Chapter 12
CILLA
My finger tapped against my leg as my gaze darted around the ship.
The space was surprisingly large and the spot he’d stashed me was comfortable even if my leg felt like it was filleted open.
Well, it kind of was.
And then I was back to looking out on the dock.
Where it had happened.
I knew it in my mind, but the memories of the actual event were more like a twisted dream with large blank patches. The eyes kept changing into Locke’s eyes. His voice in my head.
Then the jarring. “Don’t lay there like a fish” in the weird robotic distortion.
But I heard the anger.
Felt the sick excitement coming off him like cologne.
“Cilla?”
I blinked out of the memories. “Yeah?”
“I have to go check on the engine. Will you be okay for a minute? Or do you want to come up with me?”
I licked my lips, my eyes darting back to the dock, then assessing the way my leg throbbed.
“You can go. Will probably be faster without having to carry me again.”
He nodded then disappeared up another set of steps. The sloshing of water against the boat and the scent of sea threatened to drag me back to that night. What once was one of my favorite sounds, now sat inside me like a bad dream on repeat.
But then the rumble of an engine buzzed through me. I yelped and grabbed onto the railing above me as the boat eased forward. My thigh burned as I tightened up, but then the glide of the massive boat made my whole body shudder.
I was moving away from the dock.
Onto the horizon line.
I turned in my seat and watched the water churn around us as he navigated around the slips and out to the open water.
Boats dotted the horizon, but he moved away from everyone. The engine kicked up with speed.
The warm air lifted my hair and whipped it around my face.
The farther away from the dock, the more my shoulders eased. I leaned forward, eager to get away from the scene where my whole life changed.
My eyes burned with tears that slowly slipped down my cheeks.
I was okay.
No, not quite right. I’d be okay.
Eventually.
Right now, I held my face up to the wind and closed my eyes. The speed of the boat surprised me. It seemed so big and unwieldy when he’d hopped inside with me.
As if I weighed nothing.
A little shiver shimmied down my back. There was a whole lot of muscle hiding under those baggy clothes. The rangy kind that came from doing instead of a gym. Suddenly the snap of a sail had me trying to crane my neck. I wanted to see it.
Instead, I rocked back as the speed doubled.
I almost tumbled off the damn couch, and I swore as I jostled my leg.
But then it was just glorious wind and the sun glinting off the water.
I rested my cheek against the padding of the deep couch.
I must have drifted off because when I woke the sun was about to crest beneath the horizon.
The sky was on fire in the best way possible.
Deep oranges bled into fiery pinks and red.
I watched the sky darken, the ocean swallowing the sun in a spectacular fashion.
I looked up to see Locke standing on the edge of the boat. He was little more than a silhouette with his long hair ruffling on the breeze. His ballcap was gone and he’d swapped out to a pair of shorts with frayed hems at his knees.
I wasn’t sure why I felt safe with him. Sure, he’d saved me, but he was still a stranger. A Good Samaritan didn’t have to remain good, that was for sure.
Right now, I couldn’t think about the whys.
I just needed to find my way through this nightmare and heal.
Maybe I could convince Locke to keep driving his boat away from here. Perhaps we could find the edge of the world.
I had a feeling both of us were running.
I sat up and realized the boat wasn’t moving forward anymore. I scanned the horizon and didn’t find another boat or hint of land. I waited for the nerves to kick in, but all I felt was peace.
He suddenly thundered down the stairs and landed on the floor of the boat. I wasn’t sure what the main living space was called, but it was surprisingly wide.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” I tucked a hank of crispy hair behind my ear. God, I needed a shower.
And more importantly, a trip into the bathroom.
Finally nerves fluttered to life there. God, he’d have to carry me until the staples healed up a little more.
I cleared my throat. “Um, is there a bathroom?”
His lips tipped up in the corner. “You think I just piss off the side?”
I could feel heat blazing up my neck. “Obviously not.”
“Lucky for you, I upgraded the bathroom this spring. I needed a real shower.” He scooped me up without ceremony and I yelped.
“I can’t begin to picture how a bathroom works in here.”
“I have a special filter system that uses ocean water. It’s even got some water pressure.” He used his foot to push the sliding door between the outdoor space into main part of the lower deck. “You probably want a shower.”
I cleared my throat. “Kinda obvious I need one.”
That little grin tipped his lips up again. “Tell you what. If you have a bathing suit in that luggage I’ll help you. Then let you finish up.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“Okay. I’ll get you into the bathroom and you can do your business, then we’ll do a shower.”
I nodded.
“Okay, this is a bit of a tight fit. Each of the hulls has a place for sleeping. I mostly use one side for storage of food and my bikes and the other for a bedroom. I’ll crash out on the couch tonight, then I’ll set up the secondary bedroom tomorrow.”
I nodded. “I know I’m putting you out, but I do appreciate this, Locke.”
He nodded curtly.
When he got to the edge of the stairs down to the bedrooms, he paused. “I definitely didn’t think this part over.”
I looked down and tight fit was an understatement. “Maybe I can hop down the steps.”
“We’ll get there. For now, I think you’ll just have to do this.
” He lifted me higher and my face was inches from his.
The green and gray swirl of his eyes backed the breath up in my chest. The flash of something there was quickly masked into a stony indifference. Then I was draped over his shoulder.
I yelped as his hand clamped over my good thigh to keep me in place. “Holy shit! Don’t drop me.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve carried guys a lot bigger than you across a desert. This is nothing.”
Didn’t feel like ‘nothing’ to me.
My hair fell around my face and a moment later I was being lowered to the ground. Disorientated, I grabbed onto his arms to steady myself. His iron arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly to his body.
“The bedroom is down there, bathroom here.” His gaze drifted over my mouth then back to meet my gaze. He jerked his chin behind us. “Down there is the other bedroom. So I’ll be close to hear you.”
I licked my lips. “That’s good.”
His jaw tightened as he stepped back and settled me against the wall so he could open the bathroom door. It was surprisingly large with a toilet and shower stall.
For one.
For both of us?
I swallowed down a groan. Not so much.
He slipped his arm back around my back and slowly eased me inside.
“Thanks.”
He nodded. “Do you want me to walk you into the room to find the bathing suit? If you have one.”
“I do. No, you can just grab it. It’s in the zipper section.”
“Good.” He looked around the small room. “Do you need...uh, more help?”
I shook my head. “I think I can manage.”
“Good. Um, right. Yeah.” He backed out and bumped into the door. “I’ll be right back.”
I laughed after he closed the door.
I only swore eight times as I got myself free of the shorts and top. My bra had been cut off me thankfully.
A light tapping on the door finally dented my sweaty struggles.
“Did you find it?”
“Yeah.” He opened the door a crack and his long arm slid inside with the hot pink bikini. No modest tank for me. I’d packed the underused bikinis. Go me.
Well, at least I’d get a shower out of the deal.
If I could wear this poolside, I could wear it around Locke. No big deal.
The boat tipped and I grabbed a hold of the sink. I instantly braced myself on my good leg, then glanced at myself in the mirror by the commode with a gasp. The bright pink showed off all my bruises and marks. My arms, my waist, even some I hadn’t realized I had.
“Cilla?”
“I’m good. One second.”
I wanted to pick up the shirt off the ground, but it had slid away with whatever wave had hit us.
I blew out a breath. He’d seen me far worse.
It wasn’t like I really cared what he saw. I just wanted to get clean.
Sure. Okay.
I pushed my hair back. “Good as it’s going to get.”
He opened the door and his gaze locked on my face. Had to hand it to him, he kept the stoic Locke face going even though I looked like one big, ugly bruise. He held up my shampoo and conditioner as well as my body wash. “You can make me a list for the future. What you need.”
I nodded. “I appreciate that.”
He dumped the bottles into the shower. “Okay, if I take this off?”
I nodded.
He reached behind his neck and pulled off his T-shirt.
My tongue grew about two sizes too big at the endless rippling muscles hidden under the cotton.
His shoulders were broad and bronzed from the sun.
Freckles dotted his skin in random patterns like constellations.
He played with a few dials and the water kicked on.
It spit at first before the lines ran smooth.
“We need to conserve, or you’ll end up with cold water. But let’s get you wet.”
Not a problem there.
Okay, be an adult here.
He turned back to me and his arm slid around my back. “It’s a bit of a tight fit, but we’ll make it work.”
I licked my lips. “At least if I can get my hair washed I’ll feel better.”
He shuffled me gently into the shower. I hissed as the cool water hit my skin and I shivered.
“I’ll warm it up after we get you wet.”
“I’m good.”
He unhooked the shower head. “Okay, tip your head back.”
I felt like I was going to fall out of the damn stall.
“It’s okay, lean on me. It’s just soap.”
“Right.”