Page 13 of Riptide

“We are going to need help from Garrett—”

“But no one else can know. What if—” she interrupted.

“We can’t go up against guys like Giordano or Marretta by ourselves. If you really want to get Evan, you’re going to need his team.” Seth lost his words as she stepped out of the jacuzzi. Curvy and beautiful, she ascended like a goddess from the steaming water. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the stitch of pain in his side, and reached for a towel. Seth opened it for her, pleased she allowed him to wrap it around her shoulders.

Seth’s cock twitched as her back brushed against him. He sucked a breath and silently counted to five as she lingered a second too long. Do not become involved with her. Don’t go there. No, no, no.

Relieved when she stepped to the side, Seth backed away, and inwardly cringed in surprise at the response he’d experienced. It was a bad idea, a very bad idea, to go after this woman. At best she was a grief-stricken dreamer. Worse, she might be a dangerous assassin.

But as she turned to him and looked up into his eyes, his body thrummed with intrigue, the zip of excitement that only came with trouble. On the off chance that Evan was still alive, there was no way he was getting with his girlfriend. Nope. Nothing good will come of this. Down boy.

“We have a couple of days until we get to Hawaiʻi. We’re going to Oʻahu,” she offered. “We’ve got time to strategize.”

“Yeah, I saw that. What’s in Oʻahu?”

“What?” She shot him a look of confusion.

“Nice helm you got there. Captain seems nice enough.” Seth smiled.

“You’re a devious one, aren’t you? Let me guess. Keanu took you up there.” She sighed with a resigned laugh. “Come on. It’s late. We better get to bed.”

Bed? Seth’s gaze fell to her lips and drifted back up to her eyes. No, Seth. You cannot sleep with her. Respond appropriately, he silently warned himself. “Bed sounds like a great idea. We can talk tomorrow about calling Garrett.”

Chapter Four

Kaimana lay in bed in the dark, restless, staring at the ceiling. Her mind raced with thoughts of Seth. She’d been ready to give up on him, she’d thought for sure he wouldn’t help her after their fight in the salon. In truth, she didn’t blame him for not believing her. Marretta had gone to great lengths to orchestrate Evan’s death, and it had convinced the entire world.

Convinced everyone but her. And tonight, he’d said yes…yes to helping her.

Her thoughts drifted to their interaction on the deck. She’d sensed his presence before he’d ever joined her. Though he’d appeared handsome at dinner, the sight of him shirtless, wearing only his white pajama pants under a robe, provoked a surprising reaction. With shaggy blonde hair and a lithe, tanned, muscular body, Seth’s flirtatious smile lit a fire inside her.

She recalled holding his hand in hers while he’d recovered. His calloused fingertips told her that he worked with his hands, and she shivered, wondering how those strong hands would feel on her body, stroking her skin. As she rolled to her side, she squeezed her thighs together, warmth pooling between her legs.

“What are you doing? Stop.” Don’t go there. She took control of her traitorous body, shifting her attention to her breath. Let go. Breathe in, breathe out.

But as she drifted off to sleep, dreams of the good-looking surfer spun in her mind, his sultry voice lulling her into slumber.

* * *

Boom! Shaken out of a sound sleep, Kaimana’s heart pounded as the jarring sound echoed throughout her stateroom.

“What the fu—?” She jumped to her feet and grabbed her gun from her nightstand.

Kaimana pressed her ear against the door. Through the cool wood, the sound of gunshots rang out once again. With all her senses on alert and her body readied for battle, she wrapped her fingers around the door handle and slowly slid it open an inch. With a deep inhale, she held her breath, her heart pounding in her chest as she stepped into the darkened hallway.

Following the ambient blue floor lighting, she headed toward the guest staterooms. In silence, she navigated with stealthy deliberate movements. Her heart raced as she approached her brother’s cabin. With the door wide open and the lights on, it was empty. Keanu, where are you?

Her body heated as if it were on fire. Where the hell was Seth? Her brother? She had to find them. Their lives depended on it. Her life depended on it.

Deciding not to take the elevator, for fear of making noise, Kaimana flattened her back against the wall and glanced up the spiral staircase. The pounding in her chest, though inaudible to others, beat in her ears like a bass drum. She drew in a deep breath, willing her racing heart to slow down. Think, Kaimana.

She headed upward, one foot after another slowly padding up the stairs, careful not to make a sound. As she traversed the hallway, she spied bright lights coming from the main salon. In silence, she craned her head around the corner to find it empty. But as she stepped into the salon, the sound of gunfire ripped into the air. She dropped to the ground and crouched behind the sofa.

“Lights off!” She yelled. The room fell into darkness, save for the ambient lighting that edged the floor.

She peeked around the corner of the sofa, watching in horror as two men stumbled into the room. Her heart caught in her chest as she caught a glance of his face. Seth. The stranger threw a punch, missing and catching him in the arm. Seth grunted in pain, still healing from his injuries.

A fierce protective anger tore through Kaimana. She jumped to her feet and fired a warning shot off at the stranger, nearly hitting him. “On the ground, now!”