Scandal: A BAD BOY Romance Novel (11 page)

Asher was reluctant. "Something feels off."

"Yeah. We're stuck on this island and I can't keep peeing in the bushes forever. That's what's off. Come on, stop stalling."

I watched his strong jaw clench and I had an urge to lick it, but I held back.
Keep your eyes on getting out of here, Natalie.

I could tell Asher was guarded as we walked towards the large bush he was talking about. His entire demeanor was different, from the way he was taking purposeful strides to the way his back straightened up. Butterflies fluttered in my belly as I realized he was being cautious because I was here with him.

The way he made me feel made more sense to me now. At first, I wasn't really sure, because I didn't usually go for the bad boy type. Well, not for more than sex, anyway. I especially didn't go for bad boys like Asher who have a criminal record and act like pricks to new employees. Except I was starting to realize that that wasn't
really
him--there was more to him than first impressions.

With each step, the line of huts became clearer and clearer. There were several of them, around ten or so. They were obviously man-made, with logs and branches and twigs aligned perfectly to create a four-walled home.

My eyes darted around and I could feel my nerves getting to me. Whether it was because Asher said he had a bad feeling or not, I didn't know, but we were already here. There was no going back now.
Besides, where would we go?

I almost screamed when I saw the first tribe member, but I stopped myself and swallowed instead. It was a male--that much I could tell because of the amount his loincloth covered. His body was painted black and white, almost looking skeletal. His face was a mix of red, yellow, and black paint, with much of the red around his lips, almost making it look like he was feasting on blood. His look was completed with a headpiece made of large bones and feathers.

My heart was racing and I instinctively turned around to leave only to see three more of them standing behind us. When I turned back around, we were circled by them.

They were staring, unsmiling.

Asher broke the silence. "Do you know how we can get off your island?" His voice sounded strong and confident.

How can he be so calm right now?

One of the tribesmen took a step towards us, making my breath hitch. Then I noticed that he was carrying a woven basket full of food. He held it out to us to take, and I eyed it curiously. It was full of some of the fruits we'd already found here, but there was even more. A pineapple. A melon. The delicious scent of cooked food wafted from it and upon a closer look I saw the head of a fire-roasted fish peek out from the folds of a large leaf.

I smiled at the tribesman to show my gratitude and bowed my head in a slight nod. "Thank you," I said.

He didn't return the smile. "You. Eat." He shoved the basket into Ash's chest.

Asher carried it with one arm effortlessly after thanking the man. When he spoke again, he simplified his words and pronounced them more slowly, "How...we...go...home?" Asher demonstrated with hand movements, pointing at himself and me and then doing a diving motion to indicate 'home'.

I don't know if that would get the message across, but it was cute that he was trying.

Radio silence for a few seconds, then the tribesman turned and went into one of the huts.

"Hey!" Asher called out, sounding irritated. He took a step toward the hut, and several of the tribesmen immediately formed a line and held out long, sharp-looking sticks.

I put my hand on his arm to stop him and said in a hushed tone, "Maybe we should just go. We can try again tomorrow."

Asher's bicep flexed underneath my touch, turning rock solid as he stared down the tribesmen with a predatory glare. My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest, but I didn't want to show that I was afraid in case they thought we were weak. I also didn't want them to think we were ungrateful.

"Thank you again for the food," I said, smiling and pointing at the food. I tugged on Asher's arm more earnestly this time, and finally, reluctantly, he took a step back in the direction we had come from.

The tribesmen didn't move an inch, but their eyes followed us with each step we took backwards. Without a second thought, we turned and left.

Once my pulse calmed down enough for me to think, I realized I was still gripping Ash's arm as if my life depended on it. A little embarrassed, I let go and slowed down my pace. We were about halfway back now and had almost passed the waterfall and lake--the same one I saw Asher's naked body at the night before. The same one I had been chased to.

"I think they were following me last night," I said with sudden realization.

Asher just hiked an eyebrow at me, indicating that he wanted me to continue. His jaw was still clenched and I knew he was worked up--worked up because he had said that we shouldn't go there. And probably because now they all knew that I was a female on the island and he had to protect me from the men--I certainly hadn't seen any women among them. Maybe they were hiding them.

"When I came looking for you last night, I could hear footsteps behind me, following me. When I ran, they ran behind me. I lost them eventually, but it really freaked me out."

His expression was grim. "I knew we shouldn't have gone there."

"We had to. We had to find out if they knew a way to get out of here--if anyone does, it's them."

"I already told you that they didn't."

I bit my lip. I couldn't argue with that. He'd already told me, already warned me, and I didn't believe him--didn't fully trust him yet. Even though he'd given me no reason not to.

We walked in silence for a bit. I could see the ocean through the branches and trees, the water glimmering a dark blue against the moonlight. My feet were sore and aching and I needed a serious bath and change of clothes, like yesterday. We were almost at our camp though, and it filled me with a sense of comfort. In this strange deserted island with hostile locals and no one showing any signs of looking for us, I still felt safe at our camp. If I was being honest with myself, even with the bickering and frustration, the few days we had been here were the happiest I'd been in a long time. Longer than I care to remember.

When we arrived to our temporary home, Asher got to work on the fire. The smoked fish was probably cold by now, but the fire was mostly for warmth and light than cooking tonight anyway.

I sat on a mound of sand and watched Asher as he worked on building a fire and found my mind wandering to everything I knew about him. He had so many layers to him, so much that I still hadn't uncovered. He was a cocky prick, that much I knew from work. He was kind and caring, which was obvious from our time here on the island. He was attentive and protective, or at least that's what I remembered from the first party I met him at.

My mind was reeling at the realization that I had not only met him once, but
twice,
at a party--and that I didn't remember him. He said that he wasn't surprised, and I admitted to myself that I wasn't, either. During freshman year, I overdid the partying and skipping classes and being an overall reckless person. It was my first real taste of freedom since I was raised by overprotective parents, and I took every opportunity to have a drink as I could--especially since I couldn't legally buy booze yet at the time.

After I got my grades back that first year, I cleaned my act up and took school seriously. I knew that if I didn't then I would essentially be spending tens of thousands of dollars on a very expensive party and would end up working a job that I could have gotten
without
a degree. That realization whipped me into shape.

Asher held a champagne bottle in front of my face, as if reading my thoughts about drinking. "Care for some bubbly?"

I smiled at him and took the bottle gingerly. "Thanks," I said before taking a sip. "Hey, you never told me what happened at the second party we met at."

Grabbing the bottle out of my hand, he said, "You never asked." Ash took a swig and looked like he was pondering thoughtfully before noting, "It's a long story. One for another night."

"Just tell me, did we...?"

His eyes burned into mine. "Fuck?" The corner of his lip turned up in an arrogant smile. "You would have remembered if we had."

My cheeks burned as I looked down at my toes--digging them underneath the sand gave me a bit of comfort somehow. We passed the bottle back and forth quietly while we reheated the fish. The bubbly was warming my core, intermingling with the feelings I was developing for Asher that I didn't think I could fight off anymore. He knew exactly how to press my buttons, in both a bad and a good way.

When I didn't bite, Asher broke the silence again. "You wanted to know about why I'm still at Harding & Co?"

I nodded, holding my breath in case he changed his mind and decided to not tell me.

"As you might be able to tell, I'm indebted to my father because he paid a pretty penny to get me out of prison early."

"So, he's still mad at you for a mistake you didn't even do a year ago?"

Asher shook his head, and I could sense the sadness in him even though his face was mostly impassive. "No, he's mad at me because I killed my mother when I was born."

My mouth dropped and I sat in stunned silence, not really knowing what to say to that. "Ash, I'm so sorry. It wasn't your-"

He held up a hand to silence me, and I held my tongue. I didn't want to act like I pitied him when I only wanted to be there for him. So, I sat and enjoyed the burning embers by his side.

After a few moments, Asher offered me a piece of steaming fish on a leaf, and I took it with my index finger and thumb, careful to not burn myself.

"At least they gave us food, even if they don't want to help us get off the island. That was nice of them," I said enthusiastically.

His teeth sunk into the fish and he tore a piece of it off, leaving the rest of it steaming on a leaf in his hand. With his brows pinched together, Ash responded, "Yeah. Real nice of them." He sounded skeptical.

"You don't sound convinced."

"Don't you wonder-"

Rustling in the bushes interrupted his thought, and we both turned towards the noise.

"Did they follow us back here?" I whispered, only to quickly be shushed.

As quietly as I could, I inched my butt towards Asher, wanting to sit as close to him as possible. My eyes widened as I tried to make out anything in the darkness of the bushes, but I couldn't see anything.

I hadn't noticed, but I'd kept scooting over until I was practically on Asher's lap. There wasn't an inch of the left side of my body that wasn't pressed against the right side of his.

The rustling continued, and I held my breath. To my left, I could sense Asher reaching into his pocket to grab his swiss army knife. As frightened as I was, it was a relief having him beside me. Awareness washed over me as I realized that as shitty of a situation as this was, there was no one in the world I would have rather had stranded with me on this island.

If only I knew that a couple of months ago,
I thought.
Maybe we could've been together.

But I knew I was getting myself worked up over spilled milk. Maybe even
potential
spilled milk. After all, I knew that he wasn't the type of guy to stay in a committed relationship with someone. Plus, even if I'd liked him as a person a couple of months ago, I would have never let him get close to me if I continued to believe the convictions against him were true.

Snap.
The sound was so sharp that it made me yelp and jump. My arms automatically wrapped around Asher's shoulders. The fear penetrated me, and if the tribesmen surrounded us again right now then I would probably irrationally beg Asher to not leave me alone.
Great survival skills, Nat
.

The fear dissolved when a small brown and black blur ran past us clumsily.

Involuntarily, I erupted in a fit of giggles. "A baby boar!"

"A wild boar piglet," Asher corrected, but he joined me in my laughter. He wrapped a muscular arm around my waist and pulled me in closer to him. "Remind me to take you to see a horror movie when we get back. You're cute when you're jumpy."

"Hey!" I cried out in mock protest, playfully pushing his chest before quickly resuming our intimate position. "I'm
not
jumpy. You just make for a great meat shield."