The First Step, page 13
Reed shook his head, then went back to work on Justin’s ass, stopping from time to time to appreciate the tiny red marks he’d left behind. They’d be gone in an hour or so, but the idea that he’d marked Justin’s body as his own made him want Justin that much more.
Finally, when he’d made sure to pay attention to every part of Justin’s cheeks, he massaged Justin’s powerful thighs, making sure to skirt his balls with his fingers, tantalizingly close but never touching them outright.
“Who’s the tease?” Justin shivered and canted his hips in an obvious effort to ensure Reed’s hands found the right spot.
“Happy to claim the title.” Reed traced two fingers over Justin’s hole, then down to brush his sac.
“Much better.”
Reed leaned over and licked where his fingers had been, spreading Justin’s legs wide enough so he could take his balls in his mouth.
“Much, much better.”
Reed continued to work the delicate skin until it puckered and Justin groaned with need. “That’s it. Let me do all the work.” He massaged Justin’s hips and circled Justin’s opening with his tongue.
Justin sighed and shuddered as Reed kneaded his ass again before stopping. “Turn over,” Reed commanded.
Justin rolled onto his back and shoved a few pillows under his head and neck. Reed grinned and shimmied out of his sweats. He’d put them on thinking he’d be headed to bed in a few hours, so he hadn’t bothered with boxers.
“Nice.” Justin started to get off the bed, but Reed shut him down.
“You’re staying put. Remember? This is my gig. You just need to sit back and enjoy the ride.”
“Ride, huh?”
“Double entendres are my forte,” Reed quipped as he pulled his T-shirt over his head and stood naked in front of the bed.
“I’m liking this no-exertion thing even better.”
Reed pumped his already hard cock a few times for Justin’s benefit, then said, “You stay put. Okay?”
“Roger that.” Justin’s eyes twinkled with mischief, but he didn’t move.
Reed walked—slowly—into the bathroom and pulled a bottle of lube and a condom from his toiletry bag. He caught a brief glimpse of his own face in the mirror, his skin flushed and lips slightly swollen. When he walked back in the room, Justin was where he left him.
Without saying anything, Reed tossed the lube and condom onto the bed and swallowed Justin’s cock down to the base. He sucked it playfully, pushing down the foreskin and licking the tip while he used his lips to increase the pressure. Satisfied that Justin was once again hard, he lubed up his fingers and worked his own ass open as he swallowed Justin again.
“Reed… I want….” Justin tried to sit up again, but Reed pushed him gently back down.
Reed released Justin’s cock and wagged his finger at him. “Not this time. Next time, once the doctor says you’re good. For now, you’re going to have to live with me being in charge.” He liked the idea, even though he’d loved having Justin in control at least as much.
Justin fell back onto the bed as Reed positioned himself over Justin’s cock and slowly worked himself all the way open until Justin was seated completely inside of him. “Better?” Reed half moaned.
“Much better.”
Reed leaned over and claimed both of Justin’s nipples, rolling them between his fingers as he began to move up and down. Justin’s trusting, peaceful expression made Reed want to please Justin that much more. He wanted to see Justin’s pleasure, but he also wanted to know this was about more than just lust. With Justin, he wanted something deeper. He wanted the sex to reflect the friendship between them and that something extra he had yet to put a name to.
“Reed.” Justin spoke his name, and a hundred meanings seemed to blossom from that single syllable.
Reed’s emotions warred within him—the fear he’d experienced when he’d learned of Justin’s accident, the relief he’d felt when Justin had regained consciousness, the roller coaster ride of the past few days. Everything seemed to lead to this moment and the realization that this man was more than just a friend, a lover, or the subject of an article.
The word love echoed through Reed’s mind, his heart, and his body as Justin came, shouting Reed’s name and holding Reed’s body tight against his own. It might never be time to share that word with Justin, but the knowledge of it made Reed’s own orgasm more than just physical. For the first time in his life, Reed knew what that word meant.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“WHAT DID you just say?” Justin looked like someone had slapped him in the face.
“I’m riding along with you today for your first transfer,” Reed repeated. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Hell no.” Justin glared at Reed, his face only inches away.
Reed couldn’t blame Justin for being angry, although his reaction was even more over-the-top than he’d expected. Cal had called two hours before to let him know he’d gotten Greg to approve the ride-along, and Reed hadn’t had the stomach to spring this on Justin by phone.
Greg poked his head out of his office. “Is there a problem?”
Justin paled and stepped back from Reed. “I…. No. ’Course not.”
“Good.” Greg looked at Reed and said, “I only okayed this because you know your way around a boat and the seas are calm, but we still do everything by the book. Safety first.” He eyed Reed’s deck shoes and nodded approvingly. “Justin’ll get you a PFD once you’re aboard.”
Personal flotation device. Sailor speak for a lifejacket. Reed knew the term from his sailing school days.
“Thanks again.” Reed waved at Greg as he and Justin walked out of the room.
“A moment of your time, Mr. Barfield?” Justin pointed to one of the staff rooms.
“Of course. And it’s Reed.” He smiled again, but Justin was already halfway down the hallway.
Justin closed the door behind them and stood there a moment, hands in tight fists at his sides, clearly trying to maintain his self-control.
“You’re pissed.” Stating the obvious.
“Pissed? No… I mean, yes.” Justin drew a long breath. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you’d arranged a ride-along? It wasn’t like you and I weren’t… ah… in the same room last night.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked momentarily away.
“I didn’t know last night.” Reed ran a hand through his hair and tried not to let his own irritation take up where Justin’s left off. “I got a call from my editor this morning saying he’d arranged it with Greg.”
“You should have called me.”
“Right. Do you think calling you instead of telling you in person would have gone better?” Reed shook his head. “Justin, I understand you’re uncomfortable about having me on your turf, but I’m just doing my job.”
“This isn’t about your being here.”
“So what’s it about?” Reed countered. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to get up on the bow again and take photos?”
“You are going to take photos, though,” Justin snapped.
“I’ll take them from inside the boat. I’ll open a window.” Reed frowned and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“It isn’t about taking photos.” Justin seemed to have just realized this.
“Okay. If it’s not about that, what is it about?”
“It’s just…. It’s a mistake. It’s… well…. You shouldn’t….”
“I’m not going on the transfer with you, Justin. For shit’s sake, I’m just sitting on the pilot boat watching. I’ve seen the marine forecast. Seas are one to two feet, and there’s not even five knots of wind,” Reed pointed out. “It’s a beautiful day. There’s nothing at all to worry about, is there? Or am I missing something?”
Justin clenched his jaw but didn’t immediately respond.
“Look, I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’m just going to watch from the pilot boat. How’s that dangerous?” Reed’s brain hurt. Even Justin couldn’t be that overprotective, could he? Unless this really doesn’t have anything to do with me and it has everything to do with him.
“It’s not.” Justin had pulled his right hand out of his pocket and was tapping his forefinger against his thigh. He didn’t look as much angry now as nervous.
“Okay.” At least they were getting somewhere. “So this isn’t about us and it isn’t about it being dangerous?”
“It’s neither of those things.” Justin blew air from between tensed lips. “It’s… I don’t know. I guess I just overreacted. Sorry.”
“No worries.” Reed forced a smile. Now didn’t seem to be a good time to bring up Justin’s accident the week before.
THEY WALKED the few blocks to the docks where the pilot boat’s engines were already running. “What ship will you be bringing into port?” Reed asked as they stepped aboard.
“She’s the largest one we serve. The Hanjin Baltimore.”
“Post-Panamax?” Reed had done a little research, and he’d found an article about new cranes installed at the Port of Wilmington to accommodate the larger cargo ships.
A hint of a smile flashed across Justin’s face. “Yep.”
“You don’t realize what a true research nerd I am.” Reed grinned. “Those babies are too big to fit through the Panama Canal. Nearly a thousand feet long.”
“You did your homework.” Justin opened the door to the cabin. “Kerry? Reed’s riding along with us today.”
“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” Reed grinned.
“Pilot boat operator.” She winked. “But you can salute me if you’d like.”
Justin picked up a life vest and handed it to Reed. “Put this on.”
“Thanks. What about you?”
“I’ve got my own.” He lifted a vest off a hook near the doorway and strapped it on.
“Hey!” A man Reed hadn’t seen before poked his head inside the cabin.
“Trent Williams, this is Reed Barfield,” Justin said. “He’ll be observing today.”
“Nice to meet you.” Trent shook Reed’s outstretched hand, then turned to Justin. “How’re you doing, Justin?”
“I’m fine.”
“Glad to hear it. You had us all worried there.” Trent grabbed a PFD and fastened it.
“Thanks.” Justin picked up the backpack he’d dropped on one of the seats and rummaged through it. Reed had the distinct impression Justin was trying to avoid Trent’s gaze.
“Have a seat, Reed.” Kerry tapped the bucket seat to her right, and Reed did as he was told.
Trent released the ropes and they were underway a minute later, headed toward Bald Head Island and the Cape Fear Inlet. Overhead, wisps of clouds stretched across the sky like strands of silk.
The gentle breeze did little to cool the cockpit. Beneath his lifejacket, Reed’s shirt stuck to his skin. Justin, who wore a nice pair of khakis and a button-down shirt, seemed impervious to the heat and humidity. The pilots dressed far better than Reed had expected—not the shorts and T-shirts he’d expected based on his limited experience with commercial fishing operations.
Reed listened to the chatter over the VHF radio, mostly from pleasure boats enjoying the beautiful weather. As they made their way through the inlet, Kerry called out to the container ship to alert them that Justin was on his way.
Reed pulled out his notebook and turned to Justin. “So talk me through the transfer.”
Justin still looked a little nervous, although far less than he’d been at the pilot building. “There’s not much to it. Kerry’ll bring us close. We’ll match the ship’s speed, and I’ll go aboard her.”
“What’s that like, stepping from a moving boat to another moving boat?”
Justin shrugged. “It’s my job.”
“Sometimes it’s a dangerous job.”
Justin shrugged again but refused to bite. Out of the corner of his eye, Reed saw Kerry glance his way. She looked a little nervous too.
“So you help with the transfer?” Reed asked Trent.
Trent nodded. “There’s always a third person aboard to help make sure things go smoothly. That way if things go wrong—”
“Hanjin Baltimore, Hanjin Baltimore, this is Cape Fear Pilot Boat III,” Kerry called over the VHF.
“Hanjin Baltimore,” the ship responded.
“Hanjin Baltimore, let’s go to channel 18A.”
“Channel 18A.”
Justin stood and stretched. “That’s my cue.”
“We’re at the transfer station already?” Reed knew there wasn’t an actual building out here, but he’d expected to see something other than open ocean.
“Yep.” Justin pointed out the right side of the boat.
As focused as he’d been on interviewing Justin, Reed hadn’t even realized they were only a few hundred yards from their target. “Whoa.” The Baltimore was far larger than the ship he’d seen on the Cape Fear River. It took him a moment to realize that the white lines on the side of the ship made up the word Hanjin. Each strip making up the letters was as wide as the pilot boat was long.
Justin smiled knowingly. “Impressive, isn’t she?” His blue eyes glowed with pride.
“That’s an understatement.” Reed pressed his nose against the glass window like a kid watching from the back seat of a car. “What’s she loaded with?”
“Food, parts, furniture… just about anything you can put into one of those shipping containers.”
“Ready?” Kerry asked.
“Yep.” Justin grinned. “See you later.”
Reed nodded. For the first time that day, he realized that he was nervous. He’ll be fine. This is nothing like the other day. Still, the atmosphere felt surprisingly tense. Even Trent glanced around as if trying not to look worried.
Justin checked his PFD and slung his backpack over his shoulders. Then Trent opened the cockpit door and the two men stepped outside. Reed got up and pointed his camera out the open window while Kerry pulled the boat alongside the ship and matched its speed and course. The two vessels were only a few feet apart now, close enough to reach out and grab on to the ladder that the Baltimore’s crew had already lowered.
Justin gave Kerry a thumbs-up, and he and Trent made their way to the foredeck, where there was a break in the fixed chrome railing. For a minute or so Justin stood, his intensely focused gaze trained on the Baltimore and the ladder dangling from its side. Reed made a note to ask Justin later what he was thinking of in that moment. He held his breath as Justin reached for the Jacob’s Ladder.
The entire world seemed to grind to a halt. The sound of the waves and the growl of the container ship’s engines faded away. Justin’s broad shoulders strained as he made contact with the ladder and tightened his purchase on the rope. One foot crossed the divide, then the other, gracefully making contact with the wooden rungs.
The world came flying back to Reed as Justin lifted his hand and waved to Kerry, who eased off the other boat as Trent watched. It took Justin less than a minute to climb the ladder and disappear into the side of the ship. Reed looked down and realized he’d been clutching his camera so tightly, his knuckles were white.
Trent came back inside. “Piece of cake.”
“Whoa.” Reed’s heart beat so hard against his ribs that it hurt.
Kerry laughed. “You can imagine it, but seeing it up close is something else, isn’t it?”
Reed nodded. He couldn’t remember a single question he’d wanted to ask.
The container ship called over the radio to let them know Justin was safe and sound aboard. “That’s it for us.” Kerry turned the boat back toward Southport. As they sailed back into the inlet channel, Trent filled out some paperwork. Kerry reached over and handed Reed a bottle of water.
“Thanks.” He chugged it so quickly, he coughed.
“Justin’s one of the best.” She smiled. “He’s always been a natural. Doesn’t hurt that he’s athletic either. Although some of the other guys aren’t and they do fine.”
“How long’ve you been doing this?” Reed asked, finally able to focus again.
“Almost twenty years. They only time I’ve taken off for more than a few weeks was when my boys were born. My husband captains a tug in Wilmington.” She sighed. “There are times when I think about hangin’ it up, maybe runnin’ one of those fishin’ boats with tourists out on the weekends and sittin’ at the beach the rest of the time.”
“Sounds like it’s been a rough year.”
She shrugged. “I’ve had better.” She lifted a trembling hand off the wheel. “Justin says it’s not my fault, but it’s hard to get past nearly losin’ a pilot.”
Over her shoulder, Trent nodded.
“I know in my heart it wasn’t my fault,” she continued. “But that don’t mean I feel better about it either.”
“Were you there when Scott Carson got hurt?” Reed asked.
“Nah. But I might as well have been. It was like we lost a little piece of ourselves that day. If Justin hadn’t pulled him out…. Nearly got himself killed too.”
That part hadn’t been in the newspaper article. “Justin was the one who rescued him?”
Kerry nodded. “We were short-staffed and he volunteered to fill in as deckhand on the transfer like Trent did today.”
“What happened?” Reed set his notebook down.
“No one’s really sure. Scott doesn’t remember and it was too dark to see well—Justin said he might’a just lost his balance. The waves were nearly ten feet, and gusts were up to thirty knots.” Kerry shook her head. “He fell overboard, got crushed between the pilot boat and the tanker. He’s lucky to be alive.”
“Is there a limit?” Reed asked. “Winds over a certain speed or seas over a certain height where they’ll shut down operations?”
“Gale-force winds. Over thirty-three knots, usually, but even that depends on where the wind’s comin’ from. We’ll suspend operations if the visibility is poor,” she replied.
They passed the first of the channel markers and headed back through the inlet, passing a few fishing boats on the way. Ahead of them, the Bald Head Island Ferry pulled out of the ferry landing and into the channel. Some of the passengers waved. Reed and Kerry waved back.
