By the time we make it back to the ship, it’s well after six. My hip is now throbbing and I need a hot shower and some paracetamol. Evan offers to help me back to my cabin, but I politely decline. “I’ll see you at dinner. Eight o’clock.”

“It’s a date.”

“Yes, I think it actually is.” I tell him with a smile that he returns as a wide grin. “See you later.”

I stop at the on-ship pharmacy long enough to get some painkillers and head to my cabin. I’m starting to stiffen up a bit now and I’m honestly not really looking forward to seeing the damage. I tend to bruise easily and I just know I’m going to look a bit of a mess.

Once I’ve struggled out of my clothes, I’m not disappointed by the bruises. My right thigh, hip and shoulder are all a deep bluish-black and look pretty bad. Actually, they don’t feel as bad as they look and the paracetamol are already having an effect.

The long soak in a warm shower helps even more, I put the shower head on its hardest setting and just massage my whole side with the hot water for a few minutes. By the time I’m getting dressed once more, it’s already easier than getting undressed was just a few minutes earlier.

The ship is already underway, steaming through the night northwards to round Cape Wrath and then on to Kirkwall in the Orkneys. I need to remember to be up early enough to get some photographs of the Old Man of Hoy.

Evan is already sitting at our table when I arrive, with only the slightest of limps to give away my earlier misfortune. He seems unsure if he should stand and greet me or not. “Don’t. I don’t need anyone to make a fuss over me.” I tell him as I wave him back into his chair.

“I might want to make a fuss of you.”

“Okay, that’s sweet, but not when I’m in pain!”

“I’m sorry. I got you a drink.”

“Well, I shouldn’t really have alcohol with pain killers, but perhaps just the one. That’s my lot for the evening though, I think.”

“Does it hurt much?” Evan asks when our starters have arrived.

“Well, not really. It’s more the stiffness that’s giving me the slight limp. My hip just feels tight as I walk and it pulls me off balance a little. I’ll be fine after some sleep.”

“Will you be getting off in Kirkwall tomorrow then?”

“No, I think I’ll give it a miss. If I have a good day of rest, I’ll be fit for the rest of the trip. I want to see Loch Ness and the Great Glen.”

“You don’t mind if I go ashore?”

“Mind? Of course not. You have a job to do and I’d never impose in such a way in any event. I’m just sorry I can’t get out and do the backup cameraman job with you.”

“Adam, you need to stop now.”

“Stop what? Why?”

“Stop being so nice. It makes me want to kiss you.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure I see what’s stopping you from doing that at any time.”

Evan looks so funny when he’s caught out of his depth. He has a very strange puzzled look on his face for a few moments but it goes when he shakes his head slightly. He lifts his hand across the table and touches a finger lightly under my chin, drawing me towards him as he leans towards me. He kisses me lightly on the lips and draws back, almost succeeding in not looking around as he does so.

The man at the table across the aisle from us looks across his table at his wife and mutters “About bloody time!” loud enough for a few tables around us to hear and respond with some polite if embarrassing laughter.

“Busted!” I whisper to Evan with an enormous grin on my face. Then to the audience “Thank you, thank you. We’re here all week.” This slight cliché only succeeds in getting more friendly laughter.

“I didn’t think we were so obvious,” Evan whispers once we are no longer the centre of attention.

“Me neither, apparently we can’t see the wood for the trees.”

“Do you want to come in?” I ask Evan as he walks me to my cabin after dinner.

“Do you want me to?”

“Very much so. I might be fit enough for a bit of cuddling, as long as it’s not too strenuous.”

“That’s the best offer I’ve had in a long time.” He tells me as I push the door open and he follows me into the cabin.

“Wow!” He exclaims. “Your Mum really went the extra distance. I’m a deck down and only get a window. My cabin isn’t as big as this either.”

“Do you want to go out onto the balcony for a while? The evening is still quite warm and the sun’s about to set.”

I slide the glass open and step out to rest against the rail. Evan steps out behind me and stands behind my shoulder, placing one hand on my undamaged hip and the other on top of my hand on the rail. We’re on the wrong side of the ship to get the full benefit of the sunset, but the reds and purples splashing the clouds on the horizon are spectacular. As Evan’s lips brush my ear, I tilt my head away to give him access to my neck which he takes full advantage of.

I turn fully into his embrace, standing on my toes to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him deeply, my tongue probing to part his lips. He wraps his arms around my back and slowly lets them drop down to my buttocks, squeezing gently as he pulls me in tightly to his chest.

When I finally break the two of us apart it’s because my arches are cramping. “You’re too tall for this. I’m getting cramp from being on tip-toe for so long.”

“We’d be the same height lying down,” he points out as he draws me back into the cabin and towards the bed.

I allow myself to be led by the hand and sit on the edge of the bed as Evan gently unbuttons my shirt and draws it off my arms. He lifts his sweater up over his head, revealing a flat stomach and the hint of his lightly defined abdominals.

“Do you work out?” I ask him as he pushes me back onto the bed and lowers himself down for another kiss.

“Yes, but not seriously. Just enough to keep in shape.”

“I like it.” I tell him as I let my fingers crawl down from his chin to his waistband, causing him to shiver involuntarily at the touch. He pulls the offending hand away, locking it down on the bed with his own as he lowers himself more firmly on top of me and kisses me even more deeply. One had slides down onto my bruised hip and I wince as he squeezes lightly.

“Sorry, I forgot.”

“No, I’m sorry. I may have got us both worked up for nothing.”

“Well, you did say you were only up for a bit of cuddling, so we’re doing pretty well so far.”

“Better than well,” I comment as I look pointedly down at the very obvious bulge in my pants.

He rubs the back of his hand across my arousal and now it’s my turn to twitch. With a smirk he shifts on to his knees and uses both hands to un-button and unzip my trousers before drawing them off my legs and casting them aside.

He rubs the back of his hand across my arousal once more, before grasping me through the fabric of my boxers and stroking me with a gentle grip. There’s clearly a question in his eyes as he looks sideways towards me and I give the slightest nod in approval as he starts to draw my boxers down to my thighs.

As my now painfully hard cock is released, he takes a gentle grip just below the head and draws my foreskin back over it with just a finger and thumb grip. The first drops of my pre-come are appearing on the tip and Evan uses them to lubricate me as he strokes.

“Evan… Clothes…” I manage to moan as I arch my back under his continued attention. He manages to stop stroking for only a few seconds as he removes his trousers and repositions himself to allow me to reach him. I slide my hand along the inside of his thigh and across the huge bulge in his briefs. Taking hold of the waistband I draw it back and his frankly magnificent cock springs out, fully eight inches long, uncircumcised and straight.

“Oh wow!” I moan as I gently stroke my thumb over his slightly exposed tip, receiving an appreciative moan from Evan in return. I shuffle round slightly and run my tongue over the end of his glans as I draw his foreskin back to be able to lick around the ridge. Evan moans in pleasure and I feel his lips close around my shaft and the incredible pressure as he starts to suck.

I’ve never been able to deep-throat a guy, I just have too strong a gag reflex, but I try my best to take as much of Evan into my mouth as I can, sucking hard on each withdrawal of my head. It doesn’t feel like I’m working much more than a quarter of his considerable length, but he genuinely sounds appreciative, as I’m sure I do too. I wrap my hand around the lower part of his shaft and pump in time to the movement of my mouth.

Evan can take almost my whole length and I’m rapidly reaching the point of no return. “I’m coming,” I manage to mutter around him as I feel myself tense. He just sucks even harder and I explode into my orgasm, shooting several times into his hot mouth.

Moments later, his balls tense and he groans loudly as he ejaculates into my throat; pulse after pulse of hot semen. I keep stroking and sucking on him until I feel him relax and he rolls over on to his back.

Evan is the first to find words. “That was quite some cuddle.”

“Hmm… That was quite some cock.” I manage to reply. “Come here and kiss me some more.”

Evan complies and we lie, wrapped together kissing for a few minutes that seem like hours. When we finally draw apart and he sits up on the edge of the bed, I look at him questioningly.

“I’m going to go back to my cabin.” He tells me. “I think you need to get some proper rest and look after that hip. It looks terrible.”

“It really isn’t as bad as it looks, but you might have a point. You can stay if you want. I’ll behave.”

“Yes, but I might not be able to. Anyway, don’t you want to be up early for photographs?”

“Oh Shit. The Old Man of Hoy. Yes, yes, I do. Thank you for remembering. I need to charge my spare battery too.”

“Good. I’ll see you for breakfast before I go ashore then?”

“Yes, see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Adam.”

“Good night, Evan.” He bends down, now fully dressed and presentable, to kiss me gently on the lips before turning to the door and letting himself out. 

I lie back and close my eyes, drifting off to sleep on the top of the covers, naked apart from my socks that we somehow never managed to remove.