Returning to the marina the next day, Damon curses when they find The Mystic Princess's berth empty.
"Let's look around, maybe we'll see her?" Damon takes her hand as they walk onto a rocky outcrop. Nothing but empty beach greets them.
Damon points to a winding, sandy path that leads to a dune, maybe they'll see something there? After only a short distance, it becomes difficult to traverse. Large rocks, gnarled pieces of drift wood litter the ground.
"Is this even a path?"
"I don't know, be careful, those rocks are slippery when they're wet." he cautions and makes sure to keep an eye out for her.
When they finally reach the top of the dune, Elena pauses a moment to take in the scenery. Shafts of sunlight penetrate the blue-green water and reflect off of the rose-colored coral. Schools of fish, in every color imaginable, dart through an underwater kingdom of coral reefs and rock formations.
"I found her," Damon lifts the binoculars from around his neck and hands them to her.
"Okay, now what do we do?" she peers out over the water, eyeing the ship's name through the lens.
"We're going to rent a boat and go fishing. We'll feign engine trouble when we get close and ask for help."
"Sounds simple enough but what if they tell us to pound sand?" she hands the binoculars back.
"No one's going to say no to a beautiful woman," he waggles his brows at her.
"And where are you going to be?" she crosses her arms, still a little unsure of his plan.
"I'm going to go overboard and swim to the yacht while you keep the captain occupied."
"Damon we don't know how many people are on board," Elena points out, a little concerned about their safety.
"Elena, all you have to do is point those brown eyes and the guy will melt," Damon grips her shoulders but not too hard.
"And what if the captain is a woman?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, now let's go, we have to rent a boat," he starts to walk away. She rolls her eyes and trudges after him.
The sunlight is beating down on them as they skim across the surface of the water. Damon's trying to navigate the boat like they aren't chasing after the yacht.
Streams of light penetrate the turquoise water. Elena pokes at Damon's arm and points. He follows the direction only then seeing what she's so excited about - a sea turtle. The dark brown creature glides gracefully through the calm waters. Its long, front flippers cut through the water and propel it forward. It looks to be about four feet long and has a light, greenish-yellow underbelly.
"You can thank me now, you wouldn't have seen it if not for my brilliant idea..." he smirks.
"I'll thank you when we set foot back on dry land," she looks pointedly at him.
"Have a little faith. You know what a cautious fellow I am," he revs the engine and bounces across the waves.
Elena slips on a life jacket and holds on tight.
"Alright, there it is," Damon cuts the engine. "I want you to row close as soon as I drop overboard."
"Damon, what if there's sharks. There have been attacks in these waters."
"I'll be fine, Elena. And if I get eaten, think of the plus side, I'll be out of your hair forever," his eyes twinkle playfully.
"That's not fun..." Whatever she was going to say next vanishes from her mind the instant his mouth slams against hers. All that exists, all that matters, is Damon. His lips, moving insistently, ardently in time with hers. His hands, one sweeping up into her hair and the other sliding down her neck, teasingly skirting over her breast and wrapping around her back, pulling her closer. His fingers splaying against her lower back, digging, clawing, and drifting higher as they seek more and more of her skin. His hair, as her fingers weave through his silky black locks. His taste, as her tongue sweeps across his lips. His moan, and her gasp, as she shifts against him, her nipples rubbing against his t-shirt clad chest through the thin material of her lace bra and tank top.
"Damon..." she whispers when he lets her go.
"I'm going to need a raincheck on that - well if I don't get eaten that is...," his lips brush against her mouth for a brief moment before he slips into a wetsuit and drops over the side of the boat.
Shivering from the intensity of that - whatever that was, she watches till she can't see him anymore then sits down and starts to row towards the yacht.
"Excuse me," she yells when a man comes into view as she gets closer to the bow.
His head snaps to the side and his eyes rake over her. "This is a private yacht."
"I'm sure it is but the engine stopped. Can you give me a tow?" Elena stands up, giving him an ample view of her long, tan shorts-clad legs.
He sighs and looks away for a moment before throwing a ladder over the side. "Do you have a rope?"
"No... sorry. I didn't expect for this to happen. I paid good money to rent this thing," she looks annoyed.
"Hang on," he disappears for a moment then throws one end to her. "Tie to that piece," he instructs her and then she climbs up the ladder onto the yacht. She hears a slight splash of water and when she looks around, she sees a mop of dark hair.
"This is really a beautiful ship. I've never been on a yacht before, can you show me how you drive it for lack of a better word?"
"Why not?" he leads her to the wheelhouse and starts to tell her all about it.
Damon climbs onto the deck with a squishing sound of wet rubber. He slips off the flippers then carefully makes his way below deck, peaking in one room, then the next. When he gets to the third one, he slips inside when he hears a voice. When he turns around, his eyes go wide when he finds himself face to face with the barrel of a gun.
Damon studies the person carefully and as unobtrusively as possible, keeping his hands raised as the gun remains fixed and ready to blow a hole through his face.
The gun is waved, he nods and steps forward and then before he realizes what's happening, he feels the muzzle against the back of his head.
"Do as you're told and you'll live to see another day," the voice sounds muffled, disguised even.
Damon narrows his eyes slightly but says nothing as he moves into another room when suddenly a blindfold is placed and he's forced to sit down.
He hears the click of a door locking, the slide of a chair and then a pained "oomph" escapes his mouth when someone's fist connects with his middle and then the words...
"Now you need to listen to me..."
Elena's starting to get anxious, she can feel her heart rushing in her ears and feels it pounding inside her chest. Damon's been gone awhile. After she hugs him, she going to murder him for scaring her like this.
She nods robotically to the middle- aged man with a baseball cap, stubbly cheeks and rolled-up sleeves is showing her all the amenities the yacht has.
Just as a full-throated panic is threatening to overwhelm her, she hears a squeak like sound. Her head snaps to the side and she sees him dropping back into the water.
"Maybe my engine just needed to cool off, I'm just going to go try turning it over," she uses her thumb to point over her shoulder.
"Sure sweetheart, let's check it out," he runs his eyes over her again, pausing at her cleavage as a lascivious smirk grows on his face.
"Just let him try," she thinks to herself as she leads him back to the bow of the ship. He doesn't know that she's took martial arts training after she moved into her apartment.
Carefully she climbs down the ladder and into the sloop. Without raising suspicion, she looks around, seeing some bubbles come up. She needs to get away from the yacht so Damon can get back on board.
With her back to the captain, she replaces the distributor cap, turns the key and the engine roars to life. "Would you look at that!?" she looks over her shoulder at the man.
"I'd say you're pretty lucky. What game are you playing at?" a threatening look washes over his face and he refuses to release the rope, securing her little boat to his big one.
"I'm not playing any games, please let me have it," she extends her arm, palm open.
"I don't believe you," he glares at her threateningly.
"I'll say this one time, release the rope so I can leave or I will go to the police."
"And how you going to get to them sweets? It's not like you can stroll into the nearest precinct from here," his waves his free arm. There's nothing to see but blue water.
"I tried to play nice," Elena looks at him, pushes on the throttle and the boat skims the waves, pulling the old man into the sea. When she's a several lengths away from the ship, she cuts the engine, allowing the captain to swim to the ladder and board the yacht.
He shakes his fist at her then stomps to the wheelhouse to go to the lower level. Her heart beats in her throat when Damon flops in at the same time.
"Damon, you scared me! What took you so long?"
"I can't tell you here, let's go back to the marina."
"Isn't here as safe as we can be, no one nearby to eavesdrop?"
"I'll tell you later okay?"
The way he looks at her, Elena knows he's serious so she doesn't continue to press it. Instead she steers the sloop back towards the boat dock all the while wondering what he's not telling her.
"You were really great with that guy," Damon winks at her as they walk down the pier towards the parking lot.
"Thank you," she replies softly, lifting her big brown eyes and locking them with his.
All of that fire he's always felt in her presence hits him at full blast. He knows she feels it too by the way her eyes widen slightly and her lips part enough for her tongue to poke out and wet them. His eyes track the motion before meeting hers again. The tension between them is thick and crackling and he simply can't help himself.
He leans forward slowly, noticing her gaze is firmly on his lips as she moves forward to meet him. When he's only a breath away, they both freeze, eyes locking and time standing still. Neither of them moves, each waiting for the other to close the distance.
He swears his pulse is pounding loud enough for her to hear as he waits...
She doesn't disappoint, quickly closing the distance, her eyes drifting shut just as her mouth touches his.
Her lips are so soft, allowing his to move over and with them easily. One of his hands wrap around her waist to pull her closer and other threads into her hair, angling her head, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
Damon loves the way her hands slide up his chest and grip the material of his shirt in her fists. Kicking it up a notch, he traces the seam of her lips with his tongue, asking to be let in. She obliges, melting into his arms as his tongue slides into the sweet warmth of her mouth.
Damon pulls away with a few soft kisses to her lips.
The sound of footsteps jolts them from their little bubble. Elena steps back, her cheeks flushing while she runs a hand through her tangled hair. He smiles when a couple passes them with a knowing look on their faces.
"Let's go, we have a lot to talk about..."
Chapter title: 'Bait a Hook' by Justin Moore.
Thank you all and have a wonderful weekend.