Page 28 of Stranded with a SEAL

Her fingers trembled, working at the tie at the back of her neck. A moment later, she tossed her top to the ground, and as she tugged his sweatshirt over her head, he caught a brief glimpse of the side of her breast.

His groin tightened, and he cleared his throat, rummaging around his bag. Trying to look anywhere but at her.

Pulling his own wet shirt over his head, he laid it out to dry in the sand, weighing it down with some drift wood.

Bailey brought her own clothes over, wringing out her bikini top so that it would dry faster. Warmth flooded through him as he glanced up at her in his Navy sweatshirt. It was massive on her, hanging down to mid-thigh, but she looked cuter than hell. Happier, too, now that she was warm.

“Sit down,” he said, patting the sand beside him. “Let’s eat something, and then I’ll see if I can light a signal fire. The driftwood on the beach is soaked from the storm. Hopefully we can find some dry wood or something to use in the wooded area.”

“Do you think someone will be able to see it?”

“That’s the hope. If we can build the fire high enough, they should. We’ll have to light it out on the beach though so we don’t catch the trees on fire.”

“Well they’d definitely see that,” she said wryly.

“Yeah, but we’re stuck here. We don’t want to burn things we could potentially use.” He grabbed two bottles of water from his backpack, handing one to her. Bailey’s hands shook as she tried to twist the cap off, and Noah opened it for her.

She took a few gulps, and he held a hand up, indicating for her to slow down. “Easy, sunshine. Just go slow.”

“I feel kind of sick,” she admitted.

“We were out in the sun for a long time. You shouldn’t drink the water too quickly. Just eat a little bit to settle your stomach. Besides, you need to keep up your strength.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

He took a long pull from his own water bottle before replacing the cap and setting it down beside him. “I’ve got two more water bottles, and an empty canteen. Hopefully we can find some water—a pond. A waterfall. I’ve got enough purification tablets to last a week—not that I expect to be out here that long.”

She nodded, swallowing. He searched her face. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Just tired,” she said, stifling a yawn. Her hair was beginning to dry in the warm sun, and she looked completely exhausted.

“All right,” he said, rummaging through his backpack. “I’ve got protein bars and two MREs.”

“Just two?” she asked. “That won’t last very long.”

“Hell, we can fish if we have to, sunshine. Maybe look for some fruit trees. I’m hoping to get the hell out of dodge today though.” He glanced down. “Your choice—spaghetti with meat sauce or cheese tortellini. Let’s start with these, and then have the protein bars later.”

“Cheese tortellini, I guess,” she said.

“Excellent choice,” he quipped, passing it over to her. She opened the package, wrinkling her nose. “Ever had an MRE before?”

“Nope. Why would I?” she asked in surprise.

He chuckled. “Don’t suppose you would.” He pulled a KA-BAR knife from his backpack, neatly slicing open the top of her plastic pouch.

“Wow, that thing looks deadly,” she said.

“It is. We carry them on missions,” he said. “Plus I bring it with me on hiking trips.”

“Or fishing weekends.”

“Hey, it’s coming in handy already.” He watched as she pulled out small packets from the MRE bag, opening a small pack of crackers. “You can start with that, but you need to eat more later.”

“I will,” she said, nibbling delicately on one cracker.

Noah dug into his spaghetti, not even bothering to heat the meal. He was starving. And Bailey might be feeling slightly seasick from being out in the ocean all that time, but he was used to the choppy waters.

“Remember the swim in Coronado I told you about?”

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