Tempt (Take It Off) (13 page)

I glanced back up, my eyes instantly colliding with Duke’s.

Could it have been him?

It was easy to realize when we got close to the other side of the island. Duke grew quiet, even stoic. So much so that I fell back a little and matched my steps with his, walking at his side.

He glanced at me and I offered him a small smile.

He reached out and threaded our hands together, holding tightly to me. I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. I realized I needed the reassurance just as much as he seemed to.

Up ahead the trees seemed to part, giving way to the beach, and I could hear the waves crashing onto the shore just ahead. We all slowed, creeping to the side and behind a large fern, ducking behind the leaves.

Nash turned to look at me, his
eyes going right to me.

Duke
joined our hands. He didn’t say anything, but the skin around his mouth tightened.

“I’m going to go closer,”
Nash whispered. “Stay here.”

“Wait,” I whisper-yelled.

He turned back. “If you hear gunshots, run. Run and don’t look back.”

That was probably the scariest thing I ever heard in my entire life. The idea of Nash being shot. The idea of me running away and leaving him behind.

The thought of never seeing him again.

He didn’t give me a chance to protest. When he disappeared
, my stomach began to churn violently. The avocado I ate earlier threatened to make a second appearance. Even though the food did make me feel better, I shouldn’t have eaten it. I should have pretended I was too weak to continue and then Nash would have taken me back to the plane. We wouldn’t be here right now… He wouldn’t be out there…

I jumped when he reappeared, his eyes a little wider, a little darker than before. I stood, ripping my hand out of Duke’s and rushing forward. I threw myself at him
, but he was ready. He caught me, folding me close and burying his face in my hair. I could feel the pounding of his heart against my chest and I knew that he had been afraid.

“What is it?” I whispered, pulling back and searching his eyes.

“There are definitely other people on this island.”

“Did you see them?” I asked excitedly, thinking this might be our lucky day.

“No,” Nash said, and I noticed he wasn’t as excited.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

He looked past me at Duke. “You knew, didn’t you?”

He only nodded.

“Knew what?” I demanded, not enjoying being the only one who didn’t know what was going on.

“These people won’t help us
,” Nash answered, his eyes never leaving Duke.

“What people!” I demanded, my voice a little louder. Nash placed a couple fingers to my lips.

“Pirata,”
he whispered.

Like I knew what that meant.
After days of listening to him randomly speak Spanish, it still sounded like a bunch of gibberish. I wanted to shake him and say, “Use your words, man!” but I decided that probably wouldn’t be a good idea, so I gave him an exasperated look instead.

“Come on,” he said, taking my hand. “I’ll show you.”

The three of us moved out of the cover of trees and onto the beach. This side of the beach was a little different than our side. It was a little rougher here; there were some rocks around the shore, some of them jutting out into the ocean. Against the rocks sat what appeared to be a little one-room cabin—well, more like a shack.

The wood was all weathered and gray
; the roof was uneven and flat. There was one window, but it didn’t have glass. There was a piece of what looked like tin rested beneath it, and I had the idea that whoever lived there just placed the tin in the window when it rained.

There were no steps leading into the crooked, warped front door. The shack just sat right there in the sand.

I wasn’t curious at all what was inside.

In fact
, the idea of going in there at all gave me a serious case of heebie-jeebies.

The pristine white sand was cluttered here
—littered with empty barrels and a long wooden table with more barrels shoved beneath as stools. Beside the table was a chest and I wandered over and lifted the lid. Inside were playing cards and poker chips. There were cigarettes and cigars. I pocketed one of the many lighters, thinking it might come in handy if we ever needed to start a fire quickly.

There were empty beer bottles all over the place, some of them rolling around in the surf.
Fishing nets were strung among some of the barrels and a bar ran across the middle of a large fire pit. I assumed it was used to hang fish from to roast.

I wandered a little closer to the surf, toward the rocks and away from that creepy shack. Something on the rocks caught my attention and I jogged to it, looking at the chains that literally hung from the jagged rock.

My stomach churned again. Why would someone have chains like this? A smear of something dark against the rocks gave me the answer and made me gag. Blood.

Obviously
, these chains weren’t here for fun and games.

I left the chains, my overactive imagination not needing to see any
more, and something on the water caught my eye. I ran around to the side and saw it, sitting out in the open right there on the other side of the rocks.

A boat.

Not just one boat.

Many boats.

I turned, seeking out Nash and Duke. They weren’t far, and I waved my arms at them, trying to get their attention without yelling.

Duke saw me first and came jogging forward. I saw Nash shove something in his pants and then look up. I waved to him and he ran over, his eyes searching the area all around me.

“Look,” I said excitedly when they were both within hearing distance. I pointed to the boats.

Nash let out a whoop of joy and picked me up, spinning me around. I grinned. Finally
, a way off this island. “We even have a sailor right here to sail us to safety!” I said, touching Duke on the arm.

He gave me a warm smile, but not before sadness passed behind his eyes.

“Let’s go,” Nash said, and the three of started toward the boats.

As we got closer
, it became clear that something wasn’t quite right.

From where we stood before
, the boats appeared heaven sent, like a beacon, a sign of home and safety.

From up close… They were a disappointment.

The first boat we came too was nothing but a mere shell. The engine, the steering wheel, and everything that would make the boat actually run were stripped away.

Nash climbed onto the boat and it sagged down into the waves dangerously low. He let out a curse and climbed out. “There’s a hole in it.”

I stepped forward and sure enough, just his weight caused the boat to take on water.

I ran to the one not too far away
. It was on the shore, the waves barely reaching it. It was stripped of parts just like the other one. This one had tarps and rope inside.

We started checking all of them, refusing to give up hope, praying that just one would be suitable to sail.

But none of them were.

All hope inside me died.

The kind of death suitable to a graveyard.

A boat graveyard.

“Some of these boats were once really nice,” Nash said, looking at them all grimly.

“Not anymore
,” I intoned and set back in the direction we came. Maybe we should search the creepy shack. Maybe there was a phone or something inside.

But that’s when I saw it.

Another boat. A ship actually. A large white one that cut through the water like a warm knife in butter. It was so pristine it actually gleamed in the sunlight. There was a large flag billowing with the wind, but I couldn’t tell what was on it. The boat was still too far away.

But not for long.

It was headed in this direction.

I called to Nash and Duke and they saw it too.
Nash rushed to my side and pulled me down behind the rocks, keeping us from sight. Every few moments, he or Duke would peek over, looking to see what was happening.

I looked back at the boats, the ones that had been practically vandalized and left there to be used as storage. I thought about the creepy shack, the poker chips… the blood and the chains.

Whoever lived here was home.

Whoever lived here was not going to help us.

Nash’s whispered Spanish word drifted through my head.
Pirata.

I didn’t have to ask him to tell me what it meant. I knew.

Pirates.

It took half the time to get back to our side of the island than it did to get across
to the pirates’. Adrenaline and fear are great motivators. Not to mention that once Nash thought we were far enough away from the pirates not to be heard, he set a punishing pace.

Twice
, I thought my lungs were going to burst (from being scared silly or being out of breath, I couldn’t tell), but thankfully, Duke was there to spur me on and give me a hand. At one point, I was pretty sure he actually picked me up and ran with me.

It wasn’t embarrassing at all. (
Not.
)

I decided then that when I got home
—
if
I got home—running was going to be my new hobby.

When we reached the little lagoon with the wide waterfall
, Nash finally stopped and I doubled over, clutching my middle and sucking in lungfuls of air.

I felt a large hand settle on my back and rub slow circles. “Just breathe,” a voice instructed. I looked up.

It was Duke.

“We… should… have…
listened…” I wheezed.

“Sometimes you have to see something for yourself to believe it
,” he said kindly.

Nash thrust a newly filled bottle of water under my nose. “Drink,” he said, not even sounding out of breath. It made me want to kick him in the shin. I mean
, he had fabulous hair, a year-round tan, was a pilot,
and
he was Mr. Fitness? The boy was beyond blessed.

I took the water and gulped it down, choking as it caught in my throat. I started hacking as tears blurred my vision. I thrust the water away from me and Duke took it as my body continued to make a fool of itself.

Nash’s hand cupped the back of my neck and he brought his face close to mine, holding it still as coughs still wracked my chest. “Easy,
bella
,” he whispered. He was so close that his lips practically brushed mine.

My breath caught.

The coughing stopped.

He kneaded the muscles in my neck
lightly, easing some of the tension coiled in my body. “There you go,” he murmured when I was breathing calmly.

“Do you think they saw us?” I worried and then glanced at Duke. “Or heard us?”

He shook his head. “They’d be chasing us.”

I bit my lip, still worrying. “I thought pirates were only made up for movies and TV.”

“I’ve hear the rumors of modern-day pirates,” Nash said grimly. “First time I’ve seen one.”

“What do they do?” I wondered out loud. My knowledge of pirates was limited to Captain Hook from
Peter Pan
and Johnny Depp from
Pirates of the Caribbean
. Something told me that these “modern-day” pirates weren’t the same.

I noticed that neither man was rushing to explain. Well, that couldn’t be good.

I glanced at Duke. “What do they do?”

He seemed sad to have to tell me about such things. “Oceans don’t usually fall under regular jurisdiction laws of our government. Meaning it’s basically a free
-for-all out there. Pirates sail the seas, take over boats, rob people, and take hostages.”

“Hostages!” I cried. “What on
Earth for?”

Neither one of them answered.

I made a frustrated sound. “I’m not a two-year-old!” I snapped.

“They also murder people
,” Duke said grimly.

“Murder?” I echoed.

“Yes,
bella
, money is a very powerful motive to kill.”

“They live on this island
—on that side—because it’s unchartered. Because no one would look for them there. They literally commit their crimes and then come back here to hide,” Duke told us.

“It’s the perfect setup,” I whispered, totally appalled.

“We need to get off this island,” Nash said.

“If only one of those boats had been salvageable
, we could sail away.”

We fell into silence
, but it wasn’t particularly comfortable. It was more ominous. I kind of wished we didn’t know what was over there. Then I wouldn’t be so scared.

I sat down by the water’s edge and plunged my feet into the cool
liquid. It felt so good against my flushed skin. All that running had made my legs shaky and my body overheated. I stared out at the water, thinking about going for a swim to cool off.

Then I thought about this morning when I was in the water… with Nash.

I shook my head, disgusted with myself. How could I think about sex when murdering pirates were on the loose? Clearly my priorities were not what they should be. I glanced over my shoulder at Nash. He looked back, spearing me with a heated look.

Clearly his priorities weren’t that great either.

But
, in our defense, thinking about sex was a lot better than thinking about most everything else.

Nash looked away
. “Can you stay with her?” he asked Duke.

“Of course.”

I was about to argue about not needing a babysitter, but I stopped. I didn’t want to be left alone now. Even if I happened upon a Johnny Depp/Captain Jack Sparrow lookalike, I would run away screaming (and we already know how horrible I am at running; I might as well be a turtle trying to run in a puddle of peanut butter).

“Where are you going?” I asked nervously.

“I’m going to check the plane, make sure no one found it.”

“You shouldn’t go alone,” I said, starting to rise.

“You’re not coming,” he said, his voice hard and unforgiving.

Geesh, rude much?

Duke sat down beside me, his feet joining mine in the water, as Nash disappeared. I sighed. “Hey, there aren’t any man-eating piranha’s in here, are there?”

“If we see one
, I’ll catch it for dinner,” he said and then winked.

I laugh
ed.

“What’s the best thing about being here?” I asked.

“Meeting you.”

I actually blushed. “I
am
the prettiest girl on the island,” I said confidently. Never mind I was likely the
only
girl on the island.

“Most definitely.”

“What’s the worst thing about being here?”

“Wanting to go home.
”

“Hey,” I said softly, reaching out to place my hand over his. “We will get home.”

He smiled sadly. I guess for a guy who’s been trapped here for so long, hope didn’t come as easy to him as it did to me.

He didn’t say anything else
. Instead, he flipped my hand over and studied my palm, moving his finger in slow circles over my skin. Little butterflies fluttered softly in my belly, and the water gently swooshed against my ankles as I moved my feet back and forth.

“Want to go swimming?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. It bothered me to see him this way. I wanted to see him smile. I wanted him to be happy.

The corner of his lip pulled up. “Sure.”

I stood and tossed my yellow dress onto the shore
, then jumped into the water and paddled around. “Come on!” I called.

Seconds later
, Duke jumped in—fully clothed—and met me in the center in just a few graceful strokes. He swam so skillfully he barely made any ripples in the surface of the water. “You’re a good swimmer.”

“I’ve always loved the water.”

“Is that why you became a sailor?”

“Yeah.”

He ducked under the water and then popped back up, shaking his head like a dog and spraying me with water droplets. I laughed and splashed him back. He growled and I squealed, lunging away, farther into the water.

He gave chase
, but I knew that he was letting me get away. Because he was such a strong swimmer, he would have caught me easily if he wanted to.

It didn’t take long for me to get tired (clearly, athletics are
not
my strong suit), and I slowed down, treading water near the tumbling waterfall. From this angle, it looked like it fell right from the sky and plunged into the water, creating bubbles and a thin layer of white foam over the surface.

“You ever been on the inside of a waterfall?” Duke whispered from right behind me.

“No.”

“Come on,” he said and pushed away, swimming right through the curtain of water.

I followed, a little surprised that the water falling down was colder than the water we were swimming in. Behind the falls was almost like a secret cove. The lighting was much dimmer here, the ripples in the surface reflecting off the smooth rock walls inside. Moss grew over some of the surfaces here, softening the rock and giving everything the feel of a secret garden.

The sound of the falling water wasn’t as loud back here as I thought it would be. It was like this little cove muffled the sound, kept too much from coming in so it could be a perfect spot for resting.

Duke was sitting on a rock, staring at the curtain of water. I swam over and he held out a hand, hoisting me up onto the slippery rock. “It’s pretty back here.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I come here a lot to think.”

“I can see why.”

“I used to wish I had someone sitting here to share it with.” He looked over at me, his eyes like a chocolate molten cake, warm from the oven. “And here you are.”

“Here I am,” I declared, unable to look away.

His gaze was hungry, like he might devour me in two bites, but those two bites would be worth it because I would be the absolute best thing he ever tasted.

A drop of water rolled over my forehead, into the corner of my eye, and fell, like a single tear down my cheek. Duke captured it with his thumb and pulled it away, placing the same thumb into his mouth.

My eyes zeroed in on that thumb and the way his tongue caressed it, the way his lips sucked it. He pulled the thumb out and ran it over my lower lip; it was slightly moist from his
saliva.

My heart
thudded as he closed the distance between us.

His lips brushed over mine, a brief and gentle stroke
. Then he pulled back and looked at me. His eyes were swimming with desire, swimming with all kinds of longing and wonder.

He moved to kiss me again
; this time I knew it would be deeper. This time I knew he would want to kiss me until our lungs seized and the need for oxygen pulled us apart.

I couldn’t.

“Ava!” someone yelled from the other side of the falls.

I jerked away from Duke as
I heard a muffled curse, and then he yelled again. “Ava!”

It was Nash. And he was worried.

I scrambled up, nearly slipping, and rushed to the side of the waterfall. I leaned out, balancing against the rock. “Nash!” I called.

He turned swiftly when I called, his entire body sagging with relief. He ran a hand through his hair, and his chest heaved.
Then he dove way out into the water, swimming toward the waterfall with great purpose.

I sat back down beside Duke just as Nash popped up, giving his head a toss and wiping the water out of his eyes. “Cool place,” he said, looking around.

Duke cleared his throat. “I should probably go, make sure my camp is still okay.”

“You should stay with us,” I told him again. I’d offered many times, but he never agreed. “It would be safer if we all stayed together.”

“I’ll be fine.”

I caught his arm. “Think about it
,” I implored.

His eyes softened. “I will.”

“See you in the morning?”

He smiled. “I’ll bring you a coconut.”

“Yum.”

He walked to the edge of the rock and lifted his arms over his head, preparing to dive. His wet shirt rode up, exposing a small portion of his lower back.

And the end of a thick scar.

I stared at it, wondering if the reason he didn’t walk around shirtless like Nash was because he was trying to keep something covered. As I pondered that
, he jumped into the water and swam away.

Nash climbed onto the rock, taking Duke’s spot. “He kissed you
, didn’t he?”

If there was any question that could pull my thoughts away from what I was thinking
, it was that. I made a sound. “Why would you think that?”

“Because if I was him, I would have brought you back here to kiss you.”

I snorted but otherwise didn’t reply.

“Did you kiss him back?” he asked, all trace of arrogance and playfulness gone.

“No,” I whispered. “You interrupted.”

He grinned. “I’ve got damn good timing.”

He jumped into the water, swimming toward the falling water. Then he turned back. “You’re welcome, by the way.”