Page 47 of Blue in the Deep Blue Sea

She took one back.

“Stop,” she whispered, her hand hovering over my chest.

I caught her wrist and pulled her toward me until her body collided with mine. My lips parted, ready to curse her. She knew far more than she should, and I wasn’t ready to let her drown just yet.

Footsteps came from the other side of the bridge.

My hand slid to her waist, and I spun her around, guiding her backward until her back met the wall. I clamped my hand over her mouth.

“Shh.”

I pulled her toward a small alcove hidden behind a curtain, where a narrow table with a coffee machine was tucked away.

It was the only place to hide.

I pressed her against the table. Her legs parted around my hips as I crowded into the small space. My hand stayed firmly overher mouth while her eyes held mine. The space was so cramped I had no choice but to press against her just to fit inside.

She sank her teeth into my fingers, making me hiss, but I only pressed my hand harder against her face. Her face was so petite my palm covered almost the entire lower half of it.

We had never been this close.

I could smell the faint scent of vanilla on her skin, and feel the warmth radiating from her body. Her eyes shifted with the light, settling into their darkest shade of blue.

How could this woman be at the root of everything I hated?

I swallowed, my jaw locking.

The door opened, and footsteps entered the bridge, followed by voices.

She tried to squirm free, but the tighter she struggled, the more she rubbed against me. An irritated huff escaped her nose as her eyes rolled.

“I set the course for Li Galli,” a man’s voice said. “We should be there in a day or two, depending on how long that rich bastard can stall.”

That voice belonged to a captain—just not the one I’d hired. I’d seen him at the helm of theDeep Blueduring tours, but for this sail I’d chosen Captain Nicholas Smith, a man who’d sailed with me for years.

Gabriella raised an eyebrow when he called me a bastard.

She looked like she agreed.

I answered by pulling her a little closer, my left eyebrow quirking upward.

“We have to find De Luca,” the captain continued. “He has the rest of the map.”

A map?

“I’ll keep a close eye on his sister.” This voice belonged to George.

“We’ve only got the coordinates. We still don’t know where the gold is buried.”

Gold?

“Get the tape from tonight. They can’t know Dante is with us.”

A mouse clicked, opening the recording.

I could hear the captain pull the tape free and slap it against his palm.

“Let’s meet Dante,” he said before a few more clicks sounded through the cabin.