Yours Truly (Billionaires and Brides 2)

sharks for research or rehabilitation. We had several sheds set up by the pens to hold more equipment and gear.

The house backed out onto the water with a little dock for our two research boats. The building had once been a decently sized home, but Dr. Algos had transformed it into a marine biology research station over twenty years before I had even arrived. The only part of it that actually looked like a house anymore was the outside. The three bedrooms were now for research assistants and their projects, the living room was filled with different sized fish tanks, and the dining room was full of computers and research equipment. Even the kitchen had an attached area where we could prep shark bait.

Dr. Algos was out loading one of the boats. I headed down the dock toward the boat, filling my mouth with the second egg.

“Hi, Izzy,” Dr. Algos called out as soon as he saw me. “Good night last night?”

“Hey, Doc. I made awesome good tips. Where are you off to?” I asked.

“Tagging. There have been some hammerheads spotted over by Shark Tooth Rock. Brooke and I going to try and get a transmitter on 'em.” Doc straightened from loading the boat and shaded his face with his hand. “You know when Lucas and Devon get back from the mainland?”

He was a tall, lean man with graying hair that he kept cropped close to his head. He had permanent sunglasses lines around his warm brown eyes. His love was the ocean. Sharks, rays, fish, dolphins- if it swam, he studied it. He had been studying marine biology for longer than I had been alive. His love of the ocean was a big part of why I was out here helping him with his research.

“They'll be back tomorrow evening. Devon said his dissertation went well,” I told him. “They promise they'll bring as much peanut butter and mainland goodies as they can fit in their suitcases.”

“Mmm, peanut butter,” Brooke said as she walked past me with her arms full of chum buckets. She somehow made carrying bloody fish look sexy. Some days I hated Brooke. She was possibly the most beautiful person I had ever met. Tall, with legs that stretched into infinity, she also had perfectly sculpted abs and a megawatt smile. The thing was, she knew she was gorgeous, but she only used the advantage at the bars. She was also one of the nicest people I knew, and my best friend and roommate on the island.

Dr. Algos turned back to me. “You're in the pen today, Izzy. Feed and check the pups, and then you can have the rest of the day off. I don't want you doing any more research until we know we'll have assured access to the Grove.”

I nodded. “Have you heard anything from the lawyers?”

Doc shook his head. “Nope. I put another call in, but I they haven't responded yet. It looks like the auction date is pushed back again. Try not to worry, okay?”

I smiled and nodded. Not worrying was far easier said than done. The Grove was supposed to be the site of my doctoral project as well as a nature preserve. There was a perfect mangrove outcropping just down the road from the research center. The mangroves grew out on a promontory that stretched out into the ocean making a unique habitat. Numerous species of sharks, fish, and marine life used the mangroves to harbor their young until they were big enough to survive in the open ocean. The only problem was that it was on private property. That hadn't been a problem until the owner, who had given us permission to use it, suddenly died. The land was set to go up for auction.

We teamed up with several other scientists, hoping to buy the property and turn it into a wildlife reserve. The local government wasn't being much help in the process, but we were determined to save the Grove. Unfortunately, it was a prime piece of real estate, and we were going to be cutting it close as it was. The land was due to go up for auction any day now, and I hoped we had enough. If we weren't successful, then the best we could hope for was that the new owner would still allow us access.

Doc already had grant money lined up to investigate how the nursery habitat of mangrove trees influenced the growth of lemon sharks as part of his current investigations. I had already done months of prep and to get it ready. I had risked it, not knowing we would lose access and already started on some of my research. The Grove was perfect for the thesis I had in mind. If the new owner denied us access, then I had to figure out a new project and my work would be for nothing. Dr. Algos' grant money would disappear. It was all dependent on the Grove.

I shook my head, clearing the negative thoughts. There was nothing I could do about it right now, and worrying wasn't going to make it better. I was just offered a day off and I was going to take it. I had a new book I wanted to read and I knew a little patch of beach that was just calling my name.

“You two have fun. Catch lots of sharks,” I called out as Brooke and Dr. Algos climbed aboard the small motor boat. Brooke waved as they cast off and headed into the dark blue waters to find their quarry. I watched them disappear toward the horizon for a moment before turning and heading toward the pens.

We had two permanent pens and a third temporary one that we could set up when we did large population counts. They looked a lot like swimming pools, except they were attached to the ocean and filled with sand. Only one had occupants, and they were my favorites.

Sitting quietly on the sandy bottom were two baby nurse sharks. Two baby lemon sharks swam in lazy circles above them. The two lemon sharks were part of a tagging program while the two nurse sharks had been found tangled in fishing line.

I waded into the shallow water, a familiar thrill coursing through my skin. Every time I got in the water with these creatures, my heart would surge with excitement. These little two-foot long babies would soon be the apex predators in the ocean. I waded out to one of the nurse sharks, moving slowly and deliberately. The first was easy to catch and I checked it over to make sure that it was healing appropriately. I loved the rough shark skin against my fingers.

I let it go and found the second, performing the same check. They looked healthy and were putting on weight. A veterinarian would come by in a couple of days and check them out again, but I had a wonderful suspicion that we would be releasing them back into the Grove soon. Yet another reason I wanted the Grove to survive.

I finished checking out the sharks and giving them their feeding. I loved working with the sharks. They were beautiful and deadly, but surprisingly gentle and timid. I had even noticed personality traits the longer I worked with them.

“Bye, guys, see you tomorrow,” I told the little sharks as I stepped out of their pool and put their feeding supplies away. They didn't respond, but I didn't care.

Heading back inside, I stripped out of the wetsuit and put on my favorite tankini. Brooke kept trying to convince me to wear one of her itsy-bitsy bikinis, but I liked my more conservative swimsuit choice. I dropped a sundress over my head and grabbed my beach bag. It was time for a relaxing day reading and taking in some vitamin D.

Sandcastle Kisses: Chapter 6

My beach spot was on the same property as the Grove, but since it didn't technically have a new owner yet, I figured it was still safe to use as my tanning spot. I set up my towel on a patch of sand and sat down. From my spot, I could see the edge of the Grove as well as a pristine sandy beach. I loved the Grove. Just being near it made my day better.

A slender woman with dark hair came out of the shadows of the mangroves. She had on khaki shorts with a cute little t-shirt and boots that shouldn't have been in the salty, mucky water of the Grove. She wore an annoyed, sour expression on her face as she headed along a small path back toward the town center. I shook my head at her. Tourists were always doing weird things on the island.

I dug my toes into the sand, feeling the cool damp of deeper sand mix with the hot dry of the top. The waves shushed gently at the shore, whispering soft nothings that I loved to hear. The sky was clear and blue. Like Noah's eyes.

My mind went to the night before and to the dreams I had in the morning. Those eyes were going to fuel my dreams for a while. He was more handsome than was fair for a human being. He was also a tourist. No way I was going to get my heart broken for someone who was going to leave me in a week to return to their real life. I had done the right thing turning him down.

“Hi, Izzy,” a deep voice greeted me, throwing me completely off balance. Standing before me in board shorts and a skin tight t-shirt was the very gorgeous Noah. I wasn't sure how he pulled it off, but he was somehow even more attractive today. He took off his dark sunglasses and smiled down at me.