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We walked for another few hours in relative silence, aside from her mumbled “thank you” each time I held a branch out of her way. I hadn’t dared to touch her again, not with my self-control on the fritz. Even when she slipped on a steep incline and scraped her knee badly enough to tear her jeans and draw blood.
No, coward that I was, I just stood there watching, flexing my hands to keep from reaching out. I had asked if she was okay, but I hadn’t even helped her to her feet. The fact that she didn’t seem to expect my help, that she just picked herself up and dusted herself off with a little murmur of “I’m fine,” grated on me almost as much.
A woman like her should have been used to being taken care of.
After another hour, when the sun was beginning its afternoon descent and shade finally began to stretch across the trail, I stopped. She hadn’t said as much, but she looked like she needed a break.
“This island is a lot bigger than it looks from the beach.” Her voice was tired, but not breathless.
“Aye.” I checked the sky. “We’re over halfway now. Should be there before the sun sets if all goes well.” I plucked two bright purple bulbs from a nearby tree and sat on a boulder, motioning for Never to join me. Then I split the first of the spiky fruits with my dagger and handed her half.
She took it warily, giving it a little sniff. “What is it?”
“Wikali.” I took a small bite of the rich purple interior. “The rind is bitter, but the inside is sweet and safe to eat.”
She sniffed it again, did an adorable little shrug, then pulled out her own dagger and cut off a little slice. When she bit down, her eyes fluttered shut and a moan escaped her lips. Even watching her eat was an erotic experience. As if she could track my thoughts, her eyes flew open and she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Sorry,” she mumbled through a mouthful of the fruit.
I pressed my lips together to smother a laugh. “Nothing to apologize for, love. I should have thought to grab us something to eat before we left the ship this morning.”
She cut off another small slice and brought it to her lips.
“No need to stand on ceremony. I’m hungry too.” I held my half up and took a large bite. She watched me chew and her gaze dropped to my throat when I swallowed. Even with the juiciness of the wikali coating my tongue, I felt suddenly parched under that gaze.
It did unspeakable things to my resolve when she looked at me like that.
When she realized I was watching her watch me, with the fruit still hovering at her lips, she turned her eyes abruptly away and chomped down.
“It tastes a little like kiwi,” she said as I handed her half of the second piece. “Kiwi but with the consistency of a ripe strawberry maybe? It’s a little confusing, but it’s good.”
We ate in silence as the forest came alive around us. The longer we sat and watched, the bolder the native creatures grew, chirping and clicking and venturing out from the safety of their hiding places. When had it become so easy to forget the beauty of the place?
Before the demon’s recent foray away from the island, it had been decades since I’d stepped foot on it. The other islands, sure, but not this one.
Never finished her fruit and wiped the blade on her pants, leaving a bright purple smear across her thigh. She frowned when she saw it, then shook her head. “Of course.”
“It’ll wash,” I offered, hoping to head off the inevitable meltdown that seemed to accompany most women when they’d potentially ruined an item of clothing. “The juice of the wikali is colorful, but it comes out easy enough.”
Her half-shrug was a tad anticlimactic. “Thanks, but they’re just jeans.” She turned to study the forest. “Kind of small potatoes on the scale of things I need to be worrying about.” One second she was talking calmly, and the next she was on her feet launching herself at me.
We hit the ground in a thump with her body crashing on top of mine, and the strangest feeling of rightness invaded my senses. “What’s all this now?” My voice was gruff as I fought to keep my power firmly leashed.
Never shifted her weight, pressing one palm to my chest to get a better look around. “Did you seriously not see that shimmery ball that just tried to attack you? It was headed right for you.”
Damn.
Something whizzed by overhead, and I wrapped my arms around Never, rolling until her taut body was pinned safely beneath me. She writhed under my weight and at any other moment I would have taken the time to revel in that feeling.
I leaned my head close, pressing my lips to her ear and keeping my voice low. “Quiet.”
Thank the goddess, she stilled beneath me at the command. When I pulled back to look at her, fully aware of the effect her proximity was having on my control, she met my glowing gaze head on.
Good. I couldn’t have her running scared from me.
Our lips were just inches apart, so my barely whispered, “Trust me,” was more of a caress than actual words. It was a long shot. The woman was a willful creature with the heart of a warrior, but I had to try. “Please.”
Her gaze searched mine. I braced for a rebuff or some smartass remark, but her only reaction was a barely perceptible nod.
