Chapter 4

THE SUN warmed the air and William’s skin as he plundered Mike’s mouth. God, last night had been mind-blowing, but today was even better. Mike made the most amazing sounds, and neither of them had to worry about being overheard. Out here on the water, it was just the two of them—there was no one to hear the cries of ecstasy except the fish, and they certainly didn’t care.

The boat rocked back and forth, and once their shorts ended up on the deck and with Mike’s legs wound around his waist, the two of them added some rocking of their own.

“You know I’m never going to be able to look at this engine compartment cover again and not blush,” Mike whispered against William’s lips.

“Do you want to stop?” Even as he asked, William wasn’t sure if he could at the moment. Mike looked so good under him, sun-bronzed skin shining with sweat, the sun lighting his brown-highlighted hair, brown eyes shining with naked desire. “I will if you want me to.”

“God, no. I’m just saying….” Mike cradled William’s cheeks in his rough hands. “That things will never be the same after this… after you.”

William nodded. He understood that very well. Sometimes life really sucked. He’d finally gotten what he’d wanted, what he’d dreamed of at night, and it wasn’t to be his. He’d have to leave and go back to his life, not seeing Mike for another six months. “Things won’t be the same.” He held Mike tightly and breathed in the scent of testosterone mixed with the fresh air and salt water. William sat back, kneeling between Mike’s legs, looking down at him. Taking Mike in hand, he stroked long and slow, up and down his thick, full shaft, listening as Mike added his cries to those of the shore birds overhead.

“William.” Mike quivered under his touch, and there was nothing hotter or more attractive than seeing someone else come unglued before his eyes. Mike shook and jerked his hips upward into William’s fist, and William loved the touch of his smooth skin.

“I like what I see, Mike.”

“I’m not like you,” Mike retorted. “I’m not pretty and toned.”

“No. You work for a living and it shows. Your skin is colored by the sun and your face etched by the water. You’ve lived, and it’s all written in the color of your skin and the lines around your eyes.” William leaned closer. “You’ve lived an honest life of hard work. Not one that’s plucked, sculpted, shaved, and wears a mask so big that no one can see behind it.” William admired that. Mike was a real man with no pretension, just what was in front of him, eyes glassy and breathing ragged as William held him on the edge. Nothing was better than Mike open-mouthed, gasping, cock throbbing, aching for release.

William let go of Mike, giving him time to catch his breath, his frustration ringing over the water. Then Mike reached for him, pulling William down, crashing their lips together. William pinned Mike to the padding, their hips dueling as they thrust against each other.

Mike was nearly out of control, and William loved his energy and vitality. He was so much the outdoorsman and sexy as hell. Even his moans were deep and low, growly and long, as they raced together toward the release of built-up passion. William cried out, arching his back as he felt Mike climax under him. Then all was quiet and still except for the slap of water against the hull and the call of seagulls overhead.

Slowly William moved, resting on his side next to Mike, gently stroking his chest as they caught their breath. “Wow.”

“You can say that again,” Mike whispered. “Who would have thought?”

“Yeah.” William slowly sat up and gathered their clothes from the deck, laying them on the padding. Then he went down below, brought back a bucket, and scooped up some seawater. He used it to wash himself quickly and then offered it to Mike. “I hate to say it, but we have to go back.” William stood tall, proud, and naked, staring at the land on the horizon. “When’s your next charter scheduled?”

“Tomorrow. But I don’t know if they’ll want to go out now or not.”

“Do you have enough fuel?”

“I’ll probably have to see if I can fill up. Who knows if there will be any left by the time I get back?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

William pulled on his clothes and waited for Mike to do the same. Then Mike revved the engine and pointed the boat back toward the white tower on the horizon that marked the way home.

It seemed Mike was lucky—the station had auxiliary power to run their fuel pumps. Once Mike had filled up, he returned the boat to the slip, and William helped him tie it up. Then William rode with him back to the house and helped Mike load all the equipment to put it back on the boat.

Carrie raced out, desperately wanting to go back with her dad. William had calls he wanted to try to make to sort out the rental car, so he stayed behind. Father-daughter time was probably what Carrie needed, and William wasn’t going to stand between them. He watched as Mike drove away, and then he settled in to make the calls he needed to before his phone ran out of battery.

“WHAT DID you find out about the rental?” Mike asked that evening once he and Carrie returned. William had met them outside, so Mike sent Carrie in to help his mom with dinner.

William sighed, running a hand through his hair. “They were pleased that the car was essentially all right after the storm, and they’re going to try to send another one in a few days. That’s the soonest they can get out here right now. Apparently they’re having fuel and power issues themselves. They said they could get me a new car in two or three days. Of course, they apologized for the inconvenience.”

“Of course,” Mike agreed.

“Anyway, I figured I should get out of your hair and go to a hotel for a few days.”

If that was what William wanted to do, Mike wasn’t going to stop him, but the thought left him feeling a little hollow and definitely disappointed. “You know the hotels aren’t going to have power either. It’s going to be hard to get a room. Everyone who was here is holed up until things get back to normal.”

“Yeah, probably.” William bit his lower lip. “But I can’t impose on you and your family. That’s too much to ask.”

“Please. Carrie likes you, and so does my mother.” Mike felt a little panicked. Once William left, it would be months before he saw him again. “Do you really want to leave?” He knew he sounded a little desperate, but it hurt that William wanted to get away from him after what they’d just done. Maybe this meant more to him than it did to William. Hell, what if he was just a one-night stand, or a night-and-a-day stand.

“Mike, I….” William looked around and then back at him with the same heat they’d shared on the water. “Do you think after last night and today that I can stay here with you and pretend that nothing happened? Your mother is going to see me watching you because I can’t help it. You’ll be sitting nearby, but I won’t be able to touch you. I thought if I could find a hotel that maybe I could have a little distance. That’s all.”

“Well, thankfully there aren’t going to be hotel rooms, so you’ll have to stay with me, unless you want to stay on the boat, but I have a charter tomorrow. They called and are determined to come down.” Plus the money would be sorely needed. “But I think there’s room, so you can come along.”

William shook his head. “Okay. But I should see about getting some clothes and things.”

That was a relief. At least he’d have a few days with William, and he’d have to make the most of that. It would be hard going back to his normal life once William left again. He’d gotten a taste of passion once more, and it was going to be hard letting it go. “You can borrow some of mine, and I can call and see if one of the stores in town will open up for us. They should. Until power is restored, they’re all going to be hurting.”

“How long do you think it will be? I already notified my meeting in Atlanta that I won’t be there, but I need to figure out what else I’ll be missing.”

“It’s possible that power will be on for most of the town in a day or so. The rest of the area will take longer.” Perhaps William would move to a hotel once the power was restored, but Mike hoped he’d stay with him for as long as possible.

“So is everything set for tomorrow?”

“Yes. The boat is sound and the repairs seem pretty good, if I say so myself, so we should be good to go.” Mike didn’t feel the relief he thought he would knowing that some things were getting back to normal. This whole situation was unsettling in the weirdest way possible.

“Good. Then we’ll have to get up early in the morning, and your mother has dinner ready for you I’m sure.” William led the way back toward the house.

“Are you disappointed not to be going to a hotel?” Mike asked.

William stopped. “No, I….” He looked around. “I like it here. It’s peaceful and so quiet. I never have that at home. There’s always light and city noise. Here it’s just the wind and birds.” He chuckled. “Well, last night the wind was a bit much, but it’s glorious now.”

Mike blinked and cocked his head. “You really like it? I thought this would be boring for you. There aren’t a bunch of things to do here.”

William glanced toward the house and stepped closer, lowering his voice. “There’s plenty to do here, and I can think of a certain man who I’d love to do it with. In fact, we did a lot of things last night, and then the things we did on the boat were pretty amazing.”

“These things wouldn’t have anything to do with fishing, would they?” Mike asked playfully.

“Yes.” William leaned closer. “I have a particular fish on my hook that’s more and more interesting by the second.”

The heat in William’s eyes was intoxicating. Everything about him was, and that was the problem. Mike wanted to spend all his time near him. Mike had gone to the boat that afternoon with Carrie and spent most of the time daydreaming about being with William. It was frightening, exciting, and nerve-racking all at the same time. Heat rose, and Mike stifled a groan as Carrie raced toward him.

“Gramma says to come in and eat.”

Mike scooped her up, grateful for the distraction and the chance to clear his head. “Okay. We’ll be right in.”

He set her down, and she took his hand and practically pulled him toward the house. “Gramma says to come now or everything will be cold.”

“I’m coming.” Mike grinned as he followed the light of his life.

Inside, the table was set, and Mike sat at his place while Carrie showed William where he was supposed to sit.

“Daddy took me out in the boat. It was a lot of fun, and he made it go really fast.” She grinned.

“I’m glad you had fun, sweetheart. Tomorrow’s charter has confirmed, so I’ll be out most of the day.”

“Okay. I thought Carrie and I would head into Tallahassee to see what we can find that’s open. We’re going to need groceries and gas if we can get it.” His mother looked tired as Mike helped her dish up dinner and then got her to sit. She did so much. Mike relied on her for a lot of help, and it was times like this that he realized she wasn’t as young as she used to be.

“Let me help,” William offered and helped Carrie put water glasses on the table.

It was dark outside, and with only a single light on in the house, it made for interesting ambiance at dinner. But Mike had been through this before, and a little light was better than none at all.

“This is wonderful, Dolores. You’re an amazing cook.”

“I bet your mom is too.”

William shook his head. “My mother is better at picking out caterers who are good cooks than she is in the kitchen.”

“You don’t get home cooking… at home?” His mom sounded as though that were the scandal of the century.

“Nope. For special occasions my mom hires caterers, and otherwise she…. Well, let’s just say that I learned to use the microwave very young. There’s a fine grocery store that delivers, and Mom orders most meals from them. When we were kids, she had a cook, but she gave that up when we got old enough to fend for ourselves.” William ate the fresh pan-fried grouper and vegetables as though it were the height of cuisine.

“I bet you’ve eaten in some of the finest restaurants.”

William took another bite. “Yes, and none of it compares to this.” He smiled, and Mike grinned as his mother beamed brightly. Complimenting his mother’s cooking was the fastest way into her good graces. “I really appreciate you all opening your home.” William pulled out his wallet and handed his mother some bills. “I won’t take no for an answer. When you go to the store tomorrow, get what you need on me. Please.” He turned to Mike, and the skin under Mike’s collar heated. “It’s the least I can do to show you that I appreciate all your help.” William winked. “And while you’re at it, get something special for this young lady here.”

“Chocolate?” Carrie asked.

“We’ll see,” Mike’s mother said, tapping William’s hand as she shared a smile with Carrie. “Thank you.” She put the money in her pocket, and her glare told Mike he better not say anything. “Now eat up. There’s more.”

William and Mike helped with the cleanup to give his mother a break, and Carrie played at the table. It had been a long, busy day, so after the work was done, everyone got ready for bed. It was going to be a warm night without power, and the heat from the house had yet to dissipate. With the windows open to catch any stray breeze, they went to their rooms. Mike wondered if he’d have a visitor once the house grew quiet, even knowing it wasn’t the best idea.

In the end he fell asleep alone. It was something he was going to have to get used to once William left.