by Kimberly Nee
She turned her attention back to the coconut. Lifting it gingerly, so as not to spill any of its precious contents, she scuttled over to him and held it up. “Diego?”
He reacted to her whisper as if she’d shouted, jerking upright and then clutching at his wound with both hands as he sputtered out a mouthful of oaths in Spanish. A fresh sweat beaded his forehead, and he screwed his eyes shut as he sank back against the rock. A muscle bulged in his jaw as he growled, “Yes?”
“Here.” She held the coconut to his lips.
“I am not so weak that I need spoon-feeding,” he snarled, snatching it from her.
He made it difficult to remember her sympathy. She scowled, but held her tongue as she sat back. He lifted the coconut and drank. Milk trickled over his chin, and he lowered the coconut to draw his sleeve across his mouth before handing it to her. “I thank you.”
She accepted with a shrug. “You needed it more than I.”
Diego sighed softly, resting his head back against the wall. “It shames me that I am of so little use.”
“Worry not about that, Diego. It is beyond your control.”
“Still…” He dragged in a deep breath, and then exhaled with frustration. “A man should never need to rely on a woman for survival.”
“You’re fortunate that you are in such pitiful a condition,” she retorted, scowling at him again, “for otherwise I would bounce this coconut off your head for such nonsense.”
Turning his head in her direction, he offered up a half-hearted grin. “I’ve seen you throw, Gabby. Aim is not your strongest suit.”
“I am but feet from you. Surely even I could not miss.”
A pained laugh bubbled to his lips and her belly fluttered. Though it was weaker than she remembered, his was still a sensual laugh, sinful and rich, like smooth leather caressing thick velvet. The urge to sigh rose up as that memory brought up a few more—and all were definitely uncomfortable now. Perhaps it would be best that she didn’t dredge up any more memories. She wasn’t certain how much more heat she could withstand.
“So, what do we do now?” he murmured, his eyelids drooping again.
“I suppose you rest, whilst I go and forage. I smelled bananas earlier. I’m hoping it wasn’t my mind playing tricks on me and there actually are bananas somewhere in here. Perhaps there are other fruit trees. Perhaps animals of some sort.”
His left eye opened to a thin slit. “And you think you are going to hunt? With a pistol containing one shot?”
She shrugged. “Perhaps my aim has improved since you last saw me.”
“And perhaps a monkey will remain perfectly still in order to become supper.”
“Monkey? I think not.” Her belly lurched at the thought and she swallowed hard. The rumbling continued, painful and strong, and she was afraid she’d retch from it. That there wasn’t anything her belly to bring up offered no consolation. They needed true sustenance, far beyond coconut meat and milk.
Her legs wobbled but she ignored it as she rose to go to the cave’s entrance. “I will be back, and hopefully with some real food.”
“You are not going into that jungle alone.”
“Why not?” she demanded, crouching to crawl through the entrance. “You cannot help. You can barely walk. Please, just swallow your stubborn pride and trust me a bit, won’t you?”
He didn’t answer, and she didn’t wait to see if he would. She crawled to the opening, pausing as he finally said, “I trusted you once and it was almost the end of me. Why the hell would I trust you again, Gabby?”
She flinched. His words brought forth a combination of surprise and guilt. She’d never really given much thought to how he felt, being trapped on the island with her. Hadn’t really thought about how their past affected him. Not that she wanted to think about it now, as it brought up too many complicated, ugly emotions that she had neither the energy, nor the desire, to wrestle with. Survival was all that mattered, so she shoved those uncomfortable thoughts into the dankest, darkest corners of her mind. “I will be back as soon as I can,” she muttered, starting through the tunnel.
“Gabby—”
She ignored him, and made her way outside, emerging into twilight as the sun sank into the ocean at the horizon. The water was rough in the distance, waves crashed over one another with no breaks, and the winds picked up to rustle the palm fronds overhead. Not the best time to go in search of food, as what little light remained would be gone soon, but she had no choice. Her stomach ached with hunger. Without so much as a backward glance at the cave, Gabby marched inward, into the jungle.
Fire throbbed through his leg as he sat there, but it didn’t seem to burn as hot as it had earlier in the day. Perhaps the salt water had helped. But sitting there only served to make him angry. Not knowing where Gabby was made it even worse.
The scream that split the air twisted his gut into a sickening knot. He lurched forward on his knees through the cave opening, ignoring the fires blazing through his leg. The pain receded as another scream, this one louder and closer, pierced his ears. Instinct took over, and gave him the strength he needed to rise up and start toward the sound of Gabby’s voice. Pain was forgotten. All that mattered was getting to her.
A cacophony of snapping branches and crackling leaves filled the air, followed by the ominous rustle of birds taking flight to rise as one above the black horizon of the treetops. A steady beat of footfalls grew louder, more harried, and he was almost to the jungle’s edge when Gabby burst forth from the foliage.
A long, red scratch marred her left cheek, and her hair, now missing its leather thong, was a tangled mass of wild curls all around her face. Pale and sweaty, she raced toward him as if the devil himself gave chase.
He caught her easily, stumbling back as momentum threatened to topple him. Arrows of pain shot up into his hip, but he ignored them as she clung to him, her arms wrapped about his neck, almost threatening to separate his head from his shoulders. She fought for breath, gasping and sobbing at the same time, and her body trembled as he tightened his arms about her.
“What happened?” He pulled back to meet her gaze. “Gabby?”
To his surprise, her eyes were shiny. Tears? Was she actually crying? His protective instincts roared louder still. The Gabby he knew did not cry. Ever. “What happened?”
She jerked away and dragged a dirty sleeve across her eyes. “Nothing. I am fine. Oh…bloody hell…”
He grinned at the color blooming in her cheeks. Her embarrassment was plainly visible in that dark rosy flush. “What scared you, Gabby?”
Her eyes blazed beneath those unshed tears. “I wasn’t scared,” she retorted sourly, yanking entirely free of his embrace. “I was—startled.”
The ache returned to creep up his leg, returning like an unwelcomed visitor. “Very well, what startled you?”
“Oh, don’t look at me like that.” She moved to the cave’s entrance and dropped to her knees.
As she disappeared inside, he stared hard at the black rock. “Look at you like what?”
Silence.
The last thing he wanted was to sink to his knees, but since it was the only way inside—
“Like what, Gabby?” He gritted his teeth as he crawled through the opening, dragging his uncooperative leg behind him, shredded muscle and torn flesh stinging in protest.
She sat by the small fire, her back to him, most likely embarrassed by what he knew she would consider a show of weakness. She had no patience for women who resorted to tears or cowered in fear, and that she’d been that woman must have gotten under her skin in the worst way.
He sat beside her. “What happened out there?”
“Nothing.” She stared hard at the fire.
“Don’t be so damned stubborn.” He nudged her gently with his shoulder. “Tell me. I promise, I’ll not tell a soul that you were scared.”
“I told you, I wasn’t scared.”
He grinned. “Startled, then.”
A long, low sigh leaked from
her lips. “Something growled at me. At least, I think it was a growl. It came from a clump of trees and I couldn’t see what sort of animal made it.” Her breath hitched again. “And I don’t know why it even startled me. And what’s worse, I don’t know why I’m crying. I hate—” She cut herself off, rubbing one eye with her fist.
He gave into his first impulse and slid an arm about her shoulders. She stiffened at first, but then leaned into him. Another sigh, and she murmured, “We are going to die here, you know.”
“No. We aren’t.” He managed to say it with more conviction than he actually felt. “Someone will find us. We’ve plenty of water. There’s an ocean of fish. We could be comfortable here for quite some time.”
Pain flared in his leg and he gritted his teeth as a fresh wave of sweat broke out across his back. Gabby’s shoulder was warm beneath his hand, her body was warm against his, and she peered over at him. “Do you truly believe that? Because I don’t.”
“I do. And I know for certain that, if nothing else, you are too stubborn to die here.”
“If only that were true,” She rubbed her eyes again and rested her head against him. The movement sent an unmistakable heat smoking through him, one he tried to ignore. One that he most definitely wanted to ignore.
When he looked down, he almost groaned. Gabby gazed up at him with a look that sent far too many instincts shrieking to life. She looked lost and frightened, but angry as well. The urge to lean into her, to silence her with a hard kiss, was powerful and unrelenting.
Fire filled him, only it had nothing to with arousal now. Gabby swam before him, her lips no longer pursed and eager to accept his kiss. Her eyes, moments earlier heavy-lidded and sensual, were now laden with concern as she scooted away from him.
“Diego?”
Why did she sound so damn far away when she sat right beside him? Why did everything, even his own skin, ache as though sharp daggers poked relentlessly at him?
His eyes went out of focus and refused to return. His eyelids drooped even as he struggled to keep them open, and when Gabby called, “Diego?” again, she was even farther away this time.
When had the rain started? Surely that explained the pounding rush in his ears. He tried to speak, to answer her and assure her all was well, but his tongue too thick and refused to obey. Before he could try again, blackness rushed in and swallowed him whole.
Chapter Six
Gabby sat huddled by the fire as lightning speared the sky, visible through the small opening halfway up the cave wall. Rain came down in sheets but, fortunately, very little found its way inside.
She sank back against the rough stone wall. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed and her eyes grew heavier as time passed. Leaning her head back, she fought to keep them open, but it was no use.
“Ooohh…” The groan bubbled up as she lifted her head and pain screamed through her neck. She’d spent the entire night in the same position and her muscles protested with the slightest movement.
Rubbing her sore neck, she sat forward to check on Diego. He slept on, terribly pale in the daylight but calmer now. She rocked forward onto her knees and gently touched the back of her hand to his forehead. No change—he still burned with fever and as soon as her hand came to rest on his forehead, Diego moaned and shoved it away. She shivered as she moved back to the fire. “Bloody hell.”
Stinging tears filled her eyes and she angrily swiped at her eyes with her dirty sleeve, her voice cracking. “Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse.”
Diego rolled over with a low moan. “Alejandro, ready the cannon… You heard me… I’ll not run…”
A low, tired sigh and she crawled over to pick up one of the opened coconuts. It was almost dry, as she found when she lifted it to her lips, and she sighed softly as she lowered it. Much as she hated to leave Diego, they needed water more.
Holding the empty coconut in one hand, she scooted back toward Diego and bent over to whisper, “I will be back soon.”
He mumbled something unintelligible, rolling away from her with a wince. She turned away and crawled out into the gloriously bright sunlight.
The storm had done a fair amount of damage to the palm trees at the jungle’s edge, their fronds tattered and sliced, torn from the trees to litter the beach. Coconuts lay scattered from one end of the sandy stretch to the other, and the waves crashed up against the shore with angry force.
Blooms torn from their stems released their fragrances to weight the air with a cloying perfume. In the treetops high above, the birds chattered loudly. The din echoed within Gabby’s skull as she carefully made her way through the foliage. The sweet aroma worsened as the air grew steamier toward the island’s interior. Leaves scuttled and scuffed, and she swallowed hard, taking care to watch where she placed each step. The last thing she wanted was to step on a poisonous snake or lizard.
A loud, long growl filled the air and birds rose in a chattering multi-colored mass. Squawking and screaming, they burst out to fly in different directions.
She froze. It was the same menacing growl that had startled her so badly the day before. Guttural and unfriendly, it sent a chill tearing down her spine. A quick spin told her nothing. The foliage was simply too dense for her to see much through it and the growl was loud enough that she didn’t want to part the leaves in front of her only to find herself face to face with whatever made that horrid noise.
Her heart thudded rapid-fire against her ribs, and her muscles trembled, though that could be from lack of food as well as fear. Either way, moving was impossible.
An icy sweat broke out over her entire body and nausea rose swift and furious. A distant buzzing began in her ears and she swallowed hard as the panicky feeling of a faint coming stole over her. Another swallow, and she forced her tongue from the roof of her mouth. “W-who’s there?”
Leaves crunched and sticks broke and she yelped as another growl rent the air. A large, thick fern in front of her shook, but then the crunching and crashing died away. Little by little, her nausea receded and the buzzing died away. The birds slowly returned to their treetop roosts, and Gabby breathed a heavy sigh of thanks.
As quick as she could, Gabby hurried to the stream and filled the empty coconut shell. Then, she hurried back, though not quite as quickly, as she didn’t want to spill any of the shell’s precious contents.
Diego was still asleep and the fire was dangerously tame. After setting the shell carefully on the rock ledge halfway up the wall, she refilled the remaining shells—a slow, tedious task, as she carried out an armful of shells, but could only return with two at a time.
When she finally finished, she set about gathering firewood and after she was satisfied there was enough, she then tended to the fire itself.
He stirred as she knelt before the fire and fed brush and twigs to stoke the flames higher. “Gabby…?”
She peered at him over her shoulder. “I’m right here.”
Letting the rest of the brush fall to the sand, she scooted over to him. He was frighteningly pale, his dark brows and hair a striking contrast against his normally olive skin. Fear flickered through her but she fought to tamp it down as she laid her hand against his forehead.
He groaned at the contact, making a halfhearted attempt to shove her hand away. “No…leave me…”
Pulling her hand away, she used it to brace against the sandy floor and stood to fetch one of the water-filled coconut shells. Kneeling beside him again, she held it to his lips. “Please, drink.”
Water slopped over the shell’s side, droplets splashing on his lips. Another groan and he licked the drops from them.
“A bit more, then,” she urged, holding the shell to his mouth again.
This time he didn’t protest, but most of the water ran down over his chin and back into his hair. Finally, she pulled the shell away. He was asleep once more.
It was another long, tedious day as she sat beside Diego. Drawing her knees to her chest, she sat there in a sad little huddle, staring at him
, terrified he’d succumb to the fever and then, she’d be alone.
A horrifying thought, really, and one that brought tears to her eyes. Somehow, it didn’t seem quite so frightening as long as she wasn’t alone. True, Diego was not the best person she could be marooned with, but if nothing else, he gave off a brash confidence that somehow made her feel that, no matter what, they would get through their ordeal.
But if he died—
“No,” she muttered, squeezing her eyes shut. “Think not of it. He will live. Look at him, strong as a horse and stubborn as anything. You know it all too well, how stubborn he is…”
He was about to kiss her the night before, and not only that, but she would have let him. And that would have been a mistake. It would only serve to rip open her carefully hidden memories and bring forth a well of emotion best left buried.
She shivered, pulling her arms tighter about her knees. It had been a long time since she allowed herself to think of Diego Santa Cruz as she’d known him—sensual and playful, lusty and desirable. No man had ever touched her the way he did, and when he leaned toward her, all she wanted was to lean into him as well.
“And even that went wrong,” she muttered, swiping her filthy sleeve over her leaking eyes. How she hated crying—it made her feel like a manipulative, weak female, and that was something she tried her damndest not to be. It simply wouldn’t do, to let her crew see her that way. She’d worked hard to earn their respect and certainly would rather die than lose that respect by doing something as weak as crying.
“But who is here to see it?” she asked brokenly, an utter hopelessness filling her heart and crushing her spirit. “No one, that’s who. No one is here to see it because there is no one. On. This. Damned. Island!”
The dam broke and she gave into the tears pressing hard against her eyes. Burying her face in the crook of her right elbow, she sobbed until her head ached and her vision swam—until it seemed every drop of water leaked out through her eyes.
When her sobs subsided, she sniffed, still buried in the crook of her arm, and took several deep breaths. Crying never solved anything, but it did make some of the weight a bit less…weighty.