Proximity (7 page)

She'd never been afraid of the dark until now. In fact, she doubted she would ever sleep without a nightlight again, to hell what people said. Her niece had a cool nightlight that looked like a constellation of stars. She'd buy one of those and call it a style choice.

Despite being tethered to Bill, she swam as close to him as possible. Being lost down there had terrified her. The deeper she'd gone, the more confused she'd become. Stalagmites looked like stalactites. Smooth rock walls looked like a ceiling rather than just another curve leading her deeper into an abyss. If she hadn't checked her dive watch that indicated depth, she'd have died down there.

What if her friends were trapped? She glanced down and back again for any sign of a light, but didn't see anything—only the labyrinth of stone.

The first passage they checked had been blocked by a large hunk of coral, making it impassable. Bill turned left toward the side tunnel that appeared untouched by the quake. Smooth walls, low ceilings, calm water.

They moved as one until spilling into a small cave with vegetation pouring down from the ceiling—tree roots and vines, but no opening to the surface. Her light showed a larger rock, more like a platform above the water. She swam to it, still rattled from being lost. Knowing that the tether pulled Bill with her, she didn't bother to explain as she peeled off her mask, followed closely by her vest, tank, and fins. Dressed only in her wetsuit, she walked as far from the water's edge as possible—about ten feet—before sitting down and blowing out a long sigh.

She hated this dark place with the dripping water. She wanted to be back home in the sunshine complaining to her crew about the heat and wind. With a repressed sob, she dropped her head into her hands and squeezed her eyes shut.

"We're not dying today," Bill said after he joined her.

"But what if everyone else did?" Her voice hitched on a sob. "Where are they? If the other passages were closed and they're not here...where are they?"

"I thought you were the optimistic one, what's with all this death talk?"

She lifted her head and struggled to see him through the dark. Both had left their lights with their gear.

"Are you serious? We came in here as a group of seven and now it's just us. That's five men who are missing. Five!"

She knew she sounded like a woman who had lost it—but that's exactly how she felt.

He held her face between his hands and pulled her until she rested a fraction from him. "Focus on me, Savannah. No one here is an amateur. We need to believe that they are okay, just like they trust that we are. Focus on me."

One breath in, one breath out. She stared in the direction of his voice but couldn't see him through the overwhelming darkness despite their proximity.

"I need a break from the water," she admitted after a long silence.

"No need to rush it. I moved our gear further from the edge. We can sit here awhile. Rest. Get our bearings."

"What bearings? We already deviated from the path, it's completely dark, I—"

He covered her mouth with his to shut her up.

Or to calm her down, she didn't know which.

And she didn't care.

She kissed him with every ounce of passion she possessed because she'd nearly died. And when she was frantically searching her way around the labyrinth of dead coral and fossils, all she could think of was that she would die with Bill thinking she'd rejected him. She wound her fingers through his wet hair and crawled onto his lap.

He slid down the zipper of her wetsuit, his tongue eagerly colliding with hers, as his fingers slid over the bare skin of her back. Call it adrenaline, call it shock, call it destiny, she didn't care, she simply wanted his body.

Bill's body.

Her Bill
.

She wanted him like she'd craved sunlight moments ago. She needed his touch, his warmth.

She peeled him out of his wetsuit, too, wishing she could see him, but finding it strangely erotic that she couldn't despite them being meshed at the mouth. It's like they'd been thrust into a sensory-depravation unit and could only feel each other's heat.

Skin-on-skin they rolled back onto the cold rock, hands fumbling with the little fabric that remained between them, lost in the sensation of being alive and together and blind.

His hands molded over her bare breasts and he moaned as if finally claiming her satisfied him deep in his core. His teeth nipped at her neck before he slid further down to find her nipple.

She blinked at the pitch black and surrendered to the sensation of his warm body on top of her contrasting with the cold rock beneath. Hands in his hair, she held on, afraid of letting go and having him slip away into the unknown.

"I don't want to stop," he muttered against her breast.

"Then don't." She shifted, relying purely on touch, until they were once again face-to-face. "I want you inside me, Bill. I don't want to wait."

"Not like this, bad timing," he groaned into her mouth, one hand on her breast and the other sliding down her hip.

"Yeah, well, I said that earlier, didn't I?" She nipped his lip with her teeth before moving her feet down the back of his thighs. "Or are you the one calling chicken and bailing into the ditch?"

"Oh, hell, no." Even though she couldn't see him, she felt his smile. He shifted his weight and the hardness of his erection pressed against her lower abdomen.

She moved her hand down his chest, marveling at the muscles she always knew he had but had never been able to indulge in touching, and wrapped her hand around his penis. Damn, his reputation was well deserved and perhaps downplayed. Not being able to see each other heightened every other sense—the sound of his breath, the weight of his body, the taste of his skin.

Without waiting for further invitation, he rose up, spread her thighs apart with his, linked his fingers through hers, and thrust inside her with all the intensity the moment had earned.

She arched her back, linked her ankles over his thighs, and met each of his thrusts with her own. She craved this connection, no longer worried about tomorrow let alone an hour from now. As he filled her, she squeezed his fingers and lifted her head to find his.

He kissed her again, his mouth hungry as he rammed inside of her, each thrust deeper than before. He released her fingers to prop up himself up on his elbows without breaking their kiss.

She buried her fingernails into his back when the orgasm tore through her body. She'd never been shy about sex, had always thoroughly enjoyed it, but this felt like more than a simple orgasm. As waves of pleasure rolled into her veins, she sank her teeth into his shoulder and suddenly understood what it meant to make love.

He shouted his own ecstasy, large body shuddering on top of her, ass clenching as he thrust deep inside her for his release. Chest heaving, he rested his forehead against hers.

She wished she could see him in that moment. Instead they remained entwined, blind to one another, breath catching between their lips, surrounded by a cave that only a few humans before them had ever seen, and listened to the steady drip of water sliding down the walls.

When another aftershock started rocking their quiet world, they clung to one another and whispered words of reassurance that it was all going to be okay despite the sounds of chunks of earth crashing down around them.

Chapter Five

"We need to go back in the water, keep going. For all we know, they're all waiting for us at the rendezvous point," he said, keeping his light focused on the map.

The longer they waited, the more convinced he became that they could end up trapped.

"I know you're right." She sat next to him, dressed in her wetsuit and dive vest. With a sigh, she glanced at the water, her expression in the shadows mirroring the mixed-feelings he shared. "I had been holding out hope that Jon, Stewart, and Paul would have shown up in our little piece of paradise."

He'd been thinking the same thing but refused to confess his concern that they were the only survivors. At least an hour had passed since the initial earthquake, if not longer. They only had a certain amount of air in their tanks, which made too much exploration dangerous. And, with the random aftershocks, he didn't want to get caught in a narrow passage and possibly drown.

He shoved a restless hand through his hair, hating that she acted so nonchalant about them getting naked and screwing each other's brains out. For someone who had looked at him like he'd sprouted horns at the mere thought of them crossing that line, she now acted like it was an every day occurrence.

Get it together, Billy Boy
, he chided himself.
You have much more important things to worry about than what Savannah may or may not be thinking about your lovemaking skills.

Maybe she's disappointed.
He cringed.

"Let's go before we talk ourselves out of it." She scooted out of reach to find the rest of her gear.

Maybe I should be thankful for the darkness. A woman like Savannah has been with far better looking men than me. Hot, exotic guys who probably knew some crazy fucking techniques that hadn't even entered my repertoire.

He strapped on his tank before rolling his shoulders back.
I need to watch more porn. That's the problem. I need to look at it like an education. I've always been a good student, a quick learner.

"Why are you being so quiet?" She blurted out on an exasperated sigh. "Do you regret what we did?"

He hesitated. This could be trick question.

"I win then. You have to stay in Dallas."

He heard her fins slapping and the screech of her wetsuit against the rock.

"Why do you say that you win?"

"You're bailing. You freaked out. You didn't want the whole sha-bang after all. I knew you were bluffing."

Silence.

He moved cautiously toward the water's edge, flicked on his headlamp and looked in her direction. "The only thing I'm freaking out about is that we could be trapped in this cave with more aftershocks on the way. I'm still in it to win it, sweet Savannah."

She glanced at him before sliding into the water. "Never call me that again, honey baby."

He groaned. "Deal. Let's get out of here, what do you say?"

"I say that's an excellent idea."

Tethered together, they swam a few feet before diving down to move through a submerged tunnel. He didn't know how their friends would have made it this far unless they'd either passed through the main opening prior to the cave in or slipped beneath it somehow after getting confused.

A rushing of water, most likely from the main underground river, greeted them on the other side and pushed them toward what looked like a cliff. They were in an underwater chute, being thrust forward against their will, tethered together and holding each other's hands as they went wherever the flow pushed them.

With a jolt, they were catapulted out into the air and down a waterfall. Their bodies and tanks slammed the rocks on the way down before submerging into a pool of blue. Far above them, a small hole allowed sunlight to shimmer through from the jungle. The walls were straight up and slick, lined with tree roots and vines. Bats danced in the shadows.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I lost my headlamp." She turned in the water looking for it.

"We need to keep going." His left wrist hurt like hell and wouldn't move, but he decided not to say anything. "Take my headlamp or use your flashlight. I'm going to let you lead."

"Why?" She twisted to look at him, exhaustion straining her face as the sunlight flickered down on them.

"We're partners. I'm letting you lead. No deep explanation needed." He forced a grin, but ended up wincing at the pain spiking through his arm.

Even though she gritted her teeth, she didn't call him out on his obvious lie. "I'll go slow and use my flashlight."

He didn't trust himself to speak. The intensity of the pain burning up his entire left side led him to believe that he had more than a broken wrist to worry about.

"Remember how you carried me in Belize after that snake bit me?" she asked while disconnecting her flashlight from her vest.

He nodded, the act of treading water hurting more than actual swimming would at this point.

"I'll tow you." She met his gaze. "You're bleeding, Bill. Your hand is limp in the water, your face looks like you're in agony, and there is blood pooling in the water around your left shoulder." She used her flashlight to prove her point. "I'll tow you, but if you have any problems diving, you need to use your good hand to tug on the rope. Promise you won't try to be a hero."

"You know me too well, Savannah."

She checked the cord that bound them before reaching her hand up and cupping the back of his head. With a grin, she kissed him. Hard. "I do. Never forget that fact. You can't hide anything from me."

"Apparently I've been able to hide my true feelings for you all this time...or were you just blind to them?"

"Ouch. You got me with that." Grin gone, she slipped away, put her mask and regulator in place, and motioned for him to do the same.

Why don't I know when to keep my mouth shut? I always take it one step too far.

He glanced up to the slice on the cave ceiling a hundred feet above and wondered if it had been created from the quake. Nothing on the map had indicated another entrance there—or a waterfall—or another underground river with the force to toss them around like feathers on a wave. Deciding it best not to say one more word, he followed her, winced at the pain burning through his left arm and torso, and allowed himself to be guided down to the next tunnel.

* * *

Stupid man trying to hide the fact that he's broken his arm. If he thinks I don't know that the dynamics of this cave have changed substantially, he's a fucking moron.

She turned on her side to shine her light on Bill. He moved sluggishly, as if more were injured than his arm. That had been one helluva fall, not to mention unexpected. Hell, had anything gone right on this trip?

More than the cave had altered with the earthquake. She knew they'd never be the same—for better or worse had yet to be decided.

Looking straight ahead, she shined her light into the unknown. Bubbles bumped against her mask, her heartbeat shuddered at the sense of isolation the darkness created. For the past few years, she'd urged the group to invest on a communication system. But most of them had had kids on the way or weddings to plan or down payments on homes to save for and the gear hadn't been a priority. Bill had offered to cover it, but the collective pride of the group wouldn't hear of it.

Damn, what she'd give for an upgraded mask now to simply talk to Bill, if no one else. It felt like floating in space down here in a place devoid of any life where down could be mistaken as up and the silence crushed a person's rationale.

She felt the tremor through the vibration in the water and witnessed its effect with cascading chunks of rock the size of her fist rolling down to the abyss.

Kick. Focus. A glance above showed her that the water went to the ceiling. No headroom here, no option but to go forward. Steady. Calm.

Just keep swimming, Savannah
, she coached herself.
Ignore the falling rocks, focus on the light.

She gripped her flashlight tighter, hating that she'd lost her headlamp in the waterfall tumble. Even though it had a strap that went over her wrist, she knew her hand trembled almost as much as the cave walls.

If only she knew everyone else waited at the end of this, she'd be more invigorated. At this point, she couldn't shake the idea that they'd left friends behind, something she would never intentionally do.

When the rope connecting Bill to her suddenly yanked her backward. She spun around. A large stalactite had fallen in between them, trapping the rope against the wall and cutting off her view of him.

The glow of his headlamp illuminated the shape of the limestone formation. It must have barely missed her legs. She twisted, the rope making it hard to move. Water literally shook in front of her face, the vibration stacking up like rising heat from pavement...only in liquid form. The rumble from the dark echoed in her heart.

She pressed her face against the mask to see if Bill were crushed, too, but he had pressed against the wall. They made eye contact through the shadows created by their lights, separated by a massive piece of stone.

She knew she needed to cut the rope so she could maneuver enough to fight with the stone. He wouldn't be able to help her, not with his broken arm or wrist or whatever else he'd injured. He seemed to understand that, too, as they stared silently through the opening at one another. He nodded and used his right hand to motion that he would go back to the cave they'd just left.

No! She shook her head, reached for the knife strapped to her leg, and sliced the rope. In his condition he'd never be able to fight against the current to get back there, and even if he did, there hadn't been a ledge or any place for him to get out of the water. Keeping an eye on the flashlight dangling from her wrist to make sure it didn't fall, she slipped the knife back in place.

Suddenly free of his weight and in the dark, she took a minute to close her eyes and wait for the trembling of the earth to subside. She reached through the small opening. He laced his fingers through hers.

The push of the current from the underground river lifted her feet behind her, but she refused to let him go.

Now would be the perfect time for that upgraded equipment, guys!
The thought shouted through her mind.

Determined to free him, she shimmied to the right and looked at him again through the opening. His eyes looked defeated. She knew then that he'd injured more than his arm and hadn't wanted to worry her. She glared at him, knowing he would get the message that she was beyond pissed off. Partners needed to be upfront about all things, no matter how scary or humiliating.

She lifted her hand in front of her face and used the dive signal for "stay there." 

He flashed her the hand sign for "something's wrong."

Really? I hadn't quite figured that one out.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head before signaling back, "watch me."

After securing her flashlight back to her vest and using only the glow from his headlight on the opposite side of the stalactite, she maneuvered herself into a position best suited to jarring the blockage loose. The force of the current could work to her advantage if she could pry it free from the top. Of course, that could also bring down another set of problems, but she didn't have time to weigh all the contingencies.

She trailed her hands over the edges until she pressed her back against the top of the cave ceiling, conscious of the tank and regulator tubes, knowing that any equipment damage at this point would be fatal.

Don't think, just do.

She closed her eyes for a second before clawing at the top of the rock and pulling it toward her as hard as she could. The current pushed from the other side and, if Bill had any ability to do so, she knew he'd be pushing as well. Her fingertips bloodied at the effort, but she kept at it, knowing their air supply diminished with every second wasted in this tunnel.

She clawed away at it, unwilling to surrender. She thought of his hand signal about something being wrong and knew he'd been trying to tell her that he hurt badly. Bill never did that, he never got hurt, he never admitted defeat...but that look in his eyes had scared her more than this earthquake.

So she clawed and beat the rock with her fist until she felt some movement. With the force of bullet, it shot against her, hit her in the chest, and sent her rolling with it. Down and down, into the dark in a spiral where her body ricocheted off the walls before finally breaking free and pressing against the side to get her bearings.

Nothing but blackness met her gaze. No matter where she looked—up, down, left, right, sideways—all black.

She fumbled for the flashlight on her vest and whimpered with relief when her hands found it.

Where are you, Bill?

She didn't see the glow of his lamp anywhere.

What is up, what is down?

Panic could kill a diver, she knew this so did her best to shove the stirrings of anxiety to the recesses of her soul.

Pick a direction and swim, Savannah.