Chapter Fourteen
Hidden in the Clouds
Catalina was full of mystery, secrets . . . and magic. But Zach had one place he never shared.
The kind people daydreamed about seeing once.
Or the kind no one would ever know you’d been.
The place he was taking Heidi wasn’t a secret. It was a rule. Because she was new to the island, and she was putting her trust in him, hoping he wouldn’t lead her astray.
That was soon to be determined.
He’d organized the night down to the very last detail, just as he planned everything he did in life. Details meant order. Order meant safety—or the illusion of it. He’d learned a long time ago what happened when things were left to chance on this island.
People slipped through the cracks. People ended up at the bottom of cliffs. People like Lisa.
He tried to ignore the quick flash of Harmony’s face in his mind when he thought of that name, the way she watched all of them like she already knew their endings.
Focus.
Heidi had wanted to meet him at his place so they could begin their journey together. He’d offered to pick her up, but she liked holding onto some control . . . or he was, at least, letting her believe the choices were hers.
Where he was taking her wasn’t a place they could reach on foot, as most people did on the island. He spotted her on the street, moving closer, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes bright with anticipation. She looked younger in this light, hopeful in a way that made something twist in his chest.
Was it guilt? Lust? Or the simple annoyance that he still wanted someone else more?
“We need to leave now so we don’t miss the last of the sunset,” Zach told her, holding back from pulling her into his arms. He feared that if he began, he’d change his mind about their trip and simply carry her up the stairs to his home and straight into his bedroom.
It had been a while since he’d gotten the satisfaction he needed, much too long .
. . and on this night, he wanted this woman.
She wasn’t the one he’d wanted for so long that he couldn’t remember a time he didn’t, but she’d do for one night.
She’d scratch the itch he couldn’t reach.
If he closed his eyes, she could be any woman he desired.
If he opened them, he had to decide what he was actually doing.
“Where are we going?” Heidi asked, her voice breathy, a mixture of nerves and excitement.
“You don’t want the surprise ruined, do you?” he teased. Her smile grew wider. She liked the mystery. She liked giving him the lead. Trust was a drug. He’d seen Harmony write that exact sentence in her notebook. The thought should’ve bothered him more than it did.
“I’ve never been one of those women who likes surprises, but it seems I’m not myself on the island,” she admitted.
“No one is. This is a place where inhibitions are left on the mainland, and people find a part of themselves they never knew existed, while getting lost at the same time. It’s quite freeing, and some people choose to never leave this world behind,” he said as he led her to his truck and held open the passenger door.
She climbed in on trembling legs. He leaned close, inhaling her sweet scent, allowing his breath to whisper along her ear, barely stopping himself from taking a nibble. A shudder passed through her. He clenched his fingers to keep from grabbing her. Patience, he demanded of himself.
He gently closed her door, inhaled a deep breath, then forced himself to walk slowly to the driver’s side. He climbed in, then quickly pulled away from the curb.
Catalina was built on hills. Wild land. Empty land. Land where there were long stretches with no eyes, no cameras, no witnesses. Mary had once said the island remembered all its sins. Sometimes he wondered if that was true, or if it only remembered the ones people talked about.
It didn’t take them long to start up the only road that would take them away from the small town of Avalon on a scenic, winding path that seemed to head straight up into the sky.
He couldn’t help but glance over at her as she gazed out the window, the skies changing color, a magnificent sunset guiding their way.
He’d been torn on whether to watch the sunset on their ride or to be at their destination to see it in all of its glory.
Finally, he’d decided to arrive at dark .
. . making it far more intimate. They still got to enjoy the vibrant colors as they drove, and he got the best of both worlds.
The drive normally took about twenty minutes, but he was going slower than usual, wanting to stretch this part out as they went further up the mountain, leaving the town's lights behind.
As the last of the sunset faded from the sky, they were surrounded by darkness, only the shine from the headlights leading the way.
Almost as if he held fate in his hands, a beautiful rolling fog began encircling the vehicle, swirls of clouds dancing in front of them in beams of light.
He slowed more as she turned to gaze at him.
She still looked eager, but there was also uncertainty in her expression. How well did she know him, after all?
How well did anyone?
Zach reached over, his fingers gently sliding along her thigh. She again trembled as a nervous chuckle escaped her beautiful pink lips.
“How far are we heading into the backcountry?” she asked, her voice a bit shaky. Maybe she was realizing that traveling into the night with a man she’d only known for a short time might not have been her best decision.
It was too late now.
He squeezed her leg, his pinkie finger mere inches from the heat of her core.
“No matter how far we go, I assure you, it’s worth it. When I told you this place is magical, I wasn’t lying. I’ve never brought someone before. There’s something about you that’s making me do things I’ve never done . . . that’s making me want things I’ve never wanted.”
He heard the lie and the half-truth buried inside. He had wanted to bring someone else here first. Harmony’s name flickered like static at the back of his mind, along with Torie’s accusation, and Mary’s knife tapping the bar. He shoved them all aside.
Tonight was about Heidi.
Or about proving something to himself.
Or about proving something to Harmony.
He wasn’t sure which unsettled him more.
Those words soothed her, and she placed her hand over Zach’s, her fingers tracing his knuckles. He slid his hand a fraction higher, nearly feeling the heat from between her thighs. He wanted to push his foot into the gas pedal, but somehow managed to maintain a semblance of control.
“Is this fog normal?” she asked as more clouds surrounded them, growing thicker, and casting shapes within the shadows, making the drive that much more mythical.
Zach chuckled. “Marine layer,” he said. “Warm ocean, cool air. It rolls in, sits on the island, and pretends it owns the place until morning.”
“It feels like we’re in an entirely different world, a place where only the two of us exist,” she said. He wasn’t sure whether she liked the thought or not. He certainly didn’t hate it . . . at least at the moment.
“Driving through a cloud can be a bit eerie,” he told her.
“With these winding roads, it feels like we’re going to fall off the sides of the earth,” she said.
“I’m enjoying it with you at my side. When I’m alone, I don’t love it as much as it takes so long to get anywhere,” he told her.
“We do need to be careful, as the bison and deer roam free here. They tend to flock to the roads at sunset. That might have to do with the fact that there isn’t much traffic out during the day, and virtually none at night, as the place we’re going is closed. ”
“Why are we going to a closed place?” she asked, those nerves from earlier once again creeping into her voice.
“Because that’s when the magic happens,” he assured her, his fingers gently rubbing her thigh.
Or when the worst things happen.
It did the trick, her breath coming out in small, shallow pants as she faced forward, trying to regain some of her rapidly fading control.
He couldn’t allow her too much time to come to her senses.
The entire night was supposed to be about them letting go of their inhibitions, not stepping back into the real world.
There was a time for reality and a time for fantasy.
He chose the latter whenever possible. It’s what would keep him young and free forever.
That’s what he told himself, anyway.
The song Operator by Jim Croce began on the radio, and he reached over and turned it up just a tad. He still wanted to hear her voice, feel the heat of her breath, and listen for the sound of her beating heart, but the song was a favorite and only added to the moment’s magic.
He made the final ascent up the mountain, then passed through the clouds, rising above the marine fog into a beautiful, clear night at nearly the highest point on the island.
She gasped next to him at the sight, just as he knew she would.
The first time doing it was indescribable, but the magic of breaking through the top of the clouds never fully ebbed.
All alone in the sky really did make you feel as if you were the last people on earth.
The road leveled out, and Zach moved forward, still driving slowly.
“Where are we?” she asked quietly. “This is stunning. I imagine this is what it was like daily for pioneers being in places no others were.”
Zach glanced at her. “Welcome to Airport in the Sky,” he said. “This is my favorite place on the island. It doesn’t matter how many times I come, it always draws me back. It’s why I don’t share it with many.”
Could it be why it would be the perfect place to make sure no one ever found you again, a darker voice whispered. He ignored it.
“It means a lot that you’re willing to share it with me,” she said, her fingers squeezing his that were still resting on her thigh. He chose to keep talking to ground himself.