[Invitation to Eden 04.0] Hydrotherapy

by Suzanne Rock

  Caine rushed forward and knocked the gun from his hand. Rex stumbled back into a tall palm tree, and the impact stole Jenna’s breath. She dropped the knife and loosened her grip, making it easy for him to slip away. He dove for the gun, but Caine got to it first. Jenna struggled to her feet as Caine kicked the pistol into the water.

  Rex scrambled over and got the knife. Caine sprinted forward and halted as Rex put the knife up between them. Moving slowly, Jenna stepped up beside Caine as Rex slowly stepped over to pick up the bag.

  “I’m leaving this island with the artifacts. You can’t stop me.”

  “Rex, think about what you’re doing.”

  “I’ve already thought about it.” He tightened his fingers around the hilt of the knife. “We were partners, Caine. Us against the world, remember? You betrayed me.”

  “No, you betrayed me.” Caine nodded to Rex’s leg. “How long have you been faking your injury?”

  Rex tightened his jaw as he took another step backward, bringing him precariously close to the edge of the rock face. “Stay away from me, cuz’. You can’t have the artifacts. This is my money now.”

  “I don’t want the money, and those artifacts don’t belong to you.” He took a step forward, causing Caine to step back closer to the edge. “Come on, give me the bag and we can forget the whole thing.”

  “You’ll never have them.” He shook his head and took another step back. “I gave you your chance, Caine, but you blew it. You were too soft.”

  “Rex—”

  Jenna gasped as Rex slipped on the edge of the rock face and lost his footing. Caine lunged forward as the bag and knife went sailing through the air. Jenna watched in horror as Rex fell backward over the side of the rock face and Caine dived after him.

  “No!” Caine screamed as he leaned over the edge. Jenna hurried to his side and peered over his shoulder. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes, turning away from the sight before her.

  “I was too late,” Caine said. “Too late.”

  Jenna opened her eyes and fell to the ground beside Caine. “You did the best you could.”

  “It wasn’t enough.”

  “Shh.” Jenna pulled him away from the ledge, careful to avoid looking at the body on the rocks below.

  “I’ve killed him, Jenna,” Caine whispered as he clung to her small frame. “I’ve killed him.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Look at me.” Jenna’s voice sounded as if it was coming from a place far away. “Caine, look at me.”

  Caine didn’t know how long he had been siting there, holding her and rocking back and forth. All he did know is that the longer he held her, the stronger the ocean waves became. He squeezed his eyes shut and listened to them crash on the rocks below, their mighty sound soothing his injured soul.

  “Caine.”

  As he lifted his head and met her gaze, she framed his face with her palms. “You did the right thing.”

  “He died because of me.”

  “No, he died because of the choices he made.” She trailed her fingers down the side of his face. “Caine, you did nothing wrong.”

  He closed his eyes as grief threatened to swallow him whole. “This is the first time in my life that I’ll be without him. I’ll be really and truly alone.”

  “No, Caine.” Jenna leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. “You’ll have me.”

  He met her gaze and realized that she was right. When he was with Rex, it was more out of blood than friendship. Rex used guilt and manipulation to force a bond between them.

  Jenna was different. She didn’t expect him to follow her around the world or be part of some crazy scheme. She expected him to be the man she knew he could be, the one she fell in love with back on St. Lucia.

  He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Jenna.”

  He pressed her lips against hers. The kiss was gentle and reassuring. As seconds passed, she slid her arms around his neck and held on tight. Jenna was his anchor, his rock. While she worked her way over his mouth, Caine realized more and more that she was right. He wasn’t alone. He had her.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said as he pulled away. Caine didn’t want to be around death anymore. He wanted to feel alive, and he could only do that with Jenna.

  Taking Jenna’s hand, he stood and pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he took one last look over the edge of the rock face and saw that the ocean had swept Rex’s body away. It was fitting, in some respects. Rex had always said that he felt the most comfortable underwater. It seemed right to have him find his final resting place there.

  Steering Jenna away from the edge, he walked her back to the truck. With each step, the sadness in his heart eased as his thoughts turned away from his past and focused on his future, a future with Jenna.

  “Are you okay?” Jenna asked as they reached the back of the truck.

  He turned to face her and brushed a stray hair from her cheek. As he did so, his thumb slid over her soft skin, awakening desire in his core.

  “I will be.”

  He leaned down and captured her lips once more. After everything that had happened, after all they had been through, he wanted to feel close to her once more. He needed to bury himself deep inside her body and inhale her fresh scent. He wanted to feel alive and connected. They had wasted too much time apart. He wanted to hold her and never let go.

  The kiss quickly turned from gentle to needy. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and was rewarded when she parted her lips and invited him inside.

  And that was so typically Jenna. She didn’t ask, didn’t pry, she just accepted him body and soul. The knowledge made him his muscles harden and his cock swell.

  “I’m so lucky,” he whispered as he broke the kiss.

  “No, I’m the one who is lucky. This island has given us a second chance, Caine. A chance to make a new life.”

  “You’re right. I want to take that second chance with you, Jenna. I want to make a life for ourselves.”

  “I want that, too.”

  He reached around her waist and opened the back of the truck “You’re right.” He slid his hands around her waist and lifted her onto the tailgate.

  “What are you doing?”

  “This is my life,” he said as he climbed back up next to her. “I don’t want to waste another minute of it being away from you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “More than sure.”

  “But Rex—”

  “Deep down in that selfish heart of his, I know Rex would want me to be happy. This makes me happy.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “You make me feel connected to humanity, Jenna. You’re everything that’s good in my life.” He brushed his thumb down the side of her cheek. “More than anything, I need that right now. To feel alive and connected. To feel good.”

  “You are good, Caine. I’ve always known it, and now the rest of the world will know it, too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as he covered her mouth in a gentle, reverent kiss.

  “You’re my everything, Jenna,” he whispered as their hands fumbled with their clothes. “If this is a fucking fantasy, then please, don’t ever let me wake up.” He tore at her shirt. “I don’t ever want to wake up.”

  Tears stung her eyes as she pulled his shirt over his head. “Me either, Caine.” She kissed his shoulders and chest, slowly working her way down his torso. “Me either.”

  Caine wanted to take his time, but his desire was too great. Caine needed to feel connected to someone. No, he needed to feel connected to her. This time, there was no scratching, no biting, none of the other games that they played in the bedroom. There was just her and him, exploring each other’s bodies and rediscovering each other all over again.

  And when he finally did enter her, it wasn’t with the forceful abandon he normally approached sex, but gentle and slow, savoring each and every inch as he drove himself balls-deep into he
r body. It was only then, that he had felt that he had truly arrived home.

  Caine’s long thrusts were driving Jenna crazy. Never before had she seen such tenderness or love. She reached for him, but he pinned her hands over her head and thrust with long, hard strokes.

  “Please,” she said after a long moment. “Let me ride you, Caine.” He loosened his grip as his strokes faltered. “Let me comfort you.”

  She could see the hesitation in his eyes. After a brief moment, he nodded and rolled them over in the bed of the truck until he was on his back and she was on top of him. Jenna placed her hands on his chest, over his nipples, and began to move her hips up and down to the familiar tribal rhythm.

  “Let yourself go, Caine,” she said. “Let me take care of you.” She rode him faster, harder, enjoying the way the sweet friction rippled up her core. Jenna locked her gaze with his, wanting him to know that she was right there with him, that she’d always be there with him, sharing both his pain and his pleasure.

  He ran his hands over her breasts, her hips, stimulating her sensitive skin and pushing her need higher. Jenna rocked back and forth on his cock, moving until only the tip remained inside of him and then crashing down once more.

  Caine moaned and dug his fingers into her flesh, causing Jenna’s desire to soar. She continued to rock as she scraped her fingernails over his nipples. He bucked beneath her, thrusting his cock even deeper into her core. Again and again they crashed together, as Jenna raced toward that unseen goal. As they came together, the crashing of the waves could be heard in the distance. The sound became louder and louder, and Jenna felt as if she was moving in a dream. Need wound through her, pulling her muscles tight. Higher and higher her body climbed, and yet her orgasm hung there, just out of reach.

  “Come for me, Jenna,” he whispered as he shifted his hand between them and stroked her clit. The added pleasure burst through her body, triggering her orgasm. Jenna cried out his name and dug her fingers into his flesh as it slammed into her body, numbing both her muscles and her mind with ecstasy.

  Caine grabbed her hips, pushing himself into her again and again. His movements quickened, and she knew that he too, was close to the edge. With a cry, he tumbled over the edge and joined her in oblivion. The moment was so intimate, so special. She had never felt so connected to anyone in her entire life.

  As the last of her orgasm faded, Caine wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Wet drops fell on her shoulder, causing her eyes to brim with tears. They clung to each other and cried as the surf roared in the distance. Jenna had never known a time when she had felt more at peace. While her time in St. Lucia was fantastic, this was different for her somehow. Her fantasy of Caine being completely honest with her had come to pass. She had never seen him so emotional, or so raw. His pain was now her pain. They were truly one.

  It was a long time later when either of them had enough energy to speak.

  “I suppose we need to go back,” Caine said. “The Master will be wanting his things.”

  Jenna nodded as she watched him get out of the truck. Slowly, she put on her clothes and helped him pack.

  “Caine?” she asked after they both settled in the front seat of the truck.

  “Yeah?”

  “Where do we go from here?”

  “Like I said, we have to give Mr. Vardalos back his things.”

  “Then what?” She shifted in her seat to face him. “I mean, what’s going to become of us?”

  He seemed to consider her words as he turned on the engine. After a moment, he leaned back in his seat and smiled. “This is an island of fantasy, Jenna.” He reached out and took her hand. “We’ll go where our imaginations take us.”

  “Before Jenna could question him, he stepped on the gas. She grabbed onto the sides of the truck as it jostled down the dirt road back to the castle.

  After parking the car, they agreed to keep the artifacts in the car. That way, they could easily transport them to wherever the Master of the Island wanted them kept. It would also keep curious guests from asking questions.

  As they walked through the castle and back to the spa, Caine slid his arm around Jenna. Her strawberry scent tickled his nose, and her body heat comforted him. Once again, he was struck by how good it felt to have her next to him. It was as if she belonged there. He also knew that Jenna’s words were true. Rex didn't die by Caine’s hand, but by his own selfishness. Stealing from others was wrong, and Rex couldn't look past his own greed to see how he was affecting those around him. If Rex had only decided to go the straight and narrow, he would still be alive, and Caine would still have his cousin.

  “Ah, there you are,” Simone said as they made their way back to the spa. I've been looking everywhere for you.”

  “We’ve been rather busy,” Caine said.

  Simone glanced at Jenna and raised her brows. “I guess so.” She pulled a stray twig from her hair.

  Jenna blushed and averted her gaze.

  “Is there something wrong with the spa?”

  “No, unless you count the fact that we will be getting a new Human Resource Director as a bad thing.”

  “What?”

  Simone handed him a thin, white envelope similar to the invitation Caine had used to summon Jenna.

  Simone smiled at Jenna. “Don’t look so sad. This is the island of dreams and fantasy, after all.” She winked at Caine. “Who knows? Perhaps your greatest fantasy is within that envelope.” Simone shifted her black tray and shimmied away.

  “She's wrong,” Caine whispered as he watched Simone retreat.

  “Wrong? What do you mean?”

  Caine glanced at Jenna. “Simone was wrong when she said that this envelope might contain my greatest fantasy. I know it doesn't.”

  “Why?” Jenna knit her brows in confusion.

  “Because...” He inched closer and hooked his finger under her chin. “My fantasy has already come true.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. “You.”

  She smiled and shifted her gaze to his lips. “Mine has come true, too.”

  Caine kissed her again, and as their tongues danced, he was struck by how easily he could get lost in her. Never again was he going to let her get away, not if he could help it.

  When he pulled away, Jenna moistened her lips. “Aren't you going to open it?” she asked.

  He dragged his focus away from Jenna and stared at the envelope. “I'm not sure if I should. Like I said, I don't need a fantasy. I already have everything I want.”

  “Aren't you at least a bit curious?” Jenna put her hand over his. “Come on, let's open it together.”

  He stared at her for a moment before responding. Caine couldn’t imagine what the Master of the Island might want to say to him, but it couldn't possibly be important. Caine was done with treasure hunting, done with roaming the world. Everything he wanted was right in front of him. He wanted to look forward to his future, not dwell in the past.

  “Come on, Caine. It might be important.”

  He forced himself to smile. “Okay, for you.” He brushed his finger along the side of her cheek. “Because I know that you will burst with curiosity if I don't open it.”

  She grinned and led him over to one of the Adirondack chairs in the waiting area. “Go on, open it.”

  Caine gave her another affectionate kiss and then tore into the envelope. The paper had the flower of Eden on the top, and Mr. Vardalos’ letterhead. Caine cleared his throat and started to read.

  “Caine, if you are reading this letter, then you have passed my little test.”

  Caine looked up and stared at Jenna. “She was right.”

  “Who was right?”

  “The soothsayer we ran into out by the pool. She told me that I was going to be put to a test and if I wanted to pass, I should follow my heart.”

  “Weird,” Jenna said. “Go on.”

  Caine glanced back down at the note and continued reading. “I’m sorry to put you through this test, but I had to know. Y
ou see, I had trusted someone once, and she betrayed me on the deepest level. On that day I promised never to trust anyone so easily again. I had to make sure that you were pure in heart, so I called both you and your cousin away from St. Lucia to come and dig up fake artifacts from a staged site not far from the island.”

  Jenna put her hand on Caine's arm. “Wait a minute. Those pieces are fake?”

  Caine’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. It was all fake.

  “Let me see that.” Jenna plucked the letter from Caine's hands and continued reading.

  “I had you collect those items and entrusted you to give them to me for safekeeping. I knew of your background and how the temptation to steal from me would be strong.”

  “Jesus,” Caine whispered.

  “Those must be pretty good fakes to fool both of you.”

  Caine shook his head. “Rex was the one who did most of the research. I just trusted his judgment.”

  “Still, to fool both of you—”

  “Yeah.” Caine met Jenna’s gaze. “This Master of the Island must really be eccentric to put people through tests like this.”

  “Why would he do such a thing?”

  Caine nodded to the letter. “Maybe he says in the letter.”

  Jenna glanced down at the note. “I did this, not to waste your time, but to test you and make sure that you would not betray me. For a while I had feared that I had misjudged you, but thanks to your lovely companion, I can now see that you are pure in soul. Because of this, I have a proposition for you both.”

  Caine raised his brows. “A proposition?”

  “Yeah, that’s what it says. Interesting, eh?” She placed her finger on the word and continued reading. “I have a great many tourists on the island, and a lot of them dream about becoming expert scuba divers. I would like the two of you to relocate your scuba company from St. Lucia to here and run trips out to the shipwreck so that interested parties can learn to become excavators.”