Read In Deep Waters for Free Online Page A

work with me?"
    "And the crew." Her eager smile made her look younger. "We're in this together."
    She sounded like a high school cheerleader. All she needed were the pom-poms and a short little skirt. Ben liked the image forming in his head. But this wasn't a football game. No "rah-rahs" or "go team, go" cheers necessary. She wasn't part of his team. "We'll be done with this search soon."
    Hope glimmered in her eyes. "And then?"
    A beat passed. "We'll see."
    Kayla didn't want to see. She wanted action.
    Unfortunately, all she could do was wait. Wait for Ben to return from helping Madison in the bathroom. Wait for Ben to make a decision about the search coordinates.
    "Hey, Kayla." Monk, the best-looking of the crew, with sun-bleached blond hair, clear baby-blue eyes and a sexy Southern drawl, sauntered over to the pool. He Pulled his T-shirt over his head and winked. "Your turn, darlin'."
    "You've got to be kidding."
    "Fitz makes jokes around here." Monk's eyes twin-kled. "I make love."
    Kayla managed not to burst out laughing. She felt like the housemother of a fraternity, but somebody had to rein these fellows in for Madison's sake. "Can I ask you a question?"
    "Anything, darlin'."
    "Do you consider your behavior acceptable for a three-year-old to witness?" He glanced around. "Madison isn't here." "She's in the bathroom with Ben so she might be able to hear you. But that isn't the point. I'm sorry to lecture you, but do you want Madison to grow up believing this--" she pointed to his shirt on the deck and to him "--is how a woman should be treated by a man?"
    "Hell, no." Monk grimaced. He picked up his T-shirt and put it on. "Aw, Kayla. I never thought about it that way. I'll do better. Really."
    As Monk left the "beach," Kayla paced in the small pool. The saltwater made her legs feel better. A way they hadn't felt since coming on board. She must have hit the rail harder than she realized. But a few aches and pains were nothing to worry about when the expedition was on the line.
    No question about it. Ben had to change course. It was her responsibility, her duty, to make that happen. She was going to tell Ben her true position at the museum and order him to go to her coordinates. Madison ran back to the pool. "I went potty." Kayla hadn't spent much time with children and didn't know the proper response. Clapping, cheering, a standing ovation? She decided on words. "You're such a big girl."
    "Daddy had to help me wash my hands." "You did most of the work," Ben said. Madison grinned. "Because I'm a big girl." Kayla glanced over at Ben and sucked in a breath. She'd experienced the same reaction when she climbed the small staircase to the bow and saw him sans shirt playing with Madison. Seeing his bare chest shouldn't be such a big deal. He was only a man. But her on-alert hormones and zinging nerve endings failed to appreciate that small detail.
    Not that she blamed them.
    The sun had deepened the color of his skin, and water from Madison's splashes glistened on his chest, arms and legs. He had more of a swimmer's than a bodybuilder's physique, without an ounce of flab. At least none she could see. And she'd been looking. Hard.
    He picked his daughter up out of the pool. "You're my big girl, Madison."
    His voice softened as he spoke Madison's name. Kayla wondered what it would feel like to have someone say her name like that. Her father used to, but to have a man like Ben say it with such unconditional love...she sighed. Not going to happen. At least not in the near future. She had too many questions about her past that needed answers before she could open her heart to love and family.
    Ben spun Madison around. The little girl's giggles tickled Kayla's ears and made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Children saw such joy in the littlest things. The idea of having a child of her own appealed to Kayla more than it ever had, but it still wasn't time.
    She stepped out of the pool. A part of her wanted to join in on the fun. But the