Chapter 3
That man!
Ellie perched on the edge of her bed, buzzing with a weird kind of electric energy that left her both flustered and excited.
What the hell?
She didn’t know what to make of him. He was certainly efficient, the way he barreled into her, sending her flying. And strong—that effortless force, biceps of steel. She had tried her hardest to throw him off, and since those self-defense classes, she was no pushover. Not anymore.
Yet, he hadn’t so much as budged. Not even an inch. An immovable mountain of stone. A shiver shot threw her at the thought of him sitting on top of her. No way was that his full weight. He'd been holding back, she was sure of it. That made it even more incredible, that he'd rendered her helpless while not even using his full strength. She could only imagine what he'd do to a real intruder.
But why was she so strung out?
She knew why.
Rafael.
Damn him. Ever since the incident, she couldn't be in an even remotely threatening situation without feeling her heart leap and her palms go sweaty as her anxiety spiraled out of control. It had been that way for the last two years.
The security operative had only been doing his job. She'd been the one at fault, not wearing her ID badge.
Typical.
Henderson had warned her. Make sure you have it on you at all times, he’d said.
And what had she done?
The first instance she'd left the room, she'd damn well forgotten it. Simple protocol that she knew and still neglected. It must be the upheaval of the last few days. She blamed jetlag. Her head was all over the place, trying to figure out which time zone she was in.
Picking up the lanyard, she slung it over her head. The ID photograph on the front caught her eye. It wasn't her finest moment, but it wasn't bad. In her business suit, hair clipped up, a smattering of make-up, she looked like the seasoned professional she was.
Three years working for a petrochemical company in Saudi Arabia, then another two in Scotland. This wasn't her first time in the field, so she should be used to the protocols by now.
Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to calm down. Well, she wasn't about to let the Beast ruin her first day on the job. No, sir.
Looking around the room, she realized her yoga mat was still lying up on the helipad.
Crap.
Now she'd have to sneak back and get it. The last thing she wanted to do was run into the Beast again, but she couldn't leave it there. Once the chopper began transporting people to the rig, someone would remove it, then she'd have a hard time finding it and would probably get reprimanded for leaving it there. Worse, it could blow off and be gone forever.
Reluctantly, she got up, her body complaining at the sudden movement. Lifting her T-shirt, she inspected her bruised ribs. Great, just great. That was where he'd smashed into her. Her elbow stung too, where she'd scraped it on the deck when she'd fallen.
She sighed. No real harm done. It would heal in due course. Once, she'd tripped and fallen down a set of steel steps on the North Sea rig, and that had hurt a damn sight more.
Careful not to wake Suzi, Ellie opened the cabin door then ventured back topside. The sky was softening in the east, where a thin sliver of liquid sun was just poking its head over the very flat horizon.
It was stunning, and she gasped in delight. It had been a while since she’d seen a sunrise so breathtaking.
In Scotland, the sky had always been fifty shades of gray, and in the Middle East, the sun had seemed to pop up, already fully formed, a bright, burning fireball.
Pity to waste it. The deck was still quiet, with nobody on duty yet. The Beast was nowhere to be seen, and apart from the odd creak of machinery and the soft whistle of the warm breeze through the metal beams of the rig, it was just her and the sky and the vast ocean.
Perfect for a sun salutation.
This way she'd still get her routine in, albeit a shortened version. God knew she needed it, especially now with the bruises on her side and her stiffening elbow.
Yoga had always been her reset button. She'd taken it up after the incident with Rafael as a way to calm her anxiety, and it had worked. She didn't suffer nearly so much anymore.
It was only when something bad happened, like today, when she flipped, and it all came rushing back. She hadn't had a panic attack like this morning's for almost a year now.
The ocean had a calming effect. Feeling more composed, she stepped onto her mat then brought her hands together in the prayer position. Slowly, she lifted her arms upward, hands still together, stretching her body backward slightly, opening her chest and focusing on the stretch. Breathe, she heard her yoga instructor say.
She bent forward from the waist, trying to clear her mind, but like a tune that wouldn't go away, she kept seeing him sitting on top of her, his massive hand forcing hers above her head.
Her breath came faster, and she fought to still it. Placing her hands flat on her mat, she focused on the stretch in her back and legs and not on the probing look in his eyes that had burned into her.
It was insane how easily he'd overpowered her. Frightening, really. And after all the training she'd done to ensure that exact situation didn't happen again.
Okay, she was rattled. Well and truly freaked out. What had happened this morning was a reminder that no matter how strong she'd become, she was still weaker than a man.
Goddammit.
That annoyed her.
Inhaling more sharply than she wanted, she stepped her right leg back, dropping her knee to the floor, feeling the pull in her hip flexors.
The sky was a fading midnight blue, the exact hue of his eyes. Hissing out an annoyed breath, she extended her other leg and assumed the stick pose, bringing her body into a straight line.
For some reason, it was unusually hard to balance. Her core stability was shot—and she knew exactly who to blame for that.
The sun rose above the horizon, and the the peachy-orange sky burst outward. Ellie reveled in the warmth on her face, as she lowered her body to a prone position. Soaking in the energy, she closed her eyes, pushed through her hands, and curved her spine.
Damn, this felt great.
Slowly, she was coming alive.
As she straightened her arms and legs to form an inverted V, the tension of the last few hours finally dissipated. The fear she'd been harboring began to subside, and her natural confidence came back.
It had been a case of mistaken identity. He'd thought she was an intruder, prowling around on deck dressed in black.
Who could blame him?
But it wouldn't happen again, not now he knew who she was.
Ellie went through the remainder of the yoga sequence, feeling herself grow stronger with every asana. Finally, when she brought her arms down and came to rest in the prayer position, she felt like a new woman.
Today was a fresh start, an opportunity to advance her career by leading a project she was passionate about. The Explorer would unearth test samples and she would analyze them and determine their viability. She was a strong, capable, independent woman.
She was not a victim.
As the sun rose higher and workers started appearing on deck, she picked up her mat and headed to her cabin. There was still plenty of time for a shower and breakfast in the cafeteria before starting her shift. It was going to be a good day.
Ellie stared at the data on the computer screen in front of her. Okay, maybe her earlier optimism had been slightly premature. She’d just run a test on the samples from the first site through the X-ray fluorescence analyzer, which gave her an idea of the quality and composition of the various elements within the samples.
Except it didn’t contain what she was expecting.
Usually, in viable samples, she found light hydrocarbons, low contaminants, and a degree of rock permeability. All the geological surveys had pointed to that being true, but what she was seeing was the complete opposite.
Puzzled, she mulled over the results. It didn't add up. Was it possible they were drilling in the wrong place? Not likely. Had there been a mistake with the coordinates? That was possible, but it would be a very expensive error, if it was. And Suzi would have double-checked the survey reports before she input the coordinates into the system.
Ellie decided she’d check the geological report herself.
Getting up, she left her lab and headed to the control center. This was the hub of the rig from where the drilling operations were directed.
She rounded a corner and…
“Oomph!” The air wheezed out of her like a punctured balloon.
Reeling, she staggered backward, her legs flying out from under her. She put out an arm to steady herself, but instead of the cold wall encountered something almost as hard but much hotter.
His torso.
An arm shot out and hooked around her waist, preventing her from falling over. In one smooth movement, he lifted her up then deposited her back on her feet. It happened so fast, it made her head spin.
"Holy crap, it's you."
They were pinned together, her hands spread over his chest. She felt his muscles tense beneath her fingers, surprised by the heat it stirred.
A terse response. "It's me."
Those midnight blue slits glinted down at her, jolting her back to her senses. Unlike this morning, he wasn't dressed in combat gear but instead wore a pair of shorts and a casual T-shirt with a surfing logo on it. It made him look less severe, more carefree. She could almost picture him on a beach in Cali, a surfboard under his arm.
"We have to stop meeting like this,” he said, dryly.
"Sorry." She lifted her hands off his chest. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
The glint changed to a concerned frown, and he gently released her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you," she added, as an afterthought, her face burning.
He fixed that unnerving blue gaze on her, and she was sure she saw a flicker of admiration. "I see you're calling the shots now."
"Huh?" She wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. In her head, she was still squished against him, feeling his body heat, his arms looped around her waist.
"Well, you rock up and the next day things start happening." He nodded toward the control room where a noisy hum sounded, accompanied by deep vibrations signaling drilling was in progress.
"They're drilling the fourth test well," she explained, looking down—anywhere but at him. If only the heat in her cheeks would calm down. "They're on a schedule, which doesn't have anything to do with me. I'm just here to analyze the samples."
That served as a reminder. She needed to get to the control center to take a look at those survey maps. "If you'll excuse me."
"Sure." He stepped aside, letting her pass. She caught a whiff of men's aftershave. Warm and spicy with a smokey hue that lingered after she'd passed by. Actually, it wasn't lingering, it was on her blouse.
Great.
It wasn't enough that he'd invaded her thoughts. Now she'd be smelling him for the rest of the day too.