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I woke up to the sound of a bird chirping. It was coming from just outside the open window in Hayden’s bedroom. I let out a content sigh as I gradually opened my eyes.
I was lying on my side, my back pressed against his chest. His face was against my shoulder, and I could feel the fluttering of my hair with his every exhale. His arms were wrapped around my middle, holding me tight to him, and I smiled slightly as I remembered our conversation on the beach last night.
I hadn’t contributed much, but the way he opened up to me about his father and how he’d been affected being raised by the cold, unemotional man really opened my eyes about who Hayden was. I understood him so much better now, and it meant a lot to me that he shared that part of himself. He didn’t say it, but I had a feeling that he didn’t open up like that very often.
After our walk and brief swim, we came back to his room and went to bed. There was some kissing and touching between us, but we didn’t have sex again. As enjoyable as my first time ended up being, I’d stretched in places that had never been stretched before and used muscles I didn’t even know existed. I was too sore for a second round just yet.
I never saw any of this coming when we arrived on this island, but Hayden proved to be such a different person than I expected. Resisting him was impossible when I looked into his brilliant blue eyes, and I was happy about that. I wasn’t sure where things were going between us or if he was serious about winning my mom over, but I knew that I didn’t regret what had happened on the island, even if it didn’t last. I’d never forget this time with him.
I laid there in the bed for a while, but eventually I had to go to the bathroom, so I carefully pried his arms off me and slipped out of the bed. When I was standing, I looked back at Hayden as he grabbed my pillow and pulled it close without waking up. It was cute, and I felt my heart melt a little.
After using the bathroom, I went to my room, grabbing my last set of clothes and then took a shower. Once I was clean, I headed to the kitchen for some breakfast.
The options were limited, but I opened a can of fruit and ate it while standing in the kitchen, my back leaning against the counter. I thought about what I wanted from life, and I couldn’t help imagining a future with Hayden. I tried to tell myself that it was just a fun little fantasy. I wasn’t making any real plans.
But my heart felt bigger in my chest when I remembered him talking about being faithful to his wife and a devoted father to his future children.
Stop getting ahead of yourself, Rylee.
It was early in the day, but the sun was up. So, after I finished my meager meal, I went back to my room to grab my camera. I thought about leaving a note for Hayden, but I figured it wasn’t necessary. Where could I go? He’d find me if he woke up before I was back.
Heading outside, I walk along the edge of the trees, snapping picture after picture. Colorful plants and birds, the amazing views of the ocean, all of it. Everything that made being on a tropical island so amazing.
Well, noteverything.
My mind lingered on Hayden. I never would have given him a second thought if we didn’t end up here. After taking him to his business meeting and back again, I would have just returned to my life, knowing that it was unlikely I’d cross his path again, my mind unchanged about him and his whole family.
But crash landing on this island changed things. It was the last thing I ever would have wanted to happen, but now…I was kind of glad it did. No one was seriously hurt, and I had gotten a chance to look past my own bias and fall for a man that was so much more than I thought he would be.
Wait a minute . . .did I love him?
My heart seemed to skip a beat, and I knew the answer to that question. My head told me that it was probably too soon to feel that way, but I knew in the core of my being that it was true. I’d never felt like this about anyone before. I didn’t know if our situation had something to do with the fast bond we’d formed or if it was fate, but I knew that I was a different person than I was just a couple of days ago.
I’d finally taken a chance, gone on an adventure, and given a part of myself to a man I cared about, even though I had no idea if we had a future together.
That was part of the reason that I was on the beach, taking these pictures. They’d look great in my portfolio, but they also were going to remind me everything about this place. I wanted that more than anything. I wanted to carry this island, and Hayden, in my heart when I was gone from here.
I was so lost in my thoughts, that it took me a moment to realize that I could hear something strange. It was a repetitivethump-thump-thumpnoise that didn’t sound like it belonged here. It wasn’t natural.
Turning my head in the direction of the sound, I saw that it was a mechanical noise. More specifically, it was a big, black helicopter. It took me a minute to put the pieces together, the sight was so unexpected. But then I realized what this meant.
We were about to be rescued.
“Holy crap,” I mumbled, still standing on the beach like an idiot, my jaw dropped. It felt surreal.
Then, my common sense returned, and I took off for the house. I opened the front door so forcefully that it slammed into the wall. Rushing up the stairs, I burst into Hayden’s room to find him mid-yawn and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked at me and blinked slowly, as if he was trying to process what he was seeing. It seemed that he’d just woken up.
“Morning,” he said, a sexy, sleepy grin stretching across his face. “Why do I always seem to wake up alone after falling asleep with you?”
“Do you hear that?” I asked, ignoring his question and going to the open window and looking out. “It’s a helicopter, heading our way. They’ve found us.”
Hayden was fully awake in a matter of seconds. Getting out of bed, he grabbed a pair of running shorts and stumbled toward me as he tried to pull them on and walk at the same time. When he reached me, he leaned toward the window, looking out.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, straightening with a grin on his face.
I was pulled into a tight embrace, his lips molded to mine. There was passion in it, but my stomach dropped. Was this a goodbye kiss?
“Pack your things,” Hayden told me when he pulled away. “I’ll go tell Dale and Sandra. We’re going home.”
