DesertIslandDelight

Desert Island Delight

Wynter Daniels

Book 3 in the Wanton Weston Women series.

New York advertising hotshots Diana Weston and Chase
Cunningham have had a thing for each other since they met, but they are always
at each other’s throats. Yet again in competition, the find themselves in the
Middle East vying for a sheik’s ten-million-dollar account. When they share a
water taxi to go to the sheik’s private island, they’re hijacked, robbed, then
dumped in the Persian Gulf. After barely making it to a deserted island, they
must work together to stay alive.

Alone on the private island, they set aside their
competitive tendencies and give in to the powerful attraction drawing them
together. But their bliss is short lived when they find out there are sinister
forces at work threatening to tear them apart.

Desert Island Delight

Wynter Daniels

Chapter One

Diana Weston had never seen a real gun up close, and she’d
certainly never had one pointed at her before. She sure as hell didn’t care for
it. The gunman had his finger on the trigger and he appeared a little too
jittery for her comfort.

The water taxi bounced and the man stumbled. She fisted her
hands, bracing herself for the pain of a spray of machine gunfire to her chest
that, thank God, never came.

“Do what they say, Diana.” Chase Cunningham’s narrowed gaze
darted from the gunman to the boat’s pilot then to her. “We’ll be fine. Just
stay calm.”

Easy for him to say. Her sister Wendy had warned her before
her trip that American women were targeted for rape in the Middle East more
than other foreign nationals. She clenched her jaw as she handed her captor the
eight-hundred-dollar designer purse she’d lusted after for months before she’d
given in to the splurge. With any luck she’d live long enough to file an
insurance claim.

The man rifled through her bag and tossed a few of her
possessions into the Persian Gulf—the hotel room key card, a tube of hand
sanitizer.

No—not my lip-gloss.

Damn it. She couldn’t get through a day without the stuff
and that was in New York where the humidity was a jillion times higher than
here in the desert. She glanced overboard but the lip-gloss tube was long gone
in the foamy wake.

The man grinned, revealing teeth way too straight to belong
to a sleazy criminal.

Please don’t let him be a killer.

He took out her phone and touched the screen. Then he turned
to his accomplice, held up her cell and said something she couldn’t understand.
The few phrases of Arabic she’d managed to pick up only came in handy when
ordering in a restaurant or searching for a ladies’ room. She remembered the
word for water taxi—
abra.
Who knew she should have learned how to say
please
don’t shoot me
?

She glanced toward shore and her throat thickened with
emotion. The towering buildings faded to Tinker Toys as the boat sailed farther
out to sea, away from the safety of the city.

Will I ever see land again?

Would she ever get to apologize to her mother for the silly
argument they’d had last week or wear the ugly yellow bridesmaid dress for her sister
Wendy’s wedding? Tears welled in her eyes.
No.
She couldn’t think that
way. She’d get out of this. The men would probably just rob them then let them
go. But where?

The azure sea stretched to infinity ahead of them but there
were no other boats anywhere in sight. She clasped her hands to keep them from
shaking.

What could they gain by killing them?

Eliminate the witnesses.

The local authorities executed criminals for all types of
crimes here so what did the kidnappers have to lose? They had to get rid of her
and Chase. She forced the terrifying notion from her mind and licked her
suddenly dry, un-glossed lips.

Why hadn’t she hired a bodyguard to ensure her safety until
she’d arrived at her client’s private island? But the sheik’s assistant had
assured her she’d be fine on her own. And why in hell had she agreed to share a
water taxi with Chase when they’d run into each other in the hotel lobby this
morning? She should have insisted on them taking separate transportation. Guilt
poked at her for the mean thought. Regardless that she and Chase were bitter
rivals, he was still a human being.

God, would she die out here? With Chase Cunningham of all
people, the man who’d stolen accounts out from under her and badmouthed her to
more than one client, or so she’d heard through the advertising grapevine.

Their disastrous date last year should have been enough of a
sign for her to stay the hell away from him. But there was that kiss at the end
of the night—that one heart-stopping, mind-blowing kiss. The moment they’d
stepped off the elevator back at her place—after arguing all evening about
whose ad campaigns were better—Chase had cornered her in front of her door and
surprised her by scooping her into his arms and covering her mouth with his.

There was nothing soft or gentle or sweet about it like most
first kisses she’d had.
That
kiss had been all about possession and
control. And she’d loved it. She wished she could get it out of her head, but
dissecting that amazing kiss was a hell of a lot better than imagining what the
kidnappers would do to her.

The gunman fished her wallet out of her purse, then he
discarded her beautiful purple leather bag like a sack of trash. She remembered
her antique pillbox was inside and her eyes filled with tears. It was the only
thing she had left of her grandmother and now it was gone.

The man rifled through her credit cards and cash before
pocketing them and flinging her empty wallet into the sea.

They’re just things.

Now that death stared her in the face, what did her
possessions matter? All the money in the world didn’t mean squat when it came
down to it. Her loved ones—her mother and her three sisters, her niece and
nephew—they were infinitely more important than any of the
things
she owned.

Chase sat beside her on the deck holding his hands in the
air as the gunman searched his pockets. The turbaned villain took Chase’s
billfold and cell then handed them to the guy driving the boat, a lanky man
with greasy black hair and hooded eyes the color of coal. The kidnappers spoke
in hushed tones in their language then glanced at her and laughed.

She hugged her arms tightly around her body but that didn’t
stop her from shivering despite the warmth of the day. She leaned closer to
Chase and pulled in a breath laced with his spicy cologne. “You think they’ll
take us back to the city now that they have what they want?” she whispered.

He nodded but his brow remained crinkled. “Sure. It’s going
to be fine.”

His well-meaning words did little to reassure her as one of
their captors slid his gaze slowly over her body. Her breakfast churned in her
stomach and she feared all those honey-soaked pancakes might come back up.

The armed hijacker seemed to be scrutinizing her then he
pointed at her right ear.
“Coredo,”
he said.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

He shouted the word again as he motioned to her other ear.

“He wants your earrings.” Chase kept his voice low but the
rage simmering beneath the surface was evident in his gravelly tone and
clenched teeth.

She touched her fingers to her diamond studs. “Okay.” It
took her longer than usual to remove the jewelry with shaking fingers but she
managed to get them off and set them in the gunman’s palm, careful not to touch
him, as if he were a venomous snake.

He held the baubles up to the sun then showed them to his
partner in crime. The men conversed as they gestured at her. She glanced away,
telling herself they weren’t actually leering at her. The city had all but
disappeared, along with her hope.

“Bastards,” Chase ground out.

“It doesn’t matter.” But her heart drummed furiously. The
situation was growing more frightening by the minute. She slid another inch or
two toward Chase and was somehow comforted by his bulky arms and head-to-toe
muscles. “I wish to God I’d have let you steal the sheik’s account like you did
Trident Software. Then I’d have never come to this godforsaken country.” But
the lure of a ten-million-dollar piece of business had proved too tempting not
to go after.

“I don’t have to
steal
accounts.” He muttered a curse
under his breath. “Trident liked my ideas better, fair and square. So did All
Seasons. And we’re
both
here to pitch to the sheik. You don’t
have
his account so how can I snatch it from you?”

“Sheik el-Tayid would have loved my presentation. I have no
doubt I’d have had this one in the bag.” Her leg brushed against Chase’s
granite-hard thigh. Even in his dress pants, the man’s legs were amazing. He
was way more muscular than either of their captors and he could probably
overpower both of them if they didn’t have that damn machine gun on their side.

“Give me a break,” he shot back.

“Shut your mouths!” the gunman barked. He trained his weapon
on Chase.

Hot fear coursed through Diana’s veins. She and Chase
weren’t exactly friends but that didn’t mean she wanted to see the guy get
shot. Her hands trembled in her lap but she refused to give in to her panic.
She squared her shoulders and held her head high as the wind whipped her hair
around her face.

We will get out of this alive.

If not for the fact that they’d been hijacked, she would
have appreciated the beauty of their surroundings. The sunshine heated her skin
but every few seconds the salty sea spray cooled it. They sliced through the
water in silence for twenty or more minutes.

She told herself they were headed to some other city where
the men would release her and Chase, but she didn’t quite believe it. Tears
welled in her eyes but she fought them back. She’d learned not to show her fear
a long time ago, thanks to her bastard of a father.

The boat slowed and the driver spoke to his accomplice. The
gunman pointed out into the gulf as he laughed and nodded.

Diana glanced in that direction and glimpsed a tiny dot of
land in the distance, a small island in the middle of nowhere. She swallowed
hard. “W-what do you think they’ll do to us?”

“I don’t know, but I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.”
Chase took her hand and squeezed.

The surprising gesture dissipated a small measure of her
terror. She studied the sharp eyes that had sized her up on numerous occasions.
There was a kindness in his blue stare. She curled her fingers around his,
hoping to impart some of the calm he gave to her.

The motor cut off and the boat coasted, then stopped. Waves
lapped at the hull as the taxi gently rocked in the eerily quiet desolation.

“This is your stop,” the pilot said in heavily accented
English. He gestured at the water.

After a long moment of silence, Chase released her hand.
“What the hell does that mean?” He started to stand but the gunman jabbed the
barrel of his weapon into Chase’s chest.

Diana gasped as Chase stumbled backward. The pilot gave him
a hard shove and he fell into the gulf with a splash. She kneeled on the seat
and bent over the water, searching for him. Just as he breached the surface,
someone picked her up and tossed her overboard.

The shock stole her breath but she immediately started
treading water, not sure if her best move was to grab onto the side of the boat
or to get the hell away from it. Chase made the decision for her when he took
hold of her arm and pulled her against the solid wall of muscle that was his
chest. “Stay calm,” he whispered.

How was she supposed to do that when they would probably
drown or be shot to death?

The boat’s motor whirred to life, drowning out all other
noises.

“Have you a nice day,” one of their captors said with a
snicker. Then the craft took off.

They bobbed in the wake, neither saying a word. Diana shook
like crazy even though Chase’s body was warm.

Relief and fear warred inside her. The men couldn’t shoot
them, they were too far away. But now she’d probably drown.

I will not die today.

How many times had she been giving a presentation and felt
herself drowning—figuratively, of course? Most of those times, she’d rallied,
fought for the account and won. This time she was fighting for her life and
losing wasn’t an option. She let go of Chase’s neck. “Now what?”

He tipped his chin to her left. “Now we swim.”

She followed his gaze to the island she’d noticed earlier.
Holy cow, it was still miles away. Were they kidding themselves that they could
make it that far? It had been almost seven years since she’d competed on her
high school swim team and had done more than a few laps at a time. All those
medals her mother kept in an old trunk meant nothing now.

Tears threatened again but she couldn’t give in or she’d
never survive. She kicked off her shoes. It would be a workout to swim that
distance but she could do it. She didn’t have a choice. “And then?”

“One hurdle at a time.” He peeled off his shirt and pants
then tied them together with his belt. “We might need our clothes later but
they’ll only hinder us now.”

He was right. She worked out of her skirt and top.

“Give them to me.” He took the soaked garments and rolled
them together with his in a tight bundle.

She tried to cover her red lace bra and panties but it
proved impossible while she treaded water. Modesty be damned. Her life was at
stake.

Sucking in a big breath, she started stroking toward shore.
Alternating between the crawl and the backstroke, she kept pace with Chase. But
a few minutes into their journey, her instincts nudged her.

The sky had emptied of the birds that had been accompanying
them. The air grew too still. Swallowing back a kernel of trepidation, she quit
stroking. “Chase?”

He stopped swimming and turned to face her, treading water.
“Are you hanging in there? It’s not too much farther.”

Seriously? They hadn’t even covered a tenth of the distance
to the island but she didn’t have time to dwell on that. “Did you notice the
birds?” She gestured to the clear sky.

He glanced up, then back at her. “What birds?”

Then she saw it out of the corner of her eye. All she could
manage was a broken gasp as she pointed to the gray fin fifteen or twenty yards
away. And it was coming toward them, zigzagging just beneath the surface.

He grabbed her arm and tucked her behind him then shoved the
bundle of their clothes at her. “Sure it’s not just a dolphin?”

“P-positive. Dolphins swim up and down, not side to side.
That’s definitely a shark.” Despite the coolness of the water, her insides
burned with alarm. She hugged his back, peeking around him at the terrifying
sight. “Oh God. It’s coming right at us.”