She slanted her head as if curious about something, then shrugged and said, ‘Thanks … How bad are we beached?’ Belle let the sheet go with one hand to run her fingers through her wild hair.
God, there weren’t many women who looked that good straight out of bed, especially after sleeping on a sloping bunk. She had a red dent in the middle of her forehead probably from having it pressed against something during the night. Shame it wasn’t him.
‘Difficult to say,’ he said, tightness in his chest still affecting his voice. He cleared his throat and continued, steadily. ‘You’ll have to see for yourself.’
‘I was afraid of that. Damn,’ Belle muttered. ‘I’ll help myself to a bowl of something, if I can manage the milk.’
‘I’d go for bread and cheese.’
‘Okay …’ She eyed him questioningly.
He shrugged, ‘What?’
Belle groaned, sounding unhappy about something, Kabe just wasn’t sure what. She grumbled some more, swung around and tripped over the sheet. He watched helpless as she fell back against the steps. ‘Shit!’ she cried out in pain, clutching her side.
In a flash Kabe was down in the cabin on his knees next to her. Ebony hair hung like a curtain covering her face, as Belle’s forehead rested on the cabin floor, but what alarmed him was that she was making shallow gasping noises.
‘Your ribs,’ he said gently. ‘Let me have a look.’
‘No!’ Belle told him and tried to gather the sheet closer around herself.
‘No time for modesty, lift the sheet,’ Kabe ordered, losing patience.
She lifted her forehead off the floor and turned to face him with a look that would make a lesser man baulk. Under less serious circumstances, her glare would have made him smile.
‘Fine … but don’t look!’ she warned.
‘Okay, I’ll keep my eyes shut and just feel around,’ he teased.
Belle sighed, cupped her breasts and eased the sheet away from her side.
Kabe bent down to get a better look. ‘Good, at least it’s not on the same ribs you hit yesterday. Only another red mark and you’ll have another nasty bruise,’ he said and tenderly traced his fingers over her skin. Damn, but he wanted to kiss it better.
‘I suppose it could’ve been worse,’ Belle said, peering down.
‘I’ll get your things and you can pull them on here.’
‘No! It’s fine, I’ll make it back to my cabin. Go, so I can do this without an audience.’ She sounded pissed off.
‘You got it.’ With a last glance over his shoulder, Kabe mounted the steps up to the deck while keeping an eye on her. And just before she pulled the sheet up he noticed an edge of bright blue at the top of her bottom: her too. Then she clenched the sheet firmly between her teeth and scrambled out of view. He heard her muttering through a mouthful of cotton, ‘I’d sell my body for a double-shot latte.’
‘I have lots of great coffee,’ Kabe quietly chuckled.
‘That wasn’t an offer! It was merely … Ugh, never mind!’ Belle shouted from somewhere deep within the cabin.
Her spitfire retorts amused him. Kabe was ready with another wisecrack, but decided, for the moment anyway, to keep further comments to himself.
‘Women,’ he murmured. ‘Belle,’ he smiled.
Kabe left the cockpit to sit on the sloping deck. Back resting against the mast, he called out, ‘Come up when you’re ready, we can go for a walk … clear my head …’ he trailed off, determined to control his wayward mind … and body.
Grunts and curses floated up through the hatch and, after a while, Belle appeared munching on a cheese sandwich. She wore his tracksuit pants and one of his T-shirts, which hung in folds like a loose dress. It had slipped and revealed the lovely swell of her breast. Kabe sucked in a long breath. Fuck … no bra, soft, rounded, ripe for tasting.
‘Oh-my-God!’ Belle exclaimed, peering over the side of the yacht. ‘This is awful.’ She turned and, clinging to the safety line, padded up the sloping deck towards him. ‘I didn’t realise we were so close to the forest; I can almost touch the trees. What do we do now?’
She wasn’t quick enough to hide emotions that flickered across her face like a readout at the stock exchange. Worry, up 65 per cent; frustration, up 80 per cent; stress, being alone with him, up 95 per cent. Maybe with careful handling, he could bring those numbers down.
‘We wait.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m sure we can get her off with the next tide.’
‘Of course we can.’ She nodded and turned away towards the beach. ‘I can hear the waterfall gushing.’
‘Yes, we’ll never be out of fresh water.’
*
Belle took another bite of her sandwich and found it difficult to swallow. She moved her neck from side to side trying to loosen the knots in her stiff neck, which had given her a headache to boot.
‘Had an uncomfortable night?’ Kabe asked.
Belle nodded, shaded her eyes and turned away from him to admire the beauty that surrounded them. The deep blue bay became aqua in the crystal clear shallows. The sun sparkled on the water. Wavelets crept up the pure white sandy beach that curved away from them. To her left the hillside rose sharply, scattered with hoop-pines and palms which soared above the native shrubs. Dotted among the lush green where flowers of brilliant red and yellow shining brightly in the early morning sun. Belle spotted a morning glory vine, a weed that had crept up a couple of trees, smothering their canopies. She wondered what her Pop might do about the infestation, if he even knew he had one. A loud splash caught her attention and she turned to see a flash of silver as a large fish broke the surface. Excited, Belle pointed at the disappearing fish and glanced over her shoulder at Kabe, pain instantaneously shooting through her neck.
‘Ouch! Damn!’ she cried out grimacing; she clutched her neck, and with a sigh quickly faced the water again.
Strong, rugged hands were at her neck, pulling her fingers out of the way. Belle hadn’t heard him move; the moment he touched her nape she flinched.
‘What’re you doing?’ she whispered, body stiffening.
‘Just relax,’ Kabe murmured close to her ear as he began to massage the knots out of her muscles. ‘Relax,’ he repeated, his tone firm, but kind.
Belle tried to do as he asked, but just the feel of his skin against hers made her lightheaded. Slowly, she closed her eyes and let herself go. With every push to her neck, she swayed forward. His fingers moved down to her shoulders, thumbs digging in, releasing the tension. His hands on her felt fantastic. Then his arm came around the top of her chest, his hand at her opposite shoulder holding her to his side. With his free hand he massaged down between her shoulder blades then further to the small of her back, and up again. Her belly whirled, the sweet spot between her thighs ached to be touched. A bit more rubbing to her neck and he let her go.
Belle staggered, almost losing her footing on the sloping deck.
Kabe caught her around the waist. ‘Steady,’ he said, his voice husky, his half-closed ocean-blue eyes studying hers.
As if she’d just woken out of a dream, Belle blinked several times at his gentle, smiling face. Her eyes followed the contours of his jaw, down his neck and across to his bare, broad shoulders. ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. Stepping back out of his arms, he let her go, and she immediately regretted that he did.
‘My pleasure. Finish your sandwich and we’ll go for a walk.’ Then with a couple of strides, Kabe was sitting, just as she’d found him, with his back against the mast.
She took a bite of her cheese sandwich and tried to ignore the fact that she was feeling wired, turned on. She tried to hide it by babbling. ‘Pop’s island is magical. Hope it never changes.’
‘You can help him make sure it doesn’t,’ Kabe told her quietly.
‘Yes, but as long as Pop owns this island, nothing can happen … right?’
‘Yes … and no,’ Kabe said, crossing his arms.
‘Of course it won’t change, Pop owns it.’
&
nbsp; ‘Nothing ever stays the same,’ Kabe told her. ‘Shit happens.’
Belle swung around, mouth open on the verge of asking what shit, when she met his that’s-just-how-it-is expression. She couldn’t deny he had a point.
‘Ready for a walk?’ Kabe asked.
‘Sure, can we trek across the spit to Pop’s place?’
‘Don’t see why not.’
She could do this: a cosy walk on a hot steamy island with Kabe, the object of her teenage crush. ‘A walk would be better than staying here on your tilted boat … sorry, yacht.’
Kabe chuckled, took his cap off and rubbed his head with his fingertips, then put the cap back on, using the visor to adjust it until satisfied that it was comfortable. Belle had seen this male action countless times, but had never taken any real notice of it, until now. When Kabe did it—it looked hot. She couldn’t stop the giggle that popped out.
‘Going to let me in on the joke?’
‘You wouldn’t understand … It’s a girl thing.’
‘Yeah?’
His cap may have shaded his eyes, that didn’t mean she missed the wicked gleam in them. He looked relaxed, casual, as he rested an elbow on a raised knee, chin cupped in the palm of his hand. She hoped his thoughts about her were similar to those she had about him. Without thinking, Belle gave him a slow seductive smile. He cleared his throat, adjusted his shorts, grinned and his sexy dimple appeared.
Wow! She actually had an effect on him, it wasn’t her imagination. After all this time it felt good to have the tables turned.
‘Hmm, trouble with your shorts?’
‘You don’t know the half of it.’ He chuckled. ‘Are you ready to head out?’
He lifted his cap high enough for her to see his eyes that held a determined expression full of delectable promises. Could it be that all her fantasies about Kabe were hers for the taking?
Ensuring her voice wouldn’t falter, she cleared her throat. ‘Sure,’ she said without a hint that every bone in her body had turned liquid. ‘I don’t need shoes, do I? You’re not wearing any,’ she added, a little too brightly.
‘If it becomes a problem, I’ll sling you over my shoulder.’ Belle gave him a look, which he ignored. ‘You’ll get hot in that though,’ Kabe said, inclining his head towards the tracksuit. ‘Shame, the sheet tangled around you, was …’ and he stopped right there and grinned.
‘Are you going to misbehave all day?’ Belle’s I’m-not-amused look contradicted the humour she couldn’t keep out of her voice.
‘Depends,’ Kabe casually replied.
She eyed him, hands on hips, lips pursed, head slanted, trying to look like she had sass; she soon gave up that pretence, and clambered down the steps. She struggled to the makeshift clothes line, and yanked off her damp clothes. She quickly dressed and discovered that her practical, wide legged shorts had shrunk. She couldn’t close the top button, and pulling at the waistband made no difference. ‘Bugger!’ And her T-shirt had also shrunk—upwards. ‘Bugger!’ Belle pressed her lips together otherwise she might let fly with unsuitable language and then she’d have to explain what had provoked her outburst. At least this way he might not notice. She looked down at herself. ‘Yeah right.’ She gathered her shirt to one side and tied a knot in it, and slung her camera around her neck.
Belle came out on deck as if nothing were amiss.
‘Can I borrow this?’ she asked, holding up a cap.
*
Kabe’s mind floated in girlie calendar heaven, with Belle on every page. And here she was, living, breathing, stunning, just for him. He didn’t notice the mast pressing against his spine. Yeah, Mr Cool in a hot daze, which he couldn’t hide, not even from under the shade of his cap. She had bunched her T-shirt up exposing a lightly tanned, firm midriff. It was going to be a long, but interesting day. Was that a bellybutton ring glinting in the sun? He hadn’t noticed her shorts were so loose and skimpy yesterday, but then he hadn’t time to notice anything except saving her from drowning. His eyes dropped to her shapely legs then slowly drifted up her torso to her lovely face.
Belle moved closer. ‘Hey—I know you’re not asleep under there—far from it. For goodness sake, anybody would think I was wearing a string bikini.’
‘You got one?’ he asked hopefully, while peering up in to her sweet, fresh face.
She ignored him. ‘You haven’t answered me yet—can I borrow this?’ she asked again, jiggling the cap in front of him.
‘Sure,’ Kabe drawled lazily, ‘I’d like nothing better than have you slip into something of mine.’
Belle raised an eyebrow. ‘I already have, twice … Forget I said that! This is a cap, can I borrow it?’ she asked unable to hide her amusement.
Yeah, Kabe thought, you have. With effort and a groan, he pushed himself away from the mast. ‘Sleeping on a slanting boat certainly takes it out of you.’
‘Really? I hadn’t noticed.’ Belle eyed him and offered her hand. ‘You must be feeling your age,’ she said, hauling him to his feet.
‘Okay—okay,’ he said, hands up in submission. ‘I walked right into that one, but then I wasn’t the one crying out for a neck and back massage. You ready?’ he asked, sliding down the deck.
‘You … I didn’t … you just came up behind me and …’ She joined him, fiddling with her T-shirt, trying to pull it down past her lovely navel … and bellybutton ring.
Thoughts of his mouth doing things to her navel invaded his thoughts until …
‘Belle?’
Startled by his deadly serious tone, she stared at him, wide eyed. ‘You’re not going to tell me that an enormous hairy spider drifted down from the trees and is now right next to my bare leg—are you?’ she whispered, rubbing at her upper arms. ‘I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about it.’
‘No spiders. Did I do this—?’ he asked, tenderly circling his fingers around her wrist, lifting her arm up for a closer inspection of the angry bruises on her forearm.
‘Oh is that all?’ He watched her sag with relief. ‘It’s not like you did it on purpose. It was either that, or watch me drown.’ She peered down at his fingers. ‘If I didn’t have these marks, I wouldn’t be here. I might get them tattooed on, you know, as a permanent reminder.’
His mind flashed back reliving the moment, when all that was between her and certain drowning was his grip and sheer determination. Thinking about it made his chest hurt. ‘You’re right, but neither one of us would be here. I would never have let you go it alone.’ His tone carried the weight of his words. ‘And there’ll be no tattoos of my fingerprints on your beautiful skin.’ Eyes capturing hers, he kissed her arm and grinned. ‘Unless it’s on your arse.’
‘Well actually I have … never mind.’ The twinkle in her eyes gave her away.
‘You have a tat on your arse?’ He grinned until his face ached; he probably looked like a guy who’d just had all his fantasies presented to him in a very delectable package.
He barked out a laugh and it felt great. Everything about Belle Fabrini felt great. She was addictive. He’d bet anything she hadn’t a clue how much she’d always affected him. And he would find out what she had on her cute round arse.
An overwhelming need to keep touching her silky skin spread through him, tightening his chest, his gut. He fought against a raging hard-on.
‘You’re something else,’ he finally managed to say whilst gently stroking the marks on her skin as if he could make them disappear.
A flush rose to her cheeks, which made him smile.
Christ, Kabe thought. He let go of her arm and quickly moved away to get below and fill a backpack with snacks. Back in the cockpit, he grabbed a water flask from a locker under the bench. ‘Let’s go,’ he ordered, strapping the flask to his hips.
*
Belle watched Kabe climb down the rope ladder, determined to follow with as much poise as possible. He dropped into the water and looked up. ‘Come on, what are you waiting for?’
‘Um … oh, I don’t know �
��’ Her smart mouth seemed to have deserted her. She pulled her gaze away from his glistening broad, round shoulders, muttering, ‘Don’t make a fool of yourself, and keep your camera dry.’ She wobbled down every rung, held her camera to her chest and jumped the last couple of feet. She hit the shallow water and steeply sloping sand, which yielded under her feet, threatening to throw her off balance. Kabe’s arm slipped around her waist to hold her steady. His firm grasp sent a flutter into her chest and Belle felt the urge to laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all. She should just jump him and get it over with.
He gave her a squeeze and a quirky smile, and said, ‘Take my hand.’
She took it, and dragging behind, watched him push through the water with a seesawing shoulder action that Belle found mesmerising as she bounce-skipped along in his wake.
They waded out of the shallows and, with a sigh of regret, Belle released his hand. They hit the warm sand; it felt good to stand on solid ground and not a moving deck or one that sloped. She took a few photos of The Ondine and as she turned saw Kabe enter the rainforest where it met the beach. Somewhere behind the greenery there was the rush and tinkle of a waterfall cascading over rocks.
Belle caught up to Kabe. ‘I’ve always loved this place,’ she whispered, lifting her face. ‘Feel the mist against your skin, so cooling.’
‘Yeah, a little downpour and hey, fresh water … the perfect place for a …’ he trailed off, kneeling on a rock to rinse and fill the water flask.
Straightening, he attached the flask to his belt, took a step forward and cupped his hands under the rushing waterfall. About to take a drink, he hesitated, then turned to face her. ‘Drink?’ he offered.
Belle dipped her head and drank; the cool water slid down her throat. Her eyes focused on his large masculine hands, the same hands that had saved her life were so close she could kiss them. Damn! She came up for air and wiped her mouth. ‘Thank you.’ Her voice barely a whisper, her mind and the mellow place below her navel in a whirl. She had to hold herself in check or she might hug this incredible man.
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