“I can’t,” she blurted out.
His fingers threaded into her hair, and he had to give the slightest nudge of his mouth against hers before she was back at it again, taking and giving, kissing him until she felt scorched by the heat between them.
The next time she pulled away, she immediately opened the car door and got out. The cold morning air slapped her with reality.
He got out of the car, too. She closed the door and leaned against it as he came around.
“What’s wrong?” he said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
She couldn’t step away from his touch. “We’re wrong.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re sweeping me off my feet, and I’m not used to it. Because I can’t resist you, don’t want to resist you, but I know it’ll be a mistake.”
He kissed her temple. “We’re not a mistake.”
“Okay, we’re not a mistake.”
“That’s better.” He brushed a kiss across her lips.
She had to talk fast before she lost her courage. “But I’m trouble. You’re the first man I’ve slept with since my divorce.”
“That’s a bad thing?” he asked with a smile.
She shook her head. “No, but listen to me. My life is my children. We’re a package deal. But I know that when I fall for someone, I’m ready to jump in with both feet or not at all. There are no overnight stays. No half way. And that scares the hell out of men.”
He kept her in the circle of his arms. “It’s not working. I found that out on my own the first weekend up. I’m not scared. You’d better come up with something better than that.”
“Okay, then try this. Your job sucks and so does mine. But I’m doing something about mine. Yours is worse. You’re here today, gone tomorrow. You already know my first husband was in the navy. I don’t do too well with part-time arrangements. My kids don’t do well with it. I don’t want to go through that again.”
Darius’s arms brought her closer. “That’s not working, either.”
“How can you say that?” she asked. “This is not a scare tactic. This is reality. I’m telling you what I can and can’t live with.”
“You’re saying we can’t be together because you can’t live with my job.”
“You got it. It’s out. Now, go.”
His arms tightened around her instead. “I’m changing my job.”
“What do you mean you’re changing your job?”
“I’m leaving the sub service,” he told her. “Giving up my command.”
Amy was speechless. “Is it because of the hijacking?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. My part in the investigation should be wrapped up by the New Year. I have a standing offer to teach at the Naval War College in Newport. Permanent. That’s only an hour away from here. I guess I’ve been waiting for the right moment. Or maybe I wanted to see a snapshot of what my life would be like if I were to do it.”
“Do you have that snapshot?”
He smiled. “You brought it into clear focus for me this past month.”
“I did?”
“You and your children,” he repeated. “I love you, Amy. And anybody would love them.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and her heart pounded as the significance of what he was telling her sank in.
“Even with all the mess and noise?” she finally got out.
“Even that.” He smiled. “They’re great kids.”
“They love you, too.”
“And how about their mother?”
Amy’s hands inched up his chest. “She is crazy about you, Commander McCann. Absolutely nuts. She loves you very much—”
He pulled her closer to his chest. “Will you marry me, Amy?”
Once again, she was speechless. Looking up into his handsome face, she saw the love, the affection. “Are you sure you want this?”
“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life, so what do you say, Amy?”
“I say yes.”
Their mouths sealed the promise. They kissed each other in the parking lot under the December sky, oblivious to the world until the horn of a car passing by brought them back to reality.
“Get a room!” the driver shouted out his window.
Amy smiled up at Darius. “Now, that’s an order I can live with.”
Author’s Note
Thank you for allowing us to take you on this undersea journey. We hope it was a suspenseful ride. We loved the characters of Darius and Amy. And many of you have been writing to us asking for a sequel. Silent Killers—our working title for the sequel — is in the works as we write this letter. We are planning to bring back Darius, Amy, Sarah, and Bruce to stop another potential world disaster.
The two of us have fifteen years of experience building nuclear submarines, working at Electric Boat in Groton and at Quonset Point in Rhode Island. Because of that background, writing this book wasn’t entirely a product of our imaginations. At the same time, we had to take many liberties with details of the submarine to make the story come together. After all, this is fiction.
We’d like to think we live in a world where diplomacy can be used more effectively than our most dangerous weapons of war. With any luck, our world’s leaders will rise to the rapidly changing challenges that face us in this new millennium. Let’s hope!
As authors, we love feedback. We write our stories for you. We’d love to hear what you liked, what you loved, even what you didn’t like. We are constantly learning, so please help us write better stories. You can write to us at JanCoffey@JanCoffey.com and visit us on our website at www.JanCoffey.com.
Finally, we need to ask a favor. If you’re so inclined, we’d love a review of Silent Waters. Loved it, hated it, just love the feedback.
As you may have already know, reviews can be difficult to come by these days. You, the reader, have the power now to make or break a book.
Thanks you.
Nikoo and Jim
Jan Coffey
JanCoffey@JanCoffey.com
www.JanCoffey.com
About the Author
Nikoo & Jim McGoldrick have spent their lives gathering material for their novels. Nikoo, a mechanical engineer, and Jim, who has a Ph.D. in sixteenth-century British literature, wrote their first May McGoldrick novel in 1994. Since then, they have taken their readers from the Highlands of Scotland to the mountains of Kurdistan in bestselling, award-winning historical romance and contemporary suspense novels under the names May McGoldrick, Nicole Cody, and Jan Coffey.
www.NikooandJim.com
www.MayMcGoldrick.com
www.JanCoffey.com
You can contact us at JanCoffey@JanCoffey.com