THIRTY-TWO
FOR MOST OF the day, she’d been searching the island for her things. Packing was no easy feat when her possessions were scattered in various locations around a whole island. One sandal proved particularly elusive, and it was a favorite too, she didn’t want to lose it and ha! There it was, right…
On her hands and knees, she stretched to reach under the bed to retrieve it.
“The sun’s gone down.”
His voice brought her head up.
Zane stood in the open doorway. The terrace behind him was the one she’d stood on that first day, staring out into the ocean, wondering what might come next. She never could’ve imagined him.
Grabbing the bed with her elbows, she held up her shoe.
“I was looking for this,” she said. “Found it.”
He sauntered her way. “You’ve been avoiding me all day.”
“I haven’t been avoiding you,” she said, holding the shoe to her chest as he approached. “I have to get everything together. Not like I’ll be back here any time soon.”
“You’ll be back here any time you want to be.” He bent to take her arms and help her to her feet. She stood for just a beat, then sat on the bed. “I can stay.”
“We talked about this.” She hooked her fingers into the pocket of his shorts. “There’s no point. I’m leaving too; our departure difference is only a matter of hours.”
“Everything is only a matter of hours.”
“Yes, okay,” she said, tick-tocking her head side to side. “If you want to get particular about it.”
“You can stay at the house.”
“You told me that already.”
He sat with her. “Roxie and Zairn are leaving with—”
“I know,” she said, resting a hand on his thigh. “If I told you last night that I wanted to stay at the house, would you have let me?”
“Yes.”
“And I didn’t choose that, did I? I chose to stay in your hut.”
Closing his fingers around hers, he raised them up to kiss her palm. “Doesn’t feel right leaving you behind.”
“I’m choosing to stay with my sister. And, yes, I know, you said she could come too, but she’s having fun with her friends.”
“She might have fun with your friends.”
No doubt Alessia would love to spend time with Roxie and the others. In the last month, she’d met people and had experiences, she’d never have foreseen. The adventure was surreal to look back on. A lot of dinners under the stars, drinks and conversation into the wee hours. This was a dream she’d love to repeat some time.
“I need the time to work,” she said, fake growling at him. “Someone distracted me so much, I’m way far behind where I should be. Anika will not be impressed with my presentation the way it is.”
“I told you I could help with that.”
“Yeah, except, see…” Sweeping her hair from her shoulder, he bowed to kiss her neck. “This is what happens when you offer to help.” His hand slid up her thigh, under her dress, and the sandal fell from her fingers. That might’ve been how it got lost the first time, except… “Have you had sex on this bed before?”
“I didn’t think about this bed once before I knew you’d slept in it.”
Alessia was still staying in the suite with Lark and the others. This was their original room. No one would mind if they… He hooked an arm across her waist and dragged her back, somehow finding his way between her thighs at the same time.
“You don’t have time for this.”
Tell his body that because it wasn’t getting the message. Untying her wrap dress, he kissed her cleavage and her breasts, enjoying her for what might be…
“I can’t go,” he murmured against her, pressing himself into her. “I have to stay with you.”
“No, you don’t.” Capturing his head in both hands, she guided his eyes to hers. “We’re not saying goodbye. This isn’t over.”
“It’s not over.” And he meant it, through and through. “I don’t want this to be over, I won’t let it be over. Thea, you have to know—”
“I know.”
“I don’t want you to think this was frivolous, that I do this all the time. Baby, I don’t—”
“I know. Don’t you think I know you?” Widening her smile, it was impossible not to adore him when he was so adamant. “And if you haven’t already figured out that I’m crazy in love with you, then you’re not as smart as your friends say you are.” The flare of his surprise endeared rather than scared her. “You have one last chance.”
“One last chance? To tell you—”
“No. To enjoy me here, with the waves behind us and the salt in the air.”
“You’re coming back here. You will be back.”
Nothing was ever one hundred percent certain, especially in matters of the heart. The prospect, the dream of what they could be, that was an enticing view she wanted to come to life.
“Not soon enough,” she said, wriggling and rising, enjoying his hard arousal. “You want to take that on the plane? Might need its own passport.”
Slowly, he lowered himself to kiss her. His mouth, their lips, they’d spend so much time joined that they were almost a part of each other. They’d learned how to yield, when to beg, and when to demand. With time against them, they didn’t have the option of enjoying one of their long makeout sessions that were, had been, the highlight of every day.
Her work might have suffered, but the rest of herself flourished. Time, love, always, they seemed real on the island, tangible, just within reach.
Their lips parted and he pushed into her, reminding her just how complete really felt. All of herself could feel him, every atom and cell cried out for him, drugged and bewildered by the need of him propelling into her faster and harder, whispering her name before his burst from her lips.
“What are you doing for Christmas?” he panted.
On an inhale, she stopped breathing, then exhaled a blast of laughter. “Why? Was that my gift?”
“That was the appetizer.” He kissed her again then got up to fasten his shorts. “That was a serious question. We should spend Christmas together.”
Sitting up, she wrapped her dress again to tie it. “It’s October.”
“Yeah, I figured it was too late to lock down Halloween and Thanksgiving, but we can do Christmas, can’t we?”
“I’m usually with my mom and Alessia.”
“We could do it here.”
“Christmas?” His eager optimism was a wonder. Something, maybe saying goodbye, spurred him to grab for what he could. “Drift, I am no less yours today than I will be tomorrow and the next day. We’re together. I love you.”
“You two are sneaky.” As Zane turned, the terrace came into view. Roxie, owner of the accusation, pounced across the threshold. “You been getting naughty? You know you can do that at the house too. Or you could but…” The blonde looked at Zane. “Zairn’s out front.”
With a broad smile, Roxie’s hint was less than subtle.
“We were—”
“I’ll bring her with me,” Roxie said. “We can do tears and kisses at the airstrip. It’s really important you talk to Zairn. Really, immediately talk to him.”
“Mm, okay.”
Zane was right to be suspicious but was polite enough to go.
Roxie’s eyes roamed a little in the grace period Zane got to put distance between them. It would’ve been quicker for him to go out via the hallway and staff exit they’d used during their dates. Speed wasn’t necessarily of the essence.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, dropping onto her elbows.
“Yes, something is very wrong.” Kicking off her shoes, Roxie sat on the end of the bed facing her, legs folded in front. “You should be coming with us.”
“Not you too.”
“I don’t understand why you’re not! You should be at the bachelorette party, at the very least come there with me.”
“Thank you. You know I’m honored you’d ask—”
“I don’t want you to be honored, I want you to come. You said you and Dyce weren’t over.”
“We’re not over.”
“Then you’re part of the team, one of the girls. You have to be there.”
“I don’t know anyone and it’s not right that I should—”
“You know me! Stick with me. Come with me. I’ll tell you a secret if you come.”
“What secret?”
Lounging forward, Roxie pushed both hands up the center of the bed. “It’s a huge secret, ginormous, you won’t even believe the epic hugeness of this secret. If Zairn knew I was going to tell you, oh, ho, would he be mad.”
“So tell me.” Wriggling further back, the weight of her boot just over the edge was getting uncomfortable. “What’s the secret?”
Roxie zipped her lips and threw away the invisible key. “I can only tell you if you come to the bachelorette party.”
“Why is it some big announcement?”
Roxie frowned. “Oh no. No, no. This is a secret to be kept. A secret known only by the chosen few.”
Maybe her friend had learned something about her in the last few weeks. “You’re trying to get me curious.”
“You’re already curious.” Raising her hands to flop them down, Roxie couldn’t be more proud of herself. “So you’ll come?”
“I can’t! You know I can’t.”
“You keep saying you can’t, I don’t understand why that’s your position.”
“I’m due at work on Monday morning. Leaving here on Sunday is already cutting it close. My boss won’t be impressed—”
“Zairn will call her.”
“I made all kinds of promises about this project and how thorough I’d be. And instead I’ve spent the last month…”
“Being all kinds of thorough with Dyce.” Roxie bounced a fist on her knee. “Oh, phooey, as Merci would say. You don’t want to get fired, I get it. I was like this with Zairn, trying to figure out how to be with him and still maintain my own life.”
“How did that go?”
“Oh, you know, I gave up absolutely everything and trailed around the world with him for the rest of my life.”
A pause, then a laugh. “I will miss you, Roxie.”
“There are worse ways to spend your life, you know, than spending it with him. I thought I’d give up my life and lose myself. It wasn’t like that. We moved in together, my life changed, but so did his. It’s what love does to you, it gives you a new perspective. Don’t hesitate to rely on him, to trust him. He’ll need you as much as you need him. It shouldn’t embarrass you, it should lighten you.”
“It does. He does. And my life here with him has been incredible. I can’t wait to come back and do it all again.”
“So what’s stopping you?”
“I have to see through my commitments. This project isn’t just my job, it ensures others have theirs too. Even if I quit, then what? I have bills, I have—”
“He’ll take care of everything.”
“And we’ll talk about that.” Another snicker escaped. “We have time. You’re as bad as him. This doesn’t have to be overnight.” Like the words meant something, Roxie’s head tilted. “What?”
“We just don’t have to make all the decisions right this minute…” she whispered on a wistful something.
“No, we don’t.”
Accepting it, Roxie filled her chest. “Okay. This is your relationship and it’s not my place to fix it.”
Not that she’d thought it was broken. Is that what Roxie and Zairn thought? That her relationship with Zane was broken?
“I don’t want to hurry things. Nothing about us has been pressured, that shouldn’t change now. And I came here for Alessia, to look after her. That’s still my responsibility, she’s my priority.”
“And you want to get her home safely. I can understand that.” Her friend raised a pointed finger. “There is one thing you should know. Like you said, no pressure, but I think you’d be an amazing addition to the Huddle Hope team. Roux is smart, she’s dedicated, and this will be her legacy. Huddle Hope is more than a job or a company, it’s her reason, her gift to the world. They don’t plan to have kids, so she’s on this train for life.”
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact Zane and Rourke share a complex, would it?”
“That working for Huddle Hope would be a convenient choice for employment if you wanted to be with Zane permanently?” Though she rolled her head, she didn’t confirm or deny. “They have employee apartments. Roux used to live in one, she probably still has it for nights Rourke pisses her off. No, actually, hmm, second thoughts, he’ll have given it to someone else, otherwise he’d sleep there every night.”
“He?” She laughed. “She’d kick him out of his own house?”
“Without a second’s hesitation. And he’d go too. Or they’d die staring each other out. Really, any of those outcomes are plausible.” On her knees, Roxie ascended the bed to hug her. “I’m going to miss you.”
“All of you are acting as if we’ll never see each other again.”
“No, it’s not that, we’re just used to you now. We like you in the pack.”
“Zane asked me to be his plus one. If my boss isn’t a bitch about it, I’ll see you next weekend.”
Roxie gasped and hugged her tighter. “For the wedding? Oh my God, you’ll meet everyone!”
And that concept was probably the most terrifying she’d faced for a while. She’d take Anika’s wrath every day for a month if it meant avoiding being the only stranger in the room. Still, Zane would be with her, and her role on the day would be supporting him… Things wouldn’t be weird between them in the real world after a week apart… would they?
No going back. They were together. Real world or fantasy, they were each other’s other.
The only way to not be the stranger was to spend time with those close to him. If Zane’s people were anything like Roxie, it wouldn’t take long to become familiar. Yeah, the group had experience with each other, but this was the start of her journey with them, and it was one she planned to be on for a long time.