Wicked Nights (23 page)

She needed help.

A second tank.

Or, hey, since she was brainstorming, a big stick to knock some sense into Sal. She needed to breathe,

and she needed to get Sal to the surface, but the man wasn’t letting her get on with either job.

Sal jerked hard on her harness a second time, clearly intending to take her—or her air supply—with

him. Yeah. Good luck, since she was still harnessed in.

Big hands reached around her. Thank God, the cavalry had arrived. Piper had never been so glad that

Cal was a big man. He effortlessly manhandled Sal away from her, inserting his body between them as he

held up a small, bright yellow tank and regulator. He motioned for Sal to put the regulator in his mouth. As

soon as the other man did, Cal activated the bottle of emergency air.

He’d brought a spare for her, too, and she gladly switched over to it. While he reweighted Sal, who was

sucking on the backup air, she checked out Cal. He’d dived. The bubbles from his regulator were a little too

fast and hard, but he wasn’t hightailing it for the surface.

She signed, “You okay?”

He nodded and signaled for an ascent.

She was
so
on board with his plan.

Ten minutes later, they were floating on the surface. Sal wouldn’t look her in the eye as he started

ranting about faulty gear and a stuck valve.

“Who checked your gear?” Cal’s voice was icy calm as he cut Sal off midsentence.

Sal spluttered before admitting the truth. “Piper did.”

“And did she say your gear was good to go?”

“She did,” Sal admitted.

“And did you adjust your gear
after
she’d given you the good-to-go?”

Sal opened his mouth. Closed it. Yep. He apparently had a pretty good idea that he’d emptied his own

tank. “I wasn’t getting enough air,” he said defensively.

“Piper did a damned fine job.” Cal’s tone dared Sal to contradict him.

Sal, not being stupid, kept his mouth shut.

* * *

PIPER AND CAL dropped the Fiesta team off at their hotel. Sal took the opportunity to get in one last

crack at his defective tank—Piper was certain no one but Sal believed his story—and then she headed back

to Dream Big and Dive. She needed to get out of her wet gear and into something dry. She also needed a

drink after today’s drama, but that would have to come later.

“Are you coming in?” she asked, unlocking the door.

Cal shot her a look she couldn’t interpret.

“I didn’t deliberately sabotage your dive,” she said in self-defense. “I don’t think any of us could have

predicted Sal’s overreaction to a horn shark.”

He took her gear bag from her and pushed the door open. “I never thought you did.”

“Oh.” She stepped inside and he followed, closing and locking the door behind them. “You look like

someone kicked your puppy.”

“Today didn’t go as planned,” he admitted. “You had my back, Piper. I’d be a first-class asshole if I

questioned how you did it.”

She waved a hand. “Well, you do have your moments.” Laughing, she danced away from him when he

pretended to swat her butt. “Keep the kinky stuff to yourself.”

“You did a good job,” he said. “You kept Sal from drowning himself or surfacing too fast. He may be

way down at the bottom of our favorite-persons list, but he’s also not spending the next couple of hours in

a decompression chamber.”

She made a face. “Yeah. I rocked, right up until the point he snagged my regulator from me.”

“He weighs two hundred pounds. You weigh—” He checked himself.

“Wise move.” She grinned. “And
don’t
finish your sentence.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“And I appreciate the assist,” she said more seriously. “That’s the second time you’ve jumped in to

rescue me.”

“In one piece is good,” he said roughly. “I like you whole, Piper.”

Too bad she always came apart in his arms.

“I’m going to change,” she yelled, refusing to think right now about how he made her feel. Instead, she

headed into the backroom. “I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home.”

Part of her wanted to invite him back and try out a few late-night fantasies of hers but, really, the dive

shop was both a little too public—and too uncomfortable. She was definitely a fan of mattresses. She

stripped off quickly, pulling on a pink sundress and panties. Her phone rang right as she finished up—
Jaws

again—so she headed back out front as she answered.

“I’ve got a second offer,” Del said before she could get further than hello.

“There’s a surprise.” Today had not gone well. “And hello to you, too.”

“I need a yes or no from you.”

“You promised me two weeks,” she said. Cal raised an eyebrow and motioned to ask if he should step

outside. The gesture was sweet, but he didn’t need to go. She shook her head and made a stay gesture. “I’ll

hear about the Fiesta contract later this week.”

“Piper—” Just once, she wanted someone to say her name without sighing or groaning in frustration.

Although she might cut Cal a break. She grinned. He groaned so well.

“I’ll have an answer for you soon,” she promised and hung up.

* * *

“BAD NEWS?” GIVEN how stormy Piper’s face looked right now, Cal figured he knew the answer to

his question.

“Not yet.” She sighed and tossed her phone into her bag. “I own only a partial interest in Dream Big and

Dive. Del, my former coach, put in eighty percent of the cash, so he’s calling the shots and he wants to

sell.”

“Ouch.” Piper liked being the one in control, which he completely got. He felt the same way himself.

She’d put a lot of effort into the business, as well, so having someone threaten to pull the rug out from

underneath her would be a blow.

“So...when I win the Fiesta contract, I’ll be able to line up financing.”

“And if you don’t?”

She waved a hand toward the shop. “Then Del will sell his interest to someone else. I’d rather own my

own place.”

“You really think he’d sell to someone else when you’ve expressed an interest?”

She made a face. “He already has two cash offers. I mean, really? Who knew a used dive shop on

Discovery Island would be such a hot commodity?”

Since she was looking up, she didn’t catch the moment he froze because...yeah. He knew
precisely
who

was bidding on her place, didn’t he? Probably. He didn’t know for certain, he reminded himself. Still, since

it couldn’t hurt to double-check, he texted Tag to look into the purchase. Surely he hadn’t just tried to buy

her place out from underneath her.

He’d accidentally taken one dream away from her when his motor boat had crashed into her Jet Ski, so

fate must be laughing her ass off at the possibility that he was about to K.O. another dream.

“Thanks,” he said as his phone vibrated.

“I owed you one.” She didn’t look like she was in any hurry to leave. Instead, she peered down the

street. “Did you bring the Harley or the truck today?”

“Truck. Piper—”

Her fingers walked up his arm. “Someone might owe someone else a night.”

“True.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss over her mouth. “Is this someone interested in settling up

tonight?”

“I’d never renege on a bet. Are you collecting?”

“Absolutely.”

13

“MY PLACE?” HE LIKED the breathless sound of her question. Liked knowing she was as hot for him

as he was for her.

“Mine.” He definitely wanted to see her in his bed, her hair spread out over his pillow. If that made him

some kind of atavistic Neanderthal, it didn’t make the urge any less true.

She didn’t protest, so he took advantage of her easy agreement to push for taking his truck. She

protested but only briefly. Five minutes later, they were zipping down the coastal road toward his cottage.

She’d started the ride in her own seat, but as soon as they cleared the main town, she’d scooted nearer. Her

hand on his leg moved closer and closer to the danger zone. He had no idea how she expected him to drive.

“Piper.” Her name came out more growl than not.

“Cal?” She tucked herself against his side, her eyes twinkling up at him. She was good at keeping him

off balance, he admitted. He never knew what she’d do next, just that it would be unpredictable.

“You might want to think twice about what you’re doing before I drive us off the road.” He enjoyed her

touch, plain and simple, but he needed to keep his mind on the road.

She made a show of looking out the window.
His
window. Piper clearly liked living dangerously,

because her breasts brushed his shoulder. Twice.

“At least it would be a water landing. We could play rescue swimmer.”

Right. He shook his head. And drove a little faster.

“You really want to play it safe?” she asked, when he didn’t say anything.

“Five minutes. Then you can be as bad as you want.”

“As
I
want?” she asked.

“Or I want,” he said, knowing he was smiling.

She settled back in her seat, a grin playing over her own mouth. He had the urge to lean over and kiss it

off. “You need to learn to take a few chances,” she said.

The turn to his place appeared on their right, and he steered the truck down the winding driveway.

“Not right now.” He threw the parking brake on and killed the engine. “Last stop.”

“You probably locked your door, too,” she said, ignoring him.

The action was simply prudent. Piper was waiting for him when he came around the truck, however, so

all thoughts of caution flew out of his head. When her fingers walked over his hip, exploring his pocket, he

knew she could feel the thick ridge of his erection.

“Got it.” She produced his keys with a little flourish.

“You bet.” He dropped a quick, hard kiss on her mouth and then threaded his fingers through hers,

tugging her toward the door. Getting the key in the lock, he flipped it open as he kissed her again. She

laughed against his mouth, the husky, warm sound flooding him with another feeling as he pulled her

inside.

“I’m not sure you needed to bother locking up.” She was breathless when she pulled her mouth away

from his, laughing as she surveyed his place or what there was of it. He’d opened up one wall of the

kitchen in order to rewire and rip out siding that had been riddled with dry rot. As a result, his kitchen

“wall” consisted of a blue plastic tarp and several yards of caution tape.

“Feel free to leave and come back in through the alternate exit,” he said drily. Her answering laughter lit

up her face, forming small crinkles at the corners of her eyes. She was beautiful, standing there in his

house.

“I’ll stay put.” She gave him another smile. “Maybe next time.”

His kitchen definitely wasn’t winning any design awards. It still had the avocado-green appliances and

the worn-out linoleum installed at least four decades ago by the original owner. Cal had decorated with

stacks of paint cans, tools, and—she counted—three toolboxes. If he owned a kitchen table and chairs—or

even pots, pans, anything remotely kitchenlike—she didn’t see them in here.

“Kitchens are for cooking,” she pointed out.

“And eating,” he agreed. “Mine’s a work in progress.”

* * *

“I HAVE AN IDEA,” he said.

“Oh?” Her rescue swimmer had a wicked look in his eyes as he prowled toward her.

“You don’t seem to have the proper respect for my kitchen. I think I should rectify that.”

“Did you bring me here for my opinion on your remodeling skills?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Not a chance,” he said, and in one smooth move, he picked her up and set her on the counter. Then he

stepped in, his palms on either side of her. The look in his eyes, hungry and wild, had her heart aching for

him. She was proud of what he’d accomplished as a SEAL. Part of her wished she could tell him just how

proud she was, but his diving issues bothered him and she was afraid he’d misinterpret her words.

“Kissing time?” Heat curled through her belly. Hooking her legs around his waist, she rested her heels

on his fine butt and ran her hands up his chest.

“Absolutely.”

He captured her hands and curled them around the edges of the countertop. His thumbs stroked her

fingers and palms as he positioned her.

“Don’t let go.”

“Are we playing kinky games now?” Oh, how she hoped so.

He gave her an amused look. “You have an impressive imagination.”

He placed his hands on her knees, stepping in farther until her thighs were spread apart and she felt the

heat and hardness of his chest. His hands pushed gently, then stroked upward, pulling up the filmy skirt of

her sundress. The adrenaline rush of diving, of
competing,
warred with Sal’s accident and Cal’s calm,

determined rescue. Cal had been as effortlessly in control of that as he was of this moment.

Deliberately, he eased her back on the countertop, pulling her legs over his shoulders.
Definitely

promising.

Warm hands slid beneath her and cupped her butt as a wicked mouth blew gently over the center of her

panties.

“Really? Right here?”

“Mmm. You accused me of never being spontaneous. I’m working on changing for you.”