Her Moonlit Gamble Read Online Free PDF Page B

arms wrapped tightly around himself, his brow furrowed, not as relaxed as she'd expected. So many nights after her parents died, they'd slept just like this, either in her bed or his, just because she had needed the companionship. Guilt tugged at her. Had Andrew needed her after she opened that can of worms, and she'd abandoned him? Carefully she shifted, not wanting to wake him, and pulled the blanket over him, watching him until she was sure he wouldn't wake up, then she slipped out of bed and into the shower.

CHAPTER FOUR

    Joslyn held onto the boat rail as it skimmed across the surface of the water to the dive site. Today had been the most awkward day she'd ever spent with Andrew. He'd never said why he'd come to her room. When she'd emerged from the shower, he'd still been sleeping, so she dressed in the bathroom, then sat on the balcony until she heard him leave her room and close the bathroom door. She'd been on the verge of ordering room service when he'd found her on the balcony and took her to brunch.  
    If only Andrew would talk to her. He'd been uncharacteristically distant since he woke up this morning. He was her best friend, she should be able to prod whatever was bothering him out of him. But the conversation on the beach, and the kiss, and waking up with him beside her--everything was different. She didn't know if she could hear what he would say.
    She looked across the boat at him. He looked huge in his rented wetsuit, the fabric stretched across his broad shoulders. They were heading for their first night dive and would be swimming with manta rays. They'd both been certified since college, though diving in the Gulf wasn't as exciting as the blue Hawaiian waters. Joslyn might be bouncing off the seat if Andrew hadn't been so quiet.  
    She should have gotten it out of him before now, but she was afraid to know. Afraid to discover he'd needed her and she'd ignored him. Big coward.  
    He caught her watching him and grinned, not quite his full grin, but it warmed her all the same, before he turned his attention back to the black water below.
    Four other passengers and two crew members were with them on the dive boat. Joslyn kind of wished she hadn't watched that slasher picture about the dive masters who took people out to sites and then tortured them to death. Come to think of it, she'd watched that movie with Andrew. To make it worse, she couldn't see the shoreline from here. The Kona coast wasn't as developed as Waikiki, and they were far enough away that they couldn't even see the lights of the cities. A shiver ran through her.
    If she'd thought Andrew wasn't paying attention, she was wrong. He shifted to sit beside her. "Cold?"
    "Nervous."
    "It won't be completely black down there. You saw the video. They have lights to attract the plankton, which attract the mantas. You aren't scared of those, are you?"
    She shook her head. "Just wondering what else we might encounter."
    "Nothing worse than we've seen before. Remember the sharks in the reef off the Bahamas?"
    On the cruise they'd gone on the summer before college, before he'd enlisted. So much shared history, so much of their lives intertwined. She didn't think she'd ever be sure of who she might have been if he hadn't been in her life. Which was why she was so terrified of losing him by doing something stupid. "I'd never been so scared in my life." The beasts had been hunting for food in the reefs and came terrifyingly close to her and Andrew, who'd held her hand in one of his, and held his knife in the other. She was certain he would have fought to protect her.
    "But you stayed calm and nothing went wrong. You'll do the same tonight and it will be magnificent."
    "Magnificent." She smiled at him.  
    The boat slowed as they reached the dive site, and the crew members dropped anchor as the passengers prepared for the dive. Andrew stood behind her to help her into her buoyancy vest and tank, making sure it was secure, something he'd done a half dozen