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He lowered her face mask, followed by his, and together they took a huge breath before diving down into the black water... just as the small chamber flooded completely and their tiny air pocket disappeared.
Hollis clutched her flashlight, swimming behind Dylan who led them with a glow stick. They squeezed between the narrow rocks, barely fitting through. It was a long, seemingly never-ending swim that gave new meaning to the word claustrophobic. Darkness and jagged rock pressed against them from every side. Hollis’s chest constricted as she released the last of the air from her lungs.
Oh, God,she thought.Please, let us find a chamber. I don’t want to die down here. Not now. Not before I get a chance to kiss this amazingly gorgeous man.
Because the quick kiss he had just given her wasn’t nearly enough. It had barely been a taste and she needed more. So much more.
Finally, just when it seemed like the tunnel would never end, the hole opened up to another cavern. They swam up, praying for another chamber or air pocket above. Fins kicking hard, lungs burning, they broke the surface. Gulping in huge breaths of fresh air, they yanked off their masks and found themselves caught in each other's embrace.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asked. Arms wrapped around each other, breathing heavily, she nodded, her cheek pressed against his shoulder and his face lost in her hair. They were alive.
The moment suddenly turned awkward. Hollis pulled back, looked over his shoulder. “Up there,” she said, and pointed. “It looks like a way out.”
Light from the street above slanted in through a small opening. Dylan reluctantly let her go and led the way to the exit.
Hollis followed Dylan, crawling out of a narrow opening of rocks on the hillside. He pulled her up to a stand. Above them, the sky looked ready to burst with rain and low, ominous thunder rumbled in the distance.
Suddenly, Hollis lifted her head and sniffed. “Do you smell that?”
Before he could answer, she walked back toward the direction of the abandoned well. The lid once again covered the crumbling entrance and they exchanged a look. Then, Dylan leaned down and picked up the remains of a small brown cigar that still burned.
Hollis’s jaw dropped. “I only know two people who smoke those,” she said. “My Dad did...and Diamond.”
Dylan raised a brow and stubbed the burning end out.
“But, he would never hurt me,” she said.
“How about for half a billion dollars?” Dylan asked.
As fat raindrops began to fall and thunder boomed, Hollis looked devastated.
“There’s no way we’re going back tonight. Not in this weather,” Dylan said. “Let’s hole up somewhere. Wait til the storm passes.” He placed a hand at Hollis’s back and guided her away from the well.
Chapter Eleven
Looking like drowned rats, Hollis and Dylan dropped what was left of their scuba gear in the corner and stood there, dripping water on the floor of the small Havana hotel room. The amenities were sparse—a desk, chair, small refrigerator and king-size bed. Hollis’s eyes lingered on the bed a moment too long and she shivered. Along with the heavy scent of rain, an awkwardness suddenly filled the air.
Dylan nodded toward the bathroom. “You want to shower first?”
With a nod, Hollis walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
Dylan slicked his wet hair back with both hands, looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “Shit,” he swore. He had no idea what Hollis was thinking, but one look at that bed and he went hard.
Inside the bathroom, Hollis rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, hugged herself and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Shit,” she whispered. There was no doubt about it. She wanted to sleep with him.
Technically, sleep wasn’t accurate. She wanted him to fuck her good and hard.
With a low groan, she turned the water on and began to get undressed.
Hollis stepped into the shower and let the warm spray pour over her while she thought about the man in the other room. And, about the fact that they had almost died tonight.
How tragic to die without ever having been thoroughly kissed by Dylan. Or, never getting the chance to explore those tempting tats of his up close and personal. God, all she wanted was him, deep inside her.
There was denying the spark between them. It had always been there but, at some point recently, it had begun to burn brighter. And, now, she had a feeling that simmering fire was on the verge of turning into an absolute wildfire.
And, she had no intention of trying to put a damper on it. In fact, she was ready to toss a little bit of gasoline on it and see how high the flames could go.
Fifteen minutes later, Dylan sat on the edge of the bed, munching on goodies from the minibar, when the bathroom door opened and Hollis came out, wrapped in nothing but a fluffy, hotel robe. He had taken his wet shirt off and only wore his trunks.
