In Too Deep (5 page)

“A little difficult to remain an addict when you’re confined to a hospital bed. Although, I suppose if you really want to get technical, Melody is still an addict, the drugs are just legal now.”

“I’m sorry.” His quiet words were meant to be soothing, and, really, she appreciated the sentiment. But she hated when people apologized for what had happened to her sister. It was Melody’s fault.

Well, Melody’s and her own.

If she had handled things differently that last night, maybe her sister would have been home where she belonged instead of attempting to drown her misery with an almost-lethal cocktail of drugs and alcohol.

“Don’t be. Not your fault.”

Knox hummed, the sound full of understanding and support, something she didn’t want to need. But a warm feeling began to bloom in the center of her chest. Maybe he was simply being polite, but Avery didn’t think so. And Knox’s sympathy mattered.

“Where is she now?”

“She lives at a care facility in Galveston. She sustained brain damage from an overdose. With hard work and dedication she’s managed to recover some of her speech and motor function, but not enough to take care of herself.”

Avery stared at the grains of sand slipping through her fingers as she thought about Melody’s life. Her sister had been so vibrant and outgoing. Where Avery had been shy, people had been drawn to her sister.

Melody was the artistic one, finding an outlet in drawing, painting, creating. Avery had been happy to sit quietly in a corner, reading about ancient civilizations.

Her sister was all emotion and explosion while Avery had been contained and logical.

But she’d loved her big sister. Had looked up to her. Wanted to be her. Envied her on so many occasions as she’d watched Melody put on skimpy clothes that highlighted her tanned skin and amazing figure, clothes Avery would have been too self-conscious to ever think of wearing.

She didn’t envy Melody now. She hated when other people pitied her sister or stared at her with regret for the life wasted, but Avery thought the exact same things every time she looked at her, and that always made her feel guilty.

Avery could feel the weight of Knox’s gaze on her, but refused to look at him. She didn’t want to see the expression of grief and sympathy she knew would be there.

She didn’t deserve it.

Slowly, he reached for her. Avery’s breath caught as his fingers brushed against the soft skin of her thigh beneath the tight cuff of her shorts. She stayed still, unsure whether she was afraid to spook him and have him stop, or unwittingly encourage him to do more.

But apparently sitting still didn’t make a difference. His caress went higher, skimming over her hip, the curve of her arm, to the warm hollow of her throat.

“What exactly do you do for fun, doc?”

This time, when he used the nickname, it didn’t sound like a taunt, but an extension of his caress. The soft, low rumble rolled across her skin just as surely as his touch.

“Fun?”

“Yes, fun. Outside of your work, what do you do to unwind?”

Avery shook her head, unable to think of anything that would provide a suitable answer. She had hobbies. She had interests outside her work. She just couldn’t think of any at the moment. No woman could with Knox McLemore touching her that way.

The pads of his fingers slipped up her throat, rolling across the surface of her pearls and making the smooth orbs slide against her skin. The sensation was...maddening and unexpected.

She’d worn them almost every day since her parents had given them to her for her college graduation. They reminded her of everything she’d accomplished, the price for her drive and success. If she let her focus slip, even for one minute, it could all come crashing down...like it had for Melody.

Like it would for her if she didn’t come through for McNair.

The silky-smooth texture always grounded her. Reassured her. Not once had they ever felt sensual against her skin. Until right now. When Knox stroked across them, rolling them against her skin, something else happened. She felt...energized. Electrified.

Avery wasn’t sure that was a good thing. In fact, she was pretty certain it wasn’t.

And, yet, she couldn’t pull away. Knox watched her, his warm gaze glued to her throat. She couldn’t breathe. Her arms, legs and lungs refused to move.

One corner of his mouth tugged into a lopsided grin, the little-boy one he’d been taunting her with since the day they met.

Knox shifted closer, the heat from his body reaching out to touch her. A shiver rocked her, sending a cascade of tingles sparking through her system.

Oh, hell.

Avery’s lips parted. Her mouth was dry. She needed a drink. She needed...him to kiss her and make her forget the predicament they were both in.

Maybe he was a mind reader.

His eyes flared, dilating. The warmth of his palm curved around her neck, urging her closer. She expected wild and unruly, like he was. Instead, what she got was gentle and coaxing. The soft caress of his breath as he whispered her name right before kissing her.

God, it was good. Every nerve in her body trembled at the contact, wanting more. She might have sighed. She definitely fisted her hands in his shirt trying to pull him closer.

And then reality hit.

She didn’t want this. No, she
shouldn’t
want this.

Pushing him away, Avery scrambled backward, sending up a flurry of sand as she tried to escape the mistake she’d just made.

Knox let her go, simply watching with that knowing, steady stare of his. He didn’t even bother to wipe the sheen of moisture her abrupt end to their kiss had left.

Avery tried to ignore the heavy throb of need pulsing through her body with each pump of blood.

After several moments, Knox quipped, “That’s definitely my idea of fun.” Without waiting for a response, he pushed to his feet. Avery couldn’t help but notice the way his body moved with tight grace and barely leashed power.

“I’m going to see if I can find us something more substantial to eat on this little stretch of land we’re going to call home. Why don’t you start gathering wood to make a fire?”

He didn’t even bother waiting for an answer before sauntering off. Without breaking stride, Knox reached down and scooped up the machete, tossing it back and forth between his palms in a way that made her apprehensive. The idiot was going to cut himself.

“You know, there’s no hospital on this island, Knox. You might not want to toss the wicked knife around.”

He turned to face her, continuing to walk backward without even watching where he was going.

The little-boy grin had returned, along with a glitter of mischief lodged deep inside his eyes.

“What? You’re not willing to kiss it and make it better if I get a boo-boo?”

What would she do if the idiot hurt himself?

Frowning, she jumped up from the sand and charged after him.

“You’re not going anywhere without me.”

5

T
HEY
’
D
BEEN
TROMPING
around the island for twenty or thirty minutes and Knox still couldn’t get the taste of her out of his mouth. Or erase the soft sound of her breath catching in the back of her throat.

That kiss. Hell, it was like nothing he’d ever experienced. Soft and sweet, but somehow still full of heat.

He’d wanted more. But she’d pulled away and he’d always been the kind to respect when a woman said no, even if she didn’t actually use the word.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve already seen that tree with the funny-looking knot on the side.”

Knox glanced at the tree, biting back a groan. She was right.

His head wasn’t where it should be—focused on their survival—but back at the beach where he wanted to stretch Avery out across the sand and see if her skin was as smooth and supple as it looked.

What was it about Avery that drove him so nuts? That had his brain scrambling from just sixty seconds of her mouth touching his? She infuriated and energized him at the same time, a dangerous combination, especially given their current predicament. “We need to find fresh water.”

He heard the frustration in her voice when she said, “I think we can rule it out here, then. Maybe we should move on to another part of the island.”

His mouth cracked into a self-deprecating smile. “No joke.”

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she moved through the thick brush beside him. She didn’t hesitate to slap at branches and spiderwebs. She simply charged ahead, determination stamped on every feature.

He knew men who, faced with their situation, would lose their shit at least for a few minutes. Avery hadn’t done that at all. Not even when there was a gun pointed at her head.

She’d earned his respect today, that was for damn sure.

“Look. I don’t know how long it’ll take Asher to find us. While the beacon will help, he has to be within a certain range to pick it up.”

Avery made a little grimace of concern.

“He’ll get here,” Knox was quick to reassure her, “But for now I’m going on the assumption that we might be on this island for a little while.”

“Little while as in a few hours or little while as in a few weeks?”

God, he hoped it wasn’t a few weeks.

It had been difficult enough on the
Amphitrite
to keep his distance. On the ship there were plenty of crew members and lots of work to keep him occupied. But with just the two of them and the reality of that kiss... He was afraid it was only a matter of time before his control snapped.

They walked for several more minutes, heading into the middle of the island. The increased vegetation made Knox hopeful. Plants and trees needed water to survive as well.

Maybe it would be better to clear the air, get everything out in the open and talk about what had happened instead of letting it fester.

Knox stopped. Avery slammed into him.

Before she could so much as rock backward on her feet, he reached to grab her. Twisting them both, he pressed her back against the closest tree, searching for balance he wasn’t sure even that solid surface could provide.

Not when she was so close.

She gasped. Her eyes widened and her luscious pink lips parted. The pulse at her throat fluttered.

“Are we just going to pretend that didn’t happen?” he asked, his voice thick and husky.

He should move away now that she’d found her footing. But he couldn’t. Instead he shifted, closing the gap between them.

She hadn’t bothered with makeup before they’d gotten into the launch this morning. Her skin was luminous, even more beautiful now that it was free from the artificial crap women seemed to think necessary. The warm Caribbean sun, sinking down behind the trees, brushed her cheeks as she stared up at him.

She licked her lips, rolling them in and swiping the tip of her pink tongue across the plump surface.

Knox bit back a groan. Was she torturing him on purpose?

“Pretend what didn’t happen?” Her voice was breathy, the sound of it scraping against his good intentions.

“That kiss.”

Avery closed her eyes for the briefest moment before opening again...only this time he could see the heat she couldn’t quite hide.

He watched her draw in a single, heavy breath.

“Yes, let’s pretend it didn’t happen. It was a mistake. We’re working together, Knox, even if you didn’t want me here. This is a difficult situation and we don’t need to make it any more complicated.”

She swallowed, her throat working. She was right. Knox knew it, but his body didn’t seem to care. He wanted to bend his head and run his tongue across her creamy skin. To suck on the pulse point fluttering just beneath the surface.

Goddammit.

He took a step backward, away from her, away from temptation.

Blindly, Knox spun and stumbled farther into the dark green foliage surrounding them. After several seconds, he heard the softer tread as Avery followed.

Gritting his teeth, Knox reached deep for the calm he was famous for. He had to find it again, for both their sakes.

“I want you here. Sure, you irritate the hell out of me on occasion, but that just keeps life from getting boring.”

She made a sound, a cross between a snort and a laugh. It was unexpected and somehow adorable.

“You have a real problem with boring, don’t you? What is it with you and excitement?”

“You have a real problem with letting loose, don’t you? What is it with you and obeying the rules?”

She shook her head. But he could see the twitch of her lips as she fought a reluctant smile.

He was so focused on her that he didn’t even notice what was in front of him until his foot splashed down into a small pool of water.

It rose up to his ankle. He didn’t bother moving back to dry ground, but crouched down, scooped up a handful and held it to his face. It didn’t smell like salt water, but there was one sure way to know for sure.

Pursing his lips, he was about to take a taste when Avery’s hand slapped across his, spilling everything in his palm back into the pond.

“What are you thinking? That could be filled with bacteria or worse.”

Straightening, Knox frowned at her. “I’m well aware of that.”

“Then why were you about to drink it?”

“To make sure it was freshwater.”

Little lines pulled between Avery’s eyebrows.

“Surely there’s a better way.”

“Fine, we’ll boil it. Would that make you feel better?”

“Much.”

Unfortunately, they only had one container they could use and it was currently full of alcohol.

But that was easily remedied.

* * *

T
HE
SUN
HAD
begun to slip behind the horizon by the time they’d gathered enough wood and tinder to start a fire. It would be dark soon, too late to head back to the pond even if the bottle had been empty.

The morning would be time enough to deal with their need for water.

Avery sat on her heels, watching as Knox struck a match, holding the tiny flare of light against the perfect stack of wood.

She fidgeted, running sand through her fingers, crossing and uncrossing her legs. She couldn’t sit still.

Not having anything to do was unusual for her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d really been idle. When she was growing up, her parents had always praised her hard work. In college the other students had seemed to sneer at her tendency to overachieve. No one liked it when the seventeen-year-old ruined the grading curve.

What was she supposed to do with herself?

The fire flared between them, a burst of red-orange light that slipped across the edges of Knox’s handsome face.

Digging into the bag, he tossed her one of the energy bars. “Eat this,” he said before taking one for himself. “I’ll work on a spear tomorrow so I can catch some fish. Maybe you can hunt up some coconuts and check for other fruit trees.”

Her stomach growled. The idea of fresh fish and fruit made her mouth water. Until that moment she hadn’t realized how hungry she was, her brain too preoccupied with other matters to listen to her body.

Avery unwrapped the bar, took a huge bite out of it and couldn’t stifle a groan of pleasure.

Knox laughed, sprawling out across the sand. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone react that way to a meal-replacement bar.”

“Not even in the middle of a shitty mission?”

“Nope, not even then. Food was necessary, something required to fuel our bodies and keep us moving. Nothing more.”

“How...practical.” She watched his own bar disappear in three bites. He crumpled the wrapper and tossed it into their pack.

He sat there, staring into the fire. Relaxed. Why couldn’t she be that way instead of a tightly wound ball of useless energy?

Avery couldn’t take her eyes off his face. The man had a beautiful mouth. She remembered the feel of it against hers. Pleasant. Unhurried.

That was the way he always seemed. He’d be the kind of lover to take his time. Draw out the experience. Nibble and tease.

Or maybe he’d be overwhelmed by passion. She’d seen that harder edge beneath the fun-loving guy he showed the world. Would his mouth crush hers? His tongue swipe against her lips, demanding entrance?

She seriously had to stop thinking about kissing him again. It didn’t matter how he kissed. She didn’t want a repeat performance.

Knox leaned on one elbow, his legs stretched out, ankles crossed as he stared at her over the flames.

He was relaxed. Even in the middle of their predicament, he was relaxed.

Avery envied him that. It was a skill she’d never managed to acquire.

Her ankles were crossed as well, but positioned in front of her, knees drawn to her chest with her arms wrapped tight around them.

Tension filled the space between them, so thick she could practically taste it. There was nothing comfortable about the silence, especially with Knox watching her, his eyes drowsy and yet still somehow intent.

She wanted to look away, but couldn’t.

Night fell quickly, dusk bleeding easily into darkness while they’d eaten. And now they were alone on a tropical island.

In the distance, she could hear the nocturnal creatures beginning to stir. They scurried through the underbrush, rustling limbs and leaves. The shush of the water rubbing rhythmically against the sand was unexpectedly soothing.

A cool breeze blew off the water, carrying the briny scent of salt water mixed with a touch of some sweet tropical flower. She shivered, digging her feet deeper into the sand, searching for the last vestiges of warmth the sun had left before disappearing.

For the first time, Avery wondered why she wasn’t more scared or upset. It wasn’t as if she really knew Knox well. But there was something honorable about him, or maybe she was just projecting values she assumed any former Navy SEAL would have.

Still, she knew Knox wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He’d stepped between her and the business end of a gun today, without thinking twice. Which was crazy, considering how volatile their short relationship had been.

After a few minutes Knox moved, rummaging inside their bag of supplies until his hand emerged, fist tight around the neck of the glass bottle.

The criminals had certainly left them an eclectic selection of supplies. But she guessed they’d simply pulled from their own stash.

She supposed there was no use in contemplating the minds of those who made their living running narcotics. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder why they’d left her and Knox alive, much less provided them with supplies.

The pale liquid sparkled in the firelight.

Avery wasn’t much of a drinker. She’d never been the frat party kind of girl, especially after watching her sister’s struggle with addiction.

However, if there was any situation that called for a little liquid relief, this was it.

Standing, Knox rounded the fire and lowered himself to the ground beside her. His thigh brushed against hers as he stretched across the sand.

“We might as well enjoy this.” Twisting off the cap, he tipped the neck toward her in salute and then pulled a huge swallow before offering the bottle to her.

She reached for it, trying to ignore the fire that erupted up her arm as their fingers tangled. It would soon be drowned out by another burn anyway.

Grasping the bottle, she couldn’t help but grimace at the sharp scent as she brought it close to her mouth.

“Bottom’s up, doc,” he said.

Her lips wrapped around the smooth edge. Liquid flames poured down the back of her throat. She didn’t even really taste it, but the inside of her nose suddenly felt as if it was on fire.

“What the hell is that?” Avery wheezed. Setting down the bottle, she sucked in hard, trying to catch her breath. “That stuff is awful.”

Knox gave her a twisted, lopsided smile. “Moonshine. Apparently, they’re multitalented criminals.

Jeez, the stuff was vile, but even now Avery could feel the pleasant warmth spreading from her belly out to her fingers and toes.

Her entire body tingled, as if she’d been standing just a little too close to a lightning strike and conducted the residual charge.

The second swig wasn’t quite as bad. By the fifth she couldn’t taste anything.

Back and forth, they silently shared sip after sip. It didn’t escape her notice that her sips were much smaller than Knox’s, although that made sense. He was a big guy, all shoulders and arms and thighs to die for.

After a few drinks her body began to relax. Pretty soon it felt as if the moonshine had replaced her muscles. She was all liquid warmth and firelight.

It felt good. It felt strange. A relief to let the weight of everything she’d been holding up for so long just...disappear.

She loved the way the golden-red flames danced across Knox’s skin. He’d taken his shirt off while lighting the fire and hadn’t bothered to put it back on. She could see every curve and dip of his pecs and abs.

The man might be out of the military, but it was obvious he hadn’t used that as an excuse to let his body go.