Swept Away by Toni Blake Read Free Book Online

his gaze down to her cute little top. “So this is what you put on to cover up? Not that I’m complaining.” She pulled back slightly, as if suddenly remembering to be mad at him. “I didn’t exactly bring a lot of clothes on this trip. Because I thought I’d be alone. As opposed to having a nightmare from my past wash up on the beach, then having my boat blown to bits, thereby stranding me with said nightmare.”
    He knowingly arched one brow. “You didn’t think I was such a nightmare then.” She gave her head a typically saucy tilt. “I was young and stupid.”
    Impudent as ever, he thought, amused—but something a little more urgent needed exploring here. “You, uh, used the word ‘stranded.’ Care to explain that?”
    Kat emitted yet another huge sigh, so God only knew what was coming. “I... think maybe I forgot to pack my phone charger.”
    “Okay.” A minor problem, but not the end of the world. “And?”
    “And... since I’d planned to stay here until Thursday, no one will be looking for me for a while.”
    It was Saturday. He was starting to see the scope of their dilemma. Shit. “So we’re really stuck here.”
    “So it would appear.” She cast a dejected gaze toward the remains of her Stingray before raising her eyes more hopefully. “But maybe we could build a big fire on the beach. We’re not that far from shore—someone in a plane or boat would see it. I even have matches.”
    She suddenly sounded so enthusiastic. Sorry to disappoint you, kitten, but...
    He sighed. “I was thinking the same thing as I swam here, only now I don’t think it’s a good idea. Wrong people might see it. As in my friends on the yacht.” The last thing he wanted to do was draw Carlos and Francisco back to the island.
    “Who are?” she demanded. “And if you threaten to kill me one more time, Brock, I’ll kill you. I just saw my boat blown to smithereens—you owe me some kind of explanation.”
    He knew she had every right to be angry, but he also couldn’t answer her questions. So he changed the subject. “Got anything to eat?”
    “What?” she snapped, eyes brimming with disbelief.
    “You know, food? I’m hungry. I’ve had a hell of a day.” He pushed to his feet, then grabbed her hand to pull her up next to him.
    She failed to look appreciative. “Brock—tell me what’s going on and who those madmen were. Now.” She stomped one pink flip-flop in the dirt.
    “I was thinking of doing that over dinner.”
    She remained incredulous. “Dinner? You actually think I’m going to eat dinner with you?”
    He shrugged his shoulders, spread his arms, and pointed out to her what she clearly hadn’t quite grasped yet. “We’ve got five days and nights together here, kitten. Looks like you’re gonna be doing a lot of things with me you hadn’t planned on.”
    Kat didn’t like how she’d felt when she’d seen Brock lying on the ground after that explosion. Her heart had sunk to her stomach, and her whole body had gone weak—she could have collapsed on the spot. She stole a glance at him, standing at the grill now, flipping a steak with a long pair of tongs, as she set the picnic table outside the little island bungalow.
    You’d react that way with anyone in that situation. It has nothing to do with him, for God’s sake. He was a stranger to her now. He always had been, really, when she thought about it.
    She couldn’t believe someone had blown up her boat, that some stark, mysterious danger had come so close to her—and that she’d truly let Brock talk her into not discussing it until they sat down to dinner! They’d actually walked back here and gotten the steaks from the fridge and started cooking, like they were normal people on a normal beach preparing for a normal meal— and she still had no idea what had brought him here or why her boat had been obliterated. She could only attribute her acquiescence to the fact that she was utterly shell-shocked by the whole event.
    Great, I’m