Page 57 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

TYSON

“ J ust hear me out,” Savannah said with that mischievous glimmer in her eyes that I knew all too well. “This would be strictly for scientific purposes.”

“Scientific?” I said in a doubtful voice. I knew where this was going, and I can’t say that I was opposed.

Savannah scooted closer. She looked up at me with those big green eyes that were like kryptonite.

Her silky words drifted from her lips in a breathy tone that could make a man lose all sense of reason.

“I was thinking that maybe we could… spark some memories. Who knows what might come flooding back to me?”

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” I said, trying not to sound too eager.

“I guess you’re right. We should probably just keep it professional. I wouldn’t want to stir up trouble.”

She wanted to stir up trouble .

Savannah kept staring up at me, her full lips beckoning. The soft moonlight glowed her skin. The little devil looked angelic.

“I guess I don’t mind a little trouble.”

Savannah smirked. “I didn’t figure you for the type to back away from a challenge.”

“You’ve always been that,” I said as she closed in for the kill.

Our lips collided, and our tongues danced. It was everything I had remembered and more. Passion surged, and I pulled her close. It had been years, but that gap closed in an instant. It was just as it was—like we’d never been apart—but somehow fresh and new.

Emotions swelled as we made out in the cockpit.

My heart pulsed, and her touch tingled my skin.

I breathed in the fresh smell of her hair.

Desire flourished, as did dread. I didn’t want to fall for her again.

But it was too late. That train had already left the station. I was just along for the ride.

And it was a helluva ride.

It didn’t take long for our clothes to hit the deck. We went at it right there under the moonlight. The waves of the ocean, a co-conspirator in our carnal pleasure.

We ended up below deck in her forward V-berth for round two. After a passionate crescendo, we collapsed beside each other, a head full of wine and pleasure chemicals. Savannah snuggled close, and I drifted back in time.

“So, did the new Savannah live up to the old Savannah?“ she asked, her steamy voice tickling my ear .

“And then some. You clearly haven’t forgotten how to do that.”

Savannah smiled. “I guess it’s a natural instinct.“

There was everything natural about holding Savannah in my arms. It just felt right. “Did that spark any memories?”

“No, but I think we’re making new ones.“

I drifted off to sleep and fell into a heavy dream state. It took me all the way back to the covert op that Savannah and I had run together all those years ago. The op that had put us through hell and back, but had clearly created a bond.

It was a little after 4:00 AM when I woke to the smell of smoke and the sound of a crackling fire. The external stimulus had infiltrated my dream, and it took me a moment to snap back to reality once I opened my eyes.

Was I still dreaming?

“Wake up,” I shouted to Savannah as I grabbed my pistol, launched out of bed, and pulled my shorts on.

As I moved out of the stateroom, the sound of outboards howled, moving away in the distance.

I peered out the window in the salon to see a motorboat spitting a trail of white water as it left the scene of the crime.

Flames roared, engulfing the cockpit in a hellish amber glow. Smoke billowed into the salon. The flames kicked off heat like the surface of the sun, and the air quickly became thick with toxic fumes. Every breath burned my lungs.

I grabbed a small fire extinguisher from the galley and moved aft toward the companionway. I pulled the safety pin, squeezed the trigger, and doused the fire with a breath of CO2.

With stinging eyes and a throat like acid, I fought the wall of flames that swallowed the cockpit. The hungry demon consumed everything at a rapid pace.

Black smoke curled at the ceiling of the salon. The smell of burnt plastic and gasoline swirled.

The assailants had doused the boat while we slept. I can't believe I didn't hear their footsteps, but the wine and the state of bliss dulled my senses.

This little fire extinguisher wasn't going to cut it, and it was damn near empty.

I backed away as the flames encroached upon the companionway, devouring everything in its path. I tossed the useless extinguisher aside and fell back to the forward V-berth.

Savannah's eyes rounded with terror.

There was no getting off the boat through the cockpit.

There was only one way out now.