Once he’d drained the last of his coffee, he put everything aside. She expected to see some softening of his features after the feast she’d just prepared for his royal highness. Instead they’d gone all chiseled looking. His eyes pierced hers. “Do you have any idea where we are?”
“Sort of. I was headed for Ischia.”
“You mean you just took off and hoped for the best.”
“Well…yes. I mean, how hard is it? The sun sets in the west, so I went east and kept the coastline in view.”
He rubbed his eyes with his palms. She half wondered if he hadn’t wanted to shake her unconscious, and didn’t know what else to do with them. Taking out the sailboat without his knowledge had been a foolhardy, if not dangerous thing to do, and she knew it. But she’d been desperate.
“Relax, Luc. We’re alive, safe and well fed.” If he wasn’t going to compliment her on her culinary skills, then she would.
He lifted his head with a grimace. “You took advantage of a calm sea and ran the boat at full throttle. It drained the first tank of gas. The other one is only a reserve tank and doesn’t hold nearly as much. We’ll be damn lucky if we make it to Monte Cristo.”
Her eyes opened wide. “You’re kidding! I’ve always wanted to go there.” She smiled. “I didn’t realize I’d brought the boat this far!”
“As I said earlier, life is just one big game to you, but in this case it could have cost lives if another boat hadn’t seen us in the fading light. When you’re on the water, the ability to judge distances is hampered and can present serious problems.”
She ate the last of her omelet before responding. “I came down to get you as soon as I realized we might be hard to spot. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you in your condition. If we’d run out of gas, I would have figured out how to put up the sail.”
“There is no sail.”
No sail?
“But I thought that locker container—”
“You should have looked before you took our lives into your own inexperienced hands.”
It was the story of her life, and a reminder of her impulsive trip to Monza with Cesar. But Luc didn’t have any room to talk. “If I leaped, it’s because you led me to believe this sailboat was a worthy vessel. Your exact words!
“If you already knew there wasn’t a sail, it means you never planned for this trip to come off in the first place, so it’s your fault if we’re stuck out here.”
He didn’t bother to deny her accusation. To her chagrin he stared at her like she was a child having a temper tantrum. “You may end up having to row us to safety. In fact you’ll have to slip overboard and tow us to shore should we be fortunate enough to reach the island before we’re running on fumes.”
His gaze produced a breathless sensation inside her as it wandered the length of her body still clad in the skirt and blouse she’d worn to the hospital. “I suggest you put on something more practical for the ordeal ahead.”
Olivia’s first instinct was to engage him in another verbal skirmish, but that’s what he wanted. To make her so mad she’d go away forever at the first opportunity.
She rose to her feet, gathering their plates and mugs. “How’s your pain? Can I bring you another pill?”
“I’m fine right now.”
Even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t admit to it. The medication had made him sleep so soundly, he’d been unaware of what she’d done until it was too late. Naturally he didn’t plan on taking any more risks with her around.
“How about another cappuccino?”
“Later.”
“That’s probably a better idea. I’ll be able to give your leg muscles a massage at the same time,” she said before disappearing below with a secret grin.
Once she’d cleaned up the kitchen, she entered the cabin and changed into her emerald green bathing suit. It was the most modest two-piece she’d been able to find in Kingston, but that wasn’t saying much.
On impulse she drew a navy T-shirt out of Luc’s drawer and pulled it on over her suit. It fell to mid-thigh and made her feel less exposed. After removing her sandals, she put on her sneakers.
According to Greer who’d done the research, Monte Cristo was a rocky, uninhabited island. If she had to jump off the boat, she needed something to protect her feet.
On the way up the stairs she heard the engine start to act up. It kind of sputtered, ran, then sputtered again before stopping altogether. She swallowed hard. They were out of gas.
The idea of rowing didn’t appeal, but they had no choice now. She walked over to one of the benches and lifted the top.