Claim Me Captain! I'm Addicted to You!
Chapter 28: Island (2)

Chapter 28: Island (2)

Georgia jolted awake, her skin clammy, a damp, folded shirt pressed against her burning forehead. The sharp scent of smoke drifted through the humid air, carried by the ocean breeze.

She propped herself up, heart racing, and caught sight of flickering flames dancing from a bonfire blazing near the shoreline. But Nick—he was nowhere in sight.

Panic licked at her spine.

She scrambled to her feet, too fast, and stumbled out of the liferaft. Her balance gave out. She crashed onto the sand with a thud, pain shooting up her tailbone. "Ow! My head!" she cried out, clutching her throbbing skull.

Footsteps pounded against the sand.

"Georgia!" Nick’s voice cut through the dusk. He was already by her side, his brows furrowed, his breathing shallow from sprinting. "Are you okay?"

"My head feels like it’s splitting in half," she muttered, squinting up at him—then noticed the soaked shirt in his hand, something bundled tightly inside.

"What’s that?"

"I tried to fish, but no luck. Didn’t have baits." He crouched beside her, revealing the shirt’s contents—gleaming mussels and oysters. "Found these near the cliff edge."

Before she could respond, he gently grasped her arms and helped her to her feet.

"You had a fever last night, Georgia. You were shivering in your sleep, burning up. That headache? It’s probably from that." His voice was low but filled with concern. "There’s paracetamol in the first aid kit—take one and rest. I’ll call you when food’s ready."

Before she could argue, he was helping her back into the liferaft.

The medicine worked fast. Within minutes, Georgia slipped back into a deep, fevered sleep.

Nick quietly rose to his feet, careful not to disturb her, and slipped a hand into his pocket, pulling out the satellite phone he had kept hidden from her since the moment they washed ashore. He had jumped into the sea with it tucked inside his pocket, good thing it’s waterproof.

She didn’t know. She couldn’t know—not yet.

Last night, while she tossed and turned in pain, he had stayed wide awake—eyes fixed on the dark sky above, mind racing. A plan had begun to form. If he played this right, he could get them both off the island—without relying on the coast guard, and without tipping off Raymond.

Now was the time.

He moved swiftly, climbing up an incline of jagged rocks and weaving through the thick brush in search of a signal. Anything. A flicker. One bar. One chance.

But all he found were silence and salt air.

It was the same thing that he did this morning. Just as he was about to turn back, something caught his eye. That’s when he found clusters of mussels and oysters clinging to the rockface. Food. It wasn’t part of the plan, but it would help.

An hour passed. Still nothing.

Frustrated and out of options, for now, Nick trudged back to camp.

But the moment he stepped out of the trees, he froze.

Georgia was up.

She was kneeling near the fire pit, cheeks flushed, eyes focused as she carefully turned the mussels he had gathered. Smoke curled around her, the sunlight catching in her hair. She looked... stronger. Active again.

"Where have you been?" she asked, not looking up.

Nick forced a steady breath, hiding the weight of the phone behind his back. "Trying to find another food source. Just in case."

He crossed his fingers behind him—an old habit from childhood lies.

"Did you find any?"

"Some coconut trees. A few fruit-bearing ones, but I wasn’t sure if they’re edible," he replied smoothly.

Georgia stood and wiped her hands on her shorts. "Show them to me later. I know a lot about plants."

She handed him a cooked mussel. "Here. It’s ready. Let’s eat."

Nick sat beside her on the log he’d dragged over to make their makeshift camp feel more permanent. He grabbed a shell and began helping her grill the rest.

"How’s your headache?" he asked, studying her from the corner of his eye.

"It’s gone. I feel much better now," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Nick couldn’t stop glancing her way.

Her energy had changed. Her laughter was lighter. Her eyes are clearer. ’She’s different today... Happier. Brighter.’

And yet, the secret weighing in his pocket burned hotter than the fire between them.

Nick watched her closely, waiting until the last bite of mussel passed her lips before he cleared his throat.

"Georgia," he began with a firm voice. "I need to tell you something. But before you say anything, before you panic, get upset, or jump to conclusions, I need you to promise you’ll hear me out. Just listen... and let’s figure this out together. Can you do that?"

Georgia blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his tone. He wasn’t barking orders or laying out commands like the sharp-edged Captain she had once known aboard the ship.

No... this man, this version of Nick, was grounded, steady, and asking for her trust like it actually mattered to him.

She studied him for a second, searching his face, then gave a slow nod. "Alright," she said softly, turning her body to face him fully. "I’m listening. Fire away, Nicholas."

Nick smirked at her, but there was a flicker of warmth behind it. ’She remembered.’

"Just Nick is fine," he corrected gently, the corner of his mouth twitching before his expression turned serious again.

"I can reach out to someone. Someone I trust with my life," he continued. "He can extract us without alerting the coast guard, the port authorities, or—" he paused, voice hardening slightly "—Raymond."

He looked at her to read her facial expression, and she kept her promise; she listened without interruption. "But I need you to trust me, Georgia. This person won’t ask questions. He won’t betray us. But once I make contact... there’s no turning back."

Georgia tilted her head, confused. "How are you going to contact that person? We don’t even know where we are."

"I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure that you would listen to my plan, but I have a satellite phone. It’s always in my pocket after the unfortunate incident with your brother, and it was with me, in my pocket, when I jumped overboard."

Georgia’s eyes widened, and she gasped when Nick took the phone from his pocket to show her.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed and covered her mouth with both hands, making Nick gulp, unsure of her reaction.