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CHAPTER 20
Isabella
The sand crunched beneath my bare feet as we walked out on the beach under the blanket of moonlight. There was a light breeze. The salty sea air was fresh and invigorating. Fireflies flitted around us, making the entire backdrop feel like something out of a movie.
“I can’t believe this.” I took in the scene before me in absolute awe. I knew the island was named for the very phenomenon I was witnessing, but that didn’t make it any less impressive. Lightning bugs by the hundreds fluttered up and down the mile-long stretch of sand and out over the water giving the entire beach a surreal, dreamlike quality.
After spending over an hour on the dancefloor at the festival, I hadn’t wanted the night to end. Coming to see the fireflies was the first excuse I could come up with so the night would continue. It was something I’d wanted to do, it just hadn’t been at the top of my list like Abernathy Manor. But now that I’d seen it, I felt like I’d been wasting my time not being down here every night.
Well, except for last night. Last night could never be considered a waste of time. I hoped that there might be an encore of that particular performance tonight. Since I’d been the one to initiate all three of our encounters now, I was putting my foot down. I would not be initiating the fourth.
Of course, I’d made that rule before I’d had a mason jar of Sweet Tea Moonshine. Rhonda Moore had given me a complimentary glass and told me it was because she was impressed that I was the only female in the pie-eating contest and that I’d taken third. In fairness, two contestants were eliminated for fighting. And the other was only ten, but still, I’d placed third. And I was the only one on the stage with a vagina.
Jimmy had warned me that the drink was deceptively sweet but that it packed a hell of a punch. It was true, the drink hadn’t tasted like there was a drop of alcohol in it, but I felt like it might be sneaking up on me. I could feel that my muscles were loose and I wondered if my inhibitions would be too or if I would stick to my convictions and resist making the first move.
“It’s pretty, right?” Jimmy broke the silence hanging between us.
“It’s more than pretty. How have I been here for four days and I haven’t come down here?”
“Well, last night you were a little busy.”
And I hoped I’d be busy tonight as well. He’d just given me the perfect opening to let him know where I wanted the night to go, and at this point my pride had taken a backseat. My hormones had taken the wheel. I opened my mouth to tell him that I’d like to be busy, or I guess get busy, again tonight, but nothing came out. Apparently, the moonshine hadn’t been enough liquid courage. Butterflies zipped around my stomach like the lightning bugs surrounding me.
Last night I’d been forward and brave because I’d wanted to check having sex off my list. But without the list to hide behind, I was less sure of myself. So, instead of saying what I really wanted to, I remarked, “I don’t understand how the entire island isn’t down here.”
“This beach is local access only and most locals are jaded, I ’spose.”
I inhaled deeply as I gazed out onto the water, sparkling from the reflection of the moon and fireflies. “I don’t think I could ever get jaded seeing something so beautiful.”
“I know the feeling.” Jimmy’s voice dropped an octave and I could feel his stare boring into my cheek like a physical touch.
When I turned my head and met his eyes, the predatory look in them caused a tingling bliss to spread low in my belly. He took one step toward me and lowered his chin. His mouth was hovering above mine. I could smell the fresh mint scent from the peppermint bark he’d had at the festival. My heart was thudding against my rib cage, and I found myself holding my breath in anticipation of feeling his lips on mine.
Nothing else existed in that moment. Not the vast ocean or its waves crashing up onto the shore. Not the lightning bugs flitting around us. It was as if we’d stepped into our own little bubble, one that only contained the two of us.
Then, without warning, that bubble of intimacy was shattered by a sharp crack. I felt it rattle my bones. I jumped and looked over my shoulder. “Was that…was that a gunshot?”
Jimmy laughed, “You’re letting your ‘city girl’ show. No, it wasn’t gunfire. It was thunder.” He looked up at the sky. “And I think we better get out of here because that particular variety means that in about two seconds—”
Nature cut him off before he could finish his sentence. One second we were standing on the beach, dry as could be. The next, rain poured down on us in dense sheets, with no lead up to that intensity. We were instantly soaked.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me across the wet sand.
“There’s a spot just up here called The Cave.” He shouted to be heard over the downpour.
With zero visibility thanks to the heavens opening up, I kept my head down and feet moving, trusting that Jimmy would pull me to safety. Which he did.
Once we were under the sheltering rock, he held me close to him, rubbing my back as chills rattled me. I wasn’t sure if I was trembling from being drenched or from being pressed against the hard-muscled planes of his body.
“We’ll just stay put until the worst of it passes,” he assured me.
I didn’t care if we stayed forever. There were worse things than being stranded in a private rock shelter, safe in Jimmy Comfort’s arms. The longer he held me, the more my arousal stirred. His large, warm hands running up and down my back was both soothing and stimulating. My body was warming up from the inside out.
I looked up at him, and his gaze met mine. I tried to communicate that I wanted to pick up where we left off, but I found myself speechless as he stared down at me, his dark eyes pinning me in place with a fierce gleam that stoked the flames of my desire.
His jaw tensed as he moved his hands up my back and then around to cup my face. I found myself, once again, holding my breath. Finally, he pressed his mouth to mine. The kiss was gentle at first, soft and romantic. My hands gripped his muscled shoulders and I clung to him as his lips moved against mine.
A depth of desperation I’d never known existed bloomed in me as his large, work-worn hands traveled over my body. Each place his heated palms touched felt branded by him. His strength was all-consuming as he turned, holding me tightly against him, and pressed my back up against the smooth wall of the cave.
