Page 33 of Rule 4: Never Get Stranded with a Sports Reporter

“Jason!” His voice cracks. “JASON!”

“I’m on my way!” I shout, trying to sound reassuring.

When I finally pull up beside him, his eyes are wide, and he looks... shaky. Not like Cal.

“What the hell happened?” I ask.

“It died,” he gasps. “It sputtered and stopped, and I kept shouting for you but—” His voice cuts out, and he swallows hard. “I thought you weren’t coming back.”

My chest tightens.

“You thought I left you?” I ask, sharper than I mean to.

He doesn’t meet my gaze. “I can’t even see the island anymore.”

I glance around. He’s right. The resort has vanished into the shimmering horizon. All around us is water.

“Try the engine again.”

“It won’t—” he presses the start button anyway. It makes a sound like an aggrieved blender, then stops. He flinches.

“Swim over.”

He stares at me like I asked him to jump into shark-infested waters. Which maybe I have. Are there sharks here?

“You can swim, right?” I ask.

His silence answers for him.

Jesus Christ.

He can’t swim. He chased me into the middle of the fucking Pacific, and he can’t swim.

I suddenly feel like the asshole in this situation.

“Okay,” I blurt. “Hold on.”

I take off my lifejacket and strip off my shirt. His eyes widen, and I smirk. I know I look good. I like that he’s noticed.

I keep the shirt on my lap then put on my lifejacket. Finally, I restart the engine and narrow the distance between us. I hand him one end of the shirt. “Grab this.”

His fingers tighten, and I cut the engine. The shirt goes taut like the makeshift tether it is.

“Now climb on.”

He hesitates.

“You’re going to be fine, Cal,” I reassure him. “You have your lifejacket on. I’ll be here to help you if you fall. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

“We’ll both fit?”

“We’ll both fit,” I say. “Couples go on these together all the time.”

My pulse quickens, and I wish I hadn’t phrased it that way. Because we’re not a couple. I should have said acquaintances go on these together. Or even friends. Or enemies, because that’s what we are.

“Swing your leg over and hold on.”

Cal climbs on. The jet ski wobbles, then his arms tighten around my torso. He’s still shaking.