“I’ve seen every gorgeous inch of you.”
“Turn. Around.” If he said one more swoon-worthy thing, I was going to turn into his slave. I needed to reclaim some power.
He sighed and turned around. I ignored the way his shoulders shook with silent laughter and quickly peeled away the panties and waded into the water. When it was just past my hips, I froze. “Are there alligators in here?”
“Can I turn around now?” he asked.
“Yes!”
I glanced over my shoulder and around the curtain of hair that waved wildly about. “Alligators? Lochness Monster? Giant man-eating piranhas?” I said, suddenly about to panic.
He picked up something off the ground and walked into the water, shorts and all (how come I always end up naked and he got to keep his pants?) and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “I’ll protect you.”
Okay. I was lame. That totally made me feel better.
Nash took a few more steps into the water, forcing me along until we were chest deep. The sound of the waterfall hitting the lagoon was loud, but I didn’t mind it. It was peaceful. And as it poured, little ripples played over the surface of the water to reach out and lap gently at us. The ends of my hair floated out, looking like a dark, golden halo.
Mist from the pouring falls drifted through the air, creating a translucent curtain around us and dampening all our skin that wasn’t submerged in the water. I felt a moment’s worry about getting my stitches damp with all the mist, but I stopped thinking about that the minute Nash spoke.
He wielded the bar of soap. “I’ll wash you.”
First he feeds me and then he washes me?
Sigh…
He lathered up his hands and started at the tops of my shoulders, smoothing the soap over my arms and neck and upper chest. Then he lifted my hands one by one and soaped from my elbow down. His hands slipped over my skin like velvet, like he was made of silk, and the lavender scent of the soap rose up around us and caught in the mist like a fly in a spider web.
When my upper body was clean, he used a hand to cup the water and pour it over my shoulders, rinsing away the bubbles.
And then there was nowhere to wash but down.
He used both his hands at once, closing over my breasts, groping them skillfully with soap-laden hands. Tiny tingles shot through me all the way down to my toes, and my head fell back because holding it up was just too much work.
The area between my legs began to throb, almost like it had a heartbeat of its own. His hands slid lower, over my abdomen, around my belly button, lower still.
“I’m getting closer to the sand, aren’t I?” he murmured.
I moaned. My knees threatened to buckle.
Instead of continuing straight down, his hands separated and traveled around my hips. He stepped forward, bringing our chests together, and held me close while he washed my back, reaching up beneath my hair and sudsing up my neck. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his shoulder, tempted to nip at his damp skin.
“Do it,” he growled like he could read my mind.
Or maybe he just read my body.
I hesitated and he shifted, pressing closer. My lips opened automatically and my teeth sank lightly into his flesh. His hands spasmed and he pulled me roughly against him, my body—my very naked body—met with a very hard erection. It strained against the front of his shorts.
His hand slid over the round curve of my backside, slipping down lower… in between my legs, all from behind. He moved his fingers around like he was washing away the sand.
What he was really doing was turning me the hell on.
If I was throbbing before, I now felt like something down there was hammering with rabid force.
I whispered his name. It sounded more like a plea.
His fingers kept sliding, right up to that magic spot. I jerked a little because the jolt of pleasure was so intense. I bit him again. This time a little harder. His finger started to work me with a skill only he possessed… My body was ready to snap.
An approaching sound had us both stiffening. Nash released me and put his body in front of mine. “If I tell you to run, run,” he said, effectively scaring me.
“I won’t leave you,” I whispered furiously.
He gave me a stern look over his shoulder. I ignored it.
The plants rustled; a few leaves and stems quivered with movement. I thought about the gunfire, the rhythm of the drums…
Nash’s body tensed as someone stepped up to the water’s edge.
12
It was Duke.
I wanted to pass out from relief.
He came up short when he noticed we were there. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were here.”
I peaked around Nash’s shoulder. “No worries. We were just cleaning up a little.”
He nodded, his eyes going straight to me. They seemed strained. It made me feel a little guilty. I’m not sure why.
Nash glanced over his shoulder, looking at me, and then walked onto shore. His shorts were soaked and the weight of the water pulled at them, making them ride incredibly low on his hips.
I tried not to stare… and I failed.
“You’re dressed,” Duke observed, his voice a little more than relieved.
“Ava is a little less covered,” Nash said tightly. “Turn around.”
Duke immediately turned around, and for some reason I found his eager respect for me endearing. Nash dug into the messenger bag and pulled out one of his T-shirts. The one I’d been using as a towel. I hurried closer, my hair doing a good job of covering my breasts. Nash wrapped the shirt around me as I wrung some of the moisture out of the ends of my hair and then pinned him with a stare as well.
He gave an exaggerated sigh and turned around as well.
When I was sure they weren’t peeking, I quickly put on my panties and T-shirt again. Then I packed up the soap and slung the wet shirt over my shoulder. “You both can turn around now.”
They both paused, then turned. I smiled sheepishly. “Thanks.”
Nash reached out and took the bag from me.
“Wanna hang out with us?” I asked Duke.
“Sure.”
The three of us went back to the plane, the wet tips of my hair a tangled mess around my shoulders. Nash came inside the plane as I was taming the beast that was my hair and grabbed up a couple coconuts and went outside to open them.
Duke hovered at the back opening of the plane. “Come in,” I called out. “There’s some water right there.” I gestured to the bottles. “And fruit if you want some.”
He grabbed a mango off the pile and then moved around, looking at the wrecked plane. “That was some landing, huh?”