chapter 1

“Fuck! The storm is going to rip the ship apart!” Austin yelled, Captain Jazmine’s first mate. A giant wave crashed against the stern with the raging force of Poseidon himself sending Jazmine and Austin to the floor. The impact knocked the wind out of her, her lungs struggling as she gasped for air. Shakily she rose to her feet right as another wave slammed into the bow.

This time she held tight to the acceleration lever and planted her feet on the floor, letting her knees work to keep her steady. Austin held onto the steering wheel to stay on his feet. Together they rode out each wave that rocked the ship like a toy in a raging bath tub. Jazmine took his hand in hers as a massive wave took their ship to its peak and sent them careening down the other side.

For a split second she swore she saw the dim outline of a fast approaching mass in the distance. The clouds broke momentarily showing the mass to be a massive island in the middle of their path.

“We’re going to be beached. Brace for impact!” She managed to scream before the violent crushing of metal filled her ears.

The Adventour was swept on her side, one final wave taking the ship with it as it crashed onto the rocky shore. Water was suddenly all around her. She barely had time to take a gulp of air before she found herself thrashing around in the water that filled the bridge. The burning salt of the sea water forced her to shut her eyes as she fought to surface, her leg having been caught by an object.

Again and again she kicked until she felt Austin’s hands freeing her. Her lungs started to burn as she finally was able to surface, Austin wrapping an arm around her as he kicked out a window with his boot. More water came raging in. Jazmine was blasted in the face, choking on the water that found her mouth when it popped open in shock. Time seemed to slow as her vision grew darker by the second. A faint tug at her waist forced her to focus, seeing the blurry outline of Austin as he hauled her away from the wreckage of her beloved Adventour.

At some point, as her vision darkened more, spots dotting her view of the world, she felt something soft beneath her feet. It was then that she let the darkness sweep her up and into its hold.

Jazmine awoke sometime later with the need to empty her stomach, which she promptly did upon sitting up. Once she didn’t have anything left to hurl she rubbed her eyes taking in her surroundings. She was on a sandy beach under the shade of a palm tree, the tall trunk offering shade from the baking heat of the sun. A few yards ahead she saw the broken and crumpled wreck of her beloved ship. It was barely recognizable in its current state.

A sob rose from her chest, tears rolling down her cheeks as she mourned what once was her prized possession, her lively-hood. Her career was in pieces, or was going to be, without her Adventour. She was so wrapped up in her emotions that she didn’t see Austin approaching with various fruits in his arms.

She jumped when a solid big hand caressed her shoulder, looking up into Austin’s dreamy storm-grey eyes.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, Jaz. We’re alive.” His deep voice helped to calm her, the tears running dry as he rocked her in his arms.

“That we are. You look like shit.” Jaz had noticed his clothes were dirty and torn, his shirt had various holes while his shorts were crumpled on his body. He still wore his work boots, the black fabric probably baking his feet. She found she still wore her clothing but it was ragged and crumpled like his were.

Looking around she found various items from the ship surrounding them. Austin had managed to retrieve a life raft, an emergency medical kit, a hatchet, canned goods, a damp blanket, and a satellite phone. The man had found whatever hadn’t been ruined in the beaching from the previous evening. It was now morning according to the satellite phone, the old screen dimly telling the time and date.

“You’re quite the Boy Scout, Austin. These are great finds. I assume everything else was not worth salvaging?” He nodded, his full lips twisting in a frown.

For the first time she noticed how handsome he looked, the sun casting his sharp granite hewn features in shadows. His short dark hair that he kept spiked was messy atop his head. She thought he looked sexy with it in a chaotic mess. The shirt he wore was torn in the right places showing off glimpses of his tanned skin and an insanely sculpted abdomen. Even the most gifted of Renaissance sculptors wouldn’t have been able to capture the beauty and pure masculinity bred into his body.

Austin got to work carving up what looked to be a mango while Jazmine tried to find a signal with the SAT phone. She walked a few yards down the beach and even in the surf but had nothing, no bars. Nada, zip, zilch. Groaning in frustration she headed back to Austin.

Tossing the phone onto the sand, she plopped down in front of him. “I can’t get a signal. The radio transmitter must’ve gotten ruined in the water.”

He cursed under his breath as he passed a handful of mango slices her way, the fresh fruit coating her throat in its sticky juices. Her rumbling stomach felt calmer as she stuffed her face. They both quickly ate their way through the fruit.

“We’re fucked then. We’ll have to scout the island for provisions. If we’re going to be stuck here then we might as well set up camp on higher ground.”

“Agreed. This island is huge so there’s bound to be enough material to build a raft.” Jazmine turned her head toward the island, noticing for the first time that it indeed was massive in size.

It was more than a small piece of land but a huge island with mountains in the distance that rose into the clouds. For as far as the eye could see there were tropical trees, a whole jungle it seemed, full of potential food and shelter material. Their predicament wasn’t dire yet, but they could manage to survive until help sailed or flew by.

Perhaps they could even use the time for other things, she thought, as once again her eyes drank in his attractive features. The man had haunted her dreams on the mild occasion, the sea being a lonely place when it was just her and her first mate.

This particular trip was to meet up with a research team who needed a ride back to Latin America from an island. She hadn’t brought along the usual crew to man the ship so it had just been herself and Austin. Two weeks with just him had made her antsy and needy. Maybe this was her chance to get to know him better as a friend. He was a relatively new hire, working for a decent salary under her for six months. In that time she had grown to appreciate his company.

As she gazed at the island before them, she wondered how she’d manage to survive with him and find a way back home without losing her professionalism in the process.

Only time will tell.