Chapter 4: Stranded Together
1329 Words
—————Raffael’s POV
Darkness. Silence. Then pain.
Raf woke to the sharp scent of salt, damp sand beneath his fingers, and a splitting headache pounding through his skull.
For a moment, he couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.
Then—he inhaled.
Pain flared in his ribs, sharp and immediate, but his mind cleared just enough to register his surroundings.
The ocean. A beach. Wreckage from the yacht scattered like broken bones along the shoreline.
And then—
Her.
Teri lay motionless beside him, her body half-curled into the damp sand. Her dress was torn, clinging to her in places where it had been soaked through, and a dark stain stretched across her side.
Blood.
His breath stilled.
Raf forced himself upright, gritting his teeth as white-hot pain tore through his skull. His fingers clenched into the sand before he reached for her, pressing two fingers against her throat. Cold. Damp. Too still.
His stomach twisted.
“Teri.”
No response.
His jaw locked as he pressed his palm against her cheek, feeling for warmth, for life.
A faint, steady pulse thudded beneath his fingertips.
Relief hit him hard.
Too hard.
He let out a slow breath, his hand lingering on her skin longer than necessary before pulling back.
She saved him.
The realization slammed into him like a fist to the gut.
She had dived in after him, dragged him onto that wreckage, fought to keep them both alive—and she hadn’t even known who he was.
He should have been the one saving her.
Instead, she lay there—exhausted, bleeding, vulnerable. Because of him.
Raf wasn’t used to this feeling. Indebted. Off balance.
He didn’t like it.
Didn’t like the way his pulse kicked up at the thought of her risking herself for him.
Didn’t like the way she looked like this—too fragile, too breakable.
He clenched his jaw, pushing the thought aside. This wasn’t about feelings.
She needed help. And he owed her that much.
———Teri’s POV
Teri woke to the sensation of warm fingers on her skin.
For a moment, she thought she was dreaming.
Then—pain.
A sharp, stinging burn in her ribs. Pressure.
She hissed, jerking slightly.
“Stay still.”
Not just any voice.
His.
Her eyes fluttered open, blinking against the harsh sunlight. The first thing she saw was him.
Kneeling beside her, shirt undone, sleeves rolled up, tanned skin dusted with sand.
And those damn green eyes.
Focused. Intense. Too close.
“You’re awake.” His voice was unreadable.
Teri blinked again, her brain catching up.
The yacht. The attack. Dragging his unconscious ass through the ocean.
Her ribs throbbed.
She groaned, shifting slightly.
Immediately, his hand pressed against her hip, holding her still.
“Don’t move,” he said, voice dropping lower. “You’re hurt.”
She scoffed, wincing. “No s**t, Sherlock.”
His exhale was sharp—almost a laugh.
“Yeah,” he muttered, his gaze sweeping over her. “I figured that out when I found you half-drowned in the sand.”
Teri gritted her teeth, trying to push up on her elbows.
Bad idea.
White-hot pain shot through her side, and she sucked in a breath.
Raf muttered something in Italian, catching her arm before she collapsed back down.
“I said don’t move.”
His grip was warm, firm—but careful.
Teri exhaled hard. “You have a real thing for bossing me around, huh?”
He didn’t answer. Just tilted his head, watching her.
And that’s when she felt it.
The pressure against her bare ribs.
The realization hit her all at once.
“Raf.”
He hummed.
“Why,” she asked slowly, voice dead serious, “are your hands on my actual skin?”
His lips twitched, but he didn’t stop what he was doing.
“You had a piece of wood stuck in your side,” he said simply. “I took it out.”
She stared at him.
“You what?”
His green eyes met hers, steady.
“You were bleeding. I stopped it.”
Teri glanced down. His fingers were pressing against her exposed waist, holding a piece of fabric—his shirt?—against the wound.
It was so casual.
Like it wasn’t deeply unfair that he looked like that while saving her life.
Her stomach tightened.
She swallowed. “I—uh—”
“Still dizzy?” he asked, studying her.
Teri cleared her throat. “I’m fine.”
His eyes said otherwise.
But he didn’t push.
Instead, he let go.
Teri immediately missed the warmth.
Which was stupid.
Because they were stranded. Possibly dying. This was not the time to notice how unfairly attractive he was when he was being all… competent.
She cleared her throat again. “So. Uh. Survival plan?”
——-Raffael’s POV
Raf leaned back, watching her.
She was trying to act like she wasn’t injured. Like she wasn’t shaken.
Like she hadn’t just saved his life.
It annoyed him.
Not because she was weak—she wasn’t. That much was obvious.
But because he saw through it.
She didn’t want to need him.
She didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that, out here, he was the only thing keeping her alive.
But she would.
Soon.
“Find fresh water,” he said. “Food. Shelter before nightfall.”
Teri snorted, shifting carefully. “Oh, is that all? Should we also send a message in a bottle while we’re at it?”
His smirk deepened.
“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I’m sure your sarcasm will keep us alive.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And what will you be doing?”
His gaze didn’t waver.
“Keeping you alive.”
——-Teri’s POV
The way he said it—**flat, confident, like it wasn’t even a question—**made her pause.
She met his gaze.
Something flickered in his green eyes.
Not just amusement.
Something darker. Heavier.
Teri swallowed.
She was in trouble.
The next few hours were hell.
Teri wasn’t useless in survival situations—she hiked, she camped—but this was different.
She was injured. Tired. And Raf?
Raf was barely fazed.
He moved with calm confidence, scanning the area, leading the way, his sleeves still rolled up, forearms dusted with dried salt and sand.
The worst part?
Teri hated that she kept noticing things about him.
Like the way he glanced at her every few minutes, like he was making sure she hadn’t collapsed.
Or how his shirtless situation was deeply unfair.
It was hot, okay?
And she was injured, exhausted, and definitely not thinking straight.
By the time they made it to a small clearing, tucked between rocks and trees, she was about ten seconds from passing out again.
Raf crouched beside her, offering her a piece of fruit he’d found.
Teri took it, chewing slowly, cautiously.
She was expecting him to say something.
A joke. A comment. Something to fill the silence.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he just watched her.
Still. Calm. Like he was figuring something out.
It made her uneasy.
And a little too warm.
She exhaled, dropping the fruit into her lap. “Okay, seriously. Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
His green eyes flicked to hers.
A beat of silence.
Then—
“You saved my life.”
The way he said it—**soft, thoughtful, almost reluctant—**made her stomach twist.
She swallowed. “Yeah, well. You’re welcome.”
Raf’s lips curved slightly.
“Careful, bella,” he murmured, voice low, teasing. “Keep saving me, and I might start thinking you like me.”
Teri snorted, trying to ignore the way her pulse jumped.
“Not a chance.”
But the way he was looking at her said he didn’t believe that for a second.
And the worst part?
She wasn’t so sure she did either.
- Writer
