LITMIR.BIZ

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Everything smells good.”

      He poured them coffee and sat opposite her.

      She took a sip. “How did you sleep?”

      Rini stared at her through shuttered eyes. “There’s nothing better than spending the night under the stars. What about you?”

      “It’s fabulous out here, but I confess diving makes me tired. I fell asleep once my head touched the pillow.”

      “That’s good. How soon do we need to join the others?”

      “They’ll be out there by nine o’clock.”

      He swallowed the last of his eggs. “Just for the fun of it, what would you think if we enlarged the search area by traveling a quarter of a mile farther east from them to dive at the same distance from the coast?” He wasn’t ready to share her with the others yet. “I consulted the chart. The depth of the sea floor isn’t quite as great there. Maybe seventy feet. Who knows? We might make a discovery.”

      Her lips turned up at the corners. “Your mother must have gone crazy to have a son who went around with such an excited gleam for adventure in his eyes.”

      Rini liked the idea that she’d noticed. “Is that what I have?”

      “Oh, yes. It probably got you into a ton of trouble.”

      He chuckled. “So what do you say?”

      “I like your idea. Later on this afternoon we can join the others for another dive.”

      “Sounds like a plan.” Pleased she was willing to go along with him so they could be alone a little longer, he got to his feet to clean up the kitchen. She cleared the dishes and they made quick work of it. He’d never experienced this kind of togetherness with a woman before. Rini couldn’t imagine letting her go.

      “Thanks for fixing the delicious breakfast. I’ll change into my wet suit and meet you on deck.”

      He bounded up the stairs to put on his own gear. To spend a whole day with her doing something they both loved couldn’t have excited him more.

      In fifteen minutes they’d arrived at the spot he’d suggested for a dive. They had the whole sea to themselves for the moment. She lowered the anchor and erected the flag. Together they put on all their equipment. “Ready?” he called to her.

      Her brandy eyes clung to his, pulling at his heart strings. “Let’s go!”

      They jumped in the water. He experienced delight as they sank lower past more tiny fish. Once they reached the bottom, they explored around all the vegetation that grew taller and was more plentiful than at the other spot. He saw traces of some deep-sea-fishing tackle caught by the undergrowth. It was like playing hide-and-seek as they swam here and there like little children let out to play.

      His eyes followed her as they moved through a new chute. He was so mesmerized by the fun he was having, he almost ran into her because she’d suddenly stopped. When he looked beyond her, he saw a large roundish shape like a big boulder covered in debris ahead of them.

      The hairs lifted on the back of his neck and knew she was feeling the same electricity. Something was here that didn’t belong. He swam to one side of it and waited for her to approach the other side. She was the expert.

      Her hands began to brush away the layers of silt. He helped her. After five minutes of hard work, they uncovered part of what looked like a sculpted mouth. Alessandra’s eyes stared at him with a glow through her goggles. This was a fantastic find and they both knew it.

      While he marveled, she tapped her watch. He’d been too engrossed and forgot the time. They needed to go up to the surface now! It was hard to leave after what they’d just discovered, but they would be back later.

      Rini knew the rules by heart. Keep his breathing steady as they rose, but it was hard when his adrenaline was gushing. He could only imagine Alessandra’s joy. This was her life!

      They broke the top of the water and swam toward the boat. Like déjà vu he helped her on board the cruiser, then climbed in himself.

      “Oh, Rini,” she cried, having removed the belt and breathing apparatus. “We found something that could have belonged to the Temple of Hera. We’ve got to find Dr. Tozzi and bring the others here!”

      Without conscious thought he grasped her upper arms, bringing her close to his body. “Congratulations!”

      Her eyes, the color of dark vintage brandy, searched his. “It was your inspiration that brought us here.”

      For a moment he was caught up in the wonder of her beauty that went soul deep. “I’ll never forget the experience of winding through that undersea garden with you.”

      “Neither will I,” she whispered.

      He pulled her closer and closed his mouth close over hers. The unexpectedness of it must have caught her off guard because she began kissing him back with a fervency he could only have dreamed about.

      Hungry for her, Rini drove their kiss deeper, marveling over her response to him. Sensation after sensation of desire caused him to kiss her senseless. Only the wake from a passing boat that bounced the cruiser reminded him how far gone he was.

      Alessandra seemed to feel it, too. She tore her lips from his and moved out of his arms. “If—if you’ll mark this spot on the chart, I’ll drive,” she stuttered.

      He didn’t like it that she’d headed for the controls, leaving him bereft. So much for him practicing the patience Valentina had talked about. Rini hadn’t been able to keep himself from crushing her in his arms. He’d wanted that divine fusion to go on and on.

      While Alessandra raised the anchor and started the engine, he reached in his backpack for a pen. He found the rolled-up chart on the banquette and sat down to fill in the information, but it was difficult. To his surprise the wind had kicked up. He looked overhead and noticed that more clouds had been amassing. Three hours ago it had only been overcast and there hadn’t been this breeze.

      She drove as fast as the elements would allow. Finally in the distance he saw the flags of the three boats. They drew closer and waved to several groups of divers in two of the boats. Soon Alessandra drew alongside one of them. “How long has Dr. Tozzi been down?”

      “He and Gino should be coming up any minute.”

      “Did you find anything?”

      They shook their heads.

      “Well, all is not lost. We have some amazing news.” She cut the engine and lowered the anchor while they waited in the rocking crafts for the head of the institute to appear. Rini shared a private glance with her. He could feel her eagerness to impart their finding.

      Rini watched until he saw two heads pop out of the water. The divers reached their boat and climbed in. The second the good doctor removed his headgear, his gaze shot to Alessandra.

      “You missed this morning’s dive.”

      “We did our own dive farther east and raced here to tell you what we found.” In the next breath she told everyone about the head.

      “You uncovered a mouth?” The doctor sounded incredulous.

      “I wish we could show it to you now, but the weather is acting up. Maybe by early evening we can do another dive. In the meantime, why don’t you follow us to the cove where we spent the night on the beach? The site is right off the coast from there and a little east where we can eat before you leave for the port.”

      Everyone agreed it was a good idea. Alessandra raised the anchor and started the engine. Once again they took off for the cove. While he stayed on the cruiser, Alessandra climbed out to chat with the others. They decided the storm wouldn’t hit until evening, but it would be better not to go out diving again today.

      “Are you staying here again tonight?”

      “I’m not sure what our

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