24. Isla #3
After lowering her feet until they touched down, Isla once again felt something lightly bump her calf. She jumped and tried to see beneath the surface. “What is that? I asked Jonto, but then we were sidetracked.”
“You mean as though something’s poking you and running away?”
“Yes.”
“Little fish. You can’t tell me the only time you’ve been in the water is when you’ve bathed?”
A defensive tone crept into Isla’s voice. “I’ve waded in the cool waters of the stream, but I’ve never had fish come up to me before.”
As they made their way out of the pond, Jonto, who’d been spreading a blanket on a thick patch of grass, walked over and offered one hand to Isla and the other to Ilona.
Both women accepted and climbed the rest of the way onto dry land.
It wasn’t long before the small group was enjoying a repast of cold meats and cheeses, biscuits, and a bottle of fine wine.
They chatted about anything and everything, laughing often—something Isla realized happened regularly amongst Jonto’s crew.
With a quick wipe of his hands on a napkin, Jonto stood and offered his hand to her. “There’s something I’d like to show you. It’s not far.” He glanced around the group. “You’re all welcome to come, or I know Nico was hoping to show you the ship from the highest point on the island.”
Celie grinned at Nico. “I’ll help put the food away, and then I’d love to take a quick hike with you.” She turned to Isla. “Unless you’d rather I come with you?”
“No, Celie. I’ll be fine. I know how much you enjoy the out-of-doors.”
Lily, who’d gone to change, strode into the clearing. “And I’d love to see the ship from a high point on the island. I’ll bet it’s a majestic sight.”
They both turned questioning glances on Ilona, who raised a single brow. “Captain? I can either accompany you or get the skiff packed and ready to sail.”
Jonto put his palm on his chest. “I promise to be a perfect gentleman and will protect Lady Brighton with my life.”
Isla’s head jerked up. “Protect me from what?”
With a mischievous grin, Jonto took her elbow. “You’ll see.” He turned to Ilona. “Go ahead and pack the skiff. We’ll meet you there in about an hour.”
Isla pulled back. While the warm sun had dried their clothes to some extent, they would most definitely be uncomfortable to wear when hiking across the island. “We’re going in wet clothes?”
“Oh, no, you’re right. My enthusiasm for what you’re about to see made me get ahead of myself.
If you ladies would like to go behind those rocks to change, Nico and I will wait here.
” The ladies changed quickly, and when they returned, Jonto tugged gently on Isla’s arm, pulling her away from the others who’d begun packing up the food.
“Come on. I can hardly wait to show you.”
“Show me what? Where are we going?”
They stepped around the hill leading to the top of the falls, and as they walked, Isla exclaimed at the fruit trees they passed along the way.
“Look! Figs.” She pulled one off a branch and immediately took a bite.
Her eyes closed with pleasure as she tasted the rich, honey-like flavor.
“I love a good fig tart. Can we carry some back to the ship?”
Jonto grinned and pulled one from a low-hanging branch. “We can. But we have a ways to go, and I told Ilona we’d be back in an hour. We’ll gather some on our way back.” He grabbed her hand and hurried forward.
Not used to men being so forward, Isla considered pulling her hand free but then realized she enjoyed the sensation of warmth and comfort she found in his touch.
His animated face gave away just how excited he was to show her something new.
Every time he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes were alight with eager anticipation.
After a quarter hour, he slowed and put a finger to his lips. “Quiet. We need to move slowly through here.” He stopped and moved close enough for their shoulders to touch. “Listen.”
Not sure what she was supposed to hear, Isla shut out all the sounds she’d become accustomed to: the raucous calls of the parrots, the melodic songbirds, and the buzzing insects. “I don’t?—”
“Shhh.” Jonto gently touched his finger to her lips, “Close your eyes and listen.”
It took several minutes of standing close enough to smell what remained of the captain’s musky-scented cologne, but she eventually heard it.
At first, it was only a rustling, quite different from how a leaf sounds when tossed about by the wind.
It sounded more like a delicate swishing, such as one might hear when rubbing fabric against itself.
Then, a hesitant chittering began, a sound unlike anything she’d heard before.
It was a series of high-pitched vocalizations, as though creatures were talking amongst themselves.
“Now open your eyes.” Jonto put his arm around her shoulders and led her forward. He moved slowly as though he didn’t want to frighten some unknown animal or bird. “What do you see?”
Isla studied the ground and the canopies of the trees they were moving through.
At first, she didn’t recognize the elongated fruit hanging in clumps from every branch.
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand when one blinked its dark, sleepy eyes.
“It….” Now that she knew what to look for, she saw hundreds of eyes watching them. “Bats!”
“Fruit bats. I think there must be thousands on the island. I always come to visit whenever I’m near. And they’re very friendly.”
“They look like little foxes hanging down from the branches.” Isla gazed around in wonder.
“They’re adorable.” She’d become so transfixed by the bats that she hadn’t realized Jonto was watching her reaction to his surprise.
Her gaze met his, and for a wonderful moment, they stared into one another’s eyes without fear of what the others might think.
His gaze traveled down to her lips. Moving closer, he whispered, “Have you ever been kissed?” He softly ran his thumb over her bottom lip and then ran it up her jawline to just below her ear.
Isla couldn’t pull enough air into her lungs. Her lips parted of their own accord, and when Jonto lowered his mouth onto hers and gently sucked on her bottom lip, an involuntary groan escaped.
It must have been the sound that brought him to his senses because he immediately stepped back and turned away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to get carried away. Forgive me.”
With her fingers touching the place he’d just kissed, Isla couldn’t think of what to say. It had been inappropriate, yes, but wonderful, too.
When she didn’t answer, he turned back to face her.
A deep blush the color of a dusty red rose ran up his throat and into his cheeks and forehead.
Looking into the trees, he made a valiant effort to distract her from what he’d just done.
“Sometimes I want to scratch behind their ears because you’re right; they do remind me of little foxes.
And there’s such an intelligence behind those eyes. ”
Even though her mind was reeling, Isla returned her attention to the bats as she fought to get her emotions—and her body—under control.
Because her body had most definitely enjoyed the sensation of Jonto’s lips on hers.
The wetness between her legs bore witness to that fact, along with a gentle throbbing that had begun the moment his thumb gently caressed her lip.
She stepped back, nodding as she went with the change of subject.
“How long is their wingspan?” Well that was an inane question if she’d ever heard one.
Jonto seemed relieved to hear her speak. Perhaps he’d thought she’d run screaming back to the safety of her friends. He swallowed hard before answering. “About three to four feet. Sometimes, I lay out here at night and watch them moving through the trees like winged phantoms.”
“I’d love to see that someday.” Saying the words reminded Isla that she might never see such a sight again. A heaviness settled over her, which she tried unsuccessfully to hide.
“Hopefully, we can come back another time. I’d love you and your friends to accompany me on another trip.” He thought about that a moment and then amended, “Well, maybe not the Fitzgeralds.”
His cheeky grin was so charming it broke the tension between them. Isla playfully hit his arm. “Oh, you. They’re not so bad once you get to know them.”
“I’ll take your word for it. We’d better start back, or we’ll end up having to swim back to the ship.” He waved her forward. “After you, My Lady.”
She smiled and dipped her chin. “Thank you, My Lord.” She guessed the direction of the falls and took off at a good clip.
“Isla?”
She stopped and turned.
“This way.” He pointed to her left and followed once she’d corrected course.