Deep Rising (An Outside the Lines Novel) (Entangled Select) by N.R. Rhodes Page B

nonthreatening ploy intended to trick others into believing him less capable than he really was. Like when he called her darlin’ or spoke in that slow, sexy Southern way of his. If she had chanced upon him in a resort like this she would’ve perceived him for an ordinary tourist. She never would have recognized the menace of which he was capable. His methodical, calculating demeanor caused him to measure his every word and action, and she didn’t know what to make of him, or how to acclimate to his personality. She found the Southern-boy charm endearing, but she couldn’t determine if it subsisted as inherently as his strength or if it presented another facade.
    Was he toying with her? She wasn’t naive enough to think that every touch and brush of his arm was accidental. And for the umpteenth time, yes, she acknowledged that under different circumstances she’d do a lot more than think about him.
    It didn’t really matter though. For better or worse they’d landed in this mess together. With any luck, they’d find a way out. The flower-petal-plucking “does he like me, does he not?” crap, well, that could wait until they weren’t trying to prevent an ocean-wide cataclysm.
    Pacing the suite, Lana elected to change into her swimsuit. She didn’t have a neoprene dive suit, and she sincerely hoped Jared would procure one because ocean water, at any time, was chilling. At night, at a depth of forty-plus meters, the water would sap her body heat far faster than she could hope to generate it.
    Jared had ordered room service for dinner. The steak salad she’d selected burned a hole through her stomach. No, she amended. The stress of this upcoming dive and possibly coming face-to-face with her brother, the alleged terrorist, started her stomach churning out acid like a hydrothermal vent.
    She opened her backpack and fished for her one-piece black suit. She’d packed it automatically when Jared informed her they would travel to Hawaii. She had not anticipated having the opportunity to wear it, least of all for a midnight diving expedition, but she appreciated her foresight in bringing it along. She peeled her shirt over her head and kicked out of her shorts.
    The door to the suite swung open. Jared ambled into the room.
    Lana spread her hands to cover her bra and panties. “You said you’d be gone an hour!”
    His eyes hungrily traced her skin. He didn’t bother to conceal his predatory gleam, and on a very primitive level, Lana responded to it. Heat pooled in her stomach, and this kind of burning had nothing to do with stress.
    “Turn around,” she demanded.
    “You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.” He let out a low whistle. “Darlin’, you’ve been hiding those curves…”
    “Jared!”
    He gave her his back.
    She was comfortable in her own skin. Working in third-world countries and having to share accommodations with other people on her survey teams, she wasn’t particularly modest. But it was the way he’d looked at her. And when he’d smiled his approval, it jump-started parts of her body that were better left dormant. God, she hated her reaction to this man. She shouldn’t want his attraction, shouldn’t want to have his hands or mouth on her skin, but when his gaze traced over her with such blatant appreciation, that was all she could think of.
    “My apologies, ma’am,” he said in a voice that suggested he was anything but sorry.
    While staring at his broad back, Lana slipped off her underclothes and drew on the sleek maillot. She felt considerably better in the bathing suit, but she donned a pair of shorts for good measure.
    Without turning around, he said, “I’ve seen bikinis that bare more, Lana. You’re completely overreacting.”
    Yes, she probably was. But if they continued this conversation, she’d only rip into him for circumstances beyond his control. “Are we ready to go?”
    He pivoted to face her. “I meant to pay you a compliment, not insult you. You are