The Devil and the Deep - By Amy Andrews Page 0,62

grid and painstakingly explored each segment from sun up to sundown.

Had they been in the Persephone or one of the other boats in the salvage fleet, they would have had all kinds of equipment to help them in their quest. But this was just a basic exploratory—old-fashioned treasure hunting at its best. Like they were kids again, pretending to find Spanish galleons while their fathers undertook their latest salvage operation.

And neither of them would have had it any other way.

The deepest water was ten metres but it still took a couple of dives for Stella to gain her confidence. Ever since she could swim, Stella had dived, and she’d held her open water diving certification for many years, but she hadn’t been in a wetsuit for some time now.

Rick, used to diving much, much deeper, enjoyed the slower pace and took time to admire the magnificent underwater scenery, including the curvy little water nymph in a wetsuit that left nothing to the imagination.

At night she wrote, more inspired than ever by being back in the water again, and he reviewed the data from their dives.

And then they burned up the sheets.

On the seventh day they rested. They anchored off one of the many sandy atolls, loaded up the dinghy and motored the short distance, beaching the little runabout high above the tide level. They lolled in the shallows, making love as the water lapped gently around their legs. They sunbathed nude and ate sandwiches and drank cold beer for lunch. They dozed under a stand of coconut palms.

Three other islands could be seen nearby, towering out of the glittering ocean, and in the distance another boat, probably a dive charter, slowly traversed the horizon. It was a reminder that they weren’t the only two people in the world, which had been an easy assumption to make these last idyllic days.

‘Maybe we could just move here?’ Stella said sleepily.

Rick smiled as he rolled his head to look at her. ‘Sounds good to me.’ If he was going to be stuck on a deserted island with anyone, she would be his preference. ‘What happens when the laptop runs out of battery?’ he teased.

Stella smiled too. ‘Don’t be practical,’ she murmured as she drifted off again.

When she woke the sun wasn’t as high overhead and Rick was lying on his stomach propped up on his elbows beside her. A sea breeze ruffled the papers he was reading. She lay there for a few minutes listening to the swish of the waves against the beach and the rustle of the wind through the palm leaves.

I could get used to this.

She rolled up onto her elbow, dropping a kiss on his bare shoulder. ‘What if it’s not here?’ she asked. ‘What if The Mermaid is like Atlantis or El Dorado?’

Rick turned his head and nuzzled her temple before returning his attention to the research material he’d printed off the web just prior to leaving the boat this morning. He’d pored over everything he could get his hands on since deciding to undertake this voyage and he’d come across some more potentially useful information last night.

‘It might not be here but I think your father’s research definitely supports its existence and his reasonings for The Mermaid being in these waters are very sound.’

Stella nodded. She hoped so. It would be good to know that something her father had committed so much of his time and energy to might be realised. They’d both been aware, subliminally, that this voyage had been a pilgrimage of sorts. A way to pay homage to Nathan and his dream.

Neither of them wanted to return empty-handed.

‘I’m going for a snorkel,’ she said. ‘You want to join me?’

Rick shook his head. ‘Maybe later.’

Stella kissed his shoulder again. ‘Are you sure?’ she asked. ‘I’m going naked.’

Ah, now that got his attention.

He smiled at her before kissing her hard on the mouth. ‘Temptress,’ he muttered as he pulled away. ‘Be off with you.’

Stella laughed. ‘Okay, fine,’ she said, standing and stripping off her bikini where she stood, throwing it down on the papers he was reading.

Rick chuckled as he picked it up and looked over his shoulder to find her naked, hips swaying seductively as she sashayed down to the shoreline, a mask and snorkel in one hand. Her skin was a light golden brown from all the sun she’d been getting and as she turned and gave him a wave he copped a magnificent side view of full breast and tiny waist before she