Proximity
Book Two of the Wanderlust Series
by
Amber Lea Easton
Blurb:
Love sometimes hides in
plain sight.
Savannah is one of the
boys—fun loving, adventurous, a general contractor, and dive master
extraordinaire. There isn't much she takes seriously about herself, or at least
that's the impression she likes to give off. Women often misjudge her based on
her looks so she's gravitated toward a group of men who accept her 'as is'—her
Scuba diving club.
Bill has known Savannah's
wild side for years and has been comfortable playing the role of best friend.
As part of the Dallas Divers, he's shared many adventures with the group from
diving the Blue Hole in Belize to exploring the Great Barrier Reef in
Australia. When the team heads out to Costa Rica for a series of cave dives, he
knows something is off but can't justify his nerves.
Catastrophe happens
shortly after their immersion in the cave. With the entrance blocked from an
earthquake and separated from the rest of their team, Savannah and Bill are
forced to find another way out while battling aftershocks, rising tides, and an
undeniable attraction that they've ignored for too long. The question becomes,
what's more dangerous...the earthquake or love?
**The Wanderlust Series
consists of stand-alone adventure romance novels. Occasionally, characters from
previous novels may make a cameo, but each story truly does stand on its own
merits.
Purchase Links:
Author Interview:
Q: Can you tell us a little about the
Wanderlust Series as a whole?
A: I
originally started writing this series for my own entertainment as an author.
Anonymity, the first in the series, came about after I had written a serious
nonfiction book and needed to cleanse my mind and have some fun. I loosely
based it on a trip my late husband and I took to Belize—adventure tended to
follow us wherever we went! After that, people who read Anonymity loved the
secondary characters, Bill and Savannah. I decided at that point to create a
series of adventure oriented romance novels that take place all over the world
to share my both my love of travel and my love of human relationships. I hope
to transport readers to these places where they can experience the world
without ever leaving their homes. It's my intention to give them a fun read
with captivating characters in fascinating places.
Q: What's the best part of traveling,
from your perspective?
A:
To me, the best part of traveling is truly immersing myself in the culture of
the place I'm visiting. I always start out with a sense of wonder and
curiosity—no matter if I'm traveling to the Caribbean or Iowa. I want to leave
with a sense of the people who live there and with knowledge of the place I've
been. What's the food like? How is it different than where I call home? What
makes the people there happy? I always leave on a trip expecting to learn
something and am never disappointed.
Q: When thinking of these stories, what
comes first? Setting or characters?
A:
Characters come first for me. It doesn't matter if I'm writing romance
adventure or romantic suspense, it is always the characters that I envision
first. They tell me the story from that point forward.
Q: Do you have any writing habits that
get you in the creative mood?
A: Yes, I love to write with music and candles. I get into my zone when I'm at
my desk, a particular soundtrack going that suits my mood at the moment, and
either candles or incense burning. Oh, and my dogs. I always have at least one
nearby.
Q: Speaking of adventure, what's the
most adventurous thing you've ever done?
A: I
swam with sharks—intentionally. I thought they were magnificent creatures and I
came away with a deep appreciation of their beauty and grace. There have been
many more experiences that some might call adventurous, but I ultimately
believe the best is yet to come.
Excerpt:
Although
she usually preferred diving in the Caribbean with its turquoise warm water and
sea life, Savannah had to admit that cave diving created a much more primal and
intimate experience with nature. She released Bill's hand and moved close to
the wall to investigate what appeared to be a marine fossil embedded into the
limestone wall. She traced her fingers
over the curving image, knowing Bill would follow. Dive partners for years,
they were in sync with each other's every movement and breath once in the
water.
The mass
of him slipped next to her, his light flickering over the wall before he
motioned for her to look at him. Holding an underwater camera to his face, he
snapped a photo of her next to the fossil.
She
grinned over her regulator and winked at him through the mask. As usual, they
fell behind the rest of the group. Both had an insatiable curiosity and were
known for being the last to surface or the first to get in trouble.
When he
moved away, she allowed her gaze to skim over his broad back, tight ass, and
long legs. That kiss last night had not only thrown her off balance, but had
also set off a series of anxiety attacks about the possibility of losing her
best friend. Hooking up with Bill had never been an option for her. Not because
he wasn't hot as hell but because of the curse.
Every
man who had ever loved her had died, with the exception of her father who had
come damn close six months ago.
She
shook her head to rid herself of the thought and caught up to him. Of course,
him suddenly crossing the line into wannabe lover didn't equal love. She understood that, yet there had
been something incredibly intense about that kiss that made her jump to
conclusions.
Maybe I'm the one in love.
Impossible. With Bill?
Too dangerous.
Bill? He's too comfortable, too predictable,
too geeky, too stable, too nice.
I would wreck him.
And that would destroy me.
There's no way I'm in love with Bill.
Get out of your head and focus, damn it.
The
sound of her own breathing competed with the echo of her heartbeat in her ears.
Bubbles danced around her face. Only the lights from their headlamps pierced
the dark water for glimpses of coral, curling stalagmites piercing up from the
depths, and the occasional fossil or pre-Columbian artifacts embedded in the
limestone.
She took
the lead when presented with a narrow passage that would only allow one body
through at a time. The beam of her light showed an almost bottomless deep
darkness beneath them surrounded by narrow white walls topped by low hanging
stalactites that looked ominously like a series of nails.
Once
free of the narrow stretch, she stretched her arms to her sides to simply
indulge in having space around her. When Bill gave her the sign indicating he
wanted to surface, she immediately followed suit.
"Breathtaking,"
she gasped at the sight of a sixty-foot waterfall sliding over twisted sheaths
of ancient coral and limestone. A sliver of light from the surface danced on
the water. Pushing her mask to the top of her head, she blinked at the beauty,
not bothering to reach for the camera dangling from her vest because she knew
that nothing would capture the sight as vividly as a memory.
"We've
lost everyone," he said, swimming to a shelf of rock and pulling himself
out of the water. "I'll take a look at that map."
"I
thought you memorized it," she said with as much sarcasm as she could
muster.
She
joined him on the rock while continuing to gaze at the waterfall. Underground
rivers were fascinating places, full of surprises and undiscovered treasures.
She indulged in the tranquility of the sound of rushing water piercing the
profound silence of the cave.
"We're
on track, just behind them, that's all. We didn't get lost somehow." He
shoved the map back inside his dry bag before leaning against the limestone and
looking up at the waterfall.
"What's
wrong with them? Why wouldn't they linger here for as long as possible? It's
breathtaking."
Both sat
there for a few minutes without speaking or taking their gaze from the
streaming water. The idea that they were seeing something so rare that maybe
less than a dozen other humans had ever laid eyes on it embedded in her mind.
"About
those high stakes you mentioned..." Bill curved his hand around the back
of her neck and pulled her close.
"Bill—"
"You
need to stop saying my name like you're shocked that I want to kiss you."
A fraction away, he looked her in the eye. "Am I that unappealing?"
"No,
I just—"
"Isn't
this a romantic setting? Just the two of us sitting in front of a waterfall in
a secluded cave far beneath the surface of the earth? How many people do you
think have kissed in this spot?" His lips were a whisper away from hers.
"We could be the first."
Desire
stirred deep in her gut. She slid her mouth against his, feeling like this
exploration was more dangerous than any other adventure she'd ever dared. An
electric current sizzled across her lips before zapping across the skin of her
face. Even her hair tingled. Hands clenched against the cool rock shelf beneath
them, she smiled against his mouth.
"Surprised?"
he asked before teasing his tongue over hers.
"Shocked,"
she admitted.
"And
here I thought my reputation preceded me." He sucked at her lower lip,
hazel eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Oh,
it definitely does, but that works against you, my friend." She laughed
before he plunged his tongue deep into her mouth and made her forget her
apprehension. She pushed his mask from the top of his head and gripped his wet
hair as if her life depended on being close to him.
He
grabbed her hips and yanked her against his chest. His air tank clanked against
the rock as her thigh slid between his. The hooks of their BCUs knocked
together, reminding them of the limitations of their impromptu make-out
session.
"I
can't tell who's winning or losing," she whispered against his mouth after
remembering their little game.
"If
you chicken out, I win...or maybe lose...and you let me leave." He slid
his finger down her face, lips still clinging to hers. "Because I want
you, Savannah. I want the whole sha-bang."
"Why
now?" She couldn't stop kissing or touching him. Here in this cave
sequestered away from the rest of the world all things felt possible and doubts
felt sacrilegious.
"Because
I can't take one more superficial relationship when the real thing is right in
front of me."
"I
don't want to lose my friend." She framed his face in between her palms.
"Is
this you diving into the ditch?" He quirked an eyebrow.
Remembering
their challenge, she licked a drop of water from his chin before grinning
against his skin. "Like I said, your reputation precedes you and I don't
believe for one minute that you're serious about the whole sha-bang business.
You're playing with me, going through some fucked up shit because you're
terrified—"
"—Are
you a clinical psychologist all of the sudden?"
"Your
business has hit the big time, socialites are hunting you, and I'm safe
Savannah. That's all I am."
"You're
wrong."
"I'm
your safe place to fall, just like you're mine. Although you do kiss like a
dream, I'll give you that."
"Thanks
for that small crumb of encouragement." He smiled, but his eyes looked
sad. "I can't live in limbo, Savannah, and I don't think there's anything
safe about you."
"Then
the game continues." She leaned back from him, lifted the mask she'd
knocked off of his head and placed it gently back in place before meeting his
gaze. Regret for all that could never be stirred between them in that instant.
She straightened his headlamp and patted him on the shoulders. "We'd
better find everyone before they get worried."
Anger
flashed in his eyes before he slid off the shelf and back into the water. With
one last look at the waterfall, he shoved the regulator back in his mouth and
motioned for him to follow.
She
looked up at the sliver of light and wondered who the winner would be if she
surrendered to temptation and indulged in an affair with Bill. Unfortunately,
she believed that they'd both lose if that line were ever crossed...but, damn,
she craved him more and more with each kiss.
She sank
beneath the surface and kicked after him, the beam of light from her headlamp
illuminating the shape of his legs moving a few feet in front of her. He took
the lead through the next narrow passage lined with sharp stalactites and
stalagmites that made her feel as if they were navigating between the teeth of
a mystical creature.
The roar
came from the deep. Water started to toss and churn around them, slamming their
bodies into the slick walls at their sides. A piece of limestone from above
crashed down, barely missing her arm.
She
grabbed Bill's ankle to stay connected and also to keep her bearings as the
world suddenly spun out of control. Unable to surface and unable to communicate
with each other in the narrow space, they had no choice but to keep going
forward. She trusted him to press on, kept her eyes locked on the falling
chunks of debris, and kicked hard to keep pace.
Finally,
the space opened up, but the rocking of the cave increased. In sync, they
surfaced and grabbed each other for support against the slamming water.
"What
the hell?" she asked after spitting out her regulator.
He
looked at her through his mask, eyes wide beneath his headlamp. He held onto
her while rocks fell from the cave ceiling and the water sloshed against them.
She
wrapped her legs around his hips so they wouldn't get separated and yelled, "Earthquake!"
About the Author:
Amber Lea Easton is a
multi-published author of both nonfiction and fiction. Smart is sexy, according
to Easton, which is why she writes strong female heroines who encounter their
fair share of challenges but ultimately persevere. In addition to being an
author, Easton is also an editor, speaker, and mother of two exceptional young
adults. Find out more about her books by visiting http://www.amberleaeaston.com
"Live in the sunshine,
swim the sea, drink the wild air..."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Your Comments Encourage
♥ Thank
you ♥
♥ °*"˜✿˜"*° ♥
Please Feel Free to
Share
Live ~ Laugh ~ Love
with Passion
Heath's jaw clenched, like he was bracing himself for something. “I don’t think I have time for lunch.” 
