At His Service: Her Boss the Hero: One Night With Her Boss / Her Very Special Boss / The Surgeon's Marriage Proposal. Alison Roberts

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СКАЧАТЬ and that had been the only occasion she had fumbled at all with releasing her harness. She’d stayed admirably calm on the next try, managing to open the door herself when she had a turn on that side of the ‘fuselage’.

      Even having the crate rotated on their last attempt hadn’t fazed her, but the real test was coming. Now, when they were cold and feeling the kind of exhaustion that came after bodies were pushed to keep releasing high levels of adrenaline. The instructor was thinking ahead as well.

      ‘This one’s the biggie,’ he warned. ‘Upside down. You’ve got to hold your breath, release your harness, find the door and orient yourself before you swim to the surface.’ He was looking at Mikki. ‘This isn’t compulsory, any more than the blackout goggles are. It’s your call.’

      Would she do it? Tama wouldn’t blame her if she declined. She’d proved herself already as far as he was concerned. Outstandingly quick in the classroom and gutsy as hell so far in the practical.

      ‘Mikki?’ The instructor had moved so that he towered over the shortest member of the crew. ‘You’ve probably done enough for your first HUET. Want to call it quits for the day and get warm and dry?’

      Mikki didn’t hesitate. ‘No,’ she said.

      Tama exchanged a meaningful glance with Josh and mirrored the raised eyebrows but hid his grin.

      Go, the mouse!

      ‘I want to do it,’ Mikki added firmly. ‘I’d rather find out how tough it is in a controlled environment than in some lake or out at sea.’

      It was ridiculous to feel so proud of her. Puzzling, in fact. Tama knew he was frowning as he spoke up.

      ‘I don’t want Mikki by the door. We need someone who’s confident of opening it fast.’

      ‘You want that spot?’

      ‘Sure. I’ll have some goggles, too, thanks.’

      ‘Right. Let’s get into this, guys. I reckon you’ll all be pretty keen to get this over and done with.’

      He wasn’t wrong.

      Tama had done this before but he still felt a flutter of nerves with the lurch as the crate was swung up and then over the deep pool. Maybe those nerves were there because he had done it before. From knowing how easily panic could claw at you and how hard it could be to fight it taking hold. How incredibly disorienting it was to be upside down underwater.

      His senses were heightened by wearing the blackout goggles. He could hear the shouts of people poolside, operating the machinery or just watching in fascination. He could smell the chlorine and feel the chafe of wet clothing and the heaviness of his boots.

      And he could sense Mikki strapped into the seat beside his position near the door. Steve and Josh were in the front seats of this skeletal ‘helicopter’. It was just Tama and Mikki here at the back and he was even more aware of how tiny she was. Fragile? Not on your life. Vulnerable? Quite possibly. Wasn’t everybody in some circumstances?

      Slowly, the crate was turned until they were upside down. Hanging in their harnesses with blood rushing to their heads and effort needed to stop limbs dangling inconveniently. For a moment, Tama regretted opting for the blackout goggles. With the next lurch that signified their descent came a real flash of concern for Mikki. He wanted to be able to see her to gauge how she was coping with hanging like this. Whether she had any idea at all that this was about to get one hell of a lot harder.

      Right … now … as their heads reached water level and the downward momentum continued.

      Tama remembered to keep his mouth shut and hold his breath. He may not be able to see the bubbles escaping but he could hear them and feel them. It was like being immersed in a huge effervescent drink. He waited until it was quiet and still. And in that moment of quiet, with everything totally black came something like a faint wash of panic. Not for himself. For the princess.

      Because, despite the short length of their acquaintanceship, Tama knew perfectly well that Mikayla Elliot did not have a princess mentality, no matter what her background was. She was tiny but, man, she was tough. Currently a lone female in a male world. An ultimately feminine one at that. Her size gave her the pathos of the runt of the litter. Her career choice made her a maverick.

      They had that in common, didn’t they? Never mind that her sheer guts had earned his genuine respect. He had the feeling there were more surprises in store with this woman and he didn’t want to miss out on any of them. Most of all, right now he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.

      With more haste than he would otherwise have employed, Tama used one hand to unclip his harness and with the other hand he reached for the door control and unlocked it. He shoved the door open. Now he should pull himself through it, turn the right way up and kick for the surface before his lungs started to really complain about the lack of fresh oxygen.

      He couldn’t do it. With no vision, he couldn’t be sure that Mikki had freed herself from her harness. She’d had that momentary fumble on the first try, hadn’t she? The rocking of the crate and sounds he could hear all seemed to be generated from the space Steve and Josh were occupying.

      Those sounds diminished rapidly. Within seconds, Tama instinctively knew it was just himself and Mikki left in this crate, under metres of water. He could imagine Josh and Steve breaking the surface and climbing from the pool. Joining the spectators to watch and wait for the remaining crew members. How long before they started to feel anxious? For alarm to become apparent? For someone to jump in and rescue Mikki?

      Keeping one hand on the doorframe to keep himself oriented, Tama pushed back and then extended his other arm.

      Feeling for Mikki. Ready to unclip her harness and haul her to safety if necessary.

      It didn’t matter a damn if she needed assistance to complete this assignment. It’s what he would do for any crew member if this was for real, wasn’t it?

      And, dammit, Mikki was part of his crew now.

      The hand touched her just as panic threatened to turn Mikki’s brain to mush and make her cry out for help, even with the background knowledge that the action would speed up the process of drowning.

      She reached out with her hand and found it grasped securely. With her other hand she finally managed to unclip her harness and wriggle free.

      Tama was pulling her forward.

      To safety.

      Her lungs hurt. She couldn’t tell which way was up and if Tama hadn’t had hold of her hand she could have been in real trouble. His upward kick as she cleared the crate was strong enough to propel them both towards the surface but it took a fraction too long. Mikki’s lungs gave up the struggle to hold her breath a fraction too early. She took some water in with that first frantic gulp of air and began coughing and spluttering.

      ‘You OK, Mouse?’

      Tama had his arms right around her and it took a moment for Mikki to realise she was clinging to his neck as he trod water out in the middle of the dive pool. She tried to answer but couldn’t speak yet. She tried to move but Tama’s hold tightened.

      ‘Be still,’ he advised calmly. ‘Get your breath back.’

      There СКАЧАТЬ