Right now, his skin was a sallow, clammy gray, with yellowish smudges under his eyes. Normally a vivid green, his eyes looked dull and glassy. His forehead and the back of his neck were slick with perspiration, making his wet hair stick to his skin.
Basically, he was a hot mess.
Justice jiggled the sliding door until it opened for him. He took a deep breath and began to squirm down the aisle. It was so small; a grown man couldn’t even walk without turning sideways.
He’d only passed about four rows when the plane gave a violent lurch and listed slightly to the left. It was just enough for Justice to lose his footing and stumble against the row of seats beside him. When the stationary armrest came in contact with the backs of his knees, he fell backwards onto the lap of the passenger in seat 26C.
Warm, strong hands clutched his waist to steady him, and Justice looked up into the most startling blue eyes he’d ever seen. The man who stared down at him had that salty, beach look that made Justice think he might be a surfer.
His sun-bleached blond hair was shaggy, and fell just a couple of inches below his chin, and he had it tucked behind his ears. He had a deep tan, the kind you didn’t get in a booth, and those blue eyes might as well have been reflecting the water somewhere in the Caribbean.
Those eyes crinkled rather sexily with mischief as he looked down at Justice sputtering in his lap. Justice was lucky the guy didn’t punch him. Thankfully, it didn’t even look as if he
wanted
to punch him.
Because of his anxiety disorder, Justice could be quite socially inept at times, and this lent itself to a certain amount of verbal diarrhea at the worst moments. This, of course, was one of those times.
Justice was transfixed by the little crinkles at the corners of the guy’s eyes, because it looked as if he smiled often, and well. “Well, hello there, sailor.”
This time he was sure a fiery blush covered his cheeks as he realized what he’d said. He wasn’t out to anyone, really, outside his hometown, so such blatant flirting was way out of character.
Justice’s words made Surfer Boy laugh, and he flashed his perfect white teeth. All of his old
Matthew McConaughey fantasies flared to life, and Justice had to struggle not to drool.
The silence stretched on, with nothing between them but Justice’s blurted words and the guy’s cheeky grin.
“Erm…I guess I should get off you then. Sorry about that.”
Those big hands tightened briefly at his sides before they helped him to stand. “No harm done,” Surfer Boy said with a wink.
Still standing in the aisle, Justice couldn’t tear himself away from the hot stranger. He could still feel the warmth where he touched him. All of his blood was rapidly pooling below his belt, which wasn’t such a good idea after Xanax, coffee, and a near panic attack. He began to feel lightheaded again.
The man reached a work-roughened hand toward him and smiled again. “I’m Nic.”
Justice took his hand, and he swore he felt a zing of electricity. He always made fun of ideas like that from books or movies, but he couldn’t deny it was what happened.
“Justice. Come here often?”
“As little as possible,” Nic answered.
“Omigod, I can’t believe I just said that. That…I do that a lot. I say things.”
Nic’s smile grew increasingly wider as Justice babbled, but he couldn’t stop.
“I don’t normally…you know…sit on people’s laps. I just…I’m gonna go die now.”
Justice didn’t give himself time to create any further embarrassment. He turned on his heel and made to head back to his seat. The plane chose that moment to take another violent dip. Since Justice was already dizzy again, his stomach roiled. He clamped hand over his mouth in case he didn’t make it to the lavatory, and ran for it.
Chapter Two
Nic stared after his new friend as he ran off, probably to spill his guts. Poor kid must be scared of flying. Personally, Nic didn’t love it either. He’d much rather be out on his boat instead. Especially since his reason for being on that particular plane was so depressing.
He’d flown to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend his father’s funeral. Dad and his new wife had moved out to her vacation home in coastal North Carolina after he retired. Last week he died suddenly of a heart attack, at only fifty-seven. They hadn’t been as close as Nic would have liked the past few years, but he always figured there’d be time enough to make up for it. He’d been wrong.
All Nic wanted was to get back home to Seattle; back on his boat where life didn’t feel so stifling. He hadn’t even begun to process what the world would be like without his father in it, especially since his mom had passed away giving birth to him. He didn’t even know where to begin.
He forcibly pulled his mind out of the trenches, knowing he’d spent enough time there. Instead, he chose to think about the cute stranger who had
literally
fallen into his lap.
God, he’d been adorable. Curly brown hair, wide green eyes set in a pale face with a dusting of freckles. And the way his cheeks had pinked up when he blurted out his unintentional flirtation, and how he kept babbling. Totally. Adorbs.
The tremors of turbulence kept shaking the plane, so the flight attendant came on the intercom, telling them to fasten their seatbelts. Nic was a little worried about the guy, because he still hadn’t returned from the lavatory.
Nic wanted nothing more than to walk back there and check on the kid, Justice, who was probably older than he looked; Nic was only thirty-two himself, but sometimes he felt more like ninety. After all he’d been through in the past couple of months, he just didn’t have it in him to pursue a guy, whether for a hookup or a relationship.
Ever since he’d heard the news about his dad, Nic felt like he’d lost his rudder in a storm. Nothing made sense anymore, and it was as if the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders.
Exhaustion of the previous week settled in, and Nic didn’t bother to try and fight it. As his eyelids drooped, he thought of Justice with his crooked grin and freckles.
Damn, the kid was cute
, he thought just before sleep finally took him under.
Next thing he knew, Nic was being jostled awake by an overzealous flight attendant, and told he needed to put his seat back up. He thought again of Justice and briefly scanned the rows in front of him for that mop of brown curls.
He really couldn’t see much above the seats, so he had the fleeting thought that maybe he’d track the kid down after they disembarked. Maybe Justice was cute enough to make Nic break his hard and fast rule of no pick-ups and give him his number. Maybe.
Nic dozed again with a smile on his face. It felt good. He hadn’t smiled much lately.
When he woke again, the plane was nearly empty. He obviously hadn’t slept well in ages for him to be able to stay unconscious through the landing. Nic stood and stretched, his bones cracking like an old man’s. Pulling his duffle out of the overhead compartment, he walked down the aisle and up the jet bridge. When he made it out into the terminal, the crowd of passengers had already dissipated.
“So much for hooking up,” he muttered. It was probably just as well. Nic was a serial monogamist, and that didn’t often go over well with gay men. He hated that they were so often typecast as promiscuous club rats who had no interest in monogamy.
Of course, there were plenty of them out there who perpetuated the stereotype —Nic’s ex included. But thinking about Colin in his current state of mind was just a bad idea.
* * * *
Nic was waiting outside at Sea-Tac for his ride when he noticed Justice hop into a cab. By the time he had made the decision to call out to him, the Prius was already pulling away from the curb.
At the same time, Nic’s best friend ground her Subaru Outback to a stop in front of him. He opened the hatchback and tossed his duffel inside, before climbing into the passenger seat.
Samara Alvárez lowered her oversized Prada sunglasses and smirked at him over the rims. “You look like microwaved shit.”
“Well thanks, Sam. I love you too.”
Sam’s brightly painted red lips softened into an indulgent smile. “I know you do. And one of the reasons you do is that I tell you the truth no matter what.”
He nodded when she paused.
“And the truth is, you look like shit.”
Nic sighed and thumped his head on the headrest, wincing when he hit the beaded seat cover. “It was a rough week.”
She pushed her sunglasses back up on her nose, then grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I know, baby. Let’s get you home so you can get some rest.”
“Perfect,” Nic sighed, closing his eyes.
Samara had been his best friend since grade school. She’d known he was gay long before he ever did. People liked to pigeonhole her too, call her a hag —damn, he hated that term —when really, she was family. Pretty much the only family he had left. And she was certainly the only friend who’d stuck around in the aftermath of Colin.
She had black hair that she usually kept pulled up in a ponytail that complimented her micro-bangs. Always wearing red lipstick and heavy eyeliner, she fully embraced the pin-up style she loved. While not what anyone would call fat, she was a curvy girl, and she thought the rockabilly dresses and daring makeup complimented her figure and personality. She wasn’t wrong.
Most of all though, she’d always been there for him, and he loved her for it. But he was just too tired and wrung out from the funeral and the travel to be able to make conversation.
They rode in silence until she turned into the Union Marina parking lot. Nic felt tension he didn’t know he was carrying drain from his body at the sight of home.
“Home, sweet home.”
“Sure you don’t want to stay at my place tonight?” Sam asked, tugging at her lip with her teeth, not even leaving a chip in her long-wear lipstick. “I don’t know if I should leave you alone on that old tub you call home.”
“That
tub
is an eighty-two foot flybridge motor-yacht, thank you very goddamn much.”
She raised her hands in a placating gesture, even though it was just an example of their normal good natured bickering. “Sorry, sorry. I take it back. Wouldn’t want to insult your precious.”
“You damn well better not insult her.”
With an exaggerated eye roll, she smacked him upside the head. “I’m serious, now. Are you sure you’ll be all right by yourself?”
Nic sighed, more tired than ever. “I’m positive. I’m just going straight to my cabin to crash.”
Sam looked skeptical, but she knew better to argue when he’d dug his heels in. “Do you have any charters tomorrow?”
“Not a one. I cleared my schedule for a few days after the trip, just to give myself some time to…recover.”
“Perfect. Saturday night, we’re going out.”
“No, Sam.”
“Yes, Sam,” she parroted. “We’re going to Neighbors and I won’t take no. Between your dad and Colin —”
“Sam,” he said in a warning tone. It wouldn’t do any good. She was like a dog with a bone when she thought she knew what was best for him.
“You need to loosen up, have some fun. Maybe get laid a time or two.”
“You know how I feel about picking up guys in bars.”
“Yeah, but how does your dick feel about it?”
“Sam!” Nic could feel himself blushing. He wasn’t a prude for fuck’s sake, but Sam had a talent for embarrassing the shit out of him. “Fine. God. If I agree to go, will you shut up?”
“Of course, my love. Neighbors, Saturday. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
“Whatever, you fucking harpy.”
“You love me.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Night, Nic.”
“Night, Sam.”
Chapter Three
By the time Justice arrived in the grid-style neighborhood north of the city, he was bushed. After practically making a pass at a stranger, the turbulence had sent him back to the bathroom to lose his breakfast. He sat on the toilet lid, where he was pretty sure he’d lost consciousness a few times, until the flight attendant rapped on the door and insisted he go back to his seat.
He’d dragged his sorry ass back up the aisle, but still checked out Hot Nic on the way, though he was asleep, and collapsed in his seat. As soon as they were given the all clear to de-plane, he hightailed it out of there before he embarrassed himself further.
And yet, as the taxi had taken him through this beautiful, unfamiliar city —the Space Needle was way smaller than he thought —he couldn’t get the handsome stranger out of his mind.
Nic’s kind face had instantly put him at ease, though Justice sensed a sadness surrounding him. He’d wanted so badly to brush that shaggy blond hair out of those crystal blue eyes and kiss him.
That thought alone was enough to shock Justice out of his reverie. He wasn’t openly gay. He couldn’t be. Not after the heartbreak he’d received from his family. He hadn’t intentionally gone back in the closet, but he knew it was the safest place for him to be.
That was the reason being so interested in a passing stranger was so out of character…and such a bad idea. Of course, Justice longed for a loving relationship, just as much as the next guy. But it was a pipe dream; something he’d never have.