Treasured Dreams (29 page)

Rosalina giggled. ‘I can't believe you still have that shirt.'

‘What's wrong with it?'

‘Nothing.' She giggled again and then reached up to kiss him.

Their feet sank with each step they made into sand that was as white as sugar. He'd chosen this deserted island because it should take about an hour to walk around. The pure pleasure of the sand beneath his feet was almost as good as a full-body massage.

‘I feel like I haven't had a good walk in months.' Rosalina was doing her mind-reading trick again.

‘Same.' Hand in hand, they headed in the direction of the setting sun. ‘It's been a long time since I've seen that many fish.'

‘It was really wonderful. The water was so clear—what do you think, about fifty-metre visibility?'

‘At least,' he agreed.

The centre of the island was thick with palm trees that grew out of the sand in long, straight poles. At the top, fronds swayed in the breeze. Many coconuts hung from the foliage and just as many dotted the sand beneath them.

Archer pointed at a bunch of coconuts surrounding the closest tree. ‘Hey, I don't suppose you could make your Choo Chee curry?'

‘That's a great idea.'

The first time Rosalina had made him that dish, he'd thought he'd died and gone to heaven. It was one of the first meals she'd made on the yacht, back when she was just an employee. But even way back then, he knew she was going to be so much more. Rosalina was the first woman he'd truly desired. She was alluring, sensual, confident and delightfully unaware of just how gorgeous she'd been. She still was.

Halfway around the island, where the shadows from the palms stretched to the shallow water, Archer removed his shirt and laid the towel on the sand, then he scooped Rosalina into his arms and lowered her onto it. When their eyes locked, he saw the look that always made him fall in love with her over and over.

She reached up, wove her fingers into his hair and pulled him down for a kiss. Her lips parted, and her tongue fluttered out to touch his. Their breaths whispered in and out. Citrus and vanilla, the scent that always captured him, drifted off her. Her nails trailed up and down his back, driving a tingling sensation over his skin. His pounding heart matched the throbbing in his loins, and he never ceased to be amazed at how quickly she aroused him.

Archer glided his hand beneath her neck, pulled the string and folded her bikini down her chest to release her breasts into his hands. He welcomed their full weight, and as he ran his tongue around her nipple the delicate bud firmed, and he obliged by teasing the tip.

She seemed extra sensitive to his touch today, and her moans of pleasure and shifting hips had his erection as a full-blown jackhammer in his shorts. He stood up, and as he undid the drawstring on his board shorts, she ran her tongue along her lips when her gaze fell to his groin.

Rosalina raised her hips, and he took it as a sign to remove her bikini bottoms. As he glided the fabric down her long legs he devoured her with his eyes, taking in every naked curve of his beautiful fiancée.

Rosalina began to squirm, and he lowered to his knees onto his shirt at her side. He drew his finger over her lips, down the line of her exquisite neck and around the darker part of her nipple, gradually circling it until it grew as hard as a pebble. He continued the line down her flat stomach and over her very sexy navel. Seeking her hot zone, he skimmed over her small patch of dark hair and down between her legs.

A moan tumbled from the back of her throat, and her eyes rolled when he slipped his fingers into her warm oasis. He started slowly at first, reacting according to her movements. She reached for his hand and drove him deeper inside. He obliged, and as Rosalina rode wave after wave of ecstasy his toes curled in the sand. Orgasms shivered through her body again and again—he could watch this irresistible show all afternoon if she'd let him.

It took all his concentration to take this slowly. Watching Rosalina fall over the edge like that had him as hard as a rock and ready to blast through the stratosphere. Rosalina reached for him and as she ran her hands along his length, fireworks blazed through his veins.

‘Oh Rosa, I've missed you.'

‘Make love to me, Archer.' She said his name as a throaty whisper.

He didn't need to be asked twice. Archer eased between her knees, and with his toes buried deep in the sand he enjoyed the lovely fluid motion of his body sliding inside hers. The luscious heat was sensation overload that took him onto the exquisite knife-edge, teetering between mind-blowing arousal and ultimate release. United together, they moved as one, riding out the momentum like a perfect choreographed dance.

Pleasure, divine unparalleled pleasure overwhelmed him, and he couldn't hold back a moment more. They climaxed together, coming alive in a thrilling avalanche of heavenly bliss. Archer fell to Rosalina's chest and she glided her fingers up and down his back until their breathing returned to normal.

He kissed her neck. ‘I love you.'

‘I love you, too.'

Naked, they glided into the water for a quick swim before they dressed again and continued their walk around the island. Rosalina's hand fit snuggly within his, and the only time she released it was to collect the odd shell along the beach.

Back on the sunny side of the island, Archer saw
Evangeline
in the distance and then searched the shoreline, seeking out the surprise he'd organised for Rosalina.

He spied it just as she did.

‘What's that?'

‘That, my darling, is how our engagement party should've ended.' It already seemed like years ago since their engagement party was ruined by Ignatius Montpellier and his helicopter.

Four poles had been secured in the sand with a large white sheet hooked up between them as a soft canopy. A table and two chairs were centred in the middle, and dozens of candles dotted around flickered white flames. ‘Your table awaits, madam.'

‘Oh Arch, this is wonderful. You're wonderful.'

He led her to a seat and turned his attention to the bottle of champagne. The cork released with a pop and he filled their glasses.

‘To my beautiful bride-to-be.'

She chinked her glass against his. ‘To my future husband. I love you.'

‘I love you too.'

The sun had completely set by the time they'd eaten the pork and prawn san choy bow Ginger had prepared from one of Rosalina's handwritten recipes. They finished with a glass of Baileys Irish Cream and another box of Roberto Cattinari's fine chocolates.

Although Archer didn't want it to end, they were both yawning when he phoned Jimmy to request a pickup.

‘Thank you for this.' Rosalina looked over at him and he had a feeling she wanted to say something more. Her eyes still looked troubled.

‘Are you okay, babe?'

Her lips drew into line. ‘Of course,' she said, and he was certain she was on the verge of saying something else when the sound of a motor had him looking out to
Evangeline
. Jimmy was at the tiller of the small boat and Ginger was at the front with the high-powered torch, navigating the abundant coral.

Rosalina yawned again. ‘I think I'll be going straight to bed.'

‘Same.' Since they'd left Italy, he hadn't had a sleep longer than five hours, and the idea of waking up to the sunrise rather than an alarm sure was a welcome thought.

The small tender was driven right up onto the beach and Archer helped Rosalina climb aboard. They returned to
Evangeline
and within an hour they were both tucked up in bed.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Nox scooped the mushroom risotto into two large bowls, then tucked a bread roll into one pocket and a water bottle into the other. Then, juggling the two bowls, cutlery and his gun, he made his way to the medical room. He placed one of the bowls on the floor, and a quick glance through the small window confirmed Filippo was on his bed at the back of the room. With the gun pointed forward, he undid the latch, opened the door and gathered the bowl off the floor to enter the room.

‘You're late,' Filippo snarled. ‘And I'm starving.'

‘I went shopping. Well, not exactly shopping. More like scrounging.'

Filippo scratched his rapidly thickening beard. ‘What do you mean scrounging?'

‘No money means I have to …' Nox searched for the right words, ‘find food.'

A look of disgust crawled across Filippo's face. ‘Is that mushroom risotto? Isn't that how you poisoned that man in the church?'

Nox laughed. ‘Yes. Yes, it is. But don't worry; I didn't harvest these mushrooms. I found them in the rubbish outside the
supermercato
. They're fine.'

Filippo screwed his face up even more. ‘All the same, I'll wait until you eat some first.'

Nox accepted the challenge and reached for the bowl nearest to him and ate four or five mouthfuls with the eyes of Filippo watching every bite.

Filippo then stepped forward. ‘I'll take that one.' He reached for the bowl Nox had just eaten from and plucked the unused spoon from the other bowl.

‘Don't you trust me?'

‘No.'

Nox huffed. He was itching to find out what Rosalina had told Filippo today but it pissed him off that Filippo had demanded food before he'd reveal anything. Nox was meant to be the one in charge. Filippo was getting more and more cocky each day and if he wasn't careful, Nox may consider preparing him a nasty meal to shut him up for a while.

Filippo returned to his bed and eased onto the mattress with the bowl of risotto.

‘You have your food,' Nox said, ‘now tell me what Rosalina said this time.'

Filippo swallowed a mouthful. ‘They've arrived in the Maldives, so it's about another twelve days before they reach the Solomons.'

‘And?'

Filippo scooped a tentative spoonful into his mouth. ‘They have confirmation that Kimoda returned to the Solomons after the war.'

Nox tried to establish the importance. ‘Why is that significant?'

‘Because most people would go home at war's end. He didn't.'

Nox contemplated this. Kimoda returned there for something important. ‘Do they know where in the Solomons he went?'

‘She did say … it had something to do with a jungle museum where Archer's father found a clue.'

‘Do you believe her?'

Filippo cocked one eyebrow. ‘Why wouldn't I?'

‘Because she knows you trade information for food. She saw you do it in the other room. Why would she tell you anything?'

Filippo lowered his eyes to the bowl and stirred the rice around. ‘That's the tragedy of love. To love someone, you have to trust them. So if she doesn't trust me with this information then she's basically saying that she doesn't love me. Rosalina thinks she's so pure that the whole fucking world should love her, including me.' He ate a mouthful of food. ‘So, yes I believe her.'

‘She didn't look pure when she shot me with that spear.'

‘Exactly. She's a deceiving bitch.' Filippo pointed at the risotto with his spoon. ‘This is good, Nox.'

Nox chuckled. ‘It's my specialty.'

Filippo huffed. ‘Speaking of information,' Filippo said, ‘you haven't told me how
you
found out about the treasure.'

‘You told me.'

‘No, not the
Awa Maru
treasure. The other one.'

‘The Calimala treasure.'

‘Yes that one. Hey, have you seen that ugly necklace Archer wears?'

Nox pictured the curved piece of gold dangling around the Australian's neck. ‘Yes, I've seen it.'

‘Apparently it's part of the treasure. His dad found it in the Greek Islands. Right before he got eaten by a shark. It's taken Archer twenty years to figure out where they were scuba diving when he found it. But once he figured it out, all he had to do was bring it up. All that gold …'

All
my
gold, Nox thought. Now at least he knew how Archer had found it. But how did his father find it? That treasure was stolen from the Church of St Apostoli seven hundred years ago. The details of that theft were written on a scroll, and he thought he was the only person in the world who could possibly know about the treasure. ‘How did Archer's father know so much?'

‘How do
you
know so much?' Filippo shrugged half-heartedly. ‘I asked first.'

Nox twisted the bulky antique ring around his finger as he eyed Filippo. The details on the scroll had been his leverage, anchoring him and only him to the vast wealth. ‘See this ring?' Nox said finally.

Filippo nodded. ‘Can hardly miss it.'

‘In 1983, I found this hidden in a statue of a baby holding a trumpet. I accidently knocked the statue over, shattering it to pieces, and this ring and what it secured fell out.'

‘What did it secure?'

‘A seven-hundred-year-old confession written on animal parchment.' Nox paused as he recalled the first time he'd unrolled the scroll. It had been curled tightly, refusing to lie flat, and it wasn't until Nox saw the date at the top of the parchment that he had realised why.

‘What was the confession?'

Nox swallowed. His mind debated over whether or not to reveal the secret that had been driving him for three decades. Surely Filippo must know Nox couldn't let him live once he revealed the details. Could the man be that stupid?

Filippo sat with his hands around the bowl that rested on his thighs, like an eager child ready to listen to a bedtime story. Maybe, like Father Benedici had, he already knew his ultimate fate. Nox could accept that. He was a believer in destiny. Sitting here with Rosalina's brother and chatting about the Calimala treasure was a testament to his belief.

He let out a slow and steady breath. ‘The scroll was signed by Tommasello da Lucca, who was a priest at the Church of St Apostoli in 1348. That was the year the great plague ripped through Italy, killing millions of people.'