Page 105 of Hard Luck (Blackstone House)

“Potable? Did you swallow a thesaurus with that gallon of saline? Do me a favour—don’t fall into the sea while I take a look around.”

“A look around? A look around where? There’s just a cliff with more rocks.”

Unless they swam around the island to look for the harbour, but Cole wasn’t capable of swimming anywhere at the moment. Fuck, this was embarrassing. A man who’d spent half his life around water getting saved by his desert-dwelling girlfriend? He’d never live it down. But he might not have to. The Caribbean Sea was barely tidal, but if Cole had calculated correctly, the water would rise another foot overnight. They couldn’t even stay on this rock safely.

Bella pointed upward. “Skeleton Caves, not Skeleton Cay, remember?”

Before he could stop her, she jumped, clinging to the rock above her head, and scrambled higher. Fucking hell.

She was climbing a cliff.

In a damn cast.

Her toes were sticking out the front, and she was using them to dig into cracks and crevices as she went higher, higher, higher. What do you know? Watching a woman with a death wish provided a real adrenaline kick. Cole leapt to his feet, ready to save her in case she fell into the water. What if she hit a rock on the way down? What if she ended up with a head injury?

But she didn’t fall.

No, she disappeared into a dark fissure. Fear prickled at the back of his neck, and he was ready to vomit again before her head reappeared.

“There are no skeletons. I feel cheated.”

He laughed with relief.

“Did you learn rock climbing in high school too?”

“No, college. There was a hot guy in the rock-climbing club, and— Never mind. Have you ever tried it?”

“Once.”

Marcus Driscoll had invited Cole and Gretchen on an activity weekend with him and his then-girlfriend, Melody. Melody had twisted an ankle hiking, and because they’d driven to the outdoor centre in Cole’s Jeep, he’d ended up taking Melody to the hospital while Gretchen and Marcus carried on with the trip. He’d been so damn stupid. Gretchen had come back with a hickey, and she’d told him it was a bruise she’d gotten while practising archery. The explanation hadn’t even made sense, but he’d just accepted it because she was his girlfriend and he loved her.

Bella wriggled out of the cave, feet first, and began climbing down.

“There’s a second time for everything,” she called. “We can stay in the caves overnight, get our strength back, and explore in the morning.”

His strength. She meant gethisstrength back. He’d spent half his life outdoors, and somehow, a woman who spent her days at a desk was outpacing him at every turn, and doing it almost cheerfully. Damn, he needed to go to the gym more often.

“Caves? Plural?”

“There’s a little network up there. The inside is dry, and there’s a pool of rainwater at the entrance.” Bella landed beside him. “When you’re ready, we can make the climb. I have a roll of paracord we can use as a safety rope. What do you weigh? One-eighty?”

“About that. You brought paracord?”

Bella patted the pocket of her BCD. “I’m a regular Girl Scout.”

“I can see that.”

She knelt beside him and kissed his forehead. “In case I forget to tell you later, there’s no man I’d rather be marooned on a desert island with.”

Cole cupped her cheek in his hand. “And there’s no other woman I’d rather be with. Bella, I lo?—”

She clapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t say it. Just don’t. We’re doing fine exactly as we are, okay?”

“Then I’ll let you say it first.”

“Can you kneel? I need to tie this rope.”

A neat subject change, but she didn’t totally rule out saying it, and Cole was taking that as a good sign.

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