Page 8 of Drowning in Sins
If there was such a thing as love at first sight, this would be that moment. It wasn’t realistic though. Lust, sure. My breath caught at the contact. I found myself wanting to jump into his arms. Ignore everything and everyone around me and cling to him.
Life isn’t a fairytale. It was a curse my mother enjoyed reminding me of growing up—there would be no love in this life. Not the everlasting, all-consuming kind I craved. That was reserved for the romance novels I stayed up too late binging, until the sun threatened to burn it all away as it rose.
“Rosalyn was at the top of her class and is one of the three archaeologists on our team here,” Warren spoke up proudly. “Tyler, why don’t you show her down to the bunkroom.”
“Of course!” Tyler gestured for me to follow.
“Nice to meet you.” I turned from Kai to Tyler and followed him across the deck.
Once we were out of earshot, I heard Tyler laugh. “Are you going to wipe away the drool?”
“Oh, shut up!” I gently shoved him, and he stumbled over one foot, then I followed him down a set of stairs and nearly ran into someone at the bottom.
Rough hands steadied me. My eyes watched the tattoo-covered hands grip me, squeeze slightly, and then release me. If I thought I couldn’t breathe earlier, I was surely suffocating now. Even without the touch, warmth spread up my arms.
I sucked in my bottom lip and slowly released it between my teeth as I looked up to a set of blue eyes almost identical to the one I’d seen on the deck above.
Fucking hell.
My heart lodged itself in my throat. If I thought the other man, Kai, was familiar, the feelings only multiplied seeing the man in front of me. His gaze softened on me, even as there seemed to be a storm wanting to break apart in those orbs.
The expression on his face had me wondering if he was thinking the same thing. Did we know each other? I feel like I’d remember if I met someone who looked like him. There was something too familiar. Like a forbidden touch in the dark. The cusp of pleasure before an explosion.
Two of the most gorgeous men, looking like they stepped directly out of my fantasies on one boat? This was going to be an adventure. I just wasn’t sure if it would be like a dream or a nightmare.
“Sorry.” He shook his head and stepped back.
“No, I was barely paying attention to where I was going.” I smiled. “I’m Rosalyn.”
“Frederick.”
“Nice to meet you.”
We stood in silence for a moment longer, eyes locked, until Tyler cleared his throat.
“I should go and get settled.” I glanced down at the bag in my hand.
“Need a hand?” Frederick questioned.
“No, but thank you. I guess I’ll see you around.” I walked past him with Tyler, but I couldn’t help but glance back at him. It was him staring back at me with fire in his eyes that had me holding my breath again.
My eyes mindlessly scanned my surroundings. We walked through a dining room and then down another set of stairs and into a small bunkroom.
The beds were full-size instead of the singles I assumed they would be. That was a nice surprise. Pillows and blankets were folded at the ends of each of them. I claimed the one next to Tyler, sliding my duffle and backpack into the cubby space between them before sitting down on the bare mattress.
It wasn’t long before the rest of the team arrived, and the bunkroom filled with laughter and excitement for what was to come. It would take half a day to get to the site, and we weren’t expected to set sail until the morning. There were rumors, of course, of what might be awaiting us.
When Jones Maritime Collective hired me to be part of the team, I was too excited to really question much. I knew there was a shipwreck involved, and I was ready to be out in the field. The fact that two of my friends from school were also hired was a huge bonus. It was like fate was making sure this would be the adventure of a lifetime.
I watched as Tyler and Beth glanced at one another when they thought the other wasn’t looking. It only reminded me of school and their on- and off-again relationship. They were good together, only they couldn’t stay focused on school when they were dating. Now, that part of life was over, and I couldn’t helpbut wonder if something was still there between them. I doubted the ones who hired us knew.
Beth turned to me. “How have you been since your Grams passed?”
“As good as can be expected.” I sighed. “She lived a full and happy life.”
“Glad to see everyone is getting settled.” Warren stepped into the bunkroom. “Dinner is on.”
We followed him up the stairs and into the dining room, where dinner was set out buffet style. I wasn’t sure who cooked, but it looked delicious as I loaded up my plate like the others. I turned down the alcohol; the last thing I needed was to get sick on the boat and for everyone to think I was seasick.
