Like he had any choice at this point. Skye did his best to ignore his reservations and climbed onto the bike, tugging the helmet on. Well, at least it was going to be a really pleasant trip to the gallows, all wrapped around Liamonhis roaring, rumblingmotorcycle.
And it was, only not long enough for Skye's tastes because, frankly, he'd rather spend the whole night driving around clinging to his lover's muscular back than face the sure mortificationthe date promised to provide. But regardless of his wishes, far too soon they arrived at Lake Mead, and Skye had to admit some curiosity as he climbed off and peered at the bright blue lettered signreadingLake Mead Marina.
He turned to hand Liamthe helmet witha frown. "A marina? What are we doing here?" He had a sneaking suspicionand it made his heart race.
Liam grinned at him, climbing off the bike. "What do you think we're doing at a marina, Skye? Going out onto the water."
Skye glanced out at the massive, man-made lake. "It's dark, though. Isn't it dangerous at night?"
Liam smiled and shook his head. "Nah. I know what I'm doing. Come on." He held out his hand and there was a sparkling, boyish excitement in his hazelgreen eyes Skye couldn't resist. Hell, he might as well just admit it--he couldn't resist Liam, period.
He put his hand in Liam's and let himself be led down the long wooden pier to the marina itself. Skye admired allthe sailboats as they passed, then glanced at Liam. "Are we going on a sailboat?" He'd never liked how they looked on TV when he saw them, all sort of tipped to the side when they turned. He was always waitingfor themto tip over completelyand sink.
Liam shook his head. "No. There are lots of them here--this marina caters to sailors--but I have a houseboat." He chuckled with a sheepish smile. "It's kind of the redheaded stepchild of the boating community, but I love it."
Skye smiled. "Good. I don't like sailboats."He was glad he didn't because if he did, he might be disappointed witha houseboat and Liammight feelbad. Instead, he got to see Liamsmile wide and kind of puff up with pride a little. Like he was proud he'd picked somethingSkye would like.
The man was going to be the death of Skye and that was allthere was to it. It was impossible not to love
him.Some ofhis nerves eased withthe obvious desire to
please Liam showing. How could Skye be nervous when the man he loved--even if Liam didn't know it-was doing everything he could to please him? The very least Skye could do was return the favor and do everything he could to please Liam, too. Which meant not digging his heels in stubbornly. Skye nodded to himself and determined he wasn't going to be a stubborn brat today--even ifLiamhad said a number of times that he did like a brattysub.
He was so busy thinking to himself he stumbled a bit when Liam stopped. Skye braced his hands on his lover's back, savoring the warmth of him through the thincotton.
"What? Why'd we stop?"
Liam gestured above them and Skye noticed the sign for a restaurant called The Boat House. "Oh, are we eatingfirst?"
Liam shook his head. "Nope. I called ahead for some food to take on the boat with us. I hope you like seafood."
Skye nodded. "I do. I love it." Maybe this wasn't goingto be so bad after all. Food, a boat, Liamand him all alone on the water...Skye was pretty sure he could handle it. How hard could it be?
He followed Liam into the restaurant, his mouth watering as the smell of fresh seafood and spices hit him. "Oh, wow, it smells good in here," he murmured, stillholding onto Liam's hand. Liamhadn't tried to pullit away, and Skye was goingto enjoythe intimacyas long as he could.
"Best crab legs in the entire state. You're not allergic?"
Skye shook his head. "Nope."
Liamgave himanother of those prideful smiles, and again Skye was glad he'd unknowingly done something to make Liam feel that way. Even though he had no controlover whether or not he was allergic, just the fact it suited Liam's plans made himfeel good. Just pleasing Liam, period, made him feel good, in whatever small
way.It didn't take long for the hostess to return with a
big bag with the restaurant's logo on it and a short walk down the marina later, they stood in front of a modest little houseboat moored in a slip at the very end of the dock. Pretty gold lettering edged in blue on the side proclaimed RikkiTikkiTavi.
Skye laughed. "Like the book. I loved that story as a kid."
Liamsmiled. "Myniece named it."
Liamhad a niece. Who he was close enough to that she'd named his boat. Skye soaked up the little bit of knowledge, thinking it suited the sort of man he was learning Liamwas--a man who was far more than a bythe-hour escort. A man Skye was falling in love with more and more everyminute.
"What do you think?" Liam asked, and there was just enough inflection in his tone to tell Skye that this might be important to him. After all, this wasn't just any date to an impersonal restaurant at a casino or something. This was Liam's private world being opened up to Skye. He didn't ignore the importance.
His smile was genuine when he turned to Liam. "I think it's great. Thank you for bringing me. Dragging me, really."He laughed.
Liamlaughed, too, relief around his eyes, and Skye realized he'd beenworried. Like he'd thought maybe his boat or his date idea or whatever wasn't going to be good enough. The fact Liam could have those kind of worries and doubts was astounding to Skye. He was flawless; why would he worry what Skye thought? Unless he cared. Oh, Skye hoped so. Maybe he did.
