"Oh good, you're awake," Nick said as he strode toward the bed.
Georgia's eyes snapped wide open. Without thinking, she grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at him with everything she had.
Thump! The first one hit him square in the chest.
"The hell—?!" Nick staggered, but before he could react, the second pillow flew past his head. He ducked just in time, and the third missed him by inches.
"Hey! Cut it out!" he barked, raising his arms to shield himself.
But Georgia was already scrambling for more ammunition, her breathing ragged with panic. When she realized everything else was out of reach, she did the only thing she could. She clutched the shirt to her chest, covering herself with trembling hands and blazing eyes.
"Don't come any closer!" she hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "I swear to God, I'll scream the ship down if you come one step closer, you pervert!"
Seeing what she's done. He knew exactly why. He knows that she was not wearing anything underneath, and she had already realized that.
Nick halted immediately, hands flying up in surrender. "Whoa, whoa! Easy! I didn't touch you, I swear! The only time I laid a hand on you was when I dragged your unconscious ass out of the ocean!"
"Then who the hell changed my clothes?!" she shot back, fire blazing in her eyes.
"The chief steward," he said quickly. "She handled everything."
"She?" Her suspicion narrowed into a single word.
"Yes. She. The chief steward is a woman."
Georgia blinked, unsure if she believed him. "Then why the hell am I wearing your shirt and your shorts? If there's a woman on board, why not her clothes?"
Nick exhaled hard and ran a hand down his face, his own temper flaring. "I didn't exactly have time to think about wardrobe etiquette, okay? You were freezing and half-dead.
I brought you to the warmest, safest place I could think of, which is my cabin. I just threw dry clothes to the chief steward because yours were soaked and not even wearing pants. But that's understandable, you used it to make a makeshift float."
He stepped back, jaw clenched. "We found out you were burning up after the steward dressed you. I made the call to keep you here, where I could monitor you myself."
Georgia's lip trembled, but her glare didn't waver.
Nick let out another breath, slower this time. "I stayed up to make sure you were breathing. I didn't lay a damn finger on you. And maybe next time, before you chuck half the room at me, you could say 'thank you' for saving your life."
He crossed his arms, his tone steady but biting, reclaiming the authority that made him captain.
"T-Thank y-you…" Georgia muttered, barely above a whisper, her eyes darting down as guilt crept in. But just as her gaze dropped, a memory snapped into focus, clear, sharp, unforgettable.
Her head whipped back up, eyes narrowing into deadly slits as she locked onto his face.
Nick felt the shift instantly. A chill ran down his spine.
'What the hell… she looks like she's planning to kill me!'
"Wait a damn second…" Georgia tilted her head, squinting at him as if mentally holding up a wanted poster. "I know you..."
Nick stiffened. "What now?"
"You… you murdering son of a bitch!" she roared, suddenly springing from the bed like a woman possessed.
Before Nick could react, she grabbed the nearest notebook from the desk and launched it at him. It smacked his arm with a thwack!
"What the hell? Are you insane?!" he barked, barely dodging a second object.
Georgia was already in full storm mode, flinging anything that wasn't nailed down. "You're Nicholas Knight!"
"Yeah?! So?! Guilty of being me, and the captain of this ship, and definitely not murder!" he shouted, bobbing and weaving like a boxer under fire.
"You killed my brother! You cold-blooded bastard!"
Nick froze.
That split-second hesitation was enough.
*Bam, bam, bam*
A barrage of pens and paperweights pelted him.
"I didn't kill David Lewis! The court cleared me!" he snapped, trying to shield his face.
Out of things to throw and full of fury, Georgia lunged. With a primal scream, she drove her fist into his chest.
It was like punching a brick wall.
She tried again and again. Her arms trembled from the effort, her punches sloppy, until they were just fists pounding weakly into his unmoved chest as her rage gave way to gut-wrenching sobs.
"Enough." Nick's voice dropped, low, firm, commanding, as he caught her wrists, his grip steady but gentle.
"No! You're lying! Nancy helped you, didn't she? Maybe you both did it! My brother had a daughter, a baby girl!" she sobbed, still trying to break free. "He's dead and now she's alone!"
Nick's jaw clenched. He didn't say a word. Instead, he pulled her into a hug. He knows exactly what she feels.
Georgia screamed, writhing in his arms. "Don't touch me, you monster! Nancy tried to kill me! Are you two in on this? Are you trying to destroy my life on purpose?! What did I ever do to deserve this?!"
Her legs buckled under the weight of her grief, but Nick caught her, steadying her as she collapsed against him.
"Nancy tried to kill you?" he asked, voice dark with shock.
"Yes! She pushed me off the boat! If I die, Katie has no one!" Georgia sobbed, her voice breaking. "Please… just stop… I can't take any more…"
Nick's tone softened, urgent but gentle. "I didn't kill your brother. I don't even know you. And I sure as hell don't want to hurt you."
Seeing her trembling, he slid an arm under her knees and another around her back, lifting her effortlessly.
But as he carried her toward the bed, Georgia flinched, her trauma still alive in her skin.
"Let go of me!" she shrieked, squirming violently.
"Stop—shit!" Nick lost his balance. Georgia slipped through his arms and crashed onto the bed. Momentum took over, and Nick tumbled down with her, landing squarely on top.
With a loud thud, they both froze.
Bodies tangled. Faces inches apart. Their breath mingled. The chaos evaporated.
And for one suspended moment… their eyes met. The room felt silent.
Nick's eyes locked on hers, and Georgia's heart skipped a beat. Neither spoke. Neither blinked. As if fate, rage, and grief had all collided