Barely daring to breathe, I watch the shark as it slices through the water and disappears from view. My heart flutters against my ribs and I feel like whooping and crying and fist-pumping all at the same time.

Fog creeps along my mask. Pulling a one-eighty, I paddle until I’m out of the current, lift my head above the waves, and push my mask onto my forehead.

Holy hell are we far from shore. We swam straight out toward a rocky outcropping at least two football fields away from the beach. One of the Zodiacs drifts several yards away, the naturalist on board keeping a close eye on us. I was so entranced I hadn’t noticed how far we’d gone. Or how deep the water had become. Huh.

Graeme surfaces next to me and spits out his snorkel. “That was incredible!”

“Oh my God, those baby sea lions.”

“And the reef shark.”

“I can’t believe we saw a shark!”

“You weren’t afraid it was going to…” Something scrabbles against the side of my knee—his fingers. I shriek and kick away, accidentally splashing him in the face.

He pinches water out of his eyes. “Oh, you want to play that game?” Mischief dances in his smile.

“What, this game?” I sweep water at him again, this time intentionally. I have half a second to brace myself before he splashes me back.

My heart alights with juvenile delight even as water runs down my cheeks. Laughing and shrieking, I shovel water at him for all I’m worth, all while averting my face and squeezing my eyes shut to avoid the worst of his watery assault. His deep, rumbling laughter joins with mine and my palm connects with something firm—his chest.

Blinking open my eyes, I curl my fingers automatically against the slick neoprene of his wetsuit. He’s stopped splashing me. The amusement dims from his eyes and winks out. We’re close; the current from his legs swirls around my own as he pumps gracefully to keep himself afloat.

Warmth floods my veins, chasing away the chill. Graeme’s nostrils flare and his eyes glint as they search my face with an unspoken question…

Do you feel what I’m feeling?

Oh God, I don’t know what I’m feeling. Graeme’s always been larger than life, taking up an inordinate amount of space in my mind. But now his image has shifted. Instead of repelling me, it invites me to come closer.

Have a taste, just a little.

I’m Eve and he’s the apple—a shiny, beckoning promise filled with the joy of delicious knowledge… and the threat of regret.

And I want to devour him whole.