Read Online Her Sworn Enemy (Men of the Zodiac) by Theresa Meyers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Theresa Meyers
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scan of the site first, and if we find it has potential, get a photomosaic of the site. We’ll send out the sonar imaging on a non-disturbance survey of about 80 parallel transit line spaced less than a meter apart at a constant altitude of 2.5 meters over the site. In the end, we should have almost three thousand individual images that the computer will stitch together into one big mosaic. It’ll be like looking at a wallpaper of the dive site in total. We’ll be able to see where every item is sitting before we ever take the ROV down there.”
“And that photomosaic serves as our undisturbed record of the site before exploration.”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “Right.”
“But that’s brilliant! It’ll make the archeological record much more complete.”
“Now you can understand that there’s a method to my going slow. Sometimes patience is what you need to get the job done right.”
Bella’s stomach did an odd flip-flop, and she let go of the mermaid pendant. While she didn’t know Tuck well, she knew enough to sense he wasn’t just talking about the wreck but about the fragile new relationship between them.
There was a strong attraction, but he truly believed that if he went slow enough and kept at it, she’d give in. Well, if that was the case, then he didn’t know her as well as he thought. Once she dug in her heels about something, she rarely gave in. She was determined not to involve herself with a wealthy man ever again, and particularly not one from his family, no matter on which side of the blanket they were born.
On the surface, Tucker seemed like the type to let the good times roll. He was relaxed, almost leisurely, in the way he did things, and despite being a bit on the intense side when it came to her work, his lax attitude both intrigued and rubbed her the wrong way all at once. Sure, he didn’t have as much invested in finding the Rapid as she did, but he took his work seriously. Didn’t he?
She was beginning to wonder just how far Tuck would go to get what he wanted. And what did he want? Fame and fortune, he’d admitted. Certainly he wanted her in his bed. He’d made that plain enough with his flirting. But what else?
Only now was she beginning to suspect that the unruffled exterior he showcased under a spectacular tan and easy manner was not the whole story. Tuck might cast himself as a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal, better with his hands than his head, but she knew better. His quick wit and keen intelligence still shown through, like light seeping through the cracks of a poorly constructed facade. So what was he hiding from her? And what would it cost her when she found out? Because Bella knew without a doubt, she would discover what Tuck was hiding. It was only a matter of time. And when it came to her family track record with men, whatever it was wouldn’t be good.
“What’s our next move?”
He swiveled in his chair to face her. “Our next move is to have a delicious dinner, and perhaps a bottle of wine or two.”
“I meant on the project,” she said, then realized her voice sounded a bit too stern, even to her own ears.
“The sun is setting. Tomorrow we’ll get results from the scan, pull up the tagged object, and see if we can confirm this is the Rapid , and if it is, then we’ll put acoustical transponders positioned around the site so we have exact measurements of a one-by-one meter grid over the site for the sonar to transverse while it’s taking pictures.”
“Well before that happens, I’d like to talk to the crew, to let them know what they should be looking for to help us in identifying this wreck.”
His eyes grew stormy. “Bella, I appreciate how much work you’ve done in pulling together the details of this wreck, but you have to stop trying to micromanage my crew. They know what they’re doing.”
“But I have the expertise—”
“And so do they. You let them do their job so you can do your job. Fair enough?”
Bella stood up from her
“And that photomosaic serves as our undisturbed record of the site before exploration.”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “Right.”
“But that’s brilliant! It’ll make the archeological record much more complete.”
“Now you can understand that there’s a method to my going slow. Sometimes patience is what you need to get the job done right.”
Bella’s stomach did an odd flip-flop, and she let go of the mermaid pendant. While she didn’t know Tuck well, she knew enough to sense he wasn’t just talking about the wreck but about the fragile new relationship between them.
There was a strong attraction, but he truly believed that if he went slow enough and kept at it, she’d give in. Well, if that was the case, then he didn’t know her as well as he thought. Once she dug in her heels about something, she rarely gave in. She was determined not to involve herself with a wealthy man ever again, and particularly not one from his family, no matter on which side of the blanket they were born.
On the surface, Tucker seemed like the type to let the good times roll. He was relaxed, almost leisurely, in the way he did things, and despite being a bit on the intense side when it came to her work, his lax attitude both intrigued and rubbed her the wrong way all at once. Sure, he didn’t have as much invested in finding the Rapid as she did, but he took his work seriously. Didn’t he?
She was beginning to wonder just how far Tuck would go to get what he wanted. And what did he want? Fame and fortune, he’d admitted. Certainly he wanted her in his bed. He’d made that plain enough with his flirting. But what else?
Only now was she beginning to suspect that the unruffled exterior he showcased under a spectacular tan and easy manner was not the whole story. Tuck might cast himself as a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal, better with his hands than his head, but she knew better. His quick wit and keen intelligence still shown through, like light seeping through the cracks of a poorly constructed facade. So what was he hiding from her? And what would it cost her when she found out? Because Bella knew without a doubt, she would discover what Tuck was hiding. It was only a matter of time. And when it came to her family track record with men, whatever it was wouldn’t be good.
“What’s our next move?”
He swiveled in his chair to face her. “Our next move is to have a delicious dinner, and perhaps a bottle of wine or two.”
“I meant on the project,” she said, then realized her voice sounded a bit too stern, even to her own ears.
“The sun is setting. Tomorrow we’ll get results from the scan, pull up the tagged object, and see if we can confirm this is the Rapid , and if it is, then we’ll put acoustical transponders positioned around the site so we have exact measurements of a one-by-one meter grid over the site for the sonar to transverse while it’s taking pictures.”
“Well before that happens, I’d like to talk to the crew, to let them know what they should be looking for to help us in identifying this wreck.”
His eyes grew stormy. “Bella, I appreciate how much work you’ve done in pulling together the details of this wreck, but you have to stop trying to micromanage my crew. They know what they’re doing.”
“But I have the expertise—”
“And so do they. You let them do their job so you can do your job. Fair enough?”
Bella stood up from her
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