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Paige blushes, looking up from under her long eyelashes at me. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
“I mean everything I say, Paige. That’s one thing you need to know about me. I don’t like games and I don’t play them.”
“Well in that case, I’m very happy that you came back for me.”
“Me too.” I reach out and take her hand in mine, lacing my fingers through hers. “I just realized you changed the subject. I was asking about you and so far, all I know is your age.”
“Right. Okay, well, I grew up in New Hampshire. My dad’s a stock broker which means he lived in Manhattan most of my childhood and would generally come home on weekends. My mom’s an interior designer, which is code for she spends all her time and a lot of their money redecorating their house over and over. I have two brothers, Cade and Ben, and one sister, Brooke, the bride. I’m the baby of the family and they still treat me that way, even though I’ve been on my own for six years now. So, that sort of sucks. My sister is marrying—or I guess married—a funds manager she met through our father. He seems nice enough. They make the perfect couple. Good-looking, ambitious, they want the same things…two kids, a boy and a girl, of course, matching BMW SUV’s on the driveway, a beach house in the Hamptons…”
“Ahh, I see. And what about you? What do you want?”
She shakes her head and laughs a little, but she sounds more frustrated than amused. “I want success and money, but not because I care about having things, it’s because I don’t want to end up like my mom. She relies on my dad for everything, and it’s really scary to me. I mean, he’s not always that nice to her, and he definitely doesn’t respect her, but she stays anyway because she’s kind of helpless on her own.”
I nod, starting to understand this girl. “Hence, your ten-year plan.”
“Yup. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail…”
“What if you found someone to build a life with you, someone who’ll respect you and support you? Is it okay to depend on him then?”
“I guess so, but does that really happen? Can you really find a person who will be just perfect for you and you can trust to have your back like that?”
“I believe it can happen, Paige.”
“If you believe it, why haven’t you found that with someone yet?”
“Because I only found you yesterday.”
She freezes for a second and I’m suddenly terrified that I’ve said too much, but then the biggest grin spreads across her face. “Really?”
“Really. Come here.” I pull her onto my lap and we kiss and hold each other for a long time. Then I feed her the rest of the mango while she sits on me.
“Did you get enough to eat?”
“Yes, I feel just right.”
“Good, because I want to take you to bed now and show you exactly how perfect you are.”
We make love until the sun starts to come up, unable to stop ourselves until we’re both beyond exhaustion. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, like she’s the very air I breathe. Paige is asleep in my arms as I start to drift off. This is our first night together and instead of feeling freaked out, I’m excited that I’ll get to wake up with her in my arms later this morning. I want it to be the first day of a lifetime of waking up next to her perfect curvy body. I think about the possibility of being rescued tomorrow and make a silent prayer that we’ll have another few days alone together so she can fall in love with me before the world finds us.
Chapter 11
Paige
The next five days are amazingly perfect. I’m drunk on Mac the entire time. He makes love to me every way I’ve ever imagined and a bunch of ways I haven’t. I don’t care about missing the wedding now. I don’t care about the fact that I should be going back to work today. I only care about his touch, his kiss, feeling the weight of his hard body on mine, and feeling him fill me again the next time. We barely put on clothes, choosing to do most things in the nude (except cooking—that could be dangerous).
I would stay here forever with him if I could. The only thing I would change is that I’d somehow get word to my family that I’m alive, because when I think about what they must be going through, I feel sick inside. So far, we haven’t seen one ship or one plane going overhead, but I know it’s just a matter of time.
Right now, we’re in the hammock together in the shade. Mac is dozing and I’m snuggled into his body, breathing in the scent of him as my mind drifts from my real life to this fantasy I’m living. My heart aches at the thought of being rescued because I’m terrified that I’m going to lose him as soon as someone finds us. There’s no way he’d move to New York with me. He’s living his dream and I wouldn’t want him to give up his life in paradise for me. But, my world is in Manhattan. That’s where my friends are, my family isn’t so far away, and that’s where I’ve been busting my ass for years now to earn my place as a real estate mover and shaker.
When I think of that life, though, somehow it seems so cold and lonely. The thought of putting on a suit and some heels and hailing a cab on a wintry morning doesn’t appeal to me in the least. I used to live for my job—the excitement of it all, the fast-pace, the being plugged-in twenty-four hours a day just in case someone wants to make an offer. But, now, laying in Mac’s arms, swaying in the warm breeze, none of that matters to me. I have everything I need right here. We have food, we have love (I hope), and we have somewhere to sleep at night.
I think about the fact that we’re not using protection and a spark of hope grows inside me. What if I’m pregnant? That would mean I’d always be bound to Mac, no matter what. I know that it’s a stupid thing to do and even dumber way to think about it, but I’m just so hopelessly in love with him, that I want anyway I can to stay connected with him.
“What are you thinking?” His eyes open and he tilts his head to look down at me.
“How’d you know I was awake?”
“Because I know the sound of your breathing when you sleep. It’s a bit loud and very rhythmic.”
