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against the boat, flinging Lia against his side. Shane reached out and caught her before she went stumbling to the deck. Her face was inches from his as her curves pressed tightly against his body, and Shane felt himself sinking into her eyes.
    “Don’t you dare even think about sex,” she said, but the husky quality of her tone gave him hope. He wouldn’t mind at all getting stuck with her overnight. The storm was now looking like a bit of a blessing — that was, if he could get to safety in time.
    As the islands came into view, still too far away for Shane’s comfort, the airstream picked up, whipping through the control room. “Shut the windows,” he called above the screaming wind.
    For once, Lia obeyed with no argument. As they came closer to the islands, the waves swelled larger, angry splashes of water rising high around them, as if on a mission to pull the large vessel deep into the ocean, to take another victim in her merciless grasp.
    Just as Shane started to breathe easier, the boat lurched, then suddenly stalled, nearly knocking him off his feet. Gripping the wheel tightly, he looked out, horrified when he saw the hole in the side of his yacht. He must have hit a reef.
    The boat was going down. “Lia, we have to abandon ship. Grab the emergency pack and we’ll get in the lifeboat.”
    When she didn’t answer, Shane turned to find her on the floor, knocked unconscious. Letting go of the wheel, he rushed to her side, bending down and feeling her neck. He let out a sigh of relief when he found that she was breathing.
    Not hesitating any longer, he lifted her into his arms and rushed through the yacht to where his emergency raft was holding on tight. Shane carefully laid her inside and dashed to the cupboard opposite so he could grab the emergency supply bag. He tossed it into the boat, following behind it quickly before he released the safety, dropping them into the surging waves of the ocean.
    The waves had been frightening when they’d been in his giant vessel; they were deadly in the small emergency boat. Turning the engine on, he navigated the waters as best he could, grateful they were so close to one of the islands.
    As they moved through the storm, he saw two giant walls of water on either side of him. The small craft was having a difficult time reaching their peaks and getting closer to safety, but she was doing it — just barely.
    As they neared safety, he looked back, his heart nearly breaking as he watched the last of his yacht disappear beneath the heaving black sea. So many memories had just been sucked below to the cold ocean floor. But Shane had no more than a second to dwell on it, so he faced forward and aimed toward the safety of land.
    Nearly there.
    “Shane?”
    This wasn’t the best time for her to wake up. “It’s OK, Lia. We’re almost to land.”
    Shane spoke too soon. With a jolt, the boat was thrust forward as two waves converged on them, determined to not allow their escape.
    “Hold on!” Shane called as Lia was lifted into the air. This could be it — the end. Almost in slow motion, Shane watched in horror as Lia’s head slammed against the side of the boat for the second time in less than an hour.
    He reached out as her body was flung from the vessel. It capsized, the ocean waves greedily swallowing her in joyous victory.

Chapter Five
    Ari
     
    Ari fumbled with her computer bag as she walked toward the doors of her classroom.
    “Computer? Check. Pens? Check. Sanity?… Check,” she mumbled to herself before looking around and making sure no one was paying attention. She shouldn’t be so nervous. They were just students, exactly what she’d been a few months ago.
    Even now, as she worked toward her doctorate, she was a student, but it felt different somehow. It was a lot of work, which was why she was teaching only one course. Still, these kids didn’t have it out for her — not yet, at least! — so she had nothing to be nervous about.
    No matter how much she