Chapter Eighteen
Zoe
As Jace holds my hand to assist me off the boat, I arch my eyebrows. “I told you that we’d win.”
“Yes.” He nods and drops my hand as fast as he collected it. “Yes, you did.”
But it was stupid to win. He doesn’t want to be stuck here with me. He couldn’t have made that clearer last night or this morning at the boot camp. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Besides, the look of guilt on his face, or whatever it was, spoke volumes. He was relieved for the interruption before he did something he regretted. Something more he regretted.
I step onto the beach and marvel at the view. A pure white sand beach. Turquoise water all around us. The water is so clear that you can see the individual grains of sand. It’s stunning. I cross my arms over my chest to ward off the approaching chill that shouldn’t be there. But the distance between us, on this supposed reward for knowing each other better than the other couples, has disaster written all over it.
The entire night, I tossed and turned, reliving his lips on mine. The way his hair felt between my fingers. I’d fantasized about the moment for years, and it surpassed every preconceived notion I’d had. Until the phone rang, and he disappeared as if he’d woken from a trance and realized who he’d been kissing. Yet, my stupid body still aches for his touch. For his strong arms to surround me.
Fuck that. Anger rolls through me. I’m fucking pissed. Pissed at him. Pissed at me. And mad as hell that even the thought of masturbation is depressing. So here I am. Turned on. Angry. Alone with Jace in paradise. Or at least alone on an island with no one we know around us.
And nothing is going to happen.
He shuffles from foot to foot while speaking to the boat captain. The staff is efficiently depositing our gear in the little gazebo several yards from the shore. The open structure has white billowing curtains that make an attempt at privacy. Our picnic of soup, salad, sandwiches, fruit, and dessert gets deposited on the table in front of a white sofa. Even though the fabric looks waterproof, it appears soft to the touch. It’s like our own personal oasis.
I glance at Jace out of the corner of my eye. His hands are shoved into the pockets of his swim trunks, and his chest is covered in a white T-shirt. Clearly, another attempt to put distance between us.
But I’m fucking tired of distance. Maybe it’s time to seduce him and get over him once and for all. Because being in his arms removed any doubt that he was unable to get an erection. Maybe his previous struggles were a result of his alcohol and drug usage. I don’t know, but there were no issues in that department last night.
The captain explains that he and his crew will sail a couple of miles off the island and anchor there until it’s time to return to the resort. My heart skips a beat. We’re going to be completely alone.
I walk into our shelter and shrug off my cover-up, leaving my white two-piece bikini on full display. I’m not going to throw myself at him and force something. If he truly doesn’t want me, then so be it. But…. I’m not walking away if he does.
After returning to the main opening, I lay my hand on the threshold. “If we need to leave because of an emergency, do we have a way to contact you?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” The captain smiles, showing off his sparking white teeth, and hands Jace a two-way radio. “It’s primitive, but we’re only a couple of miles away. If you need us to return before our scheduled parting time, we’ll be on our way.” He tips his head to the right. “And on the other side of the building is a helicopter pad. We can fly in if there’s a serious emergency.”
“Thank you.” I smile in return, and some of the stiffness in Jace’s shoulders relaxes as he clutches the radio.
“Actually, if you want–”
“They’ll come back if we need them.” I glare at him, already knowing what he was going to say. Seriously? Could he be a bigger dick. “Surely, we can be on the same island for four hours without an escort. We managed last night to sleep in the same suite, and nothing happened.”
His gaze meets mine, but his face is expressionless. “Fine.” He shrugs. “You’re right.”
I plop down on the sofa. The man is frustrating beyond measure. How can he kiss me like he wants to devour me and shut it off like a light switch? I snatch up a strawberry and shove it into my mouth.
‘Remember, he’s a former rock star. He can fuck and forget with the best of them. That’s what they do.’ I glance over at the angel in white on my shoulder. Thank you for putting me in my place. I needed the reminder that I’m nothing special to him. I was going on and on about his musical talents, and that must have triggered his groupie radar. Pathetic.
As the boat leaves, Jace grabs the snorkeling gear. “Are you ready?”
“Seriously?” I glare at him. “You’re going to continue to pretend nothing happened last night, and we’re going to go snorkeling?
“Yes.” His jaw flexes, but he doesn’t step a foot closer to our oasis.
I tip my head sideways and pat the cushion beside me as the boat eases back into the sea. “I thought you said you weren’t a pussy.”
“Lord, you’re frustrating,” he growls and stomps across the sand, drawing closer to me.
“Right back at you.” I cross my arms over my chest. Fuck. I’m not a desperate loser. “Never mind.” I jump off the sofa, march up to him, snatch my mask and snorkel from his fingers and brush past him. “You snorkel over here. I’m going over there.” I point in the opposite direction.
He grasps my arm and spins me around. “You heard the instructors. We’re supposed to stay together.”
“The captain thought we were here as a couple who’s trying to work on their marriage. Not strangers who want nothing to do with each other.” My eyes sting at the bright sunshine. At least I’ll die claiming that. I’m not shedding a tear over him. Ever. Okay. Ever again. “That’s part of their plan. And I’m sure that’s why we won the prize. There’s no way we know more about each other than Mom and Landon do.”
“Yeah, that is a little hard to believe.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I glance down at his fingers. “You can let go of me now. Thank you.”
“No problem.” He raises his hands in defeat. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t. I already did that last night.” I spin on my heel, slide the mask over my face, and adjust the snorkel. While I’ve never been snorkeling before, the instructions were thorough enough that a two-year-old could do it.
As I ease into the water, I let the tension from hours of disappointments and hurt wash away. There’s no reason to hold onto the fantasy that someday he’s going to want a relationship with me. They all say they aren’t good enough when they mean they aren’t into you. I’ve had girlfriends that have gotten that blowoff. And if I hadn’t gotten the memo already, he’s shouting it loud and clear today.
The water caresses my skin, sending me floating into peace and tranquility. I watch in fascination as the fish swim past me as if they’re ignoring my intrusion. While others stop and nibble on my thighs. It’s gorgeous. Mesmerizing. Slowly, the anger dissipates, and I’m surrounded by beauty. And the minutes of blissful relaxation turn into hours.
Fuck. The word lashes through my mind as pain shoots from my foot and up my leg as I flounder around, trying to see what’s behind me. A jellyfish. Shit, those babies sting as badly as they said.
Don’t panic. Don’t get upset. Calmly search for the beach and make your way to safety.
I follow the instructors’ words to a T as my heart thuds in my ears. It’s difficult navigating in the sand without putting any pressure on my foot.
As if Jace senses my haste, he turns toward me and swims the couple of hundred feet between us at a pace that would equal an Olympic medalist’s gold medal efforts. Within several strokes, he’s standing at my side, clasping my upper arm with his mask and snorkel clutched between the fingers of his other hand.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” His eyes are panicked as they rake over me. At this point, we’re only in waist-deep water, so he can see my upper half with ease.
“It’s fine.” I cringe as I take a step. “Well, it might not be fine because it hurts, but I’ll live. A jellyfish stung my foot.”
“Jesus.” He lifts me out of the water and cradles me to his chest. His bare chest. At some point, he must have removed his T-shirt before getting into the water. “I set the radio down in the gazebo. Hold on, and as soon as we get to it, I’ll contact them to fly in and get you.” He sloshes through the water until he reaches the beach and adjusts his grip at the change in resistance.
He’s moving so fast, I’m afraid I’ll fly if he trips. I wrap my arms around his neck to keep from slipping to the ground and breaking something. “I think you’re overreacting.” I bounce against his body with each long stride.
“They said they’d fly in if there was a medical emergency.”
“I don’t think a jellyfish sting is considered a medical emergency that warrants a helicopter. They said there’s a first aid kit in the gazebo that will ease the stinging, and you can remove the tentacle things. It’s not a big enough deal to call in a helicopter, for fuck’s sake. I don’t want everyone panicking back at the resort and thinking I’m dying.”
“They’ll understand.” His jaw is tight as if he’s not willing to listen to reason.
I grip his face and turn it toward me as he stops in mid-step. “You’re not calling for the equivalent of life flight for a jellyfish sting. Get the first aid kit. Take the tentacles out. And let’s wait. We were in the water for a couple of hours, so they’ll be headed this way before long. Don’t be dramatic.”
“Fine,” he growls but won’t meet my eyes as his pace turns less anxious, and we retreat under the cover of the gazebo. He lowers me to the sofa, retrieves the first aid kit, and plops down on the coffee table, cradling my foot in his enormous hands. The worn, rough patches brush against my flesh. “But if it looks bad, I’m calling anyway. You’re not losing your foot or dying on me.”
I lean forward until our heads are side by side as I lift my right foot above my left leg, trying to search for the pulsating section of my foot. “That almost sounds like you care.”
“Of course I care.” His eyes meet mine. “I care too fucking much.” He jerks his attention back to my foot and slides his index finger along the pad of my foot. “I think I can get them.” He tilts his head and studies the tenacles. “There are only a couple of visible barbs. You must have barely put any weight down on it.”
I blink as my attention shifts to his face. For some reason, I don’t care that much about my foot at this moment. “Then why are you fighting it?”