Chapter 9

WILLIAM WAS overwhelmed by both Mike and what he’d just told him. Mike was right, of course, and William knew that. A decision had to be made, and he was going to figure it out. But first he had an incredible man he’d waited months to be with here in his bed, and William intended to show Mike just how much he was missed.

“God, it’s been too long,” William whispered and then sucked at Mike’s neck as he ground against him. William needed as much touch as he could get, and he wanted it all at the same time. His head spun with the possibilities and he shook with excitement.

“I missed you too.” Mike held him tightly, and William loved it. Being cared for was hot as hell. What had surprised William from the beginning was how demonstrative Mike was when they were alone. William understood the need for privacy and discretion, but Mike more than made up for it privately. “The house and the boat were lonely with you gone.”

“I kept trying to come see you, but nothing worked out. Every time I thought I’d be able to visit, something would come up at work and my dad would need me.” He hated that he’d stayed away this long. It hadn’t been fair to either of them. Mike had been right: William had been making decisions by not making them. He’d been putting his own happiness on the back burner for whatever his family needed. His nondecisions had in fact been choices he’d made, and they weren’t ones that had added any joy to his life.

Mike added joy. Hell, to him Mike was joy personified.

William laughed as Mike ran his fingers along his side. “Tickling?” William teased as he went for Mike’s sides. They both ended up crumpled together in a heap on the bed, laughing and letting go before Mike kissed him again, and instantly the heat returned, slamming into William like a train going full steam.

“Your laugh is so warm and rich,” Mike groaned as William ran his hands down his back, then cupped Mike’s firm ass. God, he wanted him—he ached to be inside Mike. He didn’t want to rush, but his cock throbbed at the thought.

William rolled Mike on the bed, looking down into his eyes, then parted his legs and used his knees to raise them, asking his question silently as he teased over Mike’s opening, earning a long, deep groan that told William all he needed to know. He’d placed his kit on the bedside table in the hopes that Mike would accept his invitation. William took a few seconds to find the supplies, then prepared Mike to moans and groans that filled the cabin. He hoped to hell no one else on board could hear them, but if they could, he intended the night to sing with Mike’s pleasure. Nothing was more beautiful, and when William breached Mike’s body, sliding into him, he threw his head back, unable to contain his excitement.

Mike gasped and held him close. “I forgot how fucking big you were. There hasn’t been anyone else since you left.”

“Same here.” William had met Mike and that had been it for him.

“Really? I don’t get many chances, but you….” Mike’s words fell off in a groan.

“Of course. I had perfection. Why would I want anyone else?” William held Mike closer, kissing him hard, tasting him as he cupped the back of his head. “There could be no one but you.” He snapped his hips, and Mike’s eyes rolled back in his head. He loved the sight of Mike in his passion, mouth open, eyes wide, a sheen of sweat on his gorgeously tanned skin. He was a man, smelled like one. That in itself was a turn-on. William swore he could stand blindfolded in a room full of men and know Mike by his earthy scent spiced with salt and the scent of the sea. There was nothing better and would never be.

William inhaled deeply, taking all of Mike in as he pressed his hips to Mike’s ass, locking them together, enjoying the grip of Mike around him. “You’re beautiful like this.”

Mike’s chuckle morphed into a moan. “I have never been beautiful, and how can you tell? It’s so dark.”

“I don’t have to see you to know how you look. And you’re a stunning man. You captured my attention the first time I met you, and I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off you since. If you’re in the room, you pull my attention away from everything and everyone.”

“William….”

“It’s true.” He snapped his hips, sending a wash of desire through both of them. He needed this energy. William had missed the ripple of Mike’s muscles under his hands, the heat of him around him, the long, low moan that filled the room when Mike was close to losing it. He loved him but was afraid to say it. They had been apart and likely would be again. He had to hold the words close to him. If he said them, he’d…. It was hard for him to understand himself. It wasn’t as though he didn’t feel it. He was making love to Mike. This wasn’t just sex, and he hoped Mike understood that. This was so much more, and yet when he tried to say the words, they stayed locked in his head where they could be only his for a while longer.

“Oh God….”

“Let go, Mike. I can feel you trying to stay in control, but you don’t have to. Just give it to me.”

Mike quivered under him, and William stroked him hard, taking Mike’s pleasure into his control. “I want… this… to last,” Mike gritted, closing his eyes, lips moving slightly. “Baseball, mother, daughter….”

William chuckled at Mike’s efforts and changed his angle. The moan that resulted stopped the muttering, and Mike’s eyes flew open. Nothing was more beautiful than the slight sheen of sweat on Mike’s skin as the curtain fluttered in the gentle rocking motion of the yacht.

Mike gasped and stiffened, then came in a rush, gripping the bedding, pulling William over the edge right behind him. William collapsed onto Mike, who held him tightly, and he closed his eyes, floating for a while until he slid onto the bed right next to Mike, thanking the stars and everything wonderful that he got to hold Mike one more time.

“Wow,” Mike breathed.

“You aren’t kidding.” Williams head still spun as their lips met in a gentle kiss. All the pent-up desire from months apart had been satisfied for now, and William’s eyes closed on their own as he rested his head on Mike’s shoulder.

HE HADN’T meant to fall asleep, but he jolted awake when Mike moved from under him. “Sorry.” William yawned and stretched to get the kinks out of his neck and back. “What time is it?”

“Almost seven in the morning,” Mike told him softly. “I need to go back to my cabin, and you have to be up in about an hour so we can cast off and start this engine-testing.”

“Yeah.” William caught Mike’s hand and tugged him down. He kissed him to make sure Mike had something to remember once he left the room and watched Mike’s bare ass bounce slightly as he walked. Once Mike closed the door behind him, William stretched out on the bed, which already felt too big.

He wasn’t going back to sleep, so William got up, took a quick shower, and dressed. Then he went out on deck, looking out over the harbor as cruise ships came into port and docked. What a sight, the huge ships gleaming in the sun, maneuvering so gracefully into their places. Smaller boats came and went as people flooded the docks, their voices a cacophony on the breeze.

“I think we’re about ready to set sail, and breakfast will be ready in half an hour,” Antoinette said, taking the place next to him. “I love this time of morning.”

“So do I.” Of course, he had things he needed to do, but not until they were safely out of the harbor. Until then he needed to stay away and let the crew and Mike do their jobs. He really wanted to go up to the bridge and watch the activity, but he’d be in the way, so he stayed where he was, overseeing the process of getting under way.

The engines hummed to life, and Antoinette stepped away to go about her duties.

Carrie soon took her place. “Daddy said to find you.”

William put an arm around her shoulder. “He’s really busy at the moment and will be for a while. We have to make sure the engines are running right.”

“Anna said she’d be able to play games with me after breakfast.”

“Wonderful.” That was a relief. He’d been concerned that Carrie would be bored. “We’ll check out the engines for a few hours, and then we’re going to St. Thomas for a few days. We’ll stay in port there, and you and I can go into town for some shopping. Maybe we can find something you think your daddy will like.”

Carrie’s eyes lit up, then dimmed. “I don’t have any money,” she said quietly.

William had to think about that for a minute. He could easily give her some, but Mike wouldn’t thank him for that. “How about you keep your cabin clean so Anna doesn’t have a lot of extra work, and go through the lounge after breakfast and dust everything. If you do that every day, I’ll be able to pay you for helping when we get to St. Thomas and Antigua. That way you’ll have earned your own money.”

That seemed to please her, and she hurried into the lounge. When William entered, he heard Carrie asking Anna for the supplies so she could dust. Anna caught his eye and smiled before ushering her away to get her what she needed.

William sat in one of the comfortable swivel chairs, watching as boats and the coast of St. Martin passed slowly by outside. He stayed there until Antoinette brought breakfast, and Carrie joined him.

“Are we going to see dolphins?” Carrie asked as they picked up speed.

“Maybe after you’re done eating, you can go up to the bow and look. They’ll swim right alongside the boat, if we find any.”

“Is there anything else?” Antoinette asked.

“Would it be possible to arrange diving lessons while we’re in St. Thomas? I think Mike, Carrie, and I would enjoy it.”

“Of course.” She smiled, and Carrie about jumped out of her seat, she was so excited. “I don’t think we have any lighter-weight equipment, but we can rent some for her if that’s okay. With youngsters, I don’t use full-size tanks. Their weight can hold them down, so I use slightly smaller tanks that weigh less.”

“I’m not too young?” Carrie asked.

“Your dad said you were ten, and that’s old enough. I know of a sheltered cove we can start in. There aren’t any currents, and there’s enough to see that it makes the dive worthwhile. Maybe this evening if your dad and William are okay with it, we can all sit down and go over some of the fundamentals on land before we get in the water.”

“That would be awesome. I’ll speak with Mike when he isn’t working.” William flashed her a smile.

“Thank you,” Carrie said, bouncing a little in her seat.

“You’re both very welcome.” Antoinette left the salon, and William finished his light breakfast. Anna came over to them, and she and Carrie went out onto the stern for their games, so William joined Mike on the bridge.

“How is everything looking?” William stood out of the way as Mike sat in the control chair, maneuvering the yacht with a joystick.

“Really good. Much of the navigation is done by computer, but to get in and out of port, the yacht is controlled like a video game.”

William was about to ask if that was how it was done in the Navy, but kept quiet, unsure if Mike could talk about such things. “Are you getting the hang of things?”

“Yes. I want to spend a little more time with the controls so I can dock the yacht when we reach port, but things are good. The engines are running well and within the parameters you gave me. Philippe has been down to check out the room, and so far there are no issues with seals or oil seepage, so we’re good there.” Based on the grin on his face, Mike appeared to be having fun. “How is Carrie?”

“She’s with Anna, and once we’re docked, I’d like to meet with you and Carrie. Antoinette is going to go over some of the scuba diving basics so that she can give us lessons. Carrie is really excited about it.”

“Me too.” Mike didn’t look away from what he was doing, and William left the bridge so he didn’t disturb him.

He spent the rest of the morning reading and enjoying the passing scenery as Mike learned what he needed to, and since the initial engine checkout was good, they headed to their destination. St. Thomas was just over 120 miles away, which he expected to take between seven and eight hours, and the yacht made good time in the calm seas. The sky was as blue as heaven and the water shimmered with light. The staff served a light lunch, and William made use of the facilities on the yacht, but it wasn’t as much fun with his playmate on the bridge. He hadn’t really thought about just how much of the time Mike would be occupied with his duties. Still, there weren’t plans for them to be traveling at night.

At about four in the afternoon, William felt a drop-off in speed and walked up to the bridge.

“I was just going to send Philippe to come get you,” Mike said as he approached. “We have what appears to be a seal that isn’t holding. It’s leaking some oil, so we’ve slowed down and that seems to have helped. But it’s going to delay us reaching port by a couple hours.”

“All right.” William turned to Philippe. “Show me what you’re seeing, and I’ll get word to my father. We’ll have what we need flown in, and the head office can contact a representative on the island to make the repairs.” He moved toward the engine room as he spoke, with Philippe following. One of the seals was indeed seeping oil, and it had been worse at one point.

“I cleaned up what I could. Now that the pressure is down, the seal is holding much better, so we need to keep to this speed at the moment.”

“It’s all right. Better we know now than when the yacht is farther away from land.” At this point they were within thirty miles of their destination, and while things weren’t ideal, they were moving and would get where they needed to eventually. “Keep an eye on things here and report if you see anything else.” He wasn’t happy that there was this issue, but that’s why he was here. William returned to the bridge, most likely to confirm what Mike already knew.

“We’ll be okay. We’re two hours out now, and I made the port aware of our issue. Coast Guard is on standby if we need them, but unless something else goes south, we’ll limp in just fine. Engine temperature is steady, and the oil pressure is holding at the moment.”

“There isn’t additional leakage, so I think the seal is holding for now.” William got on the satellite system and made the call to his father.

“How are things running?” his father asked as soon as he realized it was William.

“The seals are bad. We’re leaking oil at top speed. We’re running at half-full at the moment and we’re holding, but I need new parts shipped immediately and by the fastest method possible. Also, we need to find someone in St. Thomas who can do the repairs.”

“I have someone and I’ll give him a call right away. The parts will go out tomorrow. It’s too late to ship them tonight, but I’ll have it ready so it can go out first thing. Just let me know where to ship it. How long do you think you’ll be in port?”

“The plan was two days, but we’ll end up staying at least three now to make sure the repairs are made, and we’ll need to test them before we leave.”

“Then let me get on it, and I’ll call and let you know the details.”

“Thanks for the help, Dad.”

“Are you all right? Do I need to call in the big guns?”

Who knew what favors his father was prepared to call in, but William suspected he could have any number of yachts headed their way with a few phone calls. After all these years in the business, his father knew everyone.

“We’re fine. The sea is smooth as glass and the weather is delightful. We’ll make port in two hours or less. It will be near sunset, but still light enough to dock. Though we’re cutting it close with the harbor pilot, we’ve been in contact and they’ve said they’d wait.”

“Great. I worry, you know.”

“We’re good, and I’ll let you know as soon as we’re in cell phone range.” William ended the call and returned to where Mike was at the controls.

“I bumped up our speed slightly.” The internal comms buzzed and Mike answered it. “Wonderful. We’ll remain at this speed. Thanks.” Mike hung up and smiled. “It seems we’re able to go a little faster, but I’m not going to push it any further. Everything else seems fine.”

William nodded, knowing that every minute they were getting a little closer to their destination. The last thing he wanted was for the engine to fail and them to be stranded until someone could tow them into port. Winston wouldn’t be pleased, and that would certainly get back through channels to their competition and to other owners.

Land appeared on the horizon and drew closer all the time. The port markers appeared, and Mike pulled the yacht to a near stop as the harbor pilot’s boat drew up alongside and he transferred onto the Vargo.

“We were becoming concerned,” he said as he and Mike talked, and then the harbor pilot guided Mike through the docking process until they were in their berth and tied off. Only then did William breathe a sigh of relief. Connections were made to hook them to shore power, and Mike shut down the engines.

William hadn’t noticed how much tension he’d been holding until he could let it go.

“Do you always get wound that tight?” Mike asked as he came up beside him.

“I didn’t realize I was until now.” God, he hated feeling nervous, but he had a multimillion-dollar yacht he was responsible for, and being stranded at sea was not a prospect he’d wanted to deal with.

“I was confident we were going to be fine. The engines performed well, and the seal wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We’re here and safe and no real harm done.”

“Yeah.” As William looked back, he realized he’d probably been pacing from one end of the yacht to the other, driving everyone crazy. “The parts are on their way, and Dad is going to get someone who can replace the seals, and we should be good. Just a few days in an amazing port.” He really needed a chance to relax and spend some time in the water.

“Mr. William, dinner will be ready in an hour if that’s okay.”

“Perfect. Tell Rodrigo to serve the way he did last night.”

Antoinette’s eyebrows rose. “I thought that was just last night to get…. I’m sorry. Of course, I’ll tell him.” Her surprise shifted to a smile.

“I know it isn’t what you’re used to, but you’ve all been so helpful already. So please join us.”

She smiled and nodded, leaving the bridge.

“I should go and see what Carrie is doing. I’ve been busy, and this was supposed to be a vacation for her,” Mike said with a sigh.

“She’s been having fun, and Antoinette has taken some of our delay to meet with her to help prepare Carrie for her first dive. So I suspect your daughter is bouncing off the walls about now. She’s a pretty amazing girl.”

“You’re pretty amazing. I can’t believe she and I are here, and I get to navigate this bad girl. Let me tell you, with the engines wide open, this yacht moves, and it’s totally awesome.” Mike sounded like a kid in a candy store. He grinned and leaned in, kissing him hard. “You know I’d love to take a nap or something for a while.” Mike winked. “But I have things to see to.”

“I understand.” William held Mike for a few seconds. “It’s a little strange having you here, so close all the time and not being able to kiss you when I want.”

Mike stroked his cheek. “I’ll see you tonight.”

William nodded excitedly, and Mike hurried away.

DINNER THAT evening was great, and afterward Antoinette talked through some of the basics of diving, including how to breathe and what they could expect. She also showed them how to operate all the equipment and let them get the feel for having the tanks strapped to their backs. It was exciting, and William had spent enough time on top of the water that he was really psyched to get a glimpse below the surface.

After the demonstration, Mike took Carrie down to her cabin to put her to bed, and William went up on deck to sit, looking up at the hills dotted with lights that sparkled as the trees moved in the wind.

“She’s sound asleep,” Mike told him a while later. “We talked, and she told me about everything she’d seen, and by the time she was done, she was excited out and that was it.”

“I’m glad she’s having a good time.” William turned when Mike took a seat on the other deck chair. “I thought that after breakfast we could go into town to shop and look around. I gave Carrie a few chores to do, and I have her payment for her. I figured it would be okay if she earned a little extra so she could have some money of her own. I hope you don’t mind. There are some nice stores here.”

“That was very thoughtful of you.” Mike reached over to take his hand. “Sometimes you amaze me. A lot of the people I charter for are nice, but some are very demanding and don’t even look at Bubba and me as other people. You never did that.”

“My grandfather, Dad’s dad, was a huge influence. After Grandma died and Dad was in the process of taking over the business, he and I used to spend some time together, and if I got out of line, he always told me that manners and thoughtfulness don’t cost anything, but they can bring you more benefits than anything you can buy. And he was right. It doesn’t cost anything to be nice, and once you are, people are nice in return.” William leaned across the small space between the chairs to share a kiss. It was nice, the quiet, just the two of them. The next two weeks were going to be amazing.

“Rodrigo sent these up for you,” Antoinette said as she placed a tray on the table next to them. She must have noticed Mike pull his hand back. “It’s all right. Discretion is part of the job.” She left, and Mike took his hand once again.

“These are good people.”

“And I suppose including them in dinner and other things was your way of helping to earn their loyalty.”

“In part. We’re guests here, and they have the ability to make our time here enjoyable or a trial. Obviously we’re going for enjoyable, and judging by the cookies that just appeared, I’d say they are as well.” William reached for the plate and handed it over to Mike.

“This is the life.”

“And for the most part, it’s ours for the next two weeks.” William could already feel the stress flowing away in the breeze, and when Mike interlaced their fingers together and brought the back of his hand to his lips, the rest of the world fell away.