Red Hot Holiday Bundle by Alison Kent

Author:Alison Kent
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2008-09-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

STILL treading water, fighting the curl of icy panic in the pit of her stomach, Emily glanced at her own gauges. Not much air left.

“I need another tank,” she said to the steward. “Quickly.”

“I’ll get the captain.”

“Where is he?”

“I’m not certain.”

Time had come alive. Emily felt it breathing down her neck, showing teeth. She couldn’t afford to wait for the steward to hunt down the captain, or locate another tank. Time was precious now. Fleeting.

“I’m going back down.” Filled with resolve, Emily knew it was now a matter of doing what needed to be done. There’d be no fruitless discussion, no worrying. “Let the captain know there could be a problem.”

“Mademoiselle—”

Emily barely heard the steward’s protest. She was already swimming away from the yacht, popping the mouthpiece back between her lips and pulling the mask over her eyes.

Everything was fine, she told herself. Stay calm. Panicking will only use up more oxygen and more energy.

This time as she submerged she could hear her heart pounding in her head, hear the frantic beating of her heart echo in her ears. The water now seemed too still. The ocean less clear.

It’s your imagination, she told herself, swimming deep, knowing she was a strong swimmer, capable, knowing that if anyone could help Tristano she could.

Emily knew she had just minutes left on her own tank. The pressure gauge had dropped to nothing. She had to swim fast, be smart, and not give in to fear.

Reaching Hassel Ledge, she was confronted by the immense size of the coral reef. When they’d first begun to explore the reef earlier she’d been thrilled to be under water again, and she hadn’t felt anything but excitement.

But now, facing the huge, delicate reef, she realized she’d forgotten the numerous nooks and crannies, the hollows where the coral formed beautiful caves large enough for a person to swim through. Where to even start looking for Tristano?

Emily did her best to retrace her path even as her gaze swept the coral, side to side, searching for a glimpse of Tristano’s midnight-blue wetsuit, or a flipper. Near the edge of the ledge she peered over and down. The sea shelf gave way to nothing but deep, bottomless ocean.

Her heart contracted. What if something had happened and he’d fallen down there?

No. Not possible. Tristano wasn’t a risk-taker. Not like that. She was the risk-taker. Tristano played according to the rules.

And the rules meant he’d stay on the ledge, he’d swim close to the coral, he’d—

And then she saw him. Floating face-down above the coral, his body oddly twisted.

Bullets of ice shot through her, one after the other, until she felt nothing. Why was he floating like that? Why wasn’t he moving?

She swam to Tristano’s side, tried to lift him—couldn’t budge him. He was stuck. She looked into his face. His eyes were closed, and yet as she touched him his lashes fluttered open and he looked at her, recognition briefly darkening his eyes before his lashes dropped again.

Propping him up she checked his gauges.

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