Chapter 21
Jake led Deena down the boardwalk that ran from the landing strip all the way to an overwater bungalow. The landing strip was only about a half-mile from the water, and the walk was pleasant. The air was warm, the breeze off the ocean perfect, and the sky filled with stars. The full moon shone bright on the white sand, lighting their way down the path.
“This is amazing,” she said, her fingers threaded through his as they walked.
“Wait until you see the inside.”
“What about the rest of the island? Are there more bungalows?”
“Not on this side of the island. The staff and kitchen areas are on the other side of the landing strip. We have this side all to ourselves.”
“What about our bags?” she asked coyly.
“If we need them, I’ll have them sent over.”
A shiver ran up her spine when he said the words. She remembered his promise, and she had a feeling that she wasn’t going to “need” her clothes.
Jake stepped in front of her, sweeping back the turquoise drapes that served as a door and switching on a light.
There was a walkway down the middle and around all the interior walls. But it was the middle of each section that caught her attention.
“Glass floors?” she said, delighted at the colorful array of fish that swam right up to the open spaces.
“Not glass,” he said. “The water is just that clear. The bungalow floats, so it rises and falls with the tides, and the water won’t ever come in, but the fish are always able to come up. Put your hand in. They’ll investigate with a little nibble.”
She leaned down, putting her hand near the water then stopping.
“Sharks?”
“Just the little ones that don’t bite. I have an underwater fence that is too small for sharks to pass through.”
“Around the entire island?”
“No. Just this immediate area. We can snorkel out to it at low tide. It’s pretty ingenious. It looks like a reef, and the animals flourish. The island curves perfectly, making it the ideal place for it, which is why I chose this island. The fish come and go as they please, but the sharks can’t fit. It’s a new product, and I loved it so much that I funded the patent for it.”
“When you say, ‘chose this island,’ do you seriously own this island? The whole thing?”
“All six square miles.”
“This is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
She looked at him, biting her lip as a thought occurred to her.
“I know it’s late, but the moon is so full and bright that it’s almost like daylight.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“A midnight swim.”
His crooked smile tugged at her heart.
“You don’t have any bathing suits.”
“Who said I was wearing one?”
She pulled her dress off over her head, hanging it carefully on a nearby hook. He sucked in his breath, and when she turned, the look on his face was almost feral.
“If I had known you weren’t wearing anything under that dress, we would have skipped dinner.”
She reached out to him, ignoring his comment while she worked his buttons loose and pushed his shirt off his shoulders. With each opened button, she revealed more of his smooth, muscled chest and abs. She ran her fingers over his skin, the scent of him taking her back to that first night in the hotel.
She wanted him now, but not there. She grabbed his belt and unbuckled it, then tore at his zipper. When she pushed his pants and boxers down in one smooth motion, she knew that she wasn’t the only one who wanted sex now.
Jake stepped out of his clothes, letting them fall to the floor, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her roughly. She gave him back as good as he gave, her hands in his auburn hair, naked bodies pressed together.
“If you don’t want me to take you right here, we’d better get in the water.”
She slid her hand into his and tugged, pulling him toward the door and out onto the path. Instead of running all the way back to where the sand ran along either side of the boardwalk, she jumped into the waist-deep water, and Jake jumped in after her.
She splashed him playfully, squealing when he grabbed her and pulled her into deeper water. The moon was so bright that she could see his face clearly, the water so clear that she could make out the outline of their bodies beneath the gently lapping waves.
The water was pleasantly warm, swirling around them gently. Deena led Jake further into the water until her feet didn’t touch the bottom and she had to wrap her arms around his shoulders to stay put.
He grabbed her ass, pulling her close so that his erection rubbed against her.
“I’ve been thinking about this since you said you were going to take me to a private island and ravage me.”
“You’ve been thinking about this since this afternoon?” he teased, arching a brow, mocking her.
“No,” she said, running one finger over his lips and along his jawline. “I thought about it every night.”
“Every night?”
His voice was tight. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she was implying, but she was enjoying his reaction all the same.
“Every night, when I was home alone, thinking about how safe I was in your strong arms. Just me and my memories, and this hand.”
He groaned.
“If I have my way, you’ll never spend a night alone again.”
“I would like that,” she said, then froze when she realized what he was saying.
She looked into his eyes, searching their blue depths for his meaning. He nodded.
“I don’t know when it happened, Deena Harris, but I’m in love with you. I have been since long before I walked out of that interview room and discovered that you were already gone.”
“Why didn’t you come to me then?”
“I didn’t want to push things too quickly.”
“Sometimes, you just know.”
“Do you know, Deena?” She nodded. “Then say it.”
“I love you, Jake Berrington. I can’t tell you when, why, or even how, but I know that the week I lived without you felt like an eternity.”
“When you know, you just know,” he said, repeating her statement. “Do you believe if it’s right that there’s no such thing as too fast?”
“I never did before, but now, I get it. I know what people mean when they say that it was like they’d known the person their entire life. I don’t remember my life before you, and I don’t want to live a life without you.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said. “Not now, but soon.”
She smiled, biting her lip and looking down at him. He held her tight, her body hovering just above the tip of his manhood. She kissed him sweetly, then grabbed his face in her hands.
“I want to feel you inside me,” she said.
She didn’t have to tell him twice. He slid inside her, and she rode him hard and fast, taking her pleasure from him without a care in the world. The water that once felt warm was cool against her dark skin as her temperature rose with each thrust.
“I love you,” he said into her ear, clinging to her.
“I love you,” she said, then threw her head back and called his name out to the starry sky.
They rode the waves of pleasure together, tangled up in their embrace. They were one, and there was nothing in the world that was going to tear them apart. Deena bucked and shuddered in his arms, snuggling against him as he emptied himself into her.
When he let her go, she laid back into the water, letting herself float. Jake floated beside her. He took her hand, and they let the lazy current carry them back to the shore.
“This is the perfect night,” she said.
“And we still have a full week before we fly back Sunday morning.”
“This is like a dream come true.”
“Except you never have to wake up from this dream.”
He helped her onto the walkway from the water, avoiding the sand. She stepped back and enjoyed the view as he pushed himself up on his arms and swung onto the deck effortlessly.
He caught her looking and smiled.
“What?”
“I just decided that I’m not the only one who’s going to skip clothes this week,” she said, running her hands over the water dripping down his flesh.
He smiled.
“Sounds like a plan to me. Come with me. I want to show you the rest of the bungalow. It’s not very big, but I think you’re going to fall in love with it like I did.”
He led her back through the entrance, the fish still swimming in the little pool that the opening in the floor created. The next room was the dining and sitting area, though there was no television in sight.
“I can have them bring a television if you want,” he said.
“No way,” she said quickly. “I need to unplug and soak up every minute. My cell phone is even in the bag.”
“I hope you got a new number.”
“I canceled that other one, but no, I didn’t get a new number. I’m still using the burner phone you bought.”
“You are? Why?”
“I was hoping that you would call me,” she admitted.
“And I was waiting for you to call me.”
He shook his head, leading her to the master bedroom. The king-sized bed was against the interior wall, and the wall at the foot of the bed wasn’t much more than a frame with sliding doors that could be shut during bad weather. For now, they were wide open and looking out onto the deck and the ocean beyond.
They went out onto the deck. Deena inhaled the salty air, overwhelmed by everything and completely at peace.
“I will promise you one thing,” Jake said quietly after they’d stood there for some time.
“What’s that?”
“For as long as I live, I will never again wait to say what’s in my heart and hope you call me first.”
“That sounds like the perfect plan.”