turned.
She sensed he knew it too.
Lauren grabbed hold of his waist, not so much as a conscious decision as just raw instinct, basking in the warmth his body provided for another moment.
A thin layer of mesh kept her naked skin from his bare chest.
Reminding herself that he’d likely saved her life back there in the water, again, she decided her attraction to him was really gratitude, nothing more. And what did it matter? No matter how strong her feelings for him were at the moment, they wouldn’t last. Lauren didn’t do “close.” Not since her mother. Not since her brother. Not since opening up to her young and handsome English professor who’d made her almost believe in the redemptive power of love until she got a nasty phone call from his wife. Jerk.
The winds kicked up to a cacophony of lightning flashes against the backdrop of heavy clouds and thunder.
She regained her senses and stood up.
Lauren took a big risk in coming here to save her brother and had immediately been thrust into a whole new stratosphere filled with danger, death, and a desire she might never right herself from again.
Chapter Four
Thunder cracked as a lightning bolt raced sideways across the sky. Jaden’s ears rang, his head pounded. Lauren’s wide golden eyes threatened to fracture the emotional wall he’d built.
The air was heavy and thick.
She’s an asset. This is a mission.
Jaden focused his gaze on the surf. Something white bobbing up and down in the water caught his eye.
Lauren must’ve seen it about the same time because she sprang to her feet. “What’s that?”
“Can’t tell from here.” Jaden eased up until he was standing, every bump and bruise he’d acquired that day thumping with pain. “I’ll check it out.”
She paused, studied his face, and said, “Might be something we could use to get off these rocks.”
“Or nothing. A piece of sail.”
She strained to look. “That’s bigger than a sail.”
“Let’s see if it can help us.”
Jaden crouched down at the edge of the water. The swells had momentarily lightened up. Good. The winds were fairly calm. Better. He scanned the water. No fins. Didn’t necessarily mean no sharks. He sighed sharply.
All he could do was pray the tiger shark was gone while he looked for any other potential danger in the water, as sprays splashed up and over the rocks surrounding him.
Jaden checked his leg. No blood. Good. Sharks were drawn to blood. In fact, one could detect a droplet of the red juice in a million drops of water and smell it within a quarter mile of its snout. If a shark was near, it’d investigate. That much he already knew. He double-checked his cut. It was good. The makeshift bandage she’d made had stopped the bleeding.
Wading waist-high, he counted the waves, and on three dove into one.
He squinted, trying to get a better look at the mystery object. He didn’t have to swim long before reaching it. A wind surfing board. Looked to be in decent condition and like it would hold his weight.
This would keep them out of the water, insulate them against dangers lurking there. He planted his gaze on Lauren with laser precision as he paddled to the shoreline. Didn’t take long to reach the rocky coast. He rolled off the board and examined it properly.
“Not bad. Rig and the sail have been ripped clean off though. Still, it should work.”
***
“How bad were the waves out there?” Lauren asked, touching a small cut on his arm.
“Got tossed around a little.”
Jaden’s gaze shifted to the sky, and then back to the water. “We have to make our move.”
“Can you?”
“No choice.”
True, but as Lauren followed him to the pile of equipment, the thought of leaving the relative safety of the island and facing the unknown in the ocean tightened her insides. At least on the lumps of barren brown, they weren’t battling the treacherous seas and dangers lurking just below the surface.
Sure, she could handle swimming a short distance, but
She sensed he knew it too.
Lauren grabbed hold of his waist, not so much as a conscious decision as just raw instinct, basking in the warmth his body provided for another moment.
A thin layer of mesh kept her naked skin from his bare chest.
Reminding herself that he’d likely saved her life back there in the water, again, she decided her attraction to him was really gratitude, nothing more. And what did it matter? No matter how strong her feelings for him were at the moment, they wouldn’t last. Lauren didn’t do “close.” Not since her mother. Not since her brother. Not since opening up to her young and handsome English professor who’d made her almost believe in the redemptive power of love until she got a nasty phone call from his wife. Jerk.
The winds kicked up to a cacophony of lightning flashes against the backdrop of heavy clouds and thunder.
She regained her senses and stood up.
Lauren took a big risk in coming here to save her brother and had immediately been thrust into a whole new stratosphere filled with danger, death, and a desire she might never right herself from again.
Chapter Four
Thunder cracked as a lightning bolt raced sideways across the sky. Jaden’s ears rang, his head pounded. Lauren’s wide golden eyes threatened to fracture the emotional wall he’d built.
The air was heavy and thick.
She’s an asset. This is a mission.
Jaden focused his gaze on the surf. Something white bobbing up and down in the water caught his eye.
Lauren must’ve seen it about the same time because she sprang to her feet. “What’s that?”
“Can’t tell from here.” Jaden eased up until he was standing, every bump and bruise he’d acquired that day thumping with pain. “I’ll check it out.”
She paused, studied his face, and said, “Might be something we could use to get off these rocks.”
“Or nothing. A piece of sail.”
She strained to look. “That’s bigger than a sail.”
“Let’s see if it can help us.”
Jaden crouched down at the edge of the water. The swells had momentarily lightened up. Good. The winds were fairly calm. Better. He scanned the water. No fins. Didn’t necessarily mean no sharks. He sighed sharply.
All he could do was pray the tiger shark was gone while he looked for any other potential danger in the water, as sprays splashed up and over the rocks surrounding him.
Jaden checked his leg. No blood. Good. Sharks were drawn to blood. In fact, one could detect a droplet of the red juice in a million drops of water and smell it within a quarter mile of its snout. If a shark was near, it’d investigate. That much he already knew. He double-checked his cut. It was good. The makeshift bandage she’d made had stopped the bleeding.
Wading waist-high, he counted the waves, and on three dove into one.
He squinted, trying to get a better look at the mystery object. He didn’t have to swim long before reaching it. A wind surfing board. Looked to be in decent condition and like it would hold his weight.
This would keep them out of the water, insulate them against dangers lurking there. He planted his gaze on Lauren with laser precision as he paddled to the shoreline. Didn’t take long to reach the rocky coast. He rolled off the board and examined it properly.
“Not bad. Rig and the sail have been ripped clean off though. Still, it should work.”
***
“How bad were the waves out there?” Lauren asked, touching a small cut on his arm.
“Got tossed around a little.”
Jaden’s gaze shifted to the sky, and then back to the water. “We have to make our move.”
“Can you?”
“No choice.”
True, but as Lauren followed him to the pile of equipment, the thought of leaving the relative safety of the island and facing the unknown in the ocean tightened her insides. At least on the lumps of barren brown, they weren’t battling the treacherous seas and dangers lurking just below the surface.
Sure, she could handle swimming a short distance, but
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