It couldn’t be coincidence that they’d shown up here now, could it?
No, her life didn’t work that way.
“Damn, this means we have competition, doesn’t it?”
“Probably.”
* * *
JACKSON BLENDED INTO the bustling activity of the marina and watched.
He’d never seen the woman Brian greeted with a hug and a deep smile, but he supposed it wasn’t a leap to assume she was Lancaster’s daughter.
He’d heard James had died from a heart attack three months ago. Damn shame, but not surprising. He hadn’t looked healthy the last time they’d spoken. Of course, the man had been red-faced and screaming at him.
It hadn’t taken James long to realize Trident—and Jackson specifically—was poaching his clients. The man had made it damn easy to do. But James had been livid, storming into the Trident offices to throw his weight around and threaten him with that non-compete clause he’d originally signed.
By then Jackson had discovered just how much financial trouble Lancaster was in, so he’d told the man to go ahead and hire a lawyer—he’d known James couldn’t afford one.
And he hadn’t felt a single twinge of guilt. Not when people’s lives and safety were involved.
That potential mishap with the explosives was how shit like oil rigs exploding and millions of gallons of crude spilling into pristine waters happened.
Several weeks later their front door had been smashed in and their offices ransacked. All the expensive dive equipment and computers had been left untouched, nothing of value missing.
It had taken Asher, Knox, Kennedy and himself several days to deal with the mess. There was no way to prove the burglars had paid an inordinate amount of attention to his research on the Chimera, or that the person behind the theft was James Lancaster, but his gut had told him that’s what had happened.
He’d had plenty of experience trusting his gut. On dangerous missions those hunches often had been the difference between life and death.
And now his gut was telling him Lancaster Diving’s presence in Turks and Caicos wasn’t a coincidence. Loralei Lancaster disappeared below deck, Brian right behind her, his hand hovering at the small of her back without actually touching. The diving community was small and he’d made it his business to know everything he could about Lancaster Diving...including the woman who’d inherited the mess James had left behind.
Jackson almost felt sorry for her. But not enough to stop his campaign to put them out of business. Which was secondary to keeping them away from the Chimera. He’d been researching the shipwreck for the past ten years. There was no way he’d let the Lancaster team find her first. Especially using his own damn work.
There was no denying Loralei was beautiful. Exotic. Her skin was a deep, sun-kissed brown. The shorts she wore hugged the curves of her hips, leaving plenty of long, delicious leg on display. Her lightweight shirt fluttered loosely against her body, making her look tropical and carefree.
Based on the information he’d been able to gather, he’d expected her to be bold and unabashed as she’d walked across the dock toward Emily’s Fortune. But she’d kept her gaze focused straight ahead, every movement of her body stiff.
Why?
He didn’t know, and he didn’t want to care. But the soldier in him couldn’t help but catalogue and consider.
Part of him wanted to stomp down the dock, storm onto her ship and confront her.
But that wouldn’t lead him anywhere. No doubt she’d simply lie just as her father, Brian, and everyone else attached to Lancaster Diving had.
So, he had a better plan.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Jackson leaned against a low railing and settled in to wait. This was something he was comfortable with, trained to withstand the kind of boredom that could drive most men crazy.
He watched the ships coming and going from the marina so that anyone who noticed him would just assume he was a tourist taking in the native color. But he never lost sight of Lancaster’s ship.
Luckily, his wait wasn’t very long. An hour later Loralei emerged, Brian still glued to her side.
She kept her head high and her focus squarely in front of her. Brian’s mouth moved, but Jackson couldn’t hear what the man said. Not that it particularly mattered. Loralei was either bored or unimpressed because she didn’t bother responding. Her mouth was pulled into a tight line and her body strung with tension.
Her long black hair swirled in the soft breeze blowing off the water. For some reason he’d expected her eyes to be deep brown, but as she drew nearer Jackson realized they were actually a pale green. Like her father’s.
It was about the only resemblance he found between the bear of a man with red-tinged skin permanently burned from too many years in the sun and harsh sea air, and the woman striding ever closer.
Jackson didn’t bother moving as they drew even. Both of them were absorbed. Brian didn’t notice him at all.
Loralei’s gaze, though, brushed over him. And lingered. Not on his face, but on his body. He knew what she saw. He’d spent years honing his form into the weapon he needed it to be. He depended on strength and mobility to get the job done.
He was used to women noticing him. And he had to admit, the danger and secrecy of being a SEAL helped build a reputation many women found appealing. Over the years Jackson had been happy to take advantage of that job perk.
It had been months since he’d had the time to indulge, though. All his focus and energy had been going into opening Trident, building a reputation and client list, and gathering the research and capital to fund this search for the Chimera.
It irritated him that Loralei Lancaster stirred to life the first hint of awareness he’d felt in eighteen months.
Apparently, his dick didn’t feel like being picky. Good thing his brain had better sense.
Her perusal only lasted a few moments, enough time for her to walk past him and then it was gone. But the sensation she’d awakened lingered, an unwanted buzz beneath his skin.
Clamping his fingers around the railing, Jackson forced himself not to turn and watch her walk away. There was no point. He knew exactly where to find her.
* * *
LORALEI NEEDED A DRINK. Or several. Yep, definitely several of those pretty orange and pink things every restaurant and bar seemed to offer. Fruity concoctions with enough alcohol to help her forget that tomorrow she would be on a ship surrounded by nothing but ocean.
God, she wished Melody was here. Her best friend had offered to come, but she couldn’t get the time off. Melody was about the only person who knew of Loralei’s phobia. She supposed it wasn’t that important to keep it a secret, but she didn’t like weakness—especially in herself. And it was difficult to look at her fear as anything but that. Over the years she’d tried to logic herself out of the irrational reaction, but nothing seemed to work.
Melody had discovered the truth by accident several years into their friendship. Even then, Loralei had been reluctant to admit the extent of her phobia until her friend had backed her into a corner, unwilling to accept her lies.
She didn’t bother changing clothes before heading down to the bar attached to the hotel. She wasn’t in the market to get picked up so she didn’t care if her makeup was smudged and her clothes wrinkled after a long day of traveling.
She honestly didn’t care about anything aside from settling her nerves.
Walking across the plush carpet, she let the dim light and soft sounds wash over her. If not for the calypso music and beach-chic decor, she might have been able to convince herself she was home in Chicago, which is where she’d much rather be, instead of on a Caribbean island.
Sliding into a booth in the far corner, she placed her order and then drilled her fingers into the table while she waited for it to be delivered. She should probably order food, too, but she didn’t. Maybe in a bit, when her stomach stopped churning.
Her waitress dropped a heavy margarita glass onto a tiny
white napkin and then slipped away. Loralei brought the drink to her lips and sipped, closing her eyes in pleasure as the fruity taste of it exploded across her tongue. Pineapple, strawberries, possibly mango.
When she opened her eyes again a man stood at the end of her table watching her. She started. The slushy contents of her glass rocked over the edge, sliding thickly down the angled curve to pool on her fingers.
With a frown, Loralei switched hands, brought her fingers to her mouth and sucked.
The man groaned low in his throat. Uneasiness crawled up to settle right between her shoulder blades.
“Do you mind if I sit?” he asked, folding his body in half before he’d finished the question.
“Yes, I do mind. Nothing personal, but I’m not looking for company.”
His body stalled, shock crossing his face for the briefest moment before it was gone again. She supposed he was the kind of guy who didn’t hear the word no often. He was handsome enough in a professional kind of way. Probably on vacation. Possibly with a wife upstairs.
A smarmy smile replaced his startled expression, as if he expected she would change her mind at any moment.
Something about this guy made her seriously uncomfortable. And that was saying something considering the emotional turmoil she’d already been struggling with.
At least he straightened, keeping his rear from occupying the seat opposite her. “Let me buy you another drink.”
“Nope, I just got this one and I plan on nursing it for a while.”
She hadn’t been, but what was a little white lie in the grand scheme of things? Nothing if it kept his guy away from her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Loralei watched a man she’d noticed on the docks stalk across the bar. Over her admirer’s shoulder, she saw him walking in their direction.
Now he was gorgeous in a blond-surf-god kind of way. Tall, if she had to guess, several inches over six feet. Being five-ten she was used to looking most men in the eye. But not him.
If she’d been here to pick up someone, he definitely would have been on her list of prospects. Tall and muscular. The kind of guy whose mere presence commanded attention.
Yummy on a stick, as Melody would say.
He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts with about a million pockets sewn up and down the thighs. A pale blue polo stretched taut across his broad chest, the soft material doing little to conceal the swell of pecks and dip of abs. He hadn’t bothered to fasten the three tiny buttons, and she could see a dusting of pale blond hair that swept across his chest.
The color perfectly matched the honey-toned, tousled hair on his head, which looked as if he, the wind or some red-lipped siren had just been ruffling through it.
Loralei’s mouth went dry. Bringing the glass she still held to her lips, she gulped down a huge swallow of the slushy goodness to try to relieve the pressure. It didn’t quite work.
Especially when she realized the bronzed god was heading straight for her and not to one of the nearby tables.
She barely had time for a full breath before he was pushing the guy she’d completely forgotten out of the way.
“Excuse me,” he said, drawing close to her.
Leaning down, he brushed his mouth against hers, warm and soft. All Loralei could do was sit there and stare up at him.
“Sorry I’m late, baby,” he murmured, the low timber of his voice making every muscle in her body melt. She was pretty sure he’d also liquefied the frozen drink in her glass.
Somehow she managed to murmur something that obviously passed as appropriate because he smiled down at her, his unbelievably blue eyes twinkling with mirth and mischief.
Loralei’s mouth dropped open—she wasn’t sure if the gesture was an invitation for him to kiss her again or because she knew she should say something like, Who the hell are you?
Before she could decide, his solid body was pressing against her, urging her to slide over into the corner of the booth.
And she did, which left her a little miffed and seriously bewildered.
The guy still standing at the end of the table sputtered. “I thought you weren’t looking for company.”
“She isn’t. She already has me.”
The guy frowned. Anger flared deep in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me you were here with someone?”
Because she wasn’t. Although, she was coherent enough to realize it wouldn’t be smart to say that out loud right now. So, she simply offered a shrug and an apologetic half smile.
With a labored huff, the guy finally walked away, apparently realizing arguing with her wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Especially with the wall of masculinity sitting between them. The guy would have been mental to take on the man currently pressed against her body from shoulder to hip.
The heat of him seeped into her flesh. Maybe she should have changed clothes, put on longer shorts. The hem had ridden up her thigh at some point and she could feel the rub of his skin against hers, smooth to hair-roughened.
She found her voice enough to ask, “Who are you?” She kept the words pitched low so only he could hear them.
Draping an arm across the back of the booth, he squeezed in closer. A few seconds ago she would have thought that physically impossible. She was obviously wrong.
“Jack,” he said, dipping his head and brushing the single word across the sensitive shell of her ear.
“Nice to meet you,” she answered without thought or intent.
Pulling back, he smiled down at her. A shiver snaked through her stomach. Somehow he managed to fill his expression with kindness, sensuality and predatory promise. Apparently a deadly combination to her libido.
Loralei shifted in her seat. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugged, his entire ribcage lifting and sliding against her. “Rescuing you. I would have thought that was obvious.”
“Well, yes, but why?”
His smile changed, going a little dangerous around the edges. “Because I wanted to.”
Oh, this guy was trouble. Clearly. The kind of man who got whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it.
Too bad. Tonight he was going to be disappointed, because he couldn’t have her.
2
JACKSON WATCHED LORALEI LANCASTER’S eyes narrow. Part of him wanted to laugh. The rest wanted to pull her harder against his body.
From a distance she was beautiful. Up close...she was gorgeous. Even in the low bar light, her skin was luminous. Like sunlight filtering through the bright blue surface of the water in the last few moments of a great dive.
He had the same sensation sitting next to her that he’d felt when he’d finally narrowed down the Chimera’s location: reverence, triumph, pleasure.
He wasn’t supposed to feel anything but anger and a desire for retribution around her.
Reminding himself of his reason for coming in the bar after her tonight, Jackson tried to fight temptation. It didn’t help much since he could still feel her smooth, warm skin pressed against his thigh.
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told him,” she began, tilting her head toward the guy who’d already moved on to his next target across the bar. “I’m not interested.”
“Hmm,” he purred low in his throat. Some imp inside urged him to prove the lie in her words. He’d felt her response to the kiss he’d given her. And if he was honest, he wanted to feel it again.
Dipping his head, he breathed deep, pulling the sweet vanilla scent of her into his lungs. And then he brushed his mouth across hers.
She gasped, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, her entire body swayed toward him.
He couldn’t ignore the unexpected invitation. Even if he’d only meant to prove a point. Licking across her parted lips, he dipped inside. She tasted even sweeter than she smelled.
Moving his palm to the back of her neck, he cupped her head and brought her closer. A strangled sound vibrated from her throat.
Slowly, Jackson pulled away, relishing the glazed expression in her strikin
g eyes.
“You sure about that?” he breathed into her ear.
She stared up at him, the far-away glimmer disappearing only to be replaced with a sharp glint that had the blood in his veins whooshing faster. Her mouth pulled into the hard curve of a frown. And Jackson braced for the backlash he knew was coming, even with his fingers still tangled in the soft strands of her hair.
Loralei reached for the glass sitting on the table in front of her. It didn’t take a genius to see where this was headed, but he did nothing to actually stop her. Would she go through with it?
Tipping the glass, she let the cold, half-melted contents slide out over his head.
Apparently, she would.
Her pale green eyes flashed with fire. Air gushed in and out of her lungs, forcing her breasts tight against the thin barrier of her shirt.
God, could she get any more beautiful?
Or treacherous?
That’s what he had to remember, though his body was begging him to give her another outlet for all that pent-up passion. He couldn’t trust her. Or anyone attached to Lancaster.
Jackson didn’t move, not even to wipe away the sunset-colored concoction sliding over his ears, into his collar and down the back of his neck.
He grinned at her, a cocky half smile that only made her growl long and low.
“Let me go.”
“Not until we discuss why you’re on this island, Loralei.”
She stilled, her entire body going taut with attention. “I didn’t tell you my name.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“So how do you know it?”
“I know a lot of things, including what you’re here to search for. Let me promise that you won’t find the Chimera. You can’t. Your dad didn’t manage to steal enough information to actually find the wreckage. You’re going to waste time and money, and my team will get there first.”
She blinked up at him, but it wasn’t a deer-in-the-headlights expression. Nope, she was thinking. The wheels in her brain moving at lightning speed. It was intoxicating to watch.
He’d always been drawn to intelligent women. He wanted more than a beautiful face and rocking body. He needed someone who could challenge him. Thrill him.
Under the Surface Page 2
