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Maddox was also an expert in navigation, the shallow reefs surrounded by ancient volcanoes perfect for the catamaran. I was inwardly smiling that he’d never had anything to do with Maggie, which was stupidly girlish. As I stood staring out at the ocean, it seemed we were the only ones on the island. There wasn’t another sailboat in sight. I shielded my eyes from the sun, scanning the entire cove as he finished mooring us fifty yards or so from the shore of what appeared to be a small, very secluded beach.
“Are you ready to go snorkeling?” he asked, breaking the spell that had been holding me in a foggy haze.
“Do you want to know the truth? I’ve never been before.”
“You’re kidding me. Never?” He moved to a large box secured to the deck, opening it and digging inside. “I thought Arman took you to the beach a few times.”
“He did but I was terrified of the water when I was little.”
“You do know how to swim, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes. He insisted I take lessons along with going to the firing range. In addition to ballet and piano lessons.” I laughed given how ridiculous the combination sounded.
“A well-rounded girl is a good thing.”
“Woman.”
The way he looked at me as soon as I made the comment pushed another shiver down my spine. “Woman,” he conceded.
Round fifty-two went to me. I bit back another smile.
He pulled out two masks and snorkels from the container, one in red and one in blue, grinning as he studied me. The fact we could stare at each other as we’d done at least fifty times since coming on this trip was… astonishing. I never wanted it to end, although there was always an end to everything whether I wanted to accept it or not.
“Which one?” he asked as he walked closer.
I hated the fact even after spending almost forty-five minutes in the direct sun, he smelled of exotic spices, citrus, and a huge dollop of pure sin. “Red. You know how much I adore the color.”
“Then red it is.” He handed it over and as I eased the mask over my head, he moved in front of me adjusting the band going around my head as well as the height of the snorkel. “Make certain you can take deep breaths.”
While I did as I was told, I wondered if he heard the gaps in my breathing based on the closeness of his heated body. There was such a level of protectiveness in him with everything involving me that I should feel flattered. Only instead, I felt like the awkward girl I’d once been all over again, sheltered from anything that could hurt me. My father had even insisted that I turn seventeen before he taught me how to drive.
An unforgiveable sin in my mind, although I’d been a wild child during that period of time.
“Yes, of course I can. Are we ready?” I asked, immediately backing away and toward the three steps leading to the water.
“We’re ready.” He stalked toward me like the predator he was, and I found myself laughing, uncharacteristically joyful around him.
I couldn’t seem to help myself around him, enjoying feeling free enough to tease him. I took a running leap into the air, only grasping my mask as the last minute to prevent it from flying off. Just as I entered the water, I could swear I heard a strange sound like…
Gunfire. Oh, God, no.
While I managed to gulp some seawater, I fought my way to the surface, coughing only a couple of times as I turned toward the boat after yanking the snorkel from my mouth. As I glanced at the vessel, I was forced to shield my eyes from the sun. Where had he gone?
“Maddox?”
Not only did he not answer, but he was also nowhere to be seen. I hadn’t noticed him entering the water. I swam in another fullcircle, still not seeing him. The clear water should easily allow me to catch sight of his muscular body or some activity in the water. I almost panicked, shoving the rubbery mouthpiece back into my mouth and sticking my head into the water.
“Don’t do this. Please.” Shaking, I scanned the area around us, not seeing another boat or anything suspicious. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a sharpshooter somewhere. Oh, God. Now, I was drifting into paralyzing fear.
“Maddox!” Why was he doing this?
I started swimming away from the boat, every passing second making me uneasy. There were hundreds of fish, so many that it was difficult to see anything right in front of me. I powered through the water, puffing air as if I was a smoker. He had to be alright.
Another wave of terror skittered through me, a sick sense that he’d been shot.
When I felt a hard jerk, suddenly becoming weightless, I issued a scream, which forced the mouthpiece from my lips and water into my lungs. As I started to choke, I was lifted from the water, spun around to face the man who was purposely driving me crazy.
“No. Why did you do that? Why?”
