectly happy in the moment.

  He glanced over at Quinn, whose angular features glowed with the soft, purplish light from the castle. "How can a bunch of black powder make something so beautiful?"

  The corners of Quinn's lips turned up in a half-smile. "I don't know. The whole is more than the sum of its parts, I guess."

  Quinn's words struck Josh. He paused to consider them. "Is it weird that that sounded poetic to me?"

  "Yes." Quinn's smile widened.

  "Hey! I see how you are." Yeah, Quinn was a funny guy, when he let his sense of humor out. Josh wanted to see more of it. He punched the bigger man's arm to no effect. Quinn didn't even budge. Josh scowled. "And you could at least pretend to be hurt."

  "Oh, sorry." Quinn clutched his arm, an exaggerated expression of pain on his face. "Ow!"

  Rolling his eyes, Josh turned his gaze back to the show. A wild array of starbursts lit the sky, accompanied by soaring music, pops, and crackles. For a moment the night was ablaze with sparkles. He held his breath at the incredible sight.

  Then the light faded, the music and explosions replaced by clapping and cheering. The heavy scent of burnt powder hung in the air. People began to make their way to the exits.

  Quinn glanced at his watch. "We'd better get to the pickup spot. We don't want to miss the shuttle."

  Was it Josh's imagination, or did Quinn sound as reluctant as he himself felt? "Yeah. Let's go."

  * * * *

  They arrived at the pickup area at ten-twenty five, right as the shuttle pulled up. The driver opened the door, and they climbed onto the small bus. The driver, a portly woman with gray hair, smiled at them. "Did you gentlemen have a nice day?"

  Josh grinned back. "It was great."

  "I'm glad to hear it. Have a seat. We'll wait a few minutes and then head back to the hotel."

  Josh made his way to the last seat, a bench much larger than the others due to not having an aisle, and sat, dropping his bags on the floor at his feet. He leaned against the side of the bus, the activity of the day catching up to him now that he was sitting down. He was tired, but a good kind of tired.

  After a moment's hesitation, Quinn sat beside him. Neither of them spoke. Josh closed his eyes to rest a bit.

  A loud clatter made him open them again. A couple of men from their group, and some women--who must have been from the lesbian "possibility group" if the entwined hands of two of them were any indication--entered the bus. Laughing and talking, the newcomers found seats. Josh sighed, a little disappointed to have his and Quinn's quiet solitude interrupted.

  The bus driver looked
out the door and then closed it. The overhead lights dimmed to a low level. "All right everyone, we're off." She pulled the shuttle away from the curb and into the exit lane.

  In the near dark, Josh couldn't read Quinn's expression. His profile looked as severe and unsmiling as it had been before they spent the day together. Josh shifted the tiniest bit closer to the other man, until he could feel his warmth.

  They were near the hotel when Quinn's voice, soft and low, broke the silence. "I had a lot of fun today. Thanks."

  Josh considered the words, and the tone. Quinn sounded sad. Why? "I had fun, too." Tomorrow promised to be another day full of surprises and new experiences. The day was set up much like today had been, with scheduled activities, lunch, and free time in the afternoon. He imagined he would be paired with some of the guys he hadn't gotten a chance to talk to this morning. He might meet someone he wanted to spend more time with like he had today. And Quinn might do the same.

  The thought of not hanging out with Quinn tomorrow gave him a twinge of unhappiness, which was weird after only part of a day. He normally wasn't one to get attached so fast, but he had to admit Quinn had him intrigued. He wanted to get to know the man better, to see where the attraction might lead. He'd come here to break out of his normal life, have fun and meet new people. He'd done all of the above. Instinct told him Quinn was something special. Forcing himself to find a different guy to talk to every day would be dumb, when what he wanted was right next to him.

  For once, he decided to go with his feelings rather than using logic on the situation. "I know there's some scheduled stuff tomorrow morning at Epcot, but do you want to hang out again after lunch?"

  Quinn's large frame went still beside him. "You might meet somebody tomorrow morning that you'd rather spend the afternoon with."

  His eyes on the other man's tight jaw, Josh tried to figure out what was going through his mind. "Or you might."