“Nothing, Charles,” Joss said, quickly jumping to Grant’s defense. “I got hurt yesterday. I’m still in a little pain.”
“Hurt? How?” Daniel asked, stepping back from her. He looked her up and down, as though searching for injuries.
“I fell out of a tree. I was careless,” she downplayed. She cast a glance at Grant, hoping he would back her up. He smiled weakly at her, and shrugged.
“Yeah, gave us a bit of a fright. It happened just before dark. We thought it best to hunker down for the night, allow Joss to feel a bit steadier on her feet. Sorry we worried ya, mates,” he offered lightly, meeting Charlie’s eyes. Charles met his gaze sternly, assessing the level of truth.
“We were worried,” he shrugged, as though satisfied with what he saw. “We were planning a search and rescue mission if we didn’t see you by mid-afternoon.”
“We would have been here sooner, but it took awhile to make the trek. I’m moving a little slowly,” Joss admitted, offering Charles a hug. “I’m okay, though. Honest.”
“Are you sure?” he whispered, for her ears only. She leaned back and nodded.
“Let’s get Joss off her feet,” Grant suggested, handing a heavy bag of water to Daniel.
“Here, give me the rest,” Charles stepped in, slipping the second bag off Grant’s back.
“We’ll have to go back tomorrow,” Grant said, relieved for the weight to be gone. “We left the rest of our provisions back there. Joss was in no condition to carry anything.”
“Not a problem,” Daniel agreed, smiling at Joss. “We’ll take care of it. Come on, I think that Willie saved some lunch for you guys.”
Together they strolled back to their camp, Joss focusing every effort to steady herself. She didn’t need them worrying about her any more than they had been. Although she was not a hundred percent, she felt a whole lot better than earlier that morning. She was no longer nauseous, and her headache was almost gone. She got lucky.
She and Grant had quietly packed up soon after their soul searching exchange. They were in a much better place after purging their truth, one might even say friends. She felt drawn to him in a way she couldn’t quite articulate. The confession had energized her, like when the power comes on after a long black out, every cell anticipating the charge, heightened by the sudden, shocking transformation. It was a strangely curious sensation.
The rest of the day was uneventful. The men insisted that she take things easy. They waited on her hand and foot, refusing to let her even lift a finger. As strange as it felt to do nothing, she had to admit it felt good to be pampered. What woman wouldn’t love being treated like a queen by five sexy, adoring men?
They gathered after their evening meal, just relaxing and laughing around the fire, happily reunited. The men were like brothers, one minute teasing and chirping, the next minute reassuring and cheering each other on. They were quickly growing into a family. She loved listening to their chatter, each of them boasting a unique perspective on life. Joss’ love for them was blossoming too, her heart making space for each one of them, for very different reasons. She had never been in love, not really, and now she was falling for five men.
“So what do you think, Joss?” Daniel asked, including her in the conversation. “Hmm?” she replied, shaking off her silly, romantic thoughts.
“Do you think you’ll feel up to going? If we delay the trip another day?” he asked, not even hiding his concern. All the men looked at her, as though assessing her well being.
“I’d like to try,” she admitted confidently. “Maybe tomorrow we can all go back to the waterfall for more water, then pick up the supplies that Grant and I left behind. Many hands make light work. We can set out on the raft the day after tomorrow.”
“No, you’ll stay here and the rest of us will go,” Charles insisted. “You’ll need to rest so your body can heal.”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured, appreciating his concern. She looked to Grant for support but he was clearly on Charlie’s side.
“I think we’ll all feel a lot better if you take one more day to rest, Joss,” Grant said, drawing nods of agreement from the others.
“And do what?” she smirked, knowing the boredom would probably kill her.
“I don’t know, book a manicure,” Grant teased, tossing her a wink.
“Ha ha, very funny,” she laughed.
“I’ll stay back with you, Joss. I want to make some improvements to the raft and start loading it. You can keep me company,” Daniel suggested, “that is if the others don’t object?” He looked around, accepting the agreeable nods from the others, then allowed his eyes to land on Joss. She was smiling sweetly at him, a curious expression on her face. He quickly dropped his eyes, hoping his blush wasn’t too obvious.
He liked Joss, very much. They had a very flirty relationship, but had never taken it beyond the teasing phase. She was unlike any woman he’d ever met, and while he found her wildly intriguing, he couldn’t seem to summon the nerve to tell her how he felt. He was so turned on by her and couldn’t stop fantasizing about her. He adored her tenacity as much as her curves. She was smart, beautiful, and adventurous. They had so much in common, the two of them, aside from the fact that she was more in her element in the jungle.
But the island was changing him. The longer they were there the more comfortable he felt. The truth was, he didn’t mind so much that they had not been rescued. He had everything he needed right there, and none of the things he didn’t. He didn’t miss the stuffiness of home, his life scheduled for him from morning till night, everyone thinking they knew what was best for him, expecting him to meet every expectation. He was free to come and go as he pleased, work with his hands, explore his surroundings, do what made him happy.
He’d made some true mates too, brothers for life. He loved them all and would do anything for them, and for the first time in his life he felt accepted just the way he was. They didn’t care about his privilege, where he went to school, or whether or not his family had a title. They’d not even asked.
There was no roof over his head, and no promise of a meal every night. Funny, those were the things he used to really worry about, the worse case scenario, and yet he had no fear. He had to rely on his own wits and had no doubt that he would thrive. That was empowerment. Under the open sky he could really breathe, really suck in air, and it was glorious.
“Sure, Danny-boy, I’ll keep you company,” Joss flirted playfully, flattered by his boyish blush. She enjoyed teasing him because it always seemed to undo him a little, make him squirm, but in the best way possible. She had a feeling that Danny wasn’t the English gentleman he presented himself to be, that underneath all that blushing, the innocent accent, and the shy demeanor, was a proper beast. He had a dirty, dry sense of humor and could entertain them for hours with his wit, but that wasn’t what intrigued Joss about him. It was the way he watched her when he thought no one was looking, like he wanted to eat her for breakfast. It made her wonder what naughty fantasies were floating around under that polished, clean haircut.
When she first saw Daniel, she’d described him as Clark Kent, but after a month on the island with him, she was certain he was more like Superman. The man could do just about anything. The first time she saw him shirtless she nearly swallowed her own tongue. He was damn fine. Not in a gym-rat sort of way, just strong, sleek and well put together. He loved practicing yoga and it showed. But what surprised her the most were the tattoos! She never saw that coming! Danny had beautiful art on his chest and back. When she’d asked him about it he told her that nothing in his life had ever been his choice, not really, and the ink was his “fuck you” to the world.
He was the epitome of never judge a book by its cover. She liked the way he peeled the layers back slowly, piquing her fancy. If Grant had been a diamond in the rough, then Danny was a rough in the diamond. There was way more to him than met the eye and she was excited to learn more.
“Well it’s settled then. Daniel and Joss will sta
y at camp tomorrow and the rest of us will head out right after breakfast,” Charles concluded, clearing his throat. He looked at Joss and smiled, grateful she wasn’t going to be stubborn about hiking with them. As much as he appreciated her tenacity, she didn’t know when to slow down. Sometimes he was glad he wasn’t the only man stranded with her. There was no way he could ever keep up with her, his island queen. “So good night all, I’m turning in. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Joss soon followed him, anxious to curl up beside him. There was something about Charlie spooning her, his body cloaked so perfectly behind hers, that made everything okay. She liked ending her day that way.
Chapter 21
“What was life back for you at home, Daniel?” Joss asked, popping a piece of banana into her mouth. They were sitting on the warm sand, just eating lunch and enjoying the ocean breeze.
“You mean compared to here?” he chuckled. He was enjoying having Joss to himself. They’d spent the morning working on loading the raft, playfully teasing one another, sharing the light duties. Joss was moving slow but she seemed to be improving, her energy returning bit by bit.
“Well I don’t think it’s fair to compare it to here.”
“Don’t you like it here, Joss?” he asked, thoughtfully searching her eyes.
“Actually I do. Maybe that surprises you?”
“No, not really,” he laughed. “I like it here, too.”
“It’s weird, but now that we’ve settled in, it’s starting to feel like home,” she chuckled, hoping he didn’t think she was mad.
“I get that. I mean, I do miss my family back home, but not my life so much. This is me, what I am meant to be. If we had the proper gear, some of life’s basic necessities, I could bloody well live here forever,” he admitted, the look on his face leaving no doubt that he meant it. “And of course some thick English stout and good fish and chips!”
“True. I’ve been dreaming about a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs. And peanut butter!” Joss laughed, taking the water bottle he offered. She took a long sip, as though lost in thought, before continuing, “So that leads us back to my initial question. What was life like at home?”
“It was okay. Mundane, actually,” he replied, taking his time responding. “I was a ghost in a shell, really, just going through each day without much thought. The only time I ever really came alive was when I was off doing adventurous things. I’m a bit of a wild child at heart.”
“You Daniel? Wild?” she grinned, not surprised at all by his confession. He nodded, raising his brows, oblivious to her sarcasm.
“Don’t underestimate me, Joss, I’m not such an innocent, at least not in my head,” he laughed. “I’ve only been playing the part of the good boy.”
“Really,” she purred, still wondering what sexy mysteries were hiding beneath the boy next door exterior. “It does surprise me a little, Daniel. You seem so reliable, responsible... proper, you know?”
“I guess I can be, but that’s not the whole story. I have a restless spirit. I like to try new things, be adventurous. The more daring it is, the more excited I get.”
“How does that translate in the bedroom?” she flirted, suddenly more daring.
He chuckled at her softly and shook his head, “I wish I could say it did. I’ve had a rather vanilla sex life. My ex fiancée and I kept things rather bland, I’m afraid. I asked a few times, to spice things up a little, but for whatever reason, it just never happened.”
“What kind of spice,” she asked provocatively, hoping to tease out the answer.
He laughed playfully, reading her expression, as though he wanted to be sure she was ready for the truth. Admittedly, he found her flirting quite alluring.
“Well,” he began, clearing his throat, “I suppose the usual stuff blokes fantasize about. Crazy positions, sex toys, maybe a little role playing...”
“Oh, is that what you consider spicy?” she teased, bumping his shoulder with her own.
“Well, it’s a start,” he smirked, bumping her back. “I didn’t want to frighten the poor girl.”
“Well if you knew it wouldn’t scare her, that you could have asked for anything, what would it have been?” she asked, feeling more daring than she had in a long time. It was fun teasing Daniel. He had so many layers, and his honesty was making her pretty damn hot. She was sure he could tease out her adventurous side too, in and out of the bedroom.
“Without judgment?”
“Of course,” she stammered.
“Hmm,” he paused, collecting his thoughts. “I kind of liked the idea of BDSM, not the really dark stuff, but trying out some dominant-submissive role playing, maybe some bondage and spanking.”
“Really,” she purred, turned on by the admission. “Would you be the spanker or the spankee? Top or bottom?”
Daniel raised his brows, pleasantly surprised by her knowledge of the subject. “What do you think?” he teased.
Joss giggled, shrugging her shoulders. “To be honest, up until a few minutes ago, I would have pegged you a bottom, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Fair enough,” he laughed, “but I would consider myself a top. I know I may seem reserved, but that’s just camouflage. Although I might be persuaded to switch every now and then, I’m primarily dominant.”
“Jesus, aren’t you full of surprises,” she said, swallowing her arousal, dirty fantasies with Daniel suddenly flitting through her mind.
“I suppose it’s a little surprising. What about you, Joss, any hot fantasy you would ask for if you knew the answer was yes?”
She blushed, wondering if she dared reveal her secrets. No one had ever asked her before. “Um, I...hmm...”
“Come on, don’t be shy, now. Tell me what makes you wet,” he challenged, his tone rich with curiosity.
She raised her eyes to his, surprised by just how hot he was making her. She could feel the blood rushing through her centre, pulsating with every beat of her heart.
“I suppose that sounds sexy to me as well, being dominated, held ‘against my will’, being offered both pleasure and pain. It’s intriguing,” she offered quietly, barely choking out the sexy admission.
This time it was Daniel caught off guard, as though he wasn’t expecting her to be quite so forward. He dug it!
“But, that’s not my sexiest fantasy,” she continued, spurred on by the adrenalin, and the look of complete surrender on Daniel’s face. He nodded, silently begging her to go on. “I have often wondered what it would be like have a sexual experience with more than one person...”
“Like a ménage?” he nodded, as though he’d shared the same desire.
“Yes...”
“With men or women?” he asked, his cock swelling beneath his shorts.
Joss laughed, shrugging her shoulders coyly. “Well I’d be lying if I said that I had not fantasized about both on occasion, but my ménage fantasy is with two men.”
“Wow, that’s hot,” he gulped, modestly pulling his t-shirt over his lap. Joss couldn’t help but notice, grateful her own arousal was safely tucked away. It was one of the perks of being a woman. He wouldn’t know how wet she was unless she invited a peek.
“And you’ve never?” he asked, cocking his head to get a better look at her.
“No,” she clucked, amused by the question, “I’ve barely had any sexual experiences, at least until recently.”
“Ahhh, yes,” he smiled, unshaken by her admission. “Aside from my friendly girlfriend, Palm-ala,” he teased, holding up his hand, “things have been pretty quiet for me.”
“Nice to meet you, Palm-ala,” she quipped, shaking his hand vigorously.
“Careful, you’ll get her all excited,” he laughed, easing his hand back gracefully. Joss held on, allowing Daniel to pull her closer. He grinned impishly, quick to catch on, quickly wrapping his free hand around her shoulders. He eased her in for a kiss, lingering for several seconds, allowing the chemistry to build.
He was an amazing kisser, may
be the best she’d ever had. He took his time, pressing himself into her, gently teasing her with his tongue. Although they were both aroused, Daniel was focused and controlled, leaving little doubt who was in charge. She melted under his touch, her body completely at his mercy.
“Mmm, been wanting this for a long time,” he confessed, easing out of their kiss.
“I must say, Daniel, you’ve intrigued me. There’s so much more than meets the eye with you, isn’t there?” she whispered, her eyelids heavy with desire.
“I suppose there is. I guess I’ve just been waiting for someone to tease it out of me,” he said, offering her another quick kiss.
“Me too,” she agreed, “it’s liberating...being so honest.”
“How’s this for honesty? I want to fuck you, Joss. I want to lay you back on the sand, tear your panties off and taste the cream between your legs...”
“That’s pretty honest,” she swallowed, his words zipping through her like a lightening bolt, a tease of the pleasure to come. She longed to be fucked by him, but wondered just how capable she was, given her injuries. Her tailbone was still aching from landing so heavily on her ass only two days earlier.
She chuckled softly, grinning at him. “I’m not sure if I can handle a roll in the sand today, Daniel. God, I wish I could. I want you to...do all those things you said you wanted.”
“Ah, love,” he said, gently pulling her onto his lap, mindful of her pain, “not to worry. I know you’re still recovering.” He kissed her again, knitting his fingers through her hair, leaving her breathless. Her libido was quite cross with her.
“And when you’re feeling better, I would love to help you scratch some fantasies off your ‘fucket’ list,” he promised.
“Hmm, I look forward to that,” she agreed, feeling daring. Daniel made her feel both dangerous and safe, all at once. “What did you have in mind?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I could blindfold you and tie you to a tree...tease and torture you till you beg me to fuck you,” he growled hotly in her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine.
Mister Diamond Page 143