Lust on the Rocks by Dianne Venetta Read Free Book Online Page B

then out, and the knife plunged deeper.  “A pool.”
    Vic placed forearms to his thighs and leaned into them. He threaded his fingers together and pressed his thumbs hard against one another giving himself a focal point for the pain.  “She got into trouble underwater, and panicked. From there, everything happened so fast, by the time anyone could react, it was too late.”  The memory ground in his failure, like sand rubbing into a fresh wound.  “She was only under for a few minutes...but her surprise, her struggle...”  Grief coursed through him and he squeezed his hands together, an effort to keep from losing it.  “There was no hope of recovery.  The paramedics arrived and pronounced her dead at the scene.”
    His heart split as he gazed into Sam’s trusting eyes.  He hated what he was doing.  But he had no choice.  He couldn’t tell Sam the truth about his sister.  If he did, she wouldn’t let him anywhere near the Perry case.  “You can see how when Selena went under, it sort of sent me back through time.”
    “A time you’d rather forget.”
    “Exactly,” he said, relieved the explanation would suffice.
    “Did you know the girl?”
    “Yes.”  The knife angled and plunged.
    “Were you close?”
    Jagged and rough, it slashed and tore.  “No.”
    Anna and I never had the chance .

    Sam didn’t say a word but the urge to touch him was strong.  She wanted to stroke his back, to console him, to let him know she understood the trauma he must have endured when Selena went under.  How awful an experience to suffer through once, let alone twice!
    But she didn’t reach out.  Couldn’t.  A move so intimate would cross a boundary they had yet to erase, a line they had yet to cross.  Besides, Vic sat rock rigid.  His hands were locked in a white-knuckle grip and she feared the slightest touch could shatter him.
    Securing hands in her lap, before any involuntary gesture could be made, she softened her voice and said, “You know, no matter how painful, no matter how horrible, a failed attempt in the past doesn’t negate what you did for Selena.  You saved her life.”
    No response.
    “You saved a life , Vic.  That counts for something.”
    He grunted, as though her sympathy grated on him.
    “At great personal risk, you went in and rescued her from near certain death.  That’s a whole lot of something if you ask me.”
    His eyes became an inferno of emotion.  “It was a stupid thing to do.  If I lived here year round and knew the risks, I probably would have thought twice and wouldn’t have done a damn thing.”
    Sam hesitated.  “I don’t think so.”
    “You don’t know me.”
    Leaning forward, she mellowed her tone to a near whisper.  “I think I do.  I know a little.”
    He bristled, but she forged ahead. Diego had confided in her. Told her where he wasn’t worried about his sister, Vic was. The minute Selena broke the first round of waves, Vic had been the one to express unease.  “You have an intuitive sense of duty, Vic.  It lives inside you despite your attempts to downplay its significance.”
    He stilled.
    “I bet, knowing the risks wouldn’t have changed a thing.”  Sam spoke from instinct and if the fluidity of Vic’s reaction was any gauge, she was right on target.  “I may not know the details of your past, but I guarantee you I could guess your response to any given situation.”
    Because it mirrored that of her own.
    “I told you before,” he said, springing the tiniest leak in his façade of bravado.  “I had nothing to do with getting her to safety.”
    Sam didn’t object to his version of events.  It wouldn’t make a difference.  Vic was determined to paint the picture his way and he’d be damned if he’d walk away the hero.
    Why ? What was the deal? Did he have issues?  Insecurities?
    Sam quieted the restless line of questions funneling through her mind.  “Regardless of how she came through, she did. Because of you.”  She