Page 93 of SEAL Summer Escape

The low boom of thunder in the distance sent her jumping, and Mason and Noah exchanged a glance.

“Yep,” Noah said.“That’s rain.We should probably head back to shore.Let’s pull up the anchor.”

Taylor lowered her camera, frowning.“Are we going to make it back in time?”

“We should, sweetheart,” Mason assured her.“We might get wet on the dock running back to the car—oh damn.I think I left the top down on the convertible.”

Noah chuckled.“A bit late to realize that.You took out extra insurance on the rental though, right?”

“Absolutely.Why don’t you ladies stash the fishing gear.We’ll start the engine and pull up the anchor.”

“On it,” Bailey said, moving around the boat.Noah grabbed his tee shirt from his bag, slipping it over his head.There was a bolt of lightning in the distance, and he frowned.He pumped the shift lever to prime the engine and then turned the key in the ignition, listening to it sputter.

“Oh hell,” Mason muttered, crossing over toward him.“The engine won’t start?”

“Let me give it another try.”He turned the key again, listening to the engine turn but not start.

“Check the kill switch,” Mason said.

“Nope, it’s good,” Noah said, glancing down.“Let me try pumping the gas.”

“What’s going on?”Bailey asked, walking over.Thunder boomed in the distance, and Noah glanced over, hating to see the fear in her eyes.He pumped the gas a few times, his hand on the key.

“Just trying to start the engine.Let me give it another go.”He turned the key in the ignition for the third time, and it finally roared to life.The wind picked up, blowing a spray of water onto them, and she squealed in surprise.

“Why don’t you both sit down!”Mason called out over the engine.“We’re going to head back more quickly than we got here.”

Bailey nodded, looking nervous.

“No need to worry, sunshine,” Noah said, lightly grabbing her arm to pull her closer before she walked away.“We’re used to being out in bad weather.We train in all kinds of situations.”

She nodded, and he brushed her hair back, ducking to give her a quick kiss on her forehead.He was trying to reassure and calm her, and he didn’t like that she trembled slightly beside him.

“Okay,” she said, walking over to one of the benches on the side of the boat.

Taylor grabbed her tote bag and sat down beside Bailey, holding onto her things.Her camera was in her bag, and Noah knew it had to be expensive.

Mason checked his smart phone.“There’s no coverage out here.I was hoping to get a weather update.”

“We can try the radio,” Noah said.“Maybe there’s something about the storm.”

“Roger that,” Mason said, walking over to pick up the headphones.The two women glanced nervously over at them, but Noah put his foot on the gas, turning the boat back toward the shore.There were a number of small islands off the coast, and if the weather got really bad, he supposed he could try to pull onto the beach on one of them.

It wouldn’t be ideal, stranded out on an island during the storm, but it’d be a hell of a lot better than being stuck on the boat, rocking back and forth in the churning waves.Even hardened sailors could get seasick in extreme weather.

He wasn’t sure how Bailey or Taylor would fare on choppy waters.He and Mason might have iron stomachs thanks to extensive training, but he didn’t want to worry about them getting sick.

The winds picked up, and he frowned.

They had emergency supplies stashed on the boat—flares, beacons, ponchos, emergency rations and water.The ideal scenario would be to beat the storm back to shore though.

Mason walked over to him, a grim look on his face.He scrubbed a hand across his jaw.“There’s a severe thunderstorm warning—no surprise given the conditions.It came a hell of a lot earlier than expected.”

Noah nodded, concentrating on maintaining control of the boat as the waves began to pick up in the already choppy water.

A wave crashed against the side, and the women screamed as water poured down around them.“Damn it,” Noah muttered, and Mason hurried over to them.

“Come sit on the ground over here by us,” he said, holding out his hands to help them up.They all walked back toward where Noah was, and Mason opened the storage compartment, pulling out orange life vests as rain began to pour down.

---