Alex remained in attack position a moment longer then relaxed and straightened. “He warned me about you,” she gasped while shaking her head. “I should have known he was right. He’s always right.”
“Was Bronson armed when Holt killed him?” Damon asked while raising a clever brow.
Alex stared at Damon with surprise, uncertain how to respond, and then looked away. “I misspoke,” she announced timidly. “I’m sorry.”
“Trust me; I’m used to it.”
Monster climbed down his tree, slinked quietly toward Dennis’ body, and sniffed it.
Alex saw him near the body and gasped with surprise. “Monster, no!”
Monster hissed then scurried back up his tree.
Damon grabbed his shirt from the nearby rock and slipped into it. “Yeah, we don’t want him developing a taste for human flesh,” he remarked.
She suddenly cringed. “Oh, that’s disgusting.”
“Keep him from eating that one while I dispose of this one,” Damon instructed. “It’s a good twenty minutes to the bluffs and back.”
Damon left with Arnold’s lifeless body. Alex sat on a nearby rock and stared at the dead man. She couldn’t believe the thoughts racing through her mind at that moment. She couldn’t process what had just happened. Could killing them be justified? Holt appeared in the clearing, saw the dead man, and hurried for Alex. He pulled her into his arms and away from the body.
“What happened?” he asked and immediately scanned her for injuries. “Did that man hurt you?”
She pulled away from him, stared into his eyes, and put on a brave front for his sake. “Two men jumped Damon,” she informed him. “I intervened, and Damon killed them.”
Holt stared at her a moment as if not understanding a word she said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she replied and managed a tiny smile. “They were bad men.” She indicated the dead man not far from them. “That one was overly enthusiastic to meet me.”
Holt’s look turned cold as his eyes narrowed. “Remind me to thank Damon.”
“I was a little hard on him,” she informed Holt. “I didn’t expect him to kill them so swiftly like that. I mean, I understand his logic, but it was just unsettling. I’m not sure how I feel about what happened.”
“We’re in a lawless land filled with very evil men,” Holt informed her while gently touching her shoulder as he stared into her eyes. “I guess he’s hardened to it, but that doesn’t make him wrong.”
“I know,” she replied while remaining deep in thought. She understood, but she just wanted to make the images go away.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Later that day, Alex sat on the beach while insecurely clinging to her knees and watched the tide as it crashed to shore then gently rolled out again. Monster sunned himself on a large rock while on his back with all four feet in the air and his long tail dangling limply to the ground. When Alex heard someone approach, she looked back and saw Damon appear on the beach. She avoided looking at him as he joined her on the white sand.
“I thought you went home,” she remarked.
“Holt was in a talkative mood,” Damon replied with little emotion. “I think he’s concerned that we were meeting secretly. He’d probably be distraught if he knew you’d been in the tree the whole time.”
She immediately felt her cheeks redden and turned defensive while casting a quick look at him. “I wasn’t spying,” she insisted. “I was reading.”
“I’m sure that’s the case,” he casually replied, although it was possible he didn’t believe her. “I’m sorry I had to kill those men in front of you. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I understand why you had to do it,” she replied and tried to wipe the image from her mind.
“During the eight years I’ve been stranded here, more than twenty men died,” he informed her without prompting. “We were dealing with two serial killers who attacked and killed the others for the sheer joy of it. In order to survive, we implemented our own justice system.” He raised his brows while staring at her even though she didn’t look at him. “Zero tolerance. We’ve been murder-free for nearly three years. A couple of us police the prison and keep the violence down.” He chuckled. “In case you hadn’t guessed, I’m public enemy number one. A split second, one moment of hesitation, and I assure you I’d be the one dead.”
“I understand.”
She did understand, but she’d never imagined a world so violent before. Then again, she’d never met such violent men before either.
“Do you? You haven’t looked at me since I sat down,” he remarked and seemed tense while straightening. “Makes me think you’re either mad or afraid of me.”
Alex fidgeted and still refused to look at him. She drew a deep breath and held it a moment. “I, uh, sort of saw you naked.”
Damon stared at her profile with surprise then chuckled. “Think you’ll be emotionally scarred for life?” he teased.
She managed a tiny laugh. “Could be.”
“I suppose it’s safe to assume that was a first for you,” he remarked while staring at the ocean where he sat alongside her. “Well, if it doesn’t bother me, it shouldn’t bother you.” He then considered the comment and made a face. “Of course, a good day for me is any day I don’t see a naked man.”
“Could be why you don’t spend a lot of time at the prison,” she teased while casting a glance at him.
He sighed deeply and frowned. “Too many years in the Navy and now here,” he replied while reflecting back. “I’d rather be out on my own. There are thirty men in the prison, and I only like two. One is my old Navy buddy.”
She finally felt comfortable enough to look at him. “What did you do to earn your place here?”
Damon eyed her, a little surprised by the blunt question.
Alex immediately fidgeted. “Sorry. I suppose that was a bit personal.”
“No, you should want to know if I’m a murderer or rapist,” he insisted, defending her question. He straightened proudly. “I don’t tolerate rapists or child molesters. I’d love to say I’m not a murderer, but as you saw today, that’s subjective. Bundy and I were Navy SEALs. That’s why we took charge of policing the prison. How we got our ticket here is a totally different story.” He leaned back on his hands and stretched his legs out in front of him. “We hitched a ride on the prison transport in a less than fully sanctioned rescue mission to break out our SEAL friend. After the shit hit the fan, we retained our cover as prisoners to avoid being targeted by the others.”
She stared at him with a cleverly raised brow and a ‘be for real’ look. “Do you honestly think I’m that naive?” Alex demanded.
“Believe what you want,” he casually replied. “The Navy has us MIA. They could vouch for me, although I doubt we’ll ever see a rescue.”
She considered his story, uncertain if she believed him or not, although something else bugged her regarding the prison. “What did happen at the prison?”
“I couldn’t say. We arrived late to the party,” he informed her. “When we arrived on the prison transport ship, no one from the prison greeted us. The guards from the ship went to investigate and never came back.” He sank into thought a moment as if reliving that day. He shook his head. “When we finally managed to free ourselves, we found nothing but blood within the prison. No bodies. Not even the guards from our ship. Everyone had just vanished.” He sighed softly. “In the eight years we’ve been stranded here, nothing strange has ever happened. The only reasonable explanation is someone attacked the prison, thought they’d killed everyone, and left by boat long before we managed to free ourselves from the prison transport ship. In those eight years, I’ve been all over this island, and I never found anything unusual.”
She stared at him with surprise and mild horror. “Talk about creepy.”
“Enough about the prison I call home,” he announced and eyed her while grinning. “I was impressed by how you handled yourself back there today. I
thought you were just attempting to intimidate them. I had no idea you were intimidating.”
“Holt taught me, although it’s completely different fighting for real than when we spar for fun,” she informed him. “I can honestly say I prefer play fighting with Holt over the real thing.”
“I’m trained in combat fighting and special ops but only limited martial arts,” he informed her then chuckled. “I’m not so sure I could beat you in a fair fight.”
“I’d be willing to let you win one out of three,” she teased with a smile meant to mock him.
Damon raised his brows while hiding his grin. “Is that a challenge?”
Alex frowned and reconsidered. “If Holt knew, he’d be upset with me.”
Damon grinned deviously. “Come on, show me what you’ve got, little girl.”
She glared at him with a moderately offended look. “Little girl?”
“Navy trash talk,” he teased then winked at her. “I’m baiting you.”
She laughed at the comment. “Okay,” she finally agreed. “Poles or hand-to-hand?”
“I’ve seen you use that pole,” he announced while chuckling. “I’d like to maintain a little bit of my ego. Hand-to-hand. No hard hits.” He then pointed a warning finger at her. “And no groin shots.”
“I won’t pull anything I wouldn’t do with Holt,” she insisted with an innocent smile.
Both stood and brushed the sand from their legs. Damon removed his shoes, faced her, and attempted to hide his boyish grin. He seemed a little too eager to spar with her. Alex bowed to him. Damon appeared humored and bowed in response. She took a defensive fighting stance. Damon took a military combat stance. Alex maintained no expression despite Damon’s grin. Monster now moved to his belly, hung his head over the rock, and watched with apparent interest. Damon made the first move on Alex. She blocked a punch, flipped into a pinwheel using no hands and kicked him in the chest while nearly upside down. As Damon was thrown onto his backside, Alex gracefully straightened.
“One--zero,” Alex announced.
Damon stared at her towering above him with surprise then picked himself up and brushed off the sand. “What the hell was that?”
She grinned. “I’m bendy.”
Both again bowed and took their attack positions. Damon again moved to attack her. Alex spun into a high, roundhouse kick. Damon pulled his head back with little room to spare, barely avoiding her kick. As Alex landed, he moved. She kicked the opposite direction and knocked him sideways onto the sand. Damon again picked himself up.
“So much for my ego,” he muttered.
“Would you like to call no kicks above the waist?” she asked with a curious look.
“Yeah, let’s try that.”
They again bowed and took their fighting stances. Damon lunged for Alex. She dove to the sand and swept his legs out from under him. She was back on her feet and in position before he even landed.
Damon groaned and slowly moved to his feet. “You’re like part cat or something,” he remarked. “Maybe you could come at me for a change.”
“Holt likes me to fight defensively only,” she informed him. “I don’t usually initiate.”
“Fair enough,” he replied. “Let’s implement a ‘no kicks’ policy.”
She conceded. They bowed and resumed their attack positions. Damon again went after Alex, throwing a punch. She blocked his soft punch with her arms and one with her leg.
“That was a kick,” he was quick to point out.
“No, that was a block,” she firmly insisted. “It’s legal.”
They resumed fighting, finally allowing Damon a few shots. Alex blocked everything he brought at her then jabbed him in the ribs and flipped him over her hip. He landed roughly in the sand. Damon lay on the sand a moment, groaned in disgust, and finally got up. He glared at her as he brushed sand from his pants.
“You’re ruthless.”
“And you’re down four--zero.”
They went into another round of blocks and punches. Alex continued to block his aggressive advances. She appeared to contemplate a kick, backed off, and left herself open to be caught. Damon immobilized her arm and finally thought he had the advantage over her. Alex tossed herself over his hip, took him off balance, and threw him to the ground while skillfully landing on top of him. Damon stared at Alex with surprise at her position over him. She straddled his hips while pinning his shoulders to the sand and grinned at him.
“Game, set, match.”
Damon appeared stunned then grinned with apparent humor. “You beat me. I win.”
As she hovered over him, she stared at him with surprise by the comment. “How do you figure that?” she demanded.
Damon flipped her onto her back and pinned her to the sand with his body in a compromising position. Alex stared with surprise at Damon now on top of her.
“It’s subjective,” he teased then kissed her quickly but passionately on the mouth. He taunted her with a lustful smile and jumped to his feet.
Alex immediately stood and faced him, feeling more baffled than upset. She didn’t even know what had just happened or why he was so pleased with himself.
“I’ve enjoyed being repeatedly thrown to the ground, but I should probably quit while I’m ahead,” he teased then approached his pack and slipped into his shoes.
Alex watched him with some bewilderment. “You confuse me. I’m obviously missing something,” she announced while continuing to stare at him. “Why are you suddenly in a hurry? Don’t make me ask Holt to explain it to me.”
He stared at her with an oddly concerned look. “You’re not going to tell Holt, are you?” Damon immediately frowned. “He doesn’t approve of us talking let alone rolling around the sand together.”
It then dawned on her what had happened, and she groaned with realization. “Oh, damn it,” she cried out then shook her head. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
“Now I’m confused,” Damon remarked while staring at her with a baffled look as he cocked his head. “Did what again?”
“Holt specifically told me not to straddle any part of a man’s body,” she remarked then frowned, annoyed with herself. “I wasn’t thinking.”
Damon stared at her with his mouth hanging open and appeared surprised while considering her comment. “He said what?”
“It affects brain activity and causes sexual responses,” she replied and shook her head shamefully. “I’m sorry if what I did bothered you.”
Damon stared at her with a loss for words. He finally shook his head and raised his brows demandingly. “I recommend you don’t take sexual advice from Holt.” He set his pack down, took her hand in his, and looked into her eyes. “You have my permission to straddle any part of my body you want.” A grin crossed his face. “I enjoy sexual responses with great enthusiasm. It reminds me that I’m still alive.”
Damon smiled warmly and kissed the back of her hand. As his lips touched her hand, Alex could only stare helplessly. Her heart was pounding, although she was uncertain why. The strange ache throughout her body was even more troubling. He stared into her eyes a moment longer then gently touched her face and brushed his lips past hers. Alex tensed while her heart pounded in her chest. Damon kissed her warmly but passionately while pulling her against him. She liked the way his body felt against hers, and there was no denying she enjoyed his mouth pressing against hers.
Alex nervously returned the kiss, although she was uncertain if she did it correctly. Damon kissed her more passionately and with some aggression. She assumed she’d done it correctly, judging by his response. The sensation was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Her pounding heart and the strange ache throughout her body seemed to increase to the point where it was almost painful. Alex returned the passionate kiss, hoping the feeling wouldn’t end. Damon broke off the kiss and groaned.
“I need to go before I make a very bad decision,” he informed her timidly then hesitated while staring into her eyes. Alex hadn’t moved, remaining
happily clueless. “Ah, hell, he can kill me if he wants to.”
Damon pulled her against him and kissed her with passion and aggression. Alex immediately returned the kiss with more enthusiasm now that his body was again pressed against hers. As his hands traveled her body, she felt an overwhelming desire. She was suddenly curious about sex and wondered if that’s where they were heading. Damon again broke off the kiss and appeared almost frustrated, although he refused to release her. She was glad because his body felt good against hers
“Stop encouraging my bad behavior,” he insisted as his hands continued to travel her body, almost as if he could no longer control them.
She stared into his eyes, uncertain how she was supposed to respond. “I never really had a boyfriend,” she gently informed him. “I like the way you feel against me.” She hesitated and stared at him with concern. “Is that wrong?”
For a moment, Damon stared at her as if unable to respond. “No, of course not,” he insisted while practically fumbling over his words. “I just don’t want to take advantage of you. Your innocence is a bit intimidating.” Damon finally released her and took her hand without taking his eyes from hers. “I’ll be at the hot springs tomorrow afternoon. If we see each other, Holt can’t know. He’ll never allow it.”
“If I agree to meet you there, can we take it slow?” she asked.
“I’ll gladly let you set the pace,” he replied warmly while caressing her hand in his. “I’m just happy to hold you.”
Chapter Thirty
Later that afternoon, Alex and Holt sat at the cabin table with cups of tea before them. Alex was preoccupied with what happened on the beach with Damon. The entire incident was confusing, since she didn’t understand her emotions, and she certainly couldn’t ask Holt to help her better understand them either. She wasn’t sure how long she stared into her tea before Holt became concerned by her silence.
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