Who Needs Mistletoe?

“Of course. They know where we went and they’ll easily be able to see the plane from the air.” She paused. “But they won’t know to search for us until after sundown. They might send out a plane then or wait until morning. Either way, we’re probably going to be here all night.”

“It’s not so bad,” he said, looking around. “There are worse places to be stuck.” He paused. “And far worse companions to be stuck with.”

She smiled, as if pleased by the compliment. “Of course, I will refund your charter fee. It wouldn’t be proper to—”

Trey reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling her down beside him. “You don’t have to do that,” he murmured, cupping her face in his hands.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, as she waited for him to make the first move this time. Gently, he ran his thumb over her lower lip and kissed her, his mouth lingering over hers as he traced the outline with his tongue. “Let’s just call this a side trip,” he said. “An adventure. We can continue our survey once we get off this island.”

“You may not say that when the rain is pouring down and you’re wet and miserable,” she teased.

He pulled her closer, his hand splayed against the small of her back. Her breasts brushed against his chest and Trey bit back a moan. “I’m a pretty tough guy,” he said. “I think I can handle a little rain.”

SOPHIE SAT WITH HER BACK against the trunk of a coconut palm, a seat cushion providing extra comfort. She’d retrieved an old blanket from the plane and spread it out in the sand and settled in to wait for someone to realize they were missing.

Though she should have been trying to get the radio to work, she’d decided to hold off. If she got it working too soon, they might be rescued before sunset. If she got it working later, she could call in their location and reassure her father that everything was all right. Then, she and Trey would have an entire night together.

Still, if she couldn’t get the radio fixed, her father would be in for a very long night. Sometime after sunset, he’d come to the realization she might have been forced to ditch in the open ocean. Though the plane had floats, landing on open water was always risky. One wrong move, one swell, and they could have rolled end over end and sunk too quickly for anyone to get out. They’d been lucky to be where they were when the problems occurred.

In truth, after what had happened between them on the beach, she had to wonder if maybe this was more wish fulfillment than sheer luck. She’d been determined to find a lover and now she had one, complete with a deserted tropical island. They were probably going to be stuck on Suaneva until at least tomorrow morning. And she had every intention of taking advantage of her good fortune.

When Sophie had thought about finding a man, the individual had been just a vague image in her mind, someone with the physical prowess to satisfy her desire and to make her feel like a woman again. But Trey was much more than that. There was a powerful physical attraction between them, an attraction that wouldn’t be quelled by just one passionate encounter on the beach.

She recalled the conversation she’d had with her father about this trip. He’d wanted her to—what was the word—impress? Perhaps the gods had stepped in and given her the solution to all their problems. She’d get what she wanted and her father would get what he wanted.

Sophie pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees, silently observing her fellow castaway. She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Once her father realized they were missing, he’d be beside himself with worry. She, on the other hand, would be enjoying a host of carnal pleasures with her sexy passenger.

Trey had decided to raid the tail of the plane for anything that might improve their comfort while they waited and had come away with a wide variety of items he’d arranged on the beach. He was now focused on a canvas tarp and a length of nylon rope, the small toolbox she kept stowed beneath the pilot’s seat open at his feet.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He squatted down and picked through the toolbox, then pulled out a large pocketknife. “I’m making us a shelter, in case it starts to rain.”

“Give me that knife,” she said, wriggling her fingers.

He walked over to her and placed it in her hand. Sophie reached out for the leg of his khakis and cut the fabric at midthigh. She tore off one leg and then the other. “There. You’ll be more comfortable now.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be comfortable with you lying around topless like that,” he said wryly, staring down at her, the soft light outlining his gorgeous body.

Sophie glanced down at her chest. “Americans are far too obsessed with breasts,” she muttered. “It’s too hot for a shirt. You’re not wearing one. Why should I?” Sophie paused. “You know, we could always sit in the plane if it rained.”

“It’s kind of hot and stuffy in there,” he said. “It’s nicer outdoors. And I don’t want to sleep in the plane. It’s too cramped. I need space.”

He hesitated, then looked her way. Considering what they’d done on the beach an hour before, Sophie could attest to that fact. Making love in the plane would be more than uncomfortable. When they did it again, she wanted comfort, not privacy.

Trey straightened, turning in a slow circle, then looked over at her. “Which way is the wind coming from?”

She pointed to the northeast and he grinned. “Thanks.” He took a small length of rope and ran it through the grommet in the tarp, then tied it onto a tree. “When I was fifteen, my parents sent me on an Outward Bound trip. They thought it would make a man of me.”

“What is this? This Outward Bound?” Sophie asked, curious to learn a little more about her lover.

“It’s a program where they drop kids in the middle of the wilderness and they have to learn how to survive by working together. You learn all these skills—how to make a fire and how to build a shelter. How to find drinkable water.”

“These are good things to know,” Sophie said.

“This is the first time I’ve ever needed to use them,” he said ruefully. Trey paused, staring down at the knot he’d tied. “You know, that was the last time I remember ever feeling a sense of accomplishment. I was happy that summer. Happy with myself.”

“So it made a man out of you?”

Silly question, she mused. The answer was right in front of her eyes. In all her life, she’d never met anyone who was more “man” than Trey. He exuded masculine sexuality, from his careless stance to his easy athletic grace, from his boyish smile to his unchecked desire.

He glanced over her shoulder, chuckling softly. “Yeah, in more ways than one. I lost my virginity on that trip. To a red-haired girl from Burlington, Vermont. Her name was Elizabeth and she could portage a canoe all by herself.”

Sophie giggled. “Sounds like the right kind of girl to be stuck in the wilderness with. Tell me more.”

“About the girl?”

“No, about losing your virginity. Was it all you thought it would be?”

He considered her question for a long moment and Sophie was afraid that she’d offended him with her bold inquiry. They’d just shared the most intimate experience between a man and a woman. Why shouldn’t they speak about sex as easily as they’d shared it?

“It was over pretty quickly,” he admitted. “And it was out in the woods. We’d been sent to gather firewood. And neither one of us had had a bath for days. The mosquitos nearly ate us alive. But I liked it.” He nodded. “I really liked it. And I’ve liked it ever since.”

“And did it happen again?”

Trey shook his head. “No, she moved on to an older boy. What about you?”

“I was sixteen,” Sophie said. “I was spending the holidays in Paris with my mother’s family. I met a boy. He was an art student and he was sketching along the Seine. He took me back to his parents’ apartment and we did it. It was pretty much the same as your experience.”

“It’s a wonder we survived,” he said. “And that we managed to get so good at it.”

“So what attracted you to this girl?” Sophie asked, wondering just what kind of women he usually chose to bed.

“She had very large…”

“Breasts?”

“Shoulders,” Trey said. “Like I said, she could haul a canoe down a muddy path for miles. And carry two backpacks at once.”

“So you admire capable women?” Sophie asked. “Some men find them…intimidating.”

“I admire you,” he said. “When the plane was going down, you acted like it was just another day at the office.” He looked over at her. “Just how close were we to dying?”

She smiled. “If I told you all the things that could have gone wrong, you might not want to fly again. We were lucky,” she said.

He tipped his head, a grin quirking at the corners of his mouth. “I guess we were.”

There was more than one meaning to his words, Sophie mused. They were lucky to be alive. But they were also lucky to be stuck alone on this island. Had they met any other place, they might have enjoyed a quick afternoon in bed and then gone their separate ways. But here, they were able to take their time, to test their passion.