Treasure of Love Read online

  “Jack!” Dax called.

  “Bridge,” Jack responded.

  “Can you move ten degrees to port? I think I see something, but it’s on the edge of the sonar reading.” Jack couldn’t help but notice the excitement in Dax’s voice. He sounded like a little boy at Christmas, and the thought of Dax in his little footy pajamas on Christmas morning made him smile.

  “Yep, give me a minute.” Jack hit the port thrusters, and the Lindsey C began to slowly move to starboard, inch by inch.

  “Perfect, stop!” Dax shouted. “What’s our depth?”

  Jack glanced at the depth finder as he released the thrusters, and the boat slowly stopped its sideward motion.

  “Thirty-three and a half feet,” he shouted into the radio.

  “Great! Drop the hook,” Dax shrieked. “We’re going to launch the ROV to get a better look.”

  “Got it,” Jack responded.

  Jack hit his anchor release button and did his best again to stabilize the vessel as the anchor slowly descended into the cold, blue-gray waters of the Lynn Canal.

  With the anchor set, Jack was shutting down the engines when the door to the bridge flew open, and he saw Dax grinning from ear to ear. Dax closed the door behind him and walked across the bridge and stopped right in front of Jack. Jack looked into Dax’s gleaming, hazel eyes and held his gaze. They stood toe to toe, eyes locked in a sensual stare.

  “My gut tells me we have something,” Dax said, his eyes never looking away from Jack’s.

  “Really?” Jack whispered.

  “Yeah,” Dax responded in a sultry voice. “But I need to launch Hunter II to get a better look. If we see what I think we’ll see, we’ll make the first dive of the expedition.”

  “Hunter II?” Jack asked.

  Dax lifted his arms and put them on Jack’s shoulders. “Yeah, the ROV.”

  Never breaking eye contact, he leaned in and gently kissed Jack on the lips. When Jack didn’t pull away, Dax went in for a deeper kiss. Jack hesitantly leaned into the kiss, and Dax ran one of his hands through Jack’s shoulder-length blond hair and rested it on the back of his neck. Dax pressed his tongue against Jack’s closed lips, seeking entry, and Jack willingly opened to the request. Jack closed his eyes and went with the moment as their tongues softly tangoed to the rhythm of their hearts beating. Dax moved his other hand from Jack’s shoulder and softly stroked his muscled back as he further explored the inside of Jack’s warm and inviting mouth. Jack, not wanting Dax to move, finally raised his arms to Dax’s waist and slipped them behind his back and held him close. Jack was really getting into the moment when the bridge door flew open yet again, and Mac and Brad stepped onto the bridge. Visibly shaken, Jack broke the kiss, let his hands fall to his side, and stepped away from Dax.

  “Oops,” Brad said, smiling warmly. “Don’t let us stop you.”

  “Stop what?” Jack said nervously. “Dax was just telling me that we need to launch the ROV and do a reconnaissance dive.”

  “Boy, that was some conversation,” Mac said.

  “Very funny,” Jack shot back.

  Dax, up to this point, had stood motionless and had been very silent. He smiled as Brad and Mac eyed him closely then eyed Jack in the same manner.

  “Tell them what you found, Dax,” Jack said to try and change the subject.

  “Give me a minute to get Dona up here so everyone can hear at the same time.”

  He radioed for Dona, and when she reached the bridge, he filled them all in on what he’d found. Everyone was given a job, and they all went in their own directions. Suddenly it was Dax and Jack on the bridge, alone again. Jack looked at Dax and blushed as he looked down at his instruments—anywhere but at Dax.

  “I’m over here,” Dax said.

  “I know where you are,” Jack said.

  “Then look at me.”

  Dax took Jack’s hands in his and looked into those gorgeous, blue eyes.

  “Do you want me, Jack?” Dax asked.

  “No… yes… I don’t know,” Jack responded as he slipped his hands out of Dax’s and turned away.

  Dax looked crushed, but he smiled and whispered, “Okay, Jack, I’ll back off.”

  He turned and took a step toward the door. Jack panicked and grabbed him by the arm to stop him. Dax stopped momentarily and waited. Jack tried to speak, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and tried again.

  “Dax, please,” was all he could say.

  Dax looked back and met Jack’s pleading stare. “I’ve let you know on more than one occasion that I’m interested. Now the ball’s in your court,” he said as he left the bridge.

  Jack collapsed into his captain’s seat and put his head in his hands. He rubbed his face and eyes and laid his head back and thought, What in the hell is happening to me?

  DONA, Brad, and Mac were preparing the Hunter II when Dax made his way up on deck.

  “Everything okay?” Mac asked as he continued to prepare the submersible.

  “Fine as frog’s hair,” Dax said sarcastically.

  “I mean between you and Jack,” Mac continued.

  “I know what you mean,” Dax said. “I don’t know, he’s really confused and doesn’t know what he wants. I won’t push. He’s got to make the next move.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Mac said as he laid his hand on Dax’s shoulder.

  “I appreciate that, Mac, but don’t press him. This is not just about sex or a relationship with another guy, it’s about his entire life. Can you imagine believing all of your life that you were one thing and then suddenly realizing that you were something else?” Dax asked.

  “Actually, I can,” Mac said. “I was very happily married to Jack’s sister Lindsey when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.”

  Dona stopped what she was doing and looked up with a puzzled expression on her face.

  “When she died, I focused all my attention on our daughter Zoe-Grace, but when Zoe went away to college, I realized just how truly alone and lost I really was. For the next few years, I simply went through the motions of living, until Brad walked back into my life. I’d met Brad and his partner Jeff years before, when I would fly them up to Hiline Lake for vacation a couple times a year. After Jeff died of cancer, Brad was trying to escape and came up to the lake, and we reconnected. It started out with me helping Brad through something I had already been through, and over a year’s time, it turned into something way more than friendship. I struggled a little at first, but realized that life was too short for labels. Lindsey would always say, ‘Love has no boundaries,’ and boy was she ever right.”

  Mac looked at Brad and said, “And… I’ve never looked back.”

  Dona and Dax looked at each other, and you could have heard a pin drop.

  “Wow,” Dona said. “I had no idea. What a story.”

  “Isn’t it?” Brad said. “And the funniest part of the story, which Mac conveniently left out, was that Jack was furious with us. He couldn’t believe how Mac could be straight one minute and gay the next. It took him quite a while to get used to the idea, but he eventually came around.”

  Dax smiled. “Really?” he asked.

  “Yep, but we always thought Jack might be gay, he was so homophobic back then,” Brad said.

  Dona slapped the side of the Hunter II and said, “I think he’s good to go.”

  Just then Jack walked out on deck, looking a little weary.

  “Would you like to use the dinghy winch to lower the Hunter II over the side?” he asked.

  “That’s a great idea,” Dona replied.

  Brad and Mac carried the submersible to the bow of the boat. Jack unhooked the dinghy from the winch cable and secured it to the ROV. The winch lifted the Hunter II off of the deck and the large arm swung it out over the side. Dona held on to the cable that would secure it to the boat until it made its descent. As the ROV hung out over the side of the boat, Dax went down to home base and flipped on three computer monitors, one for each camera, to make sure all th
e equipment was working properly. He moved the controls for the arms and then the controls for the cameras. His hand froze when he saw Jack on one of the monitors. The lens was positioned fully on Jack as he stood with his back to the camera. This was the first time he could really study Jack without Jack’s knowledge, and he liked what he saw. The man’s broad shoulders formed a perfect v-shape down to his small waist and well-rounded butt. He was built—not over-built but truly gorgeous. It was more than his looks, though; it was the way in which he carried himself. Just standing there, not really moving, he commanded attention. Dax’s dick started to fill, and he actually felt himself blushing. He focused the other two cameras on Jack and continued watching the man on three computer monitors as he chatted with Mac. Dax was getting harder with every second, and his dick was begging to be released from the confines of his tight blue jeans. He kept taking peeks at the door as if he thought someone might come in, but other than that, he never took his eyes off of Jack.

  I am so going to hate myself if I do this, Dax thought as he unbuttoned his jeans, slid the metal zipper down, reached inside his boxer briefs, and took his dick in his hand. He stared at the computer screen, unblinking, as he rubbed his hand over his cock. He had never done anything like this in front of a computer screen, and it really felt weird, like a voyeur, but he couldn’t stop himself. Droplets of pearly white precum were leaking from the head of his dick, and Dax used his thumb to smear it around his blood-filled bulb. “You’re a gorgeous son of a bitch, you know that?” he whispered to the computer screen, as if he were talking directly to Jack. He started to stroke his dick slowly at first, then something overtook him, and he suddenly felt a strong sense of urgency that he’d never experienced with sex before. He moved his hand feverishly over his dick, licking his lips at the size of Jack’s broad shoulders and perfectly rounded ass. Eyes still on his video lover, Dax continued to stroke his rock-hard dick, and he was getting very close. Then suddenly, as if Jack knew exactly what Dax was doing, he looked directly at the camera and shyly licked his lips. That very move sent Dax over the edge, and he came harder than he could ever remember. He milked his dick until every last drop was expelled, never taking his eyes off of the man that made his knees weak.

  Dax heard Dona’s voice come over the radio.

  “Dax, what are you doing down there? Is all the equipment working properly?”

  Dax, with his dick still hanging out and his jeans soiled with cum, picked up the radio and said, “Roger that, everything is in perfect working condition.” He smiled as he looked down at his dick. Good working condition, all right. “I’ll be right up for the launch,” he chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” Dona asked.

  “Oh, nothing, I’ll be up after a quick stop in the head.”

  Dax quickly zipped up his jeans and ran to his cabin. He took his soiled jeans and underwear off and quickly slipped on a clean pair of jeans, not bothering to put on underwear, and quickly joined the rest of the crew topside.

  Dax could see Jack watching him oddly as he strolled across the deck toward Dona, and he felt himself blushing again. When their eyes met, Jack’s lips broke into a demure smile, and Dax sensed that somehow Jack knew exactly what he’d been doing down below.

  Dax broke the eye contact between him and Jack and turned his attention to Dona and the ROV. “Let’s get this baby in the water,” he said.

  WITH Jack now at the winch controls on the bridge, Dona guided him via the radio as he slowly lowered the submersible into the water, while she fed the cabling that tethered the vessel to the boat. As the Hunter II floated lazily on the surface, Dax again went down below to make sure they were getting a good feed from the cameras and could begin the submersible’s descent. Dona detached the tether, and the little submersible started its wireless descent. When the others could no longer see the ROV, they joined Dax below deck.

  “The underwater visibility is great today,” Dax said as he guided the ROV to the proper coordinates using the handheld control panel. Everyone was excited and focusing their attention on the computer screens, including Jack. He was standing right behind Dax’s chair and, without realizing it, he rested both hands on Dax’s shoulders. Surprised, Dax looked up at him and smiled. When Jack realized what he’d done, he fought the urge to quickly yank his hands back, not wanting to offend Dax; he allowed his hands to rest there until he could think of a reason to casually remove them.

  Forgetting about the computer screen in front of him, Jack stared at his hands resting on Dax’s shoulders. Suddenly, he felt like he was free-falling. How could a simple touch make a person feel so lightheaded and strange? He felt like there was an energy being passed through him and Dax, and he wondered if Dax felt it as well. He didn’t have to wonder long, because within seconds, controlling the ROV with his right hand, Dax raised his left hand across his chest, rested it on top of Jack’s, and squeezed. The two men stayed that way while the Hunter II continued its descent. With Jack’s hands on him, Dax found it very hard to concentrate on the task at hand, but he knew he had to snap out of it and get the job done or Dona would give him a great deal of grief.

  Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, Brad turned his head in Jack’s direction. What he saw put a huge smile on his face. He elbowed Mac. “What?” Mac whispered, but didn’t break eye contact with the computer screen. Brad elbowed him again. Seemingly annoyed with the interruption, Mac turned to see what was so important. Their eyes met and Brad nodded in Jack’s direction. When Mac saw what was happening, a huge grin spread across his face as well. He looked back at Brad, and they both turned their attention back to Jack.

  Jack must have sensed them staring and slowly turned his head. He looked at Mac, then at Brad, and instantly felt the blush consume his entire face. He again had to fight the urge to withdraw his hands and break contact with Dax’s body. Jack stood there, frozen in time, and then it hit him like a ton of bricks. The more power I give them, the more they are going to torture me. I’ll never live this down, so why not go for it. They’re not going to intimidate me. He felt the initial blush and embarrassment start to subside, and then he was just plain pissed.

  I’ll dare them. If they want a show, by God, that’s what they’ll get. It wasn’t that long ago that they were in the same situation. Let the show begin.

  Jack defiantly glared at Brad and Mac. He started to softly massage Dax’s shoulders and neck. At the sudden sensation, Dax looked up in surprise. When he did, Jack leaned over and placed a long, wet kiss right on Dax’s lips. Stunned, Dax leaned into the kiss. When Jack was through kissing Dax, he looked over at Brad and Mac and smirked. He kissed the top of Dax’s head, never breaking eye contact with Brad and Mac. “Anything else I can do for you, boys?” he asked.

  Dona was concentrating on the computer images and seemed to be oblivious to the entire episode. She looked up, a confused expression on her face. “What did I miss?”

  Jack angrily stared at Brad and Mac and said, “What did she miss, gentlemen?”

  Mac and Brad looked at each other. “Oh nothing,” Mac said. “We’re just having a little fun.”

  “At my expense,” Jack added.

  He turned his attention back to Dax and continued to massage his neck as he watched the computer screen.

  Dax guided the ROV toward its destination, and tried to remember everything he’d read about the Anna Wyoming. He pictured every image over and over in his mind and started whispering to himself. “One-hundred-and-fifty-one feet in length, built in 1871 at a Camden, New Jersey shipyard on the Delaware River. Very innovative for her time, she was one of the first vessels constructed from iron. She had two modes of propulsion, a three-masted schooner sailing rig, and a state-of-the-art steeple compound engine. She had a draft of nine feet and could sustain a speed of eight knots.” Dax knew that remembering the ship’s physical attributes could possibly help him identify a portion of the ship if it had broken into pieces during its demise, or simply rested intact on her port or star
board sides. If the mast and stack were still intact, it would be very easy to identify her just by knowing what to look for.

  Dax checked the submersible’s course, depth, and location and knew it was nearing the chartered coordinates. He released Jack’s hand and placed both hands on the control panel.

  After squeezing both shoulders twice, as if to signal the end of the massage, Jack removed his hands from Dax’s shoulders and stepped back. Jack was surprised at the overwhelming need to touch Dax again, but he resisted the urge and held his ground. He knew Dax would need to concentrate and use both hands to maneuver the submersible in and around the area, in addition to using all three cameras and the two extension arms.

  Observing Dax in his element gave Jack a whole new perspective of the man he was getting to know. He worked the controls of the submersible like he was the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. His touch was very subtle, and the Hunter II responded like a loyal golden retriever. As the ROV fought the swift currents and dove deeper toward the bottom, Dax switched on the bright headlights, and within minutes, the ocean floor came into view. Dax and the ROV investigated every mound of coral, every hill of silt, and anything that even resembled a protrusion from the canal floor. During the next few hours, Dona studied charts and kept Dax company while the others came and went as activities demanded. Occasionally Dona would take over for Dax while he stretched his legs and took a bathroom break, but they had done this drill many times before and were very comfortable alternating positions. With only an hour of daylight left, Brad and Mac went to the galley to start preparing dinner, and Jack went up to the bridge to check on equipment and check the weather forecast for that night and the next day. Dax was just about to give up for the day when he saw what he thought could be a propeller shaft jutting out from a large mound on the canal floor.