Page 62 of Deep In Love
Oh my god. I’m sweating.
CHARLES!
“I think she’s excited for us,” he says with a raw, throaty laugh, worsening the blush creeping onto my cheeks.
This is mortifying.
Time to run.
I jump off the deck chair, resigned to leave my phone and this horrifying situation, when Mateo’s arms wrap around my shoulders, caging me within his embrace.
My legs flail as I attempt to escape, feet flying as his chest rumbles.
“Where are you going now?” he asks, whispering in my ear.
“To crawl into a hole and die,” I mutter.
I have experienced one too many embarrassing moments in the past twenty-four hours. Mateo has witnessed enough for his lifetime.
He starts to say something, but footsteps fill the air, and he releases me from his grip. Sofía rounds the corner, a gentle, welcoming presence radiating from her in waves. Her brown hair falls in soft curls, and she effortlessly pulls off her business-casual outfit.
She’s far more put together than I am.
I recoil from the thought, taking a step away from Mateo.
“The ROV is reaching three thousand meters,” she says. “We need you in the command center.”
“Coming!” I use her as an excuse to escape my thoughts, this situation with Mateo, and the uncomfortable tightness in my chest. Sofía disappears through the door before Mateo’s hand grips my bicep, pausing my getaway.
“Later, bruja,” he says, “you and I are going to talk about us and what all this means.”
His words terrify the shit out of me, so I do what I do best: I frantically nod before running away to the command room.
If Mateo’s arm brushes mine one more time, I might scream.
For the last seven hours, we have sat in close quarters, our skin brushing every time he or I move, and it’s fucking torture. We’ve identified nothing but benthic organisms—creatures that live on the seafloor—and I’ve seen plenty of sea pigs and rocks for this lifetime.
Morale is low in the room. Jett lounges in a chair, half focused on his phone. Sofía types away on her computer, filling out paperwork, and Doug is asleep in the corner, snoring softly.
“Where are all the cool animals?” Jett whines as the ROV glides over the seafloor, little around except for spiny sea stars and worms. Don’t get me wrong, I love all deep-sea creatures, but I wouldloveto see something rare right now, like a barreleye fish or anglerfish, to distract me from Mateo’s touch.
This time, his foot taps mine as he shifts, and I almost release a frustrated squeal.
Pulling out the small amethyst from my pocket, I weave it around my fingers, hoping the calming energy will permeate into my skin and ease my unsettled stomach. Imightbe freaking out about our impending conversation and what it means for our future.
“I think I see something,” Vivian says, and we all leap to our feet, scrambling to the screen as she gets closer. I watch with batedbreath, hopeful for something unique, but instead, I groan in disappointment.
“It’s a freaking rock,” Jett yells, defeat in his voice.
The room silently stares at the offending boulder, covered in encrusting tunicates, when Vivian declares we’re going to end the dive and begin ascent. I return to my seat, covertly moving it farther from Mateo, but he thwarts my efforts and scoots his chair beside mine.
His fingers dip below the table, trailing along the outside of my thigh. I’m embarrassed by the small mewl that escapes my lips. Mateo is the picture of calm professionalism, his face focused as he watches the video, but a rogue dimple appears, and his hand inches upward to my hip before he moves south.
Back and forth.
Back and forth, until I’m squirming, unable to focus on anything but his lingering touch as he moves.
“Oh my god.” Jett’s voice, brimming with excitement, cuts through the fog, and I focus on the camera footage, which zooms in on a thin creature, its slim blue-silver body shining beneath the ROV’s floodlights.
