Chapter 1

It was Andy Helman’s first cruise.Two weeks spent on the USS Jewel of the Sea,cruising the calm Caribbean waters and hopping the Virgin Islands with his roommate Reese Thompson and their friend Palmer.Reese’sfriend,to be honest—Andy didn’t know Palmer too well,but the vacation had been his idea.A week away from campus and the mainland,some fun in the sun during Winter Break.“Let the freshmen go to Myrtle Beach or Nags Head,”Palmer had said,trying to convince them to go.“Seniors take cruises.”

“Senior citizens,”Andy muttered.

“Hey!”Palmer cried,wounded.“Who invited you?”

With a laugh,Reese pointed out,“You did.”

“I can uninvite you,too.”Palmer frowned at both of them,waiting.Reese caught Andy’s eye and shook his head,amused.Finally,Palmer sputtered,“Well?We going,or what?”

Palmer’s parents were huge cruise freaks,taking every boat that left Key West throughout the year,and they paid for the trip as part of Palmer’s upcoming graduation present.The fact that a guy like Palmer was even closeto graduating from college was reason enough to celebrate—he was the first to admit he was at State for a degree in their accelerated partying program.

The three guys had known each since the start of the fall semester,when Andy answered an ad Reese put in the paper for a roommate and he met the two friends.He had to admit he was a little stunned when Palmer asked him to come along for the cruise,as they didn’t know each other very well,but he had no other plans for the break and Reese talked him into going.“It’ll be fun,”he promised with a wink.“Two weeks of sun and relaxation and bikinis.Oh,wait,that’s not your style.”

Andy shot him a dirty glance,but after a semester and a half of rooming together,Reese had grown immune to them.“Well,Speedos then.It’s one wayto meet guys,you know?”

“It’s not a gay cruise,”Andy reminded him.

Reese shrugged.“So?You’re going,aren’t you?I can’t imagine you’ll bethe only one on board.”

Under his breath,Andy muttered,“You’d be surprised.”

Still,it wouldn’t hurt to look.And the change of scenery would be nice—something different from the cold,wintry weather of upstate New York,where another snow storm threatened to fall the day they were scheduled to leave.So he said sure,he’d go along,and he paid for half of his ticket eventhough Palmer said he didn’t have to,because he felt bad about mooching off him.When Palmer turned to Reese,their friend held up his hands.“Don’t look at me.I ain’t paying you back.”

After they’d boarded the ship and Andy unpacked his bags in his small portside room,he met his friends in the dining room for an early lunch.The food was exquisite,plate after plate of exotic dishes he’d never heard of and would probably never eat again.As the evening wore on,he retreated to one of the pools on the upper deck of the ship,but he didn’t know what Reese had been talking about because he didn’t see any guys in Speedos,cute or otherwise.The only men his own age were either obviously half of a happily heterosexual couple or working the poolside bar.

Well,he thought,heading back to his room to change into something appropriate to wear to dinner,at least it’s two weeks out of the cold.Two weeks away from school and who knows?Maybe I’ll find someone to share it with.But he and his friends appeared to be among the few single people on the ship,and the women who glanced his way and giggled when he passed weren’t what he wanted.

Day melted into night,studding the clear Caribbean sky with stars like jewels suspended above the ocean.The evening found Andy and his friends at a small,cramped table in the ship’s bar,drinking spiced rum and slushy pi?a coladas as the room spun dizzily away.Reese sat beside Andy,snickering at everything that was said,and Palmer flirted shamelessly with the waitresses who passed by,but none of them stopped to talk to him.

“See anyone you want to hook up with?”Reese asked.

Palmer chugged down the last of his slushy drink.“That chick with the tattoo—”

Under the table,Reese kicked Palmer’s foot.“I was asking Andy.”He turned,gave his roommate a drunken grin,then frowned as a sobering thought struck him.To Palmer,he asked,“Tattoo where?”

Palmer touched the left side of his chest.“Right here,it’s a little pink rose.When she bends down,you can see it.”

“Really?”Reese’s eyes widened.“Call her over here again.I want to see it.”

Andy elbowed his roommate in the ribs,hard.“You two are horrible.”

With a braying laugh,Reese teased,“You’re just feeling left out.Come on,join in the fun.Any sexy guys turning you on tonight?”

“He’s already sitting with the two hottest men here,”Palmer joked.“Everyone else pales in comparison.Too bad we’re not queer.”

“Yeah,right,”Andy muttered.“Too bad you’re not my type.”

“Shit,”Palmer drawled.“With the lights out,they’re all my type.”

Reese snorted into the remains of his drink,and Palmer leaned across the table,lowering his voice.“Listen you two,if I can’t get a honey here soon,I’m taking you both back to my room and saying the hell with it.I’m getting laid tonight,and beggars can’t be choosers,you know?”

Andy shook his head.“I ain’t sleeping with you.”

Palmer’s grin was a challenge.“Then who’s caught your eye tonight,Romeo?”

Andy kept quiet.The last thing he needed was to point out the cute Hispanic guy behind the bar.Damn,but he wanted a taste of that boy,with the gauzy white pants that clung to his round buttocks,the firm legs hinted at beneath the pants,the rolled sleeves that exposed his lanky forearms,the tight vestall the wait staff wore that looked painted onto his narrow chest.His dark,curly hair had been pulled into a short ponytail at his nape,but a few strands escaped to frizz around his thin face.When he smiled,his teeth dazzled against his dusky skin,and the lights above the bar shone in his black eyes,making them look depthless.

Hell yes,Andy was all about thatguy,and if he were alone,he’d sidle up to the bar,strike up a conversation,feel the man out.But he wasn’t about to do that with an audience,and he’d known his roommate long enough to know Reese would think it insanely funny,his hitting on the waiter.His stupid laughter would chase away any chance Andy had with the guy.

But Andy had been watching the waiter all night long.He had already imagined those large hands on his body,that guy held tight in his arms…in his mind he pictured the two of them entangled in the sheets of his bed,lost in each other and the moment and the steady rocking of the ocean below them a rhythm they would easily match during sex.