Tempt (Take It Off) (12 page)

What he was really doing was turning me the hell on.

If I was throbbing before, I now felt like something down there was hammering with rabid force.

I whispered his name
. It sounded more like a plea.

His fingers kept sliding, right up to that magic spot. I jerked a little because the jolt of pleasure was so intense. I bit him again. This time a little harder. His
finger started to work me with a skill only he possessed… My body was ready to snap.

An approaching so
und had us both stiffening. Nash released me and put his body in front of mine. “If I tell you to run, run,” he said, effectively scaring me.

“I won’t leave you,” I whispered furiously.

He gave me a stern look over his shoulder. I ignored it.

The plants rustled
; a few leaves and stems quivered with movement. I thought about the gunfire, the rhythm of the drums…

Nash’s body tensed as someone stepped up to the water’s edge.

It was Duke.

I wanted to pass out from relief.

He came up short when he noticed we were there. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were here.”

I peaked around Nash’s shoulder. “No worries. We were just cleaning up a little.”

He nodded, his eyes going straight to me. They seemed strained. It made me feel a little guilty. I’m not sure why.

Nash glanced over his shoulder, looking at me
, and then walked onto shore. His shorts were soaked and the weight of the water pulled at them, making them ride incredibly low on his hips.

I tried not to stare
… and I failed.

“You’re dressed,” Duke observed, his voice a little more than relieved.

“Ava is a little less covered,” Nash said tightly. “Turn around.”

Duke immediately turned around
, and for some reason I found his eager respect for me endearing. Nash dug into the messenger bag and pulled out one of his T-shirts. The one I’d been using as a towel. I hurried closer, my hair doing a good job of covering my breasts. Nash wrapped the shirt around me as I wrung some of the moisture out of the ends of my hair and then pinned him with a stare as well.

He gave an exaggerated sigh and turned around as well.

When I was sure they weren’t peeking, I quickly put on my panties and T-shirt again. Then I packed up the soap and slung the wet shirt over my shoulder. “You both can turn around now.”

The
y both paused, then turned. I smiled sheepishly. “Thanks.”

Nash reached out and took the bag from me.

“Wanna hang out with us?” I asked Duke.

“Sure.”

The three of us went back to the plane, the wet tips of my hair a tangled mess around my shoulders. Nash came inside the plane as I was taming the beast that was my hair and grabbed up a couple coconuts and went outside to open them.

Duke hovered at the back opening of the plane. “Come
in,” I called out. “There’s some water right there.” I gestured to the bottles. “And fruit if you want some.”

He grabbed a
mango off the pile and then moved around, looking at the wrecked plane. “That was some landing, huh?”

“I’ll say,” I agreed as I braided my hair down
over my shoulder.

“I’ve never been on a plane before,” he said, still gazing around with interest.

“Really?”

“I always traveled by boat.”
His hair was waving around his face, not tucked behind his ears today. It looked soft and it still flipped up at the ends.

“Wanna see the cockpit?”

“Yeah.” He followed me into the front of the plane with the large windows and the controls. It was messier up here because we didn’t bother to clean up as much, knowing this part of the plane wouldn’t get much use.

“Wow,” he murmured, sitting down in the pilot’s seat. “Look at all these controls.” He pointed at one. “Wonder what this one did.”

I couldn’t see so I stepped forward, and my clumsy butt tripped over the crap on the floor and I fell forward.

Right into Duke’s lap.

“If you wanted to drive, you should have just said so,” he quipped.

I couldn’t help it
; I laughed.

To my surprise
, he settled me into his lap, both of us facing the window, and looped his arms around my waist.

“Do you miss home?” I asked him softly.

“Every day.”

“Have you tried to get off the island?”

“More times than I could count.”

“Maybe with three of us
, it will be easier. Maybe we can figure something out.”

“Maybe
,” he said. He leaned his forehead against the back of my shoulder.

“We
will.” I corrected him. “You, me, and Nash.”

“Are you two together?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, even though I knew what he meant. I had no idea how to respond to that. The answer was no, Nash and I weren’t together.

A strong man always makes sure his woman is provided for.

But we weren’t exactly not not together either…

I think I just confused myself.

“I mean, like, is he your man?”

Was he? I opened my mouth
, interested in what was going to come out, but I never got the chance to see.

Nash chose that moment to walk in. His eyes went right to me… in Duke’s lap. It was completely innocent… but I wasn’t sure he saw it that way.

He stalked over and held out a coconut to me. I started to stand to take it and tripped again. Nash’s hands were full. But Duke’s weren’t. He caught me and eased me up on my feet, his hands lingering on my waist. “Careful,” he murmured as he pulled away.

“Here,” Nash said, handing the second coconut to Duke.

“Thank you,” he said, accepting it.

Nash reached for my arm and held me steady as I walked through the debris and out of the cockpit. Then he handed me the last coconut. “What about you?”
I asked, frowning.

“I’ll open another one,” he said, turning his back and going to do just that.
I stared after him, feeling like I should have said something… but I didn’t know what he wanted me to say.

“Let’s go down to the beach,” I said to Duke.

When he stood, I couldn’t help but notice his gaze lingering on my legs. I realized then that my long shirt made it look like I wasn’t wearing pants.

Crap.
I wasn’t.

“Would you mind holding this outside while I change?”

He took it and disappeared. Quickly, I yanked off the shirt and pulled on my bikini and a yellow cotton sundress I had in my suitcase. It made a good cover-up.

Duke was waiting for me beside the plane
, and when I came to the edge, he moved forward to help me down. He glanced down at his full hands and scowled.

“It’s okay
.” I laughed. “I jump down all the time.”

He
shook his head, but I didn’t give him time to react and try and help me. I jumped down, landing lightly beside him. The last thing I wanted was for Nash to happen to see Duke with his hands on me again, helping me down.

“Let’s go down to the beach,” Nash suggested from somewhere beside the plane.
His voice was close by and I felt some relief knowing that my decision to avoid Duke’s touch was a good one.

I tried not to think about why I cared so much what Nash thought.

The three of us wandered down to the sand. My eyes went right to the bonfire pit and my cheeks heated with the memory of what we did there last night. Nash caught my eye and I knew he was thinking the same thing by the way his gaze traveled my body. His stare felt like a laser beam, retracing the path his tongue had made just hours before.

We all sat
quiet for a moment as we drank the sweet juice from the fruit. My thoughts turned to the gunshots we heard and the warning Duke gave us just before he left.

“We heard gunfire last night,” I said. I didn’t bother looking at Nash. I knew he wasn’t keen on asking Duke about what we’
d been hearing, but I didn’t care anymore. We were stuck here, like it or not. We needed to know what we were dealing with.

Duke nodded. “It’s on the other side of the island.”

“Have you been there? Are there people? Civilization?” Hope swarmed up inside me like a tidal wave, thinking this could be our way off this island, that this could help us get home.

“It’s not safe to go there,” Duke said tightly.

“Why not?”

He pinned me with his
dark eyes. “It just isn’t. You won’t find help there. Stay on this side.”

“But won’t they come here eventually?”

Duke just gazed off across the ocean, almost like he was lost in thought. Or wistful for home.

“You okay?” I asked him, reaching out and laying a hand on his arm. He looked down, almost like he was startled by the contact.

His eyes slid to mine. “Yeah, I’m good.” So much emotion swam in those eyes of his. They had to be the most expressive I had ever seen.

We sat there frozen for long moments, my hand on his arm and his eyes memorizing every angle of my face (at least that’s what it felt like).

“You gonna tell us what’s out there or what?” Nash said.

I gave him a hard look because he was being rude. He should be nice. This poor guy didn’t have anyone. For months.

Duke hesitated.

Nash sighed and stood, sand sticking to his still
-damp shorts. “If you won’t tell me, I’m damn sure going to find out.”

“What does that mean?” I asked
, alarmed.

“It means we’re going to the other side of the island. We’re going hunting.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked for the hundredth time since we started walking.

Nash stopped suddenly
, and I bumped into his back, stumbling backward a bit. He turned swiftly and glanced at me. “I don’t know what else to do,” he said grimly. “Do I want to walk into potential dangerous territory… with you right behind me? No. I don’t. But being a sitting duck isn’t safe either. I’d rather know what we’re dealing with.”

I glanced at Duke, who was standing there watching us.
“Can’t you just tell us what’s there?”

“I already told you it was no good. I told you to stay away.”

“You won’t tell us why?” I implored.

“Because it is,” was his simple reply.

Nash made a sound and started walking again. “If it’s so dangerous, why are you coming with us?” he tossed over his shoulder.

Duke didn’t reply, but I felt his stare and I turned to look at him. It was because of me. He was coming along because of me. I glanced at Nash to see if he realized
, but he hadn’t turned around. He was to intent on our path.

We walked in silence after that, forever it seemed. My feet grew tired and my body was damp with sweat. I was so not the camping/hiking kind of girl. And to make it worse
, I kept thinking about the dream. About the two men who were right beside me.

Every so often I would feel Duke’s eye
s and I would look at him. He had this way of gazing at me… this sort of longing in his eyes… It made me feel coveted. It made me feel wanted.

But then I would look at Nash, at the way his hips swiveled when he walked. The way his shoulder muscles moved beneath all that olive
-toned skin. And his hands were magic. But beyond that… he seemed to care about me, like he thought of me first, even before himself.

I tried to direct my thoughts away from my company and pay attention to the surroundings. The island was lush and beautiful. The greenery was everywhere. Palm trees and tall plants full of colorful
, blossoming flowers filled the air with a heady scent. Because we were close to the ocean, there was still a bit of a breeze, even this far into the island.

Still, it wasn’t as cool as it was right on the sand because the trees and p
lants kind of worked as a trap for the heat, keeping it in instead of letting it drift up and away. At least the sunlight didn’t shine directly on us. I wasn’t sure if my fair skin could take the brutal midday rays. So far I had been lucky to avoid a sunburn, but I knew it was probably only a matter of time.

I started to feel lightheaded when we stepped into a particularly cool part of the wilderness. The trees were heavier here so the shade was
denser. It felt wonderful against my heated skin, but it also seemed to serve as a reminder of just how hot I actually was.

My thoughts grew thick and it felt weird to walk, my legs feeling like Jell-O.

“Do you think we could stop for a minute?” I asked. “Take a break?”

Both Duke and Nash came to my side, Nash reaching me first. “Of course.” He studied me. “Your skin is flushed.”

“I’m just really hot.”

He led me over beneath a tree where the leaves were bigger than my head. We sat down
below it, leaning up against the trunk.

“Here,” Duke said, handing me his untouched bottle of water. I have no idea how he hadn’t drank any. My bottle was already gone.

He must have seen my shock when he handed me the full bottle because he said, “I’ve gotten used to this heat.”

“But you might need it,” I protested.

“You need it more,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze. Then he turned thoughtful. “I think there’s some fruit around here. I’m going to grab some. You should eat something.”

“You shouldn’t be alone
.” I worried. “Nash can go with you.”

“I’m not leaving you alone,” Nash said instantly.

Duke nodded. “He should stay. I won’t be long.”

When I frowned
, he offered me a smile. “I promise I’ll be okay.”

I nodded and within moments he disappeared behind a beautiful plant with bright
-pink blooms.

“I don’t trust him,” Nash said.

“Why?”

“Just a feeling I get.”

“But he’s helped us. He showed us food. He gave us that machete.”

“I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

“I’m tired,” I said, leaning my head against the tree. I didn’t really want to talk about Duke with Nash. I sort of felt like I was caught between them.

He brushed a few damp strands of hair off my cheek. “Just sit here and cool off. Rest.”

It didn’t take long for my eyes to grow heavy and begin to drift closed…

I felt the blanket drift down over my chilled skin. It wasn’t warm like he was
, but I knew that soon it would trap the heat the night air was leeching from my body and give it back to me. I sighed, settling in a little farther.

My comfort was slightly interrupted when I realized I was still on the beach, still lying in the sand. I turned my head and glanced at the bonfire
, which had grown cold. The glowing embers had long gone out.

It was just me, the glittering stars overhead
, and the sound of the waves crashing harmoniously against the shore.

But something was missing.

No.

Someone was missing.

Just as I thought to lift my head, to call out for him, I felt a gentle caress brush my ankle. A little of the ocean air drifted beneath the blanket as his hand traveled farther up, caressing my calf and making me smile. I lay still, not wanting him to stop, wondering where his curious hand would lead him.

F
arther up he traveled until his palm was brushing over the outside of my thigh, stroking the skin, coaxing my body to turn for him.

It did. With a soft sigh I rolled onto my back, opening my eyes just enough so I could stare up at the stars.

Starlight,
star bright,

First star I see tonight,

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have this boy I want tonight.

And oh how I wished for him.

The universe heard my plea, and I watched as a shooting star dripped from the heavens, streaking the sky with a glimmering trail.

His fingers kept exploring, slipping beneath my shorts, hovering over my bikini bottoms
, and brushing against my core. My hips tilted upward automatically, inviting his touch.

He was like a drug. An addiction. His fingers were my dealer and his lips were my poison. I lived for my next fix, the next time his knuckles would graze the softness of my inner thigh, the next time he would gently scrape his fingernails across my lower abdomen and then delve into my soft curls at the apex of my hips.

I moaned softly when he dipped beneath my bottoms, his skin touching my skin. I was already wet for him, and I felt my moisture coat his fingers as he slipped along my entrance.

He moved closer, his body settling between my spread legs and his free hand reaching up to cup my breast, to squeeze it lightly and roll the hardened nipple between his finger.

“Nash,” I whispered, arching into him, practically begging for more.

I had no idea that my body could ever feel this way. That I would ever need another person’s touch so much
. That if I didn’t get it, I might slowly go insane. It was like he started a clock the first time he touched me, a ticking clock on a bomb that counted the minutes, the seconds until the time ran out and I exploded in a heap of desire.

He stilled, his fingers pausing in their perusal
, and I felt his stare through the dark. I started to sit up, but he pressed me back down, his fingers scissoring open, testing me, stretching me.

My breathing turned ragged
; my body hummed. Now. I wanted him now. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him up over me, blocking out the stars with his dark shape.

He was completely shrouded in darkness. I couldn’t see his face at all.

Something like hesitation creeped over me. My body tried to deny it, to push it away and hang on to its need.

“Nash?” I whispered, staring above me.

Slowly he shook his head…

I jerked awake. Sweat slicked my skin and my heart pounded erratically. That was the most vivid dream I ever experienced. Not to mention the sexiest one.

“Hey,” Nash said from right beside me. “You having another nightmare—about the crash?”

“Did I fall asleep?” I asked, looking up at him.

“You were tired,” he said gently, tracing a finger beneath my eyes where I was sure dark circles resided.

“I never sleep in the middle of the day,” I said, frowning.

And I never have sex dreams about strangers, either.

“You’ve never been a victim of a plane crash, out in the heat all day, traipsing over an unknown island
, and practically dehydrated, either.” Then he glanced at me. “Have you?”

That
elicited a giggle. “Are you kidding? This is like my hobby.”

He snorted.

I couldn’t help but notice the way we were sitting. Side by side, but I might as well have been in his lap. My leg was firmly pressed along his and my upper body was leaning into him, draped over his chest. His arm was around my waist, securing me close, and I knew that my head likely was resting on his shoulder.

“You drool,” he said,
offering me a grin.

I smacked him. “I do not!”

“Maybe you weren’t having a nightmare. Maybe you were dreaming about me.” He wagged his eyebrows.

My stomach lurched.

He frowned. “Hey, you feeling okay?” he asked, concern totally eclipsing his playful tone from just seconds ago.

“I’m fine
,” I said, sitting up, pushing away from him.

“Here,” he said, uncapping a bottle of water and holding it out. I took it and drank a few gulps.

The water was warm, but I didn’t care. It was wet.

Wet. Oh God, between my legs was wet. That dream had really turned me on.

Why would I dream that? What was wrong with my body? We were off on a hunt for who knows what, and I was falling asleep and having naughty dreams like we really were on vacation.

“Ava,” Nash said
. He took my hand and I glanced at him.

Man, I loved his hair. All messy, unruly curls that caught in the breeze and moved around his head like they just wanted to flirt with me.

It’s just him,
I told myself. I’d never been this turned on, this amped up sexually before. After what happened last night by the fire, it was only natural that I would dream like that, considering the fact that every time he looked at me since, all I wanted to do was finish what we started.

Get a grip, Ava!
I yelled at myself. Geesh, I was like a guy, thinking about sex twenty-four-seven.

Once again, my brain didn’t seem to get the memo. A vision of the man over me in the dream floated behind my eyes. I concentrated hard, looking for the outline of those curls in the dark.

I tried to think about the way he smelled, if the scent was familiar, like the natural scent Nash carried.

There wasn’t anything. Not an inkling of a clue. But it had to be him. No one
, and I mean no one, ever affected me the way he does.

Besides, who else could it be?

Duke stepped around a tree, his eyes going straight to me. He smiled and my stomach did a little somersault. Okay, it didn’t do a little somersault. It did one of those ungraceful belly flops that have people wincing in pain as they watch you smack into the water with a sharp slapping sound.

Oh no.

Duke came closer and sat down on the other side of me, effectively making me into a man sandwich. I laughed at little beneath my breath. Ava was a man-wich.

I was completely losing it.

“I found some fruit,” Duke said, holding out some fresh mangos and an avocado.

“Thank you,” I said, reaching for the
mango.

Nash made a sound and reached around me. “No. Eat the avocado. I think you need something a little more substantial right now.”

Did he know I was losing it too?

“Clearly your body is running really low on fuel
.” He continued. “It’s why you’re so tired.”

Was that all it was? Low blood sugar?

When I glanced back at Duke, he’d managed to split open the avocado, exposing the light green and ripened flesh.

“Thank you
.”

I threw myself into eating. And I avoided the stares from the
man-wich. It was easier to eat than think right then.

Probably because my thoughts were very disturbing.

That dream… If it hadn’t been Nash… there was only one other person it could be.