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Except what she saw wasn’t exactly like last night. Not that she could forget the image of him going down on her. But after today, she had a whole host of new images of the man.
Of him in the form-fitting black thermals that outlined every muscle. There was just no help for the fact that some men in any kind of uniform or gear were just sexy—and Jesse was definitely one of them.
Of his utterly breathtaking smile when he ascended from the water after his first dive, clearly exhilarated.
Of the unspoken pain on his handsome face when he’d talked about feeling like it was best that he got out of the navy. She’d known so many people who internalized the guilt of other sailors getting injured or dying, and it made her chest hurt to think that Jesse might do that to himself.
And then there was the hug. Tara hadn’t meant to do it. It’d been pure instinct. She’d pulled back so fast she hadn’t even let him react. But behind that instinct had been her conscious mind yelling, You were the one who said nothing should happen again!
Right. She had. And she’d had good reason. But their first day on the job had proven that she could focus and work with him. So maybe he wasn’t the problematic distraction she’d thought he would be?
No. Nope. Don’t even take the chance, Tara.
She sighed in the darkness. Fine.
With that renewed determination in mind, Tara didn’t cross the line at all the next day, and things were totally normal between them. No awkwardness over her unwise hugging at all. The team had come together like clockwork, even as the weather worsened and the seas got choppier. Jud and Jesse had accomplished their survey of another third of the zone, leaving them less than a third tomorrow. At that rate, they’d finish right on time.
By the end of the day, it felt like Jesse had been part of the team forever. The group’s chemistry felt natural, easy, and it made Tara happy for him. At dinner, Jesse was telling stories and joking around like the rest of them. Chowing on Boone’s famous beef stew, he said, “That sunken ship outside our zone? It’s the USS Arthur Radford. Spruance-class destroyer. Longest ship ever reefed in the Atlantic. Over five hundred feet long. Imagine having served on that.”
George nodded. “I had a buddy who did. I think it would feel weird as hell. May she rest in peace.”
Jud pointed with his spoon. “Better that they sunk her on purpose than it being a wreck.”
“It would be weird to have served on it, but at least it has a new purpose.” Tara thought back to the reading she’d done when she’d spent a long weekend over here last October. “I think there are eight ships that’ve been sunk off the coast as part of an artificial reef program. There’s even a sub—the Blenny, I think. And there are some wrecks around here, Jud, so beware the ghosts.”
He smirked. “I ain’t afraid o’ no ghost.” Groans and laughter followed.
“There’s a German U-Boat south of here, too,” Mike said.
“Shit, I didn’t realize that,” Jesse said. “Must be some killer recreational diving here then.”
“There is,” Tara said.
“Fantastic,” Mike said at the same time. They laughed. “There’s a two-hundred-foot World War I vessel in 80 feet of water that’s one of my faves. Like a playground for divers.”
“Too bad the weather isn’t clear enough to stick around and take a peek at any of these,” Jud said. “Tomorrow’s going to be fun.”
Boone shook his head. “If by ‘fun’ you mean ‘challenging’…” One of the things Tara really liked about her boss was how concerned he always was for their safety, so she wasn’t surprised that the worsening weather was weighing on him. “I’ve been thinking we should stay the weekend and finish on Monday.”
Jud frowned. “You’ll lose money if we do that. Jesse and I can handle it.”
Nodding, Jesse said, “I’ll defer to your call, of course, Boone. But I’ve worked in worse. I’m not concerned. And we’re ahead of schedule so we might not need as long tomorrow.”
“See?” Jud said, helping himself to seconds of stew. “We got this.”
Tara’s belly went on a little loop as she scooped the last bit of the rich soup from her own bowl. Not because she doubted her teammates, but because any heightened risk poked at her anxiety. But risk couldn’t be entirely negated from diving. Even if seas were calm and visibility was perfect, there was always some danger. Equipment malfunctions, loss of diving weights, a suit blowup, stings, diver panic—not common but not unheard-of either. “Count me in,” she said. Bobby agreed.
Boone got seconds, too. “I’ll make the call at oh six hundred so I can let the AWE team know one way or the other. They’re also keeping an eye on things.”
That evening, a few of them stayed in the mess hall to play poker for a while. “You boys ready to part with your cash?” Tara asked, directing her teasing gaze first at Jud, then George, then Jesse.
“Oh, now, listen to this,” George said.
“Do I need to be scared?” Jesse asked, grinning at her. She did a few tricks as she shuffled the cards, and his eyes widened. She raised an eyebrow at him.
Jud sat on his chair backwards. “Yes. Very. Fucking cleaned me out last time.”
“Then why are we playing with her?” Jesse chuckled.
