Page 108 of Adrift

“Hey.” I smile. “How is he doing?”

Zane has his eyes closed already. It won’t be long before he’s asleep. Crashing adrenaline will do that to you. I’m still coming back from smacking my head during the evacuation. Something still isn’t right. Every once in a while when I turn, it’s like I’m on a damn rollercoaster.

Haley closes her eyes. The raft wiggles. Behind the flap, I’m expecting to see Easton, but it’s Calvin.

My gut tenses. “Did you and Easton work things out?”

“No.” He turns, lifting his feet to clean them.

“Then stay outside until you do.”

It’s getting dark, but the narrowing of his eyes isn’t hard to pick out. He nods, turns, and leaves.

“Dante!” Haley lifts her head.

“They’re behaving like animals. They can sleep outside.”

Chapter 43

Supertanker

Haley

The rain has stopped, and I keep expecting Calvin to come back—or at least for Easton to pop his head in. Neither do. I can’t help but listen for voices amongst the crashing of the waves, but there’s nothing. No arguing, grunting, or anything but normal ocean noises outside. I didn’t speak up when Dante told Calvin and Easton they couldn’t come in. Because he’s right. The two of them need to come to an agreement. First my ankle. It was my fault—I’ll take the blame on that one. Now Zane’s foot? What other weird accident is going to happen because the two of them are fighting? I saw Easton’s eye, Calvin’s lip. They both look like shit. I hate that they’re hurting. And that they’re hurting each other.

There’s nothing but more and more crashing waves. I squirm around on my life vest pillow. I’m wide awake. Like having three cups of coffee and a Red Bull kind of wide awake. But I’m not cold and only slightly damp, which is my new standard for feeling pretty damn good.

My thoughts race. We’ve been here two weeks—no, eight days. Six? How long have we been here?

“Fifteen days, Sassy.”

“Sorry.” Now I’m thinking out loud.

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Dante rolls onto his back and pulls my head onto his chest. A big step up from the nylon of the life vest. Dante’s heart thuds loud.

Zane mumbles something, and then he gives a snort like a snore. Like someone’s pressed his off button. It’s so reassuring I almost laugh. “He’s going to be okay?” I meant to say it as a statement. Five days or twenty, they’re changing me. I want to go home. I want us all to go home. In one piece, more than anything. We have to be a unit.

“Sure he is. He’s a tough bloke,” Dante says with a horrible British accent.

But I laugh. I have to—he does that for me.

“I love hearing you laugh, Sassy.” He pulls me closer.

I nuzzle my face into his neck. How the heck does he smell this good? His fingers play with the bottom of my shirt, and then it’s gone. An image of Sam flits across my consciousness, but I push it out. I made a choice. This is what I’m doing. I’m not doing it halfway. Dante deserves better.

“Dante.” It’s a plea and a gasp all at the same time. I lift my neck from his shoulder, and his lips are on mine. Firm. Demanding. His tongue eases into my mouth, while his hands play with my nipples. He moves me onto my back. The rain continues to hold off, but the last bit of the storm has the ocean waves angrily crashing. I shift in Dante’s arms, desperate for comfort. My greedy self is hungry for him. I lift my hips, and he pulls my pants away.

“Fuck, Sassy. You’re so gorgeous. A work of art. I can’t wait to devour you.” He nods at me, and he’s asking but not asking. I reach for him, and he pulls me closer. Where I want to be.

“Yes,” I moan softly, feeling his words caress me as much as his hands do. Our kisses are wild, frantic. “Waiting for you is every bit worth it.”

Dante’s mouth finds mine again, his tongue probing and demanding. I kiss him, our lips hungrily crashing together. My body craves his touch.

When he stops, his voice is low and gravelly. “You taste so fucking good, Sassy. I can’t get enough of you. You’re the best thing on the menu.” In the low light, he wiggles his eyebrows at me. His head dips low, and I tip my head back and look up at the canopy. There are growing puddles of water in the low spots. Dante’s fingers skim lower on my skin. I close my eyes in anticipation. He’s taking things slow—so slow.

“I need you.”

“Are you ready for the first course, Sassy?”

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