Chapter 18
It took Riley a bit to wake up. She had been far more tired than she wanted to admit to Gray, or herself, earlier that day. The heat, sunlight, and excitement—not to mention the damn good sex—had gone a long way in sending her into a heavy slumber.
Gray apparently was also tuckered out, still soundly asleep. She studied his face as he lay there. He was angry when he came back from the resort, and she wondered why. She thought maybe there had been another fight with his dad. We’d both be so much better off if we weren’t so busy trying to make our parents happy all the time. With that thought, all the freedom and joy she’d found fell flat and the worry crept back in. They would have to go back to their lives, their real lives, at some point. And what’ll happen then? What can possibly happen, other than all this just…ending? Gray obviously loved Florida, and she could see why; she’d fallen in love with it rather quickly herself, but reality was going to intrude on them whether they liked it or not. It already had, to some degree, as evidenced by the obvious inner turmoil raging within him when he returned.
His father wanted her father to invest, but she knew Richard Teeter. She knew her father would never agree to this kind of an investment. He would go on and on about how ludicrous, how risky, how foolish it was, too dependent on disposable income, whims, and people. Her dad preferred sure things that never went outside the box. Just one of the reasons he was so infuriated with her any time she chose to break out of their carefully orchestrated routine.
On the other hand, she thought as she stared at the beautiful man lying beside her, I have an enormous trust at my disposal. She knew the investment might not be an intelligent gamble, but it would possibly be Gray’s ticket out, exactly what he needed, a boost in his father’s eyes. She understood how precious and priceless that could be. Fathers were next to impossible to impress.
Gray hadn’t really brought up the investment since their argument, his big reveal of the truth, but she was sure he still secretly wished she’d talk to her father about it. She’d been so angry when he first told her about it. His father’s desire had driven a wedge between them, and she knew it. She also knew she was not completely sold on the idea of sinking some of her own money into the deal, but if she had a chance to really look at the financials and consider the possible outcomes she might be willing to do that, for Gray if for no other reason.
It had been a whirlwind of a day, with way too many emotions flying on all reaches of the scale. She needed time to think. To process everything and figure out what was going on.
She knew she was falling for Gray. It was dangerous. Her parents would never allow it, or believe it. Too fast. Too impossible. Too stupid.
But it didn’t feel ridiculous, or fake, or fast, or dumb. It felt… perfect. Sort of.
Gray stirred and murmured, “What’s with all the thrashing around?”
“Um, I think that’s the boat,” she teased.
He went from asleep to awake in a matter of a single second, and his reaction terrified her. He leapt instantly to his feet, and his eyes darted to the small staircase. He snatched his shorts up and quickly slid them over his legs and hips.
Not sure what was going on or why he was acting like a madman, Riley grabbed the first item of apparel she could find, her discarded bathing suit, and quickly donned it as she followed him up the steps and outside. “Gray, what’s wrong with…” she began, but the question died on her lips as her eyes took in the dark skies, the scudding clouds, and the foaming waves hissing and snapping at the boat. Her stomach dropped all the way to her feet, and a little tendril of fear snaked through her. “Gray?”
“I can’t believe this shit! I forgot to check the damn weather.” He raced toward the controls, his eyes on the horizon to their left. “We’ve gotta get out of here…now!”
Riley’s mouth went dry. Gray was not in a full-fledged panic, per se, but he was clearly worried, which looked to be leaning toward alarm. It set her on red alert. Her eyes frantically searched the deck and the surrounding waters. They’d left land far behind, and she had no idea where they were. “Gray,” she said, her voice breaking with the strain she felt, “what can I do to help?”
He stared up at the roiling sky, then started to bring the anchor up. He said something under his breath, peppered with swears of every variety.
Riley’s heart lurched in her chest. “What is it?” she asked.
“The anchor! I forgot to drop it, too. What the hell is wrong with me?”
There was no accusation in his voice but guilt hit her anyway; they’d both been horny, so intent on getting into bed, that his entire safety routine was interrupted. She licked her dry lips. “Is that bad?”
Gray gave her a long look. It was obvious by his expression that he wanted to lie to her, but he just couldn’t. “It’s not great,” he admitted. “I mean, I’m sure we’ll be okay. The instruments will tell us where we are, and… Well, we might just be a little farther out than I thought.”
“Maybe too far?”
He shook his head. “Don’t do that, okay? The storm isn’t here yet.”
The words had no sooner left his mouth when the bottom dropped out, as if Mother Nature herself wanted to make a mockery of his feigned optimism. Rain hurled down, hard and stinging, slicking everything and soaking them to the bone immediately. Riley gasped and looked upward. Lightning ripped across the sky, illuminating the dark, cloudy cosmos above them. She gasped and danced backward, holding her hands up in front of her in a futile attempt to protect herself.
Gray grabbed her. His heart was beating way too fast. Riley could feel the uneven thudding of it below his skin against hers. His voice was hoarse as he commanded, “Don’t panic on me now, Riley. I need you. It’s gonna be okay. People get on the water and in the path of storms every day, and we’re all right. Stay with me now.”
Maybe, but we’re on a boat that already capsized once, and your own mother died in the middle of a storm! She wanted to remind him but didn’t. She didn’t want to be mad at him, but she couldn’t help but blame him for being so careless. Why didn’t he check the weather before he dragged me out here? Why only think with his dick?
When a clap of violent thunder sounded and he snuggled her close to him, her anger died instantly. She knew he was not the only one at fault. She’d had her hands all over him while they were putting down the sails, distracting and teasing him on purpose. “Tell me what to do to help us get back to the dock,” she said, her lower lip shivering.
“Well, first, I’ve gotta grab that line over there,” he said, then quickly headed for the back of the boat.
Riley saw the danger a moment too late. A large puddle had formed near the steps. Gray’s bare feet slid for a second before he went down, flailing and thrashing. She ran over to help him, but she wasn’t fast enough. In an instant he was sliding off the deck, into the angry waters below, just as an enormous wave bucked upward. For a moment he bobbed above the torrent, but then the hungry undertow sucked him under till he vanished entirely from her sight, like a scene right out of some horrible shark attack movie.
Riley stared off the edge of the boat, her heartbeat quickening with each passing second. Horrified and feeling more alone than she ever had in her entire life, she edged closer to the side, her eyes scanning the rising waves. “Gray?” Her voice rose in a shout. “Gray! Gray, where the hell are you?”
Fear morphed into absolute, paralyzing terror. Her lower body went cold and liquid as she stared at the choppy seas. The wind blew her hair off her face and back behind her. The sting of the salt whipping off the waves dried her mouth even worse, and her fear only amplified that till she found it almost impossible to breathe.
Please, no! No, no, NO! Is he…gone? Her hands shook as she plucked a life preserver from one side and advanced toward the steps. Her heart knocked crazily in her chest, thumping so hard she could feel it beating against her ribs. Her lungs strained for air, and she was suddenly aware that she’d been holding her breath. She somehow found the strength to exhale, then grabbed more oxygen in another long, exaggerated gulp. Her eyes sought his head, any glimpse of skin or his bright t-shirt, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She ran to the other side, her feet sliding along the wet deck, but nothing in those rabid waters gave her any indication that Gray was still alive.
It was possible, even probable that he was gone, and she knew there was a high possibility that she might soon be joining him in that watery tomb. He was out there on those waves, fighting for his life. She refused to believe Gray was gone, that the vicious sea had devoured him. She knew giving in to that grim thought would only have her breaking down in a moment when she couldn’t afford to do so.
Riley gulped, then released a giant billowing scream that tore past her lips when she saw a sharp, tall fin slicing through the water, past the boat. Her body went weak at the thought of him suffering such a horrendous, untimely death, with hers quite possibly to follow. Am I next? she wondered. Is this damn boat going to go under, turn me into fish food? And where the hell is Gray anyway?
Riley scrambled from one side of the boat to the other, clinging to the railings for her life as she went. Tears fell down her cheeks unheeded. Her terror was rapidly replaced with a numb resignation that passed itself off as calm, just enough for her to escape the madness and summon a few clear thoughts. Gray had tumbled in near the back, but the waves basically positioned him on the left side of the boat. She knew there was some sort of maritime name for it, but she couldn’t recall it just then. Whatever old sailors called it, she assumed he had to be near the back end of the vessel.
She leaned as far over as she dared, one hand gripping the rail and the other gripping the life preserver. Her eyes searched the frothing waves. It seemed the shark had gone, at least for the moment, but that didn’t assuage her fears about it having taken Gray.
She had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been minutes or hours for all she knew. Regardless, with every second that passed, his chances of survival lessened. He was still nowhere to be seen on that side, so Riley slowly worked her way around the perimeter of the boat again, keeping a wary eye out for the shark or any telltale blood in the water. She felt a tiny tinge of hope when she didn’t notice any pink or red hues in the tumult, but she knew better than to let that hope swell into anything more. It was a big ocean, after all, and blood would dissipate quickly, something the old horror films didn’t seem to emphasize.
At the front of the boat, she cocked her head to one side. The sound of the waves slapping against Maggie rose higher and higher, as did the crying wind, but somewhere beneath those sounds she was sure she heard something else. There was a faint, distant sound, something that resembled a human voice.
She crept closer, looking down, and her heart stuttered to a stop. There was Gray, clinging to the lifeboat with a white-knuckled grip, his face pointed upward. Waves lashed over his body, causing his head to go under every few seconds. An inarticulate cry came from her mouth when she saw him, one of equal gratitude and terror. She assessed the situation as quickly as she could.
His hands were tangled in the lines that held the lifeboat to Maggie’s hull, but it was clear he was losing strength. To make matters worse, the toothy nightmare was still cruising along the top of the water just west of him now.
She managed to lever herself over the rail enough to grab the line and haul it toward the boat, bringing Gray and the lifeboat closer with each pull, but she wasn’t sure she could maneuver them close enough. She continued pulling, till her arms and shoulders ached from the strain and tears welled in her eyes. Her breath whistled in and out of her mouth and nose. She heaved again, and the skin of her fingers tore as they slid across the rough, unforgiving rope, stiffened by the salty water.
The lifeboat bumped closer and Gray managed to get one hand up, then dragged himself aboard it. Riley screamed again as he came out of the water mere seconds before the fin moved right past the spot where he’d just been. The shark bumped the boat, and another scream rose and lifted from her mouth as the small craft bobbed, then tilted dangerously toward the churning waters.
Gray managed to keep it upright as Riley gave the line another yank. She was not sure how Gray was going to get from the lifeboat to Maggie, but she knew she could not let go, no matter what. Unfortunately, it was starting to fray and loosen, and if that happened he and the lifeboat would go spinning away from her forever.
Their eyes locked, and he gave her a smile she somehow managed to return.
The lifeboat rocked and slid away, and the rope cut into Riley’s palms. Ignoring the pain and the sting of the salt in the abrasions, she planted her feet against the solid walls and hung on, praying aloud to God or Poseidon or any deity who would listen.
Gray balanced carefully. Every motion of the water or Riley or him made the lifeboat turn and can’t in a way that made her belly lurch. The shark fin reappeared, slicing through the water from the opposite side of the lifeboat.
“Hurry!”
The word came out of her mouth, but the wind snatched it and tore it away. Her false calm was quickly shattering. Her heart sped up until a wave of dizziness crashed over her like the waves crashing over the sides of the tilting lifeboat.
Gray grabbed the railing and the line, now drawn taut by her efforts. He’d lost his shirt somewhere in the chaos, and his bare chest now gleamed with water, rain, and sweat. His muscles gathered and bunched. The rope, straining her ability to keep hold of it with his added weight, tore and scraped her already-abused palms, wrenching a sob from her chest.
The shark hit the lifeboat, and Gray quickly scrabbled for purchase on the side of Maggie. Finally, with one massive effort, he jerked himself up and over just as the lifeboat upturned and the shark’s hideous face, rows of teeth, and those black eyes broke the surface for just a moment.
As soon as Gray landed on the deck, Riley let go of the rope, and it emitted a low, singing whine as it ran across the railings. “Cut it, Riley! Cut the rope!” Gray yelled through exhausted pants.
Riley shucked off her own fatigue to run to the galley. In the living quarters, anything that was not nailed or glued down was flying or sliding around. She carefully avoided being impaled by any of them, found a sharp knife, and rapidly made her way back to the deck.
Maggie listed dangerously to one side, and her lifeboat, now the object of the shark’s rage, was yanked about in the massive creature’s teeth. That yanking only added to the urgency, so Riley sawed through the rope with a grim and steadfast determination. It took what felt like eons, but the fibers finally parted and gave way. The rain lashed down harder, soaking her all the way through. Her hair fell over her eyes, and her breath came in hard, fast, raspy gasps as the line spun over the rail and vanished. Once the deed was done, Riley collapsed on the deck.
Gray took the knife carefully from her hand. The gusting wind howled over their heads, and the boat slid and rocked again, dipping toward each side before finding some balance.
They couldn’t rest long, and they both knew it, but Gray took a moment to hug her close and she wrapped her tired arms around his neck. She wanted to relax in his hold, but she couldn’t help thinking they were still going to die. Just like that, the terror was back. The idea of dying, of no longer being on the world, literally froze Riley in place. We can’t die now, can we? I mean, we’re too young, and we’re so in love, and… Wait. In love? Are we? I mean, I am, but is he? She knew it wasn’t exactly the right time to ask those questions, but her mind still wandered there.
Gray managed to get to his feet. Dark circles had swelled under his eyes, as dark as the sea, and bruises had already formed all along his shoulders and wrists from the rope and the waves. He made his way to the controls of the boat with Riley right beside him, terrified to let even an inch grow between them. There was a sail for good weather, but when she shouted at him that she could help get it up, he shouted back that there was no telling where they would end up, that they had to use the motor to try to outrun the storm.
Riley’s eyes followed his. Much to her dismay, it became evident that the hell they had already been through was just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. On the horizon, coming right toward them, was something that literally stopped her heart: long curtains of black, heavier rain falling from the slate-gray sky, with waves that seemed to reach even higher than the clouds. “Gray, are we going to make it?” she asked, her shout holding every inch of her fright.
He took her hand and held it, and even though his skin was as chilled as hers they both found some warmth in that touch. “Damn straight we are.”
She nodded and hoped he was right.
“There’s no way I’m gonna lose you, Riley.”
Those words were nearly as heart-stopping as the shark, and they rendered her just as speechless for a moment. Finally, she found it within her to utter, “I’m not willing to lose you, either. Just get us to shore, okay?” Her smile was tremulous at best, but she was proud to give it to him.
Gray gave her a brief but intimate kiss and said, without an ounce of uncertainty in his voice, “Your wish is my command.”