Brent: Military Heroes (The One I Want Series Book 2)

by Ellie Masters

  “I don’t understand. You don’t actually keep anything?”

  “Everything we find is of historical significance and belongs to Spain. They will essentially buy us out. Donald jumped through a lot of hoops to get us to keep any souvenirs at all.”

  “That’s a shame. What kinds of things would you want to keep?”

  “I’m hoping we find gold ingots. I’d love to have one. They’re heavy and are probably at or near the site of the wreck. I just want one as a trophy. I have no idea what I’d do with it. It’s worth more if I sell it, but I think it would be cool to have. Any kind of artifact would be amazing from an archeological point of view. One of the travesties the Spanish committed was in melting down all the Mayan and Incan gold relics. They destroyed hundreds of years of history, melting all manner of things into ingots. If we find some of those, my archeological heart will be in heaven. There may also be gemstones. Those I definitely want.” He bumped her shoulder. “Can you imagine wearing a ring made from sunken treasure?”

  He didn’t know if she would understand the significance of what he said, but when he proposed to her, it would be with a ring made from something he found.

  “Gemstones?” She placed her cheek against his arm and her hand on his knee. “I think that would be an amazing gift.”

  He pinched his brows together, unsure if she understood.

  “Fingers crossed. It’s impossible to know what to expect. That cannon alone is a national treasure.”

  “What about a ship’s bell?” Her forehead scrunched up making him want to kiss it. Everything about Brie made him want to kiss her. His attention shifted to the door leading below decks. In an odd show of chivalry, Donald had made himself scarce.

  “Not all ships back then had a bell.” He traced his finger along her arm and watched the fine hairs of her arm lift with his touch. It gave him a thrill to know she reacted the same to him as he did to her. “If this one does that would be amazing. We’re also looking for pottery.”

  “Why pottery?”

  “All dishware on a ship back then bore the name of the ship and the Spanish royal crest on it. Find that and we establish providence.”

  “Is there anything you need to do now that we’re here? Like staking your claim? What if someone comes along and tries to take it?”

  “No one knows we’re out here. The chances of anyone stopping along is very low. And if they do, we’re just enjoying a cruise. Besides, I have someone in the Coast Guard on standby who knows what I’m up to and is just waiting for a call.”

  “This isn’t exactly the kind of ship you cruise on. You need a yacht for that.”

  “Not everyone can afford a luxury yacht, and yachts don’t have the equipment I need.”

  She twisted around to look at some of the equipment they had on board. “It’s certainly impressive.”

  There was a small dredge and scores of plastic tubs they would use to lift what they found. Most metals corroded when exposed to air, so they would remain submerged in sea water until they could be properly cleaned. There was a sieve for sifting vast quantities of sand. That would be how they recovered most of the coins, and of course the lift bags of various poundages. They also had a crane to lift everything out of the water.

  “We need to get you comfortable using these.” He pointed to the stack of lift bags.

  “I can think of something else we could be doing.” She peeked up at him through her lashes and traced a finger along the stubble lining his jaw.

  He didn’t need any more encouragement and bent down to taste her delicious lips. A kiss, a nibble, and he twisted her around, laying her flat on her back. The hard deck pressed against her body, but she didn’t complain, and he didn’t stop. They had this moment, captured by the fading light of day.

  As the sun sank below the horizon, the sky turned a fiery red. He let his mind run wild with a future filled with endless sunsets with Brie in his arms.

  Heaven could be found wrapped around Brie’s tight body. It was only a kiss, and while he wanted more, Donald was somewhere below deck either showering or getting dinner ready. Tonight, they would celebrate with champagne, but for now he enjoyed the press of his lips against hers.

  Unlike previous kisses, he allowed his hands to roam with more abandon than before, more hunger, more confidence. He’d been here before, exploring, now was the time to take command. But he would do so with a great deal of restraint.

  She arched beneath him as he cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples between his thumb and fingers. Her body twisted as his palms ran down the flat planes of her belly. Her hips flexed, moving with primal rhythm for his touch to breach that final barrier separating them. His kiss deepened as he discovered all her erogenous zones on a single-minded mission to learn how she responded best.

  He made her weep, elicited enticing moans, and had her begging for more. To keep her cries silent, he pressed his mouth over her lips and savored their connection.

  Her arms wrapped tight around his neck and her cries turned to soft moans. He allowed himself to explore further, taking his kisses on a path along the angle of her jaw to nibble at the curve of her earlobe. She whimpered and clutched at his bare back. His swim trunks and her shorts presented obstacles to what he desired, but he was in no hurry to take what she would willingly give.

  Not now.

  But soon.

  Donald had left them alone, but he had not left the boat. Out of respect, Brent didn’t push things any further than a heated kiss. His hands explored and discovered the secrets her body would yield while his body ached for completion.

  “You’re amazing, Brie. So responsive.” His low moan had her clutching at the back of his neck and him struggling not to come in his pants. Brie did that to him, made him lose control. He would never get enough.

  Chapter 13

  Brie

  Another stunning day greeted the Pendragon. Brie sat with Brent and Donald. All manner of gear was strewn across the deck. Brent cradled a tablet in his lap and sketched out the plan for their first dive.

  Treasure hunting, as she came to learn, was not as easy as jumping in and bringing up gold. Watching Brent establish the dimensions of the search grid gave her an appreciation of his years of experience. Adhering to strict archeologic principles, he outlined the goals of the first dive.

  “We’ll set the center point of the grid along the keel of the boat and extend outward from there. Each grid will be two by two.” He held up a two-foot stick.

  Brie surmised they would use that to establish a precise grid. Donald counted out the metal stakes they would use to anchor the corners of each grid. Once they were secured, he glanced up.

  “Care to toss me the lines?” Donald asked.

  She looked beside her to where Donald pointed and tossed him the three neon-yellow spools of line. Brent had explained last night how they would stake out a grid and then run lines to form the boundaries of each square. He had tiny flags, all meticulously labeled, which designated each grid by letter and number.

  “Thanks.” Donald added the spools to the mesh bag.

  Brent glanced up and Brie tumbled into the depths of his eyes, remembering how wonderful it felt when he held her in his arms. They’d celebrated with champagne last night, ate the most amazing steaks she’d ever tasted in her life, and the three of them sat at the edge of the dive platform talking about Spanish galleons, pirate ships, and what life must have been like back then. Night had fallen and each of them retired to their respective cabins to sleep alone.

  She hated that and wished she had the balls to feel comfortable bridging that last barrier. Donald knew she and Brent were a thing. What harm could come from him knowing she slept in Brent’s cabin?

  None.

  But she still held back. A tiny voice in her head, one which sounded very much like her mother, told her to hold off. Jumping into bed with a man she barely knew would only lead to trouble. The voice in her head grew more insistent as her resistance to Brent’s charm
s decreased. Luckily, Brent didn’t push.

  “First dive of the day, our objective is merely to establish the grid and attach the markers. We haven’t set the vacuum system up for the dredge. We can do that at the end of the dive and during our surface interval.”

  “Is there anything I need to do?” She felt useless babysitting the boat, but common dive safety demanded at least one person remain on the boat at all times while divers were in the water.

  They had set two anchors. The likelihood of the Pendragon coming off its anchors was minuscule, but if the three of them were down below and the unthinkable happened, there would be no way to get back to the boat. They’d be stranded.

  As boring as her job may sound, it was important. She would provide what dive support she could, refilling the spare scuba tanks for the guys while they were down below. She would also operate the crane which would lift the tubs filled with whatever the men found.

  “Once we have the grid set,” Brent said, “we’ll photograph it. You want to do the stills or the video?”

  “I’ll do video.” Donald set the bag with the spikes and spools to the side. He took the camera Brent handed him looked at it. “You know what you’re looking for.”

  Brie rocked back and forth, excited for them, and unsure what she could do to help. She felt part of a great discovery, yet had to remind herself this was not her find. None of it belonged to her but she felt the infectiousness of discovery nonetheless.

  “I can’t wait to see the pictures.”

  It killed her that she couldn’t go on the dive and share this moment with Brent, but it made more sense for Donald to accompany him. She’d known Brent for three days. Donald knew him nearly his entire life and the two of them had invested decades for this moment. There was no way she could take that from Brent, or Donald.

  “Brent wanted me to show you how the lift bag works.” Donald joined her with a large rubberized nylon bag. It had gussets all over the sides and one large one at the top. “I’m assuming you know how to tie a line, so we won’t go over that, but mind the coral if you’re down there, because it can be razor sharp and cut through the line. Also, if the lift is uneven, even a perfectly placed tie can come loose or slip. The last thing you want happening underwater is to lift something heavy and have it suddenly come loose. The lift bags will make whatever we’re lifting neutrally buoyant and easy to maneuver underwater, but if it suddenly drops, it will drop like a rock. You wouldn’t want to be underneath, say a cannon, when that happens.”

  “I can imagine.” An experienced diver, she had over a hundred dives under her belt and held an advanced underwater certification. She knew about lift bags and how they worked, but had never had an opportunity to use one.

  “I’ll be very careful and have you check my work,” she said.

  “I may not be underwater with you.”

  “Then I’ll have Brent check. Don’t worry. I’m a safety conscious diver. I know my limits.”

  “That’s good, but don’t be scared of a lift bag. Despite what it looks like, it’s surprisingly easy to operate.”

  “Sounds great. What do I need to know?”

  “First, we keep it minimally inflated, just the bare minimum of air to begin inflating it. There should only be enough air inside to counteract the bag’s weight and let it float above our heads. We don’t want it shooting to the surface.”

  She understood that and the laws of physics. Whatever volume of gas injected into the lift bag at depth would only expand as the lift bag neared the surface. Since the amount of lift generated increased with the volume of water displaced, lift bags could run away if divers weren’t watching.

  “This is the dump valve.” He showed her a round valve with a string attached to it. “Use this to release air. When we head to the surface, we’ll need to make sure we make a smooth ascent and release some of the air. Using one bag is easy. You can pretty much just let those go, but we’ll be using two or even three. We’ll want to make sure we dump air equally as the bag rises.”

  “I got it.”

  All dumping air entailed was pulling on a string. That gave air an escape out of the bag. She could do this, although the thought of pulling something heavy like a cannon out and losing control gave her a healthy respect for physics. She played with the lift bag, tugging on the cord. The gusset at the top was where the line from the crane would attach. The entire apparatus, lift bag and whatever was being lifted, would be hoisted on board as a unit. Brent planned on bringing up samples of wood from the hull on the first dive. Otherwise, they wouldn’t do any excavation until the second dive.

  Brent set the tablet to the side and spoke to Donald. “You ready?”

  “Ready Freddy.” Donald spoke in a sing-song voice, excitement thrumming though his words.

  “It’s a deal Steele,” Brent replied.

  Brie loved their light banter. It hinted at an unbreakable friendship, yet again reminding her what she didn’t have.

  She stood with them and helped them both into their gear, performing the compulsory buddy check for each man.

  Brent leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss. “Wish us luck.”

  “Good luck!”

  “Hey, any chance I can get a little of that?” Donald pulled a frown, teasing.

  He looked adorable and she couldn’t resist. This would be a momentous day for both men. She went to Donald and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Good luck, Donald.”

  He returned a goofy grin, then turned to Brent. “I see what it is you like about her.”

  Brent hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, giving her a much more passionate kiss than before. When he released her, she couldn’t catch her breath.

  He donned his mask, grabbed his fins, and walked to the dive platform. “Last one in is a rotten egg,” he called over his shoulder.

  Before Donald could react, Brent splashed into the water. Donald shook his head and put on his mask. “He’s one lucky man.” Without another word, he followed Brent into the water, leaving Brie topside.

  Chapter 14

  Brent

  Brie’s kiss lifted Brent’s spirits as he waited for Donald to join him in the warm waters of the Keys. Forty-feet below, a treasure awaited. It killed him not to jump in and dig, but this was an archeologic find of the century, and he would proceed by the books. His name would literally make scholastic history.

  Never one to chase fame, this represented a life’s worth of validation for all the doubts and underhanded comments from his family and colleagues over the years.

  The money wouldn’t hurt either.

  Unlike Donald, he didn’t struggle. Born into wealth, he brought the financial backing their endeavor demanded. Donald cemented the connections which granted them salvage rights, while Brent’s money funded everything they needed. He couldn’t be happier making this discovery with his best friend.

  Donald splashed into the water and they did a quick check of their gear at the surface. Underwater, they wouldn’t be able to speak to each other, but they’d been diving as a team for years. Besides the unique underwater signs they’d developed, they each had a slate they could write on if more advanced communication was required.

  That was not the case with this dive. Each of them knew precisely what to do. Heading down, they located the cannon and tracked back to where the keel should be. Right where they expected, they took a moment to hover over the wreck, admiring the magnificence of it. He made a sign to Donald to take some video and pulled out his camera to take a few images before they laid out the grid.

  Then it was time for business. They descended to the bottom and drove the first stake into the ground. It would form the center of the grid. To ensure all the grids were exactly the same size and square, they used a two-foot stick to mark out the second stake. Using a wedge, which formed a precise ninety-degree angle, they marked out the next segment. Once the first square was set, they extended to form a second, then a third. The monotony of the task kept them bu
sy, but they were diligent. The only thing he allowed was the retrieval of one piece of wood. It had probably been a part of a spar.

  He placed it in one of their large buckets and Donald attached the lift bag. The wood needed to remain submerged in saltwater until he could get it back for analysis.

  The dive ended too soon, and he and Donald found themselves back at the surface. They had an hour mandatory surface interval before they could get back in the water to complete the grid.

  “How did it go?” Brie eagerly waited for them on the dive platform.

  Her shoulder length curls bounced with her exuberance, and immediately had his mind on things other than work. She wore one of his hats, having taken possession of it sometime yesterday. Dark sunglasses kept her bright eyes hidden from him, but he knew what he would see. The connection they shared couldn’t be denied. He felt it in his heart and quickly climbed on board.

  A quick pause to remove his gear and he pulled her into his arms and gave her the kiss he wanted. Donald looked on, a strange expression on his face, as he unhooked both their tanks and dragged the empties to the compressor.

  “I’ll get these set on the whip if you want to start on the dredge.” Donald squatted to attach the whips which would slowly fill the tanks over the next half hour.

  Brent grabbed Brie’s hand. “Do you want to help with the dredge?”

  “Sure.”

  Her eagerness filled him with joy. While amazing to share this moment with Donald, it didn’t compare to what he felt with Brie standing by his side. Nondisclosure agreements aside, it made him happy having her with him.

  “What do I need to do?” She glanced around the deck and the array of equipment scattered about.

  It may look like a disorganized mess, but he had everything laid out according to plan.