Page 5 of On The Beach

"I come with supplies." He pulled out the best things a hungover woman had ever seen: a can of Diet Coke, four Tylenol capsules, and a paper basket of the greasiest fries known to humankind, complete with spicy ketchup.

"Thank you. You're a God among men. If I didn't bang you last night, I'll do it now…as soon as my head stops spinning." I grabbed two fries and shoved them into my mouth; grace be damned.

"When a chick throws up on me, I feel I should perform aftercare," he grinned. It looked damn good on him. Fuck, but this guy was sex on tanned and muscular legs.

"Is that a reference to BDSM aftercare?"

Captain Mick laughed. "And here I thought you were just a boring suit."

"I am a boring lab rat," I corrected, picking up the can of Coke and savoring the fizz and tangy taste.Heaven.

He looked me over, those speculative blue eyes narrowing. "What are your plans, Babycakes?"

Babycakes? Should I let a man—any man—call me that? It was kind of misogynistic but also…weirdly charming.Christ, Belle, stop overthinking this.

"I was thinking of getting off this island…as soon as my head stops feeling like it's going to roll off."

"When do you want toget off?" he asked salaciously.

"I don't know." I sighed. "I'm looking for someone and…well…I need to keep onlooking for him." In thewholeCaribbean?

"Who are you looking for?"

"It's a work thing," I said, and then, because my brain was still fuzzy from last night, I decided to be an idiot. "Actually, I'm engaged to Dr. Nick Augustus, and…he's gone missing. I have to find him. Do you know him?"

Captain Mick's eyebrows shot up, nearly dislodging his straw hat. "Engaged?" His voice sounded a little rough.

"Yeah," I nodded, words coming out of my mouth that had no business doing so. "We're about to get married, and…well, he disappeared. His mother said he might be here. I'm heartbroken."Not.

Captain Mick nodded slowly, then smiled. "Well, Babycakes, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, you'll have a great time in Reef Harbor."

"What's the bad news?"

"The next boat to the mainland leaves in three days. Reef Harbor isn't exactly super popular."

"No," I groaned in disbelief.

"No?" He raised an eyebrow, amused. "You don't wanna have fun in Reef Harbor?"

"Is there a boat I can charter or something?" I asked, desperate. I needed to find this damn scientist and get back to work. Vacation was not my thing. My last holiday was in Antarctica, collecting microbe samples forfun.

"That'll take you to the mainland?" Captain Mick shook his head. "Afraid not, Babycakes. Your hunt for your fiancé will have to wait."

Fiancé. The way he said it, he sounded almost…irritated. Was he into me? Was that why he was annoyed? I smiled and nodded, then winced as my head throbbed.

"The Reef Harbor Surprise was a bad one for me," I stated.

"It's bad for everyone. But nothing a little fresh ocean air can't fix."

"Fresh air does sound good." I ran a hand through my hair, which was now a wild, untamable mess. I was wearing a pink tank top with no bra and gray shorts. "But I think I need a shower, a shave, and some fresh clothes first."

"I agree."

I blinked. "What do you agree with?"

"Babycakes, you smell like puke and whatever else you rolled in on the beach. A shower would be a public service."

I frowned. "Do you ever get laid?"

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