Still nothing. His breath control was good, but not so good that he could stay down forever. After another few seconds of frantically tapping with his fingers along the edge of the wooden frame of the box, he let his death grasp loose and rose to the surface, sucking in clear night air. What the hell was going on? He was in the right spot, he was sure of it. A sliver of beach showed in the next bay, inaccessible except from the water, ragged cliffs towering over it. Jamie swam slowly toward the sand and away from the site, wondering what could have happened. He knew he’d seen the medallion. He’d showed it to a number of the team, and yet it was gone? He paced backward, letting the elongated fronts of the flippers drag behind him in the sand until he was far enough up the rolling waves brushed his toes.
The warm wind off the water dried his skin, the high salt content leaving a soft dusting of white behind as he sat on the sand to decide what could have happened. The head of the team must have already placed the necklace into the main collection. No student would have taken it and the tide couldn’t have dislodged it that quickly. He lay back and closed his eyes, trying to remember the details so he could draw the pendant when he returned to his room.
He must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes the moon had shifted location. It now hovered over the western cliffs, a trail of silver light leading out into the sea. He smiled at the sight. This was why he didn’t want to be in an office his whole day, looking out windows at concrete and steel.
A fin broke the surface and Jamie jolted upright. Dolphins, playing in the moonlight. Two leapt simultaneously and crossed in mid-arc and he clapped with delight. He’d heard there was a pod in the area, but with all the time he’d spent in the water over the past month he’d never seen them. He stood to get a better view and swore.
A woman walked toward him from the far end of the narrow sand ledge that was inaccessible from anywhere but the water. He peeled off his flippers and walked toward her, wondering if she were hurt.
Moonshine backlit her and he was barely ten paces away before he noticed she was completely naked. Was she injured? Lost? He held up a hand.
“¿Está usted bien?” he asked. She looked like she was fine, but why was she wandering the beach in the nude?
“Sí.”
Jamie wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. A puff of breeze blew by carrying the most fabulous fragrance—spicy and rich, mouthwatering—and he stood immobile as he tried to place the scent.
Dusky brown skin with her long auburn hair draped over one shoulder. Full rounded breasts, dark nipples with large areolas and peaked tips. Her limbs were strong and smooth, waist tapering in, hips flaring out. At the juncture of her thighs tight curls covered her mound and he dragged his gaze away.
“Ven conmigo.”
The woman held out a hand as she commanded him to come with her. He took a few more steps and placed his hand in hers, her gaze enveloping him like a net.
His legs moved willingly as she led him back down the beach to where the green grass met the white expanse of sand. She tugged him to the soft surface with her and he went eagerly. When she wrapped her arms around him, he let his hands explore and touch, caressing her curves, stroking the valleys. She spoke softly to him in Spanish, praising him as he kissed his way down her body, crying out as he licked and suckled her breasts. A shimmer of blue rose from her skin and he watched in amazement as the light of fireflies hung suspended in the air around them. Part of him wanted to analyze what he saw, but most of him was fixated on how heavy his balls felt. How hard his cock had grown as he touched his mysterious woman. The air grew warmer and Jamie gave himself over to the urgent desires floating through him as he made love to the vision. They moved together and he shouted as he came, her legs wrapped around his torso as he drove into her from above. He buried his cock deep in her warmth and his release sucked energy from his limbs. She tugged until they lay side by side, gasping for air.
“Fue maravilloso, my young lover. Thank you.” She leaned up on one elbow, her eyes intense as she examined his face.
He laughed. “Thank you. I don’t even know your name.”
A sorrowful expression crossed her face. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does.”
She sat up and stared out to sea, shaking her head. He attempted to sit up but was still too exhausted to move. She rolled and reached behind him, pulling a necklace from the ground. When she dropped it around her neck he leaned closer to admire it.
He’d seen it before. Hadn’t he?
She rose, her long limbs shining in the moonlight, the sparkle off the waves a hypnotic mirror. One step at a time she walked away as a strange lassitude sank over him. He could have sworn she disappeared into the surf, but it was nothing more than a vision. A dream.
Wasn’t it?
He shook his head and found himself sitting on the beach not even fifty yards from the bonfire, music and laughing voices ringing in the air. He looked around in confusion. How had he gotten there? He went to stand, discovered he was naked and swore.
What the hell had he been drinking?
Jamie sat up quickly in the lawn chair, the memory of that long-ago night clear in his mind. The sheer embarrassment of trying to get back to his rooms without getting caught—he’d always remembered that part of the evening. But the rest? The woman on the beach, he’d never remembered that before.
He raced inside and scrambled for pencil and paper, scrawling images before they vanished completely. The dolphins, the beach. He drew as quickly as he could and still the memories became foggier. He dashed off another sketch—this one a portrait of the woman’s face, the medallion.
He sat back in a daze, confusion strong as he stared at the dozen pages scattered before him on the table. He looked through them one at a time, each triggering a moment of recall.
What had happened to him that he couldn’t bring up these memories unaided? Hypnosis? Trauma of some kind? There was far more to the mystery than he had imagined, and all because of shimmering blue lights.
Chapter Seven
The warmth of the morning sun caressed her skin, backlighting her eyelids with its brightness. Chelsea lay in a comfortable heap, her legs tangled with Braden’s, her hand resting on his chest. The whisper of a touch brushed her cheek, and she opened her eyes to see him staring at her. His gaze traced her hair as he stroked a loose strand back behind her ear.
The adoration on his face made her heart skip a beat.
“Good morning,” she whispered, not wanting to break the spell wrapped around them. Had they really made love last night? Was she really in his arms?
Braden rolled, pinning her to the mattress with his weight, his hips cradled between hers. He supported his upper body on his elbows and dipped his head to drop a line of kisses from her mouth to her ear. Goose bumps rose on her arms, and her nipples tightened.
“Good morning.” He nuzzled her earlobe with his lips before rasping his teeth gently over her skin. “How do you feel this morning?”
Softly spoken words that shot a shiver along her spine as he accompanied his question with licks and caresses, his fingers and tongue worshipping her.
“I feel fabulous, especially when you, oh God—”
Braden enveloped one aching nipple, teasing the peak with the tip of his tongue, the heat of his breath rolling over her skin like a brand. How long he laved her tender skin, she couldn’t tell. It went on and on and pleasure swirled around her, pushing her out of her comfort zone. The tender touches grew rougher, more demanding as Braden alternated from side to side. Neither breast was neglected long enough for the tingling heat to calm. Chelsea’s heart pounded harder, her breath catching in her throat as she trembled on the verge of control. Every touch sent a burst of fire from where his mouth made contact with her skin to between her legs. Her labia swelled with pulsing need, her clitoris so sensitive that when he snaked a hand down and cupped her mound she cried out. Her orgasm hovered close, the tension in her body primed by his loving attention. He thrust a finger into her core.