Page 20 of Spring Break with a Treasure Hunter
He was right, and the damage from the hurricane wasn’t as catastrophic as it could have been. I looked out the window at the people beginning the cleanup of their homes and businesses. This wasn’t the first time for them or me, and wouldn’t be the last. Events like this brought the community together.
“Maybe we could drive by the museum?” I suggested.
“Sure, No problem. I’d like to get out and help the cleanup as well.”
“Me too.”
Moments later we stopped in front of the museum. I breathed a sigh of relief. The storm shutters were intact and the building stood staunchly, unscathed apart from stuff blown around by the wind and scattered. “Solid old thing.”
“Thankfully. It’ll be quick to get organized.” Cork drove away and followed the directions I gave him.
The wind blowing in the window was wonderfully refreshing and the closer we got to the beach, the tangier the air was. Glimpses of the water flashed between the trees and brush. It still seemed churned up with white caps. When we turned off the main road and drove over a dune, I realized how different everything looked.
“Visibility is poor. I hope it’s better for our dive tomorrow. Just look at that,” Cork said and pointed to the water and beach.
“Me too.” My breath caught. The familiar crescent stretch of white sand lined with palm trees and tropical flowers thankfully hadn’t been too impacted, but sand was pushed up to the base of the trees; seaweed and driftwood dotted the beach which was wider now and with a distinct ridge that ran parallel to the wateruntil a new spit of sand jutted out under the waves splitting the beach in half. The coral reef was barely a smudge under the waves that lapped at the shoreline.
“Oh no.”
“What’s wrong?” Cork got out of the vehicle as did I, but grabbed the throw blanket from the back seat. Just in case we wanted to watch the sunset.
“I have a bad feeling that the ocean has reshuffled herself. That can happen in the wake of a storm. Hiding things once in plain sight.” I walked down to the edge of the of the water.
“It’s possible sand shifted and some coral heads got knocked about,” Cork agreed, his voice remaining cautious. “We won’t know how much it’s changed until we’re down there. Tomorrow will be fine and if the sea floor has changed, maybe it revealed something you haven’t seen before. Something hidden for centuries.” He put his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder.
“I hope so.” I let out a sigh. “Then I want to be here first thing in the morning. How early can you get the boat?”
“I already have the keys.” He gave me a squeeze. “How about we take off just before sunrise?”
I looked at him, and a burst of a new emotion bloomed within me. This man. He was so upbeat, supportive, devilishly sexy, and I was falling for him. Hard. I reached up and pulled his head down. Needing his lips on mine. He was an amazing kisser too, stealing my breath, leaving me limp in his arms. I clung to him. He held me tight, and pushed his fingers into my hair, gently tugging my head back and found his way to my erotically sensitive spot just behind my ear lobe. I trembled.
“Shall we?” I murmured.
“Shall we what?” He trailed a hot path back to my mouth and paused. His gaze caught mine.
“I have a blanket. The beach is empty. There’s no boats out there. Kinda like it was before… when…our first time together.”
He gave me a crooked smile. “Ah, you’d like to recreate our first intimate experience.”
I swallowed and whispered, “yes.”
“Anything, my beautiful siren of the sea.” He took the blanket and shook it out.
“What? Who me? A siren? Never!” I teased him.
“Yes, you.” Cork swooped me up and lay me down on the blanket. “This is a fabulous idea.”
We moved together under the ruby glow of the setting sun with a cadence that matched the ebb and flow of the waves, as nature’s music serenaded us. He swept me away into my own stormy passion where shipwrecks, treasure, and shifting sands fled my thoughts as the most beautiful feeling embraced us. We gave and received pleasure until we lay spent in each other’s arms under the darkening sky as the stars began to reveal themselves against the velvety blackness.
Could anything be more perfect?
Cork sat on the balcony, his feet propped on the railing nursing a whiskey. Daisy was poring over the research Beck had given her; she had everything spread out on the dining table of the suite. He was happy she’d agreed to stay with him.He wasn’t sure if it was permanent and he wouldn’t push her. All he knew was how much he liked her near him.
Did he want them to be permanent? He didn’t know. So much had happened in a short span of time. How could anyone know what they wanted? What he did know, was how he felt around her and how he felt when they were apart. He much preferred the feeling when they were together.
She was intelligent, challenging, fun, and so very sensual. She was also quite independent, and he loved—loved?—that about her. The love ’em and leave ’em Cork was getting a taste ofhis own medicine. And he wasn’t so sure he wanted to do any of the leaving part.
But things were about to get complicated. If they were successful on the dive tomorrow, how would he handle it? How would she handle it? He was a collector and Beck almost outed him that evening onIntrepid. It would be a battle to try to keep any of the salvage for himself, if you wanted to call the treasure salvage. He knew Daisy’s firm stance on the subject.
