Beneath the Surface

by Joya Fields

  For the first time since the accident, she forgot about her leg. Forgot about all she’d lost and focused on the way he made her feel.

  She knew she needed to stop him. She should find a way to resist the temptation to be with him. But for a few minutes, she could enjoy the taste of him, the feel of him, couldn’t she?

  He dropped his hands to her waist and softened the kiss before trailing his warm lips down her neck. A weak cry slipped from her mouth. “Garrett,” she whispered.

  She should stop this now before it got any more intense.

  He lifted her chin and forced her to meet his brown eyes, smoky with desire. Heat spiraled to her middle and she caught a faint whiff of his sawdust scent.

  “I…I can walk you back to your own room before I head to mine.” His voice broke as he whispered.

  She swallowed hard. She couldn’t do this right now with him. Too many obstacles stood in their way. But as she looked in his somber eyes, she realized none of those complications were bigger than her need for Garrett.

  “Let’s go to your room,” she said, her voice shaking. She moved her hands inside his shirt and ran them over his tight abs and chest. Heat soared through her body at the feel of him. “Together…”

  Chapter Eleven

  Brooke found it hard to catch her breath. Garrett stopped on the first step to kiss her. On the second step, he parted her lips with his tongue and kissed her until she gripped the rail for balance. She didn’t count the steps after that, but he made each one special.

  On the top step, she leaned close to Garrett and enjoyed the scent of his sun-warmed, sawdust skin. A flight of steps had never seemed so long.

  She wanted so badly to feel him against her that she forgot to be concerned about her leg.

  “Come on,” he said. His lips were swollen from their kisses. “Let me show you my room again.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her down the dim hall.

  He paused at the bedroom door, lifted his palms to rest against her cheeks and stared hard into her eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked, his voice husky.

  She nodded. He dropped his hands to his sides and stared at her. She extended her hand and turned to lead him into his bedroom.

  He took only a few steps and pulled her closer, and then reached inside the back of her shirt. He ran a shaking hand up her spine, leaving tingling flesh in its wake. All of her misgivings and hesitations disappeared. Only the yearning to touch him and be close to him remained.

  He lifted her chin with his fingers and pulled her against him. His gentle lips explored hers. He kissed the side of her mouth and swept his lips lightly along her jaw. She moved closer and felt his erection through his jeans. She moaned into his mouth, and he deepened the kiss.

  His tongue slipped between her lips and desire cascaded through her entire body.

  Breathlessly, she eased away from him. “Garrett,” she whispered.

  “I love the way you say my name.” He smiled and brushed kisses to her earlobe. He flicked his tongue over the sensitive spot behind her ear.

  He moved a hand inside her shirt and slowly ran his fingers up her stomach. She gasped as his light touch brushed her breast.

  His fingers caressed her stomach, sending tingles of pleasure all the way from her toes to her scalp. He unbuttoned her jeans, but kept his hands on the outside, massaging her waist before dropping his hands to cup her bottom outside of her jeans. She arched against him, wanting to fuse her body to his. Covering his hands with hers, she guided them down her back and inside her jeans.

  His warm hands heated her skin and she swallowed a gasp.

  Her fingers moved to caress his neck as his hands explored.

  It wasn’t until he pulled away, resting his hands on her waist that she thought about her leg. Suddenly, it wasn’t a big deal. This wasn’t about how uncomfortable she’d be when he first saw her amputated leg. This was about giving in to the overwhelming need to be with him.

  He bent to touch his lips to hers and used his hands to pull her even closer. She let out a small gasp when she felt his need for her. This powerful man wanted to be with her.

  She wanted him in ways she’d never wanted a man before in her life.

  No turning back now. She met his gaze; saw her own need reflected in his eyes. It stirred something deep inside of her.

  Still holding his stare, she lowered a hand inside his jeans to caress his erection. His lips parted and his eyes widened. Her hands shook with need for him.

  He lowered his head and rested his lips against her neck. His hot breath sent waves of desire dancing through her body.

  “Garrett, I—we—”

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice husky.

  Her shaking hands fumbled with the zipper on his pants. With a groan, he pulled his hands out of her jeans and together they unfastened his. There was something so sensual, so intense about undressing him together that she kept her hands on his while he stepped out of his jeans.

  Heat bolted through her body at the sight of his arousal. Sliding her hands into his boxers, she found him hard and ready. He drew in a quick breath and the passion that had been building inside of her grew stronger.

  With her hands massaging him, she bent forward to whisper in his ear. “I want this inside of me.”

  He moaned and pulled her tight against him, nipping at her ear.

  He pulled his shirt over his head, and she ran her palms over his smooth chest.

  She reached for the hem of her shirt and he laid his hands over hers, stopping her. Then together, they pulled the shirt over her head, inch by painstakingly slow inch. She wanted to be rid of all physical barriers. Now. But he was taking his time.

  Reaching down, he swooped one arm under her knees and the other one under her back as he lifted her and cradled her in his arms.

  “Wha—” she started, laughing.

  He smiled, kissed her, and carried her to the bed.

  Her fingers shook as he laid her down and stood next to the bed, giving her a perfect view of his growing need for her. The dim light from the hallway filtered into the room and she held his gaze.

  He shivered and pulled off the boxers. She stroked him. His body stiffened and he squeezed his eyes shut.

  “Please, Garrett. Now,” she said, her voice husky with desire.

  He moved to the bed and straddled her body. Although she was still clothed in a bra and jeans, the hardness of his engorged length pressing against her left her gasping for breath.

  “Garrett…” she whispered, panting, wanting every inch of him inside of her.

  When he lifted his head and looked at her, she could see from his half-closed eyes that his need for her was just as strong as hers for him.

  He shifted his weight so he was lying next to her, then bent to place a kiss on the curve of her bra-covered breast. She gasped and he reached around to unfasten the strap. He ran a roughened hand inside the loosened cup and paused over her nipple, tweaking it, sending tingles down her back.

  She pulled the bra free and tossed it backward. From the corner of her eye, she saw it land on the backboard.

  He bent and drew a nipple into his warm mouth. She didn’t know how much more she’d be able to take.

  In an effort to make him as crazy as he was making her, she reached for his hard flesh and started stroking.

  He moaned and pulled back, then stared at her with narrowed eyes. “Mmm, so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” He bent to deliver a long kiss and his hand worked her zipper.

  Her eyelids fluttered, and her breaths became more like pants. She pulled his head closer and kissed him. When he pulled back to tug her jeans and panties over her hips, she smiled up at him.

  She didn’t feel vulnerable. Shirtless—and knowing her leg needed to come off—she simply felt ready. Incredibly ready. Ready to be with him and show him who she really was.

  She slid off the bed and out of her jeans, holding eye contact with him. His eyes followed her every mov
e. It turned her on more than he could know. After taking off her socket and leg, she rolled beside him, completely naked, completely exposed.

  Completely free.

  He kissed her like she’d never been kissed before, pressing his lips to hers as he pulled her on top of him against his hard and ready body.

  “Uh…let me get a…” He reached over and opened a drawer in the nightstand and pulled out a strip of foil-covered condoms.

  Brooke reached for the condoms, pulled one off, and ripped it open. She shifted her weight, keeping her body on top of his. Slowly, she rolled the condom over his erection.

  His muscles rippled, his powerful body beneath hers an obvious contrast to her smaller one. For a split second, whatever reality she still processed told her that he was letting her be in charge. She was on top; she was the one setting the rules for what happened here.

  The thought made her smile as she kissed him and ran her hand down his torso, pressing her body against his.

  He stiffened and sucked in a breath before pulling her body closer.

  She wanted him like she’d never wanted a man before in her life. His tender touches added to the thrill of being close to his naked body. But what turned her on almost as much was his thoughtfulness for her. In bed and out, he put her needs first. She couldn’t let him.

  Wanting to give him as much if not more than he was giving her, she swept hot kisses down his neck.

  “Come here, baby,” he said, pulling her up, capturing her mouth with his.

  In a mass of tangled sheets and tangled limbs, trying to touch as much of the other as each could, he lifted her, straddled her body on top of his and lowered her onto him. He pushed into her with a long, slow stroke and let out a low moan.

  She tightened herself around him, stimulating him with her muscles as he stroked harder and faster.

  She wished this moment could last forever. He pushed deep inside, and moved his hand to her breast. Within seconds, she felt herself going rigid and gasping for breath as he groaned and came with her.

  Panting for air, she fell bonelessly on top of him. He cradled her head in the crook of his shoulder. Minutes later, when he rolled to his side, pulling her with him, she felt him smile against her neck. He ran his fingers through her hair, stroking her scalp.

  Moonbeams sifted through the thin curtains, throwing dim sparkles of light through the room. She sighed and leaned against Garrett, letting herself enjoy the heat of his skin and the way his strong arms made her feel secure as she relaxed and her eyelids grew heavy.

  ****

  The shrill ring of his cell phone woke Garrett from a deep sleep.

  Sunlight sliced through a crack in the closed curtains and he squinted at the nightstand clock.

  Eight o’clock! He hadn’t slept that late in over a year.

  He tugged his arm carefully from under Brooke’s shoulders, trying not to wake her. Before he could open his phone, the call went to voicemail. When he flipped it open to check for a message, Brooke moaned beside him and made him forget everything except her.

  Her tousled blonde hair and smudged eye makeup made her even more beautiful.

  A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when she looked at him. “Who was it?” she asked.

  He took a strand of her hair in his fingers and twirled it, pulling his face closer. He couldn’t have resisted her swollen-from-last-night’s-kissing lips if he’d tried. He touched his lips to hers. The move sparked an instant reaction in the lower half of his body.

  Their night together had been like a sudden storm. As the night went on, their need for each other intensified instead of waning. She’d brought out a reaction so strong in him, so powerful it rivaled the most intense hurricane.

  He turned to face her and let his lips find hers again, feeling his need for her grow.

  Blonde hairs poked up and around her face, framing her small nose and sleepy gray-blue eyes. With a small smile, she pulled him closer.

  “Phone call? What phone call?” He threw his phone off the bed and rolled on top of her.

  After, as she lay naked and stretched out on top of him, he wondered when they’d switched positions. He’d been so caught up in the way she made him feel, the way he responded to her small hands as they traveled along his body, she had made him unaware of anything else. He hadn’t even noticed that she’d moved on top of him.

  He chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked, raising her head off his shoulder and squinting at him.

  “How’d you get on top?” he asked.

  She pushed up on her forearms and grinned. “Do I have to do it again…pay attention this time, will ya?”

  He grinned back. He couldn’t remember grinning this much in the past year, much less in one morning.

  She arched a brow and held his eyes captive with hers, moving her soft hand down his chest, to his hips.

  His phone rang again and broke the moment.

  She shrugged and rolled to his side with a knowing smile.

  With fingers still shaky from his need for her, he reached to the floor and found his phone on top of her discarded clothes. “Hello?”

  “Our boy Jeff is out of his coma,” Diego said.

  “When?” Garrett fired a quick glance at Brooke. Her smile disappeared and her face grew serious. She reached to grab the thin cotton sheet and pulled it up to her shoulders.

  “An hour ago. He’s disoriented, doesn’t remember anything. I tried calling Brooke’s phone, no answer.”

  Picturing Brooke’s purse on the kitchen chair where she’d left it last night, Garrett pulled his gaze from Brooke’s slim form to her face. “I’ll let her know.”

  Diego paused. “She’s with you isn’t she?”

  Always the detective, even when he wasn’t on duty…

  “She’s here.”

  Diego remained silent.

  “Can she re-figure the dive area? Suggest where to search today?” Diego asked. “I know you don’t want her out there, but she might be able to give us some ideas about where to dive.”

  Garrett nodded. “Yeah. We’ll get on it.”

  Again, Diego hesitated. “Somebody doesn’t want us down there.”

  “I know.”

  “It’d be nice to have Brooke’s expertise.”

  He jerked his gaze to Brooke and knew he needed to find a way to keep her safe. “That’s not a possibility. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  He snapped the phone shut and turned. If she came out on the boat, he could keep an eye on her. But she’d still be at risk. At this point, he didn’t trust anyone other than himself to protect her. She was too independent, and the police were too overwhelmed to assign an officer to escort her. If she stayed on shore, she’d be at risk without someone protecting her. His mood darkened with the realization that either way, he’d be putting her in danger.

  ****

  Brooke lathered herself up with Garrett’s pine-scented soap, letting the shower rinse away some of the stress that had been building ever since Diego’s call. On the bright side, Jeff was out of his coma and Linda grew stronger every day. She smiled, knowing her friends were going to be okay.

  Her smile turned to a sigh as she remembered the feel of Garrett’s hands as they caressed her body through the night and wreaked havoc on her senses. She’d expected to feel regret this morning—at least a little bit. But she felt an inner glow instead.

  Still, she had to make sure he didn’t take on the role of her protector.

  “I can take care of myself,” she murmured, wiping the fog off the mirror.

  Her gut fisted. Something about being around him—even if she discounted the sex, which wouldn’t be easy to do—made her feel whole.

  She toweled off and reminded herself that giving into her need to be with Garrett was not at all the same as being dependent.

  He and Diego were going out on the boat today to search for the box again. She yearned to dive, too. But if she went down on a dive, she knew the grief w
ould be unbearable.

  She heaved out a breath. She’d given in to her need to be with Garrett. Why couldn’t she give in to her need to dive again? Didn’t she owe it to her parents to follow her heart? She’d followed her heart and let herself fall into bed with Garrett and that had turned out way better than okay. If she prevented herself from following her dream of underwater work, wouldn’t her parents be disappointed?

  Diving without her prosthesis or full-functioning leg didn’t matter so much anymore. Hadn’t Garrett proved last night that she didn’t have to be self-conscious about her leg? He’d acted as if it wasn’t even a blip on his radar.

  But even bigger than the enormity of her disability and her grief for her parents was the simple fact that Garrett needed her underwater. He and Diego were licensed divers, but they weren’t trained in currents and underwater excavation. She knew about both.

  She cleared more fog from the bathroom mirror and lifted her chin to study her reflection. No big deal. That’s how Garrett treated her amputated leg.

  She touched a water-proof mascara wand to her lashes, smudged some blush over her cheeks and donned a halter and pair a jeans.

  She needed to find a dive shop. She had some diving to do.

  ****

  It hadn’t been easy to convince Garrett to let her drive to her motel by herself, but Brooke persuaded him by promising to have the manager escort her to her room while she packed her belongings and checked out.

  Garrett had to get the boat ready and running an errand by herself made her feel a small increment of control over her life. No crazed person could stop her from doing what she needed.

  At least now she knew why he was so overprotective. The stories he’d shared about his ex-fiancée and Tessa helped her understand his protective nature.

  She pulled the car out of the motel lot and her cell phone rang with a number she didn’t recognize.

  “Hello?”

  “Ms. Richards?” The female voice sounded familiar but she couldn’t place it.

  “Yes.”