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Tony had the decency to look sheepish. “Yeah, guess I never apologized for that. What can I say? I was young and stupid. We both were.” He shrugged. “C’mon, Dylan, I know what’s going on and I think you should forget about Hollis and work with me.”
Ha,Dylan thought. How stupid did Tony think he was?
When Dylan didn’t respond, Tony stood up. “If you’re not comfortable about being partners, at least let me hire you. I can put a $25,000 retainer fee in your account tonight. Any finds, I’ll give you half. To make up for last time.”
“That’s a very generous offer.”Where did Tony get that much money?he wondered.
“Think about it.” As Tony walked away, Dylan’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t trust the sonofabitch any more than the bull shark that had grabbed his leg and tried to make a midnight snack of him.
Well, now it looked like two people needed his services: Hollis and Tony.
“What do you think, boy?” Dylan asked Fisher in a low voice. The shepherd whined and Dylan stroked his side. “Yeah, I don’t trust him either.”
He had no intention of working with a snake like Tony, but it did feel nice to be in the driver’s seat.
Far below the waves of the Atlantic Ocean and theSea Struck, Hollis dove deeper than normal. She checked the current depth on her wrist-mounted dive computer: Depth- 18 meters (60 feet); Air Time- 20 minutes; PSI- 26.01.
The water seemed to glow an emerald green as she descended deeper. It was beautiful and, surrounded by the endless ocean, she felt home. She was in her element. Though she missed her Dad every single day, she could never give up diving or treasure hunting. It was in her blood. Literally, since the great Chaz Quinn was her father.
As she made her way down through the peaceful, greenish-blue water, passing schools of fish, her thoughts inevitably drifted to Dylan Ford. For some reason, since she had seen him at the Sand Bar last night, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Certain things about him got her motor revving, got her hormones all in a frenzy, got her so hot and bothered that she had to take a cold shower after he left.
What am I? A randy teenage boy?
No, Hollis, you’re a red-blooded woman who hasn’t had sex in a very long time.
It was her own fault, she realized. She never made time for dating or meeting men. In fact, she avoided relationships like the plague. The last guy she slept with had been a mistake and quite simply a quickie.
Lia had set her up on a date with Allen, one of her alcohol distributors at the bar. He was cute and nice, Hollis supposed, but they had nothing in common. When she started to talk about diving and treasure-hunting he zoned out. And, when he raved about some sports team and his love for the mountains, she had outright yawned.
“Okay, so obviously this isn’t going to happen,” he had said with a good-natured chuckle.
“Probably not,” she agreed with a smile.
So, they decided to enjoy the rest of their dinner, neither having hurt feelings, and then part ways. But, underneath it, both were lonely and a chaste goodnight kiss turned into a romp in her front hallway.
Now, every time she saw Allen, she turned the other way and ducked out of sight. Lia told her he had a girlfriend now, anyway. But, the fact that she had a quickie with the liquor distributor, yet couldn’t have a normal, healthy relationship with a man bothered her.
What is wrong with me?she wondered. She just didn’t find many men who were able to catch and hold her attention.
Well, except one.
Hollis pictured Dylan again like he looked last night. Sitting in the dark corner booth, too many empty beer bottles on the scratched tabletop in front of him. He looked almost lost or alone or sad. Or, a combination of all three.
She knew his Mom died a year ago and that they had been close. And, of course, his Dad skipped out when he was still a kid. That’s when he had latched onto her Dad. Honestly, she never gave his family life a second thought so it was strange to realize how similar their current situation was-- both close to one parent and not the other. And, the fact that they both just lost the parent they had a good relationship with was crazy to her.
How typical that the mother who abandoned Hollis and the father who left Dylan were both still alive and probably very happy with their new families.
It seemed that they had more in common than she ever realized.
Dylan Ford was a hard nut to crack, though. He didn’t seem to let anyone get too close and he kept his distance. The only person she ever saw him with was that kid he developed tech gear with and a couple of dive buddies now and then.
Yet, he always had a smile for her. That crooked smile that stirred her emotions into a whirlwind. When she was mad at him, it drove her crazy. And, when she was entranced by him,it drove her crazy.
That smile of his seemed almost self-effacing. Like he was being shy or modest. He never drew attention to himself, but she knew every female in town wanted a piece of him. But, Dylan was a loner, and if he hooked up with even half of the women who had thrown themselves at him, Hollis never heard a word about it. He kept his affairs on the down-low and didn’t flash them all over town like Tony Burke. She respected that about him. It also made her damn curious.
Yeah, the smile. It got her every time. Lately, her feelings toward Dylan were changing. Confusing the hell out of her. He still had the power to drive her crazy, but she was interested in more than just a fight.
She wanted to know things. Personal things. Like what kind of soap did he use that made him always smell so damn good? And, what exactly were the tattoo designs on his body that intrigued her so much? And, what would his bare skin feel like if she reached out and touched it?
