Falling in Fiji

by Casey Hagen

  "Do any of them die during this process?"

  "I won't lie to you, Miss Corrine. It does happen. We have a high success rate, though, and it's rare for us to lose one."

  She nodded and held her breath as Uri slid in a tiny scalpel, running it just under the pearl lying inside. With a pair of long tweezers, he pulled the pearl out and laid it on a clean white cloth. Uri took care to attend to the oyster, getting it back to the salt water before worrying about the pearl it yielded, making Corrine respect him even more than she already did.

  He handled each one with the same care. She watched Everett study the whole process with intense concentration. It was a look she’d become familiar with over their days together. He wore the same expression when he cooked, when he handled business, and when he handled her.

  Something had shifted today. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the way he looked at her. Inside her. It was intense, and heaven help her, she wanted more. More of his caring, more of his humor, and definitely more of the way he touched her.

  In four days, he had shown more caring than she could recall over the years from her own mother. Her father was affectionate, when he had time. To this day, he remained firmly entrenched in his work at the hospital. More often than not, Corrine and Hannah felt as though they were being raised by a single parent. Maybe that explained her mother and her high standards. It was highly possible that her mother had carried some secret burdens of her own all these years. She could never fully agree with the way her mother had treated Hannah and herself, but she might be able to make peace with their mother. In time.

  An hour had passed before Uri finished harvesting his last oyster. He handed each pile of pearls to Toshi, who cleaned and inspected them under a bright light. Most were round or semi-round. The semi-rounds would make excellent pendants. Each harvest had a handful of keshi pearls, which were more oval shaped, like a long grain of rice. Although not as desired, they could be used to make interesting bridges between their more perfect counterparts.

  "Hmmm," Toshi said. "You chose well, Miss Corrine. You have three keshi, three semi-round, and six round pearls."

  "Is it normal for a strand to have so many round pearls?"

  He looked up to her over his shoulder. "No, Miss Corrine, it's not. Uri say you design jewelry. I daresay these oysters might have picked you."

  Everett smiled down at her. "I think Toshi may be right."

  "That's impossible."

  "We have legend here in Fiji. Pearls carry souls of black oyster. Souls try to find their mates. You were meant for these pearls."

  Goosebumps rose on Corrine's arms. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to rub the small bumps away.

  "You have two lavender, both AAA grade, a chocolate that's AA grade, two peacocks, one AA and one AAA, and a blue. Blue very rare. I daresay your blue is AAAA grade."

  Everett took her arm when she gasped. "What is it?"

  "Less than two percent of pearls in the world are graded so high." She turned to Toshi. "I can't take those, it's too much."

  Toshi bundled up the pearls in a small velvet-lined pouch. He opened her hand and gently laid the bag in her palm, then curled her fingers closed over it. "Toshi say they choose you. You must take them."

  She tried to blink back tears, but a couple managed to sneak past her. "Thank you,” she whispered.

  "Now, Toshi look at Mr. Everett's bounty."

  He bent over his work again. He cleaned, examined, and laid each out. "Mr. Everett has four keshi, two semi-round, three olive, all grade AAA, one green grade AA, one chocolate grade AAA, a silver grade AA, and last, but certainly not least, a gold. One perfect gold grade AAAA."

  "Oh my God." Corrine covered her mouth with her hand.

  "Is that good?"

  "I don't know how we ended up with so many valuable pearls. It defies logic."

  Toshi bundled up Everett's pearls. She noticed that he slid the gold pearl into its own bag. He pressed the one bag into Everett's hand and held up the other. "This is gold pearl of the highest grade. Very special. Gold is for compassion, love, passion, and courage. You must save this pearl for the right time. For one who is worthy of it."

  "I will. Thank you, Toshi."

  Toshi looked from Corrine back to Everett. "I'm sure you will, Mr. Everett. I'm sure you will.”

  They grabbed a late lunch at a nearby restaurant Uri recommended. Neither of them mentioned the pearls or what Toshi said about the legend. Everett slid into the booth next to her, as he had done in the past. Only this time she didn't get annoyed. He put his strong arm around her, pulling her in. She snuggled into him, inhaling the sexy combination of seawater and the lingering cologne on his T-shirt.

  "Did you want to go on another adventure today?"

  Tipping her head up, she studied his handsome face. His strong jaw with a hint of stubble filling in after his morning shave. Soft lips he used to tease and torture her equally. Small lines fanned away from those dark blue eyes that seemed to see right inside her soul. His kindness overwhelmed her. His caring made her feel safe. The way he always reached for her, and the hot looks, made her feel desired. Maybe her sister was right.

  "I think I’d much rather go back to our bungalow and spend some alone time with you."

  She savored the feel of his hand brushing her cheek and the light play of his lips over hers. "What are you up to, Corrine Anderson?"

  She rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip. At the contact, his arm flexed tighter around her and his eyelids grew heavy. "I'm not up to anything."

  She sucked in a startled breath when he bit down on her thumb. "I just thought it might be nice to relax in the sun for a bit, have some wine, and later take a walk on the beach."

  "Whatever you want, Angel."

  16 The Wanting

  Before they could even close the door to the bungalow, Everett's phone went off.

  "I need to take this."

  "Of course. I'll just get ready to lounge outside." Before she finished her sentence, he was already heading for the living room and his tablet. She sighed. His work continued to interrupt him. Often she heard the pings on his phone in the wee hours of the morning. He deserved an uninterrupted vacation. Although short, the calls were still interruptions.

  She didn't have much room to talk, though, since her phone kept going off with texts from her mother. She tried to ignore them, but she finally gave in and read them all. What a waste of time! Her mother had nothing new to offer. She seemed to be losing her steam, though. She’d dropped from fifteen texts a day to four or five.

  Corrine chose a red halter bikini, loving the way the fabric gave her the appearance of cleavage. A girl could pretend, right? Was that one of the reasons Jordan cheated? She had, unfortunately, noticed that the woman he was balls-deep in had huge breasts. Fake ones with that weird, unnatural line around them. Plus they didn't move when he thrust into her. Even Corrine's small breasts moved during sex. Breasts should move during sex. She shuddered. Creepy.

  Ugh! Why was she even thinking about him? And why was she letting what he did make her feel like she was less than? She was faithful. She worked hard. She was honorable. He was pond scum. Never again would she fall for a guy in the corporate world. She had no interest in the games, the boys’ club, and the hidden lifestyles.

  After grabbing a couple magazines, she poked her head into the living room, where Everett spoke in low tones, his hands typing away on the keyboard he had attached to his tablet. Feeling a little let down, but determined to relax, Corrine headed for the lounge chairs facing the brilliant blue ocean.

  She raised the back and settled onto the chaise. The warm rays making their way toward the horizon warmed her skin. She opened the magazine on a dog-eared page, Alexa's doing, of Sex Positions to Drive Your Man Wild.

  She scanned some of the various positions, having no clue what most of them were. Maybe Jordan had sensed her inexperience, so he strayed. It's not like she wasn't capable of learning. In light of how she caught
him, she should just be thankful she didn't learn from him.

  Gosh, they got right to the point, didn’t they? Number one… Reverse Cowgirl—Ride in reverse, make your man burst. Bonus benefit—he'll go wild watching your sexy ass bounce with each thrust!

  Her cheeks flamed. She couldn't help it—she giggled. She jumped at a sound behind her. Everett stood bent over the back of her chair, reading over her shoulder. "You have a bad habit of doing that!"

  "Angel, there's not a man on the planet who could resist a peek at what you're reading." He reached under her chin and tilted her head back to look up at him. "What position drives you wild?"

  Helpless to look away, she got lost in those dark blue eyes roaming her face.

  "You want to talk about—"

  "Sex."

  "Sex," she whispered.

  "Corrine Anderson, you walked right up to me and dared me on this vacation. You've been kissing me for days. I made you come twice not ten feet from this very spot. But talking about sex embarrasses you?"

  She closed her eyes and sighed. "Those were random moments of madness.”

  He dipped those fingers between her breasts, setting off a slow, intense heat between her legs. "Oh, but I don't think they were. You know what I think, Corrine Anderson? Deep down, in places you keep buried from your colleagues, family, and friends, beats the racing heart of a woman who wants to take risks and break out from under the crushing weight of expectations."

  "What—?"

  He held up a hand. "No point in arguing. I see you, Corrine Anderson. I see all of you."

  "Sitting."

  "What?"

  "My favorite position is sitting—both of us, I mean. I guess it could be done in a chair." Her cheeks turned bright red, but she didn't look away.

  Heart pounding fast in his chest, he asked, "Why sitting?"

  She tried to look away.

  "Why, Corrine Anderson?"

  "I—um, I have a hard time…"

  "Tell me."

  "It's embarrassing."

  "You're getting to know me. You will know me." He meant it. They would know each other. Everything about each other. He would make knowing her in every way his priority. This was no longer about a light, fun vacation. She wouldn't be a fling.

  He wanted to know everything about her. What made her laugh? What made her cry? Her hopes. Her dreams. Her greatest heartaches. Her most important triumphs. A small piece at a time, she bared all. For a man so steeped in order and reason, the idea of forgoing logic and grabbing on to uncertainty should level him. But the minute Corrine's dare upturned his hundred-mile-per-hour life, he’d envisioned positive changes.

  She gazed into his eyes, biting her lip. She shocked him by curling her hand around the nape of his neck. The warmth of her touch set of a riot of sensations inside him. Pulling him down, she mumbled in his ear, "I can't orgasm unless I'm on top."

  Every muscle he had tensed. His balls drew up tight, and although he would swear it was impossible, he grew harder. "You’ve never learned your body."

  Confusion clouded her pretty olive eyes. "I don't know what you mean."

  He bent to her ear and breathed in her warm scent. Vanilla lingered from her perfume, melding with the warm coconut of her sunscreen. Each scent seared on his brain and would forever be Corrine. "It means you can orgasm in multiple ways, you just haven't learned what those ways are."

  "I want to learn."

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead. The press of his lips to her skin was so erotic he might as well be lying naked wrapped around her. "And you will."

  She curled into him again and sighed. "Everett?"

  "What is it, Angel?"

  "I'm glad I dared you."

  Pressing his cheek to the top of her head, he took a deep breath. "I'm glad you did too. Come on. Walk with me."

  17 The Walk

  He palmed the yellow pearl in his pocket as he waited for Corrine. She bounced out of the bungalow in a pretty white sundress. Her waves framed her face and danced over her smooth, tan shoulders. She treated him to one of those shy smiles before taking his outstretched hand. He pulled her in for a warm kiss, sipping at her lips, enjoying the sweet taste of her strawberry lip gloss.

  "Mmmm," she murmured. Her long lashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes.

  "You taste good, Angel. Too good. Come on," he said, tugging her hand. "Before I forget my manners."

  She gave him a flirty smile. "I think I'd like to see you forget your manners."

  He pulled her body against his. Hard. "You sure about that?"

  Her smile faltered. "I think I'm sure."

  "Not good enough, Corrine Anderson. Let's walk."

  He didn't know what to expect once they left their private expanse of beach, but he was pleasantly surprised their bungalow ran alongside an undeveloped area of the island. Delicate waves lapped the shoreline. Sea birds swooped in, nipping at the water where fish jumped in the last of the late evening sun melting into the horizon.

  "Can I ask you something?" she said.

  "You can ask me anything."

  "If this is your vacation, why do you keep working?"

  So, she had noticed. He'd done well to only have a few interruptions; the one tonight was one of his more complicated ones. "I have a lot of people who depend on me."

  "I understand, but they can't do without you for a week? I mean, once you've worked with them, aren't they tiptop? Financially speaking.”

  "The people who depend on me most aren't my clients. My family depends on me. My dad's cancer ate up a lot of money. Money I paid, to make sure he had the best treatment. As long as my clients turn to me all the time, I know I can afford whatever my parents might need."

  She nodded and ran her free hand over his forearm. "I wish you could have the week without being bothered. It's not like you took off for three or four weeks. It's seven days."

  "I'm trying to keep it to a minimum. Remember, I did only have twelve hours of notice before this vacation.”

  "So it would have been different had you been able to plan?"

  Probably not, but he didn't need to tell her that. "I could have done better with more planning." Not exactly a confirmation he would have put the work away, but it was the best he could do.

  "You're really close with your family, aren't you?"

  "Very. Always have been."

  "Do they live in San Francisco too?"

  "My parents are in Modesto. My sister and her family live in Sonora."

  "Isn't it a long drive to visit with them?"

  "We meet every Sunday at my parents’ for dinner. It's not too bad. Usually, I get over there one evening a week too."

  "You're so lucky to have them."

  "My parents would love you." He smiled down at her. "My mother especially. Such enthusiasm you have for family dinner."

  "I don't know if I've ever had a nice family dinner, just to visit. There always seemed to be an agenda. Something my parents needed or a dinner to keep up appearances."

  It was time Corrine found out how a family could be. Should be. When they got back to the real world, he would take her to meet his parents. They would spoil her. Just what she needed. "What about you and your sister? Are you two close?"

  "We are. It's just, we're in different directions, you know? She's having a baby, setting up for a family, and I'm—well, I guess I'm starting over."

  "Does starting over include your own jewelry line?" He watched as she bit her lower lip. She probably didn't realize, but she started flexing her hand over and over. A nervous gesture, he’d discovered. "I think it does. I guess it depends on whether I have an interested investor."

  "Is that the only way you would go for it?"

  "Yes. I know you really want me to go for it, but understand, I refuse to turn to my parents. I have to plan for if it doesn't work out."

  He put his arm around her, pulling her close. In a minute, they would be back at their bungalow. "It's going to work out."

  "You
can't know that."

  "I know. You might have heard it somewhere already, but I'm pretty smart."

  "And modest to boot!"

  Coming to a stop in front of their bungalow, he pulled her around, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her right off her feet. She shocked him when she wrapped those smooth legs around his waist, locking her sandy bare feet behind him.

  "You're playing with fire, Corrine Anderson." He searched those rich eyes.

  "Show me." She nipped at his bottom lip, making his eyes cross and his dick jerk in his shorts. "Stay with me in my bed tonight and show me."

  Pressing his forehead to hers, her sweet breath mingling with his, he asked, "Are you sure this time?" Please be sure.

  "Positive."

  She started to pull her legs from around him. "Don't! Leave those sexy legs right where they are."

  "But I'm heavy."

  He laughed and slid his hands down under her dress, gripping each cheek. Sliding his fingers under the edge of her silky underwear, he found moist heat. She stiffened then clutched his shoulders tighter. If her whimper was any indication, Corrine was just as desperate as he. "I think I can handle it."

  18 The Claiming

  Corrine held on for the ride as Everett ate up the space between the beach and their bungalow. The fingers exploring her left her needy and aching. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the spicy scent of his cologne. When the door slammed, she jumped. Awash in a soft light from sconces, the bungalow cocooned them in a romantic glow.

  In a flash, Everett had her pressed against the wood surface. She hissed at the contrast of the cool door against her hot skin.

  "Are you okay?"

  "Perfect. Don't stop!"

  At her command, he plundered. Swallowing her gasps, he took her mouth, sliding his tongue with hers, sucking, licking, and nipping, driving her out of what was left of her mind. The slide of his finger inside her wet heat made her pull away and cry out. She had never been assaulted by so many wonderful sensations at once.