by Toby Neal
Sunshine’s cheek rubbed against his chest as hot tears escaped. “Thank you. That’s so kind.”
“Anyone would do it.” Cash’s hand stilled on her neck, against her back, as his voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s my duty. The right thing to do.”
His duty.
Sunshine stepped back. Cash released her, his fingers leaving trails of warmth. She swiped at the tears on her cheeks and forced a smile. “That’s so nice. I appreciate the offer.”
She turned away, searching for her boots, hiding the hurt. So embarrassing. She was crazy for thinking he’d wanted her, that he thought she was attractive.
She was a charity case he was bringing home like a stray dog.
Her body hummed, alive and tingling with yearning, in spite of her negative thoughts. Sunshine bit her lip, trying to calm and center herself. She needed Cash’s help. She respected that he was doing his duty. The kindness he showed was human decency that “anyone” would do. He’d said so himself.
If only her rebellious body didn’t crave more.
Chapter Seven
Cash
Everything about Sunshine filled Cash with tenderness: her shadowed eyes, her brutally shorn head, her filthy, frumpy clothes, and even her shape. He would never have noticed a woman with her body type in his old life. These feelings surprised him, as if he had taken a bite of something sour and found it to be sweet.
The way she’d held on to him in the river, and the admiration he’d seen in her turquoise eyes, told him he was her hero.
Sunshine needed and counted on him. At the same time, she settled Cash somehow. She calmed his restless, rootless, irresponsible soul and made him want to protect and care for her.
How was she doing it?
Cash had always felt untethered, unworthy, and even dangerous. He’d spent his life trying to make amends for the past, but until Sunshine, nothing and no one had stilled him. He didn’t know why she had this effect on him.
It didn’t matter.
They needed to keep moving.
“Here.” Cash pulled out his sleeping bag and handed it to Sunshine. “Warm up and rest. I’m going to start working on a raft.”
“You know how to build a raft? It seems you can do anything!”
Cash’s blood heated. He wanted her and it blindsided him. She was clearly not his type, and way too vulnerable. He’d only let her down, as he had so many others. “Sure. Now get some rest.”
Sunshine did as he asked, going to lie down in the lee of a large boulder up away from the river.
Cash scanned the riverbank, lit in flickering orange light, for what he needed.
The forest fire had burned out, the remains smoldering on the opposite side of the river, and the air thick with the smell when Sunshine sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking around in alarm.
Cash straightened up from lashing logs together. “Good morning, Sunshine. I left you some breakfast on that rock.”
The relief that washed over her face at the sight of him felt like a balm to Cash. He wanted to walk over, grab her up, and kiss that sleep-dazed look from her eyes. He wanted to awaken her properly, but he’d probably scare the hell out of her.
And give her the wrong idea.
Cash forced himself to turn away and focus on the raft he was building. “I’ve always wanted to say that to someone, and now I can.”
“Surely I’m not the first woman you’ve said that to in the morning.” Cash recognized skepticism in Sunshine’s voice, and something else…was she jealous?
“Actually, you are the first woman I’ve ever said ‘Good morning, Sunshine’ to.” He kept his tone light.
Silence.
Cash refocused on tightening the rope around the raft with a vicious yank, ignoring the tingling at the back of his neck that meant Sunshine was watching. She seemed to think he was some kind of manwhore. Well, he kind of was but he never led anyone on. Cash was always honest; he was fun in the sack, but not into long-term relationships.
Cash gritted his teeth, attempting to wrangle control of his hormones by concentrating on the raft.
Built from driftwood logs he’d retrieved along the rocky bank and joined with rope from his supplies, the craft was lumpy and rough but the best he could do under the circumstances. He’d cut a crude rudder with his axe and set it in a notch at the back. Cash wiggled it experimentally.
“Can I help?” Sunshine blocked his light. She chewed the stick of beef jerky he’d left for her.
Seeing her eating eased a tightness in Cash. He wished they had more time so he could feed her, popping bits of dried apricot and nuts into her lush pink mouth.
Why did she affect him this way, and in such a short time?
Mentally, Cash heard his oldest brother, Luca teasing him. Of all the Luciano brothers, Luca had the most cynical attitude toward women, but he always turned up with a new one on his arm.
And Cash? Cosimo Luciano couldn’t be tied to anyone or anything. When someone got close enough to try, he ghosted off and left them behind. He could not be trusted.
But Sunshine would die if he left her.
And he would die before he’d let anything happen to her.
The realization detonated him to his core.
Cash cleared his throat, his eyes on his hands as he knotted the rope. “Yeah, you can help. Why don’t you find some more driftwood? Big pieces. We need to make some kind of structure on top of the logs or we’ll get wet sitting on them.”
“Okay.” Sunshine moved off, and Cash hauled the last big log to line up with the rest, hacking off branches and notching with his axe so the ropes would dig in.
She returned shortly, towing long, thick pieces of wood. Sunshine held them as he chopped off the side branches. “I’m almost out of rope. I need all of it to hold the main logs together,” Cash frowned.
“What about this?” Sunshine tugged at her skirt. “The darn thing is too long and gets in my way.”
Cash swallowed and looked away as Sunshine lifted up the long, billowy skirt and notched it using his knife, then tore off strips around the hem.
The ripping sound of her skirt getting shorter and shorter, exposing her legs, was the most erotic sound he’d ever heard.
Cash kept his head down and body turned away as he focused on arranging the branches, weaving them into a raised platform and finally holding out his hand. “I’m ready for those cloth strips.”
Sunshine put them in his hand, and he bound the corners of the crude platform together before attaching the platform to the raft. “Okay, I think we’re ready. We just need a long pole to push with.”
“I’ll find one.” Sunshine hurried away, and he finally allowed himself to look at her.
The skirt now ended just above her knees, exposing long and sturdy legs, and the sight of them filled Cash with longing. He followed the curve of her body, noticing that the back of her neck was reddening with sun exposure.
He frowned. “Find something to cover your head.” Sunshine winced at his harsh tone, and he softened his voice. “Sorry. You’re getting burned, and that’s going to hurt later.” He hated whoever had scared her so much, and he hated himself for letting his tone betray his frustrations. The effect she had on him wasn’t her fault.
Sunshine bent over to pick up a branch, and Cash almost swallowed his tongue as that rag of a skirt rode up to cradle her round, soft butt.
Sunshine straightened and turned, her pink cheeks draining of color. “Cash! Oh no!”
He spun on his heels to face the threat as Tiny broke into the deep-voiced bellow she reserved for intimidation.
Three heavily armed men stood on the smoldering opposite bank, a quarter mile up the river.
Cash tossed the backpack onto the raft, shoving it under the crude seating bench, and pushed against the log platform. The damn thing was heavy, and caught on the rocks. “Sunshine! Help me!” She ran over and put her back into it next to him. “On three! One, two, three!”
They heaved with all their
strength and the raft hit the water, lifting like magic off the jagged rocks to float free. It almost tugged out of Cash’s hands as it caught in the current.
“I have to get the pole!” Sunshine scrambled away as Cash grabbed Tiny by the scruff and maneuvered the huge dog onto the raft.
The men ran along the far bank, heading toward them with weapons drawn.
Sunshine grabbed the pole and scrambled back over the rocks toward Cash. He clung to a loop of rope to keep the raft from floating away as Tiny faced the threat, barking fiercely. Finally, Sunshine jumped onto the raft and handed him the pole in one graceful gesture.
This girl was brave, and knew how to move under pressure.
Cash pushed the raft into the current and waded through the churning water, holding the tilting structure.
“Jolene! Jolene, come back! We won’t hurt you!” One of the men shouted from the far bank.
Cash hauled himself aboard as Sunshine tugged on his arm to help him up. He faced the men as they ran after the raft, stumbling on the rocks of the uneven shore.
Their freshly shaved scalps gleamed in the low light of the smoky sky. Skinheads: the assholes responsible for this damn flu, society’s breakdown, and Nando’s death. Rage beat in Cash’s chest as he fought an urge to jump off the raft, swim across the river and flay them with his knives.
One of the men yelled at them. “Jolene! Your brother loves you. He just wants you back!”
Sunshine covered her ears, squatting down behind the platform. “We have to get away!” Her aqua eyes were huge and her face milky-white but for the pink of sunburn on her cheeks and nose.
Cash dug the pole into the river bottom and thrust hard, his muscles burning, his thirst for revenge trumped by Sunshine’s need to escape. The raft responded sluggishly, moving into the middle eddy. A gunshot cracked the air, and Cash ducked though he was still an easy target on the unprotected raft.
“Come back, Jolene, or we’ll shoot your man.” A male voice carried clearly across the water. Cash glanced back to see one of the men down on his knee, aiming with a hunting rifle.
Sunshine stood up quickly, the raft shaking under her quick movement. “I’ll never come back!” Her voice was hoarse but loud. She staggered a bit as she positioned herself in front of Cash, spreading her arms wide, blocking him with her body. “Shoot me if you want! I’m never coming back! I’d rather die!”
The man aiming his rifle dropped the weapon to rest on its butt, frustrated. Sunshine had spoiled his shot at Cash.
Their combined weight now on one side, along with Tiny’s, made the crude craft list, sagging into the water. “Sunshine, we need to redistribute our weight!”
Sunshine ignored Cash but Tiny understood, trotting to the other side. The big dog’s weight shift stabilized them.
The men stopped pursuing and conferred with each other as the raft caught a fast-moving eddy. Cash sat on the platform, drawing Sunshine to sit down next to him, the pole no longer useful in the deep center of the river. The raft spun gently in the current so that they faced the men.
“Who are they?” Cash worked the crude tiller from his sitting position. “Is your name Jolene?”
Sunshine’s trembling fingers pleated her ragged skirt. “Just get us away. Please.”
“They certainly seem to know you. Do they work for your brother?”
She turned to look at Cash, and the devastation in her eyes pierced him. “I don’t remember them.” Her lip trembled. “Jolene must be my name, but I hate it. I can feel the hate in my bones.”
The men continued to shrink in the distance, well out of weapons range, disappearing behind them. Cash used the rudder to swivel the raft so that they faced downstream. He settled the pole on the raft beside his feet and wrapped his arms around Sunshine. Jolene.
But she didn’t seem to like that name. “You can keep being Sunshine, if you’d prefer.”
She tilted her adorable face up to his and closed her eyes, sagging in his arms, utterly trusting. “I like Sunshine better.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.” Cash stroked her back gently.
Sunshine gripped his forearms, her eyes squeezed tight, tears shining on her cheeks. “Thanks.”
She needed him.
Cash’s chest swelled with a strange sensation, a wonderful heaviness, a grounding. This was where he belonged. He’d run from intimacy for decades, and now he grabbed onto it with both hands.
“Can I kiss you?” Cash whispered, his voice hoarse, his body vibrating with need.
Sunshine’s eyes popped open and her mouth formed a small “o” of surprise. “Do you really want to?”
Want to? Cash wanted to kiss every inch of her. All he could do was nod.
Sunshine cupped his jaw with her hand, and her lush mouth parted. “Please. Please kiss me.”
Cash placed his lips tenderly on Sunshine’s in answer, satisfying his need in return.
Chapter Eight
Sunshine
Gentle at first, Cash’s kiss grew hungrier. He pulled Sunshine into his lap and settled her deep in his arms with a growl. His tongue teased at her mouth, asking for more. She opened to him, sighing into his mouth as his arms crushed her against his chest, his hands sliding down to cup her bottom.
Safe. Cherished. Wanted. Cash communicated to her with every confident, passionate stroke of his hands and tongue. A moan rose over the gentle slapping of water against wood, and it emanated from her own chest.
Sunshine turned further into Cash, desperate to press her breasts against him, to feel their heartbeats pounding together. She longed to straddle and hold him between her thighs.
A memory flashed: a dark silhouette above her, fingers digging into her shoulders. Damp alcohol-tinged breath on her face. A rough voice in her ear. “You belong to me.”
Sunshine reared back, her veins thrumming with adrenaline. She rolled away, but Cash reached out, grabbing her arm. She struggled as the small craft tipped perilously.
Tiny barked. Once again, that sharp sound brought her back to reality. Lines of concern etched Cash’s face as his expression pulled into a deep frown. Sunshine covered her mouth, suppressing a sob. “I’m sorry.” She forced the words out. “I’m acting crazy.”
“Come away from the edge. Just come away from the edge.” Her butt was half off the raft now. Cash tightened his grip on her bicep to keep her from falling overboard.
Sunshine scuttled closer to him, sitting back on the bench beside him, but Cash didn’t embrace her. She’d scared him off with her psycho behavior. She was such a mess.
“That wasn’t about you. I just…” Her voice quavered. She didn’t want him to know about the terrifying memory. Sunshine’s body told her she’d never been raped, but a threat hung over her. That dark silhouette owned her.
Nausea swamped her. She wanted to turn away from the memory, hide in Cash’s arms and concentrate on the way his body made hers feel: safe, cherished, and wanted. Instead, she closed her eyes, trying hard to see through the haze and remember.
Dim light. Male voices. Laughter and drunken talk. Some kind of celebration. A familiar man cornered her in the dim light expecting her to…she didn’t know.
The memory, like a shadow shifting in the afternoon sun, lengthened and drifted away from her into blackness.
Sunshine pressed against Cash mutely. Slowly, as if she was a bomb that might go off, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him, placing her cheek against his chest.
Cash would never force himself on her, or claim ownership of her. But maybe she wanted him to be hers.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For holding me.” Cash nodded as he cradled her gently, his fingers spread, covering as much of her as he could. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, please. You’ve been through a lot.” His lips touched her forehead as his soft voice soothed her.
“Those men are dangerous. You should drop me off somewhere.” She snuggled harder against him. Sunshine didn�
��t want to leave Cash, but to entangle this kind, brave, gentle man into the mess that surrounded her felt very wrong.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Cash’s voice rumbled from his chest, his baritone edged with dark tension. Her fingers curled tightly into the fabric of his shirt as she looked up at him. Cash’s blue eyes sparkled bright as the sun on the water. “I’m not giving you over to those men. Or anyone.”
“But they will follow me forever.” Sunshine’s body told her it was true. Her unknown brother would never stop searching for her. “I can’t bring this danger to your family.”
“You don’t need to worry about my family. The Lucianos are tough.” Cash squeezed, pulling her tighter against him as he nuzzled the soft fuzz of her hair.
“Tell me more about them.” Sunshine wanted to hear every detail about the Lucianos. She needed to let herself believe in good families, the kind that took care of each other, rather than imprisoning and enslaving them. Fear rippled through her as the realization hit. Her own brother had enslaved her.
“Okay. I’ll start with my Moms, Ana Luciano. She’s only five feet tall but tough as nails. She kept all of us boys in line with nothing more than a wooden spoon and a sharp look.”
“How many siblings do you have?”
“There were seven of us.” Something in Cash’s voice made her look up at him. A tightness around his eyes spoke of grief. “There are six of us now.”
“I’m so sorry.” Sunshine sat up, touching his face, feeling rough stubble. Sunlight caught it, bringing out the gold in his blond beard. She wanted to kiss him, but she felt like way too much of a disaster to be kissing a perfect specimen like Cash Luciano.
Specimen. She heard her brother’s voice. A perfect specimen. Goose bumps rose on her skin and she shivered.
“What is it, Sunshine?” Cash tightened his grip on her.
“A memory.”
“Tell me.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her skin crawled, a physical memory shuddering through her. “Please, tell me more about your siblings.”