The Reef

by Nora Roberts

  stashed, then wandered back to the rail. “Ah, here comes my lovely shopping companion. A bientôt.”

  Gallantly, LaRue took the tiller, executed a sweeping turn so that Marla could wave to Ray before they cruised toward St. Kitts.

  “I really appreciate this, LaRue. Ray’s so wrapped up with his charts and inventory I didn’t have the heart to ask him to run me in.” Delighted with the prospect of poking through markets, she lifted her face to the wind. “And everyone’s so busy.”

  “You work very hard yourself, Marla.”

  “It hardly seems like work. Now, the diving.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s work. You enjoy it, though.”

  “Matthew is an excellent teacher. After so many years on the water, it’s become a pleasure for me to explore beneath. Ray is the best of diving partners.”

  “He’s always loved it. Now and again, he still tries to convince me to try it. I actually tried snorkeling once. The reefs off Cozumel were very exciting, but I forgot myself and paddled out a bit. Before I knew it, I was looking down at open water. It’s the oddest sensation.” She shuddered. “A kind of vertigo.” Amused at herself, she patted the life jacket she’d strapped on. “I’ll stick with boats.”

  “It’s a shame you can’t see for yourself the Isabella.”

  “With all the sketches Tate’s done, I feel as though I have. What will you do with your share, LaRue? Will you go back to Canada?”

  “Spare me. Such cold.” He studied the shoreline in the distance. White sand, swaying palms. “Me, I prefer a warmer clime. Perhaps I will build a home here, and look down on the water. Or sail the world.” He grinned at her. “But whatever, I will enjoy being a rich man.”

  It was, after all, a fine ambition.

  Once he’d docked the boat, he escorted Marla into town, charmingly insisted on paying for their cab. Enjoying himself, he strolled through fruit and vegetable stands with her.

  “Would you mind terribly if I took a turn through a couple shops, LaRue? I’m ashamed to admit such a female failing, but I’m feeling deprived. I’d just love to look at some trinkets. And I do need to buy some more tapes for my camcorder.”

  “Then you must. I would like nothing more than to go with you, but I have an errand or two to take care of myself. Is it convenient to meet you here, in, oh, forty minutes?”

  “That would be perfect.”

  “Until then.” He took her hand, kissed it charmingly, then ambled off.

  As soon as he was out of sight, he slipped into the lobby of a small hotel. He needed the privacy of a phone booth, and settled inside. The number he needed was inside his head. Such things were dangerous to write down for other eyes to see.

  He waited patiently, humming to himself as the operator connected the call. Collect, of course. He sneered as the pompous voice announced, “VanDyke residence.”

  “I have a collect call for Silas VanDyke from a Mr. LaRue. Will you accept the charges?”

  “One moment, please.”

  “One moment, please,” the operator repeated in her lovely island voice for LaRue’s benefit.

  “I have nothing but time, mademoiselle.” To pass it, he rolled a cigarette.

  “This is VanDyke, I’ll accept the charges.”

  “Thank you. Go ahead, Mr. LaRue.”

  “Bonjour, Mr. VanDyke, you are, I hope, well?”

  “Where are you calling from?”

  “The lobby of a little hotel on Saint Kitts. The weather is quite wonderful.”

  “The rest of them?”

  “The lovely Mrs. Beaumont is souvenir shopping. The others are at sea.”

  “What are they looking for? The Marguerite is played out. I saw to it personally.”

  “So she is. You left little even for the worms. Tate was very upset.”

  “Was she?” A trace of malevolent pleasure crept into his voice. “She should have stayed where I put her. But that’s another problem to be dealt with. I want a full report, LaRue. I’m paying you very well to keep tabs on the Lassiters.”

  “And I’m delighted to do so. You may be interested to know that Buck has gone on the wagon. He suffers, but he’s yet to reach for a bottle.”

  “He will.”

  “Perhaps.” LaRue blew out smoke, watched it curl toward the top of the booth. “He doesn’t dive. When others do, he bites his nails and sweats. You might be interested that Matthew and Tate are lovers. They rendezvous nightly.”

  “I’m disappointed in her taste.” The lovely, cultured voice tightened. “Gossip is entertaining, LaRue, but I don’t like to pay for it. How long do they intend to stay with the Marguerite?”

  “We left the Marguerite weeks ago.”

  The pause was brief. “Weeks ago, and you didn’t bother to inform me?”

  “I have, as I always have, relied on my own instincts. I enjoy dramatic timing, mon ami. Now it seems more appropriate to tell you we have found the wreck of the Isabella. And, she is rich.” He drew in more fragrant smoke, blew it out. “My diving companion, Ray Beaumont, believes quite strongly that she holds something most precious.”

  “Which is?”

  “Angelique’s Curse.” LaRue smiled to himself. “I think it would be wise for you to wire a bonus of one hundred thousand American dollars into my Swiss account. I will check in twenty minutes to see that the transaction has taken place.”

  “A hundred thousand dollars, for a fantasy.” But there was a breathlessness in the words that came clearly over the wire.

  “When I’m assured the money is in place, I will use the fax from this charming little hotel and send you copies of the documentation Ray has worked so hard and long to gather. I believe you will find it well worth the price. I will contact you again, soon, with our progress. A bientôt.”

  Very pleased with himself, he hung up before VanDyke could finish the next sentence.

  The money would come, LaRue thought. VanDyke was too much the businessman to ignore the investment.

  LaRue rubbed his hands together and exited the booth, hoping the hotel ran a little coffee shop where he could pass a quiet twenty minutes.

  It was so amusing, he decided, to stir the pot, and watch just how it simmered.

  CHAPTER 21

  S HE WAS LATE. Matthew paced the bridge, telling himself it was ridiculous to feel disappointed that she hadn’t been waiting for him. He’d seen the light in the deckhouse when he’d started his swim over. Obviously, she was involved in something. Eventually, her concentration would break, she’d glance at the clock and realize it was after midnight.

  Eventually.

  He moved quietly to the pilot window again to stare out at the sea and stars.

  Like any sailor, he could map the world with those stars. With them, he could find his way to any point of land or body of water. But he had no map, no guide to show him the route to what he coveted most. On that journey, he was blind and without direction.

  All of his life it had been helplessness that had shamed him more than any emotion, any failing. He had been helpless to prevent his mother’s desertion, his father’s murder, Buck’s mutilation. And he was helpless now to defend himself against his own heart, and the woman who didn’t want it.

  He wished he could blame this restlessness that chewed at him on something as simple as sex. But that basic thirst had been slaked. He still wanted her, he couldn’t look at her and not want her. Yet it went so far beyond the physical.

  He supposed it had always been beyond the physical.

  How could he explain that he was a different man with her? Could be a different man if she felt even a shadow for him of what he felt for her. Living without her was possible. He’d done it before and knew he would do it again. But he would never be what he wanted to be, or have what he wanted to have, unless she was part of it.

  There was nothing he could do but take what she gave him, and let her go when the time came.

  He knew what it was like to exist for the moment. Most of his life had been like th
at. It was demeaning to realize that one woman could make him yearn for a future, for boundaries and responsibilities.

  A woman, he knew, who didn’t believe him capable of accepting any responsibility.

  There was no way to prove her wrong. They both understood that if he found what he was looking for, he would take it. And he would use it. Once he possessed Angelique’s Curse, he would lose Tate. There was no way he could hold both of them, and no way he could live with himself if he ignored his debt to his father.

  Now, alone, watching the stars mirror themselves on the water, he could hope that the necklace and all it stood for remained buried under the greedy sea.

  “I’m sorry.” She came in quickly, her hair flying as she turned to close and lock the door. “I was sketching the ivory fan and lost track. It’s fantastic to realize something so delicate could survive untouched and perfect for all these years.”

  She stopped. He was staring at her in the way he sometimes did that made her feel awkward and terrifyingly transparent. What was in his mind? she wondered. How did he hide those emotions that drove him? It was like looking at a volcano and knowing that far beneath the surface, lava was boiling.

  “Are you angry? It’s only quarter past.”

  “No, I’m not angry.” Those eyes, with all the secrets glinting, held hers relentlessly. “Do you want some wine?”

  “You brought wine?” Suddenly nervous, she shook back her hair. “That’s nice.”

  “I filched it from LaRue. He picked up some fancy French kind when he went ashore with Marla the other day. It’s already opened.” Matthew picked up the bottle and poured two glasses.

  “Thanks.” She took the glass and wondered what to do next. Normally, they simply dived to the floor and tore off their clothes, as greedy as children unwrapping gifts. “There’s a storm brewing west of here. It could be trouble.”

  “It’s still early for hurricanes. Buck’s keeping his eye on it, though. Tell me about the fan LaRue brought up this afternoon.”

  “It’s probably worth two or three thousand. More to a serious collector.”

  He reached out to touch her hair. “Tate, tell me about the fan.”

  “Oh. Well.” Off balance, she wandered to the port window. “It’s ivory, sixteen spikes, carved in a swirl pattern that forms a rose in full bloom when it’s opened. I’d gauge it at mid-seventeenth century. It was already an heirloom when the Isabella went down.”

  He twined a lock of her hair around his finger, kept his eyes on hers. “Who owned it?”

  “I don’t know.” Sighing, she turned her cheek toward his hand. “I wondered if it might have belonged to a young bride. It would have been passed down to her. She might have held it on her wedding day, as something old. She’d never use it; it would be too precious to her. But now and again, she’d take it out of the box she kept in her dressing table. She’d open it, run her finger over the rose and think of how happy she’d been when she’d carried it down the aisle.”

  “Do women still do that?” Touched by the vision, he took her untouched wine, set it aside. “Something old, something new?”

  “I suppose they do.” Her head fell back as he skimmed his lips along the line of her jaw. “If they want a traditional wedding. The once-in-a-lifetime white dress and train. The music, the flowers.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “I don’t—” Her heart stuttered when his mouth cruised over hers. “I haven’t thought about it. Marriage isn’t a priority for me.” Pulse quickening, she skimmed her hands under his shirt to run them along his back. “God, I love your body. Make love with me, Matthew.” Greedily, and a little rough, she scraped her teeth over his throat. “Now. Right now.”

  If that was all there could be, he’d take it. He’d take her. But she wouldn’t forget, by God, she’d never forget it had been he who had stripped away every layer of that logic.

  In one fierce move, he wrapped her hair around his hand, used it to yank her head back. As she opened her mouth in surprise at the sudden ruthlessness, he plundered it.

  She made a sound in her throat, part protest, part arousal. Her hands came to his shoulders to pry herself free, but his darted up the baggy leg of her shorts. His fingers drove into her and shot her into a shocking and violent orgasm.

  Her legs buckled. He took no time for the niceties of a blanket this time, but dragged her to the floor. Even as she gasped for breath, he was on her. His hands and mouth were everywhere, tugging, tearing at her clothes to ravish the flesh beneath.

  She writhed beneath him, clawed, but not in defense. Some part of her mind realized that volcano had finally erupted. She churned in the dark, mindless pleasure as it poured its lethal heat over her. His mouth and tongue were on her, forcing her to accept a new and terrifying level of madness. As greedy as he, she arched against him, felt the hot spurt of her own jittery climax.

  “Now.” She wanted to scream it. Desperate, she fumbled for him. “Oh God, now.”

  But he streaked up her body, pinned her hands over her head. When she opened her eyes, the light dazzled them.

  “No, you look at me,” he demanded when her lashes fluttered down again. “You look right at me.” His lungs were burning and the words ground in his throat like glass. But her eyes opened, an unfocused, swimming green. “Can you think?”

  “Matthew.” Her hand strained against his. “Take me now. I can’t stand it.”

  “I can.” Linking her wrists in one hand, he cupped the other over her hot center so that she bucked wildly under him. She came again, violently. He bit back his own groan when her arms went to water under his grip. “Can you think?” he repeated.

  But she was beyond words, beyond sight. Her senses were scattered, a tangle of live wires that sparked and sizzled through her system. When he released her hands, she didn’t move, but lay defenseless against the next onslaught.

  He devoured her, inch by inch, pale flesh, delicate curves. When he could feel himself all but being absorbed into her, when her mouth was as hungrily avid as his again, he thrust into her.

  She felt battered and bruised and blissful. His weight pinned her to the unforgiving floor, and she thought vaguely of the aches she would have in the morning. Somehow she found the strength to stroke a hand over his hair.

  She felt sorry for every woman who didn’t have Matthew Lassiter as a lover.

  “I could use that wine,” she managed in a voice that came huskily through a dry throat. “Any chance you can reach it? Or if not, if you can roll off, I might be able to crawl a few feet.”

  He pushed himself up and wondered how he could feel drained, satisfied, pleased and ashamed all at once. He brought both glasses back, sat beside her on the floor.

  With effort, she lifted rockily to her elbow and took the glass. A long, cooling sip did a great deal to steady her. “What,” she asked slowly, “was that?”

  He jerked a shoulder. “Sex.”

  After a long, appreciative breath, she smiled. “Not that I’m complaining, but it seemed a little more like war.”

  “As long as we both won.” Since he’d already drained his glass, he rose to fetch the bottle.

  The last thing she’d expected after such wild intimacy was the cool tone. Concerned, she laid a hand on his knee. “Matthew, is something wrong?”

  “No. Everything’s dandy.” He tossed back more wine, stared into the glass. “Sorry if I got too rough.”

  “No.” Though she couldn’t have said where it had sprung from, tenderness welled inside her. Very gently, she cupped his cheek. “Matthew . . .” Words fumbled inside her head, inside her heart. She struggled to choose the ones best suited to what they had together. “Making love with you is extraordinary, every time. No one’s ever . . .” No, it seemed wise to back off from that. “I’ve never,” she corrected, “felt more free with anyone.” She tried a smile, a lightness. “I guess it comes from both of us knowing where we stand.”

  “Right, we know where we stand.” He cuppe
d the back of her head, held firm as his gaze drilled into hers. “Sometimes, you can stand in one place too long.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  He pulled her up, crushed his mouth against hers until he tasted his own mistakes. “Maybe I don’t, either. I’d better go.”

  “Don’t.” Compelled by emotions fighting to be free, she took his hand. “Don’t go, Matthew. I . . . it’s a nice night for a swim. Will you come with me? I don’t want to be without you yet.”