In Deep Waters by Melissa McClone

Kayla?"
    Mischief flashed in Ben's eyes. Kayla glanced at Gray and Vance, who still argued about the target. "I--I'm fine here."
    "The floor's uncomfortable." Ben's smile widened. "We can make room."
    His charming grin unleashed a bevy of butterflies in her stomach. She gripped the crayon so hard it snapped. "Thanks, but I'm coloring."
    Kayla concentrated on the tiny seashells coming to life on the page with each stroke of her crayon. Not bad. She wouldn't be giving the artist Wyland any competition, but she was pleased. Maybe she should take art lessons when she got home.
    Madison giggled again. Kayla glanced up and her breath caught in her throat. Father and daughter shared a precious moment together. Smiling, laughing, cuddling. Kayla's heart filled with joy. Their love was so strong she could almost touch it. He was the kind of father she wanted for her children.
    Her children.
    Kayla's quickening pulse sent off a warning. The lines of the picture in the coloring book blurred. What was happening to her? Imagining a family, let alone a future with Ben, was out of the question. She wanted to avoid him, not fantasize or dream about him.
    But whatever she felt was turning into something more. She knew that as well as she knew her own name. Her feelings for Ben grew each time they interacted, whether alone or not. But she couldn't be alone with him. Not ever again. He would want to talk to her about what had happened in his cabin. The last thing she wanted to do was talk. And that didn't leave any other options except kissing. And she sure couldn't kiss him again. No matter how much she might want to.
    As a million stars twinkled against the night sky, the almost-full moon cast its glow on the waves. A breeze ruffled the ends of Kayla's hair. She stood at the rail alone. Finally...
    For the past two days, Ben had wanted a chance to be alone with her. Until now, it hadn't happened. She was always with someone--one of the crew or Madison. If he didn't know better, he would think Kayla was avoiding him. Great. Now he was becoming paranoid. "Mind if I join you?"
    She didn't look at him. "Go ahead."
    Not the most enthusiastic invitation, but he would take it. He stood next to her and held on to the railing. Ben hoped Kayla realized he wasn't interested in a repeat performance of the other morning. Much as he would like more kisses, it wasn't a smart idea. And he had to be smart about this. He couldn't make a mistake, or worse, fail.
    But he wanted to know her better, to figure out how she'd managed to crawl under his skin, to know why she'd become important to him. They hadn't gotten along well. They were so different. Why would he want her? Lust? It couldn't be that simple.
    But nothing else explained his impulsive and selfish behavior. Behavior that had to stop. Not tomorrow. Not tonight. But now. The Izzy was waiting to be discovered, but the only thing on his mind was Kayla.
    Ben had to do something about her. His first choice would be to hide away in his cabin with her and ravish each other until they were out of each other's systems, but that wasn't an option. That left talking. Communication had never been one of his strong points, as his ex-wife would agree, but what choice did he have?
    A shooting star streaked through the sky. Ben wasn't sure how to start. Might as well dive in. "It's a beautiful night."
    She nodded. "I saw a school of dolphins swim by."
    "Did they say hello?"
    "No, they just waved." As she stared at the water, she scratched her leg. "It's weird. I've been feeling as if nothing exists except this ship and all of us on board. "
    "That's what happens when you're out at sea for any length of time. Life on the ship becomes a world unto itself. I worry about Madison because of that. Not now, but when she's older."
    "You don't want to continue with your salvage operation?"
    "I don't know." He'd had these concerns for more than a year now but had never voiced them. Something about Kayla made it easy to open up.