No, he said.
Yes. She held out her hand and motioned to him as he slowly walked to the waters edge, the waves swirling around his feet. I want to spend the night with you. I dont want to be anywhere but here.
He waded through the water to where she stood and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. Then he kissed her, his hands tangling in her damp hair, molding her mouth to his.
All right, he murmured, his lips warm against hers.
She needed this night, Sophie told herself. After that, shed be able to let him go without any regret. Just this one night.
BY THE TIME THEY GOT BACK to the cottage, they could hear thunder in the distance. The wind had shifted direction and was blowing across the lagoon toward the plane. The pilot-side float had been grounded on the sand, and the plane sat at an odd angle.
Should we try to tie it down again? Trey asked.
Sophie stared across the lagoon, squinting into the diminishing light. Theres nothing we can do now, she murmured. Except hope that the wind doesnt get too high.
The plane probably wasnt worth a whole lot, Trey thought to himself. He suspected that Sophie and her father had sold the most valuable of their assets first, leaving her with something that was held together with chewing gum and duct tape. He probably ought to be grateful theyd had a problem with the engine when and where they did. Hell, they would have been in a lot more trouble had a wing or the propeller fallen off.
Dont worry, he said.
If it flips, well never be able to get it off this island, she said.
Itll be fine, he said, reassured that money could solve any problem. If he had to send a boat over and find a mechanic to take the plane apart piece by piece and haul it back to Tahiti, hed do that for Sophie.
Trey wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. In truth, there wasnt much that he wouldnt do for her, if she asked.
Maybe it would be better if we couldnt get it off the island, she murmured. Then it would finally be over. The insurance would pay for the plane. My fathers business would be done and we could move back to the States.
Is that what you want? Trey asked.
She shrugged and slipped out of his embrace. Yes. She paused and turned to face him. No.
If you could have anything you want, any wish, what would it be? he asked.
It wont do me any good to wish, she said, climbing the front steps of the cottage. Wishing cant make it happen.
He stared up at her, studying her enigmatic expression. Humor me. If you could snap your fingers and have whatever you want. Three wishes.
Sophie leaned against a vine-covered post and stared out at the lagoon. Id wish my father would go to a doctor and get his eyes fixed. And then, Id wish the business was making money again. And finally, Id wish my mother would come back.
Nothing for yourself? Trey asked.
All those things are for me, she said. She shrugged, her smile fading slightly. What about you?
Id wishI had a big, soft bed here on this island. With clean sheets and down pillows.
And?
And a bathtub big enough for two with an endless supply of hot water and bubbles.
Thats two, she said. Whats the third?
You. In the bathtub first and then the bed.
Sophie stared at him for a long time, her gaze flitting over his face. Trey could already imagine the scene his three wishes might create. A bath, a bed and Sophie was a fantasy he hoped might come true. Hed make it come true.
Trey felt the first drops of rain on his skin and he looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. It seemed as though theyd spent a lifetime on this island and yet, in so many ways, they were still strangers. He wanted to touch the real Sophie, the lighthearted, silly woman that he sometimes saw, not the indifferent, slightly cynical girl that he was faced with now.
She was so guarded at times, so careful of her emotions that Trey wondered if hed ever truly know her. He knew she had an incredible inner strength and she was fiercely loyal to those she loved. He knew her parents divorce had left her with deep scars, making her unable to trust her own feelings.
Theyd been intimate, but only with their bodies. He wanted to know this woman, to feel what was in her heart and soul and to touch her there, as well. But how was that possible in just a single day and night?
Trey drew a deep breath and opened his eyes to find her still staring at him.
She held out her hand. Come in out of the rain, Sophie coaxed.
Come into the rain, he countered, holding out his hand.
Sophie turned and walked in the open door of the cottage. Trey knew if he went to her, shed surrender. Hed run his hands over her shoulders and toss aside her pareu and theyd pleasure each other the way they had since the moment the plane had gone down.
But sex with Sophie wouldnt get him what he wanted. It wasnt just passing pleasure. He needed to know this relationship actually meant something to her, that they werent simply satisfying a physical craving, but, perhaps, connecting in a deeper way.
Slowly, he climbed the steps, his desire overwhelming his resolve. At least, when he was inside her, he could claim a part of her that no one else could. In those moments before they dissolved into orgasm, the walls fell and she was his completely.
Trey cursed softly, stopping just outside the front door. Once he touched her, there was no going back. She stood at one of the windows, staring out at the rain, her face illuminated by the late-evening light. Her beauty took his breath away and Trey wondered at the stroke of luck that had put him here on this island with her.
He slowly walked across the room and slipped his hands around her waist, gently turning her around and backing her up against the wall. His fingers tangled in her hair as his mouth met hers. Sophie moaned, going pliant in his arms. They couldnt seem to keep their hands off each other for long.
Was it just unbridled lust or did he need to reassure himself that she still wanted him? So many times in the past, the passion hed felt for a woman faded too quickly. It had always been replaced by the pragmatic notion that love wasnt worth the trouble.
Hell, he didnt even know what love was. He wouldnt know it if it dropped out of the sky and hit him on the head. But this was certainly a lot more than just lust, Trey thought, his lips tracing a path from her jaw to the sweet curve of her neck.
His palms were warm on her naked skin and he found the knot in her pareu. With practiced ease, Trey tossed aside the filmy fabric and it drifted to the floor. She held her breath as he cupped her breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb over her nipple until it peaked.
Bracing his hands on either side of her head, he pinned her body against the wall with his. Another kiss, this one more intense and demanding, brought a moan from Sophies throat and the silent question he asked was answered. She did want him as much as he wanted her.
She tore at his shorts, hastily unzipping them before shoving them down over his hips. The instant his shaft made contact with her body, Trey knew any thought of stopping would be futile. But he wanted more than just pleasure. Unfortunately, he didnt know just exactly what that was.
Trey hooked his finger beneath her chin and turned her toward the light from the window, his eyes fixed on hers. Youre the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen, he groaned.
He grabbed her waist and pulled her up, wrapping her legs around his hips and using the wall for support. His shaft was hot and hard between them, the length of his erection rubbing along the damp slit between her legs. Pleasure knotted inside him with every stroke and he struggled to keep himself from release. Sophie arched back, pushing against him with each stroke as her need built.
Trey ached to lose himself inside her, to feel her heat as he came. But neither one of them wanted to pause to retrieve a condom and he wasnt even sure where the last one was. The force that had brought them together was too strong for them to deny or to stop.
He probed at her entrance and Sophie shifted above him. For one breathtaking moment, he slipped inside her, then cursed softly. We shouldnt, he murmured, swallowing hard. Should we?
Sophie shook her head, her breath coming in short gasps, her hair tickling his chest. I dont want you to stop.
I have some control, but not that much, he said, his voice raw with need. And not with you.
She moved again and he was inside her and it felt like heaven. But suddenly, reality set in. This woman had stolen the last ounce of his self-control. When he was with her, all he could think of was this, the feel of their bodies joined as one.
Drawing a deep breath, he slowly pulled out, then set Sophie back on her feet. If he expected anything more than sex between them, then the sex would have to stop, at least temporarily. The next time he was intimate with Sophie, Trey wanted it to mean something.
Whats wrong? she murmured, her lips pressed against his chest.
Nothing. We just shouldnt do this without a condom. He pulled his shorts back up over his hips and forced a smile, the height of his desire still plainly evident.
Are you going to go get one? she asked, her eyes wide.
Right. Trey nodded. Illgo get one.
He walked toward the door, wincing slightly as the zipper from his shorts rubbed against his erection. When he got outside, the last light from the day had nearly faded. The sky was a deep blue and the first stars twinkled through the clouds. The rain had stopped for the moment and the air was fresh with the smell of the island.
Trey leaned back against the weather-worn siding next to the door and closed his eyes. Things were moving far too fast. Emotions hed kept so closely in check were threatening to break through his usual indifference.
Somehow, this place had worked a kind of magic on him. Civilization, and the real world, seemed miles and miles away. And for the first time in his adult life, Trey was able to live unencumbered by the expectations of others.
Here, on Suaneva, he was able to be himself. And he was beginning to like the guy hed found.
6
SOPHIE LEANED BACK AGAINST the wood-paneled wall and sighed. The rain had begun again, the soft hiss of raindrops filling the room, the sound amplified by the tin roof. The sun had set and the last traces of light were leaving the sky. In another few minutes, it would be impossible to see.