by K. A Knight
I want her.
Always have.
She turns and sashays away, and like she knew I would, I drop my eyes to her ass as I watch her go. She’s so fucking hot, I almost bite my knuckle to stifle my groan as my cock throbs. Damn. I really shouldn’t have restarted that shit. It might kill me this time. After being down here with her for fourteen days, looking like she does and making dirty jokes, I’m going to have a serious case of blue balls.
Fuck.
It was bad enough when we were stuck on our boat together, but Tyler’s presence was always between us, stopping us from crossing the line, even though we flirted a lot. Now? Now I don’t know if I would stop. Would she?
I understand we shouldn’t, she broke our hearts, but my body doesn’t care. It wants her, and it seems like my stupid heart still beats just for her too. I drop my head back and try to think of anything other than her touch, her scent, her lips, her curves, until I can finally walk without a third leg.
I hear them call me, so I suck in a breath, plaster a smile on my face, and head back to help establish base camp.
Riggs is finishing assembling his computers, and the others have sorted out the tents. We have all the rest of the equipment ready to go. Tyler releases a Driver Propulsion Vehicle into the water with a camera attached, and we all crowd around Riggs’ screen to see if we can get through that way. It lights up a dark opening, which is big enough to get through. He pulls it back now that we know it’s passable, so we don’t drain its battery.
“All right, let’s get in the water, no time to waste.” Tyler sighs and stands, looking us over as he considers his next move. I already know the names he’s going to call though. “Kalen, Peyton, suit up. You two are going down, but only for two hours while we set up. See how far you can get and tie a guideline,” he orders.
“Got it,” Kalen replies.
“Sure thing,” Peyton offers, and they both go off to get ready.
Fuck, I wanted to go, but it makes sense. Even when they hate each other, they are the best. They work together so seamlessly, and their individual weaknesses and strengths make up for the other’s. I turn and observe Tyler as he watches them go. He has a strange look in his eyes, and when he turns and catches me staring, he coughs and quickly turns away.
What does he know?
“Check their gear before they go down. Give them the DPVs,” he tells me as he storms away.
I make a quick toilet stop before I head over to where they’re crouched on the edge of the pool. Their fins are already in place, and they’re in their suits with their harnesses on and tanks ready. I check Kalen over, making sure everything is tied down, his tanks work, his computer is on, and he has all his equipment before crouching behind Peyton to do the same.
“Stop staring at my ass,” she teases as she checks her air on her end and ties back her hair.
“Darling, I’m always staring at your ass. That ain’t gonna change,” I joke, even as I finish checking her over. I hear Kalen snort in disgust as he slips into the water and dons his mask.
She does the same, and they both peer up at me. I slide their DPVs into the water and they both grab them. “Be careful, don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
“So, nothing,” she murmurs, and with a wink, she turns and goes under, pulled by the DPV. With a swear, Kalen follows.
I laugh as I walk back to Riggs to see he has the cameras ready. They’re already broadcasting, and when the lights flicker on, I can see everything they can. “Comms check,” Riggs calls.
“Peyton on,” she responds.
“Kalen working.”
“Good, now go slow, visibility looks pretty low from up here, and keep us updated on what you find,” he advises. Tyler moves closer as well, leaving the others to organise our sleeping arrangements.
This is the first glimpse we’re going to get into the belly of the beast we are exploring.
Chapter Sixteen
PEYTON
Riggs is right—visibility is low. Even with our primary lights and the DPVs’ lights on, it’s still nearly black. I keep my kicks low and slow so as not to disturb the silt too much and make it harder to see. I feel Kalen behind me, both of us tied onto the same guideline as we swim one by one. I head farther down, letting the DPV do most of the work to keep my strength up.
The passage tilts down nearly at a direct angle and narrows further, so I go slower then and warn Kalen. He grunts his affirmation, but after about ten meters, it opens and curves up to the left with another shaft straight forward. I take the left first. “It’s a sump,” I murmur. The water gets clearer the higher we go, and I can almost see clearly now.
It widens even more until we’re in a pool. “You seeing this?” I say into the mic. “It seems to open up into a small pool. We’ll explore further.” I pause for a moment, looking around and letting Kalen set an anchor for the rope. “There’s another passage leading from the north. Going up first.”
“Behind you,” Kalen calls.
I start moving again, and just like I thought would happen, I break the surface of the water. “Surface broke.” I glance around with a smile as I pull my regulator from my mouth. “At least thirty meters tall with what looks like climbable surfaces, and there’s a ledge running around the pool wide enough for us to sleep on if needed. No obvious routes.”
Kalen surfaces next to me as I pull off my mask and shut down my DPV. Grabbing the ledge, I haul myself up and spin so that my feet are dangling in the water as I look around. The cavern is curved and tall and not too wide, but wide enough for us all to sleep in if need be on dive trips. Standing, I tread the perimeter, testing the wall before I glance at Kalen, who’s watching me. “I think I can see an opening up there, but I think we’re better off carrying on through the other passage for now. Thoughts?”
He pulls off his mask, looking around. “I agree. Let’s see where this fucker goes.” I nod and slip my mask back on before sitting on the edge and sliding into the water.
“Advise, we are heading to the next opening,” Kalen calls as he goes under. I grab my DPV and follow, this time with him going first.
“Understood,” Riggs replies.
Both of us move slowly, unsure where this beast is going to take us. I have a feeling this is going to be an intricate web of tunnels, caverns, and dead ends, but I’m hoping it leads us to the ocean or a significant find, which would be amazing.
“See anything?” I inquire. He ignores me, and I grind my teeth. “Kalen, this is not us anymore, this is business. See anything?” I snap.
“It’s going to get tight, so slow down and give me room to manoeuvre,” he retorts sharply.
I hold back as he heads into the murky opening. “Okay,” he calls, so I follow. He’s right—it’s tight. My tanks almost scrape along the walls as I swim slowly, pulled by my DPV. It twists and turns, our lights refracting in the water, barely penetrating the space right in front of us. We bank left, right, up, and down for around fifteen minutes before we swim into another opening.
The difference is that this one is completely underwater. I head up, and Kalen follows, but the ceiling is a light brown rock with no air, just a few rogue pockets. They would do in an emergency, but there is no telling how long the air has been down here. It could be filled with carbon dioxide, so that’s a last resort.
We swim down again. The bottom is deep and dark as hell, filled with rocks and debris. We even find a skeleton, which gives us pause, before we carry on. There is a slight current here, but nothing too strong. We relay everything, and I know Riggs is mapping it.
The cavern itself is wide, really wide, and oval. We find at least three tunnels leading off before we regroup in the middle, secure an anchor line, and drop some emergency bottles. “What do you think?” Kalen asks me.
“I think we could take any, but we don’t know how long they go on for, and I’m betting we have nearly reached our dive time.”
“You have,” Tyler barks and then sighs. “Come back, that’s
enough for now. Fin and I will suit up and take the next shift. We’ll drop anchors and emergency bottles and take equipment to the breathable cavern you found just in case. Tomorrow, we start fresh.”
I groan, wanting to carry on but also not wanting to push him. I don’t want to give him a reason to pull me from the dive, plus we still have fourteen more days to explore, this was just to get a feel for the place first. “Understood,” I reply.
Kalen nods, flashing me the okay symbol. As I turn back, I blink as something dark darts across my line of sight. Narrowing my eyes, I swim closer, shining my light in the direction where I saw it.
“Andrews,” Kalen snaps, “you heard him.”
“Yeah, one sec, thought I saw something—”
“Like what? Christ, come on, let’s get back before he has a shit fit,” he snarls but follows me anyway.
“Shut up,” I mutter as I swim closer. Something dark swims by again, this time to my left, making me turn slightly. Down below, you can see things, it happens. It can be rocks, shadows, anything. I just want to make sure nothing’s falling so we don’t get hurt, but when I can’t spot anything and Kalen’s bitching gets to be too much, I turn back and follow him from the room.
Using the guideline, I shadow him into the tunnel, being careful in case anything is falling. My legs begin to ache, mainly due to the lack of rest I’ve had recently, but I ignore it and keep going.
Luckily, we don’t need to do decomp stops, so we just head straight back quickly and quietly. When we reach the pool and surface, I yank off my mask, and Fin helps me up onto the ledge and out of my gear before assisting Kalen. “So how was it?” he questions eagerly. I know he’s aching to get down there.
“Good, has potential. I really think we got something.” Kalen grins at him the way he used to at me after a dive. Fin whoops and then Kalen looks at me. “When he says come back, we come back. Get your gear stowed and eat,” he demands before standing and striding away as he strips.
Fin winces but follows after him, leaving me alone. As I watch them join Tyler and Riggs to discuss today, aching loneliness crushes me for a moment. I wish I could be over there grinning with them. I can feel their excitement. But instead, I turn away, check my gear before standing, and strip down to my sports bra and knickers.
Michael heads my way with a grin, and it makes me smile. At least someone is happy to see me.
“You did great, kid. Come on, let’s get you dry and find you something to eat.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads me away.
I’m unpacking and helping establish the rest of forward base. Tyler is emptying some crates near me, though he refuses to talk to me. The radio plays softly in the background, rock music pouring from the speakers and filling the space. After we finish, I need to get some sleep, since Kalen and I are up early for the next dive at four AM. Time doesn’t really have much meaning down here in terms of day or night.
Ty and Fin are going in next while we sleep. We’re taking it in shifts, with Riggs and Michael watching for safety.
When Ty leans farther down, I spot something sparkling on his neck. Frowning, I watch as it slips out of his wet tank. It’s a silver chain, and at the end is…my ring.
Fuck.
I can’t even breathe. My heart clenches painfully, and tears try to fill my eyes. Has he worn it this whole time? What does it mean? I can’t look away, and he must feel my regard. He lifts his eyes, meeting my undoubtedly shocked and pained ones, and frowns. Following my gaze, he sees the necklace and grits his teeth, tucking it into his shirt before he looks back up at me.
There is a whirlwind of emotions in his eyes, and they batter against me accusingly. I did this. I see my own regret and love in his gaze before it shuts down, turning cold once again.
“I can finish this, get some rest,” he snaps.
“Ty—”
“That’s an order. You need to be able to keep up tomorrow morning, you’re exhausted. Sleep,” he snarls and then storms away, leaving me staring after him, my heart broken once more.
I stand there, alone and lost, unsure what to say or do. Dashing the tears away, I take in a deep breath to repress the pain, not wanting anyone to think I’m weak and letting my past cloud my judgement, but fuck, it’s hard.
Does…does Tyler still care for me? Could it be possible? Or is it just a wish…a wish that he could still love me the way I still love them?
Chapter Seventeen
TYLER
I storm into my tent, smashing back the flap before I begin to pace. I tug on my hair, wanting to scream. She saw it! She fucking saw the ring I bought for her. I don’t know why I couldn’t sell it or throw it away, instead I kept it, and like an idiot, I wore it on a chain above my heart. And she saw it.
Fuck!
As if she didn’t think I was pathetic enough, now she knows exactly how much I missed her. Ripping open my bag, I yank my shirt off and rummage around for a clean one, pausing at the tangle of bracelets there. I stroke my fingers across the worn leather.
I took them off when we got here, not wanting to lose them. They’re getting loose with the years. She gave them to me, and I couldn’t bear to part with them, each strand signifying another part of our journey together. It’s my past, she’s my past…
So why does she feel like my future?
I hate her, I really fucking do. I hate that she still has power over me. That she can reduce me to nothing but an obsessed, love-struck man with just one look. I used to love it, love how easily she made everything else disappear. I fell so hard for her, I thought we were meant to be together, but I was wrong.
Her father was wrong.
Lifting the ring from my shirt, I finger the stone, remembering how he grinned when I asked for his permission. It was only days before he died. He was so full of life and so happy for us both. He welcomed me as his family years before, but our marriage would have made it official. All he asked was that I’d make her happy, that I’d protect her for him.
I failed both requests.
I can’t love her, not anymore, not after what she did, and I certainly can’t protect her any longer.
Especially from me.
From us.
It’s becoming painfully obvious we are all still susceptible to Peyton Andrews. She was family once, a friend, a lover. I see the way my brother and friends look at her, I always did. It used to make me happy, knowing she was mine. Now it makes me scared, scared of the damage she could do to them once again. Even heartbroken, angry, and hateful, they still want her.
But this time, I think they might break her in return.
We aren’t the same sweet boys she once knew. We are hard, dominant men who know what they want, and for some fucking reason, it’s still her.
Scrubbing at my face, I push away all thoughts of Peyton Andrews. I have too much to do to keep obsessing over her being here. This is our time to shine, to get our name recognised and our business back on track after she left. Slipping into my wet suit, I leave my tent to meet Fin, ready to check the guideline, add lights, and leave emergency bottles.
I hesitate outside Peyton’s tent like I did the night before, and then I drag myself away and over to the pool. It’s my turn to see what this cave has to offer. Kalen may be first scout because I’m in charge, but everyone here knows I’m the best diver.
It’s time I showed them why, and that includes Ms. Andrews.
Chapter Eighteen
Peyton
I get a few hours of sleep, and then I’m up and dressed, ready to dive again. I eat and drink first, then use the toilet before zipping up my suit. Tyler is gone, as is Fin, so I’m guessing they’re asleep, but Riggs is still awake. I head over and lean against his stool. “You gotta sleep some time,” I tease.
“I will.” He yawns. “Ready to go again?”
“Always. Did they find anything?” I ask as I sip from my water bottle, peering over his shoulder at the map he’s drawing. It’s 3D and adaptable to move around, with additi
onal information when you click on certain sections. It’s really impressive. “Damn, babe, this is amazing. I forgot to tell you yesterday how proud of you I am for getting it working!” I gush.
He turns his head and opens his mouth to speak before he slams it shut when he suddenly realises how close we are. Our heads are almost touching, and our breath mingles between us. I should pull away, but I don’t want to. His eyes widen, flicking between mine, and his mouth parts again.
Electricity zings between us, stronger than ever before, as if it’s been building all these years and is now trying to drag us along. I’m suddenly aware of each of his breaths, of the shifting of his clothes, and the clenching of his hands on the keyboard, making his arms bulge with muscle that wasn’t there before.
Riggs always was a sweetheart, and yes, I was attracted to him. He was kind, loving, smart, and sexy as hell, but this new Riggs? Covered in muscles? He intimidates me. I don’t know who he is now, but in his eyes, I see the same man I used to love.
He’s just not as shy, if the desire blooming there is anything to go by.
My own lips part as my breath hitches, and my pussy clenches from that one look, from the promise in his eyes, which dip to my lips hungrily, tracing them until I can almost feel him touching me. I ache to reach out and grab him, to kiss him and see if he tastes as good as he looks.
I yearn to find out once and for all if I could really love and want four men at the same time. Four men who are very, very different. But right now, my body doesn’t care. It’s screaming for us to close the gap, to be brave and take what I want.
Him.
A noise has us jumping apart, and reality crashes down around us. The many people who are milling around come back into focus, reminding me they could have just seen how close we were to kissing. What the hell came over me? I’ve never struggled this much before. I mean, there were moments, but I fell in love slowly, as a friend at first and then more. It was never this instantaneous, like I had to have him, had to taste his lips or I might scream. Maybe it’s because I’m done fighting it, or maybe it’s due to time and age.