Sea of Love(28)

“Please don’t apologize. I’m sorry you’re having such a difficult time,” Lacy said.

Dane pulled Rob close again and whispered, “I have faith in you. Just promise me this will be a good run, because I can’t walk out that door knowing I could lose my best friend.”

A good run. She’d come to know that expression from Dane, and she knew it meant he trusted Rob to make it through this. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and suppressed the urge to open her arms and join the closeness that was coming together before her.

“I promise you, Dane.” Rob held his stare.

“And if you need me, I’m a phone call away. I can be here in minutes.”

Dane closed his eyes and Lacy opened hers.





Chapter Sixteen


DANE’S EYES WERE still damp as they pulled away from the motel. Lacy looked away, not wanting to embarrass him and not really knowing if it was her place to say anything at all.

When Dane finally spoke, his voice was soft and his eyes were contemplative. “I never would have guessed that Rob would drink again. He was sober for fifteen years. Fifteen years. He had everything. They had everything. I just don’t understand it.”

“He did say something about Sheila wanting him to stop tagging, and love is a powerful thing,” Lacy said. “People do stupid things to try to get the attention of those they love.” Or to protect them.

“He’ll never give it up. But she won’t leave for good, either. She adores him. I’ve seen them together, and you can’t fake what they have. I’m sorry about all of that.”

“There’s no need to apologize. Rob’s your friend, and he’s obviously having a hard time right now. Do you think you should stay with him? I can catch a cab back to the cottage. I really wouldn’t mind,” Lacy said. She felt as though she were seeing Dane through new eyes. The way he’d put away his initial anger and stepped up to the plate for Rob, willing to give up whatever he’d had planned to go with him to a meeting, and the way he embraced and comforted him, wasn’t so different from the way he was with her. Where he had empathy for Rob, he had tenderness for Lacy. Where he had love for Rob, he had something strikingly similar, it seemed, for Lacy. She was beginning to see the man beneath the sexy exterior, and the man that was emerging was inching his way into her reluctant heart.

“I’m glad you came. It helped to know you were there,” Dane said. “Do you want me to take you home or…?”

“I’m fine with whatever you want to do. If you want to be with Rob, I’d understand that. Don’t plan around me; plan around him. He needs you,” Lacy said.

Dane pulled over to the side of the road and leaned toward her. “Thank you,” he said and pulled her close. “I’m lucky to have you as a friend.”

Friend? Lacy was beginning to loathe that stupid pact. She put her arms around him, trying not to inhale his raw, masculine scent.

“Rob wants to be alone. He knows this route, and he knows what works best for him. I have to respect his wish to be alone.” He pulled back onto the road. “We could still go to the aquarium if you’re up to it.”

Aquarium. A nervous flutter danced in Lacy’s chest. “I’m not sure I can accomplish whatever it is you have in mind for me, and I know I don’t want to go near any shark tanks, but short of that, I’d love to.”





THE LOBBY OF the new aquarium included several life-sized models of different species of sharks. Perfect. Dane didn’t intend to push Lacy past her limits, but Danica had told him that immersing her in as many shark-related activities as possible while watching her for signs of distress would help her overcome her fears. He knew several of the research staff, as they’d moved from other research facilities to open the new site, and he’d made arrangements for a private tour of the research area for Lacy. As much as Dane hated the idea of sharks being taken from their natural habitat, today he was thankful for the convenience.

“Lacy, we haven’t spoken about what happened on the boat very much, and I’d like to understand what you’re feeling,” Dane said.

Lacy crossed her arms. “It’s so embarrassing.”

“Babe, everyone has fears. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

She looked at him through her long lashes and said, “You don’t seem to.”

“Oh, yeah I do,” Dane said with a laugh. Like my fear of losing you. “I never made it to see you. That was fear driven, even if I don’t really understand it. It couldn’t be driven by anything else. And every time I dive into the ocean with a great white shark, there’s a type of fear that settles in. It’s not all-encompassing, but it’s there in the back of my mind.”

“You were afraid to see me?” Lacy asked.

“I sort of explained that to you already. I was afraid of what I was feeling, and I didn’t want to face you knowing the kind of guy I had been and knowing the type of man you deserved. But we’re not falling in love, remember? So let’s not go down that road. I want to know about you, Lace, not rehash who I am. I want to know what you’re feeling…” About me. “About the panic attack you had.”

“The more I read about sharks, the more calm I felt, but I have no idea if that was just the fact freak in me taking over or if it was something more,” she said.

“But how do you feel, Lace? When you think of a shark, what do you feel?” Danica had told him to be hypervigilant about understanding where Lacy’s emotions were during the desensitization process, and she’d been sure to throw a sisterly warning or two in for him as well. She’d said that with some patients who have hidden from their fears—or repressed them—for long periods of time, the actual fear might return fast and furious, but it can also fade quickly as the person comes to grasp the realization of how unfounded their fears are. Dane wasn’t so sure it would be that easy.

“I guess I don’t feel much. But that’s probably going to be different if I go out on a boat and actually see a shark in the water. Danica says she thinks the panic attack might have been from more than just the shark, that I was probably anxious about seeing you after building up all those expectations. I need to face the fear.” She shrugged.

The tension in his shoulders relaxed. “Well, we won’t push things,” Dane said.

“You’re supposed to be immersing me in Brave’s scope of work,” she said.

Dane smiled. “I am; trust me. You’ll see it all. I’ll just make sure you’re comfortable along the way. If you feel uncomfortable at any time—whether it’s with me or just being here—let me know, okay?”





LACY WAS AWARE of being under Dane’s scrutiny from the moment they walked into the aquarium. The entrance was lined with models of different species of fish. Lacy ran her hand over each of them, feeling the cool ceramic beneath her hand, the roughness of the etched scales and the smooth glass of the eyes. She wanted to work through her fear, but the truth was, she was already feeling uncomfortable—and she didn’t want to leave his side.

“A little different from the ones at the Flying Pan, huh?” Dane asked.

“Yes, these are more calming,” she said. She felt Dane’s eyes on her, watching her facial expressions, and when she approached the larger models, he moved a little closer to her. While the models of the fish didn’t cause a rush in anxiety, having Dane beside her with his hawk eyes watching her sure did. Each time he moved closer, butterflies took flight in her stomach.

She looked down the hallway and noted that the models got successively larger as they neared the room with the main aquarium exhibits. She moved on to the next model. Am I going to freak out when I reach the sharks?

Dane stood before a fish that looked to be around three and a half feet long. “That’s a tuna, believe it or not,” Dane said.

“They’re kind of cute, actually.”

His arm grazed her shoulder, and Lacy looked up at him. She loved how tall he was, how thick his chest was, and when he reached for the fish, she remembered how good his strong hands had felt on her body.

“I don’t think too many people would call this fish cute,” he said. “But then again, you’re not like anyone else I know.”

Lacy felt her face flush. She looked down.

“Sorry, Lace. I don’t mean to embarrass you. We’re going to be getting to the models of sharks next. Are you okay? How do you feel?”

“I’m okay,” she said. She contemplated reaching for his hand. Even if she wasn’t nervous yet, she could say she was.

“You sure?”

His eyes were so sincere that she couldn’t breathe. She smiled. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“The next one is a black-tip reef shark,” he said. He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her forward.

When the warmth of his hand touched her back, she realized how much she enjoyed his nonsexual touch. Hell, who was she kidding? She enjoyed everything from the way he looked at her to the way he’d had to grit his teeth earlier in the day to keep from kissing her.

“See the distinctive black markings? These guys are fast,” Dane said.