Read Online Tsunami Blue by Gayle Ann Williams - Free Book Online Page A

would come soon.
    My head swam and I sank back into that strong, broad chest, hating that I needed someone, hating that I needed him.
    He nuzzled my neck and whispered in my ear, “I’m sorry about your boat, Blue. I’ll build you another one.”
    That made no sense. Gabriel was a Runner with his own agenda. I was his prisoner. Build me a boat? Still, my mind was mush and I shivered, numb with cold. I thought of Max, and had a vision of him running through the surf trying to get to me. 
    “Build one Max will fit in?” I whispered, not trusting the strength of my voice, knowing I sounded crazy.
    “Sure, Blue. A boat big enough for Max too.”
    “Max…was he really yours?”
    Gabriel hugged me to him and whispered in my ear, “In the end, Blue, he was yours. He loved you. You gave him a better life than I ever could.” He pulled back from the rails and said, “Come on, little one. I’m getting us out of here. The Runners will be sailing soon.”
    No one had called me little one since my parents died. It jolted me out of the funk and back into survivor mode. I elbowed him out of the way, not hard, not threatening; I needed to see how this boat worked before I threw him overboard. But first, I needed answers.
    “Why leave Max five years ago?” I demanded. “What the hell were you doing watching me? Funny, I didn’t peg you as the peeping-Tom type. You’re more like the cuff-and-kidnap type.” I folded my arms across my chest to try to stem the shivering. 
    Gabriel nodded, accepting my rejection of our warm and fuzzy moment, and stepped out of the way to let me pass. The sea was rough, and I grabbed for the stanchions as Gabriel pushed the hatch open and motioned me down.
    “Not now, Blue. You’re freezing. And we have to move fast. Question-and-answer period is over.”
    He gave me that dark look of his which told me any more probing would be useless. Great.
    “Grab a blanket downstairs and try to stay warm while I get us out of here. If all goes well, I’ll have us stowed, stashed, and hidden by nightfall.”
    Gabriel was right: I was freezing. Still… “I’ll stay on deck,” I said. As much as a dry blanket sounded tempting, I needed to see where we were going, where he was taking me. I wouldn’t be blinded by hiding in the hull. I needed to plan for the future. I needed a plan for escape. As if reading my mind, Gabriel paused in his preparation and gave me a steady look.
    “There is no escape. The ocean will simply eat you up. And if not the ocean, the sharks will.”
    “And wait, don’t tell me. The bogeyman will get me too.”
    Gabriel came over and looked me in the eyes. “Don’t be so sure I’m not the bogeyman, Blue.”
    Okay. That shut me up.
    “I’m hoisting the sails,” he said. “Watch the boom. I don’t want to have to fish you out of the ocean, strip you naked, and save you from hypothermia.”
    I rolled my eyes and sat down in the cockpit, shivering. Wrapping my arms around my chest, hugging myself for warmth, I settled in to watch Gabriel work. I hated to admit it, but just watching him move and stretch and bend over to grab a line here and there…well, hell, the man was gorgeous. And I knew what was under those wet clothes. And even though I hated him—right?—I couldn’t help it. I started to warm up.
    He’d stripped off his coat and I could see his muscles working under that fitted thermal shirt he wore. Gabriel and his boat moved as one. He anticipated the boat’s every move with uncanny ability. His movements were fluid, graceful, efficient. His black hair whipped in the wind, and when Gabriel took the wheel, he looked every inch the pirate. Or at the least, a very dangerous, sexy cabin boy. He had us under way in minutes.
    The wind picked up and the sleek boat with the slender hull cut through the water, making its own path in rugged, unforgiving waves. I found the speed exhilarating; I’d never been on a boat like this before. But I’d seen them on the horizon,