Read Online The Castaway Bride by Kandy Shepherd - Free Book Online Page B

his matter-of-fact tone of voice.
    She stumbled after him onto dry sand. “What’s happened to the boat?” she asked.
    The boat! How could he have forgotten his boat? Matt spun round on his heel in the sand and looked back out to sea.
    His precious Wayfarer stood lodged on the reef, precarious prey to the waves that thrashed around her. There wasn’t a chance the boat wouldn’t be broken up when the forecast storm hit.
    He felt sick at the thought but told himself she was only a boat. It was insured. Replaceable. All that counted was that he and Cristy were safe. He just hoped that the emergency beacon was operating so the coast guard would know where they were.
    Cristy sneezed loudly. She was soaked through. So was he.
    He had to get them to shelter.
     
    C risty was too overwhelmed to take in the reality of the situation. This morning preening herself for her wedding, this afternoon stranded on a tropical island with a virile stranger.
    You can’t trust lust , she reminded herself as she watched Matt look out to his disabled boat. His wet, black T-shirt molded to his magnificently muscled body and his knit boxer shorts let neither the shape of his gorgeous buttocks nor the evidence of his recent arousal to the imagination.
    He looked like he’d lost his best friend. A reassuring thought struck her: would he look so heartbroken if that was a stolen boat slowly breaking up on the reef? That look of possessive pride was a look men reserved exclusively for their boy-toys—car, boat, motorcycle. He was no boat thief.
    She tore her eyes away from his impressive butt as she sneezed again. Surely she wasn’t going to catch cold?
    She felt more than a little annoyed that her simple boat ride to an airport had ended up like this. And then she laughed. Out loud and a little hysterically. Hadn’t she leaped at the chance to come to Australia with her job because she’d thought her life was getting boring and predictable?
    Matt turned to her and the look of concern on his face made her heart do a disconcerting flip. “Are you okay?” he asked.
    “Fine,” she said. “I’m so sorry about your boat.”
    She still found it difficult to meet his gaze so looked around her, eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. “But you sure chose a nice place to shipwreck us.”
    Even in the gray light of the impending storm the island was spectacular, more unspoiled than Starlight, the resort island she had fled from. Here, palms leaned toward them, a riot of tropical growth encroached on the white, gritty sand that scratched the soles of her feet, and a mountain covered in lush greenery rose behind. In fact, she’d like to see a bit more of the place. But not right now.
    Every muscle in her body ached and her torn, wet dress, sticky with salt water, clung uncomfortably to her thighs. What she wanted, above all else, was to check into a luxurious hotel room.
    There she’d have a long, hot shower and wash all the salt and tangles from her hair. A meal would be good, too. She’d been too nervous this morning to have breakfast and her tummy was threatening to rumble. Room service was in order.
    She licked her parched lips, the taste of salt still in her mouth. No, even before the shower, the first thing she’d do when she checked in would be to have a drink from the mini-bar. A long, cool drink. After she’d showered and eaten, she’d check out the hotel boutique. Even a sarong would be better than this ragged remnant of her bridal finery.
    Only then would she worry about resuming her trip to the airport on Hibiscus Island.
    “Which way is the hotel?” she asked Matt, hoping it wouldn’t be too long a hike.
    His dark eyebrows rose. “Hotel?” he said. “This is an uninhabited island, Cristy. There’s no hotel.”
    “You’re kidding me?”
    Matt shook his head.
    Cristy couldn’t keep the panic from her voice. “No hotel? But aren’t all the islands up here resorts?”
    Matt shook his head and Cristy was suddenly aware