Page 70 of Analysing Her Assets

“Roll onto your back and take off the snorkel if you feel hemmed in,” Svetlana instructed.

Marina was soon diving along, but Tamar couldn’t figure out how to keep her legs underwater. Her divers suit’s buoyancy made her fin-clad feet float up and salt water got into her mouth and nose. Gideon had re-adjusted her mask several times, and held her hand, never letting go, even when Marina and Svetlana swam ahead towards deeper water.

After a while she got used to the equipment and swam more easily. He pointed out the majestic swish of a small manta ray, and she showed him a magnificent coral. Schools of colorful fish swarmed around them. Bright purple elongated ones, and striped, yellow fish looking like a smashed omelet. Gideon even found a splendid red starfish.

She was glad of his firm clasp as they ventured deeper into the sea, almost to the end of the floating pier. The dolphins dove around and under them, curiously eyeing the two hand holding humans. This was tremendous fun, and she owed a lot of it to Gideon’s patience and encouragement. She gestured to him to look at a large school of small orange fish. He didn’t turn, so she opened her mouth to tell him and drank an inordinate amount of salty water. She coughed it out, lost her posture, and her feet rose and bobbed behind her, making her swallow even more water.

“Hoy Tamar, did no one teach you to swim?” She dimly heard laughing shouts from the nearby pier. She fumbled as she panicked, trying to tear away the mask and snorkel, which tangled in her hair. Gideon was immediately beside her, his clever fingers reaching under the mask.

“Give me the goggles and snorkel, Tamar.” She heard his deep voice, as he freed her. “Right, let me have them. Turn on your back, that’s it. Relax. I’ll drag you along.”

She gave him her hand and lay on her back, her mouth and nose out of the water. He gave powerful lashes with his fins, swimming towards the beach. Tamar trailed him with her outstretched arm, like a reversed superman. They arrived at the shallows in no time, and she clambered out, hacking and spluttering water. Gideon crouched at her feet and pulled off her fins. Her tight wetsuit hammered her in. Tamar choked.

Half of Peaks’ employees, the half that wasn’t on the pier, came to stare at the best show of the morning. There were so many faces around them, so many people.

Gideon knelt and unzipped the top half of the clinging suit.

“Breathe, Tamar.” Gideon’s free hand caressed along her arm and arranged her hair in soothing strokes, removing wet strands from her face. But she didn’t dare take the deep lungful of air she craved, nervous that her breasts would spill out.

“Go on,” Svetlana’s voice ordered in the background. “There’s nothing to see here. She can’t breathe when you’re blocking her in like that. Give her space.”

As people hastily obeyed, their crowding shadows moved. Air and sun seeped in, and she heaved deep breaths. Gideon’s strong arm kept her upright, supporting her back. She looked into his calm, kind eyes, and brushed her thumb along his brow. He smiled a little and leaned his cheek into her palm. How easy it would be to fall in love with him.

“Well, well, well,” said Danny Golan’s snide voice. “What a lovely couple.”

Gideon’s body went rigid, but he didn’t move. He didn’t drop her.

“I’m helping Tamar instead of shouting insults at her,” he answered quietly. Tamar removed her palm and supported herself on her elbows.

“Right,” Danny said. He crouched next to them, on her other side.

“Are you going to be fine?” Gideon asked her.

“Yes, thank you.” He withdrew his warm support and stood, then walked away, somehow having a cute butt in a wetsuit.

“Are you okay?” Danny smiled at her. “I need you to stay alive and finish my project.”

“I’m fine,” she answered. “We’re not a couple.” She repeated it stupidly. She seemed to say it a lot lately.

“I know. How could you be, right?” He smirked. She smiled back mechanically and couldn’t help the very uneasy lump in her belly.

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