Ocean Blue (Sea Lab Book 1)

CHAPTER 48

Jake quenched his thirst with a glass of ice water while Sarah searched her purse for a bottle of Tylenol to appease a headache. Both of them battled fits of restlessness and couldn't wind down for sleep, and with the video conference over, they drifted into the kitchen alone.

After swallowing two pills, Sarah leaned against the counter, closed her eyes, and inhaled through her nose. Jake knew her like the rippled sand on the ocean floor. She was trying to slow things down and calm her nerves. Moments like these were what he loved about her: her vulnerability, because despite her mental toughness, she was still a woman with natural weaknesses. He enjoyed the fact sometimes he could be a man and let her lean on him for strength, and he guessed that made her his weakness.

"You need to put some ice on that bump," Jake said, brushing her hair aside.

Sarah opened her eyes and flinched, but didn't resist.

Her hair was always getting in the way, but it was a good problem to have. He felt the outer edges of the spot on her forehead with his fingertip. It was puffy and darkened. He raised the glass, pressed it to her skin, and she shuttered from the cold, but held still while he attended to her.

"I'm sorry about the limo down-the-hill thing," Jake said.

"Hey, it worked. How far do you think we would've gone in that beat-up car?"

"We probably wouldn't be talking right now."

"You did what you had to." She let a bashful grin slip free.

Jake lifted the glass, judging that the bump had tightened from the cold compression, and in doing so, he moved closer. He wanted a good look at the wound. Only a breath away, a warmth ran through his body like thermal vents heating the coldest depths of the sea.

A water droplet trickled down Sarah's temple.

Jake set the glass on the counter and wiped it away. When his hand touched her skin, their eyes met—not sensuous—but soft and caring. She blinked. Her sapphire irises glistened with lighter shades of blue, almost silver. The little vertical creases in her lips beckoned. Jake caught himself holding his breath.

He was not a choirboy by any stretch and had plenty of failed relationships in the past, but Sarah Lawson was different. He sensed it the moment he first bumped into her at the Sea Lab cafeteria. She was not a woman to sleep around, and he respected her for it.

Jake pushed those thoughts aside as the desire to do what came naturally burned within him, but something pulled at the back of his mind. Was he good enough for her? Did she deserve more in a man? Someone who didn't falter when temptation loomed. Also, a relationship with a co-worker could cloud things, and he knew well, a nasty break-up could open a rift a mile wide, as it had in their case. Did they need to risk it again?

She closed her eyes.

Jake paused, their lips almost touching.

She looked at him and seemed to wonder why he was hesitating. Was he crazy? Insane maybe? She stood there, expectant. And what was he thinking? Why was he thinking at all when he should act on instinct? Forget the rules. He swallowed the lump in his throat and pressed his lips to hers.

"Whoa." Behind them, Tony held an empty beer bottle and an expression of pure alarm. "Sorry, thought about downing the last cold one. Awkward. Didn't realize you two were in here."