vibe from either of them.”
“It explains how he knew exactly where that medallion was hidden. She told him after I showed her, so they’re a team.”
“Why did you show her, anyway?”
“To test her.” He bent over, rubbing his legs. “She failed.”
“What do you think’ll happen when Flynn discovers it’s gone?”
He shrugged. “He won’t have the nerve to nail me on it, and the crew will assume whoever stole it had second thoughts and returned it. Maybe he’ll think Alita double-crossed him.”
She took the gold with her to the edge of the bunk, sitting down to admire it. “They’re scum, both of them. And him, stealing from his own stepfather. I told you their relationship is a mess.” She turned to him, her smile widening. “And now I’ve won the bet.”
He stood up and pulled a canvas duffel bag from under the bed, dragging out a pair of jeans and taking them into the head. He didn’t close the door, giving her a perfect view of his backside as he shoved off his wet bathing suit and gave himself a cursory rub with a towel.
God, the man had a beautiful body. He stepped into the jeans, pulling them over his bare hips, giving the zipper a half tug that didn’t make it to the top, not bothering to snap.
The medallion forgotten, she stared at his bare chest, the cuts of muscles disappearing into the jeans, the bit of dark hair peeking out from the half-zipped fly. Her throat went bone dry.
“So we dive tomorrow night,” he said, approaching the bunk slowly.
What was he talking about? Diving. Gold. Scepters.
That’s why she was in this room, eating up her new partner with her eyes. She lifted the medallion and laid it against her chest as though it could help slow her rapidly increasing heartbeat.
“I dive tomorrow night,” she corrected. “You work the air hose and cover my ass.”
He reached the bed, looking down at her. “ I dive tomorrow night,” he countered. “ You work the air hose and cover my ass.”
She started to stand up. “No way. I know where it is.”
He put his hand on her chest, over the medallion, and eased her all the way down. “You can show me tomorrow. We dive together first thing in the morning.”
“You can’t change the rules, Con.”
Smiling, he took the medallion, grazing it over her breasts with a wicked gleam in his eye. “I can do anything I want.”
Wordlessly, he laid the medallion on the nightstand and in one smooth move, was back on the bed, kneeling over her, his knees sliding right between hers. “And since I can do anything I want” -a zing shot straight up her body-“I’m going to dive for the scepter tomorrow night.”
He loomed over her, bare-chested, practically unzipped, exuding sex and control and power… and changing the rules.
Her fingers curled into the thin blanket under her, awareness flaring through her.
“It’s a dangerous dive,” he said, easing her legs open a fraction with his. “It’ll be dark, with no blower.”
That was true. “But if I do it,” she said, managing not to let her voice crack, “I’ll be down and back in seven or eight minutes. I know exactly what to do. I’ve visualized it.”
“I’ve visualized it, too.” He leaned over her, putting his hands on either side of her, letting his weight drop so that his biceps tightened. “And I’m making the dive.”
His face was very close, his gaze fierce, his lips almost curled in a smile.
“You can’t do this.”
His smile said he could. “I know your secrets now, Lizzie. And you need me.”
Need. That was one word to describe the heat in her body. “That doesn’t give you the right to take over my plans. I’m in charge of this and you’re following my instructions.” She put a hand on his chest, his skin still icy from the water, but he just pressed himself closer.
“I’ll dive. You work the hose. And we…” He closed the space and brushed her mouth with his. “Will be partners. How’s that?”
Partners. What kind of
“It explains how he knew exactly where that medallion was hidden. She told him after I showed her, so they’re a team.”
“Why did you show her, anyway?”
“To test her.” He bent over, rubbing his legs. “She failed.”
“What do you think’ll happen when Flynn discovers it’s gone?”
He shrugged. “He won’t have the nerve to nail me on it, and the crew will assume whoever stole it had second thoughts and returned it. Maybe he’ll think Alita double-crossed him.”
She took the gold with her to the edge of the bunk, sitting down to admire it. “They’re scum, both of them. And him, stealing from his own stepfather. I told you their relationship is a mess.” She turned to him, her smile widening. “And now I’ve won the bet.”
He stood up and pulled a canvas duffel bag from under the bed, dragging out a pair of jeans and taking them into the head. He didn’t close the door, giving her a perfect view of his backside as he shoved off his wet bathing suit and gave himself a cursory rub with a towel.
God, the man had a beautiful body. He stepped into the jeans, pulling them over his bare hips, giving the zipper a half tug that didn’t make it to the top, not bothering to snap.
The medallion forgotten, she stared at his bare chest, the cuts of muscles disappearing into the jeans, the bit of dark hair peeking out from the half-zipped fly. Her throat went bone dry.
“So we dive tomorrow night,” he said, approaching the bunk slowly.
What was he talking about? Diving. Gold. Scepters.
That’s why she was in this room, eating up her new partner with her eyes. She lifted the medallion and laid it against her chest as though it could help slow her rapidly increasing heartbeat.
“I dive tomorrow night,” she corrected. “You work the air hose and cover my ass.”
He reached the bed, looking down at her. “ I dive tomorrow night,” he countered. “ You work the air hose and cover my ass.”
She started to stand up. “No way. I know where it is.”
He put his hand on her chest, over the medallion, and eased her all the way down. “You can show me tomorrow. We dive together first thing in the morning.”
“You can’t change the rules, Con.”
Smiling, he took the medallion, grazing it over her breasts with a wicked gleam in his eye. “I can do anything I want.”
Wordlessly, he laid the medallion on the nightstand and in one smooth move, was back on the bed, kneeling over her, his knees sliding right between hers. “And since I can do anything I want” -a zing shot straight up her body-“I’m going to dive for the scepter tomorrow night.”
He loomed over her, bare-chested, practically unzipped, exuding sex and control and power… and changing the rules.
Her fingers curled into the thin blanket under her, awareness flaring through her.
“It’s a dangerous dive,” he said, easing her legs open a fraction with his. “It’ll be dark, with no blower.”
That was true. “But if I do it,” she said, managing not to let her voice crack, “I’ll be down and back in seven or eight minutes. I know exactly what to do. I’ve visualized it.”
“I’ve visualized it, too.” He leaned over her, putting his hands on either side of her, letting his weight drop so that his biceps tightened. “And I’m making the dive.”
His face was very close, his gaze fierce, his lips almost curled in a smile.
“You can’t do this.”
His smile said he could. “I know your secrets now, Lizzie. And you need me.”
Need. That was one word to describe the heat in her body. “That doesn’t give you the right to take over my plans. I’m in charge of this and you’re following my instructions.” She put a hand on his chest, his skin still icy from the water, but he just pressed himself closer.
“I’ll dive. You work the hose. And we…” He closed the space and brushed her mouth with his. “Will be partners. How’s that?”
Partners. What kind of
Similar Books
