The black-haired Egyptian beauty, who had been his alone for the best eight months of his life, threw him the sharp look he’d come to dread.
She meant business. If he wanted to continue to get care packages from a world-class chef, not to mention the most sensual loving he’d ever had, night after night, he’d better toe the line.
He took a deep breath and agreed.
“Okay, Cara Mia. The swing bed you built up on the top deck was a little scary at first, but I got used to it. Maybe this toilet sink thing will turn out to be a good idea too. Tell me again how it works and why we have to do this crazy shit.”
“The way it works uses simple gravity. Flushing a toilet is nothing more than releasing water from an elevated tank. Why not use some of that water before the flush? Making our water aquifer last as long as possible requires we look at every possible way to minimize usage.
“And remember?” Rania explained slowly. “Part of our contract with Manning gives us a ninety-nine year lease for this island. But only if I come up with a totally non-impact environmental design. He wants to partner with me and sell the concept.”
“Why did you ever agree to such a thing? And with Manning? We don’t need the money.”
“It’s not about the money,” she snapped. “I thought you’d learned your lesson. This is about what I can give back, what we can give back, in exchange for all our good luck.”
“Okay, okay,” Moj said. “I get the idea. I’m just sayin’ Morris Johnston doesn’t wash his hands in the toilet.”
“Pah.”
She swung her long hair over her shoulder and scrunched the whole gorgeous mass into a sexy ponytail, which went really well with the industrial safety goggles she shoved hard up the bridge of her nose.
“You’ve given up your celebrity status, so you’re going to have live like us common people.”
Moj returned her scathing stare with a steady one of his own.
“No, Rania, I’m talking about THE Morris Johnston — my father. He’s flying in for Christmas since your dad will be here, too. You remember him, the Oxford don, Italian literature, gives a new meaning to the word ‘uptight’?”
“Oh,” she said softly, and pushed the goggles up on top of her head. “I didn’t think… ”
“We also have to consider all our friends coming here for the big New Year’s Eve fly-in,” he reminded her.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “Manning and Cloude will be here. He’s taught her both sky and scuba diving. Don’t know yet how they’ll arrive. I can never figure out whether they need two beds or one. Has she said anything to you?”
Moj did an eye roll and threw his hands into the air. “If we put them in one of the little huts down by the beach, they can sort out the sleeping situation for themselves.”
“Did Manning tell you the latest news on our pirates?” Rania asked.
“Those guys,” Moj puffed out air. “I can’t forgive them for shooting at us, no matter how harmless they turned out to be. Alton told me how they flubbed their second kidnapping attempt.”
“Well,” Rania said, “it seems the third time is a charm. The General Intelligence Directorate in Egypt has word that they sold Fayed for ten million rand to some crime lord in South Africa. There’s also talk of other criminals across Africa who’ve disappeared. It seems Vikram, Bert, and Wally are getting better. Dangerous work, but they just might be making the world a better place.”
Moj grinned at how sweet things had turned out.
“Like you with your eco-friendly designs. Like me with my music. We all have our gifts.”
“Like Alton and his cooking. I can’t wait until the Bonnie Blue gets here. I found an anchorage for them on the leeward side of the island. I told him I want the poularde again, and those onion buttons, and the ice milk yeast thing.” She ticked off the items on her fingers. “Oh, and CeCe and René will fly in. They said they’re bringing a surprise. Not sure how we’re going to baby-proof an island.”
“I’m still kinda worried, though,” Moj said. “How is my dad going to adjust to all this off-the-grid stuff? He’s not a brainiac engineer like you and your dad.”
Rania looked so crestfallen, he took her in his arms and gave her a long back rub. “It’s okay, Cara Mia. This is our world. They’ll all just have to deal.” He stood back and gave her a long look, still rubbing her shoulders. “How ’bout we take a break and race down to the beach? Winner decides how we wash our hands around here. Maybe I’ll lather you up in that sun shower you rigged under the coconut trees.”
She raised her head and studied the thatched ceiling for a few moments. “How about winner decides which position we try tonight?” she asked finally.
Moj’s mouth went dry. The last time they’d shopped bookstalls in Paris, she’d found a vintage copy of the Kama Sutra. Now they were working their way through the whole book, one delicious position at a time.
“You’re on,” he said, and tried a sneak head start, which was going well until she kicked one of his legs out from under him. She swung off the deck on a rope she kept tied to the railing for just such occasions and dropped to the sand in a crouch.
Moj leaned over the side and watched her sprint on long, tanned legs toward the ocean rollers crashing into the cove. Maybe he’d let her win. This time.
The End
Acknowledgements
We would like send out a big thank you to the following:
Captain Stacey Brooks, supreme expert on love at sea, and the owner of Seadog Sailing, an international sailing and cruising school.
Barbara Edwards, a dive expert who saved us from many embarrassing gaffs.
Walt Olson, retired Vail ski patroller, who flies in and out of one the top ten hairiest airports in the world…and who graciously shared his wisdom as well as his 25-foot Cape Dory.
As always, Captain Tony Plummer, Andrea’s favorite oceangoing partner in crime and source of many obscure maritime references.
Sgt. J.H. Quick, U.S.M.C., a lifelong martial artist who finds comfort in a loaded Glock. NRA instructor, Glock armor. Also a darned good hand at sea.
While the experts above helped fill out our research, any inaccuracies are entirely our own.
Other experts we’d like to thank are Quincy J. Allen for his formatting magic and Natasha Brown for her fabulous covers.
And we have to thank our editors Harriet Hamilton and Judy Brunswick.
And for our beta readers Miranda Boyer, Lexi Butler, Awna Marie Evans, Lauren Gabarron, Kimberly Kennedy, Peggy Kornreich, Ashley Vasquez. They all read a mix of books one, two and three.
Finally, a huge thanks to the Breckenridge Book Club who read all three!
The Adventure Continues…
If you enjoyed the high-seas hijinks and desert-island desires of Out Too Far please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your favorite book blog. It really helps us to spread the word!
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Love Overboard Series
Way Too Deep (Love Overboard Series Book 1)
Captain Lindsay Fisher has committed the unthinkable in the tight little world of superyachting. She's lost not one but two ships under her command. She takes chances, she’s a little too abrasive, and, oh yeah, she’s taken swearing like a sailor to a whole new level. Celebrity Chef Alton Maura earned the acclaimed “Kitchen God” title and basked in the international limelight for years until his affairs with his kitchen staff landed him twice in a poisonous stew. When Lindsay and Alton are thrown together on an uneasy cruise through the Grenadines, sparks fly. She doesn’t like his shoes or his attitude. He can’t believe a wo
man who looks that good in a captain’s uniform can be such a hard ass. This is their last chance to prove themselves, but the worst thing you can do when trying to save your career is to fall in love…WAY TOO DEEP.
Up Too Close (Love Overboard Series Book 2)
CeCe Ahlstrom, massage therapist to the rich and famous, is done with men. Her last rich boyfriend tried to kill her on an ill-fated cruise through the Grenadines. Now she’s determined to get on with her life but can’t find the funds to get to her next spa gig in Portugal. Then along comes notorious womanizer Captain René Baudoin. He’s hell on the hearts of women, he can handle any storm at sea, yet he might have met his match in a leaky old boat. He needs a first mate crazy enough to help crew the wreck known as the Tourbillon across the Atlantic. Destiny draws CeCe and René together, but things are not what they seem. René struggles with a family secret that could destroy his future and CeCe will have to face a truth not even she knows yet. Out on the open sea, René and CeCe soon find themselves…UP TOO CLOSE.
Out Too Far (The Love Overboard Series Book 3)
Rania Elsaeid is the brilliant engineer aboard the 115-foot yacht, the Bonnie Blue. She’s also a deadly, well-trained security guard. She keeps her cool when everything around her heats up. Morris “Moj” Johnston, internationally famous music producer, is on a much-needed vacation cruise through the islands of the Indian Ocean. He’s not looking for love but trying to heal a broken heart. When Moj meets Rania, everything changes. Suddenly they find themselves on the run from pirates, lost on a deserted island, and dangerously close to going…OUT TOO FAR.
About Andrea K. Stein
Andrea K. Stein’s daddy was a trucker, her momma was an artist, and she's a scribbler. The stories just spilled out—the pony escaped, the window magically shattered. Not her fault. Twenty years as a journalist couldn't stifle the yarns. Yacht delivery up and down the Caribbean only increased the flow. Now those tales celebrate romance on the high seas. As a sailing captain and instructor since 1996, she's logged nearly 30,000 miles to destinations around the world. She now lives in the Rocky Mountains and is the author of four historical sailing romances available on Amazon.com. Sail on over to her website at http://www.andreakstein.com/
ANDREA K. STEIN BOOKS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Historical High Seas Romance Series
Fortune’s Horizon
Horizons East
Secret Harbor
Rhum Bay
About Sawyer Stone
Sawyer Stone grew up dreaming of far-off cities and far-flung continents, even though those exotic locations seemed way out of reach. But the dreams of travel and love never left. It wasn’t long before Sawyer walked the alleys of Istanbul, watched the sun set from the island of Santorini, trekked the Himalayas, and dove through shipwrecks in the Andaman Sea. Still traveling, Sawyer writes all kinds of books under all kinds of names. The world needs more stories about quirky characters falling in love.
Potato Chip Cookies
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup chopped nuts (pecans)
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup crushed potato chips
Cream shortening with sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat.
Add flour, nuts, baking soda, vanilla, and potato chips. Mix.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet.
Flatten top.
Bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
TIP: Since the dough is very rich, keep dough and cookie sheets as cold as possible.
Recipe courtesy of Louise Jones Bolton
Out Too Farr Page 20