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brown. And her eyes? He didn’t remember the color. What he did remember, all too well, was the thin scrap of lace that covered her rear end—barely covered her rear end.
    His thumb caressed the tag of her undergarment. Victoria’s Secret.
    Secrets.
    Everyone had them, he most of all. He looked down at the button his thumb was rubbing.
    So what were hers? How did she end up on his ship?

Chapter Four
    Heat. Pain. Pain as she’d never experienced. Like waves on the ocean. Ebbing. Flowing. Drowning her in its merciless clutch.
    She was hot. So hot.
    A voice—a man’s voice—tried to soothe her, whispered in her ear. “Calm down, little one. Rest.”
    She shivered. Her teeth chattered and she tried to curl into a ball but her back hurt too much. Warmth. She needed warmth. A scratchy blanket was thrown over her and she huddled into it. Her mind drifted, merging past and present.
    The round and round motions of the police cruiser’s red lights made crazy patterns on the ground.
    “Zach’s missing. The police say he ran away.”
    NO!
    Not Zach. He wouldn’t leave her.
    He’d promised.
    She threw the blanket off. Sweat beaded on her forehead, dripped down her back. More pain. Endless pain. Why wouldn’t it go away? A cold cloth was placed on her head.
    “He ran away, Juliana. Zach ran away.”
    No. Impossible. Zach loved her. They were going to get married. He wouldn’t leave. He wouldn’t.
    They were wrong. The police were wrong.
    That terrible day faded and Zach’s mother, Emily, stood before her, fifteen years younger but with lines etched in her face, grief carved deep into her eyes.
    “You have to let it go, Juliana. This isn’t healthy.”
    “I’ll never let it go.”
    “Zach wouldn’t want this. He’d want you to move on.”
    “How can you say that? You’re his mother. Mother’s aren’t supposed to move on from something like this.”
    Emily reared back, the grief flaring to a deep-seated anguish. “Do you think I don’t hurt as well? We both loved him, Juliana.”
    “It’s only been three months. He’ll come back.”
    Emily shook her head, tears threatening to overflow. “If he hasn’t come back by now, he never will.”
    Juliana thrust her chin up, fighting her own tears. Never-ending tears. “He will and when he does, he’ll find me waiting.”
    “You can’t waste your life on this, sweetheart. Please listen to me—”
    “Never.” That had been the last word Juliana spoke to Emily Langtree for fifteen years. She kept her word. She waited for Zach to return to her, to the love they shared and the plans they’d made. He never did.
    The scene switched again. Zach hovered over her, concern stamped on his face. She smiled and raised her hand to his cheek.
    Why did you leave me? she wanted to ask, but the pain was back, stealing her breath, her thoughts. His face wavered. Her hand fell and she curled her fingers into a fist.
    Let it go, Juliana. Let him go.
    No.
    Her body dripped with sweat. She turned and groaned in agony. Warm, caring hands gently turned her back.
    “Shhh, little one. Don’t move.”
    “Make it go away,” she whispered.
    “Here, drink.”
    She greedily gulped at the liquid. “More,” she said softly.
    “No more.”
    “Please?”
    “Shhhh. Go to sleep.”
    “Don’t leave me.” She grabbed the hand caressing her hair, suddenly afraid but not knowing what she was afraid of.
    “I won’t.”
    Let it go, Juliana.
    No more pain. Deep sleep. Nothing but darkness. She sank into it, eagerly embraced the absence of pain. But it came back, like it always did. Her back was on fire and she clawed at the blanket.
    “Hey, hey.” Soft words, calloused hands. The blanket disappeared.
    “Zach?” She tried to open her eyes but they felt heavy, weighted, and if she swam to the surface, she feared the pain would return worse than before. “Zach,” she sighed. “I love you.”
     
    Morgan twisted his head to get the kinks out of his neck. If he thought he was tired