The Deeper the Passion.... Jennifer Lewis

ever seen.”

      “They never do look like the ones in the movies.” He enjoyed the fascinated expression on her face. How long had it been since he kissed that sassy mouth? Six years, at least. The urge to repeat history was rising in his blood.

      “I keep looking for the X but I can’t see it.”

      “The mermaid sitting on the rock. She’s the X.”

      “Hmm.” Vicki stared at it thoughtfully. She hadn’t moved her eyes from the ceiling since the moment she lay down. “So the wreck is southeast of the island. Is there any kind of distance scale so we know how far it is?”

      “If the size of the island is accurately drawn, it would be about two and a quarter miles off the northernmost inlet. That’s what we Drummonds have always assumed anyway.”

      “And none of you has ever found it.”

      “Not yet.” He shot her a sly glance.

      She finally turned to look at him. Her pale eyes sparkled like diamonds. “That’s why I’m here.”

      “I can believe you bring luck.”

      “Luck? How about my sharp mind?” She looked back up at the painting.

      He felt as if the sun had shifted and thrown him into shadow. He wanted that bright, hopeful gaze on him again. “What will you do for me if I find it for you?” He made sure his voice held a purr of suggestion.

      “Do for you? You’ll get all the loot your ancestor stole and took to the bottom of the ocean with him. Isn’t that enough?”

      “There’s never enough.” He stared at her, willing her to bless him with her radiance again.

      She turned to him, cheek resting on the soft pillow. “What else did you have in mind?” Dark lashes framed her eyes, giving them a smoky, sultry look. Her soft, pink mouth looked ripe with promise. He could easily imagine leaning forward a few inches and pressing his lips to hers.

      Arousal thickened his groin and made his breath come faster. “I like having you back in my bed again.” Her mouth twitched slightly, which was almost unbearably sensual. “If you’ll stay with me here in my bed while we search, I’ll plumb the depths of the ocean for you.”

      Her eyes widened. “That’s a big ask.”

      “So’s yours. I’ve got projects lined up that could keep me busy until 2050. You’re asking me to drop everything and go fishing around on the bottom of the ocean for a wreck people have been hunting for more than 250 years. It won’t be easy to find, that’s for sure.”

      “You don’t like things too easy, though, do you, Jack?”

      He laughed. “No, Vicki, I don’t.”

      “Then I can hardly just agree to your command, can I?” She sprang off the bed and strode from the room before he could even gather his thoughts, which were scattered and distracted by the sight of her tight ass in those fitted jeans.

      She knew him too well.

      “So where’s the boat?” Vicki headed into the big living room, past the dark pieces of ancient furniture. Lucky thing she could still remember her way around somewhat. She tried a handle on one of the French doors, which opened out onto a broad, stone terrace.

      “At the dock.”

      “Not the one we came on. Your super-high-tech treasure hunting boat.”

      “Ah. That’s hidden.”

      “More valuable than the treasure it finds?”

      “Something like that.” Jack followed her out onto the terrace and squinted in the afternoon sun.

      Damn but she’d been tempted to take him up on his offer. He had looked almost irresistible, lying there relaxed, heavy and sexy as hell, muscles sinking into the soft mattress, and that cool, curious look on his face.

      But as she’d observed, he didn’t like things too easy. He got bored quickly. Anyone wanting to keep Jack’s interest better keep him guessing. And she’d already failed at that once, so the pressure was on.

      “You trust me, don’t you?” She smiled sweetly at him.

      That lazy, puma grin sneaked back across his mouth. “At least as far as I can throw you.” He took a step forward and her muscles tightened as she read sudden intention in his body. “Let’s see exactly how far that is.”

      His arms reached out and she shrieked and ran—down the wide steps and onto a scraggly lawn. She ducked left and looked for an opening in the sea grape hedge, but it was too late. Jack’s hands caught her around the waist and clutched her against him.

      Breath flew from her lungs, less from force and more from the emotional impact of feeling Jack’s big arms around her again. She braced herself, waiting for him to pick her up and hurl her somewhere. Instead, his grip only tightened and she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck.

      Desire unfurled inside her, hot and liquid, darting through her veins and loosening her from head to toe. She could turn around right now and kiss him full on the mouth—but that would end the chase, and the chase excited him. “You wouldn’t take advantage of a defenseless maiden, would you?”

      “No way. But you? Sure.” She could feel his grin radiating into the back of her brain. Still, his hands didn’t stray from her waist. She found herself wanting them to.

      “So you’re not going to throw me?”

      “Apparently I can’t.”

      “Too soft?”

      “Something like that. But it doesn’t say much for how far I can trust you.” He leaned in closer and his hot breath tickled her neck. “Though, strangely, I do trust you. You’ve never deceived me or led me astray.” He sounded thoughtful. “At least not that I’m aware of.”

      “And I don’t plan to start now.” She wanted to move. Being so close to Jack, with his arms around her and her back pressed to his hard chest, was starting to mess with her mind. Worse yet, her body was starting to act up. Nipples thickening against her shirt, belly quivering, knees growing unreliable. If he hadn’t already noticed, he might soon, and she’d rather die than have him know that he still had power over her.

      “So, your precious ship. In some hidden cove, I’m guessing?”

      “Nope, it’s at the deeper dock.” His hands pulled way from her waist slowly. Relief mingled with a surprise ripple of sadness. “Follow me.” He pulled right away from her and set off across the lawn. Abandoned by his warm attentions, her skin felt cold. Still, she had to keep the dance going. It wouldn’t work if he had his fill of her before they even got started. She was in control this time and she intended to keep it that way.

      Jack’s treasure hunting boat was dark blue, faded by the sun. It didn’t look especially precious or expensive, but then probably the treasure it found didn’t, either—at first.

      Jack climbed aboard, muscles flexing beneath his faded jeans. “Done much diving lately?”

      “Nope.”

      “Can you still remember how?”

      “More or less.” Jack had shown her how to dive years ago. Breathing underwater felt horribly unnatural and she’d been a slow study. She’d only fought past her fears out of sheer determination to prove he was wrong when he’d said she’d never do it. She wasn’t too excited about doing it again. “Do we need to dive? Don’t you have sonar to find the ship and a team of nano-robots to crawl the ocean floor for artifacts these days?”

      He laughed. “That would take all the fun out of it.” He reached down a hand and, with some misgivings, she grasped it and let him help as she climbed onto the shifting deck. “We sometimes use sonar to look for a wreck, though it doesn’t always help. These funnels are used to blow