Page 26 of Deep Waters

“You’re right,” Dominic said. “Harry is a lovely guy. I think you should go for it. Whateveritis?”

“We’ll see.”

“Why not? What’s the problem?”

Christian took solace in the wine before answering, “I feel like I’m old enough to be his father.”

They both laughed. “Hardly. He’s not a boy, you know. There’s maybe ten, twelve years between you. Besides, Harry is an old soul. He has been for as long as I’ve known him. When other guys his age were out partying and getting drunk, he used to go home early so he could take the boat out in the morning.”

“Anyway, I reckon once you’re over twenty-five there’s no such thing as an age gap,” Arnie said. “Don’t let something so trivial put you off.”

“Guys, stop. I only met the poor bloke yesterday. We barely know each other. Let’s just figure this out for ourselves, eh?” Christian took another gulp of wine, masking his emotions. The truth was, he couldn’t wait to see Harry again in the morning.

He just wasn’t ready to admit it.

Not yet.

Chapter Nine

Harry was waiting on the deck ofThe North Starby seven-thirty the next morning. He had a feeling Christian would be early and wanted to be ready for him. Was it really a hunch or just wishful thinking on his part? Though he’d slept well enough last night, his dreams had been filled with the charismatic journalist. He couldn’t remember many of the details when he shook himself awake, other than a few lingering images, but he’d got out of bed feeling hornier than he had been in months.

The fuzzy passion of his dreams lingered, and he couldn’t wait to see Christian again. He glanced along the harbour with breathless anticipation.

Christian appeared at ten-to-eight. The morning had dawned unseasonably warm, and he carried his jacket over his arm. He wore jeans and a light-grey sweater, which skimmed the perfect shape of his chest and torso. Harry’s pulse quickened as he approached the edge of the dock.

This is escalating fast. Harry had found Christian mildly attractive on Monday. Now, a few hot dreams later, he was the sexiest man he’d ever seen.

“Morning,” he beamed. “Take care coming down that ladder. It’s slippery.”

Christian flung his legs over the edge of the quay and scuttled down to the boat, giving Harry a nice view of his juicy butt. “Morning to you, too.”

Harry passed him a cup of takeaway coffee and a paper bag. “I didn’t know if you’d have had time for breakfast, so I got you a bacon roll.”

Christian’s smile brightened further. “Thanks very much. As it happens, I haven’t. I had one too many drinks with Dominic and Arnie last night, and I felt a little fragile when I first got up. I couldn’t face food straight away.”

“Oh. Are you okay to go to sea? We can hold off a couple of hours if you need time to pull yourself together.”

“I’m fine. It was just a heavy head—nothing a couple of painkillers couldn’t fix.” He took the lid off the coffee cup and sipped. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“All part of the service.” Harry watched with delight as Christian tore into the paper wrapper and took a bite of the sandwich. He liked guys with good appetites. He’d once dated a man who had been obsessed with his gym routine and the nutritional value of everything he ate and drank—a real pain in the arse whenever they went out together. It was good to see Christian eat with such obvious pleasure. “I picked up a couple of salad boxes for lunch, too. The weather looks set to hold, so we can stay out for as long as you’d like today—even make up some of the time we lost on Monday.”

Christian looked beyond Harry, into the cabin. He swallowed and said, “Are we waiting for Tom? Or is he down below?”

Harry shook his head. “He’s not coming. He texted late last night to say he had childcare problems. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine without him. I usually bring him along to deal with my clients, but seeing as it’s just you today, I’m sure I can manage.”

He caught the sparkle in Christian’s eyes, the upward turn of a smile on his wide lips. “I’m sure you can. You’ve already got off to a good start.”

Their eyes lingered a moment before Harry untied one of the mooring ropes. “Your lifejacket’s in the cabin there. Slip it on, and we’ll get going.”

Christian brushed past him, his chest grazing Harry’s shoulder. The contact had to be deliberate. It sent a thrill right through him.

“Yes, captain. I’ll put myself in your capable hands.”

Harry couldn’t keep the grin from his face as he undid the ropes and returned to the cabin. Christian fastened the straps of the lifejacket around him, and Harry started the engine.

“Is there anything you’d especially like to see?” He edged the vessel out into the river and turned her around to face the harbour exit. Most of the fishing boats were already out, and he had a clear run towards the piers.

“How about heading in the opposite direction to the other day?”

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