Stranded Together

MAX

The grin tugging at my lips earned me a glare from Cassie. I couldn’t help it—she had been so scared, and her scream had been ear-piercing.

A tiny creature crawled out from the bush, its gray eyes blinking up at us, unimpressed by the chaos it had caused.

I lowered the stick, relief hitting me like a wave. “It’s just a lizard.”

“Is it dangerous?” She was still clutching my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

“Some reptiles can be, but this one is not. It’s totally harmless.” I chuckled.

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” she accused, her voice still unsteady.

“Not at all,” I said, trying—and failing—to sound serious. “I’m just glad it wasn’t something bigger. Or hungrier.”

Her wide eyes had been tense a moment ago, but now that the danger was gone, the look felt…endearing.

The image of Cassie at the lake lingered in my mind.

I had woken up in the cave with empty arms. I figured she’d stepped out for air, but when I called her, she didn’t answer. That’s when I wandered to the lake and found her.

She stood beneath the waterfall, her head tilted back as she washed herself. I stood there frozen, drinking in every detail of her bare body. She was like a goddess—a blonde, blue-eyed goddess.

The way the water moved her along her luscious curves was mesmerizing.

Then guilt hit me. What the hell was I doing watching her? She didn’t need me ogling her after everything we’d been through.

I had forced myself to move, stepping behind a palm tree just as she ran her hands over her body, water trickling down her breasts. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as I tried to look away.

Taking a deep breath, I willed myself to step out, pretending I hadn’t seen a thing.

But now wasn’t the time for that kind of distraction.

Shaking it off, I stepped closer to the bush for a better look at where the lizard had come from. Small prints, like mini handprints, dotted the ground near the bush. But they weren’t the only ones.

Larger prints, deeper and more spread out, trailed off into the underbrush.

“Looks like we have company,” I said.

Cassie moved beside me, peering down at the tracks. “Company?”

“Wildlife,” I clarified. “Nothing dangerous. I bet it was more scared of us.”

“You mean as I was of it?” she muttered, crossing her arms. “You seemed perfectly fine.”

“Don’t let the calm face fool you. I was ready to jump out of my skin,” I admitted with a small laugh. “But this is a good thing. It means there’s food. We’ll need to figure out how to catch something.”

Cassie crinkled her nose. “You mean, like…hunt it?”

“Unless you have a better idea.” I stood, dusting my hands on my pants. “We’ve got enough emergency rations for another day or two. After that, it’s survival mode.”

“I am pretty hungry,” she admitted, and the grumbling of her belly confirmed it.

We had shared a nut bar earlier, but we’d already eaten half of what was in the rescue bag. “Hence why we should look for some food,” I suggested.

“I agree.” She took a few gulps of water from the bottle before handing it to me. “Finish this first. Then we’ll look for food.”

I took the bottle from her with a smirk. “Yes, ma’am.”

As I raised it to my lips, I realized hers had touched the bottle. That shouldn’t have meant anything—but somehow, it did.

She tilted her head. “I’m sorry, am I too bossy?”

I shook my head. “No, you’re not. At least, not to the point that I mind it. But who knows—maybe I like being bossed around.”

What am I saying?

I quickly took a sip of water and immediately choked as it went down the wrong pipe.

“Are you all right?” she asked, patting my back.

“Y-yes,” I managed, coughing like a seal.

“So,” Cassie continued, “I’ve seen some coconuts and bananas hanging from the trees here and there.”

“Yeah,” I replied. I’d seen them too. “We could cut some down.”

“Okay, let’s do it!”

A moment later, I struggled to climb a tall palm tree, which was much harder than I thought.

My legs, groin, and hands burned, but I pushed through and reached the top, cutting off a coconut.

“Watch out, Cassie,” I yelled, dropping the coconut. I quickly cut off another one before climbing down.

“Good job, Tarzan,” she said with a laugh.

It took some effort, but we finally cracked open the coconuts.

“This is delicious,” Cassie declared as she scooped out a handful of the white pulp. She then proceeded to lick it off her fingers.

Her lips were moist and shiny, and the sight of them wrapped around her fingers sent a wave of heat through my lower body.

I quickly looked away, hoping to avoid an embarrassing situation. Her soft, contented moans made me fear it was already too late.

Get it together, Max!

“All right,” Cassie said when we were both finished eating. “Let’s keep exploring. I want to see more of the island.”

We found bananas along the way and berries that smelled quite sweet. We each tried one to be safe since we weren’t sure if they were edible and didn’t want to risk getting sick.

Flowers in this place bloomed in every color of the rainbow, most of them unfamiliar to me. Their petals swayed with the gentle breeze.

“And this one?” I asked Cassie, pointing at a lilac-colored flower with large, delicate petals.

She chuckled. “Just because I recognized one doesn’t mean I’m an expert on all flowers. I have no idea. Looks like some type of rose?”

I bent down, smelling its floral scent. “It’s pretty, though.”

“It is, but maybe you shouldn’t get too close. Some flowers can cause skin irritation, like certain plants. Could be worse too.”

I quickly leaned back. “You’re so smart.”

“Only sometimes.”

We moved at a steady pace, taking in the wildflowers that lined the narrow path. The air was thick with the scent of earth and blossoms—a sharp contrast to the salty breeze drifting in from the ocean.

“What’s your favorite flower?” I asked.

“Wisteria,” she said without hesitation. “I just love the color and how they hang. There’s something almost magical about them.”

I glanced over at her, the excitement in her voice making me smile.

“What about you?” she asked, stepping over a fallen branch.

“I don’t really know. Maybe tulips.”

She tilted her head. “Why tulips?” Her hand brushed mine accidentally.

I shrugged, kicking a stray pebble off the path. “Not sure. Always liked their shape.”

Cassie’s gaze suddenly lit up. “How about those? Oh, wow—they’re so bright red!”

She hurried forward, ducking under a low-hanging branch toward a bunch of fiery red flowers—too close to the edge of the ravine for my liking.

Unease twisted in my gut. “Look out, Cassie,” I called, my voice edged with worry.

“Don’t worry. I just want to—AH!”

Her foot caught on a loose rock, and before I could reach her, she tripped—falling off the edge.

“CASSIE!”