Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 29279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
“You’re right, I’m sorry. Just please, for my sake, get that woman back where she belongs as soon as possible. Okay? No fuss no muss.”
Without replying I hang up the phone and continue to watch the gorgeous girl. She frowns slightly in her sleep but then her face clears. Smiling, I tuck the blanket in tighter around her curvy figure and lean forward to press a kiss to her forehead. That wasn’t bad, was it? Then, I quietly depart the guest house, leaving my unexpected guest to slumber on her own.
3
Brynn
* * *
I wake up slowly out of a heavy dreamless sleep. As I open my eyes to the brilliant sunshine streaming into the room, it takes me second to remember what happened to me. I sit bolt upright. I’m sitting on a couch in an airy living room, one that I’ve never seen before. Clutching the blanket that had fallen when I sat up, I swing my legs over the side of the sofa and stand up, my knees trembling. But then there’s a clatter in the kitchen. Whirling around I see the bare back of a man standing over a stove.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he calls from the kitchen.
I stumble backwards, my legs sorer and weaker than they have ever been. Then I remember the ocean and the dolphins and swimming to the island. What happened? I sink down onto the coffee table staring at the half naked form of the man.
“Where am I?” I ask, my voice trembling.
At the sound of my whisper, the man turns and walks towards me. My mouth falls open because this is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. His back was a work of art with muscles playing across that hard v-shape, but now, I see his chest and can barely breathe. The sunlight coming through the windows glints off solid, tanned pecs. His abs are so defined I can count them from where I’m sitting. He’s tall, probably around six foot three and his hair is dark, falling across his forehead in a shaggy unkempt style. The most mesmerizing thing about him, however, are his eyes. Icy blue, they stare at me from under dark eyebrows. For some reason, they feel familiar.
“Wait,” I say, knees still weak. “Do I know you?”
He walks up to me, shaking his head with a grin.
“Nope, you woke up once or twice last night though. That could be what you’re thinking of.”
“Woke up?” I ask, befuddled. He nods.
“Yeah, I found you on the beach last night and brought you here, so you could rest.”
“Found me? What do you mean? Sorry, I must be losing it. I must have passed out when I got to shore because I was so tired.” I put a trembling hand up to my head and shake it, as if somehow that can restore my memories. He merely grins again, charismatic and handsome. He really is familiar, but I just can’t place it. He shrugs again.
“I don’t doubt it. You’re about five miles from the main island. Not a whole lot of people can make that swim, so you did well,” he says, sounding impressed.
I sit heavily back down on the coffee table.
“Whoa, careful,” he says quickly, grabbing my arm. “Are you alright?”
“Five miles?” I ask breathlessly. “I didn’t think I could even swim one mile!” Then looking up into his handsome face, I ask again, “Where am I, by the way?”
“St. Brigid.”
I wrack my brain, trying to remember the name.
“I’ve never heard of it.” He smirks a bit.
“That’s because it’s privately owned. Not all islands are open to the public.”
I nod, looking around.
“Do you work here then?” I ask him. “Did you swim here as well?”
His smile flashes, perfectly straight white teeth gleaming in his tanned face. He is even more devastatingly handsome when he smiles.
“No, I didn’t swim. There’s a dinghy that comes once a month from the main island, so I use that as my mode of transportation. But yeah, I work here of sorts. I handle everything around the island.”
“Oh, so you’re the caretaker,” I say, nodding. “Totally get it.”
He nods cheerfully.
“Yep, I definitely take care of stuff. You could say that again.”
His positive demeanor is contagious, and I hold out my hand for a shake. When he takes it, I can feel the strength of his grip and the callouses on his fingers. It’s definitely the hand of someone who works for a living.
“I’m Brynn and I guess I’m a cast away,” I say in a wry tone.
He laughs and I have to smile back.
“Don’t worry, it’s not so bad to be a castaway at St. Brigid. The island is gorgeous and the guy who owns it is hardly ever here, so he’s not going to bother us. Come on, I made you breakfast.”
He strolls off to the kitchen again, but I pause.