I laughed.
“What’s the best thing about being here?” I asked.
“Meeting you.”
I actually blushed. “I am the prettiest girl on the island,” I said confidently. Never mind I was likely the only girl on the island.
“Most definitely.”
“What’s the worst thing about being here?”
“Wanting to go home.”
“Hey,” I said softly, reaching out to place my hand over his. “We will get home.”
He smiled sadly. I guess for a guy who’s been trapped here for so long, hope didn’t come as easy to him as it did to me.
He didn’t say anything else. Instead, he flipped my hand over and studied my palm, moving his finger in slow circles over my skin. Little butterflies fluttered softly in my belly, and the water gently swooshed against my ankles as I moved my feet back and forth.
“Want to go swimming?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. It bothered me to see him this way. I wanted to see him smile. I wanted him to be happy.
The corner of his lip pulled up. “Sure.”
I stood and tossed my yellow dress onto the shore, then jumped into the water and paddled around. “Come on!” I called.
Seconds later, Duke jumped in—fully clothed—and met me in the center in just a few graceful strokes. He swam so skillfully he barely made any ripples in the surface of the water. “You’re a good swimmer.”
“I’ve always loved the water.”
“Is that why you became a sailor?”
“Yeah.”
He ducked under the water and then popped back up, shaking his head like a dog and spraying me with water droplets. I laughed and splashed him back. He growled and I squealed, lunging away, farther into the water.
He gave chase, but I knew that he was letting me get away. Because he was such a strong swimmer, he would have caught me easily if he wanted to.
It didn’t take long for me to get tired (clearly, athletics are not my strong suit), and I slowed down, treading water near the tumbling waterfall. From this angle, it looked like it fell right from the sky and plunged into the water, creating bubbles and a thin layer of white foam over the surface.
“You ever been on the inside of a waterfall?” Duke whispered from right behind me.
“No.”
“Come on,” he said and pushed away, swimming right through the curtain of water.
I followed, a little surprised that the water falling down was colder than the water we were swimming in. Behind the falls was almost like a secret cove. The lighting was much dimmer here, the ripples in the surface reflecting off the smooth rock walls inside. Moss grew over some of the surfaces here, softening the rock and giving everything the feel of a secret garden.
The sound of the falling water wasn’t as loud back here as I thought it would be. It was like this little cove muffled the sound, kept too much from coming in so it could be a perfect spot for resting.
Duke was sitting on a rock, staring at the curtain of water. I swam over and he held out a hand, hoisting me up onto the slippery rock. “It’s pretty back here.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I come here a lot to think.”
“I can see why.”
“I used to wish I had someone sitting here to share it with.” He looked over at me, his eyes like a chocolate molten cake, warm from the oven. “And here you are.”
“Here I am,” I declared, unable to look away.
His gaze was hungry, like he might devour me in two bites, but those two bites would be worth it because I would be the absolute best thing he ever tasted.
A drop of water rolled over my forehead, into the corner of my eye, and fell, like a single tear down my cheek. Duke captured it with his thumb and pulled it away, placing the same thumb into his mouth.
My eyes zeroed in on that thumb and the way his tongue caressed it, the way his lips sucked it. He pulled the thumb out and ran it over my lower lip; it was slightly moist from his saliva.
My heart thudded as he closed the distance between us.
His lips brushed over mine, a brief and gentle stroke. Then he pulled back and looked at me. His eyes were swimming with desire, swimming with all kinds of longing and wonder.
He moved to kiss me again; this time I knew it would be deeper. This time I knew he would want to kiss me until our lungs seized and the need for oxygen pulled us apart.
I couldn’t.
“Ava!” someone yelled from the other side of the falls.
I jerked away from Duke as I heard a muffled curse, and then he yelled again. “Ava!”
It was Nash. And he was worried.
I scrambled up, nearly slipping, and rushed to the side of the waterfall. I leaned out, balancing against the rock. “Nash!” I called.
He turned swiftly when I called, his entire body sagging with relief. He ran a hand through his hair, and his chest heaved. Then he dove way out into the water, swimming toward the waterfall with great purpose.
I sat back down beside Duke just as Nash popped up, giving his head a toss and wiping the water out of his eyes. “Cool place,” he said, looking around.
Duke cleared his throat. “I should probably go, make sure my camp is still okay.”
“You should stay with us,” I told him again. I’d offered many times, but he never agreed. “It would be safer if we all stayed together.”
“I’ll be fine.”
I caught his arm. “Think about it,” I implored.
His eyes softened. “I will.”
“See you in the morning?”
He smiled. “I’ll bring you a coconut.”
“Yum.”
He walked to the edge of the rock and lifted his arms over his head, preparing to dive. His wet shirt rode up, exposing a small portion of his lower back.
And the end of a thick scar.
I stared at it, wondering if the reason he didn’t walk around shirtless like Nash was because he was trying to keep something covered. As I pondered that, he jumped into the water and swam away.
Nash climbed onto the rock, taking Duke’s spot. “He kissed you, didn’t he?”
If there was any question that could pull my thoughts away from what I was thinking, it was that. I made a sound. “Why would you think that?”
“Because if I was him, I would have brought you back here to kiss you.”
I snorted but otherwise didn’t reply.
“Did you kiss him back?” he asked, all trace of arrogance and playfulness gone.
“No,” I whispered. “You interrupted.”
He grinned. “I’ve got damn good timing.”