Rescued II

by M. K. Elliott

  RESCUED II

  EBOOK EDITION

  Copyright © 2011 M.K. Elliott

  RH Publishing

  P.O. BOX 651193, STERLING VA, 20165-1193

  ISBN 978-0-9867187-6-2

  Edited by Dawson Editing Services

  License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your eBook store and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  *You can click on the title to be taken to the selection. Additionally, all chapter names will link you back to this table of contents.

  Saved at Sea

  Perfect Timing

  Crash Landing

  Ice Bound

  Burning Lust

  Bonus Material previously contained in the Everything Erotic Anthologies:

  Her Secret Life

  Fated

  Three Chapter Excerpt to Escape

  Saved at Sea

  ** All chapters are linked to the table of contents, to return there simply click on the underlined heading.

  “You son of a bitch!”

  Tamsin Godfrey stood in the doorway of the cabin, her hands on her hips. Beneath her feet, the boat gently rose and fell.

  Her eyes narrowed at the naked shoulders of her husband, Jared, his muscles bunched up as he held himself over the equally naked body of a blonde.

  At the sound of her voice, Jared twisted his neck, looking back over his shoulder.

  “Shit,” he sighed, exasperated, pissed she’d interrupted him, rather than acting guilty at being caught shagging the woman who had just sold them the boat.

  The blonde in question sat up in bed, pulling the sheet around her perky breasts.

  “So is this how you make your commissions?” Tamsin said, addressing the woman. “By fucking the clients?”

  “It wasn’t like that,” she said, unable to look Tamsin in the eye.

  “No?” She turned her attention to Jared. “And what about you? What was it like? I hope she was fucking fantastic ‘cause this is the last time you’ll set foot on this boat.”

  Still holding the sheet, the blonde—Tamsin couldn’t remember her name—fished her clothes off the floor. She clutched them to her body as she squeezed past Tamsin and ran from the cabin. Tamsin followed the sound of her naked footsteps as she trotted across the wooden deck and off the boat.

  “And you,” she said, her voice hard. “Get the hell out of here. I never want to see you again, you cheating bastard.”

  Jared climbed off the bed. His wife finding him in bed with another woman had done little to affect his erection. His cock, still hard, jutted out toward her. Jared stretched, showing off his five-times-a-week gym body, the tanned skin and hard lines of his abs and pectorals.

  She tutted in disgust. “Jesus, put some clothes on.”

  He held out his hands. “Come on, Tammy. You know I love you. She came onto me—I mean, really threw herself at me—what was I supposed to do?”

  “Errrr…say no, because you’re married?”

  “You know how difficult these things are for me. Honestly, sweetheart, I think I might have an addiction or something. Maybe I need to get some help.”

  “What you need to get is a good lawyer, jack-ass. Now get out of here before I go to the kitchen and find the biggest knife I can.”

  He put his hands up either side of his head. “Don’t be like that, Tammy. I admit it. I’m a total shit, but there’s no need to get violent.”

  “Fuck you. I’m going to the galley.”

  “Okay, okay.” He started to tug on his pants, buttoning them and zipping the fly. “I’m going.” He got to the door and turned back to her. “I know you won’t stay mad at me forever, Tammy. You and I both know you’ll come back eventually.”

  She grabbed a champagne glass sitting on the side table and threw it. It shattered against the side of the door, narrowly missing Jared.

  “Shit, woman,” he said, his arm up reflexively. “You gone nuts or something?”

  “Yeah, nuts for putting up with your bullshit for so long. Get out before I pick up that glass and come after you.”

  He shook his head at her—as if she was the one behaving badly—and then left.

  Her whole body trembled. What the hell had she been thinking, taking him back after the last time? She’d fallen for his crap about being sorry and it never happening again. Out of desperation, she’d believed him—she’d wanted to believe him. They’d only been married a year and she wanted the marriage to work. She’d thought she loved him, but now she wondered if she knew him at all. The gorgeous, attentive man she thought she knew had disappeared almost as soon as they said their wedding vows. Six months was too soon to get married, she knew that now.

  Tamsin cringed at the idea of having to tell people they had been right about Jared. Everyone had warned her not to marry him, but of course she hadn’t listened. She was in love and only catching him cheating for the second time had finally opened her eyes to the truth.

  Oh God, what do I do now?

  Tamsin sunk down onto the edge of the bed, her head spinning. She couldn’t go back to their apartment; he would be waiting for her and would pull the big puppy-dog eyes and maybe even manage a few tears. She didn’t trust herself to be in his company. Something about him made her weak.

  She suddenly realized she was sitting on the bed he’d screwed the blonde in and leaped to her feet. Jesus, she needed to get out of here. It occurred to her she had the perfect escape. He’d never be able to find her out on the ocean.

  Tamsin left the cabin and made her way up to the wheel house. The keys were still in the ignition and she pushed the button to start the engine. The forty foot Sunseeker was moored in Del Ray marina, surrounded by white boats and the elite. There was a blue sky above her, but a bank of dark clouds loomed on the horizon. Tamsin didn’t even notice. All she knew was that she needed to be somewhere Jared couldn’t get to her.

  The boat thrummed beneath her feet and carefully she maneuvered the vessel out of the marina. She powered out into open water. The ocean blurred in front of her as tears filled her eyes. Her hands gripped the wheel, her knuckles white. She had no idea where she was going, only that she needed to be far away from Jared.

  The boat bounced across the waves, the bow slapping into the surge. Spray dampened her dark, wavy hair, creating a halo of frizz around her face.

  The fucking bastard, she thought. How could he do this to her again?

  Because he didn’t love you, a voice—which sounded suspiciously like her mother—came back.

  She slammed her fists against the steering wheel, angry at herself as much as him.

  The land grew further away and when she finally dragged herself from her thoughts, she realized how far out she was. On the horizon, there was no sight of land. Only, she couldn’t see the sky anymore. The bank of clouds was now on top of her, weighing down heavily, fat and bloated. And she only got glimpses of the horizon as the waves lifted and fell.

  Oh shit.

  How did she not notice the storm? Adrenaline speared through her, making her heart race. Her tears had mixed with the spray, the salt drying and tightening on her face. Her
tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and she swallowed hard.

  The waves surged below the boat, dropping out from beneath her. She gave a small scream, hanging onto the wheel, trying to keep control.

  Tamsin turned the wheel, trying to pull the vessel around so she could head back the way she’d come, but the boat ended up horizontal against the ever-increasing swell and the whole craft tilted to one side. She lost both her footing and her grip on the wheel. Her body slammed against the wall of the wheelhouse, jarring her bones. Her breath knocked from her lungs and she gasped.

  The boat rode the crest of the wave and then dropped down again. Tamsin found herself sliding, along with everything else on the boat, over to the other side.

  She managed to catch hold of the wheel again and she gripped it as hard as she could, not wanting to be tossed around.

  The boat hit the lowest point of the wave, and this time, instead of riding back up the other side, a huge wall of water barreled toward her. She stared at it, eyes wide, as the wave pummeled onto the deck. Spray thundered onto the glass windshield and water flooded around her feet. The boat lifted and dropped down again, slamming into the waves. Her stomach fell out of itself.

  For the first time, Tamsin realized she was in serious trouble.

  Frantically, she scrabbled around and managed to snatch up the radio.

  “Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is The Prowess, Sunseeker. I’m in distress and taking on water.”

  The radio crackled to life.

  “Prowess, this is the U.S. Coastguard. I hear you loud and clear. What are your co-ordinates?”

  “Oh god,” her eyes scanned the navigation system. “Latitude is thirty-four degrees north. Longitude, one hundred and eighteen degrees west.”

  “We’ve got you, Prowess. Hang in there.”

  But she didn’t get the chance to feel any kind of relief. Another wave hit and icy water flooded into the cabin. Instinctively, Tamsin grabbed hold of the wheel again as water rushed over her, snatching the breath from her lungs, threatening to tear her from the boat and lose her within its depths.

  She’d given up trying to steer the boat in any direction. All she hoped was that it would stay afloat while the Coastguard came to find her. More waves washed onto the deck, flowing down into the cabin.

  With relief, Tamsin saw a white and orange helicopter hovering above her.

  The sea blew out in a rippled circle around her and her hair whipped around her face. She lifted her arm across her face, trying to protect her eyes from the combination of wind and salty spray.

  From the side of the helicopter, a man appeared, dressed in a bright orange and yellow protective suit. He leaned back off the side and was carefully lowered down on a line.

  Tamsin stumbled on deck to meet him, using the rails of the boat to hang on, praying she wouldn’t be washed off the side on her way.

  His feet hit the deck and there was no time for niceties. Dark eyes fixed hers and he reached out to her, grabbed her by the arm, pulling her toward him.

  “Hang on!” he yelled into her ear.

  Tamsin held onto his shoulders as he strapped her into a harness, similar to the one he was wearing. He held her against him as they were winched back up.

  She clung to her savior’s body as they swung in the air, leaving the waves and the now listing of a boat far beneath them. Her heart was pounding—this was almost as scary as being left on the boat.

  But after only a few minutes of being suspended, they reached the helicopter. Hands reached out to pull them both on board and finally she was within the belly of the huge aircraft, safe.

  The man who had rescued her pulled off his helmet to reveal dark, curly hair. He had a strong nose, thick eyebrows and eyes so dark they looked almost black.

  He looked into her face, studying her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I’m fine. Maybe a few bruises, but otherwise safe. Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome. I hope you’ve learned to check the weather forecast before you head out next time.”

  One of the other crewmen on board pointed to the boat, which was now keeled over. “I don’t think you’ll be heading out in that boat,” he said. “You’d better have good insurance.”

  Laughter barreled up from her belly, catching hold of her like a spark on dry tinder. It crept over her until her whole body shook as she tried to contain it, knowing the laughter was totally inappropriate to the situation. She snorted through her nose.

  The tousle-haired man, his hair still wet from the spray, stared at her bemused.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “You know your boat’s sinking, right?”

  Tamsin nodded, her lips pressed together, trying to suppress her mirth. It was shock. People often had inappropriate reactions after experiencing a traumatic event—she was sure she’d read that somewhere.

  “I’m fine, really. It’s just that my husband always dreamed of buying that boat, and the day after he makes his dreams come true, the damn thing sinks.”

  “Oh, you’re married? Can I call your husband for you? He must be worried.”

  She snorted again and checked herself. It really wasn’t an attractive sound.

  “No, please don’t call him. If he thinks I’m dead…well, all the better. He’s a lying, cheating bastard and if I ever see him again, I will probably kill him.”

  The man gave her an unsure smile. “Okay…I wouldn’t want to be an accessory to murder.”

  Suddenly the laughter was gone. Tamsin put her head in her hands and the reality of what just happened flooded over her. To her horror, the tears were back, filling her eyes and streaming down her cheeks.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “Don’t be. You’re safe and it’s only natural to be upset. It sounds as if you’ve had a hard day.”

  She sniffed again and nodded. The helicopter had reached land now and touched down, back on solid ground.

  He put a warm palm over the back of her hand and she looked up. His head tilted to the side, a slight smile on his lips.

  “Is there anyone I can call for you? Anywhere I can take you?”

  This brought on a fresh set of tears. “I don’t have anywhere to go. We just moved to Los Angeles and I don’t know anyone here, except my husband and I’m certainly not going there.”

  “Are you sure? It doesn’t feel right dropping you off at a hotel.”

  “A few hours ago I caught him with his dick inside the twenty-year-old boat sales woman. I’m certain I don’t want to be anywhere near him.”

  “Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m the fool—I practically deserved it. I knew what he was like and he’d cheated before, but yet I forgave him and tried to pretend everything was all right. It was as much my own vanity as anything else. Everyone told me he was an asshole, but I wouldn’t believe them. I was too stubborn the first time to admit I was wrong, and surprise, surprise, he goes and does it again.”

  “The guy’s an idiot, if you ask me.”

  “Thanks. I can’t help thinking I’m the idiot. Who the hell drives into a storm? I could have been killed.”

  He reached out and pushed her hair away from her face, revealing a darkened bruise.

  “Maybe we should take you to the hospital? You could easily have a concussion.”

  “I’m fine, honest. I just need a new life, that’s all.”

  He smiled. “Oh, well. If that’s all you need…”

  She raised her eyebrows. “I hope that wasn’t sarcasm.”

  The smile developed into a grin. “No, of course not.” The grin disappeared and he sighed. “Look, I can’t just dump you off at a hotel.”

  “And I’ve got no way to pay for a room,” she interrupted. “My purse went down with the boat.”

  “In that case, you should come back with me. My shift’s ended and I’ve got a spare room. Honestly, it’s no trouble.”

  “What about your family?” she asked, her eyes wide at his
generosity. “Won’t your wife mind you bringing home random people you’ve plucked out of the ocean?”

  “No wife,” he said, wiggling his naked fingers in front of her.

  “Girlfriend?” She couldn’t help the hopeful hitch in her voice.

  “Nope.”

  “Okay, then. As long as you’re sure it’s no imposition.”

  “Not at all. Let me find you some dry clothes and you can change in the bathroom. I’ve just got some paperwork to finish up and then I’ll be with you.”

  He found her a pair of shorts and a dark blue t-shirt with USCG printed on the back. She went into the ladies room and stripped off her wet clothes, glad to put the dry ones on. When she came back out, he was waiting for her, all dark eyes and spirals of hair. A shock of realization went through her.

  Wow, this guy was seriously cute.

  “Ready?” he said.

  “Sure.” She bundled her wet clothes together and followed him out to where his SUV was parked out front.

  “I don’t even know your name,” she said, as he started up the engine and steered the vehicle out onto the road.

  “Enrique,” he said, flashing his white teeth at her.

  “Spanish background?” she asked.

  “Columbian grandparents. And what about you? I know all about your love life, but I don’t know your name either.”

  “Tamsin.”

  He took his eyes off the road a little too long, his eyes flicking down her body. Tamsin was no innocent virgin; she knew full well when there was an attraction between two people, and from the way he kept glancing down at her thighs, she knew she wasn’t wrong about this one.

  Within twenty minutes, they pulled up at his apartment and he guided her through the front door. Tamsin was pleased with what she saw. The place was smart, with the clean lines of a bachelor; brown leather couches, glass coffee table and stainless steel kitchen counters.