Who Needs Mistletoe?

8

SOPHIE COULD SMELL THE SCENT of warm bread baking, of sweet pastries in the oven and fresh croissants. She drew a deep breath, her mouth watering. Oh, and coffee. A moan slipped from her lips. Hot, black coffee. It was enough to make her stomach rumble with hunger.

She sighed, snuggling into the comfortable depths of her bed. But her bed wasn’t so comfortable anymore. And the sounds of the birds and the waves that usually woke her up were distinctly different. Sophie slowly opened her eyes, then realized where she was.

“Are you hungry?”

She pushed up on her elbows to find Trey standing on the porch, dressed in his shorts and shirt. He was holding a banana leaf. On it, he’d cut up fresh fruit and piled canned cashews, arranging them in a pretty pattern. “Is that my breakfast?”

“Yes. Breakfast in a hammock.”

Sophie crawled out and grabbed her pareu, then wrapped it around her naked body. She followed him over to the steps and sat down beside him. The sun was up and though the day was cloudy, there was blue sky to be seen through the haze.

Trey held out the fruit and she picked a piece of mango and popped it in her mouth. It was sinfully sweet and juicy. This island had the best mangoes she’d ever tasted. If that wasn’t a good reason to come back, nothing else was. “I wonder what time it is?”

“It’s a little past seven,” Trey said.

“I thought your watch broke when you got it wet.”

He shrugged. “I looked on my cell phone.”

Sophie gasped. “You have a cell phone? Here? On the island?”

Trey nodded. “Yeah. But it doesn’t work. There’s no signal. I tried yesterday, while you were messing with the radio.”

“Oh,” Sophie murmured. “All right then.”

He chuckled, bending closer to catch her gaze. “Did you think I would have let your father worry over you or kept us stuck on this island if the phone had worked?”

“We didn’t use the flare gun,” she said. “We could have signaled that boat.”

He pulled her against him, giving her a hug. “Yeah, you’re right. Even if it had worked, I probably would have waited until sunset to call.” He grabbed his bag and pulled his cell phone out. “But I forgot about one feature of this phone.” He flipped it open and held it out. “It’s a camera.”

Sophie covered her face. “No! Don’t take a picture of me. I just got up.”

“There,” Trey said, showing her the display. “Look at how beautiful you are.”

Her hair was mussed and fell in careless waves around her face. She took the phone from his hand and stared at her image. She was beautiful. Sophie barely recognized the woman in the photo. Was this how he saw her?

“How do I take a photo of you?”

Trey took the phone from her hand, then stood next to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. A moment later, the photo came up on the display. Sophie laughed, delighted with the shot. It was so silly, but it reminded her of all the fun they’d had together.

“Now a serious one,” she said.

Trey wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they both smiled at the camera. As Sophie examined the third photograph, she stared at Trey’s face. He was a handsome man, a beautiful man.

“You’re very pretty,” she said.

He grabbed the phone from her and began to take pictures, one after another. Caught up in the fun, Sophie posed, throwing her arms out and giving Trey a series of sexy looks.

She gave him one last smile, then held a piece of papaya in front of his lips. “We should probably make a list of all the things we’ve consumed so that I can replace them when I come back for the plane.”

“Three bottles of wine, including a bottle of champagne,” Trey said.

“Funny, I don’t feel that hungover. And that’s the most I’ve had to drink in years.”

“You handled yourself well,” he teased. “Except for the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas.’ That was bad.”

She munched on a cashew. “I think I’ll bring back all sorts of good things. So the next people to stop here will have a gourmet feast.” She paused. “You’re going to have to get another charter service,” she said. “There’s an outfit called Tiare Air. They have the hangar next to ours. Gabe Aubert is a really good pilot and they have very nice planes. I’m sure I can arrange to have him take you up.”

“I’ll wait until you can take me up,” Trey said.

“I don’t know how long it will be before I can get the plane back in the air,” Sophie said.

“I’ll wait,” he repeated.

She didn’t want to lose the fee, but if he was willing to stay in Tahiti for a week, then she wasn’t going to fight with him. In truth, Sophie liked the idea that they’d have a little more time together.

They both nibbled on the fruit and cashews. Trey’s mood was a bit subdued but Sophie thought it might be due to a lack of sleep. Or perhaps he didn’t want to leave the island any more than she did.

They’d been together for less than twenty-four hours and already, they’d grown so comfortable with each other, sharing breakfast as if they’d done so for years. Sophie finished the last of the mango, then stood up. “I’m going to go get more,” she said. “Do you have the knife?”

“It’s on the counter,” he said. “There’s a couple more mangoes in there. And another papaya. Do you want me to help?”

She smiled and shook her head. “No. I’ll get it.” She picked up the banana leaf and walked to the front door, then turned and looked back at Trey. How would it be between them if they actually lived together? Would they wake up in each other’s arms every morning? Would they make breakfast together before going off to work? Would there come a time when they had children running around at their feet?

Sophie found the mangoes where he’d left them, along with the knife and a few more banana leaves. She sliced through the ripe fruit and arranged it on the shiny green leaf. But as she was cleaning up after herself, writing on the wall just above the counter caught her eye.

Unlike the rest of the inscriptions around the room, this one appeared unfaded and fresh, written with a thick black marker. “Here on this island,” she read, “Trey fell in love with Sophie. Christmas Eve, 2008. We will be back.”

Sophie glanced around, certain that she’d misread the writing. But it was her name and Trey’s there on the wall. Reaching out, she ran her sticky fingers over the inscription, aware that she was looking at Trey’s own handwriting for the first time.

They knew so little about each other. She wouldn’t have even recognized his writing had their names not been evident. And yet, he’d fallen in love with her. Sophie drew a shaky breath. Should she ask him about the inscription or should she pretend she never saw it? Had he meant for her to see it?

With shaky hands, Sophie picked up the fruit and carried it to the front door of the cottage. For now, she wouldn’t say anything. Maybe he would-

Trey’s shout startled her as she walked through the door. “Sophie!” He was standing near the lagoon, staring up at the sky.

“What? I’m here.”

“I think I hear a plane,” he said. He turned to face her, the flare gun clutched in his hand. “Do you hear that? Or am I imagining things?”

Sophie set the fruit down on the porch step and joined him near the lagoon. She closed her eyes and listened, then nodded. “I think so.”

“What should we do? Should I shoot a flare?”

“It’s too soon. If it is search and rescue, they’ll fly over and probably be able to see us from the air. At the least, they’ll see the plane.”

Sophie scanned the horizon. The sound was too far away to pinpoint the direction. But it was definitely a small plane. Was it part of a search-and-rescue team or just a passing pilot on his way to another island?

A few minutes later, the plane was visible to the south of the atoll. Trey reached out and took her hand, as they waited silently. Gradually, the plane began to descend and Trey held up a hand and waved.

The pilot circled once, then came down low. “That’s Franc Aubert,” Sophie said, waving. “He owns Tiare Air.” Sophie took the flare gun and aimed it over the lagoon, then pulled the trigger. “There. Now he’ll know we need help.”

“Is he going to land?” Trey asked.

Sophie shook her head. “No. He doesn’t have floats on that plane. He’ll radio back and they’ll send someone with a float or amphibious plane, one that can land in the lagoon. His son, Gabe, flies an amphibious plane like ours.” She turned to him and smiled. “I guess we’re going to be rescued.”

“I guess so.”

They both turned and started for the cottage, their fingers linked, their arms swinging between them. Suddenly, Trey pulled her to a stop. “I don’t want to be rescued,” he said.

Sophie laughed. “Neither do I.”

He yanked her into his arms and brought his mouth down on hers, his kiss fierce and possessive. It was clear to Sophie what he wanted beyond no rescue. Stumbling toward the cottage, they tore at each other’s clothes, the same way they had that very first time.

“How much time?” he whispered, untying her pareu.

“Maybe minutes,” she replied, breathless with anticipation. “Maybe an hour.” Sophie pushed his hands away and she unknotted the filmy fabric and tossed it aside. Then she tugged his shirt over his head and dropped it at their feet.

“I don’t have another condom,” he whispered as he watched her unzip his shorts.

“I don’t care.” Sophie knew her body well enough to know that there wasn’t much chance it would matter. “I’m safe. Are you?”

“Yes,” he said. “Always.”

She skimmed his shorts and his boxers down over his hips and calves, then pushed him gently back to sit on the step. After she’d stripped off her T-shirt, Sophie straddled his legs and sat down on his lap.

Trey groaned as he glanced down. With a sly smile, Sophie wrapped her fingers around his shaft and began to stroke him. “You could ask me for anything right now and I’d give it to you,” he said.

“All I want is you,” Sophie replied. “Nothing else.”

He leaned back and braced himself on the step behind him, watching her every move. And when he was hard and ready, Sophie lowered herself onto him, burying his shaft to the hilt.

The sensation was so exquisite that for a long time, she was afraid to move. She closed her eyes and arched back, burying him even deeper. And then, unable to stop herself, she pushed up until he was outside of her again.

It was a tantalizing game and she was in complete control of his desire. When she felt him nearing the edge, she slowed her pace and when he’d regained his control, she quickened it. But all the while, she knew she was drawing him closer and closer to an explosive orgasm. If this was the last time they made love, Sophie wanted it to be the one he remembered for the rest of his life.

She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. Or where they would be in a few days’ time. But this was the way she wanted to spend their last hour together…swept into a vortex of pleasure.

BY THE TIME THEY WERE completely sated, Trey and Sophie were both drenched with perspiration. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the water tanks behind the cottage, then showed him the shower.

The water was a bit cooler than that in the lagoon and it was fresh. He turned his back to Sophie and she smoothed her hands across his shoulders, gently massaging. He loved the feel of her touch and the sensations she caused. He tipped his head back, letting the warm water rush over him.

Sophie circled around him and began to wash his chest. Trey rested his hands on her shoulders. Her skin was warm and smooth beneath his touch, her limbs lean and supple, yet soft and feminine. She hadn’t been toned by a trainer, but kept beautiful by living a healthy life in lush surroundings.

His gaze fixed on her fingers as they skimmed over his chest. Her nails were clipped short and were unpainted. Sophie was beyond the rules of feminine primping, but he’d come to admire that about her. She wore no makeup, yet she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever set eyes upon. She hadn’t been spoiled by the modern world. Sophie was completely unaware of her own beauty.

His gaze slowly drifted down to her breasts and Trey watched, fascinated, as the water sluiced between them. Natural, that’s what she was. Perfect and natural, the way God had intended a woman to be.

He grinned as her hands drifted lower, lingering just below his waist. “We don’t have time for that,” he warned, grabbing her hands and bringing them back to his lips. Trey kissed her fingers.

“If they come while we’re busy, we’ll just signal them to circle the island until we’re ready to leave.”

“How about we make some plans,” he said, cupping her face in his hands. “Dinner tonight at my hotel. You wear your sexiest dress, I’ll order the best bottle of champagne and we’ll continue where we left off.”

“All right,” she said. “It’s a date.”

“Yes, it is a date.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. “I’m going to go gather up our stuff while you finish your shower.”

“No,” Sophie cried. “I need you to scrub my back.”

“If I start running my hands all over your body, then we are going to have a problem.”

She looked down at his crotch, then back up, a wicked smile curling her lips. “I know how to make that go away.”

Trey shook his head and stepped out from beneath the water. “Take your shower, Sophie. I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.”

He walked back toward the cottage, the sand clinging to his bare feet. Though the shower did a bit to cool him off, there was no escaping the heat and humidity on the island. The temperature really didn’t vary a whole lot. It only seemed cooler when he remained absolutely still for an hour or two. And Sophie didn’t make that easy.

When they got back to Pape‘ete, they’d have an air-conditioned room and clean sheets and all the food they’d care to eat. Living on the island with Sophie for a day had been a little bit of heaven. But when they got back, they’d be in paradise.

Trey turned to take one last look at Sophie, knowing that from now on, they’d be dressed. She smoothed her hair back, then opened her eyes to catch him staring at her. She smiled coyly, then reached over and turned off the water. Slowly, she walked toward him, the water glistening on her skin. As she passed by, she let her hand drift along his belly, just low enough to tease him.

“I’m in the mood for a pedicure,” she said. “I think we’ll have just enough time to take advantage of my Christmas present.”

Trey groaned. This wasn’t fair. He’d always thought he was the one in control when it came to sexual relationships. But here on this island, he had completely lost it.

It was getting ridiculous, or pathetic, he wasn’t sure which. He’d enjoyed a very satisfying orgasm fifteen minutes ago and just watching her shower had made him ready for another. A guy had to wonder how many more times his body could react before it just gave out.

Trey followed her back to the cottage, his gaze fixed on her curvy backside. A cold shower would have done the trick in a matter of a minute or two. But there were no cold showers on Suaneva.

“YOU HAVE VERY PRETTY FEET.”

Sophie dipped the brush into the nail polish and carefully painted Trey’s big toe. He’d finished her pedicure and with nothing better to do, she’d decided to treat him to pale pink toenails.

“You’re lucky I’m wearing boat shoes home.”

“What are you worried about? You’re manly enough to carry off pink. Coral might be a bit much, but…” She glanced at the bottom of the bottle. “Bubblegum Baby is definitely your color.”

They sat on either side of the porch steps, their backs braced against the posts, their legs stretched out in front of them. Trey idly massaged her feet as she painted his toes. But it wasn’t enough to just focus on the pedicure. Instead, she rubbed her foot gently against his crotch. He was hard again and if she teased him much longer, he’d need to seduce her again.

It wasn’t the worst use of their time, Sophie mused. They’d been expecting the plane for the past hour, but it hadn’t come. Neither one of them seemed particularly concerned about rescue. Sophie informed Trey that calling up a floatplane from Tahiti could take at least an hour or two. By her calculations they had about thirty minutes left.

There was a tiny sliver of fear inside her, a feeling that the moment they lifted off from the lagoon, everything would change. She knew there wasn’t anything magical about the island. It was just a deserted atoll in the middle of the South Pacific.

But something wonderful had happened here, something very unexpected. She’d gotten on the plane in Pape‘ete thinking she’d like to seduce Trey Shelton. A night in his bed was all she was looking for. But now, Sophie was sure that a single night together was just the beginning for them.

They had a date for that evening. She wouldn’t have time to go home, so she’d run out from the airport and find herself a nice dress, then shower at the hangar. She made a mental note to buy some sexy underwear, too.

“What is this?”

Sophie glanced up from her painting to find Trey rubbing his hand over the tattoo on her ankle. “It’s a sunrise,” she said, “with a hibiscus flower.”

“Why did you choose that?”

Sophie shrugged. “I didn’t. The tattoo artist did. In Tahiti, some of the artists are like…mystical. They read your aura and they create a tattoo to symbolize who you are. He saw the sunrise because I was beginning a new phase of my life. And the hibiscus was to remind me of my life on the islands.”

“Did it hurt?”

She shook her head, then laughed. “Yeah. It hurt like hell. But it only took about a half hour, so I tried to be brave.”

“I like it,” Trey said. “It’s sexy.”

“When my mother saw it, she was so angry with me. But I’ve always felt as if I lived between two worlds with my parents. My mother is French, my father American, but I feel Polynesian. I grew up in Tahiti. It’s home.”

“Maybe I should get a tattoo,” Trey said. “My mother would probably kill me, too.” He paused. “Although, I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life. A tattoo wouldn’t be the worst of it.”

“You have to get a tattoo for a reason,” Sophie explained. “It’s like a rite of passage. You get it when you undergo a change in your life. I got mine after I lost my virginity.”

“Going down in that plane was a big moment in my life,” he said. “Things kind of changed after that.”

“What changed?”

Trey thought about his answer. He wanted to say, “everything.” “I’m just looking at things a little differently. Taking stock of my life. Thinking about making a few changes.”

“Like with your resort?”

“Yeah, that. And other things.”

Sophie considered his story for a long moment, then nodded. “That’s worth a tattoo,” she said. “When we get back, I’ll take you. I’ll even hold your hand.”

She finished with his right foot, then blew on his toes. “It’s so damp, this isn’t going to dry very fast. If you walk in the sand, it’ll stick to the polish.”

“How do I get this off?”

“It never comes off,” she teased. “Your toes will be pink for the next year.”

“Pink toes would definitely scare my mother,” he said.

Sophie put the top back on the bottle, then handed it to him. “For touch-ups,” she teased. “And you’ll have to get some polish remover and some-” She stopped, a distant sound catching her attention. “The plane is coming.”

Trey swung his feet off her lap and stood, then held out his hand and helped her up. Sophie pointed across the lagoon. “They’ll come in from that way,” she said.

“How do you know?”

“The wind. They’ll land into the wind.”

They stood on the step and waited. Just as Sophie had predicted, ten minutes later, they saw the plane circle twice before lining up for a landing. Sophie smiled as she recognized Gabriel Aubert’s plane from Tiare Air. Both Gabriel and Franc were excellent pilots and Sophie wasn’t surprised that her father had called on them both to lead the search. Besides, Gabe and Sophie had also dated for a time three or four years ago and Sophie suspected he still harbored a small crush.

Gabriel made a perfect landing with the amphibious plane, maneuvering so it glided slowly up toward the beach. He cut the engine and the propeller stopped. A moment later, the plane came to a halt about twenty feet from the shore. Sophie strolled down to the lagoon, Trey walking a few feet behind her.

Gabriel hopped out of the plane and waded through the water, a wide smile on his handsome face. “Sophie Madigan, you have caused a lot of worry,” he scolded, his French accent thick. “Your father was frantic when you didn’t return last night.”

Sophie threw her arms around Gabe’s neck and gave him a hug. “Thank you for coming for us. We had a problem with the plane and I had to put it down.”

“She put it down without the engine,” Trey said.

Gabe glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Really? This is true?”

“It was nothing,” Sophie said.

“It was something,” Trey contradicted. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Alors, let’s get you home,” Gabe said, draping his arm over Sophie’s shoulders. “You can tell me all about it on the way. Your papa is anxious to see you, Sophie.” He looked over at Trey. “And so is yours, Mr. Shelton.”

“My father?”

Gabe nodded. “He’s waiting at the Madigan hangar at Faaa. He came in on a Learjet. Nice plane. I’ve always wanted to fly one of those.” He glanced around. “Do you have your belongings?”

Trey held up his bag and Sophie nodded. “We’re ready to go.” It was obvious from Gabe’s attitude toward her that he didn’t suspect anything had gone on between Trey and her. And it was obvious from Trey’s expression that he didn’t like Gabe touching her. But Sophie wasn’t ready to explain to anyone what had happened on Suaneva.

They waded out into the water. Gabe grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into the plane. Sophie crawled into the copilot’s seat, then turned to watch Trey and Gabe spin the plane around. When they were finished, Trey took the spot behind the pilot’s seat while Gabe strapped himself in. Sophie sent Trey a smile, but he didn’t return it.

She turned back to the controls, wondering what was going through Trey’s mind. Though she and Gabe had dated, they’d realized early on they were much better off as friends. And now, they were more like siblings, sharing their interest in flying and their frustrations with working for their fathers. Trey really had no cause to be jealous.

Maybe he was just sad to leave the island, she mused. Sophie sat silently as Gabe started the engine and when they were ready to take off, Sophie fastened her seat belt and glanced back at Trey. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, staring at her with an enigmatic smile.

Gabe pushed the throttle forward and the plane began to skim over the lagoon. Her father had been right. Though landing was always tricky on Suaneva, taking off required a very steep bank at the end of the lagoon to avoid the tops of the coconut palms. When they were in the air, Gabe grabbed the radio and flipped to the channel that her father used for Madigan Air.

“Madigan Air, this is Tiare Air 2269. I have both passengers on board and we’re on our way to Faaa. Estimated flying time, ninety minutes. Over.”

Sophie heard her father’s voice crackling over the distance between them. “Let me talk to my daughter. Over.”

Gabe handed her the radio and she pushed the transmit button. “Hello, Papa. I’m so sorry to have worried you.”

“You don’t know how frantic I was,” he said. She could hear it in his voice, the same emotion that she heard whenever he talked about her mother. “I didn’t know what to think. What went wrong? Over.”

“I think there was moisture in the fuel line. The engine cut out and I couldn’t get it started again. I’m pretty sure the belt on the alternator broke. That’s why the radio didn’t work. Over.”

“You made a dead-stick landing?”

“Yes, Papa. Just like you taught me.”

“Good girl, Sophie.”

She could hear how upset he was, so Sophie decided to cut the conversation short. “Papa, I’ll see you when we land. Tell Trey’s-I mean, Mr. Shelton’s father that he’s fine. I love you, Papa.”

“Love you, too, Sophie.”

She handed the radio back to Gabe, then brushed a tear from her cheek. Drawing a ragged breath, she fixed her gaze out on the horizon. Sophie had to believe everything would be fine when they got back.

But as Gabe chatted about his plans to buy a new plane for his father’s business, Sophie realized that she really wasn’t interested. She longed to hear Trey’s voice, even if he was reciting the alphabet or reading the phone book.

In fact, she was starting to seriously regret they’d ever left the island at all.