Going Deep (Coastal Heat #1) by Maggie Wells Page B

these people need you. We need the exposure—”
    “I came back here because I wanted to step out of the spotlight.”
    “I know.”
    “This is a touchy area, Brooke. Teams of experts on both sides are lobbing suits and injunctions at each other like it’s a game of legal red rover.”
    “Yes, but stuck on the sidelines are thousands of people dealing with health issues, economic ruin, and the complete destruction of their life’s work. You know what happened here. You know better than anyone what’s still happening.” She forged ahead, driven by pent-up passion and months of frustration. “Damn it, the world should know this isn’t over just because the beaches are open.”
    “Yes, they should.”
    They stared at one another, startled by their sudden accord. Admiration shone in his dark eyes. He didn’t move and he didn’t blink. He stood, focused entirely on her. And the effect was devastating.
    The deck swayed beneath her feet. Grasping the rail, she stared back at him, unable to look away, unwilling to compromise this tenuous connection. “But I can do it without you,” she whispered. “I thought I needed you, needed some kind of a…hammer to get this done, but I don’t.”
    “No, you don’t.”
    She swallowed hard, wondering how the hell she was supposed to handle one of life’s crossroads when she was literally and figuratively out to sea. For years she’d hidden behind the questions rather than stepping out in front of them. But Brian never was one to let her hide. Fixating on the man who pushed her to the brink, she gave voice to the truth at long last.
    “I don’t need you, but I want you.”
     

Chapter 7
    Brian reared, clearly taken aback by her declaration. Brooke couldn’t blame him for his surprise. “I’m going to need you to clarify that statement for me.”
    “I want you to help me with this. I don’t want to see you slink off into some research hidey-hole like you did something wrong. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
    “I know I didn’t.”
    “Use this. Use the platform you’ve been given. Use me and let me use you. Maybe together we can do something good.” At last, she spotted the light of understanding in his dark eyes.
    “ The Courier isn’t big enough. Unless you can get this picked up by the services, you’ll be telling the folks around here something they already know.”
    “But if I have you, I can fish for a bigger audience. Like it or not, Brian, people are waiting to see what you do next.” A stray drop of water fell from the curling ends of his hair to his shoulder. It coursed a leisurely path down his chest, darting through the brown hair between his pecs and disappearing into the trail bisecting his ridged abs. Her mouth ran dry. “What if I said I wanted both? You and your…expertise?”
    “Yes.”
    His answer popped out with gratifying swiftness. A wispy laugh escaped her. He may have changed a lot on the outside, but on the inside Brian remained the same—a man with few gray areas. She pressed the tips of her fingers to his chest, tracing the path that lucky drop of water had taken. Her skin absorbed the streaky line of moisture. Eyes locked on his, she skimmed along the trail of dark hair tapering into the waistband of his board shorts. “That easy?”
    “Easier.” He lowered his head and warm breath tickled her lips. He kissed the corner of her mouth but drew back before she could respond. “I’ve known you all my life and wanted you for half the time.”
    She wound her arms around his neck and bowed her body into the curve of his, hoping to entice him into giving more. His soft chuckle did strange things to her insides. “But what about the professional stuff?”
    “We’ll figure that out.” He ran his hand up her back then cradled her nape, squinting slightly as he stared down at her. “More than half my life, if I count back to the time you gave me your pink pencil.”
    “It was a Barbie pencil. It was special.”
    “It was