“Yes, I shoved the beer bottle into your mouth and forced you to drink it.” Anthony rolled his eyes. “You need to chill. You’ll have plenty of time to be alone after dinner. I’m actually glad we ran into you because there are a few things I want to discuss.”
“Such as?”
“Well, for starters, we’re taking the initial team over first thing in the morning.” Anthony was all business as he shifted the conversation to something more important than Quinn’s whiny attitude. “We can’t dive until after ten, but we hope to have things scoped out before then. The submersible should be wet by the time we hit the water.”
Quinn perked up. “Submersible?”
“Oh, yeah, I heard some mention of that,” Rowan said. “I thought you might want to go down in the submersible to see the ship if they allow it.”
“Submersible?” Anthony wrinkled his forehead. “I thought you were diving with us as soon as we cleared the route.”
“Diving?” Rowan turned to Quinn, confused. “You know how to dive?”
“Know how to dive?” Anthony laughed so loud it caused Rowan to jolt. “He’s certified for every sort of dive there is. It’s not as if he’s a beginner.”
“Oh.” Rowan felt stupid for not knowing that. “Of course you are. You were in the military for years. I guess I didn’t realize that meant you could dive.”
“The type of diving I did during my tours was different,” Quinn offered. “It wasn’t recreational diving. I started doing the other during my off time. I keep up on my certification. This job has actually been good for that because I get a decent amount of down time.”
“So … you’re diving with them?” Rowan didn’t know what to make of the news. “I thought it was dangerous.”
“Quinn is a tough guy,” Anthony said. “He’ll be perfectly fine.”
Rowan wasn’t convinced and yet she instinctively understood she shouldn’t make a big deal about Quinn’s potential dive, especially in front of an audience. Anthony wasn’t the type of man to understand her worry. “Well … I guess you’ll get to see the wreck up close and personal. That’s what you wanted.”
“Don’t sound so excited,” Andrea deadpanned. “You’re acting as if he’s about to dive to his death rather than actually be able to touch history. This is an important dive.”
Rowan was getting tired of hearing those exact words. “I’m well aware that it’s an important dive. I didn’t say anything to the contrary.”
“And yet you’re upset,” Andrea noted. “How come?”
“I’m not upset.” Rowan forced a tight smile. “I’m just … surprised. I didn’t know Quinn was going to be diving. I feel like a fool for thinking that he would want to go down in the submersible.”
“I want to do that, too,” Quinn said. “I haven’t made up my mind on the diving yet.”
“You haven’t?”
“Yeah, you haven’t?” Anthony offered up an exaggerated face. “The other night you were all for it.”
“I was also drunk the other night and thought dyeing my hair pink sounded like a good idea.”
Anthony snickered. “I kind of forgot about that.”
“I didn’t.” Quinn rolled his neck. “As for the diving, I want to see the initial reports before making a decision. Even if I wanted to do it tomorrow, though, I wouldn’t have the time. I have to make sure the salon is ready for artifacts and watch the area between the ship and site for transportation issues first.”
“I’ve got all that covered,” Anthony pointed out.
“And yet I still have to check on it myself.” Quinn’s tone was firm. “Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I’m not ruling out a dive the following day … or even later in the week. I have other things I need to focus on tomorrow, though.”
“Okay, but you’re going to be missing out.”
Rowan had no trouble reading the looks Anthony and Andrea shared. They thought Quinn was being an idiot to give up on such a unique opportunity. As worried as she was for his safety, Rowan couldn’t help but wonder if it was her fear holding him back.
She knew Quinn had a life before her. She knew he was good at whatever he did while in the military, although he was careful to keep those details from her. She figured that was because he didn’t want to talk about the lives he’d seen lost, and possibly even the lives he’d taken. She understood that and didn’t push.
What she hadn’t taken into account was the fact that not everything Quinn dealt with, not all the ways he spent his time while serving overseas, were dark and terrible. There was a lot of fun in there, good memories, and even rowdy times.
She didn’t want to take an important opportunity away from him and she couldn’t shake the idea that he was turning down the chance to dive early simply because of her. Their fight had left him shaken and remorseful. Even though he screwed up, she didn’t want him to dwell on it. It was hardly life-shattering stuff.
“I still think you should dive with us tomorrow, but I’m not going to fight with you about it,” Anthony said. “Let’s go through the security protocol one more time and then you can have the rest of the night with Rowan. That seems to be the most important thing to you.”
Quinn answered without hesitation. “It absolutely is.”
13
Thirteen
Quinn was still grumbling when they returned to the ship, making a series of faces as they readied themselves for bed in Rowan’s quarters.
“I never thought of myself as a social person and now I know why. Hanging around with other people is stupid. It’s annoying. It’s … really annoying. From now on, I say we tune out the rest of the world and only talk to each another.”
Despite her heavy thoughts, Rowan could do nothing but smile. “I think that might get a little weird at a certain point. I mean … do you really want to talk to me about female stuff?”
Quinn, who was in the middle of tugging off his shirt, stilled. “Define female stuff.”
“Well, just off the top of my head, that would include makeup, menstruation, the silly things boys do, my feelings, the little jolt I still get every time I look at you … oh, and whether or not I want to change my hair.”
Quinn smirked at the list. “If you feel a desperate need to talk about makeup with me, I guess I can get behind it.”
“And the other stuff?”
“I’m pretending you didn’t mention menstruation. I’m a big fan of talking about the jolt you get whenever you see me, though … mostly because I get the same jolt when I see you. As for your feelings, I want you to discuss those with me, too.
“I get what you’re saying, though, and I think it’s fine if you want to talk to Sally about makeup and hair,” he continued. “I’ll take the rest of it on myself. Except for the thing I’m pretending I didn’t hear, of course. In my mind that never made the list.”
“Good to know,” Rowan said dryly, legitimately amused. “As much as I’m glad you’re willing to take it on – and I am glad – I still think a world where I could only talk to you might strain our relationship a bit. If I can’t vent to Sally, that means venting to you and I guarantee you don’t want to hear how I hate my new shoes because they pinch.”
Quinn pursed his lips. “Okay, but I want you to remember I made this offer the next time Sally takes it upon herself to spread gossip about us.”
“She very rarely spreads gossip about us. Also, she never spreads anything hurtful.”
“I guess not.” Quinn let loose with a sigh as he leaned back on the mattress and stared at the ceiling. “Actually, Sally is on my list of people I like right now. Did I tell you she came to see me the day we were fighting?”
“Yes, and I wouldn’t refer to that as fighting. I was pouting and you were apologizing while being wracked with guilt. That’s not really fighting.”
“It felt like fighting … and I didn’t like it.”
“I didn’t like it either.” Rowan sat at the end of the bed and grabbed Quinn’s hand. She’d been
considering the best way to bring up the obvious issue for the entire walk back to the ship and had come up with nothing. Everything she thought of seemed awkward and weird. “So … .”
“You want to ask about the dive.” Quinn turned his head and snagged her gaze. “You want to know why I didn’t bring it up.”
“Are you suddenly a mind reader?” Rowan teased. “Is that what happens when we’re the only people in each other’s worlds?”
“You’re making it into a joke, but it would’ve benefited both of us tonight. We would’ve gotten our quiet dinner and time for the Jacuzzi. Instead we had to listen to Anthony and Andrea explain fifty different reasons why they were too cool to get involved.”
“Yeah, I think they were protesting a bit much. It’s obvious they like each other and are simply making excuses.”
“I don’t really care about their relationship. I care about our relationship. If you have questions about the dive, though, I would rather you ask them now. I don’t want anything festering between us and it’s obvious you want to say something about the dive … so do it.”
“Well … .” Rowan was uncomfortable as she toyed with the bed cover. “When did they offer for you to join them?”
“When they found out about my diving skills,” Quinn replied. “Apparently I’m boastful when I’m drunk. My ego must grow with my word-slurring skills.”
Rowan snorted. “That sounds feasible. You must have jumped at the chance when they first mentioned it.”
“I did.”
“And now?”
“I wasn’t lying when I said I had things to handle tomorrow.”
“See, I think you’re covering for me,” Rowan hedged. “You don’t want me to worry so you’re begging off on something that could be legitimately described as a lifelong dream for you.”
Quinn purposely kept his expression flat. “Lifelong dream is a bit much.”
“Is it?” Rowan quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve done nothing but talk about The Conqueror since you heard about it. I was trying to think of ways for you to visit when I didn’t realize you could dive. I still don’t know why I wasn’t aware that you could do that … but we haven’t shared every secret with one another so it’s nothing to get worked up about.
“You have a chance to see it with your own eyes, though, and I don’t want to take that away from you,” she continued. “This will be something you’ll remember forever. I’m not thrilled about the danger quotient, but I know you’ll be careful. I think you should do it.”
Quinn worked his jaw as he debated how to respond. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see it. The thing is … I don’t want you worried. I don’t want to leave you behind. I feel as if I’ll be doing something wrong if I do.”
“That’s a ridiculous thing to think.”
“Yeah, but I think it and after what happened … .”
“What happened was as much my fault as yours,” Rowan said after a beat, taking them both by surprise. “I was passive aggressive that night. I sat at the tiki bar and fumed rather than finding you and dragging you away.
“This relationship is still new for both of us and we’re testing boundaries, which is normal,” she continued. “You can’t expect to know every single thing about another person in a few weeks.”
“There are times I feel as if I know everything about you,” Quinn argued.
“And there are times I feel the same, but it’s simply not true. I should’ve gone to the dining room and collected you. Instead I pouted and felt sorry for myself. That’s not the person I want to be. Of course, I also don’t want to be the sort of person who makes a scene and drags her boyfriend away when he’s having a good time with friends so … there has to be a happy medium somewhere. I didn’t find it that night, but hopefully I will going forward.”
“I love how rational your mind is even though you see the fantastical so often.” Quinn linked his fingers with Rowan’s as he went back to staring at the ceiling. “I do want to dive with them tomorrow.”
“Then you should do it.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“It will make me feel worse to think you’re giving up a once-in-a-lifetime chance because of me,” Rowan said. “I want you to do it. I promise not to melt down. In fact … I’ll go to the dock and wave you off as you head out to sea. That’s how much I want you to do it.”
Quinn chuckled as he rolled, snagging Rowan around the waist and dragging her to the bed so he could kiss her. The exchange was soft and needy at the same time, and they were both breathless when he raised his head.
“Thank you.” His voice was barely a whisper.
Rowan feathered her fingers down his cheek. “Don’t thank me. I want this to work for both of us.”
“Oh, it’s going to work. I have faith. You should, too.” And, because he did have faith and wanted to lighten the moment, Quinn started tickling Rowan. She was gasping, tears leaking from her eyes from laughing so hard, when he relented. “Now that I have you at my mercy, there’s a different sort of work I’d like us to embrace.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise.”
THEY ROSE EARLY, THE VIEW from the window still dark. Quinn was playful as they shared a shower, and Rowan knew it was because he wanted her to be at ease when they parted for the day. She was determined to keep her fear to herself, so she encouraged him to expend a bit of energy as they enjoyed their time together.
By the time they got to the dock, Quinn was focused. Rowan had never seen the sort of equipment Andrea surveyed upon their arrival so she couldn’t hide her interest.
“What’s this?”
“That’s a shark spear,” Anthony replied, grinning. “We need to fight off the apex predators if we expect to be successful.”
Rowan’s stomach rolled at his eerie grin. “Oh.”
“He’s messing with you,” Quinn said hurriedly. He recognized the momentary flash on her face for what it was: panic. “There are several types of sharks in this area. The one we’ll have a chance of seeing the most of is the reef shark. It’s completely harmless.”
Rowan was relieved by Quinn’s response. “So … you won’t get eaten?”
“No.” Quinn shot Anthony a warning look. “Don’t mess with her.”
“Hey, I’m just glad you’re going with us,” Anthony said, holding his hands palms up. “I thought for sure your mother would put the kibosh on that.”
Rowan wasn’t particularly appreciative of being called Quinn’s mother, but she managed to bite back a hot retort. Instead she sucked in a steadying breath and offered up a bright smile for Quinn’s benefit. “Reef sharks aren’t big, right?”
Quinn shook his head. “They’re only about six feet or so. They’re shy and rarely bother divers. Since there will be so many of us, they’ll run in the other direction.”
“Yes, the reef sharks are of little concern,” Anthony agreed. “I’m more worried about tiger sharks and bull sharks. They’re aggressive buggers and far more likely to bite off an arm.”
Rowan felt sick to her stomach. “And they’ll be down there?”
“Knock it off.” Quinn’s voice was low and full of warning as he glared at Anthony. “You think it’s funny, but I don’t. She’s never been diving before. She doesn’t understand what it’s like down there. Freaking her out seems like a particularly cruel thing to do.”
Anthony had the grace to look abashed. “That wasn’t what I was trying to do.”
“That was exactly what you were trying to do,” Quinn countered. He tugged a strand of hair behind Rowan’s ear and offered up a lopsided grin. “I swear I won’t get attacked by a shark. They’re not going to be interested in us. All the activity in the area is going to make them want to go someplace else. It’s going to be fine.”
Rowan nodded. “Okay.”
“He’s not lying.” Anthony adjusted his tone. “I was messing with you. I didn’t realize you were legitimately worried. Sharks are not going to be an issue. The s
hark spears are necessary for insurance reasons and nothing more.”
“That makes me feel better.” Rowan squeezed Quinn’s hand. “So … you’ll be gone all day, right?”
Quinn nodded. “I’ll be back in plenty of time for dinner. I promise we’ll get our private romantic meal tonight … even if I have to kill Anthony to do it.”
Anthony snorted. “Yeah, yeah.”
“What are you going to do all day?” Quinn asked, annoyed he hadn’t thought to ask the question earlier.
“I think I’ll hang around the island. I might do a little shopping.”
“But you’ll be alone?”
“I’ll be fine.” Rowan patted his wrist, amused and touched that he seemed bothered by the prospect. “I managed to survive without your constant companionship before we hooked up. I’ll hang around here and shop, maybe get a massage or something.”
Quinn didn’t look happy at the prospect. “Be careful.” He grabbed her purse from her shoulder and slipped it over her head so it couldn’t be easily stolen. “Watch your surroundings and don’t let strangers crowd you if you can help it.”
“Oh, I was wrong,” Anthony deadpanned. “You’re clearly the mother in this relationship, Davenport.”
Quinn ignored him. “Be careful. I’ll be home in plenty of time for dinner.”
“I’ll meet you at my quarters,” Rowan suggested.
“Do me a favor,” Quinn instructed. “Track down Sally and do your shopping with her. I know I said I wanted us to be the only people in the world last night, but you have fun with her. You can talk about hair … and makeup … and that other thing I don’t want to talk about.”
Rowan giggled at the serious look on his face. “That sounds like a fine idea.” She rolled to the balls of her feet and planted a firm kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Have fun. Don’t waste your time worrying about me. This is a big deal for you, and I’ll feel awful if you don’t enjoy it.”
“I’ll enjoy it.” Quinn pressed his hand to the back of Rowan’s head and leaned closer. “I’ll also enjoy you later. It’s going to happen this time. We’re taking over that Jacuzzi. I don’t care how we do it.”
Sunken Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 4) Page 12