Chapter 16

Grace helped herself to extra portions of dinner. It was Casado night, a traditional Costa Rican meal of white rice, black beans, plantains, salad, and fish. Chris also added a potato picadillo hash and sliced avocados, along with flour tortillas on the side.

After Alec had returned her to the Mercado, they’d viewed Double D’s footage, and while it had been a rather aggressive melee of white sharks at the end of her dive, no mating had occurred. But Grace couldn’t help thinking the display might have had something to do with courtship territorial rights and not which shark was entitled to first dibs on the island’s food chain of elephant seals.

A quick shower to wash off the saltwater was followed by a new bandage for the gash on her neck. Missy told her the wound was too moist despite the tightly taped dressing, and she suggested Grace stay out of the water the following day. Grace had no intention of skipping an excursion in the deep blue if she didn’t have to but didn’t argue the point. She was still distracted by her private powwow with Alec. She had opened up more than planned and was now wondering if it had been too much.

And Mackenzie had managed not only to remain for supper, but had also squeezed into place between Alec and Double D across the table from Grace. It would have been enough to make her lose her appetite if she wasn’t famished. She always needed an extra-hefty dose of calories after diving.

“I still can’t believe you were in the water with all those sharks as they played out some turf war,” Missy said, spooning a helping of fish and rice into her mouth. She was sitting between Grace and Stephie, and the scent of lilacs wafting from her freshly-washed hair overpowered the delectable smell of dinner.

“I got out just in time.” Mackenzie’s chocolate-colored eyes widened. Her dark hair was swept away from her face, emphasizing her olive complexion. “We were with the female for a while. She was quite calm.” Her gaze flicked to Grace. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me, too.” Grace popped a piece of fried plantain in her mouth, savoring it. Plantains were one of her favorite foods. “The female was Lucy. She’s easy to spot because she has a damaged caudal fin. And I recognized a few of the boys—Mike, Monkey, and Legend.”

“I really thought she was already pregnant. She seemed so gigantic in the girth.”

Double D shoveled a big spoonful of rice into his mouth, and then said around the food, “Maybe that’s why she didn’t fool around.”

“Is there any way to be certain if the females are pregnant?” Stephie asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Grace said. “Some researchers have used sonogram equipment on sharks, but you have to catch and briefly detain them. That would be impossible with a white that size.”

“She’d hardly sit still for it,” Mackenzie said.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Donovan said. “I’d give her a little hug and hold her in place.”

Grace flashed him a bemused smile.

“Did you know that sex is the most dangerous thing an octopus can do?” Missy said, buttering her tortilla.

Everyone looked at her.

She glanced around, then chuckled. “Females are big and hungry, and cannibals too, but of course the males can’t resist them.” She rolled the tortilla and took a bite. “The anticipation of sex renders them a bit stupid.”

Double D grinned. “I think we boys can all relate.”

Missy swallowed her food. “To avoid being eaten, they’ve learned to sneak up on the female, preferably while she’s busy doing something else like foraging for groceries, and quickly nail her.”

Donovan laughed. “No foreplay?”

“It’s too tricky. Copulation requires that he insert one of his tentacles into a hole in her head, the same one she uses to breathe with as well as to defecate from.”

Double D crossed his arms. “All right, now you’re just being gross.”

“To avoid getting too close, the males perform a ‘reach.’” She mimicked it by stretching her right arm out toward Donovan. “Some have even developed an adaptation in which the male detaches his sperm arm, so he can escape before she decides to dine on him.”

Bewilderment settled over Donovan’s face. “He severs his own penis? Jesus, those dudes will do anything to get laid.”

Alec chuckled and took a drink of his beer.

Missy retracted her arm. “Sex in the wild isn’t for the faint of heart. I wonder if great white canoodling is just as dangerous. When those sharks started swarming today....” She shook her head and looked at Grace. “I was really worried about you.”

Grace gently knocked shoulders with her. “You know I was in my happy place, right?”

Missy shook her head again and said quietly, “You know you’re crazy, right?”

“She just channels her fear differently,” Stephie said matter-of-factly. “You don’t face your fears while sitting comfortably at home. You must actively engage them.”

“I don’t know,” Missy replied, “I’m afraid of poltergeists, but I don’t think shacking up in a haunted house would make me any less frightened.”

“Ghosts can’t bite you,” Donovan said.

“Are you sure?” Missy countered.

Alec pushed back his empty plate. “Whites occupy a rare place in our minds filled with shadows and monsters and things that scare us shitless,” he said. “They trigger that ancient primeval part of our brain that screams run.”

Missy bobbed her head in agreement. “Yes, that.”

“Maybe that’s why I swim with them,” Mackenzie said, her expression serene. “To show that they aren’t monsters but are simply themselves—a pure and perfect predator. They really are quite sweet most of the time.”

The girl’s insightful answer surprised Grace. Damn. She was beginning to like Mackenzie. Scratch that. Grace had already developed a grudging respect for her pretty rival. While Mackenzie wasn’t as strong a freediver as Grace would have liked—Missy was better—the girl had still held her own today.

“Thank you, Mackenzie, for diving with us. I’m hoping we can get in the water tomorrow, if the weather holds. Would you be available?”

“I can do that.” The girl nodded, shifting so that she leaned into Alec.

Grace made a concerted effort to keep her expression neutral and not let the frown tugging at her face make an appearance.

“Do you have any extra room on board?” Mackenzie asked. “Maybe I could just bunk here for a few nights to make it easier, in case you want to dive in the mornings.”

“She could stay with me,” Stephie said.

As luck would have it, Stephie was the oddball third female on the boat and had ended up with a double-bunk room to herself.

“Perfect.” Grace forced her lips into what she hoped was a welcoming smile. Fearing that the green-eyed monster rumbling around in her chest would suddenly burst forth like some creature from Alien, she nudged Missy, prompting her friend to move. Missy transferred the nudge to Stephie and Grace started scooting.

“We’ve got poker on the agenda later,” Double D said.

“That sounds like fun,” Mackenzie responded, her voice full of enthusiasm. “Could you take me back to my boat, so I can grab a few things?”

Grace didn’t need to glance up to know that the girl’s question was directed at Alec. She bolted to the spiral stairs and departed the galley before she could listen to more of the conversation between Galloway and the attractive grad student.

Reaching the upper deck, she sucked in a lungful of fresh air, angry over letting Galloway get under her skin.

Alec managed to pawn Mackenzie off on Double D, claiming he needed to review the footage from today. To appear on the up and up, Alec had settled himself into the salon with his computer, all the while wondering where Grace had disappeared to. When he finally went in search of her, Missy told him Grace had fallen asleep in her bunk.

He was disappointed and considered asking Missy to wake her, but he couldn’t abide his selfish feelings. Grace had dived all afternoon and was likely exhausted.

He returned to reviewing footage, and Stephie joined him as she edited the photos she’d taken that afternoon. Brad worked on the array but soon left in frustration, claiming he needed Grace to help him with some new glitches that had appeared in the identification of the elephant seals. Amazingly, the pinnipeds sometimes appeared in the water with the whites, swimming circles around the sharks.

Brad left for the galley, dragging Tony with him to help set up the poker game.

Donovan stepped into the salon carrying a duffel bag, Mackenzie behind him.

Stephie stood. “C’mon. I’ll show you where you’re staying.” She waved Mackenzie to follow.

Once the girls were gone, Alec turned to his partner. “Thanks.”

Double D folded his thick arms across his chest. “Normally I’m glad for your castoffs, but that poor girl has no interest in me.” He paused for effect. “And a lot for you.”

Alec blew out a breath. “If she sneaks into my bunk tonight, will you protect me?”

“If she....” Double D couldn’t finish his sentence; his face flushed with disbelief. “Am I missing something here?”

“Yeah, Grace.” Alec had barely said the words aloud, but Donovan heard them.

“I didn’t think Dr. Mann was giving you any return signals. And why would you turn down a sure thing for something that’s likely never gonna happen? And I should also remind you that you could screw with our job if you start screwing around with our boss.”

“But you want me to go after a grad student?”

“Well, keep it discreet, of course. I’m just trying to help you out, buddy.”

“Thanks, but I can manage my own love life.”

Double D leaned against the desk. “I knew you liked Grace, but I had no idea it had gotten to this level. What’re you gonna do?”

Alec shut his laptop. “That’s none of your damned business.”

Donovan held up his hands. “All right, all right. I was prepared to give you privacy in our cabin with Miss Grad Student, but the offer’s still there if you can woo Dr. Mann.”

An expedition fling was bad on so many fronts, but Alec was too far gone. His only problem now was where and when to make his move. He pinched the bridge of his nose and smiled with little humor. “Thanks, I think.”

“Jesus, you’re so damned stressed. Get laid and get it over with, but for God’s sake don’t detach your junk after.”

Alec chuckled over the octopus reference.

Mackenzie and Stephie reappeared.

“C’mon, girls,” Double D said, his voice booming. “You two ever play poker?”

Grace awoke in her bunk, surprised that she’d fallen asleep. A quick check of her watch told her it was after 10 p.m. She lay back on her pillow and debated whether to return to sleep, but thirst finally drove her to search for her water bottle on the desk.

It was empty.

A glance at the upper bunk showed it to also be empty. The poker game must be in full swing. Grace didn’t feel like company, so she crept into the salon and grabbed a cold water bottle from the mini-fridge as chatter echoed from the galley below. She slipped out the door and headed to the upper deck for a few minutes alone with the stars.

Miles from any town, the darkness was absolute as they bobbed on the gentle swell of ocean currents. The Milky Way in its full glory spilled across the sky, a thousand pins of light, reminding her of the humble position of humankind in the scheme of the universe.

She tucked the bottle into her jacket pocket and climbed the steps to the upper viewing platform. A quick scan confirmed she was alone. She moved to the railing and stared at the endless black sea. A light wind blew her unbound hair away from her face, and she inhaled the moist, briny scent, making her feel at home. She had no doubt that saltwater ran through her veins, mixing with her blood, making her a creature of two worlds.

Grace Mann, mermaid.

The childhood fantasy resurfaced, and a sharp longing squeezed her heart.

I miss you, Daddy.

Eddie Mann had dreamed of the sharks, had even told Gracie on more than one occasion that he’d dreamed with the sharks. She’d never really understood what it meant until she’d started doing the same thing while she was in high school. She apparently had inherited that peculiar quirk from her father.

What were the sharks doing in the murky depths below? The elephant seals didn’t venture out after dark, so the sharks had nothing to hunt. How did Jaws sleep? Did they sleep?

Grace ran possibilities for research projects through her mind.

“Not a card shark after all?”

Grace jumped and spun around, the bottle of water falling out of her pocket. In the far corner sat Alec.

With her hand at her chest, she gasped, “You scared me.”

“Sorry.”

“How long have you been sitting there?” She reached down to grab the bottle.

“Not long. Just enjoying the view.”

A flush of heat filled Grace, because it was clear that he wasn’t referring to the night sky.

“I thought you’d be hanging out with everyone else.” With Mackenzie.

“I was kind of hoping to hang out with you, but Missy told me you’d crashed. You wanna count the stars with me?”

As the adrenaline drained from her body, she gave a nod, crossed the deck to the other side, and sat beside him.

“What were you thinking about?” he asked.

Grace didn’t feel like rehashing her mystical connection with the sharks. It seemed prudent to keep her weirdness on the down low. “What kind of sleep cycle do great whites adhere to?”

“Well, they have to keep moving or else they’ll die, so I’m guessing it’s similar to dolphins—half their brain rests while the other half keeps them alive.”

Alec wore a red fleece zipped to his chin, dark pants, and sneakers. He offered his beer to her, which she declined with a shake of her head. Uncapping the water, she took a drink.

He reached into his pocket. “I almost forgot. I wanted to give this to you.” He handed her a big beautiful great white shark tooth.

His hand was warm where her fingers made contact.

“Where did you get it?” She touched the serrated edges, a deadly weapon of the great white.

“Mary Ann. After you cut the fishing line off her, she came by the cage to show off her pearly whites.”

“Really?”

“I think she was trying to say thanks. Or else get lost. I have to admit that shark-speak isn’t my strong suit. She left that behind, and I’ve been meaning to give it to you ever since.”

The gesture warmed her heart. “Thanks.”

“I knew you weren’t a flowers and chocolate kind of girl.”

She made a sound of agreement, admiring the triangular cuspid.

“Harry told me about your dad,” Alec said. “He must’ve been an amazing guy.”

She looked up. “He was.”

“How old were you when you saw your first white shark kill?”

“I was six.”

“That must’ve been unsettling.”

“Oddly enough, it didn’t scare me. My sister, Chloe, was there as well. She was four, and she hated it. She started shrieking and crying.”

“But not you?”

Grace settled her gaze on the inky outline of Guadalupe Island in the distance. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s difficult watching death, especially of adorable seals, but at the same time, I was mesmerized. It was quite bloody. The sharks slice those poor seals clean in half, then they thrash around in a frenzy, a veritable stew of blood and death. It’s the stuff of nightmares.”

“What are you afraid of, Grace?”

“Well, don’t tell Missy, but even before her story of octopus sex, I wasn’t too fond of them.”

“Really? Why?”

She scrunched her nose and gazed upward at the thousand-light canopy. “I know they’re smart as all get-out, and when they look you in the eye, they’re like little people sizing you up. But my dad took Chloe and me to an aquarium once. He knew one of the guys in charge, so we were allowed behind the scenes. I was standing near the octopus exhibit, and although I didn’t have my hand in the water, the damned thing shot out a tentacle and took hold of me. It dragged me into the tank.”

Alec’s face shifted to a horrified look. “Holy shit. What kind was it?”

“A Giant Pacific Octopus.”

“How did you get out?”

“I was about seven at the time, but I could hold my breath for two minutes and thirty-six seconds.” She flashed a look of mock pride at him over her childhood feat. “I would practice in the community pool each week after my swimming lessons. It drove my mother crazy because the lifeguards kept telling her that I was trying to kill myself. But it saved my life that day.”

“How did they get you free?”

“It let me go, I swam to the edge, and my dad hauled me out.” The memory of her father whacking her on the back to expel the water she’d swallowed surfaced, the sting of those swats sending a ghost tingle between her shoulder blades.

“Did he want to sue the facility?”

Grace laughed. “No way. You know what he said to me after I practically vomited tank water all over the floor?” Changing the tone of her voice, she mimicked Eddie Mann. “Gracie, you’ve been initiated, my girl.”

“Initiated into what?” In the dark, Alec’s features were all angles and shadows, but she could sense his bewilderment over her father’s behavior.

“To the world of ocean creatures. He considered the entire event a good omen.” She fiddled with the shark tooth in her hand. “My dad was a little rough around the edges and brooded at times, but he was very charismatic. My mother told me once that loving him was entirely out of her control. She was just happy to join him on the ride.”

“Like father, like daughter.” Alec stretched his legs out, settling close enough to her that his thigh bumped hers. “I’ve never met a woman like you, Grace.”

“I hope that’s good,” she teased.

“Yeah. It’s good.”

The heat in his voice was unmistakable, and it warmed her from the inside out, causing her skin to perspire beneath the sweatshirt she was bundled into.

“Tell me something crazy about you,” she said.

“I have a dog.”

She lowered her eyebrows. “Okay. I guess that’s crazy, since I doubt you’re hardly ever home.”

“True. She stays with my parents. She really adores my mom.”

“What kind of dog is she?”

“A golden lab.”

“What’s her name?”

“Grace.”

She released a bark of laughter. “You’re full of it.”

“No, it’s true. Her name is Grace Kelly. I could introduce you one day. I think she’d like you—kindred spirits and all that.”

She couldn’t shake the smile from her lips as she turned her gaze back to the ocean that shimmered under the crescent moon, pleased that Alec dangled a future between them.

And then she remembered that maybe he was saying nice things to get her in the sack, that maybe he had no intention of following through with such suggestions, that maybe, in the end, he’d be like Brad. The smile left her face.

“You’re overthinking it, Grace.”

“About what?”

“Us.”

Her eyes locked with his. “You’re awfully sure of yourself.”

“Around you? Hardly. But there is one thing I am sure of.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m not going to let a chance with you go by.”

Ah, hell. It worked for her.

She held his gaze, letting him know that he had a free pass to first base.

He leaned forward and kissed her, his lips warm and inviting, his skin smelling of sweat and sunscreen. He scooted closer and kissed her again, and she slanted her mouth against his, sinking into the delicious sensations that had lived only in her daydreams until this moment.

She brought a hand to his cheek, her fingertips brushing along the stubble, and then slid it to the back of his neck. The kiss changed, deepening, as Alec pulled her into his arms.

When she surfaced for air, she thought to say something funny, but he’d literally knocked the wind from her. Like flash lightning, her body was on fire everywhere. She brought her mouth to his again and let loose the desire coursing through her. Lack of sex for well over a year apparently wasn’t good for a person, and she suddenly wanted to remedy that. With Alec.

She plundered his mouth, her hands groping his face, his shoulders, his chest. He shifted her onto his lap, and she straddled him, wanting to feel him against her. Wrapping his arms around her, Alec swept her mouth with his tongue, leaving a lingering taste of beer and onions.

His hands slid beneath the layers of her clothing, burning her skin as they held onto her hips, and then began an upward climb.

Fumbling with the zipper on his jacket, she attempted to yank it down when voices erupted on the deck below.

Grace stopped her attack on Alec, her mouth near his, her breath jagged and uneven.

“Let’s go to my cabin,” he said quietly.

“What about Double D?”

“It’ll be okay. He’ll stay away.”

While Grace’s body wanted nothing more than a release at the hands of Alec—a shudder passed through her at the very thought—worry gripped her. Surely they’d be caught. And the boat was small. The gossip would spread faster than a mako on attack.

Damn.

“We can’t.”

“You can’t leave me like this, Grace,” he whispered. “I need to have you.”

Another wave of longing nearly undid her.

Damn again.

“Okay,” she agreed. “But meet me in the bathroom.”

She climbed off him.

Standing beside her, he leaned his face close to hers. “That’s not necessary.”

“No one will barge into the bathroom,” she said. “I’ll go first. Wait five minutes and then follow.”

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand and held her in place. “Just for the record, I never voted for the john.” He kissed her then let her go.

Doing her best to regain her composure, she descended to the lower deck and tried to slip past the small crowd, catching sight of Captain Bellamy, Erik, and Double D.

“Hey, Grace,” Tony said upon noticing her.

Not wanting to be bothered by distractions, she gave a wave and kept moving. “Good night.”