NINE
“YOU HAVE TO COME,” Alessia begged after dinner that evening. “You came last night.”
Because she didn’t have work… or a date.
“I can’t,” Thea said, looking through her cosmetics case.
“You work all the time, like all the time. You came here to hang with me.”
“You have your friends.” Thea tossed an eyeshadow aside, then caught her sister’s reflection in the mirror above the dresser in front of her. “Have you fallen out with them?”
“No! The girls are great,” Alessia said, hurrying to hug her. “I just feel bad for you. You’re always working. We’re always having fun, and we get to hang with the coolest guy on the planet.” She pulled back to wiggle her brows. “The hottest guy on the planet.” Thea’s automatic smile betrayed her; Alessia came over all curious. “I haven’t seen you smile like that since… maybe ever.” She gave her a shake. “Spill. Come on. Why are you smiling like that?”
Okay, deep breath.
Taking her arms, Thea guided her sister back. “I may have… met someone.”
Keeping it secret might be fun, but there was no real reason for it.
Alessia frowned. “Met someone?” She gasped. “A guy! You met a guy? Here? How did you—” She shrieked. “You haven’t been working at all! You’ve been…” Alessia lowered her voice to a whisper. “You’ve been having secret sex.”
Thea laughed. “No, I really have been working. He works here too. Over at the corporate suite.”
Alessia already knew she worked in a different building during the day, which was why she wasn’t in the room anytime her sister popped in for whatever.
“Ooooh, office romance.”
Just like Alessia to swoon. God, she loved her sister.
“Maybe,” she played it a little coy. “We’re going to spend some time together tonight… see if maybe…”
“You could be something,” Alessia said, bouncing up and down, grabbing her wrist in both hands. “Oh my God, imagine you fell in love! That would be amazing! You could live on a tropical island.” She frowned. “Mom would hate that. Oh my God, she would go crazy!” Perking up, she tugged her arm. “Maybe she would move all of us out here.”
Thea laughed. “You’d go nuts here permanently. There are no stores for clothes or those little boutique wine bars you and your friends love. And your friends… Alessia, you love your friends.”
Despite her sister’s enthusiasm, Thea chilled. Zane and she had said together like it could mean something. Except… how could it ever mean something? She would never leave her family; she needed them like they needed her. Her breath stalled for a minute. No. She was going to be positive, optimistic, they had to find out if their zing could be a real thing before long-term planning.
“It’ll all work out,” Alessia said, pulling her into another hug. “I’m so excited for you.”
A knock on the door took Alessia from her side. Her friends were there to get her, so after some quick goodbyes, they disappeared in a cloud of fading laughter.
Alone in their room, she turned to the mirror. Zane would pick her up in less than an hour. If she went out with him, falling for him was a real possibility.
It was an experience. That was a better perspective. Whatever happened, even if she got her heart broken, it would be amazing just to get to know him. That was enough… wasn’t it?
Optimism. Optimism. It was the key. What she needed to keep her going. Life choices had to be approached with a positive point of view.
After showering, she did her hair and even her makeup, going through the regular date ritual. But as she stood there in her underwear, looking at her dress, she couldn’t make herself feel it. Was she setting herself up for heartbreak?
Her attention leaped around when someone knocked on the door. Someone? Zane.
Damnit, this wouldn’t work without positivity. If she couldn’t find her optimism… Why had she thought dating Zane was smart? Where had her optimism come from earlier?
The next knock reminded her.
Ah ha! Leaping from the spot, she ran to the door and didn’t think twice about opening it.
Zane’s mouth was open, but the happiness meant to accompany his quirky opening line died on his lips as his eyes dropped.
“Best date ever.”
“I need you to kiss me,” she said, grabbing the back of his neck in one hand to pull him down to her level. “Please.”
It took him a second to catch up after she laid one on him. In true Zane fashion, he got with it quick smart. Stooping, he hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her body to his, taking control, giving her his confidence.
That was it there. The pressure of his mouth, the joining of their tongues, right there in his kiss was all the optimism she’d ever need.
Planting her hands, she pushed him away. “Thank you.”
Leaping backward, she slammed the bedroom door in his face and ran over to grab her mini wrap dress from the hanger. It had spaghetti straps, and the chiffon was just transparent enough to tease what was beneath. Not that she had much left to tease, he’d just seen her underwear.
Dating on a practically deserted island had its perks. No need to worry about cash or a purse. There was nowhere to spend money and no cellphone signal. She could take one for lip gloss, but that seemed ridiculous. A whole purse for one tube? Hmm, if there was a chance her bra would come off, she couldn’t just slip it into her cleavage.
Almost at the door, she paused and whirled around to rush back to her cosmetics. Grabbing for her lip gloss, she stuffed the tube into her cleavage. Bra was staying on. Decision made.
In the hallway, she caught the bewildered Zane’s hand.
“Ready?” he asked, a glimmer of amusement behind his confusion.
“Yes,” she said, smiling up at him like she hadn’t done anything peculiar at all. “Let’s go.”
One step forward, he pulled her back.
“Not that way,” he said, drawing her away from the typical route to the main hotel. “Down here.”
“I have never been this way.”
“Dating me, you’ll get to know all the secrets,” he said, guiding her to a door at the end of the hallway she’d never noticed.
Unlocking it with his thumbprint, he led them through foliage encroaching on an external path to a small concrete square. Ah, hmm, a bunch of carts were parked in rows like this was their depot area.
Zane led her to one and helped her into the passenger side. It was thumbprint enabled too and started without a hitch. When he drove them out of the lot onto the road, she had to grab for the frame. This guy liked speed, apparently.
“You know, I could just loop around and take you home. Unless you want me to take you out some time.”
“What?”
He flashed her a grin. “I’m asking you out. Everything’s backwards, so I figured that’s where we’re at.”
“Backwards?”
“I saw you naked, then kissed you, then I got to pick you up… so it must be time to ask you out.” Yeah, well, when he put it that way. “Are you okay?”
“Am I…? Yes. I’m okay… Why do you think I’m not okay?”
“You came out in your underwear and asked me to kiss you.”
At the time, he didn’t seem to have a problem.
His query put a smile on her face. “And you’re complaining about that? What kind of date are you?”
“Is that what you were doing? Getting the awkward doorstep moment over with?”
“Awkward?” she asked, playing to his teasing. “I’m never awkward on the doorstep.”
“Never?”
“No.”
“What if you want a guy to kiss you and—no, wait, scratch that. I’ve experienced what you do if you want it and a guy isn’t delivering.”
“I’m not shy in asking for what I want. Any man is at liberty to say no.”
“Any man? No. This man,” he said, reaching over to squeeze her thigh to encourage her closer. “We’re us, remember? Just us.”
Coiling her arm around his, Thea enjoyed the weight of his hand on her leg. The reassuring heat of his body against her side was a comfort too. Sitting beside him, it felt like anything was possible.
Resting her head on his upper arm, she enjoyed the air on her face and closed her eyes, appreciating why he liked the speed of the cart whizzing along the road.
“Are we going to work?”
Although it was dark, the moon and occasional muted overhead light kept them company.
“You want to do it at work?”
She laughed and nudged him. “We are not going to have sex tonight, Drift.”
“Even if my wood happens to drift toward—”
“Zane,” she said, lifting her head. “Be a gentleman.”
“Okay, gentleman… Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Well, you’re gorgeous… You’re always gorgeous, but I don’t like to get too focused on the physical.”
“Why not?”
“‘Cause there’s more to you than what you do to my pants.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked, propping her chin on his arm. “What do I do to your pants?”
“You’ll find out when we take off the training wheels.”
The curve of his lips delighted her. Every time. Every minute they were together, happiness filled her. That was it. He was her optimism. Her hope. Her happiness. On the island anyway.
“If we do,” she said. “I’m making no promises.”
“I have confidence.”
“In your abilities of seduction?”
“In how much you want me.”
They’d passed the corporate suite and the airfield. Inland, there was another building in the trees up ahead.
“What’s that?”
“Employee steadings. We’ve got another couple of miles to go.”
The road was a good landmark, easy to find. From near it anyway. If she was in the center of the island, she wasn’t sure how fast she’d find her way out.
“How long have you lived here?”
“I don’t live here,” he said, a snicker in his voice.
Maybe the job was seasonal. Or they only had employees there whenever visitors resided in the hotel.
“Coming here then, how long have you been coming here?”
“Three years,” he said. “Thereabouts.”
“Three years. It’s a beautiful place. You’re lucky to have a position here… I guess this is a dream job for you too. How do you keep in touch with your family? That sat phone?”
“If there’s an emergency, yeah,” he said. “I email and there’s a plane in and out a couple of times a week.”
“There is?”
“Where do you think we get supplies?”
“I hadn’t thought about logistics… That’s good to know… a plane, hmm.”
“Why is that interesting? Thinking about leaving?”
“I might stow away… depends how the next couple of weeks go.”
“I’ll tell the guys to check out the cargo holds before departure,” he said, slowing down to pull off the road.
“Is this it?”
“This is it.”
He brought the cart to a stop and both of them got out at the same time. Though she tried to peek into the shadows of flora up ahead, there was no hint of what awaited them.
“Where is it?”
“This way,” Zane said, linking their hands to lead her onto a dark path.
It wasn’t too long. After a few steps, the path swept around in a curve. That was when she noticed the light. Moonlight. No, not the moon, there was a golden glow. The moon wasn’t gold. What could that be?
They kept going toward the light until a wooden structure came into view. Round with a dried grass roof, it was circled by a deck. The path blended into that deck. Tiki torches! That was the light. And, oh, the beach! A small, secret cove protected by rocks and plants with the structure at the back. Wow, it was perfect!
“Oh my God,” she whispered as they got around to the large patio daybed in the cabana.
That he’d brought her to a bed with little else provided plenty of teasing material, but it would wait. The waves were too captivating.
Stopping by the stairs at the edge of the deck, she squeezed the wooden railing, transfixed by the view.
Zane came up behind her to bow and hold the barrier, his hands next to hers, trapping her in his embrace. “Am I winning points?”
She smiled. “Too many to count.”
“Come sit down.”
Thea didn’t object when he took her hand to lead her over to the daybed.
“Your seduction technique isn’t subtle,” she said. “Did you forget you’re not getting laid?”
“I didn’t forget,” he said, smirking. “Get on up there.”
The round bed was in the middle of the space with a table around it. At one side was an ice-bucket and various bottles.
As she kicked off her shoes to crawl up onto the bed, Zane fixed their drinks.
“That ice will run out quickly.”
He stepped aside to pull the handle just beneath the tabletop. The bottom was hinged so only the top section opened to reveal a unit full of ice.
“You want it? I got it.”
“Is that right?” she asked, smiling as he came onto the bed with two glasses.
Propping himself on the mound of pillows facing her, he handed over a glass. “For you?”
“What is it?”
“Taste it,” he said.
She sipped the liquid only to be delighted by its taste. “It’s rum.”
“Tropical punch,” he said. “Guava and mango.”
Holding her glass aside, she leaned in. Anticipating it he moved to accept her brief kiss.
“I love it.”
“I have other recipes. Gifted to me by a friend,” he said, combing his fingers into her hair to tuck it behind her ear. “You said rum was your go-to.”
“It is,” she said, drinking some more. “I love it.”
Scooching closer, she nestled against him, gazing out over the ocean.
Zane’s arm came around, holding her back against his chest. “You feel good,” he said, kissing her hair. “Want to tell me before’s problem?”
“There are no problems here,” she said, stroking the back of his forearm draped across her. “Just tiki torches and the tide. It’s beautiful. Why would you ever want to leave here?”
“Maybe now you’re here, I won’t.”
Despite denying an issue prompted her frantic request for a kiss, now that it had come up, she couldn’t ignore the opening.
“My family are important to me… and I’m important to them. I have friends at home. People who rely on me.”
“My family are important to me too,” he said, then there was silence for at least ten seconds. “You thought about backing out… because you can’t see a future.” Nail. Head. Yep. “Can I tell you something?”
“Mm,” she said, enjoying her drink, before settling her head against his arm.
His lips moved deeper into her hair. “I’m a problem solver.” She exhaled a laugh. “I’m serious. It’s my superpower. If there’s a need, I’ll find a way to satisfy it. Necessity is our friend. You don’t have to worry about anything so long as you’re with me. Just live in the moment. Don’t focus on what might come next, focus on what you want to do now.”
“Well, that’s dangerous.” Peeking over her shoulder, she didn’t have to say anything to convey her thoughts. “Tell me about the island,” she said, settling against him, drinking more. “Do we have more of your yummy cocktail?”
“As much as you want, Wanderer.” His embrace tightened. “You can have anything you want.”
“Then talk to me,” she said. “I want to know about the island… about the hotel. When is it open? Are there guests year-round?” She tilted her chin toward her shoulder. “Do you have like a budget week? A charity weekend? Maybe I could save up for five or ten years then come visit you again… if you’re not married by then. Do you live in those employee quarters we passed?”
“You can come visit the island any time you like.”
“If that was true, I’d never leave,” she said, resting her face on his arm. “Say things, Drift. Your voice is like the waves.”
“Anything you want,” he said, losing his mouth in her hair. “Anything at all.”