Stormy Vows - Iris Johansen [122]
“She's just a kid. She doesn't understand,” Benjamin continued calmly. “You've been ripping at her like a wounded tiger, and she doesn't know why.”
Jake's mouth twisted. “And you think you do know?”
“I've known you for twelve years,” Benjamin replied with a shrug. “I can make a pretty good guess about what's bothering you. Since you're not going to do anything about it, it's rather masochistic to keep her around, don't you think?”
Jake's eyes took on their familiar, shuttered look. “How do you know I have no intention of doing anything about it?” he said obliquely. “Perhaps I'm just biding my time.”
Benjamin shook his head. “You haven't the patience for that type of cat-and-mouse game. Let her go, Jake. You can't claim that she amuses you now.”
Dominic laughed harshly. “No, by God, I can't claim that. But I'm not letting her go.” His hand tightened on the rail. “Stay out of it, Marc.”
Benjamin sighed and turned back to watch Jane's bikini-clad figure, now floating lazily on its back. “Well, I tried,” he said philosophically. “She deserved that from me.”
Jake Dominic turned moodily to follow his gaze, and suddenly his body stiffened. “Oh, my God!” he breathed, his face turning white.
Benjamin's keen eyes roamed the horizon searchingly, and then he too froze in horror. Not a hundred yards from that small, unaware figure was a triangular gray fin, lazily cleaving the water.
“We've got to warn her!” the captain said, and raised his hands to his mouth to make his shout more resonant.
“No!” Jake grabbed his friend's arm. “Don't startle her. I don't think he's seen her yet. She's safer if she makes no motion to attract his attention. Get two life preservers ready.” He poised to dive at the open rail.
“Jake! For God's sake let me shout and warn her!” Marc urged. “What's the sense of your both being in danger?”
Jake ignored him and dived cleanly into the sea.
Jane could feel the warm sun on her wet face and see bits of blue sky through her half-closed lids as she let the sea cradle her floating body with its gentle rocking motion. It was divinely peaceful just to give yourself up to the elements and let them take you where they would, like a bit of flotsam, she thought dreamily. In the vastness of the great soothing sea, even the roar of Brockmeyer, or the biting sarcasm of Jake Dominic seemed unimportant and far away.
“Stay exactly as you are,” Jake's voice ordered crisply. “Be very still and just listen to me.”
Her eyes opened to see Jake's white, taut face above her, his dark eyes sharp. Oh, Lord, she thought unhappily, he was in his usual black mood. She instinctively started to swing her body upright, when he grabbed her by the chin and said, “Damn it, be still! I should have known you couldn't take a single order without messing it up.”
She looked up to reply indignantly, when she noticed he wasn't looking at her at all but at something over her head, and that his bronze face was a shade paler than usual. “What is it?” she asked quietly, not moving.
He looked down at her, his dark eyes flickering, an exhilarated smile on his face, “We're going to play lifesaver,” he said lightly. “You're going to be the victim and I'm the rescuer, and I don't want you to move a muscle. Understand?”
“I understand,” she whispered, and turned her head slowly to where he had been gazing a few seconds ago.
“Oh, no!” Her cry was almost a whimper as she glimpsed that menacing fin. A surge of primal terror shot through her.
“Don't panic,” he ordered quickly, starting to propel her through the water with a smooth, easy crawl. “He hasn't spotted us yet, and we just might get back to the ship before he does. The important thing to remember is not to make any wild splashing movements or rhythmic sounds. Either one will attract a shark's notice.”
She smiled through teeth that had a tendency to chatter with terror. “You mean like the noise a swimmer would make as he splashed through the water?” she asked throatily. It seemed