Although his asking sent a trickle of awareness through her, made her wonder if he was interested in her personally. He was a fine-looking specimen, but she didn’t want to be blinded to his real purposes by something as mundane as lust. She had to consider the man himself, just as she did Innis. She couldn’t forget about Innis.
“So your relationship is strictly business,” he went on.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t say otherwise, either.”
He punctuated the last with a smile. No, more of a smirk, really. Cordelia’s knees grew soft and she covered by gripping the rail.
“What is your point, Murphy? Why did you want to speak with me?”
“I wanted to know if you would be reasonable.”
“Reasonable? About the site? After all the years my father put into finding the Celestine?”
“But your father didn’t find it.”
“Because he died first. Tragically.”
“On another dive.” He nodded. “I read about it. My condolences.”
Mollified just a little that he sounded sincere, she calmed herself down. “I’m taking up his cause, making his dream come true. A find like that would grace any museum.”
“Or a museum could be built to house it.”
“A museum with a stiff entry price?” she asked.
“Why not?”
“I’m not in this for the money.”
“You can afford to have a disdain for money when you haven’t had to work your butt off to get enough for the hunt, wondering if it will even happen.”
“I’m not going to apologize because I come from money.”
“And I’m not going to apologize because I don’t,” he said, took a breath and then added, “Now, about my proposal. Will you agree to be reasonable?”
Flustered by the argument, she tensed. “What do you mean by reasonable?”
“I’m not going away.”
“I got that, Murphy.”
“I want to know if we can be friendly competitors.”
“How friendly?” she asked, suddenly edgy.
“No dirty tricks. No sabotage. No violence.”
Cordelia was appalled that he would think she would resort to anything so underhanded. “No one has ever accused me or my family of any of those things before!”
“I wasn’t accusing you. However, Innis Foley could be a loose cannon. The reason I wanted to know your relationship status. Do you have a leash on him or not?”
A leash? Now Cordelia was getting angry. “Go away, Murphy. I’m not even going to respond to your insults. Get off my boat!”
“As you wish.” He backed up to the rail and hopped on. “Just know that if you don’t keep Foley and his men in line…well, I can give as good as I get!” With that, he rolled backward into the water.
For a moment, Cordelia watched him swim toward the Sea Rover. It was only then she realized her wrist hadn’t burned, nor had her ring tightened the way they had when he’d shown up that morning. Did that mean he wasn’t a danger? Or had he’d simply caught her off guard?
Determined not to let the treasure hunter have any power over her, she turned away and nearly ran into her mother.
“I heard the argument.”
“I’m sorry if we disturbed you, Mom.”
“You have no reason to be sorry.”
“You’re right. The man is a lout.”
“Well, at least you didn’t call him a pirate again. I don’t think he is a pirate. Or a lout. I think he has history…not all good. I’ve heard more than a few tales of underhanded behavior among treasure hunters. Perhaps he has reason to fear being victimized somehow.”
“Morgan Murphy is no victim.”
“No, I can’t imagine he ever has been. But he’s been in the business for a very long time, since he was a child at his mother’s knee. He comes from a family of treasure hunters. Lovely parents—Clive and I met the Murphys once —but they’re nothing like their son. They might have his sense of purpose, but they don’t have his strength. I believe he had to work at it consciously to be so certain of himself. Who knows what experience has played into his history?”
An observation that sobered Cordelia.
Had Murphy developed a persona that made him look like a pirate as a defense, as a means of self-protection?
Or was she fooling herself, creating a story to make him seem more acceptable?
Only time would tell.
…
The seductive evening and being with Innis, a man who obviously was infatuated with her, drugged Cordelia into being giddy, open to new possibilities. Despite seeing flashes in her mind’s eye of Murphy in those tight diving skins, she focused on Innis, concentrated on the man with whom she had history.
The Crescent Key Yacht Club was the perfect setting for Midsummer Night, the perfect way to rekindle an old romance. Innis had reserved a table on the terrace where they could see the band that provided atmospheric music. In his tropical white suit and bronze shirt, he was positively mouth-watering. The perfect escort, he wined and dined and charmed her. She couldn’t remember feeling so carefree since her father died.
“That music is tempting, don’t you agree?” he asked of the slow Latin number the band was now playing.
“Mmm, indeed.”
He held out his hand. “I can’t resist the urge to hold you close with a breeze ruffling your hair and moonlight casting its glow over your lovely features.”
Cordelia bit back a laugh and made do with a smile even if she thought Innis was being overly dramatic with his compliments.
“Such a romantic,” she murmured.
“And I hope it’s catching,” he said, leading her to the terrace and pulling her into his arms.
Cordelia let herself soften in his arms, gave him the lead. They danced mere yards from the musicians. A sultry breeze shimmered around them, twirling the delicate hibiscus-print skirts of her backless dress so the material tangled around their legs. The sky was clear, the waning moon set in a swath of stars. Candlelight glowed from nearby stands and tables. Though it was cool near the water, she was heating up, thinking of how they would have the yacht to themselves on the way back to the site. Her mother had stayed behind on Foley’s Treasure.
“Happy birthday,” Innis murmured in her ear.
“Mom squealed on me!”
He grinned at her. “She did. I even bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate on the Evening Star later.”
“What a perfect evening.”
“What a perfect partner.”
“Really? I’m a little rusty—”
“I didn’t mean the dance.” He returned his mouth to her ear. “I meant the woman.”
Warmth flushed through her and she couldn’t help but remember her conversation about romance with her mother. “You flatter me.”
“I mean to. I’ve never gotten over you, Cordelia. That summer we spent diving together and lying around on the beach and talking about our dreams for our futures was unforgettable. I’ll never forgive Hurricane Ella for destroying that wreck site and taking you away from me.”
Cordelia remembered those days fondly. “I thought my heart was broken when we left for home. But really, we were so young.”
“I was old enough to know what I wanted. From the moment I met you, I knew you were the woman for me. I haven’t changed my mind.”
Another echo from the journal.
Cordelia’s chest tightened and her pulse picked up. Could it be? She felt closer than ever to Elizabeth. She suddenly knew that with all her heart she yearned for the kind of love that Elizabeth and Will had shared.
The way Innis was looking at her…the way his face edged closer to hers… Certain he was about to kiss her, she wet her li
ps, left them parted, half held her breath as she waited for his mouth to descend on hers.
And then her wrist began to burn.
She jerked slightly in his arms.
His expression immediately concerned, Innis asked, “What is it?”
Her ring tightened.
“I’m not sure…”
And then she was.
She couldn’t miss Morgan Murphy, leaning against the terrace railing. Watching her. He looked every bit the pirate tonight. Tight black pants, black leather boots, full-sleeved white shirt billowing in the breeze, shoulder-length hair tied back with a strip of leather.
Innis stiffened. “What the hell is Murphy doing here?”
“I guess you’ll have to ask him yourself,” Cordelia said, as Murphy left the railing, his gaze locked onto hers.
Her wrist burned hotter, the Posey ring tightened…tightened…tightened…warning her of impending danger. Her heart began to thud and her throat felt like it had gone solid. She couldn’t even swallow.
“Seems he wants to say something to us.” Innis stopped dancing. “I’ll take care of him.”
Not that he had a chance.
The moment Innis drew himself together and let go of Cordelia, the treasure hunter swooped down on her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“C’mon, Cordy, let’s call a truce.”
“It’s Cordelia,” she ground out through clenched teeth.
He swept her onto the dance floor away from Innis. She glanced back in time to catch the other man’s murderous expression. For a moment, she thought Innis would come after them and start a scene. Then he seemed to get hold of himself and went straight to the bar.
Annoyed that her romantic evening had been interrupted, she demanded, “Now what do you want?”
“Can’t I simply want to dance with a beautiful woman?”
“I would have to trust you to believe that.”
“No trust? You wound me.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “What is the real reason, Murphy?”
“Morgan to you,” he said.
“Fine. Morgan.”
“Maybe I just want to get to know my competition a little better—”
“Now that I believe.”
“—to give you another chance to enter into a reasonable bargain with me.”
Cordelia had an idea of how to protect her find. If it was money he wanted…
He held off the thought with a series of complicated turns and dips. Cordelia had to concentrate to keep up with him. They danced in perfect harmony, as if they’d been partners before. She felt the pulse in her throat as he led her closer and closer to the railing and the sea and farther and farther away from the crowd.
And then the music changed and he slowed to a near stop, barely more than rocking as he stared down into her face.
Flushing at the unexpected sensations shooting through her, Cordelia somehow found her voice. “What if I offer you a deal?”
A breeze blew her hair across her face. He smoothed away the errant strand and tucked it behind her ear. “What kind of deal?”
His fingers left a trail of sensation everywhere they touched her.
“A lucrative one,” she choked out.
“Keep talking.”
“How much would it take for you to lose interest in the Celestine?”
“Money?” His expression offended, he stopped moving. “There isn’t enough.”
“But now you have no guarantees that you’ll sail away with anything. I can change that, make sure you have enough to start another hunt.”
“You mean like an investor?” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “Does money normally buy you everything you want? You can’t buy me, Cordelia Ward. No one can.”
Cordelia gaped at him. He was actually acting insulted. Why, when he was in the hunt for the money? Or maybe that wasn’t his motivation. Maybe it was the fame that went along with the fortune, the glory of being the one to find a four-hundred-year-old sunken treasure.
He leaned into her so close his breath laved her face. “How about I make you an honest offer—a partnership.”
She stuck her right hand against his chest and backed off. “I don’t think so. You and I have very different goals.”
“I thought we both wanted to find the mother lode of the Celestine.”
“I’m a marine archeologist and—”
He captured her hand before she could remove it. “And I’m a pirate?”
“I didn’t say that, but you are looking for treasure, while I am looking for artifacts.”
“Not that I see the difference, but how about I offer you this.” From his pocket, he pulled a diamond-studded gold chain from which hung a crescent moon set with sapphires.
Cordelia’s eyes widened.
“Exactly.” He took her right hand from where he’d trapped it and placed the artifact in her palm.
The touch of metal and jewels to her ring electrified Cordelia. Startled, she gasped at the power but wrapped her fingers around the jeweled moon so she wouldn’t drop it. Her heart beating too fast, she took a closer look and recognized its age. This was no modern copy of something old.
Fearing that Morgan had found this on his earlier dive, would somehow beat her to the mother lode, she panicked. “All right, partners, then, but we need to work out details—”
Before she could finish, Morgan curled his fingers over her hand with the crescent and kissed her.
Her wrist burned.
Her ring tightened.
Her head went light.
The chain trapped between their hands connected them like a live wire, kept them from pulling apart. The current spread to every pore of her body, to her head, to her toes, to her feminine center.
She had never felt so alive, so sure of herself.
Until the kiss ended.
Looking up into Morgan’s eyes that gleamed emerald with satisfaction, she had only one thought: What had she done? A treasure hunter was the last person who should attract her. They held opposing life values. She wanted to preserve the past, and he wanted to profit from it. He was so obviously focused on money, why wouldn’t he take hers?
Confused and angry that he’d taken advantage of her emotions, she stepped away from him and looked around to see Innis approaching them.
“Just what do you think you’re doing, Murphy?” he demanded.
“Sealing a deal.” Morgan grinned at Innis. “Cordy just accepted my offer of a partnership.”
“What?”
Morgan reached for her, but instinct made her whip his hand away using nothing more than her anger and her mind. His whole arm flew back hard, twisting his body, and her heart thundered in response.
Morgan’s eyes went wide and questioning. “What the hell, Cordy?”
Cordelia realized he knew she’d been responsible. Just as when she’d sent that vase of flowers crashing against the wall, her telekinesis had turned on without her thinking due to her advanced emotional state.
Not wanting to give Morgan a chance to question her, she put a hand on Innis’s arm. “Please take me back to the boat.”
“I thought you wanted to work out the deal,” Morgan said.
“Tomorrow.” Realizing she still had the crescent and its chain in her hand, she held out the artifact to him
“No. You keep it as a token of good faith.”
Innis’s eyes widened as he got a good look. And then he glared at Morgan. “Where the hell did you get that?”
Morgan’s lips quirked into a mysterious, irritating smile. “Tomorrow.”
With that, he walked away and disappeared into the crowd, leaving her weak-kneed and confused.
“Are you all right, Cordelia? Murphy didn’t do anything to f
orce you to agree to this…this…partnership?”
“No, of course not.” But the evening really was ended for her. “Please, let’s get out of here.”
Innis put his arm around her shoulders and led her off the terrace and toward the dock where the Evening Star was anchored. She tried to take comfort from his nearness, but her earlier romantic mood eluded her.
The electric kiss with the treasure hunter kept filling her thoughts instead.
“Can I ask why you agreed to a partnership with that pirate?” Innis asked.
Her hand tightened around the jeweled moon. “Because I feared he was too close to the mother lode, and if I didn’t agree, he would get it all. No artifacts for a real collection.”
No curator needed, depriving her mother of a reason to get up in the morning. No recognition for the father who had spent his life tracking down the very treasure that had belonged to her ancestors. No recognition for herself as a marine archeologist.
If she hadn’t agreed, the glory would all go to the treasure hunter.
“You don’t even know that he found that thing today. I didn’t hear any celebration coming off his boat.”
“If that’s true…” Her mind raced with possibilities. Had Morgan somehow tricked her? “Then what have I done?” she asked aloud this time.
“Nothing wrong,” Innis assured her, helping steady her as she took off her heels before getting onto the boat.
A moment later, they stood at the prow of the Evening Star. Innis took her in his arms, and she wished their evening had never been interrupted. Here was a man she could count on. A man she could trust. Maybe even a man she could love again.
“I will protect you and your interests, whatever it takes,” Innis promised, his head angling toward hers. “I want nothing more than to make you happy.”
This time his mouth met hers. Cordelia tried to lose herself in the kiss, but even as she kissed him in return, her mind was too aware that her wrist wasn’t burning, that her ring wasn’t tightening. By the time she realized that was a good thing, Innis ended the kiss, though he still held her in his arms.
“Whatever you need.” His voice was gruff.
She needed to forget that electric kiss on the terrace.
Realizing Innis was waiting for some response, she said, “Thank you for that. Let’s get back to the wreck site.”
Written in the Stars Page 13