Free Going Down (Divemasters #1) by Jayne Rylon Page A

spent the night in his bed.
    Whoa .
    Waverly hadn’t prepared herself for the pang of jealousy that threatened to unsheathe her formidable claws. Worse, attraction flared inside her as she caught a whiff of Archer’s clean, masculine scent along with a peek at his melted-chocolate eyes.
    Gorgeous and untouchable as ever.
    She ducked her head and practically dashed along the immaculate hardwood past the couple. Her bare feet slapped some as she hustled in the direction of the lounge where Banks had instructed her to join their upcoming gathering.
    When she turned the corner, she paused to regain her balance, safely out of sight.
    It wasn’t the ship tilting. It was her.
    As if it wasn’t weird enough being here—in circumstances so different than all those years before yet no less awkward—coming face-to-face with Archer and his latest lover didn’t do much for her attempts to loosen up. Especially when a fraction of a second in his presence made it clear he was out of her league in every way that mattered.
    Rich. Yup.
    Suave. Yup.
    Handsome. Yup.
    A lover, not a fighter. Yup.
    Capable of enjoying a casual hookup. Yup.
    Archer had exactly zero things in common with the safe, boring men she accepted dinner invitations from on occasion.
    Waverly drew in a deep breath, concentrating on settling down. She’d need to rely on her training to get her job here done despite being in constant close quarters with the only man who’d ever made her systems go haywire. And apparently still did.
    It had been years since she’d wrestled with her confidence like this. That could be why she had come. It required proving to herself that she could handle things now that had been insurmountable obstacles before. A new challenge.
    Except she might have gotten in over her head. The onslaught of memories, none of them as precious as the ones Archer had made with her, threatened to suffocate her. It had all been downhill from there. She just hadn’t known it yet.
    Cool, controlled, and skilled, she’d flown rescue missions the military wouldn’t entrust to anyone else. Why did it feel like this time she might be the one who needed some saving?
    Waverly stared at her hot pink pedicure. A bold, feminine display since she traipsed around barefoot. In the Navy, she had kept her girly selections hidden in her boots. Another dirty little secret. She should have realized that everything about this job would be different than what she’d grown used to. The drastic shift—not to mention the rekindling of her inappropriate attraction—left her raw and exposed.
    On the Divemaster , there was nowhere to hide.
    “Everything all right?” Banks asked, startling her.
    She snapped to attention. “Yes, sir.”
    “It seems we’re both going to have to work on cutting that out.” The butler turned executive-agent-of-Archer’s-life slung an arm around her shoulder. Grateful for his warmth and support, she leaned into the affectionate gesture just a bit. “Archie gets cranky if you sir him.”
    “Good to know.” She definitely didn’t want to piss him off.
    Banks tugged on her braid. “And I am a simple servant. I don’t deserve the title.”
    She slapped his gut with the back of her hand, making him oomph . “Bullshit.”
    “See, you’re much tougher than I am.” He murmured, “Stronger than you think, I bet.”
    If Waverly hadn’t sworn off crying for good, she might have been tempted to give in to the sting behind her eyes right then. “Thank you.”
    “Anytime.” He gave her one last squeeze then released her. “Come on. Let’s feed you some breakfast and introduce you to the rest of the crew.”
    She nodded, afraid of what her voice might sound like if she attempted to speak.
    Within the lounge, she discovered a situation that was at least sort of familiar. A group of high-performing individuals gathered around bulk-prepped food, exchanging banter before things got serious. When she entered, many surreptitious yet appraising