Depths of Salvation (Love on the Edge) (8 page)

Minding the tight quarters, I kicked my legs and cut my arms through the heavy water, my heart racing for an entirely new reason other than adrenaline.

She
wanted
to be chased. And though I knew I shouldn’t feel like it, I was more than happy to oblige.

Sadie

“BOSS.” THE WARNING
in Nemo’s tone rang crystal clear despite the static from the ship’s walls causing interference.

“Yeah?” I asked, bringing my motions to a stop so sudden Connell streamed right into me. He must’ve been in the zone because the force of his body mid-stroke propelled me backward until he hovered above me.

He quickly steadied me with two strong hands on my shoulders, stopping me before I did a complete backflip. We floated there, in the narrow, dark hallway, the only light from my flashlight barely casting a glow over his hazel eyes. It was disorienting, those few moments of misdirection and collision, but the cold hand of fear that generally kept my survival senses sharp didn’t grip me. With Connell’s eyes on mine, his hands on my body, I felt . . . safe.

Which was an insane sensation to have, since I’d known him less than two days.

“School is out early today,” Nemo said, the tension in his voice making it a few pitches higher.

I took a deep, natural breath as Connell righted our positions until we were vertical again. We moved our feet in unison to maintain momentum, and he tilted his head.

“Nemo isn’t a fan of sharks,” I explained and carefully maneuvered around Connell, motioning with my head for him to follow me.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing, boss,” Nemo said as I made my way out of the ship.

“It’s a bit funny, seeing how you chose a profession that takes place in their home.” I smiled as I swam to where he had his back pressed against the ship, his arms interlocked in the old, rusted railing.

He couldn’t take his eyes off what we’d donned
the Trio
. Three tiger sharks swam just a thirty yards away from the ship. Their movements were graceful, slow, and nearly in sync. They danced between the sun’s rays that shot to the ocean floor in thick, golden columns.

“Beautiful.” Connell’s voice filled my head, and I whipped around, shocked. He’d meant us to hear the declaration—the same thought I had—because he’d pressed his push-to-talk button. Surprising. Perhaps he wasn’t as closed off as I’d initially thought. Maybe he elected only to speak when he felt he had something important to say.

“They look hungry.” Nemo trembled against the ship, and I swam closer to him, slowly unlocking his hands from around the railing.

“Look at me, Nemo.” I forced his eyes away from the sharks. “You want me to surface with you?”

He shook his head, the defeat in his eyes clear. I grinned at him, wanting to assure I wasn’t judging. I understood fear and its complete control over the body despite what the mind wanted.

“Could you take these samples up for me? I want to stay down a little longer, but these should make it topside ASAP.” I unclipped my yellow storage bag from my weight belt.

He nodded, gripping the black strap like a lifeline. “Sorry, boss.”

“Don’t be. Like you said, they’re early today. No worries.” I gave him a slight nudge upward. “Go. I’ll watch your back,” I said and winked at him.

The kid never swam as fast as he did when sharks were within sight. The Trio didn’t even notice his departure, or at least, they didn’t let on that they saw his retreat. I moved my arms back and forth through the water slowly, hovering there, watching them.

They were massive, with the smallest of the group being at least three times my weight and length. Their dark gray striped skin glimmered when they swam through the sun’s beams. Connell was right, they were beautiful, but Nemo was also right, they were to be feared.

Then why aren’t you afraid?

I glanced to the right, where Connell had swam closer to me, content in his silence, his eyes fixated on the sharks, too.

No way.

Maybe he did make me feel safe, but I’d always been an oddball—wanting to get closer to things that normal people fled from. Sharks, whales, sunken ships at depths humans weren’t meant to reach—none of it bothered me—not when I knew how beneficial my work was to the world above.

Or
could be
.

I glanced upward and sighed when I saw that Nemo had surfaced and made it out of sight. The samples I’d taken today would be crucial in saving the site
if
my hunch about their medicinal benefits was correct.

I returned my focus to the sharks, noticing the swarms of smaller fish that kept their distance from them, their course pushing closer to ours. Their rhythm was hypnotizing, and I got lost watching their movements, jealous of how quickly they could navigate the waters.

Connell’s hand gripped my arm and pulled me backward. “Going somewhere?”

I blinked a couple of times, the distance that had been between us only now making me realize I’d let myself drift closer to them. I grinned, eyeing his hand still wrapped around my arm. “Worried?”

He dropped my arm quick, as if he feared a bear trap would snap down on his fingers.

“Come on, let’s take a minute at the halfway point and grab the extra tanks there.” I motioned upward, where a long steel cable had strategically placed tanks clipped to it. “I’ll show you the rest of the ship then.” He followed me as I swam toward it.

“Don’t need to check in with the kid? Let him know you’re going interior again?”

I stopped next to the set of tanks clipped to the cable, unlatching one and already feeling the break in pressure from the higher position in the ocean, like someone loosened a vice that had gripped my bones. “Is that what you would do?”

He shook his head. “I’m not you.”

“Well, since I have you as a partner, I think I’m okay. I’m probably insane, but I trust you.” I swallowed hard. Maybe I
should
radio Nemo. How did I know Connell would know what to do if shit hit the fan once we made it back inside the
Falconer
? Like a silt-fall or worse, a debris fall?

“You can,” he said, coming up to my side. “But you shouldn’t.”

I tilted my head. From the cold look in his eyes, he meant that, but, just like with the sharks, it didn’t scare me. “Are you not as good as you claim?” I handed him an extra tank, strapping my near empty one on the line.

“I’m better.” He took the tank and swapped it out with ease.

I raised my eyebrows.

“What?” He smirked. “I’m a humble man.”

Now that made me laugh. “The only thing you’ve spoken more than five words about is how good you are at your job.”

“So? That’s a fact. Doesn’t mean I’m a cocky asshole about it.”

“I didn’t mean that,” I said, and after taking a moment to mentally prep my muscles, dove downward again.

“I know,” he said, following me.

Did he? God, he seemed like he could read me, but I damn sure couldn’t figure him out. I wanted to, though. More than that, I
needed
to. I had to know if he was legit—beyond the assurance of Henrick and Slade that he could make a professional opinion about my site. I wanted him to see the value it held. If he couldn’t, I needed to figure it out fast, so I had time to think of another way out of Slade’s destructive path.

I looked at Connell for a few more moments before re-entering the ship. There was something there. That same something that had hit me the first time I saw him in Slade’s office. He had a wall around him, that much was obvious, but his eyes, they were genuine, hurt, and held a hint of danger. I swallowed hard, my heart racing just from looking at him. One hard truth hit me in that instant: he could make me or break me.

Maybe I needed to prepare for both.

I took my mask off and let it hang down by my side, shaking my hair out. “I thought you said you could outswim me?” I taunted Connell, who was only now climbing on board.

He slipped his mask off, the smirk that made my stomach flip firm on his lips. “I let you win.”

“Sure. Whatever you have to tell yourself.” I slipped my suit off and grabbed the oversize towel Liz kept stocked in the compartment near where we stored our gear. I quickly dried off, and tossed it to the side, noticing Connell’s eyes darting over my skin, unsure of where to look. I chuckled. I was proud of my body, but he looked like I might as well have been standing there naked. I had a swimsuit on, a modest bikini at that. “You okay?”

He shrugged, his eyes snapping to his weight belt as he took off his gear.

“What’s his deal?” Nemo asked, plopping down on the cushioned seat behind me. “He looks flushed. Did you break him?”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

“This coming from a kid who bolted halfway through the dive.” Connell shook his head, slipping out of his suit. I didn’t hear another word out of his mouth.

He was
cut.
Like, carved out of wood, six-pack abs and the perfect V muscle that pointed to his . . . well, the ocean may have been cold, but apparently, Connell was unaffected from the look of the bulge happening underneath his speedo-tight black shorts.

“Sadie?” Nemo’s use of my first name snapped me right out of my lust-filled fantasies where Connell used those perfect muscles to make my eyes roll back in my head.

Damn.

“Yeah?”

“I asked if you were eating on board tonight?”

“Oh.” I sucked in a shaky breath, forcing my eyes away from Connell’s too-delicious body and totally ignoring the bigger smirk on his face. Guess I deserved that. “What’s Liz making?”

“Seafood gumbo.”

I shook my head. Liz was a decent cook, but I wanted to sink my teeth into something big. “Thanks, but I’ll take the jet ski inland.”

Nemo hopped up and shot me a wink. “More for me.”

I chuckled. “You need it, too; the way you inhale your food before you even taste it.”

He gave me a thumbs-up before disappearing around the corner, no doubt heading straight to the kitchen.

“You want to come?” I asked, and a flush raked my skin. I grabbed a spare pair of shorts and tank top I kept near my gear. “To dinner? You want to eat?”
Do you even know how to speak? Good God, I should just ask him to fuck me so I could get it off my mind and we could be regular business associates.

“Same place as last night?” he asked, pulling a black cotton T over his head.

“Yeah.”

“Sure.”

“We only have the one jet ski,” I said, slipping on my flip-flops. “Not as flush with the toys as Slade is, sorry.”

“I don’t know if anyone has as many toys as he does.” He shook his head. “I don’t mind doubling up.”

“Even if I’m driving?” I grinned.

“Of course,” he said without hesitation. Not even a show of manly dispute.

I pressed my lips together and nodded.
Interesting.
Another piece of the puzzle—Connell was secure enough in his manhood that he didn’t have to be in control of everything when it came to working with a woman. Add that to the
like
column.

“Great,” I said and led the way to where we stored the jet ski.

He slid on behind me but kept his hands on his thighs instead of around my waist. Not that I was disappointed or noticed.

I gunned it, taking the machine up to speed as quickly as she would allow. I continued to push it, hitting wave breaks and keeping it steady as we gained momentum. I loved the speed, the feel of the sea air sharp against my face. I should be exhausted from the dive, but my senses fired at an all-time high as I broke over a wave and gained a little air before crashing back down on the water.