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“I have just the thing, it's not a beach but there's a beautiful meadow where we can spread our blankets and enjoy a little island picnic. Afterwards, we’ll clean up and head back into town for some beach time. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.”
They climbed back into the Jeep and Miles drove a short while before he pulled off road and parked. Off to the right was a small walking path that wound its way through the lush, dense undergrowth of what basically looked like a jungle and Julianna sent Miles a dubious look, saying, “Are you sure about this? What if we’re eaten by…whatever might lurk in jungles?”
He laughed. “Rest assured, nothing is going to eat us. This used to lead to a sugar plantation in the 1800s but now it’s just a pretty place to enjoy a picnic, I promise.”
“Okay, you’d better be right. If I die, I’ll never forgive you and I swear I will haunt your ass for the rest of your life.”
He mock saluted her. “Duly noted, now let’s get moving. I’m hungry,” he said, reaching out to grasp her hand and help her over a fallen tree. “When you see the meadow, you’ll thank me.”
“I didn’t know there were meadows in the jungle.”
“Perhaps meadow is a generous word. But it’s pretty and flat so we can lay the blanket down without a problem.”
Julianna nodded and decided to just go with it. She was fairly certain Miles wasn’t going to murder her and leave her body for the wild animals but she did feel a bit reckless traipsing about with a relative stranger into an area that looked as if human beings hadn’t visited since the early 19th century. But as they went deeper down the path, flanked by towering trees and big leafy plants, Julianna smiled in wonder at the wild beauty. “Boy, it’s easy to imagine what life was like before technology took over,” she said, her gaze roaming the landscape and breathing in the sweet, humid air. “This is gorgeous.”
“See? I told you you’d like it,” he said, pointing. “It’s just up over that bend. Can you make it?”
She scoffed at his concern. “I’m not made of China. I’m fine. Lead the way.”
He readjusted his pack with an approving grin and pushed on. Within a few minutes they’d crested the small hill and broke the clearing. Julianna sucked in a wild breath, amazed at the untamed lush jungle. True to his word, a small meadow broke the tangle of trees and plants, creating an oasis amid the chaos. “Oh man, you weren’t lying. This is amazing,” she breathed, allowing Miles to take her small backpack and set it down along with his. Julianna did a 360 and giggled with delight at this unexpected find. “You know, this island is nothing short of spectacular but this…wow. How’d you find this?”
“Just tromping around, looking for treasure,” he answered with a playful smile that would’ve melted a lesser woman’s heart.
“Treasure?”
“Hell yeah, St. Thomas used to be a major port of trade and pirates were everywhere in the Caribbean. It’s not as if they used banks to stash their booty. One Spanish medallion could set me up for the rest of my life.”
She laughed. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“As a heart attack,” he answered with mock seriousness until he couldn’t hide his grin, then amended, “Okay, maybe not quite that serious but hey, it could happen, right?”
“I suppose so. Well, even though you haven’t found treasure, this place is pretty damn cool.”
“I’m glad you agree, now let’s get this picnic started, shall we?”
“You read my mind,” she said, her heart light for the first time in weeks. Julianna helped Miles spread the soft blanket and while Miles pulled out their food, Julianna settled herself on the blanket, happy as a clam. This was so sweet of Miles, she thought with a flash of tenderness. He was such a good catch. For someone. What would he think if she told him about her arrangement with Boston? She worried her bottom lip as the black thought threatened to steal her light mood. No, she wasn’t going to let anything ruin this moment. It wasn’t fair to Miles if she kept allowing Boston to intrude on her thoughts when he wasn’t welcome anyway. “What’s on the menu?” she asked.
“Well Madame, we have a selection of sliced turkey, cranberry, and cheese, along with cold quinoa salad with artichoke, cherry tomatoes and pesto, followed by fresh mango and banana with yogurt.”
“Boy, that’s pretty fancy,” Julianna said, impressed. “And here I thought it was just going to be salami, cheese and crackers.”
“Would that have worked?” he asked.
“Depends on what you were going for…” she replied coyly. Oh boy, she shouldn’t be flirting but she couldn’t quite help herself. He was so cute and he’d gone to so much effort for a knocked up girl he’d only just met…what could she say? It was sweet. And right now…she could use a little sweet in her life.
-5-
It was one thing to know you were playing with fire but quite another to actually welcome the flame. That’s pretty much what he was doing with Julianna but he couldn’t quite help himself. Hadn’t she all but admitted that she was still in love with that jerk-off Boston? Yeah, but she was here with him and not the other guy so that was something, right?
“Mmmm, that’s so good!” Julianna exclaimed around a big bite of her sandwich. “Geez, Miles, if you weren’t a doctor you’d definitely have a shot at doing something with food. This is almost…well, let’s just say, the pregnant woman who gets sick at the drop of a hat, approves. I don’t even feel the need to vomit. That’s a good sign.”
“High praise,” he said, enjoying her enthusiasm, trying not to react too much to the fact that watching her eat was doing something to his groin area. “I will keep that under advisement in case this doctor gig doesn’t work out.”
She laughed and finished her sandwich, moving onto the mango salad. “That’s what I love about the island, everything is so fresh. I never knew how delicious fruit could be. It’s better than candy.”
“When I first arrived on the island, I think I lived on fruit smoothies for at least a month. I couldn’t get enough of them.”
“There are worse things to be addicted to,” she said, popping another bite before sighing with open contentment. “That was so good. Definitely on the top of my list for best picnic ever.”
Miles tried not to put too much value on the innocent statement but he liked her too much to let it mean nothing. “You deserve days like this all the time,” he said quietly, realizing he was risking much by making
such a statement. When she didn’t immediately shut him down, he pressed a little harder. “You have to know that you deserve someone who would consider it an honor to make you smile everyday.”
“Miles…” but there was something in her voice that gave him hope. “There are things you don’t know…”
“I don’t care,” he said quickly, reaching out to gently pull her to him. She made a small sound but didn’t resist. “You’re a woman worth fighting for, Julianna…” and then he brushed his lips across hers in a gentle, tender kiss that immediately set him on fire but he wouldn’t stop for the world. She leaned into him and sweetly opened for him, her tongue hesitantly searching for his and he pushed her slowly to the blanket. He framed her face, nearly delirious with the mad rush of pleasure at having Julianna beneath him that he struggled to keep his pace slow and tender when he desperately wanted to touch every inch of her, taste every private spot and swallow every gasp that popped from her mouth. “Tell me to stop and I will,” he promised her even though the words sliced him to ribbons. He withdrew to stare into her eyes, waiting for her to push him away, but she didn’t.
“Why would you want me? I’m a mess,” she asked, wearing a mask of vulnerability that broke his heart. She swallowed and gazed into his eyes as if needing to hear his answer but afraid, too. “I mean, I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. I don’t understand what I’m going through and how I’ll end up feeling by the end of everything. I don’t want to screw you over, Miles.”
