Page 33 of Shades of You

With the day fading into a painted sky, I returned to my Range Rover and headed back to Dove Key. Brenna would be closing up the shop right about now, her hands brushing against the spines of beloved novels, hair falling across her face in that way that always made me want to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. I missed her already, the way you miss the sun when it dips below the horizon, leaving you longing for its warmth.

The road hummed beneath my tires as I navigated the familiar turns back to my place. A thrill rolled through me. Not just for the dive tomorrow, but for whatever lay ahead with Brenna. Could I really keep up a casual friendship with her? Tomorrow would be a minefield of possibilities and danger. I wasn’t the man she deserved. Hell, I was probably thelastman she needed in her life. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t stay away from her. And I had yet to figure out how I was going to reconcile that.

Chapter Fifteen

Brenna

The morning was tropically glorious,with the sun’s rays prying into every crevice of Big Pine Key as Hunter and I laid out our scuba gear on a worn, wooden picnic table. As expected, the strip of sand was deserted. This dive spot was a well-kept local secret, one that Eli had shown me a few years ago. And now I was here with Hunter.

“Don’t forget to check your inflator hose,” Hunter said, his voice steady and calm.

I glanced at him as he meticulously reviewed each piece of equipment. His motions were practiced and deliberate, those of a man who had performed this action hundreds—thousands?—of times. The fact that Siesta Sunset’s dive equipment was unfamiliar didn’t faze him in the slightest. His long-sleeved rash guard clung to him like a second skin, emphasizing every ripple and ridge of his upper body. Black, of course, and it suited him, the color of mystery and things hidden. Black-and-gray board shorts highlightedmuscular thighs, gray being the only nod to color he seemed willing to make.

But his attire brought one rather important fact to light as I tugged my wetsuit on. “I’m sorry. I grabbed the biggest wetsuit we had in our rental pool. You’re a big guy, Hunter Markham.”

He tossed me a smile that sent a flutter through me. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine without one. I’ve dived in much colder water than this.” And there it was again. The gulf of experience that separated the Hunter I’d once been friends with from this… mountain of a man.

Without being obvious, I drank in the sight of him. Friend zone or not, desire unfurled in my belly in a long, hot wave. My body remembered the heat of his kiss, the way he’d pressed against me, unmistakably aroused. The size of him! The memory sent a shiver dancing down my spine, which I tried to deny. We’d settled into an amicable rapport, the last vestiges of that awkward tension in the past now. And I had to be okay with that.

“Here, let me help you.” His voice snapped me back to reality. Fully geared up himself, Hunter lifted my tank and held out the shoulder straps of the buoyancy compensation device for me to shrug into. His fingers brushed mine, a fleeting touch that set off a cascade of sparks I pretended I didn’t notice.

“Thanks.” I clipped shut the buckles of my BCD with an ease born of practice. My injured arm was more of a memory than a hindrance at this point. Hunter’s hand found the tank valve behind me, steadying me as we waded into the warm embrace of the ocean together. The water lapped at us, whispering promises of the world beneath the waves.

After donning our fins and masks, we placed ourregulators in and started our descent. The weight of the world slipped away, the serene bliss of the underwater realm replacing it. Our exhales came in rhythmic bubbles, a soft accompaniment to the pops and crackles emanating from the living ocean. As we moved deeper, following the sand’s gentle trajectory, I couldn’t shake the awareness of Hunter’s presence beside me. How it was a mixture of the old and familiar with the new and the thrilling.

As we began our exploration, the wondrous delight of diving rekindled within me. There was something about being surrounded by the blue infinity, with only Hunter by my side, that made me feel both inconsequential and incredibly alive.

Our fins propelled us over the reef, an unspoken communication guiding our movements. I caught Hunter’s eye and smiled behind my regulator. For a moment, it was as if nothing had changed since those carefree high school dives. But so much had—especially him, his life skewered and seared by circumstance.

He let me lead, staying next to me but a few inches behind in an acknowledgment of my familiarity of the site. The thought made me smile. Hunter might be a giant of a man, but he didn’t mind letting a woman be in charge.

Another thought that sent my core clenching.

We were drifting past a high coral ridge, its carpet of multicolored sea fans waving gently in the surge, when a green sea turtle emerged from an elkhorn coral cluster. Its flippers moved with a gentle, unhurried grace that belied the strength within them. The creature stared as if acknowledging us as part of its world, then proceeded to swim alongside us in quiet companionship.

Its serene, almost lazy movements mesmerized me, the way it looked at us with ancient, knowing eyes. A school ofyellowtail snappers darted past, their silver bodies glinting like coins tossed into a wishing well. They parted gently around the turtle and us, reforming behind our little trio. And when we encountered the regal glide of a queen angelfish, its vibrant blues and yellows stark against the colors of the reef, Hunter and I stopped to watch its graceful movements.

Memories flooded back—of us as teenagers, wide-eyed and awestruck, exploring every reef we could reach. Back then, he was just Hunter, my dive buddy and bookish friend, the one who could make me laugh even underwater.

I glanced at him, wondering if he too remembered those carefree days, or if the weight of his struggles had sunk those memories deep. His gaze met mine through the clear lenses of our masks, and a flicker of something unspoken passed between us. Even amidst the soft ballet of sea creatures, Hunter’s presence was a pull more compelling than the strongest current.

I considered myself a pretty good diver, years of experience making my movements fluid and effortless. Hunter had always been naturally talented at it, but the difference between then and now was obvious. The boy swimming in joyous discovery held little resemblance to the man who had completed deadly missions underwater. He was fluid and utterly graceful, with no unnecessary movement. And he used only slightly more air than I did, which was astonishing given the differences in our sizes.

But too soon, our tanks were light and nearly empty, and it was time to complete our safety stop. As we ascended, I felt the loss acutely. Above us, reality waited—territory far more uncharted than any dive. But down here, with the echoes of a simpler past and the beauty of the present surrounding us, life was so much simpler. In thisotherworldly realm, I allowed myself to believe in the possibility of redemption. For the bad boy who’d captured my heart without even trying. And maybe even for us, for whatever we might be together.

The salt on my lips tasted like victory as we emerged onto the warm sand. We both used the freshwater shower near the parking lot to rinse off the saltwater, then toweled off. After wringing out my hair, I pulled on my shirt and board shorts over my bikini. When I looked over at Hunter, he had already exchanged his wet rash guard for a dry black shirt. I couldn’t deny the pang of disappointment that I’d missed my chance to see those muscles and what his tattoos looked like in glorious daylight.

“Almost like old times, huh?” His smile was easy and carefree, and I wanted to see more of it.

“It did!” I laughed, tilting my head to take in his silhouette against the bright sky. “Except you didn’t look like that in high school.” My eyes took in his bulging shoulders, the drape of fabric hinting at the tightly coiled strength beneath.

“Neither did you,” he remarked with a casual air.

I straightened, surprised at his comment. “How am I different now?”

“It’s been over ten years, Brenna.” Then he added, softer, “You’re even prettier now.” The red rising on his cheeks was a revelation as he quickly unscrewed his regulator from the tank.

I tucked away that blush like a secret treasure, letting it warm me from the inside out. A flying fish skimmed across the waves, and when I turned to point it out to Hunter, I found his eyes trailing slowly down my body. Desire flared through me again, my skin tightening. My urge to grab the front of his shirt and pull him down for a hot, wet kiss couldbarely be contained. He wanted me. I was sure of it. But I was afraid of driving him away again.

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