Under the Surface

by Kira Sinclair

  Jackson wanted to laugh. The only thing he’d ever seen Loralei Lancaster afraid of was the water. And not even that was actually stopping her. Sure, she struggled with it, but she had walked onto the Emily’s deck despite the fact that it had terrified her. She’d refused to let the fear win. That strength and perseverance impressed Jackson.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was so damn determined not to turn out like my parents, who were filled with a burning need to find, search and discover. While I was sitting inside some stuffy library I could pretend that my drive wasn’t anything like theirs. That I wasn’t ever going to choose my career over family and friends. I could fool myself into believing my love for history, for digging and exploring hadn’t come from either of them because my skin wasn’t tinged red by the sun and my body wasn’t dripping wet from the water.”

  She moved, fitfully, with no purpose except to expel some of the uneasy energy racing around inside her. Jackson understood. That energy was often what drove men crazy in the field when one movement could mean making yourself a target, but one more second standing still could mean losing your ever-loving mind.

  “The Chimera... At first I wanted to ignore her. My plan was to file the information away and just forget I’d ever found it. Because searching for treasure wasn’t something a true scholar should do. But then I realized just how desperate Lancaster Diving had gotten and I didn’t have much choice. She’s the answer to our financial problems and the only way I can save the company my dad poured every ounce of his being into.”

  She laughed, the exhalation of sound far from happy. “You’d think I’d want to see it fail. And maybe a small part of me does. I mean, he spent a hell of a lot more time on that broken ship out there than he ever did with me.”

  Jackson had already known some of what she’d just shared. But it was somehow comforting having her give him that insight voluntarily. He shouldn’t want to get to know her. None of this should matter. But it did.

  When he’d first learned who Loralei was, she’d simply been the daughter of the man who’d stolen from him. But over the past few days Loralei had become real to him. He’d seen her fear, watched her determination and even now saw the swirl of frustration and hope and residual pain in her eyes.

  He respected her, even if he didn’t particularly want to.

  Maybe she wasn’t using him or lying to him. Maybe this wasn’t some elaborate ploy to screw him over in the end, as he’d feared. Maybe what was happening between them meant more than he’d initially thought.

  “I told myself that was all finding the Chimera was. A way to save the company, nothing more. But the minute that cannon surfaced...I knew I’d been lying to myself. I have it. That compulsion I saw glimmering deep inside my mother’s eyes right before she left me that last time. The same drive that kept my father away for months at a time.”

  He could hear the mingled awe and anguish in her voice. The conflicting emotions made his own chest tighten and ache.

  “I grew up thinking their obsession with diving on wrecks was like an illness. My mom would put me to bed, not with fairy tales, but stories of pirate ships and hurricanes and lost treasure. I loved those stories, until she wasn’t there to tell them anymore. And then I hated them. But after yesterday...”

  That ingrained fascination was a piece of herself Loralei hadn’t wanted to admit to. Or like.

  That reluctant need was something he could identify with. How many times had he wished he could claim his stepmom as his real mother? But she wasn’t. Oh, she’d made him feel wanted and loved. But even that wasn’t enough to counter the knowledge that his real mom, the one who’d given birth to him, had walked away without so much as a backward glance.

  And no amount of wishing the situation were different or willing his own emotions about it away could change that truth.

  He was so caught up in his own twisted memories that it took him several moments to realize Loralei’s body was trembling. The awareness blasted through him, sharp and uncomfortable because he wanted to help her, but had no idea how.

  Smoothing his palm down the center of her body, he spread his fingers across her tummy. The curve of his thumb brushed the underside of her breast and his pinky stroked the skin above her navel.

  Needing to fill the charged silence, he asked, “What do you love about history?”

  He wanted to know, but he also thought maybe it was something they could share—did share.

  Loralei dragged in a deep breath, her ribs expanding and contracting beneath his hand. She shook her head where she’d buried it under his chin, and her dark hair dragged across his skin, tickling his nose.

  “I love learning about people. Trying to figure out what drove their choices. Not just the important people but everyday folks. How did they live? How did they love? Were they really that different from us deep down?”

  “I don’t think so,” Jackson said, because it was something he’d thought about himself as he’d devoted those years to the Chimera.

  “Human beings are the same no matter the century. We’re driven by the need for something—love, money, power, prestige. That thing is different for everyone, but we’re all looking for something.”

  She was silent for several seconds, long enough for Jackson to think he’d misunderstood what she was trying to say.

  Until she asked, “And what do you need, Jackson Duchane?”

  What did he need?

  A month ago, hell, a few days ago, his answer would have been swift and unequivocal. “The Chimera.”

  But now, as the words left his mouth, they didn’t quite taste right. Oh, he still wanted the ship. But for the first time in years, he wasn’t sure finding it would be enough.

  He’d devoted every spare moment to solving her puzzle. Going hard as a SEAL, and then going harder whenever he had down time, to uncover those secrets held hostage by history and the beautiful ocean. He’d been driven to uncover the truth locked inside the ship herself. Driven to prove his worth to his grandfather, father, stepmother...and mother.

  He’d always been that way. His father, stepmother and sister had always joked the way to get his attention was to hand him a puzzle without an obvious solution. The harder the problem, the more stubborn he’d become at finding the answer.

  Relentless, that was how they’d described him.

  That trait had served him well in the Teams. Had gotten him through the hellacious training and made him a valuable member to the brothers serving beside him.

  Loralei was just as much of a puzzle to him as the Chimera. Maybe more of one. Each time he thought he had her figured out, she’d say or do something to convince him he had it all wrong.

  Like right now. Until tonight, he never would have labeled her a cuddler, but there she was with her body burrowed tightly against his, her voice raspy with exhaustion and the aftereffects of screaming his name.

  At the memories, his cock stirred to life, nestled between them.

  Loralei looked up at him and flashed a knowing grin. “Insatiable.”

  “Only with you.” Which was the god’s honest truth. He liked sex as much as the next guy, but Loralei was the first woman with whom he could have a mind-blowing orgasm and still crave more.

  She just shook her head. “The Chimera, huh? That’s the easy answer. But assuming I accept it...why is finding her so important to you?”

  He wanted to answer her, to reward the vulnerability she’d just shared with some of his own.

  “The legend of the Chimera has been handed down in my family for generations.”

  Loralei sucked in a hard breath. It was practically silent, except for a telltale hitch at the very end. But he felt it.

  “What...what do you mean?”

  Rolling onto his back, Jackson took her with him, tucking her into the warmth of his body and cocooning the covers around them both.

  “My name’s Jackson.”

  “Yes,” she said, her eyebrows knitting together.

&nb
sp; “My sister’s name is Kennedy.”

  “Okay?”

  “We’re both named for presidents.”

  “What does that have to do with the Chimera? Neither of those presidents was around during the Civil War.”

  “True, but Jackson’s presidency was about 25 years earlier. He was from Tennessee.”

  “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.”

  He tugged at a lock of her hair. “Okay, Ms. Historian. One of my ancestors was a distant cousin of Jackson’s. He carried on the family tradition of military service, and when the Civil War started he fought for the Confederacy. He didn’t stay in the field long though, quickly working his way up the ranks. He was aboard the Chimera.”

  “Oh, my God,” she breathed out.

  “Yep. My ancestor went down with the ship. But one of his slaves survived. Or so the legend goes. The only person known to have survived the wreckage, he spent days adrift on a piece of the ship’s hull, finally washing ashore on one of the smaller Caribbean islands. But, unfortunately, he couldn’t tell anyone exactly where the Chimera went down.”

  “Why can’t I find any record of this survivor?”

  “Because my family was influential and wealthy. They knew exactly what was in the hold of the Chimera and wanted to keep any information about her possible resting place to themselves. However, it didn’t do them much good. In the middle of a war, they didn’t have the resources to spare for a search.”

  Loralei studied his face. “So this is personal for you.”

  “Yes. From the moment I could reason, my grandfather would tell me the story of the Chimera. My own personal fairy tale complete with subterfuge, war and gold.”

  “It isn’t about the gold, though.”

  Jackson laughed. “Oh, it’s about the gold.”

  She waved away his statement. “It isn’t. Not really. Sure, you want it—who wouldn’t?—but you want to be able to tell your grandfather you found her.”

  “My grandfather is gone.”

  “That won’t prevent you from telling him, will it?”

  His mouth twisted into a crooked line. “No.” He had every intention of making the graveyard his first stop after they found the Chimera, right after calling his father, who would be almost as ecstatic as his grandfather would have been.

  “It’s history. Your history.”

  Jackson nodded.

  Loralei was quiet for several minutes. He let his fingers play across her warm, smooth skin, making mindless patterns as he waited for whatever she would say or do next.

  “I understand why you want her so much, Jackson. But I can’t afford to just step aside and let you have her. I need this find. Without it, Lancaster Diving is going under. There are men who depend on us for their living, having worked for my father for years. I owe them this.”

  Slowly, she buried her face in the hard planes of his chest and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  * * *

  SEVERAL HOURS LATER, Loralei’s stomach growled. Loudly.

  Behind her, she heard Jackson’s soft chuckle. With a grin on her face, she threw her elbow back, enjoying the exaggerated oomph that came out of his mouth when he rolled into a ball to protect himself from another attack.

  “Ouch, woman.”

  “Please, that didn’t hurt. Your abs are made of steel. I’m more likely to dislocate my elbow than put a dent in your belly.”

  “My belly isn’t the one I’m worried about. I think you’re harboring a small animal inside yours. And he’s angry. And hungry.”

  “Someone interrupted my midnight snack.” Loralei started to bound out of bed, but Jackson snaked an arm around her waist and had her tumbling back against him.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To get something sharp and pointy to hurt you with.” Loralei couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across her face and ruining the tough words. “Or to grab some breakfast.”

  “Food. Let’s go with food.”

  Lifting her up again, Jackson rolled out of bed and placed her feet on the floor. Somehow, he managed to keep his hands on her the entire time.

  She pulled out of his grasp and leaned down to snag her clothes off the floor, not realizing her mistake until it was too late. The crack of his palm against her naked ass resounded through the room.

  Loralei jumped and squealed, instinctively rubbing a hand over her rear. It didn’t hurt, not really. Warmth spread across her skin, but it was more the surprise of his gesture than anything else that had her reacting.

  “What was that for?”

  “The elbow... And the drink you dumped over my head the first night we met.”

  “That was days ago.”

  Jackson shrugged, his bright blue eyes twinkling. “Much like an elephant, I don’t forget.”

  “Forget? It didn’t seem to bother you then. If I remember correctly, you didn’t even wipe the drink off your face.”

  He snagged her around the waist, pulling her tight into his body. Loralei’s back arched, not because she wanted away, but in order to press closer.

  “That’s because I was too busy staring at you.”

  She liked this easy going Jackson. The comfortable teasing felt right. A pleasant sensation bubbled up inside her chest. Loralei realized she probably should try to quash it, but she didn’t want to. Not right now. Reality and all the reasons why this was fleeting would press in soon enough. Was it so wrong to want to enjoy the moment while she could?

  Attempting to keep a severe expression, she glared at him. Her lips still twitched at the corners.

  She’d get him back.

  The ship was still quiet as they entered the galley. Loralei cleaned up the mess they’d left from last night while Jackson whipped up an omelet full of cheese, peppers, spinach and ham.

  Grabbing their plates and two cups of coffee, she expected him to steer her to the dining room. Instead, his hand pressed firmly at the small of her back, he maneuvered her up to the top deck.

  Everything was quiet, except for the soft swish of water as it slapped rhythmically against the hull of the Amphitrite. The sun hung low, creeping over the horizon and illuminating everything with a golden-rose hue. The kind of color that made the world appear magical and perfect.

  Weaving between the equipment, he led her to the far side of the ship, careful to settle her facing away from the water. Finding a perch, he leaned against it and settled her next to him.

  He handed her the plate, placing her coffee cup onto the deck at her feet. “Mmm,” she murmured, unsure if her satisfaction was thanks to the delicious food he’d made or the comfortable sensation of sharing the moment with him. That wasn’t something she was used to—and it certainly wasn’t something she’d expected to find with him.

  They stayed that way for several minutes, eating until Loralei didn’t think she could take another bite.

  But even then, Jackson didn’t move to end the moment. He set the remnants of their meal aside.

  His arms tightened around her body. The steady rise and fall of his chest lulled her.

  For the first time since he’d walked up to her table at that bar, Loralei began to wonder what would happen when this was all over. When one of them found the Chimera. Would they each go their separate way and pretend their tropical interlude had never happened?

  She didn’t see how to get around it. One of them would win and the other would lose. She didn’t think there was any way to recover from that.

  A few days ago that thought hadn’t bothered her. This morning it definitely did.

  That knowledge made her want to pull away from him, to protect herself from the pain that was sure to come her way. But when she tried, Jackson simply tightened his hold. She couldn’t fight him, at least not with strength.

  “What are you doing, Jackson?”

  “Enjoying the cool morning breeze.”

  “That isn’t what I meant.”

  “I know, but it’s the only answer I have f
or you right now.”

  And that was less than reassuring. In fact, it somehow made her more anxious. Jackson Duchane was the kind of man who always had a plan. He instinctively knew where he was going and exactly how he was going to get there.

  If he was out of his element here, she had no hope in hell of navigating this path without paying a major price.

  But when he leaned forward, ran his lips down the column of her throat, Loralei couldn’t find the will to push him away.

  14

  “WHAT DO YOU think you’re doing?”

  Loralei jumped at the sound of a voice behind her. Suppressing a surge of guilt, she slammed her phone down over the papers she’d been reading.

  She’d tried to forget the photographs were on there, but they’d been calling to her all morning, begging her to take another look. To seriously study.

  There was one in particular, a screen shot of a historical document that had been niggling at the back of her brain. She didn’t quite understand the significance and how it was tied to what had happened to the Chimera.

  Unable to stand it any longer, she’d decided to text a copy of the picture to a friend at the university. Although the moment her phone had made the whooshing sound to let her know the message had been sent her stomach had begun to churn with guilt.

  Which only increased the erratic thumping of her heart until she realized the angry voice belonged to Brian and not Jackson.

  When the rest of the ship had started to stir, Jackson had gone to check in with Marcus. Left to her own devices, Loralei had decided to pull out her research and pick up where she’d left off.

  The ease of their early morning had disappeared thanks to the uncomfortable surge of her guilt.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, her palm beginning to sweat where it hid her secret. Not that she thought Brian would care particularly, but she did.

  Her conscience told her she should forget she had the photos, but the scholar inside had colluded with the devil on her shoulder saying that Jackson’s information might help her uncover something important.

  Grasping her arm, Brian pulled her around to face him. Her back connected with the wall. Her gaze stayed glued to the phone left on the table a few feet away. At least it was face down. And hopefully her locked screen would kick on in a few seconds.