Deep Blue by Kat Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

on treasure hunting—yesterday I barely tapped the surface. But I’m through for now. Thanks for letting me use the machine.”
    “Like I said…as long as no one needs it.” He sat down at the computer and began to pull up his e-mail. His hair was neatly combed, but the faint wave remained.
    “There’s something I need to know,” Hope said, drawing his attention. She tried not to notice the way his tee shirt stretched over the muscles across his chest, but the man had a very impressive chest.
    “Yeah, what’s that?”
    “Why do you think you’ll find the Rosa near Pleasure Island? Everything I’ve read so far says the ship went down on the Serranilla Banks. That’s a heck of a long way from here.”
    Reese studied her for several moments. She thought he was trying to make some sort of decision.
    “Tomorrow I’m hopping a ride on the Pleasure Island plane. It flies into Jamaica fairly often, picking up either passengers or supplies. I’ve got a meeting with Professor Marlin. He’s lecturing at a private college in Port Antonio. He’s the guy who can tell you how we got here. I guess if you want, you can come along.”
    He delivered the invitation with a slightly rigid jaw. It was obvious he didn’t really want her to go. She couldn’t tell if it was because she was writing a story he didn’t want written—or if he just didn’t like women in general.
    Something told her it was a little bit of both.
    “I’d love to come,” she said, though the thought of spending the day with him wasn’t really all that pleasant.
     
    It was later in the afternoon when Conn saw the Pleasure Island speedboat heading their way. The forty-two-foot Sea Ray was built for speed, and it showed in the low, trim lines of the hull, the sharply pointed bow, and aerodynamic tilt of the windshield. Yet Conn knew that the salon below deck, with its smoky mirrors, deep pile carpeting, wet bar, and built-in TV, would impress even the most discriminating island visitor.
    As the boat drew near, Conn recognized Chalko but not the man standing next to him beside the wheel, a young guy with carrot-red hair.
    “That’s Tommy Tyler,” Hope said, walking up beside him. “The photographer I mentioned.”
    “He looks like a kid.”
    “He’s only twenty-five, but he’s a great photographer. You read any kind of outdoor magazine, you’ll see some of his work.”
    “I presume that includes underwater photography.”
    She nodded. “Tommy’s one of the best. That’s how I met him. I was down here doing an article on scuba diving. Mostly it was about the hotels and nightclubs in areas that cater to the sport, but it involved a lot of underwater work as well.”
    His gaze swung to hers. “So you dive, too?”
    She nodded. “I’m definitely a novice. But I’ve got my Open Water Certification, and I really enjoyed the times I went down.”
    Conn didn’t say more. His mind was trying to digest the fact that the lady might be more than he’d thought. Diving wasn’t an easy sport. A lot of people were scared of getting claustrophobic, or scared of sharks, or just plain scared.
    It took a cool head and steady nerves.
    Unless you were just too dumb to realize how dangerous the sport could be.
    He was beginning to think Hope Sinclair was far from dumb.
    Still, he wished he hadn’t agreed to take her with him to Jamaica. She was a good-looking woman and he was attracted to her, though he damned well didn’t want to be. He hated the kind of women who used sex to get what they wanted.
    Hell, he’d been married to one.
    Kelly was blond and beautiful, with a slender, voluptuous body and legs that went on forever. The day he’d met her, he’d thought she was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen. Another SEAL’s wife had introduced them and all he could think of was getting her in bed. Kelly seemed to feel the same. The second time they went out, she practically tore off his clothes.
    He hadn’t expected to wind up married to her. He’d