Who Needs Mistletoe?

by Kate Hoffmann

  She watched him surreptitiously, wondering at the argument they’d had earlier. She thought she knew him, enough to assume that he didn’t have a quick temper. But his anger over her trip to the beach and the jellyfish seemed completely out of character. After all, what right did he have to chastise her like that? She wasn’t a child. And it wasn’t her fault the jellyfish had picked that place to die.

  Perhaps this was a character flaw coming to the surface, she mused. Though Trey might appear to be easygoing, he showed a possessive streak that she didn’t care for at all. Had she even been considering him as boyfriend material, that characteristic alone would have disqualified him in an instant.

  Sophie grabbed the wine bottle and took another sip. Either she was getting drunk or her foot was feeling much better. Or maybe it was both. A tiny hiccup slipped out and she covered her mouth with her fingertips.

  She glanced over at Trey. His back was braced against the porch railing, his long legs crossed in front of him. The pareu barely hid his assets and Sophie allowed her gaze to drift.

  She wondered what he was thinking. Was he only pretending to concentrate on the hammock? Or was his mind caught up in some sexual fantasy? If he was thinking about sex, then he was doing a pretty good job of hiding it. Perhaps she’d have to give him a little nudge. Sophie stood and stretched her arms over her head, then began to unknot the shirt.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, his attention suddenly sparked.

  “To take a shower,” she said, letting the shirt fall to the floor of the porch. She skimmed out of her thong and dropped it on top of his shirt. “The rain will wash off the salt on my skin.”

  She wandered down the stairs, then stopped and tipped her face up, letting the downpour soak her thoroughly. The rain was warm, the water fresh, and Sophie closed her eyes and opened her mouth, letting the drops fall on her tongue.

  She didn’t want to look to see if he had followed her. But a few seconds later, she felt his hands on her shoulders, the heat of his body against her back. Trey’s palms smoothed over her skin, but she didn’t turn around. Instead, she sighed softly and arched back against him, an invitation for him to go further.

  His fingers tangled in her hair as he held it out, letting the rain fall through it. Everywhere he touched, Sophie’s nerves tingled, her body came alive, her senses aware. His path wasn’t deliberate, moving from her breasts to her feet and then back up to the nape of her neck, as if he couldn’t decide which spot he liked best.

  When she turned in his arms and looked up into his eyes, she saw the desire there. In a heartbeat, he captured her face with his hands and pulled her into a deep, mind-numbing kiss. He seemed desperate to possess her mouth, demanding that she meet his need. But there was something else there-a need to set things right between them again.

  Sophie opened beneath the assault and let the kiss consume her. Nothing in her life had prepared her for the power of his touch over her body. In the past, men had come and gone from her life without a sense of loss. But already, Sophie had to wonder how she’d deal without this chaos he’d created in her body. Every cell of her being seemed to surrender to him, to ache for what they shared. She thought nothing of resisting his charms the first time, but now Sophie knew she’d completely lost that capacity.

  Breathless and dizzy with desire, Sophie pressed her hands against his chest. He pulled back and smiled, the droplets of rain clinging to his dark lashes. She smoothed her fingertips along his torso, then untied the knot in the pareu.

  She slowly circled around him, washing the salt off his body with the damp fabric, running it over his muscled back and arms. It felt good to be clean again, to be able to press her lips to his flesh without tasting the ocean.

  Sophie pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed the nape of his neck, then trailed her lips and tongue down to the small of his back. She heard him moan softly, pleased that he wasn’t immune to her touch, either.

  They stood in the rain for a long time, letting the water wash over them, exploring the curves and angles of each other’s bodies. Though it was a practical choice, Sophie had no doubt about where their “shower” was leading.

  He took the lead as he ran his hand down her belly to find the warm spot between her legs. His caress was soft and slow, but almost immediately, she felt an overwhelming surge of desire building inside her.

  Determined to share the exquisite pleasure that raced through her body, Sophie wrapped her fingers around his erection and began to stroke him, the warm rain causing him to be slick and smooth.

  She drew a deep breath as she nuzzled her face into the curve of Trey’s neck. He smelled like the rain and the last traces of the monoi left on his skin. Sophie didn’t hesitate to tantalize him, to touch him in a way that was meant to make him ache for release.

  There were no walls between them that hadn’t already been breached, no part of his body that she wasn’t allowed to touch. Here, on this island, they were free to explore their desire without any outside interference. For now, time stood still, no one else existed, the real world was just a clouded memory.

  Her fingers slid over the tip of his shaft and then back down again. This man who had such control over her desires was completely at her mercy. She looked up at his handsome face, his eyes closed and his lips parted.

  She continued to watch him as she placed a kiss in the center of his chest. When she moved to his nipple, Trey sucked in a sharp breath and when she delved lower, he tangled his fingers in her wet hair and groaned. But this time, he wouldn’t allow her to go further.

  He pulled her back up along his chest and then took her hand and led her over to the front steps of the cottage. Gently, Trey sat her down on the top step, while he knelt below her. His hand slid down her belly and his fingers found the soft folds between her legs, now slick with her desire.

  Sophie had been with enough men to know exactly what he wanted. She leaned back, turning her face up into the rain that poured off the porch roof onto them both. And when his tongue continued what his fingers had begun, Sophie moaned out loud.

  She knew he was watching her, knew that everything he did to her was designed to end in absolute pleasure and shattering release. He teased and tempted her, learning by her reactions what she liked best. And when she seemed to move close to the edge, he slowed his seduction.

  Minute by minute, he brought her ever nearer before dragging her back, until her eyes were hazy with desire and her breath was quick and shallow.

  “Oh God, what are you doing to me?” she whispered. She tangled her fingers in his wet hair, pulling him along her body until their mouths met. He was still hard and his shaft teased at the spot between her legs, rubbing back and forth until she was desperate to have him inside her.

  Sophie was stunned at how quickly it came upon her. One moment, she was running her hands over his back, and the next, she was writhing beneath him. The spasm came hard and fast and she pulled his hips against hers as she dissolved into her orgasm. A moment later, he joined her, his essence warm and sticky between them both.

  When they’d both floated back down to reality, Sophie reached between their bodies and touched him again. Trey sucked in a sharp breath. “Stop,” he begged. “Sophie, stop.”

  She did as he asked, tossing her hair back from her face to look up at him. She waited for a long moment, watching him regain control over his senses. He shifted his weight and sat down beside her on the steps, stretching his arms over his head and moaning softly.

  The rain had begun to subside and the air was fresh and cool for the moment. His fingers ran through her hair and Trey pulled her into a deep kiss, his mouth possessing hers, leaving her breathless. The kiss spun out into one long, delicious ending. A few moments later, Trey opened his eyes. A grin curled the corners of his mouth. “That was…incredible.”

  Sophie reached down to touch him again. “It was?”

  He moaned, grabbing her hand to stop her teasing. “You know those questions they ask, about the th
ree things you’d want on a deserted island?”

  “Yes,” Sophie replied.

  “I could never decide what I’d take. There were too many things that I thought were necessary. But now that I’m here, I know exactly what I’d need.”

  “Food and water?”

  He shook his head. “We have that here.”

  “What then?”

  “You. You’d be on the top of my list.”

  “Any woman? Or me specifically?”

  “I’m pretty sure it would have to be you.”

  “What else?” she asked, now curious about his answers.

  “Condoms,” he said. “An unlimited supply. So we’d never have to keep ourselves from doing anything.”

  “What, are you going to have them air-dropped? How many would you need?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe three a day. About a thousand a year. Taking into account the average life span, I’d say we’d need fifty thousand, just to be safe.”

  “And what else?” Sophie asked. “Besides a warehouse to store them in?”

  “A good fishing pole,” he said after a few moments of thought. “With all that sex, I think I’d need some protein every now and then.” Trey reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. “And what would you take?”

  “I don’t know. I never thought about it. Probably an airplane, so I could get off the island when I wanted.”

  Trey frowned. “But that’s not following the rules.”

  “I’ve lived on a little island, not much different than this one, for my entire life,” Sophie said. “Sooner or later, it will make you crazy.”

  Trey sat up and raked his hands through his damp hair, a frown wrinkling his brow. “It can’t be that bad.”

  “It’s easy for you to romanticize all of this,” she said, pushing up beside him. “The warm breezes and the blue ocean, the white sand and the beautiful flowers. The naked women. And it will be interesting for a week or two. But then, like all the tourists, you’ll grow bored and go home. I can’t go home. This is my home. I’m stuck here.”

  “Is it that bad?” Trey asked.

  She shrugged. “I just wish I had a choice, to stay or go.”

  “I’ll help you, Sophie,” he offered. “When we get off this island, I’ll buy you a ticket. You can go anywhere you want, just name it.”

  Sophie shook her head. “My father won’t leave. And I can’t leave him alone, with his eyesight so bad. He doesn’t have anyone else to take care of him or the business.”

  “Then we’ll make sure he can take care of himself. I’ll find him a good doctor. I don’t care how much it costs. I owe you something for this mess I’ve put you in. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here.”

  “Maybe. But the plane might have gone down somewhere else, somewhere a lot less fortunate than this place. Somewhere without a nice big lagoon to land in.” Sophie smiled at him then dropped a grateful kiss on his lips. “It’s a nice fantasy,” she said. “But fantasies don’t always come true.”

  Sophie pushed to her feet and walked out toward the lagoon. She picked up the discarded pareu, shook it out and wrapped it around her body, knotting it beneath her arm. Funny how every time they were intimate, it left her feeling more vulnerable.

  Though it was just a silly answer to a silly question, Sophie couldn’t help but wonder if island life might be tolerable with Trey at her side. Was she really looking for an adventure of her own? She’d always believed the empty spot inside her would be filled by an exciting career in a glamorous city. She’d never even considered it might be filled by a man.

  “Now that the rain has stopped, we should try to get the fire started,” she suggested, turning back to him.

  Trey watched her, his expression inscrutable. “Just give me a few minutes to recover.”

  Sophie turned and wandered to the edge of the lagoon. She stared into the water, watching a small school of fish dart back and forth. She pressed her palm to her heart, feeling the ache of emotion there.

  After her mother had left, Sophie’s dreams about love and happiness had been put aside. How could she possibly let a man into her heart if there was a chance he might break it into a thousand pieces? She had a big empty spot that love could have filled. But if she wasn’t willing to allow herself that emotion, she’d have to fill that spot with something else. But what?

  5

  T HE HUMIDITY HUNG IN the late-afternoon air and the breeze had disappeared, leaving a strange stillness over Suaneva.

  Trey sat on the top step of the porch, his gaze fixed on the plane on the far side of the lagoon. Just minutes before, he’d thought he heard the sound of an engine overhead. It was strange to be so close to rescue, yet so incredibly far away.

  He and Sophie were alone on this island until someone came looking for them. And though it had proved to be an interesting adventure so far, Trey had to wonder what would happen when it was over. If it was ever over.

  There was always a small chance that they wouldn’t be found, that her father might have forgotten where she went. Or that a search party might miss them. It was a remote possibility, but a possibility nevertheless. The more likely scenario would be the opposite-that they’d be found in the morning and that a rescue plane would land in the lagoon, pick them up and take them back to the real world.

  But what then? Would they just walk away from each other as if they’d never met? Or would they make hasty plans to have dinner together? If Trey had anything to say about it, he’d take her hand, drag her off to his hotel suite and let nature take its course.

  They’d enjoy a long, hot shower together, then wrap themselves in thick robes. After that, they’d have a huge dinner with dessert and champagne. And then they’d go to bed for the next three or four days. Only after that would they be ready to make plans for the future.

  Their rescue wouldn’t be the end of their affair, it would be the beginning. When the sex was this good, you didn’t just walk away. He and Sophie shared incredible intimacy in a relationship unencumbered by inhibition. But would they have to begin all over again once they got back? Or could they continue on as they had?

  He turned to look at Sophie, sound asleep in the hammock he’d made. The effects of the wine and sex and incessant heat and rain had been enough to make her drowsy. The moment he’d finished hanging the hammock, she’d crawled in and fallen asleep.

  He glanced down at his wrist, then remembered that his expensive waterproof watch had stopped running when he’d first jumped into the water. From what he could tell by the intermittent sun, it was probably getting close to five in the evening. He’d already spent eight hours with Sophie and he felt as if his life had completely changed. What would happen in the next sixteen? When he left Suaneva tomorrow, would he be a different man?

  Trey found it difficult to believe that he could change so much in twenty-four hours. He hadn’t really cared about anything in his life, so what made him think he felt something deeper for Sophie? But then, the things he’d tossed aside so quickly had always been things he’d bought and paid for.

  No matter how much he spent, he never seemed to find any satisfaction, any comfort. He’d gone through millions and had nothing to show for it. He wasn’t any richer, any smarter or any happier. But he couldn’t buy Sophie’s affection. Maybe that’s why Trey found it so valuable-and maybe that’s why he wanted it more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life.

  He slowly stood, then walked across the porch and bent down to look at her face. Her dark lashes were thick and feathery, her lips parted slightly as she slept. Trey reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, his fingers instinctively needing to touch her. This was crazy, he mused. If he couldn’t resist touching her now, how would he ever get along without her?

  Women had always occupied a specific place in Trey’s life, as social accessories. The more beautiful, the better. He’d never really thought much about compatibility since he’d never intended to stay with one woman long eno
ugh for that to be an issue. But he liked Sophie. He admired her strength and her determination. He thought she was, by all accounts, the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. And when he was with her, he felt good about himself.

  But would his feelings last? Or were they so intense only because she was the one thing he might not be able to possess? Trey sat back on his heels, his gaze still fixed on her face. This was the woman who had saved his life. Perhaps that was the reason for the attraction and nothing more.

  As long as they were here on this island, he didn’t need to think about the future. He’d take each hour as it came and deal with the difficult stuff later. Trey drew a ragged breath. Yeah, he could keep telling himself that, but he was far from convinced that he’d ever be able to let Sophie Madigan go.

  Trey picked through their belongings, which he’d tossed into a corner of the porch. He found his khakis, then tugged them on. Though it felt good to walk around naked, he felt vulnerable without clothes. How the hell was he supposed to fight his attraction to Sophie, when the proof of it was there for all to see?

  Trey walked back to the grove of fruit trees and collected enough wood to get a fire started, making four trips back and forth before he was satisfied it would last through the evening. Sophie had been right about this side of the lagoon. Things were a lot easier when they had shelter, food, water and a supply of firewood.

  Trey arranged the wood in a pile on top of the damp palm fronds, then searched for some kindling to start the fire. In the end, he grabbed his messenger bag and pulled out the notebook he kept inside, crumbling up sheets of paper and stuffing them beneath the firewood.

  Ten minutes later, to Trey’s great satisfaction, they had fire. Though the matches were damp, it had only taken three tries to get a flame going. The wet wood popped and sparked and sent a cloud of smoke drifting straight up into the still air.