Page 62 of The Deadly Shallows

“Austin?” Em asked.

“Yeah. Sorry. Dazed out there a minute.”

Em pursed her lips, no doubt in an attempt to smother her smile, but she failed miserably. Leave it to Em to recognize her feelings for Caleb, probably well before she had herself.

“Let’s get you those samples,” Austin said, trying to redirect her focus. “They’re on my back porch. Follow me.”

The sooner Emmy identified what they were dealing with, the sooner they could hunt down those responsible.

THIRTY-TWO

Caleb pulled off the hazmat suit, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air. How long had it been? He glanced at his watch—1330.

As expected, Austin remained in her yard—still in her wet suit, her hair still damp. He’d never met a more perpetually frustrating woman in his life.

Nains sidled up beside him. “Beautiful woman you’ve got there.”

“I’ve got?” Caleb said before realizing the words had left his mouth. Adrenaline shot heat through Caleb’s veins, flooding him with hope he hadn’t realized how desperately he desired.

“Yeah. No one stays out in the cold that long without a reason.” Nains looked at him and sighed. “She’s clearly into you.”

Within fifteen minutes, Caleb was thanking Nains for the ride back to Austin’s dock. She met him at the end of it.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “Why didn’t you go in and shower,” he continued before she could respond, “get into warm clothes?”

She braced her hands on her hips, her right foot tapping. “The suit is made for cold temps.”

“You still should have showered and gotten warm. It’s been hours and you had nothing to do.”

Her chin lifted, her brows arching.

“With the retrieval, I mean.”

“This is my backyard. My dog. My neighbors’ kids.” Pink flushed her pale cheeks.

Good. At least some color was returning to her face. He fought the inexplicable urge to pull her in his arms and warm her.

“This is personal,” she said.

That he got. “Fine. Now that the retrieval is completed, can we get warm?”

Red deepened her cheeks. “We?”

He cleared his throat. “I meant . . .” He swallowed. “Would it be okay if I used one of your showers?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

Austin strode up the slope toward her house, Dirk jumping up and wagging his tail at her approach.

“He’s looking better,” Caleb said.

Her stiff shoulders softened as she bent to pet Dirk in her screened patio. “Thankfully.”

He smiled as she sat back on her heels, Dirk climbing in her lap. “Did Emmy come by for the samples?” Surely before now.

Austin nodded. “Yeah, about a half hour ago.”