by J. S. Cooper
“It’s ironic what love can do, isn’t it?” He came closer to me.
I could see a fairly large rock in his hands, and I stilled. “What do you mean?”
“Love can make you feel like you’re on top of the world, but it can also crush you. It can crush you so that you feel like you don’t want to live.”
“I think love is what people make of it.” I bit my lower lip. “It only controls you if you let it.”
“What if external forces are making those decisions?”
“I would hope that adults could make their own decisions when it comes to love.” I shrugged. “And if they can’t, maybe it isn’t really love.”
“It’s easy to be philosophical about love, isn’t it?” His tone changed, and he looked away from me.
“I guess so.” I stared at the rock in his hand, contemplating telling him about my father and how he’d let the loss of my mother take over the rest of his life. I loved my father more than anything, but I was still so angry at him for letting her death dictate the rest of our lives. Especially if there were signs related to her death that he’d missed because all he could think about was her grief. “So what are you going to do with that?” I asked softly, and took a step away from him. I knew that now wasn’t the time to tell him about my father’s letter. I saw his eyes narrow as I moved back, and a small smile curved on his face.
“Are you scared, Bianca?” His voice dropped, and his eyes glittered into mine as he took a step toward me.
“No,” I lied, staring at his face, trying hard not to show him that I was unsure as to how I felt about him.
“That’s a pity. You should be.” His eyes fell to my legs and then back up to my eyes. He shifted the rock into his right hand, and his left hand reached up to my face. His fingers ran down my cheek, and he sighed. “I think there’s a lot to be scared of on this island.” His thumb moved to my trembling lips, and then his arm dropped back to his side. “You shouldn’t be so trusting, Bianca.”
“I’m not.” My lips trembled as I stared at him. My eyes wouldn’t leave his face or chest, and I could feel the blood in my veins heating up.
“Keep looking for rocks. I’ll be right back.” He took a step back, and I watched as he walked back up the sand to where he had left Steve.
I shook my head as my fingers ran to my lips. I closed my eyes for a second, remembering the feel of his fingers on my lips. I groaned as I realized that I was in trouble. My tongue flicked out of my mouth, and I licked the faintest taste of him off my lips. I turned around and groaned again. I was in really big trouble. I continued looking for rocks and tried to distract my mind from my attraction to Jakob.
There had been something odd in his questioning. Why had he been so concerned about my parents’ marriage? Did he know what I was investigating? I closed my eyes and prayed that when I opened them I would be back home in my apartment. Everything was getting so confusing. At first, when I’d read through the papers I’d found in my dad’s box, I’d been bored. Then I’d read through them again, and my curious nature kicked in. There had to have been a reason why my father had thought they were important. There had been some papers related to a corporation my father had been part owner and founder of, some patents for a bunch of different inventions, and some paperwork that called for a dissolution of the company and a request for all three founders to exit the company with what they had brought to it originally. My father had wanted his patents back, Bradley was to take his money, and the third party—someone called Maxwell—was to receive only a percentage of the profits from the previous year. The dissolution had never been signed, but it was drafted a week before my mother’s death, if the time stamp was anything to go by. There had also been a report from a private detective about my mother’s car crash. A report that suggested my mother hadn’t died in an accident, but the report had ultimately resulted in an inconclusive answer.
I thought back to the corporation my father had been a part of: Bradley, London, and Maxwell. I was pretty sure that this was the corporation that was now called Bradley Inc. I’d found the Bradleys, but I’d had no luck finding the Maxwells. Running into David and catching his eye had been the best thing I’d done thus far in the investigation, but I’d soon realized that he knew nothing about the family business. It was his brother, Mattias, that now ran the company. It was his brother who had access to all the secrets of the company. It was his brother who I had yet to see. I could find no public information on him anywhere, not even Google. This had been the reason why I’d divulged some information to David about who I was. I wanted—no I needed—to gain access to Mattias. But it hadn’t worked out that way. I was starting to wonder if fate had changed its plan for me and was handing me something on a silver platter. I took a deep breath and tried to stop my shaking fingers. In that moment, I wished that I could talk to David more than ever. No matter what had happened in the past, he would know exactly what to say to calm me down.
“Okay, I found another two.” Jakob walked up to me with two more rocks in his hands. “You take this one and follow me back to Steve.”
“What are we going to do with them?” I asked him again, feeling annoyed and curious.
“All will be revealed soon enough,” he replied, and handed me a fairly large rock. “Let’s go.”
“I’m coming.” I rolled my eyes and followed him back to the sand.
We walked back to Steve, whose face was shining a bright red. I could tell that he was going to have a terrible sunburn on his face and grimaced as I realized that I was probably as burned as he was. My skin wasn’t used to such direct sunlight.
“How’s that hole looking?” Jakob dropped the rock on the ground a couple of feet away from where Steve was frantically digging.
“Not that great.” Steve looked surly and tired.
“We’ll help. Come on, Bianca.” Jakob dropped to his knees and looked up at me. “Start digging.”
“Digging?” I sighed and dropped down next to him. “Why are we digging?”
“You’ll see.”
“I’m tired,” I groaned and wiped a mass of sweat off my forehead.
“We need this hole to be about three to five feet, so let’s get to work.” He immediately started throwing sand behind, and I joined him. The sand grains felt cool next to my fingertips, and I dug quickly.
“The sand is getting colder and colder,” I commented out loud.
“That’s because we’re getting closer to the water,” Jakob answered and gave me a small smile.
“What water?” Steve asked, and I pointed to the ocean. He looked like he wanted to ask another question, but he didn’t. I looked up and saw Jakob giving me another small smile.
I smiled back at him and continued digging.
“Pass me the rocks,” Jakob commanded after about ten minutes of us frantically digging in silence.
“Okay.” I stood up and handed them to him with a question in my eyes. I watched as he placed the rocks at the bottom of the hole we’d dug. “What are you doing?”
“We’re creating a natural filter.” He smiled at me. “We need some driftwood.”
“Where can we get that?” I stood up. “Should I go look?”
“I’ll come with you.” Steve jumped up and gave me a wide smile.
“No.” Jakob shook his head. “Bianca will go by herself. You’ll help me pat the sides of the wall down while we wait for the wood. We don’t want the sand to fall into our water hole.”
“Water hole?” I gasped and looked into the hole we’d dug.
“If it works properly, the salt water will rise up in that hole.” Jakob grinned. “The rocks will act as a filter and should remove most of the salt.”
“Wow.” My jaw dropped. “That’s cool. I had no idea.”
“I took a survival course once.” He shrugged. “I thought the information was useless at the time. Now I’m glad I did it.”
“Of course you did.” Steve’s eyes narrowed.
“Pat down the
sides of the hole.” Jakob gave him a derisive look and stood up. “You sure you’re okay to go by yourself, Bianca? I can come with you.”
“I’ll be okay.” I nodded.
“Go farther up there.” He pointed to the left. “You don’t have to go into the jungle by yourself.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do. You’re not going in by yourself.” His expression grew serious. “I’ll stay here with Steve and keep the sides solid.”
“Okay.” I stared up at him.
“Good luck.” He leaned down and gave me a light peck on the lips. His eyes were laughing at me as I pulled back in shock.
I walked away quickly, with my heart beating. His lips had tasted salty but also warm and tender. I hadn’t been prepared for his kiss. I hadn’t been prepared for how good it would feel. My whole body tingled as I walked toward the tree line in search of wood.
Jakob’s plan had worked, and we had water to drink. It was still slightly salty, but we had filtered it enough that it wasn’t unbearable, and it quenched our thirst.
“Another banana?” He handed one to me as we watched the sunset.
“Thanks.” I took it from him gratefully.
“Would you like one, Steve?”
“I’d like a big, fat, juicy steak with scalloped potatoes and mixed veggies.” Steve smiled at me. “And for dessert, a big slice of cherry cheesecake.”
“Don’t,” I groaned. “That sounds so good.”
“Doesn’t it though?” He grinned at me and took the banana from Jakob. “This doesn’t quite match up, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.” I chewed on my banana and sat back. “But it’s so pretty here. Whoever kidnapped us all really chose a beautiful spot.”
“We should really talk and see what we can figure out.” Steve’s expression changed, and he looked at Jakob and me carefully. “I’d like to know if we have any connections.”
“I’d like to know that as well.” I nodded and thought back to Jakob’s earlier comments.
“Tomorrow.” Jakob stood up. “We’re all tired right now. We might miss something. Let’s talk tomorrow morning when we’re all fresh.”
“I’d rather talk—” I started, but Jakob grabbed my arms and pulled me up into his arms. I fell against him, and he grinned before his lips crushed down on mine. I melted against him, and my hands flew to his face as he kissed me hard.
“I’d rather make love,” he whispered against my lips as he pulled away slightly.
“Jakob!” I gasped, and looked down at Steve, who was staring at us with narrow eyes.
“Don’t worry, Steve. Bianca and I won’t shock you tonight. Though it will be hard for me to keep my hands off her. I won’t lie.”
“I don’t blame you.” Steve stood up. “I’m not sure I’d be able to resist, myself.” He looked to the ocean. “I’ll go farther down the beach and sleep there, give you both some privacy.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I called out after him as he started walking, but he didn’t stop.
“Let him go.” Jakob’s hand rubbed my back. “We have things to do tonight.”
“I don’t do casual sex,” I muttered, and tried not to stare at the front of his boxer briefs. Of course, my eyes couldn’t turn away as I stared at the huge bulge. I shifted my position and looked up to see him staring at me with an intense expression.
“I wasn’t talking about sex,” he said slowly and seductively, as his eyes dropped to my breasts.
It took everything in me not to place my hands over my skimpy bra. I’d almost forgotten that I was standing here in my underwear. I’d taken his shirt off after it had gotten wet in the ocean. Now I was once again fully aware of how close to naked I was and how close to naked he was as well. I swallowed hard as I felt an imperceptible change in the mood. It was no longer light but filled with sexual tension.
“I see.” I spoke, wanting to fill the air with something other than anticipation.
“What do you see?” He leaned back, and I watched as he stretched his arms out. The muscles in his chest rippled, and I swallowed hard, praising myself for not reaching over and running my fingers down his chest.
“Um, what?” I mumbled as he adjusted himself.
“Bianca, I think we should sleep side by side so that we can keep each other warm, and we need Steve to believe that we are together. Our clothes are still damp, so we can’t really put them back on tonight.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
I shivered at the thought of him pressed against me. It would feel different from when we had been in the back of the trunk and lying next to each other last night. In the trunk, I’d been scared and worried. I also hadn’t known yet how hot he was. And we’d been dressed. Last night, I’d been fearful for my life. I hadn’t trusted him, and we hadn’t been touching as we slept. Now, well . . . now it was a different story. I already felt slightly turned on.
I wanted to groan. How could I be in this situation? If David knew how turned on I was right now, he’d be furious. He’d always called me frigid and a prude, but that hadn’t been it. I’d just never really been that sexually attracted to him, even though he’d been very handsome. I shook my head slightly as I thought about David. It was over, and I was glad it was over. I didn’t want to waste any more time thinking about him.
“I can tell you’re cold.” He grinned, and I cocked my head to the side.
“How?”
“Your nipples look as hard as pebbles.”
“Oh!” I gasped, in shock at his words.
“Or are you just happy to see me?” His eyes fell to my heaving breasts again, and he licked his lips slowly. “I won’t be upset if you say that’s why.”
“You’re disgusting.” I glared at him.
“And you’re wet.” He spoke softly and took a step toward me.
“I’m not wet.” I shook my hair and felt drops of water cascade down my back.
“Liar,” he whispered.
“What?” I gasped as he placed a hand on my stomach and allowed his fingers to slide down. “What are you doing?”
“I just wanted to show you how wet you were.” His fingers left my stomach and he wiggled them in my face. I could see drops of moisture on the tips. “See?” He grinned, and I watched as he licked the drops off his fingers.
We picked up our clothes and laid them out on the sand a bit farther away from the water, moving in silence. I was still slightly turned on from our interaction, yet I was also annoyed with myself and with him. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t slapped him for being so fresh. I so wanted to put him in his place, but a part of me really enjoyed the innuendos. When he flirted with me, it was easier for me to forget where we were and the circumstances we were in. I was still completely puzzled as to why we were here. It made absolutely no sense to me. And while it made no sense, I was going to go along with his facade that we were together.
“We should talk before Steve gets back.” Jakob’s voice was low. “I think we need to make sure that we only talk about personal stuff when he’s not around.”
“Makes sense. At least the police must be looking for us,” I muttered as we sat down on the sand.
“You think so?” He gave me a deep look.
“Of course.” I nodded. “Rosie’s probably freaking out right now. She knows I’m not the sort to just disappear. Plus, I left her some stuff in her bag. When she sees it, I hope she figures out that I was onto something.”
“Onto what?” He asked curiously. “Or are you not going to tell me?”
“I want to tell you.” I could feel my head pounding as I stared at him. “It’s just hard. You’d be the first person I tell. I haven’t even told Rosie yet, though, I wanted to tell her that night.” I froze as I remembered something. “Oh my God, I might have taken a photo of the guy that was following me as well.”
“Huh?” His eyes narrowed.
“I sent Rosie a photo of the bartender that night to get her to hurry up, as she was running late.
I thought a handsome man might make her move faster.” I thought back to the night I was in the bar and tried to remember if anyone else had been in the frame of the picture.
“I see.” He frowned. “You seem a bit man-crazy.”
“What?” My voice rose, and I glared at him. “What does that mean?”
“Just that you seem to date around a lot.” He shrugged.
“You get that because I took a photo of a guy in a bar?” I cocked my head to the side as my annoyance showed through my rigid voice. “That’s how you respond to the fact that I might have sent a photo of someone who was involved in our kidnapping to my best friend.”
“I was just stating a fact, based on my observation of you. You dated that rich guy, and then you were online looking for someone, and now you’re picking up guys in bars.”
My jaw dropped as he spoke. He had a better memory than I did, but he was really twisting things. “I never said I was picking up any guys in the bar.” I shook my head. “You really like to jump to conclusions, don’t you.”
“I know I don’t let my women get around.” His eyes bored into mine. “When a woman is with me, she’s with me alone.”
“I don’t cheat on guys.” I stared back into his eyes. “If that’s what you’re implying.”
“When a woman is with me, she doesn’t even think of another man,” he continued, and sat back. I tried to ignore his muscles as they flexed.
“Good for you. I’m sure that’s hard for them.”
“I don’t do back talk either.”
“You sound like a real prince to date.” I rolled my eyes. “Are you a boyfriend or a teacher?”
“I’m both.” He grinned. “But, we digress. If you have a photo of that man it would be great. However, right now that doesn’t really help us, does it?”
“No, I guess it doesn’t.” I stared at his face for a few seconds, studying his eyes and then looking at his body language. I knew that I either was going to have to trust him or not, but I had to make a decision. I could feel the nerves in my stomach as I tried to make a decision; each one was more wound up than the other. “My father left me a letter when he died.” I said finally, the words sounding stilted as they came out of my mouth.