The Sea Within Read online

  “Is this okay?” She began to move on top of Jackson.

  Jackson nodded, her eyes heavy-lidded with desire. She cupped Elle’s breast with one hand while Elle rode the other, bracing her arms on Jackson’s shoulders.

  “You’re so beautiful.”

  Jackson was mesmerized, watching Elle above her.

  It only took a few minutes, rocking on top of her, for Elle to climax. Elle tightened around her fingers, threw her head back, and cried out. Jackson rose to meet her, cradled her with one arm, and pumped inside her until she begged Jackson to stop.

  Together, they collapsed back onto the bed.

  What just happened? Jackson’s heart thumped in her chest as if it were trying to escape.

  She was falling for this woman.

  Who was she kidding, she’d already fallen. Was it mutual?

  “What are you thinking?” Elle’s question was soft, non-demanding, but it still made Jackson nervous.

  “What if I told you I wasn’t thinking anything?”

  “I wouldn’t believe you. I can feel you thinking.” Elle caressed with her fingertips down the center of Jackson’s chest.

  Okay, time to show up. What did she have to lose by being honest? She stalled, kissing Elle’s forehead as her head was on Jackson’s shoulder.

  “I haven’t been with anyone the way I was just with you…in a long time.” Jackson’s arm was around Elle’s shoulder. She made small circles with her finger against Elle’s arm. “It felt really good to be with you.” She paused, this was hard to explain. “To be with you completely.”

  “I’ve never been with anyone the way I’ve been with you.” Elle nuzzled into Jackson’s neck. “I feel like I can be myself with you. I’m not afraid to need you.” She raised up on one elbow to look at Jackson. “I think you like to be needed.”

  “I do.” She stroked Elle’s cheek. “I like looking out for you.”

  “Promise me something.”

  “Anything.” And she meant it.

  “When we get back, promise me that we’ll be together like this.” Elle searched her face. “When all this is behind us and we can just be us again, promise me you’ll come to me.”

  “Elle, I’m not letting you go, I promise.”

  Elle sank back onto Jackson’s shoulder, and she held her close. She hoped she’d get the chance to keep that promise, more than Elle could possibly know.

  Chapter Thirty

  Elle kissed Jackson one more time. A lingering kiss that almost felt like a good-bye kiss. This wasn’t good-bye, she reminded herself. This was temporary separation.

  “It’s time.”

  Elle nodded. Jackson offered a hand to help her climb into the gravity bed. She knew that Jackson was right, but still, she wanted to linger. She’d tried to mimic Jackson’s stoic attitude about the return trip, but she struggled to do so. When she thought of what had almost happened, when she thought about what Liam had tried to do to her, and Jackson, and even Ted—anger swelled inside.

  Elle looked up at Jackson from her prone position in the gravity tube. Jackson reached across her and clipped the safety belts into place. This was it. Somehow, Elle was much more nervous for this return trip. She was more afraid to go back to the place she knew than she’d been to travel into the complete unknown. That was a depressing thought. The only bright spot in the looming future was that Jackson would be there when she arrived.

  “You’re going to be okay.” Jackson braced her arms on the side of the tube’s frame. Had Jackson read her thoughts? “We’re going to be okay.”

  “I know.” She didn’t actually, but she didn’t want to add to Jackson’s stress.

  “I’ll see you on the other side.”

  She opened her mouth so that Jackson could place the mouthguard. Then Jackson lowered the glass hatch until Elle heard it click into the locked position.

  She’d worried that there was no one to make sure Jackson was properly strapped in, but Jackson had assured her that she had five minutes to get into her tube once she initiated the ion drive. A five-minute window didn’t seem like enough time and yet felt like an eternity as she waited for the vibration to begin to build beneath her. Shadowed movement was visible at the edge of her field of vision. She squeezed her eyes shut and ran her tongue over the mouthguard.

  As before, the shuddering slowly increased until it became intense and then the pressure. Knowing what to expect didn’t make anything easier. Then suddenly, she was suspended, having broken free from gravity, from time, from self—wisps, strands of light filtered into her vision.

  Elle was confused. Was she asleep or awake?

  How long had she been here? Had they arrived?

  Dull sounds of pounding now, and maybe voices.

  Jackson!

  Where was Jackson?

  Her vision cleared. Nikki’s face was above hers. Hands worked at the straps that confined her. A wave of nausea threatened. She was going to be sick. Nikki managed to anticipate her need. A trashcan or something was right where she needed it, when she needed it.

  “Take it easy.” Nikki supported her as she leaned halfway out of the tube. “You’re safe.”

  Elle flopped back to the bed. Her eyes couldn’t seem to adjust to the light.

  “Where’s…where is Jackson?” The look on Nikki’s face frightened her. She gripped Nikki’s arm. “What’s wrong?”

  Elle caught a glimpse of Jackson being carried on a stretcher, there was blood on her face and shoulder.

  “It was just a rough ride, that’s all. She’ll be okay.”

  “Damn her. She told me she could handle everything by herself.” Elle tried to get to her feet and almost toppled. Nikki caught her.

  “Yeah, that sounds about right. Hey, take a minute to get your land legs back and we’ll meet her in the infirmary.”

  Panic climbed from her chest and lodged in her throat, closing her airway. Jackson was hurt and she couldn’t stand the thought of not being with her.

  The deck pitched beneath her feet. Oh right, they’d made a water landing. She and Nikki exchanged a knowing look. Her brain was coming back online. Nikki handed her a bottle of water and she took big gulps.

  “Slow down.” Nikki took the bottle from her. “Hey, Elle, look at me.”

  Elle swallowed.

  “Remember what I said about Jackson?” Nikki paused. “She knows what she’s doing.”

  She had to believe Nikki was right. The fact that Nikki was here meant that Jackson’s coded message had gotten through.

  “What’s the status of the ship?” Elle braced against the open grav tube as the floor tipped again.

  “Don’t worry, we won’t sink. The ship automatically purged the water tanks and then took on air to keep it afloat until the extraction team arrived.” Nikki held her arm as they walked toward the cargo compartment. “We’ll go up through the roof hatch. There’s a navy ship waiting.”

  Optimism returned. So far, Jackson’s plan had worked. But she was anxious to see Jackson and know that she was okay. Nikki shadowed her up the ladder and then helped her navigate the narrow passageways once they were aboard ship. The infirmary was below deck. Elle was feeling claustrophobic and a little seasick, but she tried her best to beat it back. She was frantic with worry by the time she finally reached Jackson. Nikki draped a blanket around Elle’s shoulders as she took a seat near the bed.

  “Thank you.”

  Elle took Jackson’s limp hand and held on to it.

  A medic opened each of Jackson’s eyes and examined her pupils with a small light. Then he began to explore the gash at her temple, just inside her hairline. He was still attempting to clean the wound when Jackson began to stir. She jerked awake and tried to sit up. The medic had to press her shoulders against the bed to keep her from rolling off. She blinked, realizing where she was. Then reached to touch her head. She seemed to slowly realize Elle was holding her other hand. Elle stood up so that Jackson could see her without raising her head.

 
; “Hey, you’re back, you’re okay.” The blow to her head, combined with the passage through the gateway had to be disorienting.

  “How’s the ship?”

  “Everything went according to plan.” Elle didn’t want to say anything specific.

  “Yeah, nice soft water landing there, Cap.” Nikki stood at the foot of the bed.

  Jackson was still wearing the gravity suit and boots. The medic had unzipped it to examine the blood on her shoulder, but all if it seemed to be coming from the gash on her head.

  “The team will get all the gear and the samples unloaded and get you guys back to base. You just rest easy, okay?” Nikki put her hand on Jackson’s leg, just above her boot.

  “We lost Wallace.” Jackson focused on Nikki.

  “I know.” Nikki’s gaze was direct. “I also know you did everything you could to ensure the safety of the team.”

  Jackson winced as the medic dressed the wound.

  “Stay with Elle.” Jackson was talking to Nikki as if Elle wasn’t there.

  “I’m okay, Jackson.”

  “Just stay close to Nikki. Will you do that for me?”

  “Thank goodness you’re all right.” Out of nowhere, Liam appeared in the doorway.

  Elle wanted to launch into him right away. Jackson squeezed her hand, a reminder to wait for the right moment. As far as Liam was concerned, his plan had still worked, although, with a different crew than he’d had in mind. The samples were back, and if he played dumb he could still pull this off. At least that’s what Elle assumed he was thinking. He was in for a rude surprise the moment he tested the water inside the containers they’d brought back and discovered they contained nothing.

  “When I heard about Ted, I was concerned.”

  I’ll bet you were. Concerned for your own agenda. Elle was afraid to say very much. She’d never been very good at subterfuge. She would have made a terrible spy.

  “I’m fine. You didn’t have to make the trip.” She was sure he could tell she was pissed.

  Despite the fact that she tried to sound neutral.

  “I’ll go make sure the samples are secure for the ride back to the BIOME lab.” He turned to leave, but then looked back. “You’ve done a great job here, Elle.”

  She knew he didn’t mean it, and she couldn’t wait for him to get the results back on those samples.

  “I’ll check in later.” It almost sounded like a threat, but she was sure Liam didn’t notice.

  “Take your time.” Then he was gone.

  Nikki gave her a what’s going on look. She shook her head. A signal that she’d fill Nikki in later. Once she was sure that Jackson was back on her feet.

  “Commander, you need to let someone know if you begin to feel dizzy or lightheaded. Or if you begin to have any problems with your vision.” The medic removed his gloves and tossed them into a waste bin. “That was a nasty bump, but I don’t think you’ll need stitches.”

  “Thank you.” Jackson’s words were raspy.

  “Can we get her some water?” Elle asked.

  The medic helped her sip from a straw. She coughed and took a few more sips before sinking back to the pillow. She looked at Elle.

  “Hey, I’m okay here. You should go…get some rest…I’ll come find you.”

  “Are you serious?” Elle stood up. “I’m not leaving here without you. And by the way, we’re on a boat. So, we’re all going together.”

  “I guess you two have a lot to fill me in on.” Nikki crossed her arms and looked from one to the other, smiling.

  “Yeah, one mission together and she thinks she can boss me around.” Jackson quirked an eyebrow and then winced because it hurt.

  “Sarcasm doesn’t pay does it?” Elle couldn’t help smiling.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  The Navy vessel docked at a military port in San Francisco, and then the crew and samples were shuttled north to the base via helicopter. Time travel, boat travel, air travel—when they reached the base, Elle was certain she never wanted to travel again. The experience of traversing the gateway left her exhausted and woozy. And that was without a head injury.

  Jackson wanted to jump right into things with Major Riley, but Elle had intervened. Nikki had been there to back her up. Together they convinced Jackson to take a night off. The shit would inevitably hit the fan the minute the samples were tested. Elle tried her best to anticipate how Liam would react and she honestly couldn’t.

  Elle wanted to leave the base. She wanted to eat normal food, wear normal clothes, hell, she even missed the bad coffee from the breakroom at BIOME.

  Oh yeah, then she remembered, she could never go back there again. There was no way she could work for Liam, and she was pretty sure he’d never give up his post as the director. That was a depressing thought.

  “I’m going to go get some clean clothes and then I’ll come back.” She and Nikki had escorted Jackson to her quarters to make sure she was okay.

  “Stay…and as soon as Nikki is back she can go with you.” Jackson was reclined on the bed, resting, but trying not to sleep until Nikki returned with some food. “It’s not every day I can talk Nikki into providing room service.”

  “If I don’t go now then I’m going to be sleeping in these clothes.” Weariness was making it hard for her to think. “I’ll be back before Nikki.”

  Elle dipped down and kissed Jackson before leaving. She had to think for a moment about how to get back to her room from Jackson’s. Oh yes, head toward the mess hall and then turn left. She was thrilled to see the clothes she’d arrived in laundered and folded at the foot of her bunk. She’d never been so happy to see a pair of pants in her life.

  The dorm rooms on this side, the non-military side of the base, seemed very quiet. As she thought back she realized, Harris, Nunez, and Ted had been the only others besides herself assigned to this wing. The entire area was a little too dark, with only the lights in the corridor illuminated. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck began to tingle and she wished now that she’d waited for Nikki. This was silly, she was inside a high security facility. What was there to be afraid of? She was being ridiculous. She shook her head.

  When she looked up, Liam was blocking the doorway. He was uncharacteristically casual, which was odd. She’d never seen him not wearing a suit and here he was wearing a gray T-shirt under a dark windbreaker with faded jeans. If she’d passed him in the street she might not have recognized him. This was yet another new perspective on the man she thought she knew.

  “Liam.” She said his name, but there was no one else around to hear it.

  “Funny thing about those containers.” He scraped a shred of loose paint off the door-frame with his fingernail without looking at her. “They’re empty.”

  “What are you talking about?” Yes, she was in a high security facility and she’d forgotten for a moment to be afraid of her own damn team.

  “I worked really hard to get the funding for that expedition approved. I staked my reputation, my life, on the success of that expedition only to discover that for all my effort I’ve got fifteen gallons of tap water to show for it.” He took a step into the room and she took a step back.

  “There must be a mistake.” She was stalling. She really wasn’t ready to have this discussion with him and she certainly didn’t want to have it alone.

  “You could have had part of this.”

  “Really? Because that’s not the story I heard from Ted.” She was too exhausted to play dumb, and besides, he was pissing her off.

  He moved toward her. She clutched the clean clothing to her chest as if it were a shield and took another step away from him. The room was small. Soon there would be nowhere to go unless she could get past Liam and out the door.

  “Ted was weak, obviously. It was you I wanted to partner with all along.” He rubbed the back of his neck. She didn’t believe him.

  “Except I’d have never agreed to shoot another member of the team.” She hesitated. “For what? Just for money?”
/>   “I underestimated you, Elle.” He was talking to her but looking at the floor. His voice sounded strained, angry. “You could have been part of something really big, but now you’ve ruined everything.”

  “Actually, I’m pretty sure I’ve only ruined you.” It was hard to temper the fury and resentment rising in her chest. “I might just have saved the world for everyone else.”

  He glared at her. The muscle along his jaw tightened.

  “I think my work here is done.” She was finished with this conversation and she was too tired to allow herself to be bullied. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  He lurched in front of her, blocking the door with his outstretched arm.

  “You know, I’ve spent my whole life trying to save the world.” He braced his shoulder against the doorframe and crossed his arms. “I thought science could make a difference, I thought people really wanted what we had to offer…a better world, a healthier world.”

  “Liam—”

  “Governments only care about short-term gains. No one wants to truly change things. We’re witnesses to our own extinction and no one even gives a shit.” He advanced on her again. “And you know what? I don’t care anymore either.” He pointed something at her. In the dimly lit room she realized it was a small handgun. “You, Dr. Eliza Graham, have ruined everything.”

  “Liam, calm down. I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.” He was scaring her now and she backed away from him.

  “Where are the real samples?”

  “What?”

  “Your research was conclusive. There’s no way you returned without the specimens you went back to collect.” He rubbed the sidearm against his temple as if the weapon might help him think.

  She reminded herself that he didn’t know the real samples were already in the ocean. He was assuming she still had them in her possession somehow.

  “Liam, I know you’re upset—”

  “How stupid do you think I am?” He invaded her personal space.

  “I don’t think you’re stupid, Liam. Please put the gun down.”