Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 53081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
His speech was premature in their relationship, but the stakes were high. He couldn’t bear the thought of her walking out of his apartment. They’d had sex an hour ago, and he had no intention of sleeping alone tonight or any other night, for that matter.
“Do you want to tell me what happened in your past to make you so skittish, Isla?”
She sniffled again, and it took a while for her to respond. “His name was Alan. I met him at a club while I was working in Chicago. I thought he was so nice. He wined and dined me and said all the right things. I should’ve seen the signs, but I was blinded by the attention. The truth was he didn’t even have a job. He was using me. He always had some excuse not to go back to his place, and he frequently forgot his wallet, his credit card was stolen, or his bank wasn’t open. Always some line…”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Isla. I’ll always try to be an open book for you. This is my apartment. I have a good job here at the Bluff. I really do manage the scuba program. Behind the scenes, I also work with my team to keep our assignments safe. This time, the assignment is you, and I’d lay down my life for you. So would any of my teammates. I’m not rich, but I have savings. You’re welcome to look at my bank account anytime you want.” He meant every word. He would do everything in his power to make her feel safe.
Isla lowered herself to the floor and set her pile of clothes in front of her. Then she pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her shins, and dropped her forehead to her knees. She started crying.
Caesar’s chest seized as he dropped down to squat next to her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner about my assignment. I should’ve taken the time to explain the situation.”
“Don’t ever do something like that again,” Isla exclaimed in frustration.
“Never. I promise. Open book. I’ll show you everything I got from Kingsley before you arrived. It’s not much, which worries me.”
“You’re scaring me,” she told her knees, still not looking at him. “I came here to have fun and maybe discover something in the process. Why would I be in danger?”
“I don’t know, Little Fish.” He rubbed her back, hoping to soothe her. “I’ll call Kingsley tomorrow and see if he knows more. I would suspect that someone knows you have that map, and they’ve been waiting for you to do something with it. But it could also be that you have a disgruntled patient or family member of a patient who’s displeased because their relative passed away.”
She stiffened. “A lot of my patients have died. It’s the nature of the job.”
“I know, Little one. Can I lift you up so we can move to that rocking chair over there? I bet we’ll both be more comfortable if you let Daddy rock you.”
She sniffled, but she nodded.
Caesar tucked one hand under her knees, planted the other on her back, and lifted her into his arms. He easily carried her to the rocking chair. As soon as he was seated with her cradled in his arms, he grabbed the soft aqua blanket from the arm of the chair and wrapped it around her.
She was shivering. “Thank you,” she whispered. “This room is so pretty.”
“I’m glad you like it. I even got you some new stuffies.” He pointed toward the bookshelf. “I know you have a shark, but I thought you might like a dolphin, a stingray, and a whale.”
“Mmm.” She finally tipped her head back and met his gaze. “I’m not sure how Nado will feel about that. I’ll have to ask him.”
“We’ll wait and see what he says. I bet there’s room in his heart for more friends.”
“Maybe, but he’d also have to share me, and that might make him lash out and start biting. He has vicious teeth.”
Caesar hugged her closer and smiled. He was falling in love with this Little girl. “Maybe if the only stuffie who gets to sleep in our bed is Nado, he won’t feel so jealous.”
“Maybe…”
He rocked her for several more minutes in silence before speaking again. “It’s getting late. I know we were going to look more closely at your map, but how about if we do it in the morning? We can take it downstairs and have Magnus help us pinpoint the treasure's location. I have the entire day off. We can go out together for a dive or spend the day doing whatever you want.”
“Who’s Magnus? One of your teammates?”
“Yes. He’s our computer genius. In addition to this private fifth-floor living space, my team also has an enormous space in the resort's basement. Like the fifth floor, it’s not accessible to the public. It’s a workspace and the safest place you can be if you’re ever in danger. In the morning, I’ll take you down there to meet more people and get your thumbprint into the system so you can access this floor and the basement.”