Savage Hearts

I imagine what it would be like to watch J.D. and Jeremy wipe out on that evil, grinning reef though I know that isn’t the answer to the question of what to do with them. I’m not sold on Danny’s idea—though I hate to waste the day we spent digging that damned pit—but a surfing accident isn’t a good alternative.

We need something simple. Simple, but nearly deadly, that will make sure they never touch a woman without consent again. I don’t care if Scott knows why he’s being punished—he’s too dumb to learn from his mistakes, anyway—but the rest of them need to know why they’re suffering.

Danny and I reach the lineup and straddle our boards, bobbing up and down on the waves as we wait our turn to paddle into the break. I twist my hair back into a damp ponytail, pulling my gaze away from the rocks to find Danny watching me.

The expression on his face makes me feel hot all over and the sun beating down on the glittering water has little to do with it. The love and longing in his eyes make my chest ache with regret for what I put him through, but it also makes my skin tingle. I’m suddenly aware of the wind caressing my damp skin, the taste of salt and Danny’s kiss lingering on my lips, and the fact that I fill out my swimsuit in a different way than before.

I’ve always been in good shape, but now my body is a monument to willpower and revenge. I’ve only gone up one clothing size, but I’ve gained almost forty pounds of pure muscle and there is very little softness left on my frame. I know some men would find my broader shoulders and tightly muscled arms and legs unattractive, but I can tell Danny appreciates the view.

He’s looking at me like he’d like to stretch me out on the sand and kiss every inch of my skin and for the first time since last summer, I think I might like that.

I might like it very much.

I came to Costa Rica to exorcise the demons that had driven me to run away from everyone I loved. I knew I was capable of hurting the men who had hurt me, but I never thought I’d find my way back to all the things I’d lost. I was certain I was too far gone, too damaged to ever be whole again.

But maybe I’m not.

And maybe it’s okay to let myself soften, just a little.

“What are you thinking?” Danny catches the edge of my board, drawing me closer.

I lift one shoulder and let it fall. “About you. About this.”

I rest my hand on his thigh and squeeze, feeling the strength of him beneath his damp board shorts. “You’ve put on some muscle.”

“Exercise helped curb the urge to punch things.” He smiles ruefully. “Last summer, I tried to put my fist through a brick wall and broke my hand. I figured that had to stop if I was going to be in good enough shape to take care of business, so I started hitting the gym instead.”

“How is the business?” I ask. “Did you ever open the location in Maui?”

“No, not yet. But I wasn’t talking about that kind of business.” His gaze drifts over my shoulder. “I wonder if anyone offers surfing lessons out here. That reef looks dangerous. A newbie could get in trouble pretty quick. Especially if they had a push in the wrong direction.”

I blink. “Were you reading my mind?”

He shifts his attention back to me with a wink that makes my stomach flip. “Maybe. A little. It could work.”

I shake my head. “No, it couldn’t. You’d have to make contact with them. That’s the same reason I’m on the fence about you taking them to the pit. Even if they don’t have enough evidence to press criminal charges, their families are rich. If they can describe what you look like, they could hire someone to hunt you down.”

I brace my hands on my board and shift my legs under the water as a larger wave lifts us up and sets us back down. “Besides, there are too many variables with a surfing accident, too much left up to chance.”

“No variables with a big ass hole in the jungle filled with vipers,” he says, in a matter of fact voice that makes me laugh, no matter how twisted this conversation is.

“What?” His eyes crinkle at the edges, making me want to kiss each tiny smile line, just to show how grateful I am that they’re still there. “I’m serious. It doesn’t matter if they see my face. We’ve already got the hole. It would be a shame to waste it. And there’s a creeper who sells snakes living just down the road from the compound.”