Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
My eyelids clamped together all the way down, and my free hand pinched my nose.
I went into the bitter ocean water like a rocket.
And then I let out a scream. Like a giant wave, emotions of rapture, sadness, regret, and contentment without warning crested against me.
A shock of cold water was like a restart to my system.
I felt reborn and ready to embrace the new me and my new life.
And I did dare to say it; I was ready to live an adventure. Once we got to safety.
When my head broke the surface, it took the last of my willpower not to shout with excitement. I was breathless but had never felt more alive. I’d done it. I jumped.
Hunter held my hand while treading water, looking at the Nauti Guy.
I relaxed my fingers around his and began swimming to the boat.
With confident strokes, my strong muscles propelled me forward.
My breathing matched my arms’ movement—breath in and breath out.
With each push, I was closer to my escape.
The Nauti Guy slowly swayed, waves going around and under it, making gurgling sounds.
I slowed as we approached the boat. I thanked the stars it wasn’t any farther because my energy was running dry.
Hunter reached the stern and climbed on board, then he extended his arm and helped me up the ladder.
As soon as I was out of the water, goosebumps rushed over my skin, and salt bit into every scrape and cut on my skin.
We collapsed on the deck, my chest heaving from the long swim and the thrill of escaping Tom and his crew. Against the morning skies, a large seagull soared high, its wings spread wide. Free bird. We were free, too. We had made it. We were safe.
Hunter rolled on his side, facing me, and I used this opportunity to pull him by his shirt.
His lips brushed against mine softly first, and then then they pressed firmer.
His fingers found their way through my hair, and he rested his full length over me.
After a swim in a cold ocean, I welcomed his warmth, melting into him.
I loved his weight on me. Elation expanded my soul.
Pressed against Hunter so comfortably, I indulged in the alleviation.
I wound my arms around Hunter’s neck, my face brushing his stubble as I hugged him. I loved everything about Hunter, and I loved that he had helped me discover a new me—a strong, capable, and, most of all, resilient me.
Hunter rose on his elbows, his lips pulled into that toe-curling smile I had come to know so well. He opened his mouth to say something, but jerked his head up to look straight ahead.
“What?” I asked, my body going rigid, picturing Tom and Jack on the dinghy racing toward us.
“We should go.”
Hunching, Hunter moved to the front, pulled the anchor, and slipped into the helm. I flipped on my stomach and craned my neck to peek through the rails. No one was after us. The Nauti Guy motors came to life, and I mustered the energy to get up and face the island.
A small figure, Jack, ran on the beach, waving his arms and yelling. My left hand gripped the railing as I raised my right in farewell.
The fire wasn’t blazing anymore, just a spiral of gray smoke rose into the air like a ghost of everything that had happened in that hut.
Me waking up for the first time after the storm.
Hunter and me hunching over journals for hours.
All the sweet and dirty vows Hunter whispered in my ear when we were tired before we fell asleep, his arms around me.
Us making love countless times on the bed, against the walls, on the mess of papers on the floor. All that sex. Raw and hungry.
The boat picked up speed over the waves, and I slid down on the floor and lowered my head onto my knees. A million emotions flooded my heart. Overwhelmed, I let myself cry.
I cried for Bambi. I cried about losing my dad’s ashes (twice). I cried for how exhausted I was (I could close my eyes and sleep for weeks). And I cried because I was finally going home, where my friend, my job, and my fast new life awaited me. And it all felt wrong.
Hunter concentrated on navigating us back to Rarotonga, and I tried to figure out why each time I thought of going home, unease dragged me down like a boulder.
We cruised for a long time without talking, until eventually he slowed the boat not far from the Avatiu Harbor, then killed the motors.
He slid next to me on the floorboard, his large hand coming over my small one, engulfing it in warmth.
A tired smile pulled at his lips, and this was when it became clear my home wasn’t in Miami.
For days, I had questioned whether this was the right decision for me.
I searched for reasons it was important for me to return, and I couldn’t find any.
I loved my job, but nobody said I couldn’t do it remotely.
Tina was my only close friend, but I couldn’t (and shouldn’t) build my life around her, and she would want me to choose love (and the greatest sex ever) over her.
And when I searched for reasons why I should stay here, on the Cook Islands, I only came up with one absolutely-no-fucking-doubt vital reason: Hunter Holden.
My home was anywhere Hunter was. It was scary to abandon my old life and start anew in a new place with a new person, but everything we went through in one month was like speed dating on steroids. And we turned out to be great together.
“Why are you so quiet?” Hunter asked, his thumb making a gentle circle on my skin.
“I want to be with you.”
His eyes met mine with so many emotions that my chest tightened. “You don’t need someone as messed up as me,” he said.
“I don’t think you’re messed up. Owing money to criminals is”—I sucked in a breath through my teeth—“troubling, but you did it for a good reason. And you’ll pay them off and never have to deal with them again.” I turned my hand palm up to his and laced our fingers. “I don’t want to go back.”
His eyebrows pulled together. “Why?”
I shrugged, smiling. “Because there is no place in the world I would rather be than with you.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, voice low but hopeful. His lips seemed to fight a bigger smile. “It will take a long time to get the reward. Years. Or it might not work out with a finder’s fee at all, and you’ll end up with a broke fishing boat owner whose house is a pile of ashes.”
“I don’t care about that. And we can rebuild the house. It was a piece of crap anyway, had horrible air conditioning, and the plumbing was awful.”
He threw his head back and laughed. I loved his rich laugh, and I would hold tight to that sound for as long as my memory allowed.
“What about your battle to fight cybercrime?” he asked.
“I can fight it from any place in the world.”
“You might grow bored with me. There are no more mysteries to solve, no secret messages to break. You’ll be the girlfriend of a guy who takes tourists to catch fish.”
“What about the resort you want to build?”
Hunter rubbed his face, releasing a muffled groan of exhaustion, then looked away to where the highest pick of the reef-protected volcanic island came into view over starboard. “You were right. Teaku isn’t the perfect place, and I know nothing about running a business.”
“You know how to run the charter business.”
“That’s because Edward taught me how to do it.”
“You could always learn how to do something else.” I bumped his shoulder with mine.
“I’ll help you. We could also go sailing for a while.
I don’t have my dad’s ashes with me or his diary, but I have a list of all the islands he wanted to visit imprinted in here.
” I tapped a finger on my temple. “I think that would make him happy. It would make me happy, too.”
“I’d love to do that.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “Wonder Woman, I don’t think I ever lived before you walked into my life.”
“You mean shipwrecked into your life?”
“Yes,” he said, his lips brushing against mine softly. “I wanted to tell you that I loved you for days. It was like a ticking bomb inside my heart waiting to go off. I should have said it when I knew it.”
“And when was it?” I smiled.
“The day we were trying to lift the Reely Nauti. I came around the boat and saw you hanging on the rope.”
“Really? When I was sweaty and angry, hanging on the cable like a kid who was about to fail their PE class.”
“You were so determined and not afraid of work, and so beautiful, and good God, you were so snappy when you were tired. And my heart was in deep, deep trouble.” He kissed me again.
“I need to be honest with you. When I saw the Reely Nauti’s damage, I was relieved and scared all at once.
It meant I had more time with you, but I knew I’d only fall in love with you more, and it would be torture to say goodbye to you when you left. ” His eyes crinkled from the smile.
“Some people say falling in love is like cliff diving—exhilarating and stupid—and others say it’s like falling asleep slowly and then all at once, and I don’t know how it happened to me, but…” I smiled. “All I know is when I thought of home, I saw you instead, and that’s when I knew I loved you.”
Hunter kissed my temple and hugged me. “I love you, beautiful.”
The man saw me when I was near death, bruised and dirty, with greasy hair, not even wearing a lip gloss, and Hunter still found me attractive.
“If you think I’m beautiful, wait until you see me all dolled up. You’ll pass out from lack of oxygen to your brain because your blood will drain down south too quickly.”
He chuckled. “I have no doubt about that.” He pulled away, eyebrows slightly furrowed. “I don’t think you ever told me your middle name?”
“Louise. It’s my mom’s name. What is yours?”
“James.”
“Mmm, I like it. Hunter James Holden,” I said, brushing my lips against his.