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Chapter One

EDEN

I’m not alone on this boat.

“Shit.”

I sit bolt upright in the pale light of dawn, shoving the old blanket to my waist. I’m still half-asleep, but my head is spinning with adrenaline. I swear I just heard footsteps on the back deck.

“Calm down, Eden,” I breathe out, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. “It’s probably just a drunk seal stumbling home.”

I was hopelessly romantic when I thought that the waves would rock me to sleep. Instead, I spent my first night aboard staring at the dark ceiling, listening to every splash of water lapping against the hull.

Thud, thud, thud.

Shit. Those are footsteps.

“Agh—!” I clap both hands over my mouth to stifle my little scream of surprise.

Is he a pirate? I mean, I can’t blame him for thinking Dawn’s Embrace is an abandoned wreck. When I got to the marina yesterday, I found out that she’ll need a lot more than a lick of paint.

But she’s my abandoned wreck, so… keep sailing, buddy. Whoever this guy is, I’m not afraid to say it to his face.

Simmering with outrage—and overblown confidence—I grab my pillow and slide out of bed, tiptoeing to the door.

Then I yank it open.

“What the fuck are you doing on board my boat?” I demand, my self-defence pillow raised in one hand.

I’ve caught the intruder red-handed, but all I can see is his back. The trapdoor in the deck is open, and he’s crouched next to it, staring down at my engine. Whoever he is, he’s broad-shouldered, with windswept blond hair, and he’s wearing jeans and a grey sweatshirt.

He isn’t jumping overboard to escape my wrath. In fact, he barely flinched. I don’t think I surprised him at all… which means he knew I was here.

“You realize this is a floating junk heap, right?” he asks me in a deep rumble.

Holy shit, he even sounds like a pirate. And I’m trying to ignore how damn hot it is.

Finally, the stranger closes the trapdoor and pushes himself to his feet with a grunt. I close the gap between us in two quick strides. By the time he’s on his feet, I’m right there, staring him down.

“Who are you ?” I jab my finger into his barrel chest, pillow tucked firmly under my arm. “And what the hell ,” I jab his chest again as he blinks down at me, “are you doing on my boat ?”

It would be a lot more badass if I didn’t have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.

The stranger is a good four inches taller than me, and built like a mountain. Or a man who can move them—and often does. He has the kind of tan you only get from being out in the sun a lot. And he smells so fucking good, too. All smoke and musk and… something that makes my brain overheat.

But it’s his quiet, thoughtful eyes that make me forget to breathe. That shade of blue pierces straight through my indignation and pins me to the spot.

Oh. My. God.

I yank my finger away from his barrel chest and step back like I’ve been burned.

But this man is all water, not my bristly fire. His gaze is like the sea itself—powerful, magnetic, but a complete mystery to me. I’m helplessly bobbing in this feeling of calmness and certainty that he radiates without even trying.

He looks me up and down—and for the first time, he seems surprised. And not by the fact that I have more attitude than I have inches of height. There’s a ruddy blush spreading over his cheeks, a smile tugging at his lips.

There’s a look in his eye that I haven’t seen for a long time… or maybe ever. I can’t quite place it yet, but my brain is whirling as I try my hardest to figure it out.

“What?” I demand.

He clears his throat and stares away over the harbour, and it finally hits me: I sleep naked.

Oops.

A squeak escapes my throat as I clutch the pillow to myself so fast that I almost drop it, stumbling back inside.

“Just—I—uh—hold on!” I slam the door, burying my groan in the pillow before I crouch down by my suitcase.

Holy shit.

That’s what that look was. Like it was all he could do to contain himself, to be a gentleman. Like he was suddenly thinking about all the ways I could take him for a joy ride. And it’s pretty hard not to notice his handsome features, or the stillness of his energy pulling me in, or the low rumble of his voice…

No way. This isn’t a pirate movie where he can out-sexy his way out of trouble.

I tug on a pair of my nice jeans and a sleeveless button-down shirt, and as I open the door, he’s still standing there with his back politely turned.

“So,” I announce myself. “Were you trying to steal my boat?”

He turns on his heel to stare, his brows slowly furrowing. “ Steal … your rust bucket?”

“My boat ,” I repeat, stubbornly defending her honour. “Yes or no.”

The more I smile, the deeper he frowns. At last, he huffs with irritation. “Has anyone ever told you that you sleep like the dead?”

“Well… yeah.” Once I’m naked and asleep, nothing can wake me—doorbells, alarm clocks, or house parties. “Why?”

The guy grunts. “Because that engine sounds like twenty otters having a gunfight. I just drove it half a mile back here, and you wake up the second I shut it off?” He raises an eyebrow. “You need a burglar alarm. Or a dog.”

“What?” I yelp, looking around. We’re still in between the two islands—right where I dropped anchor. “Are you actually a pirate trying to steal my boat?”

He tilts his head. “I’m doing a bad job stealing it.”

“Well, you must have brought me back because kidnapping me is a bigger crime than stealing a boat—I mean, I assume, I don’t know the law of the water?—”

The guy holds his hand up and slowly lowers it. “Your boat was adrift.”

Shit.

My outrage pops like a balloon, and now I’m blushing furiously. I have the sneaking suspicion he enjoyed giving me the chance to accuse him of half a dozen crimes before breakfast.

“Oh.”

The stranger is rubbing a hand over his mouth, but I can see the amusement in his eyes. “Mmm.”

“What if I wanted to drift?” I mumble as his brows creep slowly up. “Maybe I’m in a phase of my life where I just wanna see where I end up?—”

He points at something I can’t see, so I turn around… and my heart leaps into my throat. In the distance is the ferry. Not the little Sunrise Island passenger ferry—the huge one that I took yesterday, coming over from Vancouver.

“You were right about where her bow is now.”

A ferry like that wouldn’t even notice one little rust bucket drifting around in the dark.

Shit. I might be sick. I push myself away from the edge of the boat to sit down heavily on the bench, and my rescuer sits next to me. “Breathe,” he says calmly.

Doesn’t he know he just saved my life?

“Getting dressed wasn’t the only thing you forgot to do last night. Shall we talk about anchors?” I can see a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

“I can’t get to sleep when I’m hot—” I stop myself, swatting a hand at him as I blush furiously. “Never mind.”

“Uh huh. And the anchor?”

“I dropped it. I even made sure it was attached first.” I try to grin like I’m joking, but he’s not fooled.

The guy stares at me with alarm before shaking his head. “Glad that’s settled.” He rises to his feet, loosening the knot in the rope mooring what I can only assume is his speedboat to my deck railing.

Damn it, he’s leaving already? My heart sinks. “I’ll go on YouTube and find out how to anchor a boat,” I promise, standing up.

He grunts. “Don’t move that anchor until you do.” Then he glances sideways at me like something’s only just occurred to him. “Have you been on a boat before?”

Okay, so… the answer is no. But he’s already guessed as much, and I’m too stubborn to say it out loud.

I toss my head. “Anyone can make mistakes.”

He snorts. “Mmm. That explains why you bought her,” he says over his shoulder.

“Hey!” I protest with a laugh. “Not where she can hear.”

But he just leaps across, landing in the middle of his own boat. Despite his size, he’s nimble as hell. It barely even rocks from side to side. If I tried that manoeuvre, I’d be in the water—and probably unconscious.

“Wait. I… I never introduced myself before I started wildly accusing you of, um, piracy, and kidnapping, and probably a few other crimes. I’m Eden.”

I offer him my hand, and he takes it. “Murph. Don’t mention it.”

Fuck.

Murph’s palm is so big and rough and warm against mine. Something crackles between us, and suddenly we’re not saying anything… but we’re not looking away, either.

“Um…” I lick my lips nervously, and before I know it, I’m spilling my thoughts all over the place. “You wanna go out somewhere? For a cup of coffee?” I nod toward the interior cabin. “I’d have you—uh, I mean, invite you inside—but I can’t make coffee. Right now. I can’t make it right now.”

Shit. Way to play it cool, Eden.

Murph’s eyes twinkle with amusement. “Because it’s a rust bucket?”

“ Because ,” I tell him, lifting my chin, “I’m not prepared for guests. And it’s ass-o’clock in the morning, Murph.”

His lips curl in amusement. “Sorry,” he says, and he actually sounds sincere. “I can’t stay. Tide’s coming in.”

“After the tide, then?” I’m pretty sure there’s a couple of them per day. I didn’t really understand the tide tables the seller gave me. “I mean, I owe you.” I can’t resist batting my lashes.

I’ve almost forgotten how to flirt on purpose. God, I hope I’m doing it right.

Murph pauses, blushing again. “Uh. Y-You don’t,” he says. “Owe me, that is.”

I lick my lips with a nervous smile. “What if I still want to see you for coffee?”

Murph studies me for a moment, pausing for what must be the longest moment of my life. “Then… we could go for coffee. How’s tomorrow?”

“Yes!” I grin, pumping a fist before I flop against the railing, trying to arrange myself elegantly. “I mean, uh… I look forward to it.”

He digs around in his pocket and reaches up to hand over a business card. “You’ll need this.” As I take it, our fingertips brush. Fuck . A little electric zap shivers through my body as I curl my toes right into the deck.

The card has a little graphic of a boat from like 1995 or some shit, Sunrise Island Barge Service . “In case I need a tow?” I quip, and then I glance at the name. “Oh. Captain Murph. That’s you.”

“Mmhmm,” Murph grunts, gesturing awkwardly behind him to Sunrise Island. “There’s a good coffee shop.”

I grin. “Perfect. What’s it called? Is it on Google Maps?”

Murph blinks at me. “Trust me, you won’t get lost.”

“Don’t underestimate my disaster potential,” I tell him, playfully folding my arms.

Murph finally cracks a smile as he slips the rope free from the railing. “I knew that before I met you.”

I snort. “Hey, wait. One more thing, Murph. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Murph grunts. “Harbour Patrol should have been on it.” He starts up the outboard motor on his boat, and then turns those piercing blue eyes to me again. “It was real nice to meet you, Eden,” he says over the engine.

My heart might just burst, it’s thudding so hard. “N-Nice to meet you, too,” I manage, raising a hand slowly as he steers the boat away.

It feels like there’s a bubble machine in my chest, and I’m all floaty, fizzy… intoxicated . I stumble into my cabin, collapse on the bed, and grab my pillow to hug it to my chest.

“ Real nice,” I whisper, shaking my head slowly. The echo of his words makes butterflies tickle at my ribcage. It’s like I’ve forgotten the sleepless night as fast as that, and I just feel… light and bright and airy.

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. Not even with George. I was just excited for whatever scraps of attention he gave me.

Murph, on the other hand? The fact that I’m a certified dumbass who’s never been on a boat might irritate him, but he genuinely seems interested in me too.

Maybe this isn’t going to be a complete disaster.