Like how soft his lips were. Full too. Or the bristle of his scruff against my cheek. I’d done a submarine shave that morning, not my best job, but close enough that the rasp of beard felt electric. Our chests were pressed so tightly that I could feel his heart pounding. Or maybe that was mine, blood zooming to places that had been in deep freeze for months.
“Wow.” Arthur pulled back, leaving me dazed and still clinging to him.
“Damn.” The statuesque purple-haired woman he’d been standing with laughed loudly and thumped Arthur’s shoulder. “Is that the best you can do? Your man has been at sea how many months?”
Your man. If only. If he were actually mine, we’d be racing across base, a mad dash to find a room with a door. But he wasn’t and all we’d ever have was this moment. A potent mix of want and resolve raced through me as suddenly I was determined to make this count.
I pulled him back to me, and this time when our mouths collided, I was ready. Ready to taste. Ready to absorb every single detail. Ready to seize control and kiss like the world might be ending.
And it could have. Not sure I would have noticed. Everything faded away. The crowd. The docks. The balloons Arthur had been clutching and his sign both as his strong hands clung to my shoulders as we kissed in earnest. He tasted like he smelled, sweet and minty, and his tongue against mine was like floodlights coming on.
“Welcome home,” Arthur breathed against my mouth as the sound of applause gradually pulled me back into awareness of our surroundings. Applause. Whoops of laughter. Clicking cameras. But still I couldn’t seem to look away from him.
“Your balloons escaped.” Arthur’s friend was laughing harder now.
“So they did.” Arthur turned his gaze skyward where the colorful balloons were racing to the heavens.
“And posted! Man, this video is so going viral.” The friend made a triumphant gesture.
“Wait. Video? Viral?” Shaking my head, I tried to clear my muddled brain, but before I could I heard my name again, more urgent this time.
“Arthur! Derrick!”
Stomach cramping, I slowly turned my head, like that could delay the inevitable. Sure enough, though, Arthur’s parents—two people I had mad respect for, especially his retired master chief father—strode toward us with huge eyes.
“Your parents came?” I whispered to Arthur as I released him.
“Not part of the plan.” He shrugged like this wasn’t a huge fucking problem. “It was a surprise to me too. Mom texted earlier, but I was hoping they’d miss…the excitement. Oops.”
“Yeah, oops. You could have said something.”
Arthur blinked. “Exactly when?”
He had a good point, so all I could do was sigh.
“What is this?” Arthur’s mother, Jane, didn’t seem angry, more perplexed with a furrowed forehead. Me too, Jane. Me too. This was fast becoming a clusterfuck. I really didn’t want to confess to the petty jealousy that had led to me agreeing to Calder’s crazy plan, but maybe—
“Damn. Way to go, Fox.”
Oh fucking hell. Kill me now. Seriously, a lightning strike would have been welcome because Steve and Fernsby were right there. And yeah, that was the whole point, for them to see the kiss I was still reeling from, but now I was trapped.
“Hey, Mom.” Arthur didn’t even spare a glance for Fernsby or Steve, doing an impressive job of actively ignoring them.
“You and… Derrick?” Jane continued to tilt her head like we were a mystery to figure out.
“Yup.” Arthur answered before I could. “Surprise. I didn’t tell you—”
“No surprise there. You don’t tell me much these days.” Jane’s mouth twisted. As always, her husband was more of a silent presence, but he too looked befuddled and also distinctly uncomfortable. “But how long has this been a thing?”
Arthur gave an easy shrug. “A while. We didn’t say anything because Derrick was still on the rebound from his total snake of an ex. But, I wasn’t going to miss the chance to welcome him home.”
Oh, he was good. Exactly enough vague truth there to be convincing, and he managed a dig at Steve to boot.
“Calder? Did you know about this?” Jane asked as he strode over, trio of friends trailing behind him. “Derrick and Arthur?”
“Oh yeah.” He was as good a liar as Arthur. “Isn’t it great?”
“Uh-huh.” Jane’s eyes were too wide and her mouth too tight. “Great. We made reservations at your favorite place for an early dinner. Arthur, you and Derrick will come.”