In Too Deep by Cherry Adair Read Free Book Online

then that. Nothing. Damn.
    She blinked back panic. The oddly shaped alcove felt microscopic, the blackness thick and weighted. Her heart began to race, and her skin felt clammy. "Here, Lucky," she whispered, hoping the cat would hear her and come bounding onto the bed to keep her company. "Come here, pretty boy."
    Not a peep from the perverse animal. He was probably curled up on the foot of Michael's bed, dreaming of fat rats and endless ear rubs.
    Michael Wright slept only ten feet away. There was absolutely nothing to be frightened of. As illogical as her fear might be, Tally's heartbeat escalated to a frantic rhythm, the precursor to a panic attack.
    Not now ! "I'm okay," she whispered. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
    She swung her legs over the side of the bed. Perhaps if she sat on the sofa in the stateroom, the feeling of space would negate the attack. Perhaps. She wiped a hand down her damp face with a shaky hand.
    Past the kitchen, hand on the counter to aid her, Tally found the leather sofa across the small room. It wasn't any lighter in here.
    Had she been home, all the lights would be on. She'd rattle around in the kitchen, make a pot of tea, curl up on her sofa, and read until she got sleepy. You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy , she thought dryly, staring into the darkness.
    It had literally been years since she'd had a panic attack. And damn it, she wasn't going to have one now, either. Breathe in. Breathe out .
    All she required was a faint glow to ground her. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to imagine the flicker of a small candle flame. She managed to conjure up a slim white taper with a glowing halo of light. The imaginary flame flickered, then died.
    She jumped up and felt her way into the tiny galley and opened the oven door. No hope there, either. The power was out. Beneath her feet the boat gently rose and fell. If she really wanted to freak herself out, she could imagine she was riding on the back of a giant sea serpent…
    "Stop it!" Frankly she was more afraid of the oppressive darkness than at the thought of being gobbled down by an imaginary beast.
    Holding on to the counter to orient herself, she paced back and forth. "Here comes the suuuun," she sang under her breath.
    God she hated the way her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest, and how damp her palms were. She hated the fact that she was frightened of the dark like a little kid. She banged her shin on the table as she passed.
    "Ow, damn it. Here comes the's—this is not working." She wiped her clammy hands down the side of her shorts. That's it. She couldn't stand this.
    She felt her way across the room until she stood outside the door to Michael's cabin. The door slightly ajar, she rested her hand on the latch. "This is a bad idea, Tallulah, a bad, bad idea," she whispered. "Be a brave little toaster and go back to your own bed."
    She pushed open the door. She couldn't hear him breathing. Was he even in here? Her heart skipped a beat. Then another.
    "Can't sleep?"
    A relieved sigh slipped from her throat. Next to light, the second-best defense against the darkness was good old human contact. "The lights are off."
    He'd heard her singing under her breath out there, and tamped down the ridiculous notion that he found her Godawful singing oddly charming. "Power's out because of the storm," he lied. He'd turned off all the electrical a few minutes ago. She couldn't snoop in the dark, and it served another purpose. He could take several days fiddling with the generator when they limped into port tomorrow.
    "Oh. Sure. Right—do you by any chance have any candles?"
    "On a boat?" he asked, amused.
    "Flashlight?"
    Several. "Nope."
    "You're not real good in emergencies, are you?"
    "Just go to sleep. It'll be light in eight hours." He could barely make her out in the doorway, and his night vision was terrific.
    Silence pulsed. She didn't move. "I-I have a bit of a phobia about the dark."
    Yeah. He'd noticed. How to use the knowledge to his