She pushed away her reaction. There was nothing much she could do with it—her father wasn’t coming back and she’d never get the opportunity to share this piece of the Chimera with him, no matter how much she might wish for it.
Loralei forced more space between her and Brian.
For the first time she realized just how quiet the deck had gotten. It was eerie and unusual. With almost a dozen guys living and working on the ship, there was always noise.
Stepping back, Loralei let her gaze sweep across the deck and nearly swallowed her tongue when she reached the tall man with bright blue eyes glaring at her.
No, Jackson wasn’t glaring at her. That dark, dangerous gaze was trained just over her shoulder. At Brian.
* * *
JACKSON’S HANDS TIGHTENED into hard balls. He was fighting the urge to stalk across the deck, slam a fist straight into Brian’s face and wipe that smug smile off the asshole’s lips.
The way he’d looked down at Loralei...it had set all sorts of warning bells clanging inside Jackson’s head.
He knew a besotted fool when he saw one and there was no doubt in his mind that Brian Peterson wanted Loralei. And probably had for as long as he’d known her.
His trigger finger itched for a weapon, something he hadn’t wanted since the day he’d left the Teams. He’d had enough of bloodshed and killing.
The way Loralei jumped away from Brian, a look of guilt crossing her expressive face, didn’t help.
He watched her gather her thoughts, her body following suit as she straightened her spine and pulled herself up to her full height.
With long, dark hair swirling around her shoulders, she paced forward, completely oblivious to the fact that half the men on deck watched her with hungry eyes.
He wanted to snatch her to him, bend her back and kiss the hell out of her. If for no other reason than to let every man watching—especially Brian—know that she was his.
But she wasn’t.
And he’d never been the possessive type. Typically he was a “love and let love” kind of guy. He didn’t like restrictions placed on his own movements, so he didn’t place them on anyone he slept with.
Why, then, did he want to haul Loralei into the cabin and remind her exactly what they’d done last night?
“Jackson. What are you doing here?”
Why was he there? When he’d convinced himself to take the launch to Emily’s Fortune so that he could persuade Loralei to let him have a look at the cannon the reasoning had sounded good in his head. But now...he realized it was a hell of a lie. Loralie had no incentive whatsoever to give him what he wanted.
If he was honest, what he’d really hoped for when he’d set off had been the chance to touch and kiss her again. It was all he’d been able to think about, even when he’d been working sixty feet under the surface of the water and should have been concentrating on his damn job.
“We need to talk,” he said.
Several of the men surrounding them shuffled and shifted. Brian moved to step in front of Loralei, but she didn’t seem to notice. Or care.
Cocking her head to the side, she drilled him with a knowing stare. “All right,” she said, drawing out the two words. “Follow me.”
She led him below deck, to a stateroom that was sparsely furnished, and ushered him inside. The door closed softly behind her. Jackson stopped in the center of the room and spun to face her.
Loralei lounged against the door, her hand lodged on the knob behind her back. Her hips jutted forward, feet spread wide in unconscious accommodation of the ship’s constant swaying. For a woman who was afraid of the water, she’d adapted rather quickly to living on it. He wasn’t sure if she was even aware of how naturally her body moved with the motion.
“No, really, what are you doing here?”
“I was hoping you’d let me take a look at the cannon.”
Her eyebrow rose. “You came all the way out to my ship to ask for a favor?”
“No.” Jackson stalked forward, closing the gap between them. His forearms bumped against the solid wooden door, coming to rest on either side of her head. “I came here because I couldn’t stop thinking about doing this.”
Heat flared deep inside her steady gaze. She didn’t blink or try to cover it up. She let him see exactly what she wanted—him.
Good thing that was what he wanted, too.
Bringing their mouths together, he let his lips brush softly against hers. Over and over again, he teased them both until she was panting, chasing his mouth for more each time he pulled out of her reach.
Her fingers curled into his biceps, held tight and tried to compel him closer.
Never in his life had he wanted a woman so much, and from nothing more than a few kisses. He was so hard he ached. But the funny thing was the ache wasn’t just below his belt. His entire body throbbed with the desire to touch and taste and know her, inside and out.
This woman drove him crazy. He shouldn’t want anything to do with her. He couldn’t trust her. But none of that mattered. She’d gotten inside his head and wasn’t letting go.
“Aw, hell,” he breathed, unable to keep up the torture anymore. Burying his hand at her nape, Jackson angled her head so that he could kiss her hard.
Their tongues tangled. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, scraped her teeth along the sensitive edge and made his cock leap as if she’d run her teeth over it instead.
They were both panting when a loud siren split the air.
* * *
LORALEI JERKED BACKWARD. Her lungs stuttered inside her chest. Sirens were never good. She wasn’t very familiar with life on a ship, but she knew that much.
The familiar band constricted, threatening to cut off her air supply. Every muscle in her body froze and her mind began to spin on the worst-case scenario. They were going down.
Everyone was going to die. She was going to die.
This was why she hadn’t wanted to come on a ship in the middle of the open sea in the first place.
As if sensing her rising panic, Jackson wrapped his hands around her jaw and forced her to face him. He brought them close, until all she could see was the calm, steady blue of his gaze.
“Take a deep breath, Loralei.”
As always, her body obeyed him. Her lungs expanded, drawing deeply until her chest filled.
“That’s it,” he said, gifting her with a soft, approving smile that suddenly had all the tension leaking out of her body.
“Let’s go see what’s happening.”
Grasping her hand, Jackson led her into the hallway where they encountered a couple of her crew. She didn’t miss the way their gazes snagged on her hand in Jackson’s.
She snatched it away and tucked it tight against her body, but continued to follow behind him.
Together, the knot of people pushed onto the upper deck to utter chaos.
Brian was shouting. The captain was directing several of the crew who were running across the deck.
Before she could ask, Jackson stalked up to Brian and said, “What the hell is going on?”
Brian glared at him and then deliberately turned away without answering.
She didn’t need to know Jackson well to understand that wouldn’t go over well.
Grasping the other man by the arm, Jackson spun him. “I asked you a question. What the hell is going on?”
From nearby one of the crew answered. “We’re taking on water. Not sure how or why, but it isn’t good.”
The panic that had receded before leapt back in full force.
“Have you tried to locate the leak?”
Brian frowned. “Of course. We sent a diver down, but he couldn’t find the source. We’ve sealed the bulkhead to contain it, but it won’t be long before she starts listing.”
Jackson swore and dropped Brian’s arm. “Everyone get to the launches. The Amphitrite is close. Head there.”
Turning to her, Jackson ran his hands down her arms in a soothing gesture she needed too much
to pull away from. “Get whatever you need, Loralei. We have some time, but hurry.”
Then he was striding off across the deck toward the captain.
She watched him go, unable to look away. He wore the mantle of authority with such ease. He’d taken over her crew and ship without a second thought. He knew exactly how to handle the situation.
Without him she’d have been frozen in place.
Although that didn’t mean it sat well with her. In fact, she didn’t like depending on him. Or anyone, really.
She was used to being alone and letting him take command felt like giving him more control over not just her crew and ship but her mind and will, as well.
She had to regain some authority.
Stepping forward, she insinuated herself back into the conversation between Jackson and her captain.
“I don’t care what you say, I’m going down there to see if I can find the leak. I don’t have much faith in your divers or their ability to find their ass with both hands.”
Loralei gasped and then growled low in her throat. It was maddening, and enlightening, to hear Jackson’s opinion of her crew. Although, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. It wasn’t like he hadn’t alluded to it several times.
But it was one thing to read between the lines and another to hear him spell it out.
“This is my ship, Jackson.”
He turned to include her in the conversation, a scowl marring his face. “I know that.”
“No, apparently you don’t. I didn’t ask you to take over and direct my crew.”
He turned fully to face her, crossing his arms over his chest. “No, you didn’t. But that’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to.”
“My crew’s already been down there.” And the thought of Jackson diving right now, with the ship taking on water had her chest aching again.
If the Emily was going to start listing, it could be dangerous for anyone in the water. “No.”
“What?”
“No, you’re not going down there.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Jackson spread his feet wide on the deck and glared at her. “And just how do you expect to stop me?”
“Easy.” Turning, she yelled to Brian. “No one give him any dive equipment.”
From across the deck, Brian grinned. “You got it, boss.”
Jackson made a low, frustrated sound. Tough.
She felt him behind her, pressing in close to her back. The heat of him. His anger.
She expected him to lash out or get upset, but he did neither. Instead, he leaned in and murmured against her ear, “You’d better get whatever you want to take with you because I’m putting your ass in a boat in five minutes whether you’re ready or not.”
Loralei spun to argue, but the minute her gaze collided with his she realized he wasn’t kidding. And he had the strength to back up the threat.
Gritting her teeth, Loralei raced back below deck. She grabbed up her laptop, her research and the files of information she’d gathered on the Chimera over the past few weeks.
Snatching a random handful of clothes, she stuffed everything into a bag and headed back up. By the time she got there most everyone else had gathered by the boats.
When Brian had given her the standard safety briefing she’d never actually expected to use the information. Someone had pulled out the life vests, although most of the crew hadn’t bothered to put them on.
Jackson wrapped an arm around her waist and propelled her into the launch. Without bothering to ask, he grabbed the bags from her shoulders and tucked them beneath her seat.
They were several feet away from the Emily before a thought burst through Loralei’s mind. Standing up, she frantically started counting heads.
The boat rocked beneath her feet, but she was too preoccupied with making sure everyone she was responsible for had gotten off the ship.
Jackson’s hand wrapped around her hip, trying to pull her back into her seat.
“What the hell are you doing, Loralei? Sit down.”
She resisted him. “Counting my people.”
The fingers digging into her side gentled.
“Everyone’s fine and accounted for.”
The total in her head matched the number of her crew. The frantic pace of her heartbeat slowed. Dropping back onto the seat, Loralei buried her head in her hands.
Her entire body was shaking, with adrenaline and fear. Jackson’s arm slipped around her, his hand smoothing up and down her back.
“Hey. It’s okay.”
Mumbling between her fingers, she said, “I should have handled that better. Should have been more prepared.”
“You did fine.”
She rolled her head sideways, looking at him through the gaps between her fingers. “I froze. All I could think about was plunging into the water and sinking under the surface, of someone else getting hurt, trapped and dead,” she whispered, careful to keep the words just between the two of them.
“Understandable.”
Jackson’s calm, even tone grated on her nerves. Her insides were a jumbled mess. Her brain, her guts and everything in between felt scrambled.
He was so damn pragmatic. Accepting.
“How do you do it? How do you stay so damn calm?”
“Years and years of practice. I’ve been in a hell of a lot worse situations, Loralei. That was nothing. Everyone on your crew did exactly what they were trained to do.”
Dropping her hands, Loralei looked back at the Emily. The ship was listing slightly to one side, but appeared to be holding her own. Sealing off the bulkhead meant the flooding would be contained. While the ship was damaged, and would be impossible to sail, at least she shouldn’t sink.
“The cannon.” She sighed.
“Will be fine. We’ll call in for a tugboat to come and pick her up and haul her back to port. You can rent a replacement ship from the marina to arrive with the tug.”
They reached the Amphitrite, pulling alongside her. Jackson’s crew gathered on the deck, no doubt curious as to what was going on.
One by one, everyone climbed out. Jackson kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders, tucking her close against his body.
Part of her knew she should push him away, but she couldn’t find the strength to actually do it.
Not even when she looked across the knot of humanity milling about to find Brian glaring holes into Jackson.
11
JACKSON SHUFFLED EVERYONE. His crew wasn’t thrilled, but they were out in the open ocean and none of them would have been okay with leaving the Lancaster team adrift on a disabled, listing ship.
He left Marcus to assign berths while he showed Loralei to his cabin.
The minute he ushered her inside and shut the door behind them he knew he’d made a mistake.
She spun on her heel and he could clearly read the irritation and anger that tightened her features.
“A little presumptuous, aren’t you? Just because we had sex last night doesn’t mean I’m going to bunk with you.”
Jackson’s lips twitched. Loralei’s gaze zeroed in on the gesture and her light green eyes flashed with a hidden fire that immediately sparked something deep in his blood.
Pulling out a drawer, he didn’t bother looking inside before grabbing some clothes.
“I was planning on bunking with Marcus.”
Her eyes widened and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet. “Oh.”
There was something satisfying about knowing he could set her off-kilter. That he could affect her just as much as she affected him.
Crossing to her, Jackson crowded into her personal space. He liked that she didn’t back away from him. Instead, she tipped her head back and stood her ground, staring at him.
With his hands still gripping the clothes, he bracketed her hips and pulled her tight against his body, nestling his half-hard erection against her heat.
She sucked in a harsh breath. Her pupils dilated and her body went lax.
“I
wouldn’t do that to you, Loralei. As much as I’d love to stay here and share this bed with you tonight, I worry about what your crew might think.”
He was trying to do the right thing, but Loralei wasn’t making it easy. Her lush, pink lips were parted in an open invitation he couldn’t seem to ignore.
Bending down, he captured her mouth. Sweeping inside, he drank in her sweet taste. The kiss had an edge of desperation. Evidence of the banked hunger they were both fighting.
Finally, he found the strength to pull away, and left before he lost the will to do so.
What was it about her that drove him insane but also brought out his protective instincts?
He wasn’t used to worrying about any woman aside from his sister and stepmother. None of the women he’d dated over the years had called up this kind of concern.
But then he supposed he hadn’t let himself get close to them. He wasn’t interested in taking that risk. In opening himself up to someone only to have them rip out his heart, as his mom had done to his dad.
His first instinct when those alarms had started going off, though, was to protect Loralei.
He’d seen the panic wash over her. He’d wanted to fix it. To do whatever he could to make the fear in her eyes disappear.
His brain told him not to trust Loralei, but his body didn’t seem to give a damn. His instincts, either.
So bunking with Marcus was a smart idea—for both of them.
* * *
HOURS LATER, LORALEI was restless. The sun had set shortly after they’d come aboard the Amphitrite. Jackson’s crew had prepared a dinner everyone shared. The evening had been filled with awkwardness, and not just between her and Jackson.
Everyone on board was being careful about what they said and how they said it. Her crew kept to one side of the dining room while the Trident crew occupied the other.
She’d tried not to notice the way Jackson interacted with his team. He was clearly in charge, but still managed to be one of the guys. They joked and shared a comfortable camaraderie that she hadn’t realized her team was missing until she’d seen it in his.
Oh, the Lancaster team worked together well enough. And in the evenings they managed to stay busy and entertained. They’d worked together for years, had shared experiences. But something was missing.
Under the Surface Page 11