of one of the boats, he hoped all to hell that Ramone would turn the other way. But he didn’t. Gerome tugged Tucker to him and did a James Bond, kissing him right there, folding his body close. Damn, Tucker was hot enough to nearly pull his attention away from where he needed it. Ramone paused a second at the junction, saw them, and quickly headed away without looking back.
Tucker pulled away. “Is he gone?” he asked, and Gerome nodded. “Are you going to kiss me some more or follow him?”
“We don’t need to follow. I know where he is.” Gerome motioned Tucker around. One of the boats that had been dark was now lighted. “Go back to the truck.” He pressed his keys into Tucker’s hand. “Get in, stay down, and lock the doors. I’ll be right there.”
Gerome headed down the dock, and Tucker thankfully took off. Once it was quiet again, Gerome continued down to the boat, making a note of the name, Sweet Paradise. Then he quietly backed away and hurried to the truck. He knocked on the window and Tucker let him inside.
He started the engine, and they took off. “That was scary,” Tucker said.
“Maybe a little. But I know the boat name.” He figured he could watch the boat and pay a visit when Bobby Ramone was off somewhere else just to see what the guy was up to.
“I have to ask—do you do this sort of thing a lot? You sure seem to know what you’re doing.” Tucker buckled himself in as Gerome got them out of there. “Are you sure you aren’t a police officer or something?” He inhaled sharply. “Are you a spy?”
Gerome chuckled. “No. I’m neither one.”
“A criminal mastermind after whatever business this guy is doing?” That was a little too close to home. “I know I’m being stupid.”
Gerome pulled off the side of the road. “This man has come after you, and he isn’t going to stop. If he’s involved in anything criminal, and that seems likely to me, then he can’t have you around to talk to anyone. He needs to stay under the radar, and you’re a threat to that. We know where he stays, and we know the boat that this bundle that he wanted you to pick up might have fallen off of. Now we need to figure out what that stuff was. Once we do, we can let the police handle it all.” Then he could stay out of it.
If Gerome were honest, though, he liked the action. It felt something like what he’d done in Detroit, and it got his blood pumping and gave him back a sense of purpose.
“I suppose you’re going to go back and see what’s going on. Like break into the boat.” Tucker’s gaze was deadly serious. “Not that I’m going to stop you, but you aren’t going alone.”
“Are you intending to come? You were nervous the entire time.”
Tucker sat straighter in the seat. “Of course I’m going to come with you. Someone has to be the lookout in case the guy comes back. You don’t want to get caught, do you?” He smiled in the darkness. “You didn’t leave me hanging out to dry when Bobby Ramone came gunning for me in the tent camp, and I’m not going to leave you hanging now.”
Tucker leaned closer, and Gerome did the same. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. Gerome tipped forward a little too much, and they ended up laughing as Tucker lightly bonked his head. Gerome sat back up and checked the rearview mirror before pulling back onto the road.
He found himself surprisingly happy, and the short drive wasn’t nearly long enough. Gerome parked and sat back in the seat with the engine off. He was tempted to ask Tucker to come in with him, but he didn’t quite know how. Usually, if he liked a guy, Gerome went for it. They would have some fun for a few hours or a couple of days, then part company. It was easy to ask for that kind of fling. Make eye contact, talk, flirt, and then just ask. He was handsome and powerful, he knew that, and most of the time he got an affirmative.
That wasn’t the kind of thing he was looking for with Tucker, and quite frankly he didn’t know what his next move should be. He’d been the one to initiate their first kiss, but Tucker hadn’t been shy after that. Gerome had been hoping for