ALANNA TIED AN EYE-SPLICE KNOT for the fifth time while sitting on a cushioned chair on the deck. There was nothing else to do on this boat with people who didn’t trust her. Other than brood. The sky was too sunny, the water too crystal and calm, and the temperature too perfect. Even worse, the wind was too ideal for a solo sail. Her fingers twitched to pull on the tiller of a sailboat and tack into the wind. But instead she was stuck on this ship, practicing damn knots and trying desperately not to think of her loss.

Everything was still too painful to process. Except for one hope. The news hadn’t shown any video or pictures of the devastation. It could all be rumors, or panic-induced misinformation. There was still a slim chance her family was alive. Maybe.

Until then, getting Luna de Azul back was her only priority. Strange, how heavy and suffocating it was before they “confiscated” it, and now she felt naked without it. How on earth would she prove to the Manila authorities it belonged to her? All she had was a fake passport. She’d dropped her phone on Palau as well. Besides, Rona’s father had told her not to trust anyone. In turmoil like this, how honest could she be with a foreign government, even a U.S. Consulate?

About as honest as she’d been with Dean and Flynn. They’d done their best to avoid her the last few hours, especially Flynn. Her savior-turned-accuser wouldn’t even look at her after that scene in the salon. Finally, he’d disappeared below and avoided everyone. It was the first time she was looked on as less than deserving, less than human. The grotesque feeling was almost as bad as when she first heard her family was…

Alanna ripped the knot apart to start again.

“Thinking of strangling us in our sleep with that?”

She glanced over her shoulder as Flynn approached, keeping his distance and impressive scowl.

“The thought had crossed my mind.” No, it hadn’t, but he doesn’t need to know that. “Though that wouldn’t be the best way to prove I’m not a thief.”

Flynn watched her from across the bow, his eyes full of distrust. She’d been knocked down several notches on his ladder of respect. The resentment was hard to swallow. Why do I care what this man thinks? She picked up the rope, tucked a frayed end through a loop, twisted, and repeated it, over and over.

“You can’t make toast and have a hard time cutting up a melon, but you can tie an eye-splice knot like a pro, and maneuver a boat like a racecar.”

Her cheeks heated, and she continued tucking and looping the rope. “Your point?”

“Just having a hard time figuring you out, Princess.”

She paused mid-tuck and glared at him. If only he really knew. If only he didn’t look so damn good when pissed off, too.

“What’s to figure out? I’m wrongly accused, stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean with two strangers who think I’m a thief. I’ll make it easy on you. I’m insulted and can’t even walk away from you.”

Flynn sighed, though she couldn’t tell if it was sympathy or annoyance. He moved toward her and sat in the chair across from her. His knee was only three feet away from hers, perfectly tanned with well-toned muscles all the way down. Even his bare feet looked strong…and wide.

“Is there anyone on Solana who can vouch for you?”

Tears stung her eyes. There were many who would lay down their lives to protect her. Most of them were probably dead. Of those who were left, how many would’ve traded their safety by turning in the princess? There was no one she could trust.

“Alanna,” Flynn softened. “If this all turns out to be a misunderstanding, I will pay for your plane ticket to Solana myself. But every time we give you a chance to defend yourself, you’re silent.”

The sunlight caught the emerald in his irises and made them almost aquamarine. This was the biggest olive branch she would get from him. Bottom line, she needed his help. As alone as she felt, it would be better to have someone at her side when they reached Manila. Someone to support her amid the chaos and uncertainty. Or, God forbid, if the cartel caught up with her first.

Alanna dropped the ropes and looked him straight in the eye. “If I were you in this situation, I’d be just as skeptical. But I’m telling the truth. I don’t have anything on this boat to prove it’s mine. I can’t tell you what I was doing on Solana, or how I got the necklace, or who my family is. I must protect them and myself until this crisis is over. But I’m not a thief.”

Flynn studied her in silence. He was incredibly hard to read and even harder to ignore. He could have been thinking of throwing her overboard, or merely counting her eyelashes.

“What happened on Palau?”

Alanna bit her upper lip. She felt like crying again, but she had to be strong. “I saw a news report about Solana.” She swallowed hard. “They said my family is…” She choked back a sob and cleared her throat. “…as well as many others. The cartel now has control of everything.”

Flynn’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand how. Solana has an excellent military defense. How could they have fallen so easily?”

That’s what he focuses on? Not my dead family, but the military. Of course, he’s Navy. All military men skip over the emotional parts.

“I don’t know.” She wiped her nose with the knuckles.

“So, no one hurt you on Palau? You were just crying over your family?”

“Just? That news isn’t devastating enough?”

“I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but I can’t stand the thought of someone hurting you. To me, that’s worse.”

Alanna stared at him like a monkey doing math. He was the first to accuse and judge her, and now this? “Even though you think I’m a thief?”

“I know. Frustrating.”

“That’s not the word that came to mind.”

“Oh?” Flynn cocked his head.

“Crazy is more like it.”

His lips flattened into a hard line, his brow lowering. Everything about him darkened. Even the breeze seemed to stop.

“I’m not crazy.”

“I’m not a thief.”

Flynn stood abruptly and turned to walk away. She’d clearly touched a major nerve, and panic swelled inside of her. She surged to her feet and came up behind him.

“After everything we’ve been through, you still think that little of me?” Though she was still furious they’d called her a criminal, her hurt pride was no excuse to sling insults. She followed a few steps behind him to the port side deck. “I didn’t mean to offend you, but—”

He stopped and whirled on her.

Words evaporated from her tongue as he loomed over her, her heart clenching at the flicker of hurt in his gaze. Chest heaving, he closed the distance between them.

“I’m sor—” she started.

Flynn smothered her mouth with his own, cupping her neck with his large hands. His body flush with hers, his hand slid down her back, the immense strength of his palm as he pressed her into him almost desperate. Like a scuba diver sucking his last ounce of oxygen. Everything turned hot and numb, and her lower belly tightened into a coil. His tongue didn’t wait for permission to slip inside and lick every inch, dancing with hers and tasting his fill. Even in her dream, he wasn’t this good. She didn’t melt this quickly or fear what happened if he stopped.

Much too suddenly, he did stop. His lips full and pink. He panted harder, and his eyes lowered to her cleavage. For a moment, she thought he was going to drop his head and kiss her there. Her nipples hardened beneath his hungry gaze. But instead he released her and stepped through the doorway to the dining room.

“Damn, this makes no sense,” he muttered under his breath. “With you, I’m…powerless.”

“You’re powerless?” she asked on a whisper. It was all she could manage with her entire body still tingling. She clearly had no power around him, all authority literally sucked out of her.

If neither of us holds the power, who does?