“I know what it’s like to be afraid,” Justin whispered.

She looked up at him, so sorry for all he’d been through, and he read the sympathy in her eyes.

“It’s all right.” His lips moved against her hair, her forehead, closing her eyes, hesitant upon her cheek. Kelsey didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until she felt him pull back from her, heard him laugh, almost guiltily. “Well, I guess this isn’t much of a swimming lesson.”

Now it was her turn to feel shy. She lowered her eyes and laughed with him nervously, staring at his strong, slender hands that still held her. “Maybe we should get back,” she said, hoping the quiver in her voice wasn’t giving her away. She didn’t want to go back. She wished they could just stand here this way forever, with Justin keeping all the terrible fears at bay.

He squeezed her arms. “Not until I show you how much you’re missing. Come on. That’s right. Another two steps. Just follow me—”

“Justin—” Her fingers clamped down on his arms as he guided her out into the water, but his voice was soft, soothing her, his lips upon her ear—

“Ssh, now, just hold onto me—”

“Justin—no—”

“I’ve got you, Kelsey. I’m not going to let go of you—”

The world was disappearing beneath her feet; she had no choice but to hang onto him as he waded farther out into the water. She felt the undercurrents bubbling around her ankles and instinctively kicked away from them, thrusting herself out into the deeper waves and into Justin’s arms.

“See?” Justin’s face was so close, his smile growing. “See? You’re doing it. I knew you could.”

And she was swimming, the old muscles taking over as if they’d never forgotten how, her body light and buoyant in the protective circle of Justin’s arms. She felt a strange thrill—triumph? Apprehension? Relief? She wasn’t sure what it was, only that Justin’s lips closed over hers, and the salt and the warmth of him and the gentle waves lapping their bodies together as she held onto him, tighter…tighter…

She never saw the huge wave rumbling toward them.

Or the one that came after, tearing them apart—

What she did see was an explosion of darkness, and stars cartwheeling across the sky, and a moon hung upside down as the ocean somersaulted her onto the shore.

Chapter 11

“JUSTIN!”

Coughing, Kelsey scrambled up out of the wet sand, slipping, falling, her eyes desperate upon the slow, pulsing surface of the water. Nowhere was it broken by a familiar silhouette—no sign of a body swimming toward shore, no cries for help, no head bobbing suddenly to the surface…

There was just the empty beach…the ocean with its secrets…and Kelsey.

“Justin!” she screamed again. Panic-stricken she ran into the water, gasping as it crept up her thighs. It was her the ocean had wanted, not Justin, but she had tempted it too far, and now she would be punished for her daring. She had cheated it once…and it would keep trying and trying until—“Justin! Where are you? Answer me!”