“Now for the final challenge,” Wesley announces as the four of us gather. “I want you to complete it by tonight and turn it in to me before the night's end.”

Regardless of the victory in the obstacle course, I know that if I take this, then I’ll win. Wesley says it’s the most important of all the ‘challenges’.

I don’t really know what the hell I was thinking, letting her win the last one. Caleb’s still a little annoyed since it was one he knows we should’ve won. And I think he at least suspects I didn’t give it my all.

I look over at Hannah, who’s biting her lip and trying to hide her nervousness.

She knew I boned it on purpose. I guess it was the look I had in my eyes. Wesley looks between the both of us, his expression grave. He suspects what I did too, I can tell, but so far, he hasn't said anything. I guess he figures if I want to give up, that’s my prerogative.

“The final challenge . . . is an essay. You have both been here for quite a few days and have learned a lot. I want you to tell me what you have learned during your stay and why you should be the winner. You can say anything you want, as long as it's from the heart and honest. Don't share it with anyone, seal it in the envelope, and I'll announce the winner tomorrow.”

“An essay?” Cassie gawks.

Wesley nods. “This is for Tony and Hannah only. I want their thoughts and their feelings. If you would please give them their privacy.”

“Come on, Cassie,” Caleb mutters, walking away. “Let’s go.”

Cassie lingers for a moment before walking over and giving Hannah a hug, whispering something in her ear. They kiss each other on the cheek and my heart warms at their friendship as she slips away. I don’t miss the fear in her eyes at what's to come, and I feel the weight on my shoulders increase. Cassie’s under the same guillotine that Hannah is, I’m sure of it. And I like the petite firecracker too, even if she is a pain in the ass.

Wesley sighs when everyone’s gone. “You can use the desks over by the windows to write. You’ll find pens, papers . . . everything you need. But you absolutely can’t communicate with each other. Your words will be yours and yours alone.” He gives us a stern look to drive his point home. Now if you’ll excuse me, Mo Mo and I will give you some space.”

Wesley crosses the room, settling down on one of the mats, crossing his legs in a lotus position before picking up a book. I have no doubt I don’t even want to know what it is.

Hannah looks at me, her eyes filled with anxiety. “Are you ready?”

I look across the room, where there are two sets of writing tablets, and nod. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

We walk over, but neither of us can sit down yet. I look out the window and see the mango trees, and my mind fills with the images of last night. I keep looking, and I can see the beach through the trees, and the rock where I first kissed her, and the path that leads to the village, and the clearing where I took her last night. I look, and I think . . .

It’s a long time before I look down at the blank piece of paper. My thoughts are like dust on the wind. Every time I try to focus, they scatter, fleeting and swirling so that I can’t concentrate. I glance back over my shoulder at Hannah. Surprisingly, she’s already writing furiously.

I stare at her for a while, seeing the intense concentration on her face. Finally, I sigh and sit down. I know what I’m about to do would infuriate a few people. They’re depending on me. And I’ve worked hard to come to this spot. But I place pen to paper and begin to write my first line.

Dear Wes, this might not be what you thought . . .

I scribble on the piece of paper, biting on a strand of my hair. My hand aches, the barrel of the pen biting into the inside of my finger, but I seem taken over by a demon that’s animating my hand.

. . . so when I came to your estate, I thought you were more or less mental. More than mental, I thought you were batshit insane. But over these days, I’ve learned something during all your madness. So I guess you’re not totally crazy, or if you are, you’re crazy like a fox.

The simple fact is that I love it here. There is a tranquility, even amongst the chaos of events. I poured myself into each and every one, and yet I found myself also letting go of the anger and angst in between. I found that a man whom I once threw a glass of punch on at my best friend’s wedding and thought he was just an arrogant, immature player . . . he’s much more than that.

I will walk away from here tomorrow with two wishes in my heart. The first is that I could come back here again some day. This place is magical, and I have never felt happier than I did last night with Tony.

My other wish is that I never, ever see this property again. Because I need to win, my job, and more importantly, Cassie’s job, depends on it. But if you declare me the winner, that could break Tony’s heart. My winning means that I have to take from him. And that means that no matter what . . . this place would be a place of pain and hurt to me. I don’t know how I could come back to that.

Maybe that’s the wisdom of all this competition that you’ve been trying to have us learn. That with every win comes a price, and with every loss a price as well. I don’t know. What I do know is that tomorrow, I’m going to cry, regardless of what happens. So I take back what I said above. I would come back here. Maybe there is magic in these islands, or at least magic in this specific place. If there is, then there’s hope that the feelings I have for Tony will lead us to happiness and that I can live here for the rest of my life, protecting and caring for this land, for the wonderful people who live here, and loving them as much as they’ve opened their hearts and loved me.

I’m sure you’re interested in what my company would do if we get this contract. I can tell you that my bosses have promised me that they will respect and care for the land as best they can, to do their best to give as much back to the people as they will give to us . . .

I write my heart out. I even tell him that I both like and hate his fucking parrot. When it’s all done, I have to use my left hand to unclench my right from the pen, and the moon is high in the sky.

I turn, looking around, and see Tony sitting in the doorway, just looking at me. He has his envelope in his hand, and when he sees that I’m done, he stands up, walking across the room and squatting down. “All done?”

“I think so,” I answer, taking the sheets and folding them before sliding them into the envelope. “I’d better be. I’m not sure I can fit another piece of paper in here.”

Tony chuckles, watching as I fold over the flap and sign the front with a flourish. “So what do you think?” he asks.

I’m shaking as I look at him, trying to form my answer. I don’t know why. I’m sure he said the reasons he deserved the place too. He said so himself. I can’t kill myself over it. Finally, I swallow the lump in my throat and answer. “It's all been such a crazy whirlwind. I wish we could both win.”

We stand up, handing the envelopes to Wesley, who gives us a small nod, saying nothing as we leave. We walk back down to the beach, where the moon is reflected on the water, and Tony reaches out, taking my hand.

“It's not over yet,” he says, brushing my hair off my shoulder, causing sparks to shoot from my skin. “Not the important parts.”

We kiss, knowing this is likely going to be our last night in Hawaii. There’s an urgency in each caress, each touch of his hand on my skin. It’s an urgency that takes my breath away. His hands find my shirt and peel it up as I do the same to his, tears stinging my eyes as I see the hard, chiseled muscles of his chest and stomach. “Wait . . .”

“What?” I ask him, and Tony picks me up, carrying me down the beach. There’s a blanket laid out, probably leftovers from one of the challenges, and he lays me down on it. I smile, unbuttoning my shorts and sliding them down as he strips his shorts off, leaving him standing nude in front of me. I get to my knees, running my hands over his stomach as I kiss his thighs, rubbing my cheek against the velvet hardness of his cock, kissing the tip before he steps back, his eyes full of meaning.

There are no words, at least not those said with our lips as we stretch out on the blanket. Tony kisses me with a tenderness that rips through my soul. Cold and heat run through my body as I feel his hands stroke my ass, running up my back to cup my breasts and massage them even as his eyes burn with loss. I cry out in pleasure as he kisses my nipples, sucking and tugging them the way that he knows I like before kissing up to my neck and lifting my leg. I roll with him, feeling the hardness of his cock press against my pussy.

“Please, Tony,” I whisper as I reposition my hips and sink down, Tony’s strong hands guiding me as he fills me. “Tony . . .”

His name is the only thing that escapes my lips as I ride him, lifting my hips up and down as I look into his eyes. He reaches up, cupping my breasts as we ride, faster and faster. Unable to take it any more, I lean over, kissing him hotly as he plants his feet and starts thrusting up into me, grabbing my ass and holding me still as I moan into his mouth. My body squeezes him, my nerves on edge as I moan his name one more time. He thrusts hard, his cock slamming deep into me before he comes. I’m pushed over, milking him and holding him tight, clutching at his shoulders as we join fully, pure joy and sadness mixing together in something I’ve never felt before. All I can focus on is the heat of Tony’s cock erupting inside me and the look in his eyes.

Tony holds me, and I don’t know what’s going to happen. No matter what, once this moon sets and the sun rises, the results are going to come. And one of us is going to be hurt by it. I lose either way.

As I kiss Tony’s lips tenderly, getting off him, I’m also scared about what he’s become to me. I told Wesley all about it, but I still don’t understand it all myself. I know that I’ve never felt this way about a man before. But . . . he’s never told me the way he feels. What if this is just an island fantasy? What if I pour my heart out to him and we make a promise to stay in touch, and daily calls slowly become occasional Facebook messages and status likes before petering out to nothing? I couldn’t stand that. It’d kill me.

I reach for my shirt to pull it on, but Tony reaches out. “Please . . . don’t go,” he says, his voice heavy with emotion. “Spend the night here with me. I need to hold you.”

I turn and look into his eyes, nodding. “Then how about a dip in the ocean?”

Tony smiles and takes my hand. “I think a little moonlight skinny dipping sounds great. Thank you for saying yes.”

“How could I tell you no?” I ask, my voice cracking slightly as we get up. Walking with him toward the ocean, I’m struggling not to cry, and I’m glad the waves hide my harsh breathing. I don’t know what Cassie and Caleb are going to think, finding our beds empty, but right now, I don’t care. I need this.

It might be the last night we ever have.