“I’m a terrible singer, but I figure I might as well have fun while I’m out here. You know?”
That was an attitude Justin could get behind, and he said, “Good plan,” and gestured for her to go ahead of him down the hall. He hadn’t changed or grabbed a towel from his room, but he figured the pool and bar area of the ship would be as good a place as any to waste some time.
That was what this whole cruise was. A waste of time. His time. Theo’s time. The company’s time. But they’d paid for the whole thing, and Justin knew this Cruise Hawaii line wasn’t cheap.
He had a meeting with the owner on Day Ten, when they looped back around Maui on their way back to Getaway Bay. He hoped he’d have something intelligent to recommend by then, and he added the entertainment schedule to the list of things that should definitely be accessible via the app.
The atmosphere at the pool was party-like, and Justin scanned the crowd, realizing he was definitely one of the oldest people there. How he’d missed this fact in the trailer and then under the tent, he wasn’t sure. At thirty-eight, he wasn’t Jurassic by any means, but most of the people here looked to be in their twenties and early thirties. Early-early thirties.
One little old couple lay in a pair of loungers across from him, and they didn’t seem to notice the game of chicken being played by two women in the exact same red bikini a mere five feet from them. Maybe they usually wore hearing aids and had taken them out. That was what Justin would’ve done.
In fact, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to turn down his hearing aids. He’d gotten them, courtesy of the Navy, a few years ago after a mission where he’d lost most of his hearing in a bombing overseas.
That done, he noted that the pool was too small. He didn’t have to put that on the app, but it was simply good to remember for his own personal comfort over the course of the next two weeks.
He turned to the bar and ordered a soda with mango syrup in it. Theo had bribed him onto this boat with the promise of all the sugary drinks he could get. If Justin had a weakness it was mango Diet Mountain Dew, and the first sip relaxed him.
He was glad something did, because the sight of Iris easing out of her swimming suit coverup to reveal a one-strap garment was enough to send his pulse right back into the stratosphere.
Maybe he did like her. Maybe he’d try to set up his own date for once. He kept his eyes on her as she lotioned-up her bare shoulder, running her fingers deliciously close to the top of her suit.
His throat felt like sand, and he quenched his thirst with his soda. But it was the wrong kind of thirst in his gut, and his fantasies moved through him with the power of gravity.
Iris lifted her eyes to his, and Justin glanced away. But he’d been caught staring, and he knew it. Though he stood in the shade, everything felt too hot, especially the weight of Iris’s eyes on him.
He steadfastly refused to look at her again, and eventually, another woman came to get something to drink. She smiled at him too, but she’d already been cuddling with another man.
Taking a chance, he looked back to where Iris had been. Her bare legs stretched in front of her on the lounger, and she had her nose buried in a book.
She was gorgeous, Justin could admit that. So maybe he could put up with a little giggling.
Maybe.
That night, he was awake when the ship pulled out of Maui. Sleeping on a boat wasn’t as easy as people thought, and he hadn’t been the only one to go to the only all-night food bar to get something to eat around midnight.
He hadn’t seen Iris there, or again since he’d finished his soda and high-tailed it back to his room. He hadn’t come out for any entertainment, and he was taking that knowledge to the grave. Theo had texted to ask him how the cruise was so far, and Justin really hated that he was so accessible all the time.
The ship lurched, throwing him off the bed in his room. Concern ran through him in waves, but he’d been in plenty of military operations that had startling things happen. This was a cruise ship, and while its maximum capacity was only fifty and it wasn’t huge, Justin didn’t think anything serious would happen.
Cruise Hawaii had been in business for fifty years. Everything was fine.
Until he got thrown against the wall, the slim desk pressing into his stomach. He glanced down at the entertainment guide, truly concerned now.
And when the red light started flashing above the door in his room, the situation moved to a whole new level.
Chapter Three
Iris jolted awake when someone banged on her door. The red, strobing light in her room struck fear right behind her breastbone, as did the voice that said, “Iris. Get up. It’s Justin.”
Justin.
She’d seen the man watching her as she got ready beside the pool. The next time she’d looked, he’d been gone. She hadn’t seen him at dinner or karaoke, and she’d commanded herself to stop thinking about him.
He wasn’t the only handsome man on the ship. Maybe the only available handsome man, as this cruise seemed to be full of couples in their mid-twenties. But she wasn’t going to hook up with him for two weeks and then go back to her real life. No, she wanted a man that became her real life, and she didn’t think he was up for that.
Bang, bang, bang. “Iris.”
She threw the covers off her legs and took the three steps to the door, pulling it open before he could pound on it again. “What’s going on?” The lights in the hall continued to flash, alternating red and white flashes.
“We’ve got to get to the lifeboats.”
“What?” she asked. Or she tried to. The ship heaved again, throwing her to the left and into her doorjamb while Justin skidded a foot or two down the hall.
“Something’s going on with the ship,” he said.
“I need to change,” she said, glancing down at her purple silk pj’s. These weren’t fit to wear out in public, in a lifeboat, or while she waited for a rescue ship.
Her saliva turned to sand as she tried to remember everything Eden had taught in her outdoor survival classes. Thankfully, her sister had packed her an emergency kit, and she ducked back into her room amidst Justin’s protests.
She didn’t care. She wasn’t getting in a lifeboat nearly naked, with no supplies. She pulled her jean shorts over her pj’s and grabbed the nearest T-shirt her fingers touched. Ten seconds later, she whipped open the door again, one arm in the T-shirt while the other held her hip pack full of the supplies Eden had deemed necessary for a cruise.
“Ready,” she said. She’d taken one step toward his outstretched hand when the ship lurched again, almost like something had hit it. “What is going on?” She stumbled forward, almost losing the battle against gravity.
“Attention, passengers,” a voice said, blaring through the speakers overhead. “The ship is sinking. Please make your way to the closest lifeboat and proceed to evacuate.”
Justin muttered something under his breath, and Iris couldn’t hear him through the panic pounding in her whole body. Don’t let go of his hand, she told herself over and over. Don’t let go of his hand.
“This way,” he barked, turning left when she would’ve gone right. They went to the front of the ship, and Justin peered over the railing. The lights illuminated the water, and Iris saw something there.
“What—?” she started at the same time he said, “Killer whales. They’re attacking the ship.” He bent his knees as if he could tell another blow was coming—and it did. As the ship righted itself, Iris got thrown against the railing. If she hadn’t been clutching Justin’s hand so tight, she’d have gone right over.
Right into the pod of killer whales below.
She’d seen them before in domesticated shows, and they were beautiful and majestic. Great big animals in black and white, with smiles on their faces.
But this pod was angry for some reason.
“Come on,” Justin said, towing her away from the whales while the captain continued to order an evacuation of the ship.
/> While Justin spoke in a clipped, commanding tone that irritated her she knew he was her only chance of getting off this ship alive. “There’s a lifeboat back here.”
Just the one, and he put her hand on the railing and looked right into her eyes. “Don’t let go, Iris.” He set about untying the boat and checking the killer whales, seeming to do everything with exactness in the least amount of time possible.
The splashing over on the left side of the boat lessened, and she thought maybe the whales had decided they’d had their fun. Another lurch told her something different, and Justin said, “Almost got it.”
“Why didn’t anyone else come this way?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder. Most of the guest rooms were located on the upper decks, and none of them had stairs that came down this side.
“Let’s go,” Justin said, picking her up as if she weighed nothing and climbing up on the railing.
“Whoa. What are we doing?” Her stomach swooped, and she clung to his shoulders as if her life depended on it. Because it did. And wow, his shoulders were spectacular. Broad and warm and strong.
“We’re jumping,” he said a moment before he did it, and Iris shrieked as she fell. He held her in one arm and onto a rope with his other hand, easily kicking off the boat as they went down, down, down to the lifeboat.
He set her on the bench, said, “Hold on,” and pushed them away from the cruise ship. She had no idea which way they were going. No idea where anyone else was. The most eerie sight she’d ever seen was that brightly lit cruise ship floating away from her, the lights flashing on the small crests of waves the whales made as they continued to nudge it, test it out, and push it where they wanted it to go.
Iris wasn’t sure how long she watched the boat, but it couldn’t have been more than twenty or thirty seconds.
Then the lights on the ship went out completely. A collective cry went up from everyone still onboard, and it chilled her to her very core.
“Justin,” she said as she sucked in a breath. She knew the boat was there. She just couldn’t see it, and that was so eerie, the hair on her arms stood up.
“Turn around, sweetheart,” he said. “Don’t watch it.”
She wanted to watch. It was a train wreck she couldn’t look away from. But she allowed him to gently guide her so her body faced the other direction. But he couldn’t erase the sound of people yelling and calling for help. A shiver ran through her body, and he tucked her under the safety and warmth of his arm.
“In the morning, we’ll find somewhere to stay,” he said, his voice a mere ghost in the darkness.
Iris wanted to cry, but no tears came. She wanted to ask where in the world he thought they’d stay in the miles of water surrounding them, but the words stayed quiet.
Her fingers unclenched around the strap of her hip pack. She hastened to put it around her waist, and then she leaned into Justin’s strength again, praying for a miracle when morning came.
The sun rose, painting Iris’s eyelids with warm, golden light. She opened her eyes, thinking the ship was rocking more than she’d expected it to.
“Morning, Sunshine,” Justin said, and she sat up straight as a gasp came out of her mouth.
Frantic, she glanced around. Only blue, glinting water in every direction.
They were going to die out here.
She hurried to unzip the hip pack, her heart beating a rapid staccato in her chest. The phone felt like security in her hand, but it had no service.
“Mine’s out too,” Justin said. “We were using the WiFi on the ship.”
Iris twisted to look behind her, but there was no sign of the ship. More water. More waves. The thought of a killer whale trying to capsize their boat drifted through her mind, making every muscle tense. “What are we going to do?”
“Well, it’s west over there,” he said, pointing toward the horizon on his left. “Because the sun is coming up over there. I’ve been keeping us moving north, because that was where that chain of islands was.” He glanced at her. “The ones you thought it would be romantic to get stranded on.”
She couldn’t tell if he was teasing her or not. Her heart beat so strangely in her chest, but that could’ve been from the panic. “At least there will be supplies there,” she said.
“You think so? From the seventies?” He shook his head. “I don’t think so, Iris.”
She liked the way he said her name now, when his voice wasn’t full of bark and bite. She’d liked it when he’d called her sweetheart last night, and sunshine a few minutes ago.
“Well, my sister teaches outdoor survival classes,” she said. “She packed this hip pack for me. So we have some stuff.”
He glanced down at the small pack around her waist. “That thing is tiny.”
“It’s something,” she said, feeling defensive of Eden for some reason.
“I rescued your sister and her boyfriend,” Justin said, drawing Iris’s attention away from the pack.
“You did?”
“Last year, right? On the Bald Mountain Bluffs trail.” He practically puffed out his chest. “I led the expedition to repair the path and get them down. Me, a couple of other retired SEALs, and a team of paramedics.”
“You’re a Navy SEAL?” No wonder he was ripped from muscle to muscle. And so demanding.
“Retired,” he said, glancing away.
“So what do you do now?”
“I develop apps,” he said. “I was going to do one for Cruise Hawaii. I’m seriously reconsidering it.”
For some reason, his words struck her funny bone, and Iris started laughing. Maybe she’d gone crazy already, out in all that open water. Maybe she was exhausted, though she’d clearly slept a little bit under Justin’s arm on the lifeboat.
No matter what, her laughter filled the sky, and she liked the sound of it. “Yeah, I’d seriously reconsider it too,” she said. “Or be sure to put in an SOS option for if a pod of killer whales starts to attack the ship.”
“Good idea,” he said, the twitch of a smile playing along his lips. “And hey, at least we got to see some whales. The humpbacks are the most popular, because they’re seen the most. But the killer whales are rare.”
“Yeah?” Iris shaded her eyes to look into the rising sun. “Well, I’ll be honest and say I’m not sure I’m glad to have seen them.”
“No kidding,” he said, and Iris gave him another smile. This time, he returned it in full, and wow, he was absolutely breathtaking in the morning sunrise, that grin on his strong mouth, and those dark eyes sparkling as if they knew a secret about her.
Iris wasn’t sure how long they drifted on the boat, Justin always keeping them in a northward direction. She thought south would’ve been better, as that was where the actual chain of Hawaiian islands were, but he’d refused to budge in his command of the oars. So north they went.
He scanned the horizon constantly while they talked. Little things about siblings and jobs over the years. Stuff she’d tell a guy on the first or second date. Except this time, Justin couldn’t go anywhere, and she’d have to see him again in the morning.
Probably right here on this boat.
Her stomach turned, and she finally opened her hip pack to see if Eden had put any food inside. She pulled out two packaged squares labeled protein cookies and handed one to Justin.
“Is there water in there?”
Iris rummaged around, though he was right and this thing wasn’t very big. “Water filtration kit,” she said.
“An umbrella?” He peered down into her lap. “I’m guessing no.”
“Did you just make a joke?” She looked at him through her eyelashes, enjoying the sensation of flirting with a handsome man.
“Maybe.” He grinned. “But if she’s got emergency blankets, we can maybe make a little tent or something to stay out of the sun.”
She pulled out a bottle. “Sunscreen.” Iris gazed at his tan shoulders, her fantasies flying into high gear as she imagined spreading the lotion over those beauties.
/>
“My eyes are up here,” he said, and she jerked her attention back to his face. He laughed, and the sound of it was warm and wonderful, sending sparkles through her whole system.
“Funny,” she said, stuffing the sunscreen back into her pack. She dug around a little, trying to get her blush under control, when he said, “There’s an island.”
He stood up, rocking the boat because of the movement of his weight.
She looked up too. “What? Where?” She couldn’t see anything but glinting sunlight on waves.
He pointed straight ahead. “Right there. See how there’s a white streak where the waves are crashing against the shore?”
Iris squinted, desperately trying to see it. Justin leaned over and put his hand right alongside her cheek. “Right there.”
All at once, she saw the waves he was talking about. Excitement built in her chest. They wouldn’t have to stay on this boat forever, hoping a passing cruise ship would find them.
“It’s going to be rough going in,” he said. “Look at that tide.”
Iris had no idea what that meant, but she didn’t like the sound of “rough going in.”
“Let’s get ready,” he said. “You got any rope in that pack?”
Chapter Four
Iris had a length of cord that wouldn’t break, but it wasn’t a rope. He still had her tie her hand to the side of the boat and kneel down in the middle of it.
Justin balanced his weight right in front of hers and heaved against the oars, trying to get past the break in the ocean. His muscles strained as he tried again and then again, but the heavy waves beat them back every time.
With his shoulders burning, he stopped rowing and let the waves push the boat away from the island.
“What are we going to do?” Iris asked, panic evident in her voice.
“I’m going to get us over the break,” he said. “And then the waves will just push us in.” He eyed the cliffs to the right, knowing he’d probably need to steer them away from those even over the break.
Stranded with the SEAL Page 2
