"Okay, bowline's out. We should be good to go now." Rafe stood back up, his blue eyes meeting Kiara's. They were the crisp cerulean of the most seductive parts of the ocean. Fitting, for how much darkness laid behind them.
It would have been so easy for her to give Rafe a little push over the edge of the boat and take it for herself to rescue her friends now. The thought briefly crossed her mind, but something made her hesitate. She concluded it was the uncertainty of whether it was worth it to steal the boat and hope she could find her friends in time before Rafe or Singh caught up with her.
As she watched him bring one leg over the metal bar lining the boat and then the other, his pants straining against the muscles in his legs, she told herself it was safer to wait it out until they arrived in Saint Lucia and then find help there.
Maybe this was a bad idea, but it was too late to turn back.
Instead she put on a fake smile and said "Great."
Rafe made his way back to the helm and Kiara reluctantly followed. He looked over the boat's many mechanics and started the engine as she shifted awkwardly. She hadn't really thought about the part where they'd be together, alone, on this boat for god knows how long. She couldn't remember how long the boat ride was between the two islands.
Surveying her options carefully she finally decided on sitting at one of the bench seats a safe distance away.
Regret tinged the back of her mind as they pulled out of the bay. She really should have stayed behind and waited for her friends. She should have pushed Rafe off this fucking boat and driven it away. She should have steered clear of him and his stupid plan to begin with.
She had made a deal with the devil and she feared she might pay for it greatly.
__
"How much longer?" she asked, raising her voice above the sound of the engine beating against the ocean waves. She tried to keep her dark curls from whipping against her face as she looked out to the horizon. They were moving pretty fast but there was no land she could see in any direction. The idea of being out here in the middle of nowhere with him made her uneasy. It was ironic because the ten years younger version of her would have been thrilled to have this time alone with Rafe.
Middle school Kiara had harbored the biggest crush on Raford Cameron. Her heart had practically melted anytime his infectious smile was directed at her, and it was almost anytime she was around. Sara had never caught on and she didn't dare bring it up now, but once upon a time she found herself often daydreaming about her friend's older brother. The way he would say 'Hey Kie' whenever he would walk by at Tannyhill had kept her up for hours. She had made sure that by the time summer ended everyone was calling her that. And everyone did. But it was Rafe who had come up with the nickname.
Rafe had always had those intense blue eyes and that rebellious grin. But his heart had turned cold over the years. Something had turned him into the murderous monster that stood before her. A shame, because Rafe had grown even more into his looks.
He had buzzed his hair at some point during the Pogues' time on the island. It made him look older. More intimidating, but striking nonetheless.
Kiara shook her head, cursing herself for admiring Rafe's appearance when she so definitely and vehemently detested him. He had killed Peterkins, threatened all of her friends, almost murdered Sara, stolen Pope's cross, and probably countless other horrible things. He was a monster. A hideous beast incapable of redemption.
"Trip's only a couple of hours." Rafe said without turning back to her.
She cursed herself again, rubbing her eyes and turning her attention back to the water. What was wrong with her? She shouldn't be appreciating the way his expensive white linen shirt clung to his back or thinking about the way he looked at her in the back of that truck, eyes alight with wonder. It was just the adrenaline coursing through them, of course. The thrill of experiencing high-intensity adventure together. There was nothing between them and there never would be.
