Read Sunset Hearts for Free Online

safe.”
    “If I’m living here, I’ll be nagging you about bad weather.”
    “That’s never stopped you before.”
    Jerald scrubbed Alan’s back for him, then rinsed off. “I’ll shave at home.” He kissed Alan. “I want a call from you as soon as you’re back at the dock, understand?” He poked Alan in the chest.
    Alan smiled as he shot him a salute. “Yes sir, Major Carter.”
    “Smart ass.” Jerald ducked into the bedroom to throw on his T-shirt and shorts.
    He kept his uniforms and FMP truck at his trailer. He’d never parked his work vehicle overnight at Alan’s house.
    Alan was drying off when Jerald returned, dressed and ready to go, his holstered gun in his hand. He pulled Alan to him and kissed him. “Call me, or I will go totally batshit on you.”
    Alan nodded, loving the familiar routine. Any time the winds kicked up, so did Jerald’s protective streak.
    He wouldn’t have it any other way. “I promise I will.”
    One last kiss, and then he left.
    Naked, Alan walked into the kitchen to pour his own coffee. Two important battles won. He had a promise from Jerald to give living together a shot, and going someplace together as a couple .
    He turned on the TV and listened to the early news and weather as he sipped his coffee. Going places together was never an issue. They shopped together, ate out, went to movies, but always with an invisible barrier between them when away from the safety of Alan’s house. No one who didn’t know them would ever suspect they were together . It wasn’t a secret, but Jerald didn’t want it openly in-your-face advertised. Alan respected that. Recently, Jerald had loosened up somewhat, but they’d never been to someone’s house together as a couple. Usually they arrived in separate cars, even though most of the people who knew them knew their relationship status.
    One of those silent things no one talked about because they honestly couldn’t care less.
    All Alan had left was to convince one Jerald Dennis Carter of that fact.
    His heart light, Alan dressed and loaded his gear in his truck for the short drive to the marina in Aripeka. He had nearly two hours before the charter would show up, but he wanted to be ready. He needed ice and bait and could get all that handled.
    Other guides were arriving at the marina, preparing for their own charters. Alan was chatting with a friend of his when his cell phone rang. Ten minutes later, as daylight broke, he found himself without a charter. The entire party had food poisoning. Could they go out tomorrow, on Wednesday? Lucky for them, he didn’t have a charter and agreed.
    The wind hadn’t kicked up too bad, yet. The last thing he wanted to do today was boat maintenance or sit at home doing paperwork. The radar showed the main frontal boundary still hours offshore. Conditions would deteriorate early in the afternoon, but he had enough time to go hit the backcountry for a while like he’d originally planned. Maybe hook into some snook himself.
    One of the other guides called out to him as he headed for his boat. “Where’s your charter, Al?”
    “They postponed until tomorrow. I’m going to go out for a while, be back before lunch.” He stared preparations to leave. Jerald’s FMP boat still bobbed in its usual slip on the other end of the marina. At least Jerald would be happy he wouldn’t be out long.
    He was about to cast off when Jerald’s FMP truck pulled into the marina parking lot. Alan cranked his engine and let it idle as he waited for Jerald to take his time walking down the dock. Still a little too dark to wear his trademark mirrored sunglasses, he carried them clipped to his shirt pocket. He wore uniform shorts today, not long pants. The charcoal material accentuated his firm, powerful thighs and tight ass. Not that he could see Jerald’s ass from that angle, but he had plenty of memories of staring at it and knew exactly what it looked like.
    He could, however, see the familiar bulge between his