Stolen Chances (11 page)

A ding sounded, and Maren turned for the salon. “I’ll be right back.”

Lisa sat on the edge of the boat and slipped on her fins and mask. With one look at Thad, she said, “If he dies out there, it’s not my fault.”

“Go,” Thad said, pushing lightly on her shoulder. She grinned up at him, then popped the regulator in her mouth and barrel-rolled backward. “And don’t purposely kill him even though he deserves it!” he called after her.

A tiny splash echoed. Drummer looked down at her curvy body already gliding through the water and cocked his head. “How big is her husband? Is he like Rambo big or just average?”

“I don’t know,” Thad answered. “Why?”

“Because I’m trying to decide if she and I should have our hot love affair
before
or
after
he gets here.”

Thad couldn’t help it, he laughed. Regardless of what Lisa thought, Drummer was harmless. An equal-opportunity flirt, but harmless. And, Thad realized, much-needed comic relief on a day like this. “God, you’re a piece of work. Go already, horndog.”

Drummer smiled, popped his regulator in his mouth, and stepped off the boat. His fins hit the water with a slap, as loud and obnoxious as Lisa’s barrel roll had been smooth and graceful.

Maren walked out on deck just as Drummer disappeared into the water. She handed Thad a mug of coffee and took a sip of her own. “Darn, I missed the big send-off.”

“Thanks.” Thad took the mug as they watched the two swim away, his skin already warming with Maren so close again. He really needed to get in control of his body’s reactions to her. “Trust me, it wasn’t that big a send-off. Right now I’ll just be happy if Drummer makes it back in one piece.”

“He is quite a character.”

Thad sipped the hot brew. He couldn’t even see them anymore. They were already diving deep. But he could feel Maren. And God, she smelled good. “Time will tell.”

She didn’t answer, and the silence stretched between them like a taut rope. Since he and Maren were alone on the boat for at least the next hour, he figured he needed to do something to put her—and himself—at ease. “You could have partnered with Drummer. I wouldn’t have cared.”

“Lisa doesn’t like to dive with you. Says you cramp her style.”

Thad feigned shock as Maren turned back for the cabin. “What exactly does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” Maren said, moving down the steps into the salon. “Something about bossing her around, mothering her to death. I think she chose to dive with Drummer because he’s still a little afraid of her at this point.”

“Doubt it’ll last,” Thad huffed, following. “Sideshow Bob’s obviously warmed up to her.”

Maren smiled over her shoulder, and the look was so sexy, Thad’s pulse sped up, and he had another insane urge to drag her close and feel those lips of hers against his own. “Drummer’s all talk. But Lisa’s not the hard-ass she used to be either.”

Thad had noticed that about Lisa as well. He leaned against the counter in the salon. “She’s softened considerably.”

“Yeah, she has.” Maren set her mug on the counter and pulled out a chart from underneath, then moved to the large table in the middle of the room and unrolled it. “I guess falling in love will do that to a person.”

Her words hung in the air, and Thad remembered when she’d first shown up at that dig nine years ago. He’d thought she was window dressing, only there because of Patrick. She’d set him straight right away. And they’d gone toe-to-toe more than once before she’d softened too. Before she’d fallen for him.

He watched as she slipped on her glasses and leaned over to study the coordinates. A silky lock of hair slipped free, and she reached up to tuck the blonde strand behind her ear in a graceful little move. And in the silence, he had a quick flash of her standing in the small kitchen of her hut nine years ago, doing the same thing. When he’d gone to talk to her about something she’d done wrong on a dive. When she’d been swaying to Bruce Springsteen’s rugged voice coming out of the stereo. When his heart had lurched hard in his chest, just as it was doing now.

Man, the woman was a looker. Today she was wearing denim cutoff shorts and a black ribbed tank over what looked like a black bikini top, the thin straps just visible at her neckline. He couldn’t wait to see what that bikini looked like up close. Nine years ago, she’d had the body of a girl. Today she was curves and toned muscles and all woman. And just being close to her like this again, every inch of his body was hot and hard.

“Besides,” she added without looking up, “I don’t mind diving with you. We work well enough together. Or, at least, we used to.”

Had they ever. They’d worked really well together on that beach. Another image flashed in Thad’s brain. This one filled with sweaty skin, wandering hands, hungry mouths, and arms and legs tangling together in the warm sand.

He cleared his throat to get his brain—and body—back online. “When was the last time you dove?”

The look she sent him was half annoyance, half amusement. And it was even sexier than the smile she’d shot over her shoulder. His groin tightened even more, and a burst of blood rushed south. “Now why does that sound so familiar?”

He smiled. He’d asked her that exact same question when she’d first arrived at the dig nine years ago. She’d been young and more than a little green, and he’d been skeptical of her abilities until he’d seen how skilled she was beneath the surface. Then he’d been more than awed.

She looked back at her charts. “A year ago, off the coast of Greece.”

“Open-water diving?”

She nodded. “Don’t get all parental on me.”

“I’m not. I know you’re a good diver.”

He settled onto a stool, rested his elbow back against the counter, and sipped his coffee, hoping the caffeine would take the focus off his tightening jeans. It felt good to talk to her without friction in the air. He wanted to make it last. “Patrick told me you’ve been working at your mother’s hotel.”

“Hmm?” Surprise lit her eyes when she glanced up. “I’m not sure whether I should be irritated or grateful he filled you in.” She let out a deep breath and straightened. “Yes, I was. My mother had a heart attack when I was in Greece. I flew home to help out, and she took the opportunity to escape to Europe to recuperate for the year.”

“You don’t sound happy about that scenario.”

She bit her lip, and, as she looked down at the chart in front of her, he found himself hoping she’d open up to him as she used to.

“It wasn’t exactly my first choice. I never planned on running the hotel.” She sat on a stool across from him and reached for her coffee. “You’ve never been there, so you wouldn’t understand, but the hotel is a great place. It’s beautiful, historic, all old wood and stone with the most amazing view of the Sound. It’s home for me. I didn’t have a problem taking over and helping out. It was just bad timing. The last thing I planned on doing at this point in my life was running the hotel.”

He did understand. He had been there. Listening to her, he wondered why she was acting like she didn’t know. Part of him wanted to ask, but another part didn’t want to risk opening up old wounds when she was just starting to seem comfortable around him. “I bet your mother appreciated your help.”

She frowned over her glasses. And the expression was so damn sexy, he fought the growing urge to haul her over the counter toward him. “She figured it was my duty to take over the hotel. Some part of her hoped I’d love it and toss everything I’ve worked for aside. She never wanted me to be an archaeologist.”

“But you didn’t toss it aside.”

“Nope. The dirt’s in my blood.”

He smiled. “Mine too.”

He caught that unmistakable gleam in her eye he’d seen so many times before. She masked it quickly, looked away, and rose, heading for the galley with her cup, but for the first time since she’d come back into his life, Thad saw a glimpse of the girl she used to be.

And he didn’t know what the hell to do with that information.

T
he
Conquistador
had been a big ship. A thousand tons of wood and metal that would have carried her crew around the tip of Tierra del Fuego and into the Orient had she survived Atticus’s wrath. Each hour, Maren’s excitement over the project grew. Not just because of
La Malinche
, but because of everything else hidden down below. Especially the history.

The first few dives were exploratory in nature and designed to give them a feel for the area. Unfortunately, Drummer and Lisa returned with little useful information. If the
Conquistador
was down there, she was hidden below layers of sand, mud, and coral.

That didn’t dampen Maren’s enthusiasm any. Fighting the excitement at finally getting started, she strapped on her tanks, checked her gauges, and slid on her mask. Seeing it all on video was one thing. Seeing it up close and personal was something else entirely. As she climbed over the edge of the boat, she gave Thad the thumbs-up sign. She didn’t wait for directions or his last-minute safety checks. Today she just wanted to dive.

Silence descended as soon as she submerged beneath the surface, the only sound the rhythmic hiss of her regulator as she breathed. A sense of calm swept through her the deeper she swam. Underwater, she didn’t have to pretend, didn’t have to talk, didn’t have to worry about anyone interrupting her thoughts or pressuring her to open up.

She paused to watch as Thad checked his compass, gave her the direction, and headed off in front of her. His movements were smooth, only the slightest bubble trail in his wake, like a black shadow slicing through the water. He was long and lean in his wet suit, the tight garment accentuating the roped muscles, chiseled angles, and well-defined planes of his strong body.

In the safety of the water, she was able to observe him without fear of his seeing. And watching, she couldn’t stop the memories from rushing through her mind. The first time she’d laid eyes on him, those long, muscular legs sticking out from beneath that broken-down Jeep he’d been fixing when she’d arrived in camp. The first time he’d smiled at her in the sweltering jungle heat. The first time she’d followed him through the tight passages of the underwater cave they’d been excavating.

Looking at him now, it all seemed like yesterday. But it wasn’t. There was a lifetime between then and now.

A school of bright blue angelfish swam by, drawing Maren’s attention. She turned, taking notice of the splash of color in the deep turquoise blue. Life erupted around her—red, yellow, and orange tropical fish peeking out from behind brightly painted coral. Starfish, sea anemones, and sea stars littered the ocean floor. Feathery plants and algae swept across the work of art laid out in front of her. So different from the cave she’d last swum in with Thad, with its tight limestone walls, massive columns, and towering stalagmites.

She glanced up, saw Thad watching her with an odd expression, and kicked to join him. She’d get lost in her memories later. Right now, she had a job to do.

They swam for several hours, investigating anomalies from the magnetometer that hopefully pointed to the wreckage. They checked each hillock and disturbance on the ocean floor, took photos, documented distance, and scanned the area with video so they could examine it all in detail up above.

Checking her gauges, Maren discovered she was getting close to the end of her bottom time. She glanced at her dive watch, looked across the water for Thad, and saw he was intently checking something off in the distance. Probably nothing. The man was thorough, she could say that for him, and he wouldn’t leave before he was ready. With any other dive partner, that might have irritated her, but she knew he was meticulous about safety, so she didn’t worry about staying a few minutes longer.

A flash to her left drew her attention. She turned and caught the tail end of a trio of dolphins streaking by. A smile curled her mouth as she watched their playful antics.

When they were gone, her gaze swept back across the ocean floor. An unusual hillock off to her left caused her to swim forward, but a gentle brush near her ear made her stop. She spun toward the strange feeling only to find herself alone.

Jumpy.

She drew in a large breath and shook her head at her raw nerves. This was her first dive in over a year, and it always took her at least one dive to get used to the sensations again. Diving was relaxing, but it could be disorienting. A diver had to rely primarily on sense of sight, not a multitude of senses like one was used to on dry land.

She looked across the landscape once more. Fanning her fingers in the sand in front of her, she marveled at the array of colors and textures. A sweep by her ear made her look up again. She expected to see Thad next to her, but squinting through the water, she saw he was still a ways off in the distance.

A fish? Not likely. She hadn’t seen anything swim by. Then she thought of the woman from the market. The same one she was sure had been at the docks, staring at their boat with a menacing expression as they’d been ready to head out.

He lies…

Maren spun around again, half expecting to see someone behind her. Only there was nothing. Just vast ocean and open water.