salivated over her in the light blue string bikini Birdie had bought for her, rekindling delicious memories of Zev kissing her entire body earlier as she’d put it on. If Randi and Ford hadn’t been waiting, they wouldn’t have made it out of the cabin for hours.
“Do you ever wonder what Clegg was thinking when the nor’easter hit?” Randi asked as she carried a spear gun out of the equipment room.
“Probably something like, ‘I should’ve gotten laid last night,’” Zev said.
“That and, ‘Holy shit, I’m gonna die,’” Ford added.
They all laughed.
Ford loomed over Randi’s shoulder as she checked the spear gun. Randi glared at him. Ford leaned closer, his chest brushing Randi’s back, and said, “Was I too far away?”
Randi scoffed. “Like that’s even possible? Maybe you should go join Luis’s team.”
“And miss out on all this fun?” Ford pointed to something on the spear gun and said, “You’ve got to tighten the—”
“I did,” Randi said sternly.
“Let me try.” Ford reached for it, and Randi looked like she was going to kill him.
They went head-to-head a lot, as Zev had mentioned, but there was a definite sizzle factor between them. Carly wondered if there was a secret attraction there—or if they had already hooked up and didn’t want anyone to know. She really liked them both. They clearly respected Zev, but they also teased him like siblings, and they treated her like an old friend, rather than someone who was riding the coattails on their expedition. They’d asked her dozens of questions about her business and had seemed genuinely interested in who she was and in her life in Colorado, which she appreciated.
As Ford and Randi bickered, Zev meticulously checked an oxygen tank, brows knitted, jaw tight. Carly had forgotten how serious he became when he was doing safety checks, so different from the easygoing guy he was otherwise. On the trip out to the dive site, he’d given her a complete safety lesson, including a lecture on shark behavior. She’d listened to every word, even if she’d been staring at his lips and wanting to kiss them.
He must have felt her staring now, because he looked up, and the zing that always accompanied their connection brought goose bumps. She loved being on the water with him, sharing another adventure. Memories of their adventurous dreams had been rising to the surface all morning. Being with Zev in Colorado had made her feel more alive than ever, and now she knew that was just the tip of the iceberg. She hadn’t realized how desperately she’d missed him and their shared love of the thrill of the unknown.
Zev blew her a kiss, pulling her from her reverie. She swore she felt that kiss land on her lips.
“Where’s mine?” Ford said with a waggle of his brows.
Zev shook his head and finished checking the tank. Carly went to join him.
“Better have peroxide on hand if you kiss Ford,” Randi said. “Lord knows where his lips have been.”
Zev rose to his feet as Carly approached. “Are you ready, babe?” he asked, putting a hand on her back.
She inhaled deeply. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I’ll be by your side the whole time.” He drew her closer, gazing deeply into her eyes, and said, “Promise me if anything feels off, if you get rattled, or just need to surface, you’ll let me know. Okay?”
“Of course.” He’d been worried that the dive might be overwhelming for her, since she didn’t dive very often. But she was confident in her skills, and she was too excited to get rattled.
Zev had gone over every detail of the dive. Randi was going to stay on board in case anything went wrong, Carly and Zev were going to use the magnetometer, a large tubular underwater metal detector that was about three feet long and weighed about thirty-five pounds, and Ford was going to carry a spear gun and keep an eye out for sharks. Apparently they’d had to evacuate the water a few times in the past because of sharks. That worried Carly, but not enough to keep her from diving. It was funny how meticulous Zev was about safety and dangerous adventures, like diving, and how casual the rest of his life was. She had a feeling another woman might think he should be able to plan time to see her as intricately as he’d planned this trip. But Carly knew the nature of treasure hunting, and she didn’t resent Zev for his days and schedules changing like the