“Alright Eva,” I say out loud, the sound of my voice grounding my panic-stricken brain. “Think through this. You’re wearing a life vest, good. You’re a strong swimmer, good. You have no idea where you are, bad. You’re going to die without water in three days, very bad.”
I kick myself because that kind of thinking is not going to help me in the slightest.“Alright think, think, think. What should I do?”Suddenly, I hear a cawing sound from the sky. Looking up, I spot a sea gull soaring lazily on the breeze. My heart leaps because a sea gull means there’s a shore somewhere, right? Even if it’s not the right one, at least it’s land.I begin to swim, following the bird towards the afternoon sun, obviously heading west. Keeping up with the seagull is difficult because of the waves, and soon, I feel like I’ve been swimming for hours. My arms and legs are shaking and I’m extremely thirsty, but I keep going, knowing that it’s life or death if I don’t.After a while, the sun begins to disappear, and panic rises once more. I don’t want to be out in the ocean alone while it’s dark. But at least I start seeing more sea gulls, which means that they likely nest somewhere nearby. Seagulls live on land, right? God, I hope I haven’t been wrong about this all along.Then, a thin strip of beach appears in the distance, and I feel tears come to my eyes. I’m saved! Swimming faster than I thought possible, I make my way towards it, desperately trying to reach shore before nightfall. The current is making it extremely difficult and I can feel a stitch forming in my side as I splash my way through the waves. It’s sheer determination keeping me going at this point because my arms and legs feel like dead weights.Finally, my feet touch sand and I manage to crawl out onto the beach. The waves grab at my hands and feet, as if trying to pull me back into the ocean, but using my last ounce of strength, I clamber onto the safety of the sandbar. Then, I collapse on the soft sand, crying with mixed exhaustion and adrenaline. God, did that just happen? Did I almost just lose my life? Where am I, anyways? But I’m too tired to care, and pass out, everything going dark at once.Jonathan“I’m not telling you when I’ll be back because I don’t know when I’ll be back,” I growl into the phone.My manager Raisa sighs heavily into my ear.“Jonathan, this is really bad for publicity. You realize that, right? You have a new movie coming out, and the trailer’s already been released. You have to make appearances, but where are you now? On some godforsaken island in the middle of the Caribbean. Fuck me.”“You didn’t seem to feel that way about my island when you were here two weeks ago. Especially since you brought those two girls with you.”Raisa falls silent because Minnie and Winnie were his excuse to get away from life in LA. He had an amazing time here, and I hear him sigh through the phone.“Alright,” he says, finally. “You got me. But let’s walk through this, shall we? Remember, you’re the movie star, and I’m just a humble agent. It’s my job to get you out there in front of the crowds.”I pull the phone away from my ear and put it on speaker. I know that when Rai
Peter looks doubtful, but he nods and leaves the house. “You got it boss.”Meanwhile, I pull a throw blanket gently over the woman’s sleeping form. She really is gorgeous, and we managed to get her life jacket off to reveal lush curves barely contained in a turquoise bikini. Forcing myself not to look, I pull out my cell again and begin to dial the American Embassy number. But before I get halfway through, the woman groans. Quickly, I sit down next to her.“Hey,” I say. “Can you hear me?”Her long, dark, eye lashes flutter open and I stare down into warm brown eyes. Her full lips open but no sound comes out.“Can you speak?” I ask gently. “Just try.” She swallows hard and nods her head. Then she manages to gasp, “Water.”Immediately, I bolt to my feet.“Oh, of course,” I say. “Sorry about that.”In the kitchen, I grab a glass, filling it with filtered water from the fridge. Then, I bring it to her and help her sit up before holding the glass to her lips. She takes a long, grateful sip
Eva I wake up slowly out of a heavy dreamless sleep. As I open my eyes to the brilliant sunshine streaming into the room, it takes me second to remember what happened to me. I sit bolt upright. I’m sitting on a couch in an airy living room, one that I’ve never seen before. Clutching the blanket that had fallen when I sat up, I swing my legs over the side of the sofa and stand up, my knees trembling. But then there’s a clatter in the kitchen. Whirling around I see the bare back of a man standing over a stove.“I hope you’re hungry,” he calls from the kitchen.I stumble backwards, my legs sorer and weaker than they have ever been. Then I remember the ocean and the dolphins and swimming to the island. What happened? I sink down onto the coffee table staring at the half naked form of the man.“Where am I?” I ask, my voice trembling.At the sound of my whisper, the man turns and walks towards me. My mouth falls open because this is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. His back was a work
“So, here’s the problem. We get supplies shipped into St. Brigid on a regular basis, but the boat only comes once a month, and it just left last night. So …”My stomach drops into feet.“Wait, so the next time they’ll be back is…”“In a month,” he finishes for me.I can feel the color drain from my face.“Are you alright?” Jonathan asks, seeing my expression. “Are there medications you need or something like that? We can call them if it’s an emergency.”I shake my head.“No, I’m healthy but I mean, do you have a phone? I need to reach out to my friends and family because they’re going to think I’m dead!”“Sorry, no phone.”I go pale. This seems hard to believe.“Really? No phone?”Something flickers in his blue eyes but then it disappears.“Calm down,” Jonathan says, taking my hand. “It’s going to be fine. Don’t stress yourself out. I’m here all the time, and I’m surviving just fine. You’re going to be okay too.”I take a deep breath.“Yes, but how do you not have a phone?” I ask, try
“Don’t worry about it. You don’t know me so it’s a natural question and I could see you staring at my grays. They’re that obvious, huh?”I blush embarrassed.“No no! You’re very youthful looking,” I say quickly. He merely grins again, flashing even white teeth.“I don’t look old and decrepit?”“God no, you look amazing,” I say, without thinking. Then my mouth shuts with a snap and I blush again, even harder. What the hell is wrong with me? I’m usually cool to the point of standoffishness around men but Jonathan is making my brain stop working. I need to get a hold of myself. But Jonathan merely looks amused, his blue eyes glinting.“I’m glad you think so. I work hard to keep it that way,” he says. I rush with my words.“Oh yeah, that makes sense. Lots of yard work and the like right? St. Brigid doesn’t look overgrown.” Then my mouth snaps shut again because I’m being an idiot. Should islands look overgrown? Or is that the way they naturally are? God, I’m being so stupid in front of th
I smile.“Those dolphins are the reason I’m here. I was swimming with them and ended up in the middle of the ocean before I came to my senses.”He grins again.“Remind me to send them a thank you card then.”Looking up at the gorgeous man, I find his beautiful blue eyes smiling down into mine. He’s going to kiss me, I think. I shouldn’t want him to but I do so badly.Jonathan hesitates for a moment, searching my face, his blue eyes questioning. This man is gentle and sensitive, so instead, I take the reins. I go up on my toes and kiss him softly. His lips are soft and he gives me time to pull away, but I don’t want to. The kiss shoots through me and when he deepens it, I moan and lean towards him. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me tightly against him. I feel the hard muscles of his chest and stomach pressing against my sensitive breasts, and nip gently on his lower lip. He takes a sharp breath before I feel his tongue opening my lips. Touching my tongue to his, I feel his hands
JonathanWhen we get back to the house, Eva decides she wants to take a shower. Trying to clear my head of images of the curvy girl naked, soapy, and wet, I let her go. I walk to the fridge and pull out a beer, taking a long gulp, but it hardly helps quell the ache in my pants. What’s wrong with me? I’m acting like a teenager in heat.“Jesus,” I mutter out loud. After all, I almost lost control on the beach. That’s never happened before. Yet I’ve just met this woman but I’m already more attracted to her than any woman I’ve ever dallied with.“Steady, old boy,” I warn myself. “Keep it on an even keel. Don’t freak her out by being a caveman.”Turning back to the fridge, I begin pulling out supplies for dinner. I find myself calming down while washing and then cutting vegetables. It’s a nice routine. I enjoy cooking but hardly ever get a moment to myself to do it and to be frank, there’s no one interested in eating my cooking either. The last few women barely ate, to be honest. They pic
“There’s not a whole to know. I’m a pretty simple guy when it comes down to it,” I mumble while taking a few bites of stew.Eva smiles sunnily.“I don’t know, but something tells me there’s more to you than you’re letting on. I don’t know what it is yet but I’ll figure it out.”“Well, what about you?” I ask, trying to change the conversation.She looks up from her stew, startled.“Me?”“Yes, I mean all I know about you is that you’re a photographer, a glutton for punishment, and apparently a really good swimmer.”Smiling, Eva sits back sipping her beer.“There’s not a whole lot to tell to be honest. My parents live in Florida, which is where I keep an apartment for when I’m not traveling. I was on vacation for the first time in two years, but you see how that’s turned out. I love my job and my family. The end.”I go along with her, grateful for the change in subject, but also genuinely curious.“But you’re brave. Where did that come from?” She gives me a look and I laugh. “I’m serious