In Deep Waters (13 page)

"We're coloring, and Vance and Gray are talking, Daddy," Madison said. "About the
Issy."

"Izzy,"
Ben corrected her. "Don't tell me you're still discussing the target?"

Vance winked. "Okay, boss, we won't tell you."

"I read more of your research, Kayla." Ben's smile irritated her. She preferred his frown--make that his scowl. "It's incredible."

This was how he'd been since yesterday. Complimenting her, being helpful, making her laugh. He was a pirate, not a cruise director or self-improvement guru. It was much easier to dislike him when he acted like an arrogant jerk.

Kayla wanted to forget about kissing him, but every time she saw him the memories rushed back. He was too handsome, too sexy. But he wasn't nice. If Ben were a nice man, he would keep his distance and leave her alone. But he hadn't. Definitely not nice.

"Hop up, princess," he said to Madison. She didn't hesitate. She dropped her crayon, grabbed Baby Fifi and climbed on Ben's lap. He tickled her.

She giggled. "Is there room for Kayla?"

Mischief flashed in Ben's eyes. Kayla glanced at Gray and Vance, who still argued about the target. "I--I'm fine here."

"The floor's uncomfortable." Ben's smile widened. "We can make room."

His charming grin unleashed a bevy of butterflies in her stomach. She gripped the crayon so hard it snapped. "Thanks, but I'm coloring."

Kayla concentrated on the tiny seashells coming to life on the page with each stroke of her crayon. Not bad. She wouldn't be giving the artist Wyland any competition, but she was pleased. Maybe she should take art lessons when she got home.

Madison giggled again. Kayla glanced up and her breath caught in her throat. Father and daughter shared a precious moment together. Smiling, laughing, cuddling. Kayla's heart filled with joy. Their love was so strong she could almost touch it. He was the kind of father she wanted for her children.

Her children.

Kayla's quickening pulse sent off a warning. The lines of the picture in the coloring book blurred. What was happening to her? Imagining a family, let alone a future with Ben, was out of the question. She wanted to avoid him, not fantasize or dream about him.

But whatever she felt was turning into something more. She knew that as well as she knew her own name. Her feelings for Ben grew each time they interacted, whether alone or not. But she couldn't be alone with him. Not ever again. He would want to talk to her about what had happened in his cabin. The last thing she wanted to do was talk. And that didn't leave any other options except kissing. And she sure couldn't kiss him again. No matter how much she might want to.

As a million stars twinkled against the night sky, the almost-full moon cast its glow on the waves. A breeze ruffled the ends of Kayla's hair. She stood at the rail alone. Finally...

For the past two days, Ben had wanted a chance to be alone with her. Until now, it hadn't happened. She was always with someone--one of the crew or Madison. If he didn't know better, he would think Kayla was avoiding him. Great. Now he was becoming paranoid. "Mind if I join you?"

She didn't look at him. "Go ahead."

Not the most enthusiastic invitation, but he would take it. He stood next to her and held on to the railing. Ben hoped Kayla realized he wasn't interested in a repeat performance of the other morning. Much as he would like more kisses, it wasn't a smart idea. And he had to be smart about this. He couldn't make a mistake, or worse, fail.

But he wanted to know her better, to figure out how
she'd managed to crawl under his skin, to know why she'd become important to him. They hadn't gotten along well. They were so different. Why would he want her? Lust? It couldn't be that simple.

But nothing else explained his impulsive and selfish behavior. Behavior that had to stop. Not tomorrow. Not tonight. But now. The
Izzy
was waiting to be discovered, but the only thing on his mind was Kayla.

Ben had to do something about her. His first choice would be to hide away in his cabin with her and ravish each other until they were out of each other's systems, but that wasn't an option. That left talking. Communication had never been one of his strong points, as his ex-wife would agree, but what choice did he have?

A shooting star streaked through the sky. Ben wasn't sure how to start. Might as well dive in. "It's a beautiful night."

She nodded. "I saw a school of dolphins swim by."

"Did they say hello?"

"No, they just waved." As she stared at the water, she scratched her leg. "It's weird. I've been feeling as if nothing exists except this ship and all of us on board. "

"That's what happens when you're out at sea for any length of time. Life on the ship becomes a world unto itself. I worry about Madison because of that. Not now, but when she's older."

"You don't want to continue with your salvage operation?"

"I don't know." He'd had these concerns for more than a year now but had never voiced them. Something about Kayla made it easy to open up. It was strange. ' T always figured I would do the exact opposite of my father and stick to one thing my entire life. Be career navy.
Work hard, travel and retire with a pension." Ben shrugged. "Didn't happen."

Kayla's interested gaze met his. "Why?"

If only the answer was as simple as the question. "Some wet-behind-fhe-ears officer wanted glory at any cost. He forgot about the need to know policy. And in this case, it was info we needed to know."

"Was that how you got hurt?"

Ben nodded. "It was supposed to be a simple recovery operation, but we didn't have a clue what we were getting ourselves into. There was an explosion. The entire hull blew." Ben remembered getting trapped inside, trying to reach his buddies, being dragged out and reaching the surface when he was sure he would drown inside the twisted steel death trap. ' T decided if I was going to die, I'd be the one with the knowledge and making the life-or-death choices. So I left once my time was up."

"And you ended up here?" she asked.

"It took a few years. I worked with various salvage operators. Did some cargo recovery, demolition work-- you name it--anything underwater. Always wanted my own operation but couldn't afford it."

"Until the
Santa Theresa.
"

He raised a brow.

"I did my research," she admitted. "Your design of the GOTCHA ROV made that expedition a success. Why do you think the museum was so happy to have you on the team?"

He grinned. "My good looks."

"You didn't send a picture with your resume."

"Should I have?" Ben didn't expect an answer. Her smile was enough. "Once we settled the lawsuits and determined our ownership of the gold and artifacts from
the
St. T,
I had enough to start my own salvage operation."

"Xmarks Explorers?"

"X marks the spot and we explore."

"Very clever."

"Goon."

Her laughter bubbled over and surrounded his heart. He really had to put a stop to this. "I figured I'd be a salvor forever. And then Madison came along. Now only time will tell." Ben was doing all the talking. Kayla's turn to open up. "What about you?"

"Me?"

He rested his elbows on the railing. "What do you see in your future?"

"Finding the
Isabella.
"

"After that?"

"I don't know." She stared at the water, a faraway look in her eyes. "I've got the museum and my research. I teach at a local university and would love to start a cooperative program between them."

"What about a family?" Ben wasn't sure why he asked the question or why he wanted to know the answer so badly.

"My only goal is to find the
Isabella.''''

"Seriously?"

She nodded. "I need to find some answers."

"Answers?"

"It--it's nothing." She rubbed her fingers on her necklace. "Just some stuff."

Stuff? Ben didn't buy it. He'd gotten good at reading people. Kayla was holding back, but he wouldn't push her. Not yet.

"What's around your neck?" he asked.

"A necklace. It belonged to my mother's family."

He noticed strange writings on it. "What does it say?"

"The markings can't be translated or identified. I've tried. Not one linguist or ancient-language expert has a clue."

"Can I see it?" Ben asked.

She nodded.

As he reached for the necklace, his hand brushed her. The slight contact was enough to affect his heart rate. He ignored it. "Silver?"

"I think so, but it doesn't tarnish."

"Interesting." He turned the talisman over. Her warm breath caressed his hand. It felt much too good. He released the necklace. "Did your father tell you anything about it?"

"From the time I was little, he told me how important it was. He said I'd learn a big secret on my sixteenth birthday, but..."

"He never got the chance to tell you."

"No." Her mouth tightened. "They told me about the accident in the submersible. They said he never knew what happened, never felt any pain. At that depth, the pressure...he didn't stand a chance. But I didn't believe them."

"Submersible? Your father..." Ben remembered the accident but had never made the connection until now. He gazed into her eyes. "Your father was Jason Water-ton."

She nodded. "The sea took both my mother and my father."

"Oh, Kayla." Ben wanted to comfort her, to hold her, but a touch would have to do. He covered her hand with his. "I...I don't know what to say."

"No one does. Not even me. I thought it was all a
mistake. He was one of the leading shipwreck historians in the world. He knew everything about the ocean. How a ship might sink, where it would settle on the bottom, everything. His percentage of finds was astronomical. How could this have happened to him? I kept waiting for him to come home. But he never did. He was gone. And I was alone." She pulled her hand away. "Still am alone."

"You're not alone."

She glanced down at the water. Dark, unfathomable, unforgiving. "Yes, I am."

Ben raised her chin with his fingertips. The hurt in her eyes hit him full force. "What about us?"

"Us?"

"Me, Madison, Wolf, Monk, the rest of the crew." Ben wanted to help. He wanted to wipe away the tears and make her feel safe and secure, but he didn't know how and feit out of his element. "We might not be the prettiest bunch of characters, you and Madison excluded, but you're one of us. One of the crew."

Her eyes glimmered. With happy tears? he wondered and hoped. "Me?" she asked.

Ben heard the hope resting with that one word. He didn't know how to answer. Not when he couldn't believe he'd spoken those words in the first place. The beginnings of a smile appeared on her face. This was important to her, more than he possibly realized. Any regrets he may have had about including her with his ragtag crew disappeared.

"Think about it." Ben liked how her gaze never left his. "You fit in better than anyone expected. You've contributed more than anyone thought."

She was intelligent, caring, strong...and a hell of a lot prettier than anyone had imagined.

The corners of her mouth tipped upward. "You make it sound as if you thought I'd only take up space."

"And eat food." A satisfied smile formed on his lips. "Admit it, you didn't have a high opinion of any of us
^v
when you stepped on board."

"Only because--"

"We were looking in the wrong place."

"Do you blame me?"

Not for that. But she was one-hundred-percent responsible for the tingling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ben didn't get it. He never tingled. "Let's put it behind us. The past is the past. No sense dredging it up again."

"Does that mean putting, uh, everything behind us?"

Ben stared at her. "You mean the, uh, what happened the other morning?"