Cam started awake. Something was wrong. He sensed it immediately. A cold band of panic gripped his chest. He was drenched in sweat.

His eyes flew to Sarah’s side of the bed. Oh my god. Her side. He couldn’t think of it like that. No, it was just the side of the bed she slept on. Whatever it was, it was empty. She wasn’t there.

Cam pushed back the sodden sheet, sticky with his sweat. He couldn’t remember dreaming. The night wasn’t overly warm. He must have had a nightmare. He couldn’t explain the cold sheen of sweat otherwise.

He ran a trembling hand through his dark hair. He paused. Why the hell was he shaking?

The silence of the house was almost deafening. Nothing seemed amiss and yet… where was Sarah? Had she gone back to her own room?

Cam climbed out of bed. He walked silently to the large window and stared out at the ocean beyond. The wind was blowing harder than normal. Palm fronds waved wildly and the ocean’s waves crashed hard onto the beach. They left silvery trails of wet sand in the wake of their fury.

Was a storm coming? He squinted and blinked to clear the last vestiges of sleep from his grainy eyes. The night was quickly fading, giving way to the bleak greyness that signalled a splendid sunrise. His eyes swept the horizon and that’s when he saw it.

A white spec, tossing and turning like a toy boat on the violent ocean. Oh no. His eyes flew to the docking area and it was as empty as he thought it would be. The boat was gone.

You stupid woman. You stupid, stupid woman. Cam rushed over to his discarded clothes and threw on his boxers in a hurry. He knew he couldn’t waste a single moment. Of all the stupid things anyone had ever done, this was the worst. Why did she do it? Why now? In the morning, in a few short hours, he was going to tell her that she was free. He had selfishly yearned for one more night with her. This was the cost of indulging his heart.

Cam ran straight to the beach. He froze at the water’s edge. All he could do was watch helplessly as the boat was pulled further West where he knew an underwater reef to be. It was silent and hidden and as dangerous and deadly as any unseen enemy.

He could do nothing at all to keep the boat from striking that reef. The most horrifying part of all was that he actually heard the sickening crunch of the impact.

The boat was small. It was going to sink. He knew that for a fact. He was utterly helpless. The ocean’s waves were as furious as he had ever seen them. They would pull that boat under in a matter of minutes.

Sarah. Oh god, she can’t swim.

Bile rose in the back of Cam’s throat. There was only one thing he could do. It was fool hardy and stupid to even think he could reach her, especially when he’d be swimming against the fury of the ocean itself. He had to try.

He made a split-second decision. He knew that if he lost Sarah he was going to lose a part of himself. He didn’t know how the hell that could be but it was the truth.

He ran straight into the water, plunging himself below the surface. He swam hard, his powerful strokes carrying him towards the rapidly sinking ship. He watched it flounder as he struggled to keep the crashing waves from pouring down his throat. He would never have made it half as far as he did if he hadn’t been a strong swimmer. His arms and legs burned, his lungs burned. His entire body ached with exhaustion yet he forced himself forward. It was the only direction he could go.

He struggled against the churning waters as he neared the reef. The boat was on its side, barely above water. He saw her then, the frightened shape huddled up, desperate and fearful to stay afloat the wreck as the waves pummeled it mercilessly.

“Sarah!” Cam yelled. Her head whipped around and when she saw him struggling towards the ruined boat her eyes widened with shock.

“Cam!” She didn’t move. There wasn’t anywhere to go. Her eyes stayed locked on his face the entire time he swam. He finally made it to the listing boat. He gripped onto anything he could find in utter desperation and weariness.

“You’re going to have to jump into the water. Don’t be afraid. I’ll catch you!” Cam shouted when he could actually force enough air into his lungs to formulate words.

Sarah’s face was wild with fear. Her mouth opened and closed but no words came out. She obviously hadn’t been able to find a life jacket in time. Cam cursed her utter stupidity once again. He knew it was no time to berate her but the words jumped to his mouth all the same.

“You stupid woman! How could you have taken the boat out! What were you thinking? That you could get away! Why would you even try?” Despite the fear and panic and the grave situation, a tide of hurt washed over Cam.

“Cam!” Sarah cried his name and in that instant everything but getting them to safety was forgotten. “I can’t get in the water! I’ll drown!”

He extended a hand. “In a minute you’re not going to have a choice. This boat isn’t going to stay floating for much longer. Jump into the water beside me and just kick like crazy when you do. Kick like you’re running until you feel my arms around you.”

She stared at him wide eyed, a frantic hope and paralyzing fear warring with each other. Finally she nodded. She shifted towards the edge of the boat. “That’s it! Just like that!” Cam let go and forced himself back into the churning waters. He waited for Sarah to jump. She hesitated for only a second before she launched herself off the boat and into the black waters right beside him.

He had been fearful she would sink. He’d told her to kick in order to propel herself back to the top. He had worried for nothing. She popped up right beside him, spluttering and coughing, reaching for him with blind faith and trust that he would save her. He pulled her in against him as her arms locked around his neck.

Water sluiced off her hair and dripped down her face. It was hard to tell if she was crying or not but her eyes were wild and pale with fear.

“You have to stay calm Sarah, or you’ll drown us. Do you understand? I can only swim if you try and help me. Kick with me, not against me. You can hang on but don’t clutch me or we’ll both go down. I’m already exhausted and it’s a hell of a long way back to shore.”

He waited to see that she understood and she finally nodded. He knew he was an idiot but he wasted another precious minute by pulling Sarah close and crushing her lips with his. He kissed her like it was the first time and the last. He knew damn well that he might not have another chance.

Cam broke the kiss. He shifted Sarah so that his arms were free. She did as he asked. She hung on for dear life and kicked with him, propelling them forward. She was a slight woman but as he struggled forward, she felt like a deadweight around his neck even though she did her best to help him.

He kept moving forward, fighting the swells of crashing waves, the current underneath and the black exhaustion that threatened to tear him limb from limb. He kept kicking and struggling forward because there was no other alternative.

Cam struggled on for what felt like days but was probably only a matter of minutes. His powerful arms cut through the waves even though his muscles had long gone numb. It was strange, how the pain dimmed away to be replaced with only a grim determination. He remembered, at one point, raising his head to see over the next wave before it crashed over his face and filled his mouth with bitter, salty water.

They were close. They were so very close. He put his head down and swam for his life. For Sarah’s life. If he couldn’t save himself, he was damn well not going to let her die. He wanted to tell her that it was crazy but she was a part of his heart. She was the only woman he’d ever felt anything close to love for. She had given him the most precious gift and if he died, at least he could die happy.

He wanted to tell her everything that was in his heart but he couldn’t. He couldn’t force words. He couldn’t spare the precious breath. He felt himself fading and just hoped like hell it wasn’t too late. Black spots danced in front of his eyes. The waves were stronger, harder, pushing them back. The water rose into his nose, his mouth, his lungs. He choked and spluttered, fighting for one last breath before everything went black.