Together, they inflated the twin lift bags until the cannon floated a few inches above the sand. They wouldn’t bring the cannon to the surface on this dive. His goal was the strongbox beneath it.
After maneuvering the cannon out of the way, they vented the air, settling the cannon back down on the sand. Brie removed the lines, then deflated and secured the lift bags while he went back to take a look at the strongbox.
A couple feet wide and half again as long, he debated how best to recover the strongbox. After documenting everything with photos, he considered their options. A quick tug and some of the wood flaked off.
He signaled Brie to bring him the sieve and proceeded to suck out all the sand surrounding the box until he had all four sides clear. Thick metal bands encircled the box and a heavy iron lock secured it.
Open here, or at the surface?
He tried opening the lock, but three hundred years of exposure to seawater welded the entire mechanism into a solid piece of metal. He gestured for Brie to help him slide webbing underneath the strongbox.
They would attach the webbing to the lift bags, hoping to preserve the integrity of the box. Brie affixed the lift bags, and on his signal they slowly inflated them.
The chest lifted, hovering a few inches over the sand as he double checked all of the stress points. With a thumbs-up to Brie, he gave the signal to proceed.
At the surface, he stayed with the lift bags and the strongbox suspended beneath them while Brie climbed on board. He swam everything to the starboard side where Brie lowered the hook of the crane and lifted it out of the water. While she lowered the strongbox to the deck, he swam around and climbed on board.
Brie squatted beside the strongbox and yanked on the lock.
“What now?”
“Pictures of course.” He would document everything. “Then we figure out how to get that lock off.”
“I can’t believe I’m touching something this old. To think the hands that touched this…” Her voice trailed off.
He felt the same awe. Over three hundred years ago, Spanish soldiers loaded valuables into that chest, locked it up for a long voyage home, then battled a hurricane. They lost that fight, and their lives, when the ship sank.
He grabbed his tools and joined her beside the strongbox.
“You ready?”
“Let’s do this.”
After several hard strikes, the lock broke, giving up its hold after hundreds of years. Brent took in a breath, holding it, as he lifted the lid. Several leather coin purses sat on top of three, four, no five layers of gold ingots. His heart raced, his eyes widened, and his hands shook.
“Wow.” Brie placed her hand over his. “This is incredible.”
He lifted one of the bags and the clinking of coins sounded. Brie lifted another, but it made a different sound, more solid.
“Open them together?” She asked.
“How about ladies first?”
“I can already tell you there aren’t coins in here.” She felt the outside of the bag. “This is like Christmas, when you get to guess what’s inside, only the packaging isn’t shiny wrapping paper. It’s slimy leather.”
“Are you trying to kill me? Open it already.” He couldn’t stand it and tried to grab the leather purse.
She yanked it out of the way. “You said ladies first.”
“For all that’s holy, open that bag. I’ve waited decades to see what’s here.”
Very slowly she pulled at the strings and peered inside. Her eyes widened.
“What is it?” He leaned forward, struggling not to rip the bag from her hands and look inside.
She reached in and removed a handful of rough stones; emeralds, rubies and sapphires.
“Brent?” She reached back inside and brought out a larger handful of stones. “It’s incredible.” She nudged his shoulder and gave an excited clap. “Open yours.”
He untied the bag. Before he could look inside, Brie yanked it out of his hand.
“Give that back!” He lunged for her, tackling her to the deck.
Her pert lips pressed into a pout. Without missing a beat, he claimed a kiss as she squirmed beneath him. A coin tumbled out and he glanced down. For a moment his heart stopped, then Brie squeezed his arms.
“That was the worst kiss ever.” Brie gave a playful pout, but her attention shifted to the coin.
He grabbed the coin and inspected it beneath the bright blaze of the sun. Gold glinted in his hand, a perfectly formed coin with maker’s marks designating it as one of the rarest and most valuable coins in history.
He dug in the bag and pulled out several others. They were all perfect Royals. Laying them in his hand, he couldn’t help the grin splitting his face.
“What is it?” Brie propped up on her elbow and squinted at the coins. She picked one up and peered at it.
“These…” He couldn’t help the pounding in his chest. Decades of research, years of rumors about what the fleet carried, and he held the proof of all his hard work in his hand. His pulse went ballistic. This was everything he hoped for, and he hadn’t been afraid to set high sights for what he knew he could find.
“Yes?” Her lashes fluttered as she peered up at him. “These…? Is there more to that sentence.”
He didn’t answer her, not yet, and turned to the chest where there were more than a dozen similar bags. Tugging on the leather ties he opened another pouch and pulled out another perfect Royal. The next three pouches revealed more of the same. The next bag had more of the cut gems.
And the others?
He couldn’t believe his eyes. Each bag held easily over a hundred coins a piece, and he had over a dozen sitting on the deck. Not taking into account the ingots beneath the coins, he sat on an impossible find.
“Brent, what’s going on?” She held the Royal in her palm and traced out the grid of maker’s marks.
He would verify everything later, but couldn’t stop the thrumming of blood as it raced past his ears. His heart squeezed with the thrill of discovery and the validation of a life’s work.
He turned to her and took her in his arms.
“Do you remember what Donald said about Royals?” A pinch squeezed at his heart thinking about Donald, but there was no way to change the past.
“Perfect coins for the king?” She rolled a few of the coins around in her palm, staring. “These are Royals?”
“Yes.” His hands shook.
“He said they were worth…”
“Half a million each.” He finished her sentence and couldn’t keep the wide grin from his face.
“This is incredible, Brent. Just incredible.”
His breaths huffed in and out, struggling to keep up with the racing of his heart. He’d done it.
Brie flung her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled against his neck.
The bright sun rained nothing but sunshine down on them through a cloudless sky and barely a breath of wind stirred the ocean. Flat and nearly mirror smooth, they sat in a sea of tranquility with an impossible find.
“What do we do now?” She pulled back and stared into his eyes. “Catalog? Pictures? Go back down and see what else we find?”
He shook his head. “I have something else in mind.”
Brie gave a squeak as he pulled her into his arms. They exchanged a look, one where he communicated his desire and intent. She gave the faintest nod.
“We’ll dive later. What I want right now is you.”
Brie gasped as he slung her over his shoulder and carried her down to his bunk. Nothing would stop him from taking what he wanted. Brie was his one and it was time to lay claim to what rightfully belonged to him.
Chapter 26
Brie
Draped over Brent’s shoulder, Brie’s blood fevered for what he intended. She flexed her knees and squeezed her thighs against an incessant throbbing as her pleasure centers went wild.
He took her below, marched straight to his cabin, and tossed her on the bed. Her eyesight sharpened as he reached
down and removed his shirt, pulling it up and over the rippling ridges of well-defined muscle. Her eyes refocused and she licked her lips.
“You better strip or I’m ripping those clothes from your body.” Heated, he growled the command, sending her pulse skyrocketing.
She scooted back on the bed and took off her shirt. His greedy gaze latched onto the top of her swimsuit and she couldn’t help but squeeze her legs together with anticipation.
“I’m serious.” He pulled at the waistband of his swim trunks, pulling the band over the hard tip of his erection.
With a squeak, she scooted even further back on the bed, but reached up to undo the ties of her top. She held the damp fabric over her breasts, feeling suddenly shy as he yanked the swim trunks over his hips to reveal his nakedness to her hungry eyes.
Her tongue darted out and licked her bottom lip. Impossible to deny, she had fantasized about this moment since the day she met him. He stood in front of her, without shame, and grasped the root of his long, swollen shaft. With a tug upward, he broadened his stance and stroked himself.
“I’m not kidding Brie. I want you naked or I’ll shred that suit.”
She only had two suits, this one and a spare, and couldn’t afford to lose either one of them. Quickly, she untied the string at her back.
He stared at her, his gaze ravenous, as she removed her top and let it drop over the edge of the bed. Beneath his stare, she squirmed a little, at least until he gave a sharp shake of his head.
“Stop. Just let me take you in.” A low guttural moan escaped him. “God, Brie, you’re amazing.”
The air crackled with the energy flowing between them and static electricity skated over her skin, lifting the fine hairs and raising goosebumps as it went. He hadn’t touched her and yet she felt ready to combust. Her gaze drifted to his hips and what he held in his hand. Unconsciously, she pressed her shoulders back, unashamed, as he feasted on her bare breasts with nothing but the heat of his gaze.
Brent made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. All her imperfections and fears melted beneath the power of his gaze. In his eyes, she saw nothing but admiration and something much more profound. A sharp ache pulsed between her thighs and her muscles tensed thinking about what it would feel like to have him filling her…down there. Her entire body quivered with sensation, and he hadn’t even touched her.
He stilled his broad hand which gripped the base of his erection, and ran his other hand along his jaw. The scrape of his beard filled the emptiness pulsing between their breaths. His voice cracked.
“I want you Brie Hamilton. Not for today, this week, or even this year. I want you with me, by my side, and in my bed, for a forever of sunrises and sunsets.” He winged up a dark eyebrow. “Tell me you want the same.”
Overcome with emotion, her voice abandoned her. She answered with a nod.
“I need you to say something. Do you feel this?” A devilish grin took over his face and his chiseled jaw tightened as he waited for her response.
She gulped for air as her chest squeezed tight. The crackling in the air intensified, skittering electricity along her arms where it tunneled along her nerves setting her entire body ablaze. Her gaze lifted to meet the hunger in his eyes. A low, needy growl rumbled in his chest as he stared at her.
Her heart thundered and her fingernails bit into her palms, but she found her voice.
“I want you.”
He pointed to her swimsuit bottoms. “Last warning. And when you take those off, I want you to lay back for me while I take you in.”
Her breath ricocheted in and out, fast and furious, as she nearly hyperventilated. Without delaying any longer, she slipped the fabric of her suit over her hips and pulled it down over her legs. Brent’s heated gaze followed the agonizing glide until she shimmied out of her suit and dropped it over the side of the bed.
There was something insanely sexy about a man confident enough to grip himself while she watched. His hand barely moved along his shaft, but it did move, and his hips slowly rocked. It made her think of how he would move once inside of her and how amazing that would feel.
“Now, lie back. I intend to devour every inch of you.”
Chest heaving, pulse pounding, this was easily the most erotic thing she’d ever done. What would it feel like? Brent between her legs, their bodies joining in the most intimate embrace?
As she lay back, she let her focus drift from his cock to take in the magnificence of his body. If he was going to look, then she would take her fill as well. His muscular legs flexed as he dipped his head, glancing down at the object of her interest. His lips turned up in a smirk.
“I like it when you look at me,” he said.
A flush heated her cheeks and she pressed her hands to her face, embarrassed but also insanely aroused. She squeezed her legs together, needing to ease the terrible ache building between her thighs, but he shook his head and placed a knee on the bed. The bed dipped beneath his weight. He hovered over her toes, kissing the tops of her feet.
A shiver overtook her as his breath raced along her skin. Brent began the most devious attack using his hands, his mouth, his tantalizing tongue, and his breath to torture her as he began the slowest advance beginning at the tip of her toes.
He claimed and conquered as his hands trailed up to her knees, fingers kneading and massaging as they went. Behind them, his lips brushed against her sensitive skin and his tongue trailed a decadent path of unwavering destruction.
She squirmed beneath him, caught between being ticklish and needing more. When his hands gripped her thighs, he yanked them apart. She thought she would combust right there. However, it wasn’t until the heat of his mouth found her core that her first screams filled the air.
The stubble of his face made the sensitive skin of her inner thighs burn, but what he did with his tongue turned her incoherent as she came apart beneath him with a rush of pleasure so intense she nearly blacked out.
After she came down from the best orgasm of her life, he moved up until he stared into her eyes. A slight rip of foil followed, then he wedged himself between her legs. Settling the broad expanse of his cock at her core, he regarded her for a long moment.
“Are you ready? Do you want this?”
“Yes!” She gripped his arms, squeezing tight as he thrust with his hips.
The walls of her pussy stretched with his girth and a painful, but delicious, burn had her crying out with a sense of completion.
He filled her, pausing until she accommodated to his size, his masculine jaw held tight with concentration and his eyes simmered with lust. The most primal urge on the planet couldn’t be contained. With the slightest nod, she told him she was ready.
Her breath rushed out as he moved, thrusting deep. Her fingernails bit into the skin of his back which only fueled his lust. Brent took her over the edge and she screamed with pleasure as her heart thundered and filled with his love.
He locked his eyes with her, letting her know she completed his world. He dipped his head and his exhales heated her skin, searing his essence into her soul. While he rocked in and out, he nibbled at her earlobe. Her skin sizzled and flushed, and she gave a tiny gasp, overwhelmed by everything.
“I love you, Brie, and I’m never letting you go. You’re the one I want.”
The tingling of her skin turned to a hitching in her chest. The throbbing between her legs intensified as her entire body became painfully aware of everything Brent did. The heated timbre of his voice flowed through her with truth.
Smooth and hypnotic, she believed every word and found tears leaking from her eyes as she embraced what his words meant. She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned like a fool while he chased his release and took her past and through hers.
They spent the next few hours in bed, exploring each other’s bodies and ignoring the treasure below. They found something much more valuable in each other’s arms. Brent was the one she wanted, and in him, she found forever.
“I love
you too.” She pressed a kiss into the soft hollow of his neck and breathed in the amazing scent of finding home.
Epilogue
“I’m still confused as to why you wanted to take a trip to Montana?” Brie shuffled behind Brent, towing her small rolling suitcase in the airport.
Their flight from the Keys to Billings, Montana had been fraught with delays, which challenged her attempt at a good mood. For some reason, this trip was important to Brent. He bounced beside her with excitement, while she struggled to pin a smile on her face.
It had been several months since they recovered the largest treasure in recent history. After a couple of weeks pulling up gold, the entire find sat with experts who began the arduous process of establishing what it was worth. Brent stood to receive a twenty percent finder’s fee from the Spanish government and already the treasure was valued well in excess of half a billion dollars.
He didn’t have any of that money, but would before the year was out. They could take a trip anywhere in the world, yet he chose Bear Creek, a tiny town nestled against the mountains in Montana.
“I told you, it’s a surprise.” He flashed her a grin and then went back to scanning the crowd.
“I don’t like surprises.”
“Okay, then how about I wanted to spend a little time at home?”
“You grew up here?” It was amazing how little things like that brought her up short. They’d fallen in love over the span of a few days, but she felt as if she’d known him her entire life. Then he would say something. Something which reminded her how much they had yet to learn about each other. She looked forward to a lifetime of discovering everything about him.
That little gem of information made this trip suddenly fascinating and she gripped his hand.
“I’m not meeting your parents, am I? You know, you should warn a girl about that.”
“Relax. My family moved away after I graduated high school. We’re just here to hang out, have some fun…”
Brent: Military Heroes (The One I Want Series Book 2) Page 16