Claim Me Captain! I'm Addicted to You!
Chapter 29: Island (3)

Chapter 29: Island (3)

"Why the hell didn’t you say that back on the ship?!" Georgia snapped, her brows furrowed, voice rising with frustration. "If you had just told me that, if you had done that, I wouldn’t have jumped into the goddamn ocean like a lunatic!"

Nick leaned back on his elbows, watching her. The fire was back in her eyes, her arms flailing as she ranted, lips pouting, cheeks flushed, dripping with sass.

’There she is,’ he thought. ’The feisty, spoiled brat.’ He could barely hear her anymore, too busy fighting the smirk tugging at his lips. ’Adorable.’

"Are you even listening to me?!" she barked. "Or are you just planning to gawk at me until I combust?!"

Nick chuckled. "If you’d let me get a word in, maybe you’d hear the plan that would’ve kept your stubborn ass."

Georgia huffed and folded her arms, tilting her chin defiantly. "Fine. Talk, Captain Genius."

Nick sat up straight and began, his voice calm and deliberate. "First, we find higher ground. Somewhere we can catch a satellite signal. Once we do, I’ll send a message to my sister. I guarantee our disappearance’s already reached my family."

He paused, watching her eyes narrow with curiosity.

"My brother manages our logistics. He has a seaplane. Uses it for both VIP packages and... leisure."

Georgia squinted. "Leisure?"

Nick sighed. "Dates. Romantic getaways. That sort of thing."

She blinked. Then her eyes widened in disbelief. "Let me get this straight. Your brother... takes women on seaplane dates?"

Nick nodded, already regretting the example.

"Of course he does. Rich men and their luxury toys." She shook her head, lips twitching in annoyance. "Okay, go on, Playboy Airlines."

He rolled his eyes but continued. "So, we call the plane in, and once we’re off this island, we go our separate ways. I’ll make sure you’re transported safely, no questions asked. Where’s home?"

Georgia opened her mouth, but paused. Her confidence faltered. "I-I’m not going home... Not yet. I need to pick up my niece first. She’s waiting for me somewhere safe. Then..."

Her voice trailed off, her expression softening, uncertainty creeping into her eyes.

Nick noticed. "Then?"

"I... I don’t know yet," Georgia admitted, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Ella and I will figure it out. I’m sure she’s already cooking up some plan for where we can stay."

But Nick wasn’t convinced. He saw right through her facade. The way her voice faltered, the subtle shift in her eyes.

"Georgia," he said firmly, his gaze narrowing as he stepped closer, "if I’m going to risk everything to help you, then you owe me the truth. All of it. Let me carry this weight, even if it’s just a piece of it. I may not be responsible for your brother’s death, but it still happened on my ship, under my command. I need to make this right... for me. For my peace of mind."

His words hit her harder than she expected.

She looked away, silent for a moment, then whispered, "Is that why you left passenger ships?"

Nick’s jaw tensed before he gave a slow nod. "Yeah. Fewer people. Less risk. Less responsibility." His voice was low, edged with guilt. "Now stop avoiding the question. Why not just go home? Are you really planning on hiding from Raymond?"

Georgia swallowed hard, then slowly nodded. "Yes. I’m tired, Nick. Everything’s too much. If it were just me, I’d vanish without a trace. No goodbyes, no explanations. Just... disappear." Her voice broke a little. "I don’t want to face anyone. I don’t want to live that life anymore."

Nick let out a soft laugh, surprising her. Her eyes narrowed.

"What’s so funny?" she demanded.

He leaned in even closer now. "You’re more like me than you think. When the world comes crashing in, I run too. We’re both escapists, experts at disappearing."

A small smirk curled on Georgia’s lips despite herself. "Yeah... maybe you’re right," she whispered.

"But the difference is," Nick added, "you’ve got someone depending on you. You can’t keep running."

Her heart stuttered. She looked up at him, their faces now inches apart. "I know," she breathed. "That’s the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart."

"Don’t you want to press charges against Raymond and Nancy?" Nick asked.

Georgia leaned back. "I do... especially against Nancy," she said, her tone steady but simmering with suppressed rage. "But dragging her to court would cost me a fortune. My lawyer would surely just push for compensation instead. I didn’t die, after all. And honestly? I could use the money."

Nick’s blood boiled. The thought of someone trying to kill her and walking away with nothing but a settlement made his fists curl. Attempted murder shouldn’t be brushed aside.

"And Raymond?" he asked, barely masking the fury beneath his voice.

Georgia exhaled slowly and bitterly. "That one’s more complicated. I can’t remember if there’s a clause in the prenup about his womanizing. But what I do know is this: whoever breaks off the engagement has to pay. And if it’s me? The damages are massive. Plus... I’ll have to repay the money I owe them."

Nick stared at her. "The same money you mentioned back on the ship... the one you used to save your company?"

Georgia nodded, the weight of her decision clear in her weary eyes. "Yes. If I marry Raymond, it zeroes out the debt, but at a cost. They’ll acquire the company whole. Everything my family built, gone. And my people? Taken with it. The only good thing about it is that my name will still be there, just a different family name."

Nick’s tone hardened. "Then sell it. Use the money to start fresh. Get your freedom back."

"I can’t," she said instantly, her voice catching. "That company’s been in our family for three generations. The employees—those people are like my own. They stuck with me after my father died. After my brother died. They could’ve left, but they didn’t. So how can I leave them now?"

Nick went silent. He knows how important having good employees and that’s one thing that is priceless to him.

But inside, a storm was brewing.

He had dismissed the idea before, chalked it up as insane. But now, staring at her—seeing her desperation, her loyalty, her fight—it no longer felt so crazy.

He looked at her, something wild and reckless stirring in his eyes.

"Georgia..." he said. "There’s one more option."

Her eyes snapped to his. "What is it?"

Nick hesitated.

Then he smirked slightly, his expression dangerous.

"But if I tell you... You might never see me the same again."