The Reef

well. Nothing stirred but the gulls.
    She decided she would go ashore later that morning on the supply run. But for now, she would enjoy a quiet, solitary swim.
    She slipped into the water, letting it flow over her shoulders as she tipped her head back. It was just cool enough to refresh. Treading water lazily, she turned a slow circle. Her sigh of delight turned into a gasp as something grabbed her leg and pulled her under.
    She sputtered furiously to the surface. Behind his mask, Matthew’s eyes glinted.
    “Sorry, hard to resist. I was just doing some free diving and saw these legs poke through the water. You’ve got great legs, Red. All the way up.”
    “It’s a very big sea, Matthew,” she said primly. “Go play somewhere else.”
    “Why don’t you go get a mask and come down with me?”
    “Not interested.”
    “I’ve got a bag of crackers in the pocket of my trunks.” He reached over to pluck a strand of wet hair from her face. “Don’t you want to feed the fish?”
    She did, but only if she’d thought of it first. “No.” Giving him her shoulder, she swam deliberately away.
    He did a neat surface dive, swam under her and came up in her face again. “You used to be fun.”
    “You used to be marginally less annoying.”
    He matched his pace to hers. “Of course, you’d be out of practice diving, spending all your time with computers and robots. That’s probably why even a little snorkeling worries you.”
    “I’m not worried. I dive as well as I ever did. Better.”
    “We’ll have to do some swim-overs while we’re looking for the Isabella. I say you need the practice.”
    “I do not need to practice snorkeling.”
    “Prove it,” he challenged and kicked away from her.
    She lectured herself, cursed him, but she ended up hauling herself back aboard the boat for snorkel gear. The man was an idiot, of course, she told herself, as she dropped into the water again. But he knew what buttons to push. Her only satisfaction would be to show him just how good she was.
    Adjusting her mouthpiece, she skimmed onto the surface. She’d forgotten, until the moment her gaze swept through water to fish and sand, how long it had been since she’d dived—free or scuba—for pleasure only.
    She paddled along dreamily, the challenge forgotten. Until Matthew streaked past beneath her, rolling until they were nearly mask-to-mask. He was grinning, then water fountained out of his pipe above the surface. He cocked his head, gestured down. Without waiting, he jackknifed and left her behind.
    It was all the motivation she needed. She filled her lungs with air and kicked after him.
    This was a world that always lived in her heart. Waving patches of sea grass, clear water, the plains and hillocksof sand. And when Matthew released the broken crackers from the bag he carried, teams of greedy fish.
    They swarmed around her, bodies bright as they nipped and gobbled the feast. One or two were curious enough to stare into her face mask before darting off to join the competition for food. Her lungs were aching before she kicked up, blew her pipe clear and drew in more air.
    Nearly an hour passed before she kicked to the surface. Tate pulled up her mask and lay contentedly on her back to float.
    “Maybe you haven’t lost your touch,” Matthew commented.
    “I haven’t spent all my time in a lab.”
    Because her eyes were closed, he indulged himself and let his fingers comb through the hair that flowed red and silky on the water. “You didn’t come in when we docked at San Juan.”
    “I was busy with other things.” But she’d seen him, swimming powerfully through the water, and working with LaRue on diving lessons.
    “Your thesis.”
    “That’s right.” A faint tug on her hair had her brushing a hand back. Her fingers collided with his.
    “Sorry. What’s your thesis on?”
    Cautious, she let herself drift a few inches away from where he tread water. “You wouldn’t be interested.”
    He said nothing for a moment, surprised by the hot surge of resentment. “You’re probably right.”
    Something in his tone had her opening her eyes again.
    “I barely got through high-school term papers. What would I know about doctorates and theses?”
    “I didn’t mean it that way.” Ashamed of herself, she reached out for his arm before he could go under again.
    “I didn’t. I only meant I didn’t think you’d care about some long-winded technical paper when you’ve already done everything I could write