DesertIslandDelight

by Wynter Daniels

  Diana took a step closer and some of the tight lines around her mouth eased. “I guess you’re right.” But she didn’t look totally convinced.

  He took her shoulders and met her stare. “We are not going to die, understand?” He waited for her tentative nod before continuing. “I will protect you from lizards, snakes, spiders and anything else nature throws at us. I promise.”

  He released her then rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get back to work unless you’re going to quit on me and give me the opportunity to ravage that gorgeous body of yours.”

  That won him a smile. “Not on your life.”

  “Have it your way. The sooner we get food and drink in the works, the sooner we can start work on an SOS sign and some sort of shelter for the night.” He recovered the bones then backed away. “Stay near the shore, would you?” He prayed they’d be rescued before the shelter was needed but he refused to take any chances. The discovery of the skeleton emphasized the urgency of his mission.

  * * * * *

  Diana handed Chase a half shell that she’d filled with coconut water as the sun slowly sank on the horizon. He tasted the drink then winked at her. “Delicious, but we’ll have to get to work on desalinating seawater if we’re not rescued tomorrow. A few coconuts won’t provide us enough to drink.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be rescued before it becomes an issue.” She prayed they would. The giant SOS they’d formed out of rocks, leaves and branches on the beach would help, especially since they planned to light it on fire after dark.

  She picked up the basket she’d pilfered from the tree house and lined with a palm leaf. Extending the platter to him, she pointed out each item to Chase. “I found coconuts, of course, a few ripe enough bananas and the piece de resistance, heart of palm.” She’d worked for a long time, steaming the tough palm husk then working with her fingernails to open it and get out the tender flesh.

  Chase lifted an eyebrow as he helped himself to some of each food. “Impressive.” He tried the heart of palm and nodded. “Pretty tasty, but not good enough for the win.”

  She grabbed a chunk of coconut and shoved it into her mouth. “We’ll see.” But she wasn’t hopeful. She’d tried for better than an hour to catch a fish but even after Chase had relinquished the crude fishing pole to her, she’d had no luck.

  “Let’s see how my entry stacks up against yours.” He used two sticks to pull a charred leaf-wrapped item off the fire then set the steaming packet on one of the rocks they’d used to ring the fire pit. Delicious aromas filled the air.

  He breathed deeply and let out an exaggerated moan. “I haven’t had grouper since I visited my grandmother in Miami last year. Great stuff.”

  She rolled her eyes but she couldn’t very well deny her excitement in having a real meal. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just open it up.” She was already salivating.

  Chase had on a smug grin as he tore at the package. More deliciously scented steam plumed into the air as he peeled back the cover to reveal the fish. He used the sharp edge of his axe to cut it open then scooped some of the delicate white flesh onto another leaf. He topped it with some brown and orange goo from a coconut shell on the ground.

  He handed her the leaf plate and a crude fork he’d fashioned from some twigs and thread. “Try it.”

  She lifted the food close to her nose for a better whiff. It smelled vaguely sweet. “What’s the gooey stuff?”

  He gave her a wide smile as he fixed himself a portion. “Fig and mango chutney.”

  Much as she wanted to throw the whole meal at him, her stomach growled for the food. Maybe it only smelled and looked good. The fish could be tough or taste bad. But her first bite melted in her mouth. Circumstances aside, the grouper was flaky and moist, cooked to perfection and the chutney complemented it perfectly.

  She eyed Chase suspiciously. “How did you do this?”

  He gave her a smug grin. “I worked part time in an upscale seafood restaurant while I was in college. One of the chef’s signature dishes was grilled grouper with apricot chutney.” He shrugged. “The figs and mango are actually better.”

  She grumbled at the unfairness of it yet she couldn’t stop herself from devouring every last bite.

  Chase set his leaf plate aside. He handed her his coconut shell cup. “Drink?”

  She accepted his offer, sipped the liquid without releasing his gaze. God those eyes were the bluest she’d ever seen.

  She’d always been fiercely competitive but losing this bet wasn’t so bad. So she’d have to go up against him for the sheik’s account—providing they ever made it off the island—but she’d also be able to indulge the urges that had been tearing at her since that very first kiss back in New York.

  Hell, the possibility that they might not survive this ordeal was reason enough for her to give in to temptation. She set her cup down on the beach and watched as Chase lit the SOS on fire.

  “Any planes flying over us won’t be able to miss this.” He settled beside her and leaned back on his elbows.

  “I guess you know you won the bet, huh?” She turned onto her side and stretched out.

  He shrugged. “I guess my restaurant experience counts as cheating, or at least as a handicap. Don’t worry. I won’t make you give me the prize we agreed upon. I don’t want you under duress.”

  “Right. Under duress.” She tried to feign an expression of relief but faced with his nearly naked body right next to her—the body she’d watched climb and work, glistening in the hot sun all day—she didn’t think she did a very good job of hiding her lust.

  The fire grew higher, painting the brand new night in every shade of gold. She slid closer to him but the moment she did, he shot off the ground and started pushing around the leaves and sticks in the fire. She’d obviously done something to turn him off.

  She glanced down at her clothes, wrinkled, matted with dirt and sand. She was a mess. Although his change of heart might not have a thing to do with her clothes. She’d been pretty hard on him. If only she’d have watched that sharp tongue of hers.

  Her mother and sisters were constantly reprimanding her for saying whatever came to mind. Her bluntness had always kept men at bay, but that was probably why she did it. Every time she told a guy off she’d secretly fantasized that it was her father she was dressing down. Now she’d said enough to turn Chase off and ruined her chances for what could easily have been her last opportunity to have sex. To add insult to injury, he happened to be one of the hottest, most attractive men she’d ever met.

  Chase poked absently at the fire. They’d outlined the letters in rock then filled the area inside with flammable materials. In the morning, after the flames died out, they’d be left with huge black letters against the pristine white sand. Day or night, their message would remain.

  He glanced over his shoulder at Diana. She was so beautiful lit by the amber glow of the fire. Her dark eyes sparkled and her wild curls flew in every direction. He’d never yearned so much to kiss a woman.

  He tossed the stick aside then dropped to the sand next to her. “You did a great job today, worked your adorable butt off. We couldn’t have made it this far without the coconut water.” In truth, he really was impressed with her hard work and her total lack of complaining. She’d hauled rocks onto the beach for the SOS sign and had even helped him build the palm frond canopy that they’d take turns sleeping in later.

  She rolled her eyes. “I almost fed us berries that might have been poisonous, remember?”

  He smiled, recalling her defeated expression when he’d nixed the wild fruit she’d brought back from the forest. “They might have been fine, but why take the chance? The heart of palm was extremely…original. Shouldn’t surprise me though. I hear you’re quite the creative type.”

  Her grin was so sexy he nearly came apart at the seams. “What exactly are you referring to, sir?”

  He turned onto his side and skimmed a finger along her shoulder. “Use that award-winning imagination of yours.” When she shift
ed toward him, he cupped her cheek. Her skin was like satin and she smelled like the salty air and the clean breeze.

  “I’m trying to figure out how a guy who spends most of his time in a suit and tie in a concrete jungle became so adept at wrangling this untamed wilderness.” Her voice had grown quieter, throaty and sexy as hell.

  “You’re pretty good at this nature thing yourself. And thanks for sharing your new lip balm.” She’d discovered that coconut meat was oily enough to give her an organic sort of lip balm, which had saved his lips after they’d grown dry and chapped from all the time in the saltwater. He winked at her and licked his lips. “Tastes great too.”

  She gave him that gorgeous smile. “I didn’t think I could survive without my lip-gloss.”

  “We’re learning all kinds of things about ourselves. And each other. For example, I’ve learned that your hair turns the beautiful shade of amber in firelight.” He smoothed a stray curl from her cheek and met her stare.

  “I bet you could teach me a few things.” Her throat twitched with a swallow as she molded her body to his. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and something earthy and powerful arced between them. Sparks of arousal exploded like mortar shells.

  Her shirt slipped a little off her shoulder and he dropped his gaze to the hint of that red lacy bra peeking through.

  He helped the fabric aside, revealing more creamy skin. Need coiled tightly inside him. “Before you put your clothes back on you were killing me in your underwear you know.” His erection pressed firmly to her thigh.

  She lifted a blonde eyebrow and moved against his hard-on again. Damn. She was doing it on purpose. “You’ve been driving me wild all day, working in nothing but your shorts. How do you think I felt?”

  “I’d like to explore that question.” He reached for a lock of her hair, toyed with the springy curl before releasing it.

  She looked at him with eyes so smoky and full of desire he couldn’t wait another instant to kiss her. He combed his fingers through her hair and brushed his lips across hers. She tasted like coconut and lust. He tried to ease her shoulders down to the ground but she wouldn’t have it.

  She broke the kiss and grinned wryly. “Still trying to control things, huh?”

  Chuckling, he shrugged. “I thought you’d learned your lesson.”

  She narrowed her eyes for a moment then shoved his chest back. She straddled his hips and fixed him with a wickedly sinful smile. “You’re my prisoner now and there’s no one around to help you.”

  He stroked up and down along her arms. “As if I’d ever want help. I think I can handle anything you can dish out.”

  “Oh yeah?” Hiking up her skirt, she slid over his length, inciting a riot in his pants. He held her by the waist but didn’t hinder her back-and-forth movement.

  She pulled her lower lip into her mouth, chewing on the corner. He reached up and threaded his fingers through her hair. Meeting her halfway, he kissed her, tasted the desire on her tongue.

  Damn, the woman knew every flavor of sexy. How could he have guessed that beneath her laminated exterior, lived a wonderfully wild tiger?

  She broke away and crawled her French-tipped fingernails down his chest and stomach to the waistband of his shorts. Then she leaned down to press a moist kiss on his neck.

  He shivered at the delicious sensations. She raked her teeth over his left nipple—hard enough to hurt—and he liked it. A lot.

  She lifted her head enough to meet his stare. “That’s just a sample.” Her voice had turned husky and dark.

  “I can’t wait for the entire package.” Something about the way she touched him made him sure she’d be a tigress in bed.

  Chase pulled Diana to him for another kiss. He rolled his tongue around hers, delved into her mouth as if he’d found a pirate’s lost treasure. Then his hand was on her breast, kneading and exploring her. He practically ripped off her shirt then tore at the lacy cups of her bra.

  A moan slipped from her throat as pleasure surged through her body. Chase pinched her taut nipple, pulled on it to the point that it ached exquisitely. He broke from her lips and kissed his way to her other breast.

  She arched her back, moved toward him to silently assure him she was enjoying his touch. He peeled away the fabric of her bra, exposing her skin to the warm air—and to his talented mouth.

  He licked and stroked, raked the sensitive peak with his teeth until she writhed with delight. Moisture slicked her entrance. She covered his hand with hers and urged him lower. It didn’t take much convincing. She lifted on her knees a couple inches and he rubbed her mound with the heel of his hand.

  The intimate contact made her wriggle with torrid need. All her worries evaporated in the air. Her plaintive whimpers drowned out the cries of the seagulls. “Yes, oh yes.”

  He hiked her skirt higher then sneaked under the elastic waist of her panties and found her sex. He easily slid his finger through her wetness, along her folds, spreading her juices. When he circled her nub, she quivered, already aware of the first waves of an approaching orgasm.

  “Chase?” she managed. “We have no condoms.” Hell, they didn’t have anything.

  “I’ll pull out before I come.”

  She nodded, then completely gave over to the delight and climbed onto his erection. He eased into her one glorious inch at a time. It had been so long for her that the first few moments were painful but that quickly gave way to pleasure.

  Chase held her by her waist and guided her movements. She rolled her hips and rocked above him, savoring every moment, committing it all to memory. She lolled her head back, reveling in the lush sensations taking over her body.

  Then he moved one hand to her cleft and started rubbing. Her climax detonated almost immediately, shaking her to her very core. Tremors of bliss pulsed through her, hot and thick. She twisted and moaned, lost in ecstasy.

  Chase pivoted his hips, pumping into her faster, harder, sensing exactly where and when she needed him. Another orgasm rode the heels of the last. She surrendered to the intensity and the joy, satisfied like never before.

  In one fluid movement, Chase lifted her off him, tore off her panties then set her on all fours. He cast off his shorts, positioned himself behind her and filled her again. Grasping her hips with strong, possessive hands, he thrust deep, stretching her even more.

  He reached around her legs and started rubbing her sex again.

  “I can’t take any more.” But his wickedly skilled fingers knew just what to do. He drew her closer to the brink, again. She’d never come three times but, God, she thought she might. A sweet deluge of pleasure pushed her over the edge just as Chase’s climax hit him.

  He pulled out of her just in time, grunted his release behind her. Still reeling, she turned around in time to see his face contorted in bliss. He collapsed on the sand and pulled her beside him, holding her tightly against his body, her back to his chest. “That was nice.” His breath gusted warm over her neck.

  She giggled like a teenager. “You have no idea. I’ve never…” She couldn’t say it aloud.

  He held perfectly still and his heavy breaths stopped cold. “You never what?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. He didn’t need to know how few lovers she’d had. Maybe most women regularly had three orgasms but she’d been lucky to have one with the other men she’d been with. “Nothing, just forget it.”

  He rolled over her and got right in her face. “With everything we’ve been through together, you can’t possibly be embarrassed to tell me something, can you?”

  She blinked, unable to look away. “It’s nothing, but if you must know, I’ve never had three…you know…before.”

  He puffed out his chest then gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. “It was amazing for me too.”

  Her cheeks heated but she was thrilled that he enjoyed it as much as she. “It was?”

  “Hell yeah.” He nuzzled her neck and nipped her earlobe. “I’m not through with you, but I need to rest awh
ile, okay?”

  She settled into the crook of his arm and closed her eyes. Who knew she’d like him so much? Must be the situation. Wasn’t as if she had her choice of hot men here. Soon as they were rescued she was sure she wouldn’t want to continue this…whatever it was with him.

  If it hadn’t been so long since she’d last had sex, it wouldn’t have been so amazing. She’d leave it at just this once. So what that Chase had said he wasn’t through with her. Somehow she’d stick to her guns and tell him no. She’d have to. Risking falling for him would be the worst thing she could do. She’d never take a chance on ending up stuck in a relationship. The mere thought made her shudder. He’d have to understand.

  Chapter Six

  Chase woke with Diana still curled up beside him. The moon was nearly full but despite that, the sky shimmered with a curtain of stars more dazzling than he’d ever seen. Or maybe it only appeared so because he’d had the best sex of his life a few hours ago. He was definitely still hopped up on endorphins.

  There’d be no leaving before sunrise like he used to after one of the occasional one-night stands that had kept his libido satisfied since his divorce. For the first time in ages he didn’t want to walk away. He and Diana seemed to fit perfectly together. Everything about her drew him from the scent of her skin to the taste of her lips to the feel of being inside her. He hadn’t dated many women who could hold his interest in conversation as much as they did in the sack. But Diana sure did. He knew how Diana’s mind worked because his functioned exactly the same way.

  Normally, he’d kick himself for even entertaining such radical thoughts but he was strangely at peace with the knowledge. But he didn’t have time to dwell on it now. Much as he hated to let go of her, he had to restart the fire so their SOS could be seen until sunrise. He shouldn’t have let the flames dwindle but they’d been busy working on their own inferno.