Uncharted: An On the Island Novella: (A Penguin Special from Dutton)

by Tracey Garvis Graves

  • • •

  She was still in my arms when I woke up the next morning, but at some point we’d both shifted, and she was now lying half on top of me, with her head on my chest and her leg wedged between mine, which felt incredible yet agonizing since there wasn’t much I could do about it at the moment. I kept my eyes closed and focused on how good it felt with the weight of her on my body. I was highly aware of the rise and fall of our chests, our movements synchronized.

  I turned my head when I heard a sound to my left. Surprisingly, James had woken up earlier than me and his sister for once. He looked at Calia lying in my arms, but his blank expression made it hard to determine what he was thinking. He left the house, shutting the door quietly behind him.

  I started to ease Calia off of my chest, which woke her up. I had one hand up the back of her T-shirt and the other was wrapped around her upper arm. I wanted to pull the length of her as close to me as I could, and stroke her skin, but I held her gaze and said, “I need to go talk to your brother.”

  She raised her head a few inches and looked down at me. Her eyes were still half closed and her hair looked like someone had been running their hands through it all night. It made me wish the hands had been mine. “Okay,” she said.

  He was down by the water.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey.” He must have grabbed the snorkel gear on his way out of the house because the mask hung around his neck. “So. You like my sister,” James said.

  I admired his direct approach. No beating around the bush for James. If he kept it up, he’d do just fine in business. “Well, I like you both,” I said.

  He bent down to slide his feet into the fins. “I mean you like her.”

  I looked him in the eye and nodded. “That, too. You okay with it?”

  “Would it matter if I wasn’t?” he asked.

  He didn’t use a hostile or accusatory tone. He sounded more like a guy who took the responsibility of making sure his sister was okay very seriously, and I remembered what Calia had said about James being the man of the house. From what I’d already observed, he’d done an outstanding job. He deserved my respect. “It would to me. Look, if my sister and I were as close as you and Calia, and it was just the two of us, I’d be paying very close attention to any guy that came near her. Just like you are. If I wasn’t cool with something, I’d let him know. So don’t hold back.”

  “Does she like you, too?” he asked.

  “I think she might.”

  “Then that’s good enough for me.” He looked out toward the reef, shielding his eyes from the sun. “I like you, Owen. Calia’s a great sister, but you make me wish I had a brother, too.”

  That choked me up a little. He’d been without a father since he was eleven, and he’d probably felt the weight of that no matter how hard his mother might have tried to convince him otherwise. I knew that feeling well, because my mom had tried her best to convince me of the same thing. James had risen to the challenge, though, which made me think he’d do just fine not only in business, but also in life.

  “Thanks, James. That’s really great of you.”

  He nodded. “Well, I’m gonna go see if that storm churned up a whale shark. One of these days I’ll get lucky,” he said.

  “Maybe it’ll be today.” I patted him on the shoulder. “Be careful.” I watched him walk into the water and then I turned back around and headed toward the house.

  Chapter 12

  Owen

  Calia was shaking out the blanket and folding the sleeping bags when I returned. She piled them in the corner and said, “Did you talk to James?” Her tone sounded mildly curious, but the fact that she wouldn’t stop moving made me think she’d built up some nervous energy.

  “Yeah. It went just fine,” I said.

  She stopped moving. “Really?”

  “Did you think it wouldn’t? James hardly comes across as naïve. I don’t think he was that surprised.”

  “No. It’s just that I think he wishes he’d been born first so that he would be the oldest. He had to defer to me so many times when we were younger. He’s eager to level the playing field, I think. He might have protested for reasons that had nothing to do with you and me.”

  “James will do just fine.”

  We gathered up a few things to take back to the beach. When we reached the sand I spotted James out near the reef. I’d never met anyone who loved being in the water as much as he did. “What if he’d minded?” Calia asked.

  “What?”

  “What if James had gotten upset?”

  “Then I was prepared to tell him my arms were only around you because you’re the most restless sleeper I’ve ever met, and if I didn’t subdue you somehow, I’d never get any rest. Then I’d work on him until he came around.”

  “Was that the only reason I woke up in your arms?” she asked.

  “Calia, I’ve wanted to wake up with you in my arms since the day you arrived.”

  She started laughing. “I’m so glad we got that out of the way, Owen.”

  • • •

  The phone rang while we were collecting the last of the supplies from the house. When I answered it, Captain Forrester said, “You all doing okay? That one ended up being a little worse than predicted. I was worried.”

  “It was intense,” I said. “But we made it through okay. The house sustained some minor damage, but nothing I can’t fix.”

  “Well, that’s good to know. I’m still planning on making a supply drop two days from now. Do you have enough to last until then? Want me to bring anything in particular?”

  Luckily, James and Calia had already walked back to the beach. “Yeah,” I said. “I need you to bring condoms.” Wishful thinking, maybe, but better safe than sorry.

  “What’s that?” he said.

  “You heard me.”

  “Oh, I did, son. But I would love to hear you say it again,” he said.

  “I’m sure you would.”

  “So, do you have a brand preference?” I could hear him laughing. “Any special features you need me to look for?”

  “I’m glad you think this is so amusing. I don’t care what kind you bring. I’m hanging up now,” I said. I hit the END button on the phone, but even I had to admit it was funny, in a mortifying kind of way.

  We spent the day in the water. When the dolphins came, Calia held on to my shoulders while I held on to the fins of two dolphins swimming side by side. They towed us around the lagoon, which would have been entertaining by itself, but was even better when a pretty girl was hanging on tight.

  The three of us went for a walk later, observing the damage left behind by the storm. Leaves littered the beach and several small trees had been blown over in the woods. Coconuts and breadfruit covered the ground. There were a few areas of the house that would need to be looked at, but the trees had done a good job of providing a barrier against some of the wind gusts.

  That night, when the sun went down, we built a fire on the beach.

  “Where’s that whiskey, Owen?” James asked.

  I went in search of the bottle and when I found it in the tent I walked back and handed it to him. After he took a drink he handed it back and I took a drink and then handed it to Calia. She didn’t cough this time.

  “Like a pro,” James teased.

  She was sitting close to me, and as we continued to pass the whiskey I felt more and more relaxed. My desire to be alone with Calia had simmered under the surface all day, and I was prepared to wait James out if I had to. It was a beautiful night and I had no intention of going to bed before he did. Staying up all night seemed like a small price to pay to be alone with her.

  I had Calia to thank for what happened next. Maybe it was the whiskey or maybe she felt like hurrying things along because she crawled into my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck.

  “And . . . I’m out,” James said, standing up quickly. “Okay if I go sleep in the house? You guys can have the tent.”

  “Yeah
, sure,” I said somewhat distractedly, because Calia was in my lap.

  “Good night, James,” Calia called out cheerfully.

  “Nice,” I said. I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her, and the minute our lips met I had to force myself not to lose all control. It had been so long since I’d been with anyone. She ran her hands through my hair and kissed me back. I smelled the ocean on her skin and tasted the faint trace of whiskey on her tongue. I stopped kissing her just long enough to move her legs so that she straddled me. I hadn’t thought this could feel any better than it already did, but I was wrong.

  Calia was breathing as hard as I was by then, and her breathing grew even more ragged when I swept her mouth with my tongue. I put my hands in her hair and wound some of it around my fingers, then pulled gently so that her head tipped back and her neck was exposed. Sucking gently on the skin right below her jaw, I listened to her moan, which only made me want to do other things to her, things that would make her moan even louder.

  After a few minutes she broke away to return the favor. She traced a path with her tongue from my ear to my jawline and finally down to my neck. When she started to suck I nearly lost my mind.

  We continued to kiss for what seemed like hours, but even then I could not get enough. She was wearing a tank top and jeans, with a zip-up hoodie to keep the bugs from biting her arms. Entirely too much clothing in my opinion. I unzipped her hoodie and pushed it off her shoulders, watching as she finished removing it. I pulled her tank top over her head, and I was unbelievably happy when I discovered she wasn’t wearing a bra. The moon was like a spotlight shining down on her, making it easy for me to look at what I’d been dying to see, to touch. I ran my hand from her collarbone down to her stomach, and she groaned when my palm skimmed her nipple on the way. I cupped her breasts and used my thumbs, my tongue, and my mouth to make her shout, “Oh God, Owen,” as she grabbed fistfuls of my hair.

  I was just about to pop the button on her jeans when she stopped me by placing her hand on my wrist and gently pulling on it. “Tomorrow,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

  “Okay,” I said, kissing her slowly one last time. It was probably better that we stopped, considering my condoms hadn’t arrived yet.

  She leaned forward, laying her head on my chest. I was sure she could feel my heart pounding under her cheek as I held her close, thinking that nothing had felt this good in a long time.

  “Are you ready to go to bed?” I asked. Just being able to ask her that made me happy, because tonight she’d be sleeping in my arms again.

  “Yes,” she answered. I handed her tank top to her and waited while she put it back on. She climbed off my lap and I stood up and offered her my hand. She grabbed it and I pulled her up, lacing my fingers with hers as we walked to the tent. Once we were inside, I clicked on the flashlight and handed it to Calia. “Hold this please,” I said. I took the two sleeping bags and zipped them together, making one large one for us to share. “You can shut it off now.” I held the bag open so she could slide inside. “I won’t take advantage of the situation if you want to take off your jeans,” I said.

  “A perfect gentleman,” she said, wriggling out of them as soon as she was covered by the sleeping bag.

  The thoughts running through my head were not those of a gentleman, not even close. I’d been without physical contact for way too long and right then I was as close to being in agony as I’d ever been. But I wasn’t going to tell her that, make her feel like she owed me anything because she didn’t. I was wearing a sweatshirt, and before I slipped in beside her I pulled it over my head. I left my shorts on because my self-control had a limit, and stripping down any further would test it severely. I pulled her into my arms and listened to her contented sigh as I stroked her hair.

  Before I’d come to this island I told myself that if being alone was what I really wanted, I’d have to be willing to give up all relationships. And that was kind of a problem because I really liked having a girlfriend by my side. But I’d convinced myself that I could get by without one, at least for a little while. I was wrong though, because holding Calia in my arms, and kissing her, made me realize that I wasn’t willing to give this up again, not in the foreseeable future, and not voluntarily. This carefree girl had already gotten under my skin, caused me to look at things differently. Maybe it wasn’t about being alone. Maybe the answer wasn’t about hiding from those who wanted something, but about finding those who needed help but would never considering asking.

  And doing it alongside a beautiful girl who just wanted to save the world.

  Chapter 13

  Owen

  I worried it might be awkward the next day, but James went about his business as usual, probably trying not to think about the fact that I’d spent the night with his sister. Calia and I kept to our same routine, too: We swam, we hung out with the dolphins, and we talked.

  That night, I couldn’t wait to be with Calia again. I’d stolen a few kisses when James was out snorkeling, but for the most part we’d kept our hands off of each other. The anticipation of what we’d do as soon as we were alone made it hard for me to concentrate, and as soon as James said good night and took off for the house, I pulled Calia into my arms. Maybe she felt the same way, because I didn’t have a chance to say anything to her before her mouth was on mine. My need for her was every bit as strong, and I didn’t think it was entirely because of how long I’d gone without someone to kiss and hold. Everything Calia did seemed like it came from a passionate place, as if she didn’t do anything halfway. She hadn’t let me get as far as I’d wanted the night before, but she hadn’t held anything back right up to the point where she’d stopped me, either.

  We’d been standing on the beach when James left, but as soon as the kiss ended I took her by the hand and pulled her into the tent.

  We fell on each other like a couple of horny teenagers. Either it had been a while for her, too, or we were just lucky enough to be on the same exact page at that moment. Gone was the exploratory feel of the night before. I anticipated—or at least I hoped—that she’d let me do the same things I’d already done, and that knowledge alone prompted me to get her out of her shirt immediately. I groaned when she stripped off mine equally fast.

  I kissed my way from her lips to her neck and then her shoulder. I slowly ran my hands along the surface of her exposed skin, listening to the sounds she made. She did the same, and I groaned when she stretched out on top of me and pressed the length of her body down on me. I was so hard it was painful, and I worried I might come in my shorts right then. As great as that would have felt, I actually wanted to wait for the real thing.

  I rolled her off of me and this time, when I tugged on the button of her jeans, she didn’t stop me. I unzipped them and pulled them off. She reached over and tried to do the same to me, but this time it was me that stopped her.

  “I don’t have any condoms,” I said.

  “I don’t either,” she said.

  “I put them on the supply list. They’ll be here tomorrow.”

  “You asked your pilot to bring condoms?”

  “Yes,” I said. “And I’d prefer not to have that conversation ever again. I’m trying to pretend the first one never happened.”

  She started laughing. “You’re amazing,” she said. “I don’t mind waiting. Really, it’s okay. It will just feel that much better.”

  “You don’t have to wait. There are plenty of ways I can make you feel good that don’t require a condom.” I kissed her lips and then her neck. I worked my way down her body, making a leisurely stop at her chest and her stomach. I hooked my thumbs under the waistband of her underwear and pulled them down slowly, and my mouth traveled lower still as I showed her exactly what I meant.

  And afterward, she insisted on removing the rest of my clothes and showing me just how thankful she was.

  Chapter 14

  Owen

  The three of us were sitting on the beach when we heard the noise of the seaplane. Once
it was idling in the lagoon we waded out to help carry the supplies to shore. Inside one of the boxes was a brown paper bag and I grabbed it and stuffed it in my duffel bag.

  Once everything was unloaded we sat together under the shade of the tree and talked for a while. “I need to leave soon,” Captain Forrester said. “Got a plane full of girls to fly to one of the resorts.”

  “Fly ’em here,” James said. “I’m horny as hell.”

  “James!” Calia said.

  “Well, it’s the truth. Besides, you’re one to talk.”

  “You find that whale shark yet, James?” Captain Forrester took a handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped his face. “That’ll keep your mind off the girls.”

  “Not yet. But I will.”

  “I brought everything you asked for, Owen,” he said pointedly. I half expected him to wink at me.

  “Yes, I saw that. Thank you.”

  “Just let me know if you need more.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Well, you kids have fun. I got things to do, people to fly.”

  James and I shook his hand. “Thanks,” we said. Calia gave a little wave and then we watched him wade back to the plane and take off.

  • • •

  If waiting for night to fall the evening before had been hard, now the wait seemed endless. All I could think about was being alone with Calia, and how we wouldn’t have to stop this time.

  When we were in the water after swimming our laps I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around me. James wasn’t around, so I kissed her, enjoying the noises she made when I pulled her even closer. “I’m halfway there, Owen,” she said. “Just thinking about it.”

  I laughed and said, “And I am even closer than that.”

  Finally, when we’d had dinner, gone for one last swim, showered the ocean water from our skin, watched the nightly bat show, eaten the candy bars that always arrived with our fresh supplies, and had one last drink of water, it was time to go to bed.