Page 59 of Adrift

But the dream lifts, and I’m back on the raft. A wave of grief floats over me. I knew him for less than a week. How am I going to tell Charlie? He talked about his big brother so much last season I feel like I’ve known Sam forever.

Last night the temperature dropped. We’re all wet. It’s impossible to get dry wearing a life vest. But I won’t take it off. I can swim, but I don’t trust a rogue wave not to hit the second I remove it. I’m warm and, as crazy as it sounds, cozy. My left hand is sandwiched between my stomach and someone else’s. When my fingers twitch, I realize I’m touching skin. Skin that is covering some rock-hard abs. Calvin—he tugged me to his side when I couldn’t stop shivering. My face rests on his vest. His nose is in my hair. My back is equally toasty. And a large cock is nestled between my butt cheeks. Easton’s fallen asleep behind me. Lots of hands are on my side.

Calvin pulls me toward him. His head is far above mine, and my bare toes are resting on his calf. I don’t want to open my eyes. I’m just going to pretend I’m back in colonial times and I’m sharing a room with strangers in some inn bed. One that doesn’t have bedbugs. Because in my imaginary world, I let myself havea little more money than I have now, but of course, not enough to be some sort of fair maiden, like a duchess or a lady. No, I’m a middle-class girl who has to share a bed with people she doesn’t know in a room that smells like dead fish.

But when I take another breath, I can smell the sea over it. It’s different—something’s changed.

I lean back, and Easton pulls me hard against his morning hardness. He’s asleep, or at least I think he is. Because he wouldn’t pull me against him if he wasn’t, would he? Not that he has a lot of other options in a life raft. I pull forward, and Calvin’s large hand pins me to him, straightening my legs so my crotch is lined up with his. Well, crap, he’s hard too. Easton is pushing me into him.

I should get up, move out from between the two of them. But the friction is so good. Too good. I need to move before I start to grind against Calvin. This is ridiculous with my large vest on. I give a little push into Calvin’s chest and a push back against Easton and roll onto my back.

“Why did you smack yourself?” Zane’s voice is deep and inches me more awake.

“A bug,” Dante says, his voice smooth. I could listen to it every day. I open my eyes.

“A bug? We’re too far out to sea to have flies,” Zane says.

That’s when I push onto my elbows. Easton’s emerald eyes are on me. I suck in my lips and turn to Calvin. He’s adjusting his crotch.

“Hot damn!” Dante points out the window.

I sit up all the way. “Wow.”

Chapter 25

Land, Ho

Calvin

Haley’s awake. I feel the second her breathing changes. Dante and Zane are talking, but I tune them out because Haley’s grinding herself on my morning wood and, Lord help me, I’m about five minutes away from losing my load in my pants. She pushes on my chest, and I let my hand loosen from around her waist. She pushes Easton back too. Unlike the entitled little prick, I’m not pretending to sleep.

She sits up. “Wow.”

I want to grab her and pull her back to my chest the same way I used to hold my stuffed bear. That is now gone. But I’m a grown fucking man who’s lived through war, pirates, and shitty captains. I’m not going to get upset because my fucking stuffed animal is at the bottom of the ocean. Along with one of the best captains I’ve ever had. No. Fuck no.

I haven’t sat up yet. I’m waiting for my wood to soften. Thinking about Captain and my bear is working. “What is it, another whale?” I ask, looking at the ceiling of the raft.

“No. Land.” Haley’s scooting out from between us.

I sit up and there it is, between Dante and Zane’s big heads. An island with a sandy beach, mounds of palms, and nothing but ocean on either side of it. It doesn’t look that large from this perspective, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s all we’ve got.

“Here, Swimmer Boy.” I hand Easton a paddle and head to the opening next to Zane and Dante, sticking my own paddle into the water. “We’ve got to get over the breakers, or the rip current might slingshot us around the island.” It’s not ideal to paddle with the top on, but leaning over the edge is going to get it done. I scoop at the water, my muscles on fire with every stroke. I’m leaning hard. My body is parallel with the waves. We’re getting closer to it.

“Damn, how far away is it?” Easton’s screaming into the wind.

“More than a kilometer. Want me to take a turn?” Zane’s hanging next to Easton.

“I got it,” Easton says.

Sweat is pouring down my cheeks, every muscle in my arms on fire. I’m pulling as much water as I possibly can with each stroke when Haley screams, “Easton!”

I turn back, and Easton is gone. “What the fuck?”

“He dropped his paddle and jumped in.” Haley’s leaning over the edge. I grab her leg—not that I think she’s going to jump in, but... Dante sees what I’m doing and grabs her leg lower down, allowing me to move her away from the edge.

Zane’s hanging off the side too.

My eyebrows dart up. “The two of you aren’t thinking about jumping in after Swimmer Boy, are you?”

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