Deeper Than the Ocean PP 1 Read Online Free Page A

grinned. "Whatever this is."
    Her heart fluttered in such an uncharacteristic show of excitement, by the time it slowed, he'd left.

    But wait. This wasn't right.
    Her boat sat in the middle of the ocean, practically in the middle of God's nowhere and this man kept appearing and disappearing like an illusion. Di unfolded her legs and climbed off the bed. At a trot, she headed toward the aft, wanting to catch him before he could vanish into thin air, or water as the case may be, again.
    Before she could reach the door, however, the distinct sound of displaced water came from the side of the boat. She could distinguish the waves crashing against the side.
    Certainly knew the sound of a large body hitting open water. But this sound, this was the quiet welcome of a swimmer into his element. Whoever Danyl was, he knew how to handle himself in the water well.
    She tried to peer at where he might have left from, but darkness greeted her from the horizon. Although she would have loved to search for him without the use of fluorescent lighting, she flicked the switch to the running lights. The moment they illuminated, she could see everything she needed to on the boat, but was blind to anything more than a foot or two out of its circumference.
    The chill of a brisk wind electrified her exposed skin, and Di shivered. Stupid bikini had been a bad idea from the very beginning. With a sigh, she located her worn duffel bag. After a little rummaging, she pulled out a musty wetsuit and pulled it on. Better than nothing against the elements. A single bout of hypothermia was enough for one lifetime, thank you very much. The lightweight sarong she'd brought on this trip should have never even been packed. But hell, she hadn't planned on being out here all this time. In fact, she needed to get back. She had what she came for.
    A splash in the distance caught her attention and before she could catch herself, Di looked up, expectant. Her heart raced with anticipation. A few minutes of staring into the darkness, searching for him, went by before she realized what she'd been doing.
    Calm down. Why was she so hung up on this man? She had bigger fish to fry and none of them were named Danyl. It was time to head home, and see what secrets the coin provided.
    She ran through a quick mental checklist of tasks that needed to get done and set about making preparations to leave. Getting the anchor to rise this time took little effort at all. Neoprene gloves ensured her fingers didn't freeze while she worked and the wetsuit guarded against the almost frigid temperature. She didn't recall the weatherman saying the night air would drop like this, but she had no intention of getting in the water again tonight.
    By the time she cranked the engine and headed toward shore, she'd stopped trying to see if Danyl might be just beyond the bow of the boat and concentrated on Greek freighters carrying exotic coins. Just think! If she'd found one coin, there were others—
    hundreds of others—waiting to be found. A simple carbon-dating test at the local university would ensure this clue was the right one she'd been searching for. One coin would lead to the others which would then lead to the freighter. Obtaining grants to conduct other searches for even more valuable coins beneath the sea would then be child's play. Her future would be secured.
    Excited, she pushed forward the throttle, ramping up speed. Her hair whipped about her face, stinging as it touched down before flying away again.
    She'd buy another boat, maybe name it the Sea Anemone II , and hire a crew for it. If her searches became large enough, famous enough, maybe she could then buy larger boats, more staff, better equipment. It would be hard work, but damn, one day she'd be able to pick and choose which hunts they went on. Her prerogative would decide when she felt like being a part of the crew and when she felt like pushing paper back at the office.
    Another glance at the GPS verified her heading, but the