Tempt (Take It Off) (8 page)

I heard my name being yelled and the thrashing of foliage behind me
, but I didn’t look. I was transfixed by this new pair of dark-brown eyes.

“Whoa,” he said, his voice sounding so foreign to my ears. After days of hearing no one speak but Nash
, this was a little startling.

“Are y
ou okay?” he asked. His sweeping gaze reminded me of the coffee I so desperately missed. I opened my mouth to answer, but I never got the chance. I was ripped away from the rich stare. Nash pushed me behind him and then drew his fist back like he was going to plant it in this guy’s face.

“Wait!” I said, grabbing him just below the elbow to restrain him. His muscles strained beneath my palm and I thought he might follow thr
ough with the hit, but he held back. “He didn’t hurt me. I tripped and he was helping me up.”

My words s
ank in as Nash dropped his hand and flexed his fist at his side. Then he nodded curtly.

The man hadn’t said anything at all
. He just watched us both like he was utterly fascinated. Like he hadn’t seen a person in a very long time.

Maybe he hadn’t.

“Who are you?” I asked, curious, stepping out around Nash, who brought out his arm to keep me from getting any closer.

“My name’s Duke
,” the man replied, gazing at me intently. He had a very even, unwavering stare when he looked at me. It was like I was the only thing in this world.

He was also very tan, like Nash, but his hair was straight and a lighter shade of br
own, like a deep caramel color. It was long, brushing the back of his shirt, the ends flipping up and the rest tucked behind his ears. He had a straight, prominent nose and full lips. But the most captivating feature on his face was his eyes, deep and mysterious. I had a feeling I could stare into those eyes for hours and still not be any closer to figuring out what went on behind them.

He was tall, but not nearly as tall as Nash. He was probably a few inches taller than me. He wasn’t a huge guy
, but he wasn’t real small either. He was thin and it made me wonder if it was because he was being held captive by this place like us—except he’d been here longer.

He definitely appeared more at ease here, and his clothes showed signs of wear. He was wearing a white
T-shirt that was no longer quite white. It hung loose over a pair of jeans that were frayed around the ankles, and his feet were bare. His right cheek boasted a smear of dirt and I had the urge to brush it away.

And then I noticed the scar.

I was surprised I hadn’t noticed it sooner, being just above his left eye, cutting through the center of his eyebrow. But I supposed the fact I hadn’t noticed was just proof as to how striking and interesting the rest of him was.

“Are you alone here, Duke?” Nash asked, a hint of suspicion in his tone.

Duke nodded, not looking away from me. “I was out fishing and got lost at sea. Ended up here. If anyone came looking for me, they never found me.”

Dread settled at the bottom of my stomach, weighing me down. “How long have you been here?” I asked, hollow.

“I’ve lost track of time. Months.”

Oh my God.
Months?
He’d been stranded here all alone for months?

Nash’s hand found mine and he threaded our fingers together and gave mine a little squeeze as if to say
,
That’s not going to be us.

But how could he know? If this island managed to keep one person here
, then why not two more?

Duke finally
turned his stare to Nash. “You’re new here.”

Nash nodded. “Our
plane went down.” He pointed in the direction of the beach. “Over on that side of the island. We’ve been here about four days.”

“Will people be looking for you?” Duke asked.

“Yes,” Nash answered. There wasn’t a hint of doubt in his voice.

Duke bent down and picked up one of the
avocados that I dropped and extended it to me. “You dropped this.”

“Thank you.” I took it and
put it on display for Nash. “Look, avocado.”

He pulled his hand out of mine and placed it on my lower back possessively. “Good job,
Bella
.” The last word he drawled in Spanish.

I liked it
, but I wondered if he only called me that to send a message to Duke. Why was he behaving that way?

“You’re hungry?” Duke said, looking at me.

“Yeah, we’ve been looking for food.”

“I know where coconuts and
mangos grow.”

A little moan of desire escaped my lips. “Will you show us?”

“Of course. The fruit is farther that way on the island.” He pointed off in the direction away from the plane.

“Let’s gather as many of these as we can,” I suggested
. “And take them back to the plane. Then we can go gather some fruit.”

Nash seemed a little hesitant at first
, but then he relented. The lure of fresh fruit was too strong to deny. “Is the water here drinkable?” Nash asked, gesturing back toward the little lagoon and waterfall.

“Yes
,” Duke said, nodding his head. A lock of hair slipped free of his ear and brushed against his stubbled cheek.

The light scruff coating his jaw caught my attention.
“I’m surprised you don’t have a full beard from being here so long,” I said.

“Eh, I’ve always been lousy at growing a beard.” He grinned and scratched at his chin.

I found myself smiling back at him.

“We can fill up our bottles
too,” Nash said, his voice sounding slightly annoyed.

Stirred back to the task at hand,
I started gathering the fruit, piling my bag full. There was one piece that looked particularly enticing and it was just out of reach. I stood on my tiptoes, extending my arm, but I just couldn’t seem to stretch far enough.

“Here,” Duke said, coming up behind me. His voice was deep and it brushed against the back of my head. He stepped close, his chest brushing my back
, and reached up, plucking the food from the tree. As he pulled down his arm, he brushed against the bare skin of my arm. Little tingles of awareness shot along my skin.

I stepped back a little, looking between him and his offering. “Don’t you want to keep any for you
rself?”

He shook his head slowly. “I already have some saved up. You take it.”

“Thank you.” I tucked it beneath my arm. “Where do you… umm… live? Did you build a shelter?”

“I did
, but a storm came through last month and it was lost. I pretty much stay wherever now.”

I couldn’t imagine being here through a tropical storm. That had to have been so scary. And to be alone. At least Nash and I had each other. I glanced at him and noted that he was no longer gathering fruit
. He was watching Duke and me.

“We could help you build a new one,” I offered. “Since you
’re showing us where to find the mangos and coconuts.”

“You would do that?” Duke asked, his eyes sweeping over me.

“Of course.”

“Ava,” Nash called. “Come on
. We need to get some water.”

The three of us made our way back to the lagoon, w
here I pulled out the empty water bottles and cans. The water was cool against my fingers and I plunged them down deep, enjoying the icy freshness of water without salt. My mouth almost ached for a taste, as we’d been rationing our water and soda intake since we arrived.

I cupped my hands and filled my palms with the liquid and brought them up near my face.

“Wait,” Nash spoke softly, crouching down beside me. His hand stilled my own. Then he pulled away, reached into the water and got his own drink, sipping it into his mouth and swirling it around his tongue.

I had a sudden desire to be that water.

Then he swallowed. He took another drink. I started to lift my hands again, almost desperate for a drink, and he stopped me again.

I made a sound of frustration. “I’m thirsty.”

“I know,” he said softly, bringing up his dampened thumb and sweeping it across my lip. Automatically, my tongue came out, licking off the moisture and pulling the pad of his thumb into my mouth.

“I
told you it’s safe to drink,” muttered a voice from the other side of me. Startled, I pulled away, releasing Nash’s thumb.

“I wanted to make sure,” Nash said, his voice holding a hint of annoyance.

“You were testing the water out on yourself!” I exclaimed, pinning him with an gaping stare.

“I doubt it would do much good,” he said. “If it’s going to make me sick
, it won’t be for a while.”

“I’m so thirsty
,” I whined, not caring I sounded like a child.

Duke made a sound, drawing my attention. He cupped his hand in the water and took a great gulp. “See?” he said. “I’ve been drinking this since I got here. It’s never made me sick.”

Then he reached out and guided my hands back into the water. It lapped over our skin, swirling around us. I looked up at him. His face was so close to mine. He smiled.

Nash cleared his throat.

I pulled up my hands, Duke keeping his palm cupped beneath mine, and I drank. The fresh, icy water slid down my parched throat and I sighed. It was heavenly.

I drank more, feeling like I couldn’t get enough. Then I splashed it over my face and neck, feeling more refreshed than I had when I cleaned off in the ocean
the day before.

Once the bottles were filled
, the three of us set off toward the plane, Nash and I eating an avocado in record time. Nash was fairly quiet, only interrupting Duke’s and my chattering to ask questions about the island.

Turns out Duke had no idea where we were either. He wasn’t sure how far the closest civilized location
could be.

I opened my mouth to ask him if he heard the same sounds we had the night before, or if he knew if we were the only ones here
, but Nash caught my eye and gave me slight shake of his head. For some reason he didn’t want me to say anything. So I didn’t.

Duke was fascinated with the plane and once he realized Nash was a pilot
, he peppered him with a million questions. Nash didn’t seem to mind. I could tell how passionate about flying he was. How much he loved it. I puttered around, placing the fruit inside with the water and glancing at the remaining protein bars longingly.

When that was done
, I came outside where Nash and Duke stood talking quietly.

Nash looked up, noticing me first
, palming one of the bottles of water. “Ready?”

I nodded, my stomach grumbling with the promise of fresh fruit.

“So, Duke,” I began as we followed him to the food, “where are you from?”

“I’ve lived in Puerto Rico and many of the islands in the area.”

“What did you do for a living before…?” My voice trailed away.

“Before I was lost at sea?” he finished, sounding less upset about it than I might have. I wondered if we never were found if I would
come to accept it. My gut said no. I didn’t want this to be all there was. I didn’t want my family to think I had died a horrible death.

“Yeah,” I said, realizing it might be easier not to ask him questions.

“I gave guided boat tours. Mostly to tourists.”

“You must be really familiar with the area
, then,” Nash observed.

He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s the thing. The ocean covers all its tracks
. It drowns all its landmarks. The sea is ever changing, always moving. It’s a lot harder than one might think to learn the ‘lay of the land’ here because there isn’t much land.” But then he looked at me and winked. “But I’ve been on this island long enough to know where the good eats are.”

I smiled.

We walked forever it seemed. Although, maybe it wasn’t as long as it felt because I was impatient. I wanted to eat. Finally, Duke pointed just ahead to a bunch of greenery (that looked a lot like everything else we’d already passed) and announced the sustenance was up ahead.

The trees around use were heavy with ripe
mangos. The yellowish-green-colored skin was a beacon to my belly. The only time I’d ever eaten a mango was after I’d sliced it up and peeled off the skin. Those luxuries didn’t apply here. I was starving and all I cared about was getting something in my very empty belly.

I plucked one off a tree and rubbed it on my shirt, about to bite in
, but I stopped. I turned, seeking out Nash and spotting him just yards away. As I moved closer, he must have sensed my presence because he turned toward me.

I held out the fruit, offering it to him. His lips pulled up in
a half smile as he leaned forward and took a bite out of the juicy flesh, still leaving it in my hand. Nectar slid down his lips, but he caught it with his tongue, dragging the sweetness back into his mouth. I watched, transfixed, forgetting I was hungry for food as a different desire swept over me.