Page 17 of Impossible Thrills

The other men didn’t say anything as Nick wrapped his arms around her in the water, his elbow and leg still hooked onto the ladder. She felt a little weird bowing her head while she was surrounded by water and Nick’s arms, but she figured the good Lord just wanted to hear from them and help them. Her homes were a cause after the Savior’s heart, loving little children. Her babies were all that mattered.

“Dear Father,” Nick prayed. “We come before You grateful for the opportunity to be together, to earn this money for Darcy and the many little ones she can help, and for these men who are willing to help us as well. Except for Jagger.”

Darcy almost laughed at that, but she was too stressed.

“At this time, we ask a blessing on Darcy. Please calm her. Help her to breathe easily under the water and feel safe. Help her to feel comfortable and trust in You and in Paul and Hays to take care of her. Help me to get to her first. In our Lord and Savior Jesus’s name. Amen.”

Everyone echoed amen, except for Jagger. Darcy did feel peace, and she realized … she trusted Nick. He was a great guy, and he would rescue her in the water, just as he had yesterday.

“Seriously?” Jagger rolled his eyes. “Praying against me winning? I’ve got no beef with your faith, but it won’t help you win.”

They all looked at him.

“What?” He lifted his hands innocently, his large muscles flexing.

“Okay, lady,” Paul said. “Let’s me, you, and the lieutenant vámanos.”

Darcy drew in a breath and nodded. She could breathe in and out while the men guided her to where she needed to go. She could do that.

What if the peace disappeared and she panicked down there?

“You’ve got this.” Nick put her scuba mask back into place, making sure no hair was caught in it and the band was in the right spot, high up on the back of her head. He held up her regulator and blew out to clear it.

His deep-brown eyes focused on her. For a glorious moment, she was lost in his gaze. Nick would come for her. He would never let anything bad happen to her.

He leaned in and placed a tender, sweet kiss on her lips. Darcy’s entire body flared with heat and her lips seemed to sing with happiness. The entire world disappeared. She had no fears, no worries. There was only Nick. His incredible lips. The joy of being protected, loved, and cherished by this mesmerizing man.

Hoots and cheers shattered the blissful spell Nick’s kiss had cast on her and sent her crashing back to reality as he pulled away.

What had just happened? Darcy put a hand to her mouth, in a state of shock.

Before she could ask him what on earth that kiss meant, Nick handed over her regulator and said, “Forgive me for being impulsive.” His gaze was closed off and his smile had changed. “A good distraction, right?”

A good distraction? That was all that kiss meant to him? Confusion filled her as her heart thudded irregularly. She wasn’t sure if the kiss would calm her or make her breathe so fast she’d be in more danger. He was right that he had distracted her from the stress. If that was his only purpose, she was in trouble.

The kiss had stunned her, felt absolutely incredible, and made her believe she had a safe and exhilarating space … with Nick. Of course it meant nothing to a player who gave away impulsive kisses to any woman he spent more than a day with.

“I’ll see you soon.” Nick smiled and eased to the side as Hays took her arm and told her to put her regulator in. They slowly sunk into the water. Nick’s handsome face disappeared.

Paul and Hays used a rope to guide them down. She didn’t have to do anything but cling to Hays’s hand and let the water completely surround her. She felt weightless and out of her element.

They hadn’t gone far when Hays stopped and gestured for her to equalize. She did all the tricks and thought she’d done it right. What did she know? She only wanted to kiss Nick again and have him say he kissed her because he wanted her in his life. She was distracted by him, that was for certain.

Paul gave her a thumbs up. She returned it. They kept sinking.

Water. So much water. The water felt heavier as they descended. Could she escape if she needed to?

Paul was right with them, videoing. She stopped again to wiggle her jaw, blow out, do all the things. She thought she was doing all right. Her mask seemed to get tighter, and she concentrated on slow breaths through the mouthpiece. She was clamped onto it so tightly that her teeth and jaw started to ache. The thought of her breathing apparatus coming out of her mouth wasn’t something she could let happen.

It was another world underwater. Brightly colored fish swam by. Her mask was clear, but shapes seemed distorted. The deeper they got, the darker and colder it became. The wetsuit had seemed almost silly in the tropical sun. Now she appreciated it.

They reached the ocean floor. Paul secured the rope and anchor around her ankle. Her stomach swirled with unease, and the pressure on her head suddenly felt like it increased. Paul flashed a signal with a light to the men above them. That made her feel better. They’d be coming soon, and she’d be finished with this challenge. If that perfect, tender, and life-changing kiss was only a ‘distraction’ for Nick, how could she face him? It had to be evident in her eyes that she’d thought it meant a lot more.

She wiggled her jaw, swallowed, and still the pressure built. Plugging her nose through the mask, she blew out hard, pushed her jaw forward, and wiggled her jaw. Might as well do it all.

Her ears popped, and she relaxed a fraction. Then something tickled at her nose. Sea water had seeped in when she had plugged her nose. She’d done something wrong.

No! She didn’t dare move or do anything but keep taking breaths from the regulator and praying Nick would get to her soon.

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