The Prince She Had to Marry Page 9

  But then Alex said, “Listen. Do you hear it?”

  She didn’t. Nothing but the wind rushing by, the rising growl of the engine and the churning of the water as the boat sliced through it. She opened her mouth to say no.

  And then she did hear it. “Another boat...” It was coming from behind them.

  Alex eased the throttle higher. The Lady Jane roared and the wind blew her hair out like a banner behind her. He shouted, “Go below.”

  No way. She turned to stare back in the direction they had come and pretended not to hear him. That was when she saw the other boat, saw the glow of its lights. It was hard to tell the size of it, way back there, in the distance.

  But it seemed to be getting larger, didn’t it? Gaining on them...

  “Hold on tight,” Alex shouted. She grabbed the bar above the twin glove compartments in front of her as the Lady Jane went even faster, sending plumes of sea spray rising, dousing the cockpit, getting Lili right in the face, plastering her hair to her cheeks, down her back.

  She laughed. The salty water felt good, cool and bracing.

  Faster. And faster still. Alex let the powerful engine all the way out. They had to be going the full forty-five knots by then. Lili held on tight and dared to turn her head to look astern.

  “It’s still there, still after us!” she shouted.

  Alex said nothing. His drenched hood had blown back. Water droplets gleamed like jewels in his close-cropped hair and in the light from the instrument panel his wet face was set, determined—and also somehow gleeful. He was having a very good time.

  And suddenly, she was glad. Gloriously, deliriously glad. For the first time since that morning in April when he’d carried her to his bed, he was fully present, fully engaged.

  Truly alive.

  It was something.

  It was everything.

  It was...a start. At long last.

  “Don’t let go of that bar,” he commanded. “Promise me.”

  “I promise.” She laughed out loud.

  And he turned the wheel to port, veering away from their original course. The sea spray rose up and broke over her again.

  She held on, tight and sure, as she had promised him, as he led the boat that followed them on a merry chase, turning this way and then that way, the powerful engine roaring, the spray like high, white wings to either side of them. It was wonderful, thrilling. Wet and fierce and very fast. Lili loved every splendid, scary, heart-pounding, breath-stealing second of it.

  She had no idea how long that wild ride lasted. But at some point she became aware that they were slowing. She glanced over at Alex.

  He sent her a confident glance. “We lost them.”

  They slowed even more, the engine winding down to a low purr. And then Alex shut it off. The silence was endless. He flipped a switch that doused all their lights.

  Right then, she realized that the slight wind was no more. There was not even a hint of a breeze. Now the air had weight. And it was so dark. Before, there had been the stars and the thin waxing moon. But now there was only gun-barrel gray overhead. Heavy clouds had gathered. Even the water lay flat, unmoving, a dark and solid-seeming surface all around them, denser and deeper than the grayness above. Lili’s pulse, which had slowed right along with the Lady Jane, picked up speed again. She had the strangest sensation that something cataclysmic was about to happen.

  Shake it off. She swiped her dripping hair back off her forehead, stood and turned in a circle. Horizon to horizon, not a glimmer of light or movement.

  Alex said softly, “Nothing.”

  She turned to him slowly, as in a dream. His eyes were waiting for her. They were fathoms deep. She said, “It’s eerie.”

  And then the underbelly of the clouds lit up. A fork of white fire split the dark.

  Alex said, “Lightning.”

  Over the endless water, thunder rolled.

  “What is it, Alex?” she asked.

  The radio crackled. She heard the voice of one of Alex’s men trying to raise them. He took the mouthpiece, spoke into it. Waited. Tried again.

  But there was nothing. He couldn’t raise a sound.

  More lightning and thunder. The dark sky was suddenly alive with it. And now the wind was blowing, a fierce and swirling wind, seeming to come at them from all four directions.

  “Alex. What...”

  “Nevera,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Thermal storms. The Adriatic gets them sometimes in the summer. They can be fierce. Dangerous to a small boat.” He took the helm again. “If you won’t go below, brace yourself.”

  She took her seat, grabbed the rail.

  The wind blew harder, tearing at her. The rain increased. It came down fast and mercilessly, in giant, angry drops, pounding her. The lightning flared—over and over, sometimes so close she feared it would strike them. A never-ending roll of thunder boomed in her ears.

  The quiet water had come alive with fierce and furious purpose. The wind tore at them in powerful gusts that would have knocked her off her feet had she been upright. And then there was hail, hail of varying sizes, from pea-size to as big as a large marble. Some of the smaller pieces hit her—on the cheeks, on the forehead, on her hands and her shoulders. The hail didn’t last long. It turned to a deluge of rain again and the waves kept getting higher, they rose up all around them, crashing down on them, drenching the cockpit, tossing them this way and that.

  Higher and higher the waves came at them, as though Neptune himself had chosen them, commanded them to join him in his watery kingdom far below.

  Alex called her name.

  She barely heard him. There was nothing he could do, no way to steer or speed the Lady Jane free of this maelstrom of crashing waves and lightning and pounding rain, of angry winds and ear-splitting thunder.

  When the deadliest wave came for them, she didn’t even see it until it had grabbed them up and tossed them high and curled over them, ready to swallow them whole. Lili lost her grip on the rail. She was up and flying through the air as the Lady Jane went over, capsizing in an instant, as though it were a toy.

  Lili hit the water. Her life vest buoyed her, but the waves were so high. She would get her head above the churning surface, and then another would come swarming over her.

  She tried to call for Alex. But the sea was alive and so very angry. She saw the overturned hull of the Lady Jane, already far off and spinning away, farther still. And then she heard Alex calling her. “Lili.... Lili, here!”

  She kicked and flailed her arms, turning with difficulty in the rough water.

  And he was there. He was coming for her. She raised an arm, waved it wildly. “Alex!” And then she started swimming for him.

  The next wave came from behind her as she swam to meet him. It was carrying something—something hard. Something that struck her cleanly on the back of the head.

  She felt the shock of the blow. The world stopped. Her mind went blank. And then she remembered: her baby. Alex.

  She blinked water from her eyes and she could see him, still swimming, coming for her.

  She whispered—to the baby and to Alex, “Sorry. I’m so sorry...” Or maybe she only thought those words.

  A deep sadness dragged at her. Her heart ached with regret. But only for a moment.

  After that, the world went black.

  Chapter Seven

  Lili woke to a gentle rain on her face and slow, easy rocking.

  She opened her eyes. It was still dark.

  And Alex was bending over her. He had a cut at his temple. There was blood in a trail down his beard-stubbled cheek. “Lili.” He touched her face so gently. And his face...it was so tender. Tears filled her eyes. “Lili, do you hear me?”

  She blinked the tears away, groaning, and reached back to find the angry goose egg high up, behind her right ear. “What... Where...”

  “Do you know who I am?”

  “Where are we?”

  “Somewhere west of the Dalmatia
ns, I think.” The Dalmatians were the southern chain of islands off Croatia. “Listen, now. Listen to me....”

  “Huh?”

  He repeated slowly, gently, “Do you know who I am?”

  She realized he wouldn’t stop asking her until she gave him an answer. “Alex.” She reached up, touched his dear face. “You’re bleeding....”

  “It’s nothing. A scratch. But you?”

  “Just a bump. Something smacked me good and hard on the back of my head. It hurts, but other than that...”

  “Dizzy? Double vision? Confusion?”

  She almost laughed. “No more than usual.”

  He blinked. “A joke. You made a joke. That’s a good sign. I’m sure that’s a good sign.”

  “Oh, Alex...” The tears welled again.

  “Don’t cry.” He said it so sweetly, so...lovingly. And then he bent close and he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss that warmed her heart and told her so much. Everything. “It’s not your fault,” he whispered against her mouth.

  “Oh. Oh, but you know that it is. We would be safe and dry back on the Princess right now if I hadn’t—”

  “No. Stop. Don’t cry. And don’t blame yourself. We’re alive. The baby’s alive....” His eyes widened suddenly and he sucked in a sharp breath. “Isn’t he?”

  “Yes,” she promised, instinctively laying her hand over the place where their baby slept. “Yes, she’s fine.”

  A smile tried to pull at the corner of his mouth. He didn’t quite let it. “I’m so glad.”

  She had to know. “How long...”

  “...were you unconscious?” At her nod, he glanced at his Submariner watch. “Not long. A few minutes.”

  She couldn’t believe that. It seemed to her that hours must have passed since the wave and the bump on the back of her head. “But the storm...”

  “It ended as fast as it came up.” He glanced out over the water. “I can still see it, see the lightning on the horizon. It’s moving fast to the north.”

  She stretched out her hand, touched the bobbing surface she was lying on. “A raft? You managed to save a life raft?”

  “I wouldn’t say I saved it. I found it right after I got to you. It was floating a few yards away. I managed to catch it and pull the self-inflation lever.”

  “That is a miracle.”

  He patted a square canvas package. The package had straps, apparently so it could be carried as a backpack. “The raft had a survival kit.”

  “What’s in it?”

  “I would guess a raft knife, flashlight, motion sickness pills, paddles, flares, a compass, maybe even some water if we’re lucky. We can give it a look a little later. I also found this floating by.” He held up the pack she’d taken aboard the Lady Jane. Water dripped from it, but it was made of sturdy canvas. It should be reasonably dry inside.

  “That’s good,” she said. “That’s really good.”

  “What’s in it? I didn’t have time to check yet. Maybe a cell phone?” He looked so hopeful. Cell service in Croatia and all through the Adriatic was excellent. Rescue was only a phone call away.

  “I have my phone in my pocket.” She felt for it and sighed. “Gone.”

  “Mine, too.” He was wearing his bleak face again.

  She reminded him, “We’re just very lucky you got the raft and the survival pack.”

  “No argument there.”

  “And my pack has a few handy things in it—a utility lighter. Some water. Sunscreen. Money. Energy bars.”

  He shrugged. “Excellent. We can set the money on fire if we get cold and we don’t have to worry about sunburn.”

  She laughed—and then she groaned. “Don’t you dare be funny. Not now. It makes my head hurt.” She started to sit up.

  He pushed her back down. “Just lie still for a few more minutes. Please.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Humor me,” he said. She gave in and settled back onto his lap. “Close your eyes. Rest a little.”

  The last thing she wanted to do right then was nap. But she obediently shut her eyes anyway. She felt...scarily humble. And kind of shaky.

  He noticed. “You’re shaking. Are you cold?”

  “No.” She wore layers of soggy clothing: the life vest, the soggy jumpsuit and her beach clothes beneath that. But she wasn’t cold in the least. “Just nerves, I think.”

  “Aftereffects of adrenaline, probably.” He scowled. “I wish we had a blanket—tell you what.”

  “Um?” She shivered.

  He gently took her shoulders, easing her up, opening his hard thighs and settling her between them. Now that she had his broad chest for a pillow and his warm, big arms around her, her shivering eased. Also, propped up against him, she could see out over the water, the endless, shifting dark water....

  He kissed her hair, the same way he had done back on the Princess that afternoon, a kiss that spoke to her of partnership, of affection, of an easy, comfortable intimacy. “Better?”

  “Yes. Much.” In more ways than simple physical comfort.

  For a few minutes, they simply drifted in the darkness. She began to feel sleepy. She wondered if that was a bad sign somehow, if it meant that the bump on the back of her head was worse than she realized.

  But then again, it was the middle of the night and she’d just been through a high-speed escape from a boat that had most likely been full of paparazzi, followed by a sudden, violent storm, followed by the capsizing of their vessel, near-drowning and a knockout blow to the head.

  It was more than possible that exhaustion was her main problem.

  “Sleep if you can,” he whispered. “I’ll keep watch.”

  “You should rest too.”

  “Shh. Close your eyes.”

  She took his advice and let her heavy eyelids drift shut.

  He woke her a couple of hours later—to check on her condition, he said, after her concussion. They were still floating, drifting in the endless dark. He asked her a series of simple questions: her age, his age, the name of his mother.

  She laughed and answered every one. Then she told him that he should sleep for a while. He said he wasn’t tired. They drifted some more. Eventually, she faded off to sleep again.

  * * *

  The next time she woke, she was thirsty. Her mouth felt sandy, dry as dust. And the first rays of the sun shimmered from behind the rocky cliffs straight ahead.

  The rocky cliffs...

  She blinked, remembered: the chase, the storm. The raft. Just the two of them, she and Alex, adrift in the dark.

  Lili sat bolt upright and let out a shriek.

  Alex stirred. “Huh... Wha...” She turned to look at him. He was waking, opening his eyes. “Lili?” He blinked at her groggily.

  “Wake up, Alex. Wake up....”

  “Can’t believe it,” he grumbled. “I fell asleep....”

  “Look!” She pointed at the cliffs, at the golden, steadily growing rim of the rising sun. “We’re...we’re here. We reached land,” she said in a wondering voice. They had drifted into a beautiful little cove rimmed by trees and greenery. Past the trees, craggy cliffs rose all around them. The cove, the cliffs and the trees enclosed a pebbled crescent of beach—a beach that was no more than twenty meters or so away.

  “But where exactly is here?” he asked in his usual careful way.

  She poked him with her elbow. “Right now, land is land. I’m not feeling particular.”

  “You may have a point,” he said drily.

  The beach and the cliffs above it appeared deserted. She squinted into the ever-brightening sun. “I see a road, I think—there.” She pointed. “Beyond the trees, below the cliffs?”

  “Yes. Yes, I see it.” He was gently lifting her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “If you’ll get off my lap, I’ll tow us to shore.”

  She laughed in delight at the very idea.

  “Careful,” he advised. “Don’t capsize us.”

  She was careful
, easing herself from between his thighs and then hugging the high edge of the raft, giving him room to get out of his life vest, his soggy shoes and even his coveralls. Within moments, he was taking off his shirt, revealing his beautiful, ridged belly and broad, thick chest.

  She beamed at him.

  He shook his head. “Here we are, with nothing but a backpack, a survival kit and a raft, stranded on some unknown Croatian island, and you’re smiling as though it’s the happiest day of your life.”

  Maybe it was. So far. “We made it through the bad part, alive and unharmed. We’re safe. Someone will rescue us—or we’ll stroll down that road over there and around the next bend we’ll find a little village with a very nice restaurant—and lots of friendly villagers only too happy to loan us a cell phone.” And in the meantime, your eyes gleam when you look at me. The world seemed a whole lot brighter than it had last night—and not only because the sun was coming up.

  “Let’s concentrate on getting to the beach first.” Wearing just a pair of sturdy cargo pants, he slid over the side and into the pristine blue water. And then he grabbed one of the boarding assist handles with one hand. With his free arm, he stroked for shore.

  There was no current at all. The water was still and crystal-clear. In no time, he was easing the big raft onto the beach. He offered her his hand.

  She took it, stood up and stepped over the high sides onto dry land. “Safe,” she said happily. “At last—and I am dying of thirst.”

  He grabbed her pack and handed it to her and then, after unhooking and removing the survival kit, he towed the raft all the way out of the water. “We’ll hide the raft as best we can, and our overalls, too. I’m hoping we won’t need them again, but you never know....” He got to work deflating the raft.

  Lili dumped the contents of the damp pack onto the beach and then turned the pack inside out. It wasn’t all that wet and should dry out quickly, hopefully by the time they were ready to move on. The bottle of water tempted her. She grabbed it and drank. It was heaven. She allowed herself a little more and then gave it to Alex. He sipped sparingly and handed it back. Reluctantly, she screwed the cap back on.