Treasure of Love (18 page)

“I know,” Dax said as he smiled up at Jack.

Jack had been prepared this time. He’d placed the condoms and lube near the bed, and now reached over and grabbed them and laid them on the bed. He slowly repositioned Dax’s legs, placing Dax’s feet against his chest. Softly, he kissed Dax’s toes. He lubricated his fingers and slowly approached his hole and began to massage his pucker.

Dax tensed as he felt Jack’s finger touch him. He took a deep breath and tried relaxed his inner muscles as Jack gently probed his hole with his finger. Jack took his time, caringly massaging and probing to get Dax used to the feeling and to make sure he was relaxed enough to accept him.

“Are you ready?” Jack asked.

“Yes,” flowed eagerly from Dax’s mouth.

Slowly, Jack positioned his dick against Dax and pushed into him. Dax gasped when he felt Jack’s girth. Jack was still for a few minutes, to allow Dax to adjust to the invasion. Slowly, Jack started moving until his dick disappeared into Dax’s accepting asshole. Dax swallowed hard and took deep breaths as the pain turned to pleasure, and he relaxed into the ride. When Jack saw the shift take place, he began to move in and out of Dax, increasing the pace as he went.

“You feel so good,” Jack whispered.

Dax’s cock seemed to get harder every time Jack thrust fully into him. Dax took both of his legs and wrapped them around Jack’s torso. With this maneuver, Jack moved his body closer to Dax’s, and he felt his cock penetrating deeper into him. Through hot breath, Jack drove his tongue into Dax’s mouth. Dax closed his eyes, and Jack couldn’t believe how much he yearned for this man.

Jack spread some lube on Dax’s dick and began to slide his hand up and down over the head, down the shaft, to the base, and back up again. Dax was so hard, Jack feared he would burst with pleasure any minute. Jack felt his balls begin to tighten and knew he was about to cum. He started to pick up speed and willed his hand to match his pace, stroke for stroke, as he jerked Dax off.

Within seconds, Jack and Dax simultaneously shot their loads: Dax over his washboard stomach, onto his large, cut chest, and finally stopping at his chin, Jack filling Dax’s warm, inviting ass. Out of breath, and exhausted from the intense lovemaking, Jack collapsed on top of Dax, and they lay there in silence.

They had just gone to a place never imagined, and there was no reason to believe that they would ever turn back. Jack finally broke the silence.

“Dax?”

“Yeah, Captain.”

“I think that was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

“Ya think?” Dax asked.

“Let me rephrase that, I know that was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

“That’s better,” Dax said, as he shifted a little under Jack and deposited him at his side. Jack relaxed his head on Dax’s chest as Dax wrapped his arm around him and held him tightly. Jack gently caressed Dax’s chest and teased his nipples.

Eventually, they hit the head and cleaned up before they climbed back into bed. They lay there spooning, with Dax’s back tucked against Jack’s chest and Jack’s protective arms surrounding him, where Dax thought he could stay forever.

E
VERYONE
was awakened by beating on their doors and Dona yelling, “Rise and shine, you sleepyheads. It’s going to be a great day!”

“I guess her hangover is all better,” Dax said as he nuzzled his head into Jack’s neck. “I don’t want to get up, Jack. Make her stop.”

Jack looked at the clock and saw it was 4:35. He looked out the porthole, and the sun was just starting to rise. According to last night’s weather report, the high for the day was going to be about sixty-eight, but he was very sure it was much colder than that right now.

He lay back down and snuggled in against Dax’s back and pushed as close as he could get. “We need to get her a girlfriend,” Jack whispered. “That might keep her in bed a little later.”

“Don’t count on it. When we’re working, she’s relentless,” Dax confessed.

They heard banging again on the door. “I hear you talking so I know you’re up. Don’t make me come in there.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Jack yelled.

The door instantly flew open, and Dona leaped into the bed and said, “Oh, I wouldn’t, huh?”

Dax started laughing and yelled, “Get out, you pushy lesbian!”

“Who are you calling pushy?” she asked as she rolled on top of Dax and tried to wiggle in between him and Jack.

“Come on, boys, get up,” she whined. “We’ve got a lot to do before the first dive, and I’m starving.”

“Then go start breakfast, and I’ll be out to help you in a second,” Dax pleaded.

“No need,” Mac said as he poked his head into the little cabin. “I’m on it.”

“Oh great,” Jack chimed in. “You might as well join the party.”

“No thanks, I’ll pass, but thanks for the offer.” Just then, Brad joined him at the door and peered in at the sight of the three of them in bed.

“Kinky,” he said. “Jack, you never cease to amaze me.”

“Get out!” Jack yelled as he threw his pillow at the door.

“Okay, okay, we’re going,” Mac said as he dragged Brad by the hand in the direction of the galley.

Dona got out of the bed and said, “Seriously, you guys, we have a lot to do. Get up, please.”

“I know one thing,” Jack said. “From now on, we never, ever go to bed without locking our door.”

“Amen to that,” Dax said.

“You just go right ahead and do that,” Dona said as she stormed out of the door and slammed it behind her.

“Is she always this cheerful in the morning?” Jack asked.

“Nope, sometimes she’s very grumpy,” Dax said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He forced himself to stand. “I’ll grab a quick shower, you want to join me?” he asked.

“The short answer is yes,” Jack said. “But haven’t we been over this? The two of us can’t fit in my shower.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Dax said. “But you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

Jack looked at Dax with a loving expression. “I hope you never stop trying.”

“I won’t,” Dax said, and he added a wink. “See you in a few.”

Jack laid his head back down on the pillow, raised his hands, and linked his fingers behind his head. He crossed his ankles under the sheet and looked up at the ceiling. Suddenly, he had this urge to smile. He mused about how his life had changed since he’d met Dax. From dull, boring, and lonely to hot, happy, and exciting, all in less than a month. His life finally had meaning, and he had someone to care for and protect. In that very moment he knew that this was what he’d been waiting for all of his life. “Thank you, Dax,” he whispered.

A
S
J
ACK
waited for his turn to shower, he went over the game plan in his head. For the next couple of days, Dax and Dona would be diving alone. The first day they would identify and mark the hull where the explosives were to be attached, and the next day they would secure the explosives on the previously marked locations and ready them for detonation.

Still thinking about the mission, Jack rolled over onto his side and faced the head door, waiting for his next glimpse of Dax. He really wanted to make the dives with Dax, but he knew that Dax and Dona had done this drill so many times that they would be quicker and more thorough working together. In addition, Jack had recalled Dax saying that they had to follow the ship’s plans very closely, because if they accidentally placed an explosive on one of the main structural supports, and that compartment wasn’t already flooded, the combination of the explosives and the underwater pressure could collapse the hull, leaving that portion of the interior permanently inaccessible.

Dona had warned them that they would be using more powerful underwater explosives this go-round, and that safety was of the utmost importance. She explained that once the explosives were set, she and Dax would surface and the
Lindsey C
would be moved to a safe distance. The explosives would then be detonated from the surface using electronic detonation technology, or EDT. They would blow enough holes along both sides of the hull for clear access and maneuverability, but the most difficult and dangerous part of the expedition would be to navigate within the bowels of the ship. They had all reviewed the ship’s plans and realized that the commercial ship interiors built during that time period were quite small, and navigating that environment with their cumbersome diving gear would be difficult at best, very slow going and extremely dangerous, and everyone had to be on their game.

Just then, Dax opened the door and popped out of the head with just a towel thrown over his shoulder.

“Come here, and let me dry your back,” Jack said.

“Oh, no, Captain. If I get anywhere near that bed, I’m going to leave this cabin deflowered yet again, and I have my reputation to consider.”

“What reputation?” Jack asked.

“Very funny!” Dax shouted over his shoulder as he wrapped his towel around his waist and opened the cabin door.

“Damn, I was
this
close,” Jack said as he held up his thumb and forefinger with a small space between them. “You won’t get away so easy next time!” he shouted as he got up and headed for the shower.

I
N
TWENTY
minutes the
Lindsey C
came to life, as everyone was on deck and quite busy. Dax and Dona again studied the plans of the ship, Mac and Brad checked and rechecked the dive equipment, and from the bridge, Jack used radar to continue the reconnaissance of any ships passing within a three-mile radius. Once the bleep appeared on his screen, he would use the binoculars to locate and identify the ship for later research. Currently, no ships had passed twice, and no vessel was anchored within a two-mile radius. So far, all seemed clear.

By mid-day, Dax and Dona were suiting up for the first dive. They knew they would have to make several dives because of the water temperature, but their goal was to get the entire hull marked before sunset. When Dax and Dona were ready to enter the water, Brad helped Dona on with her equipment, and she jumped in with a set of waterproof ship’s plans and a large, white wax marker. Dax had a crowbar in one hand and his mask in the other. He would use the crowbar to help clean the hull, so Dona could get a good adhesion when they attached the explosives and adequately mark the spot as well. He stood still on the swim platform while Jack helped get his tanks on and secured. When he was suited up and about to enter the water, Jack put both hands on the outside of Dax’s shoulders and whispered, “I just found you, and I’m not ready to give you up, so be careful.”

Dax smiled, “You can’t get rid of me that easy, Captain.”

Jack turned to Dona floating nearby. “Dona, you guys be careful, and take care of him for me. I’ll have the communication equipment on, and we’ll stay in touch the entire time.”

Dona nodded, and Jack stole a kiss right before Dax slipped on his mask. Dax jumped in feet first, holding his face mask, and kicked his way over to Dona. He gave Jack the okay sign, and they both raised the air hose on their BC and slowly descended.

Jack checked the radio receiver, “Radio check, Dax, do you read me?”

“Loud and clear, Captain. Visibility is about thirty feet, and the currents are mild. It should be a great dive.”

“Be… careful….”

“Will do, Jack,” Dax responded.

“Jeez, you two,” Dona whined. “It’s not like we’re going down to the
Titanic
or something. Give me a break.”

“You’re just jealous that no one’s on the surface patiently waiting for your return,” Jack laughed.

“Maybe I am, and maybe I’m not, but I can guarantee you that if I did have someone waiting for me up there, we wouldn’t be carrying on like you two ladies,” she screeched through her mask.

Jack conceded. “Okay, okay. Have a safe dive, both of you!”

D
AX
and Dona quickly fell into a familiar routine. Dona read the ship’s plans as they made their way along the hull. According to the plans, she stopped at each pre-identified location and Dax used the crowbar to clear away a small area of the one-hundred-plus years of barnacles and underwater growth. When the hull was as clean as he could get it, he marked the spot with the wax marker and moved on to the next location. The going was slow but steady, and he and Jack made small talk along the way, which helped pass the time. They’d just finished the port side when Dax’s underwater alarm indicated that he was getting low on oxygen.

“How’s your oxygen, sis?” Dax asked.

“About gone. Yours?” she responded.

“Same,” he said. “This is a good stopping point. What do you say we surface, exchange our tanks, and get back down here and get the starboard side marked?”

“Okay by me,” Dona said.

Jack chimed in. “Hey, guys, we’ll meet you on the swim platform. See you in a few.”

“Okay, baby,” Dax responded.

Dax turned in the direction of the
Lindsey C
and caught movement out of the corner of his eye. “Dona, did you pick up any motion over there near the reef?” he asked as he pointed over his right shoulder.

She quickly looked in that direction and scanned the reef system. “No. Why?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think I caught some movement a second ago.”

“You want to go check it out?” she asked.

“Nah, it was probably nothing.”

“Jack, you still there?” Dax asked. “Did you copy that?”

“I’m here, and yes, I copied,” he replied.

“Any activity on the surface?”

“Mac and Brad have been on the lookout since your descent, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary to report.”

“I guess it was nothing. See you in a couple minutes, baby.”

“I can hardly wait,” Jack responded.

Dona piped up. “Oh jeez, here we go again.”

They all laughed as Dona and Dax started swimming to the boat.

T
HEIR
observer finally gasped for air when he saw the two divers swimming in the opposite direction. Not wanting to create any air bubbles, he was almost blue from holding his breath. At one point, he felt certain that one of them had picked up on his movement, and his cover had been blown. He thought they were about to swim over and check it out, so he had bolted for cover. He’d hidden beyond the reef, froze, and held his breath. With the immediate danger now gone, he swam along the reef line, watching the two divers swim away. When they were no longer in sight, he moved over to the wreck and checked out their handiwork. He’d been watching them for ten minutes, and he saw that they were clearing the hull and marking certain locations. He was now sure they were marking locations for explosives. They appeared to have the port side finished, which meant they would be back soon to finish the starboard. He quickly moved away and swam off into the distance.