Keelin placed her head back in the water to make her breathing easier and held one arm out of the water so the boat could see her. She stared at the bottom of the ocean and could have sworn she saw a dull blue light. She must be hallucinating.
The motor cut and strong arms grabbed her. Huffing out salt water, Keelin dragged herself over the side of the boat and collapsed facedown. Her body shook with small tremors and she allowed the adrenaline to hit her. Her teeth chattered and she pushed the mask off her face and stared into Flynn's blue eyes.
"I suppose I should thank you," Keelin stuttered. She tried to regain her composure as she lifted her chin at him.
"Of all the…how do I end up with the woman that is stubborn as all get-out?" Flynn said to himself as he started the motor and whipped towards shore. Keelin pulled the towel around her and tried to get warm.
"You know, most women would have thrown themselves on me in gratitude. You know, promising anything I wanted? Offers of undying devotion? Baked goods? No. You can barely thank me." Flynn glared at her.
Keelin stared regally at him from across the boat.
"I am sure I would have been fine. I just needed to cut across the current is all, and I was a bit disoriented."
"A bit? You were a quarter mile out! You were shark bait. A goner! What were you even thinking? Are you insane?" Flynn lost it as they motored quietly into the cove. His shouts echoed off the walls of the empty cove and Ronan went silent on the beach.
"Hey! You aren't the boss of me! I'll have you know that I am a trained diver. I study this. This is what I do."
"Trained? Hardly! If you were trained you would know not to go diving alone and perhaps maybe to study the waters ahead of time and know that there is a nine-knot current that runs outside the cove. Had I not been out fishing today and heard your cry for help you would have been gone in minutes!" Flynn cut the motor and raged at her.
Keelin stood up on shaky legs and yelled at him.
"I'll have you know that I am a professional!"
"A professional pain in the ass!"
They were nose to nose in the rocking boat. Keelin's breath huffed out and her chest heaved.
Flynn sighed and laid his forehead against hers, surprising her.
"Just. Just don't ever do that again. Please."
Chagrined, she nodded.
"I could use a hug," Keelin whispered.
Flynn pulled her into his arms, and she felt the heat spread. Keelin began to recite nursery rhymes in her head to keep from devouring his mouth. Flynn wore no shirt and his cargo shorts hung low on a torso that was tanned from the sun and as chiseled as the cliffs that surrounded him. Keelin wanted to run her tongue down the little curve of muscle that dipped into his shorts. What did they call that area on a man anyway? It was so sexy.
Nursery rhymes, Keelin reminded herself, and eased slowly away.
Flynn's breath puffed out in small huffs. His blue eyes bored into hers. There was a question and a demand there.
"I can't. I just, I can't." Keelin wasn't sure what question she was answering.
"Let me know when you figure it out," Flynn said quietly.
Keelin was scared she had already figured it out but wasn't sure if she was leaving one current to be swept away in another.
Flynn lifted the motor and let the boat bump gently against the shore. He hopped out easily and stood in the water, offering his arms to her.
Keelin took the coward’s way out and dove into thewater. She needed a moment to cool off. Surfacing, she caught his wolfish grin. He knew she was avoiding him.
Nose in the air, she walked to the shore, pulling her gear with her. Flynn followed, tugging the boat partially up onto the sand.
The puppy yipped hysterically and Keelin ran over to Ronan, glad for the excuse to ignore Flynn.
"Shh, it's okay. I'm okay. Shh, good boy, Ronan." He wiggled in her lap, yipping and barking. Flynn walked over to them and smiled down at the puppy.
"Ronan, huh?"
