Chapter 36
Ari
I can’t believe I washed our laundry by hand.
I feel like a frontier woman, or one of those poor doomed souls on the Oregon trail. Vincent survived dysentery, but we have no covered wagon, and I’d kill for a bonnet right now.
I hang our wet clothes on the makeshift line. It sags a bit in the middle, but it’s sturdy. It’s bamboo.
Vincent comes up behind me, his breath brushing against the back of my neck. His lips follow, making me smile.
“How you feelin’?” he murmurs.
“Fine. Why?”
He steps back, reaching up to adjust one of shirts. “Just checking. You get enough to eat earlier?”
I turn my head to look at him. “You trying to thicken me back up or something?”
He laughs, that deep, easy sound that always makes me smile, even when I don’t want to.
“Nah,” he says with a grin. “Just making sure you’re good. You been lookin’ kinda tired lately.”
“Yeah. I have been. Maybe the weather’s changing or something.”
He stares blankly, studying my face. I give him a what are you looking at? look, and he just smiles, shakes his head, and walks away.
My eyes follow him as he grabs his duffel bag and digs around, pulling out a small bottle.
“I forgot I packed my vitamins,” he says, shaking two into his hand. “One for me and one for you. Couldn’t hurt, right?”
I hesitate, then take it out of his hand. He swallows his dry, then hands me my water bottle. I take a sip and swallow my vitamin, and this all feels so strangely domestic.
Later, just as the sun begins to dip, Vincent crouches near the raft while I take my bath for the evening. He pulls his line from the water, then comes to me with two full hands. Fish in one, crabs in the other, still snapping their claws.
“Princess Ariana,” he teases. “I present to you: tonight’s dinner, caught in your honor.”
“You’re so silly,” I say with a laugh. “Thank you.”
He dips his head to kiss my cheek. “Anything for you.”
He cooks them over the fire, cracking the crab shells open with a stick, sending steam curling into the sky. We eat until we’re full, and I’m grateful.
He leans back on the blanket, wiping his hands on the t-shirt we use as an all-purpose rag. “I don’t know if I told you, but I saw some fruit a while back, not too far from here. I’ma go grab some tomorrow.”
I frown at that. “How will we know if it’s edible?”
He shrugs. “Let me worry about that.”
I shake my head, watching the firelight dance over his handsome face. “Do we really need to risk it?”
“I think you need some fresh fruit,” he says firmly. “More nutrients and shit.”
“But I took a vitamin.”
He stares blankly. “Like I said, I’m goin’ out tomorrow.”
I don’t argue. I just sit there, staring at him from across the fire, wondering where his head is at and why he’s acting so different.
I’m not sure I like it. I think the independent woman in me is clashing with this newly minted protector vibe.
The man is ten years my junior. Who the hell is he to boss up on me?
But if he wants to risk life and limb to get me some fruit, so be it.
Unless…
“Is this your way of making an effort?”
His brows furrow. “What are you talking about?”
“Way back, however long ago, I said you needed to do more. But we’ve been having sex. A lot. So like…it’s fine. I’m good.”
He stares blankly. “What’s the problem, Ari?”
“I just don’t want you risking your life for fruit. It was one thing when we needed water to literally live, but I don’t need fruit.”
“I think you need fruit.”
I stare at him so long, my eyes start to water. “Are you trying to piss me off?”
He blows out a breath. “Ain’t shit you can say to stop me, so you might as well save the drama. Be my fuckin’ peace.”
“Oh, please. Kindly shut the fuck up.”
His eyes flash with anger. “Shut the fuck up? Is that what you said?”
“Did I stutter?”
“You ain’t finna disrespect me, Ari. Control that shit.”
I laugh bitterly. “This from the overgrown child who acted a whole disrespectful fool towards me on that plane.”
“I ain’t finna argue with you.”
“Of course not, because you know I’m right.”
His face balls up. “What’s the point in bringin’ up old shit, anyway? That was like…six months ago. I’m a changed man.”
“You’re joking, but I really hope you changed for real. Because the man I met on that plane—“
“Yeah, I got it,” he interrupts. “I ain’t shit, ain’t never been shit, never gon’ be shit. Heard you loud and fuckin’ clear.” He jumps up, stalking off to the shelter, calling over his shoulder, “And just for that, you ain’t gettin’ no dick tonight!”
It’s so absurd, I almost laugh.
Because he and I both know he can’t resist me. That man would crawl naked through the sand on his hands and knees for a taste of my pussy.
But that’s not even the biggest issue here.
I get up a lot slower than he did, but I manage a petulant little stomp off to the shelter.
“Vincent.”
“Give me a minute,” he spits.
“No.”
He tilts his head, his eyes glaring intensely. “When I walk away from an argument, that means I wanna be left the fuck alone. That don’t mean follow me and start the shit up again.”
“That’s not why I came over here.”
He lifts his eyebrows.
“Forget the other stuff,” I say. “We’re both on edge out here. Whatever. But this whole fruit thing. The reason I don’t want it is because…” I trail off as tears well up in my eyes.
“When you were sick, and you slept out on the beach…that was the hardest night I’ve had since we’ve been here.”
His face softens.
“It was like God was giving me a glimpse of what life would be like without you. Here on the island,” I add quickly.
It’s too late, I think. He’s already smiling.
“If something happened to you out here, I wouldn’t make it,” I continue. “So forgive me if I feel some kind of way about you risking your life for fruit. Fruit, Vincent.”
“You would make it,” he says quietly. “You a strong woman, for real. You would figure that shit out.”
I shake my head.
He steps out of the shelter, towering over me, staring down into my eyes. “But as long as I’m here, you ain’t gotta do shit but look pretty and…” he trails off, kissing me softly, and I wonder what was supposed to be at the end of that sentence.
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere. Alright?”
I nod.
“Good girl.” His hands drift downward, grabbing my ass. “I guess you off punishment. You can get some dick tonight.”
I laugh as he pulls out the mat he made, pulling my dress over my head.
He lays flat and I settle on top of him, staring at his dick with a smile as it stands at attention.
Then I sink down on it and ride him into the sunset.