Mafia Light Box Set

by S. C. Daiko

  He didn’t answer— simply put his arm around me.

  I pressed myself against him.

  Hissing rain beat down on the roof and our room lit up with another flash of lightning.

  I shivered and Brash’s hold on me tightened.

  A tree outside cracked in two, the pieces whipping across our line of vision.

  My stomach fluttered; the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end from the electrically charged air.

  I buried my head into Brash’s chest. “Let’s talk to pass the time and take our mind off the storm,” I pleaded. “Tell me something about yourself.”

  I felt him stiffen. “Why?”

  “No reason,” I lied.

  There was every reason; I’d fallen for him. I’d surprised myself with how willing I’d been to please him— this man I’d disliked intensely only a month ago. I must have fallen for him, or I wouldn’t have done what he’d asked.

  My heart is at risk and there’s no one else here to save me from him, save me from myself.

  He cleared his throat, gazed out the window at the trees snapping like fistfuls of twigs. “I’m a playboy, Aly. It’s what I do. As soon as we get out of here, I’ll go back to my MO.”

  His words hit me like a slap in the face.

  I swallowed the sour taste in my mouth. “Have you never had a serious relationship?” My throat clogged with unshed tears and my voice came out sounding strangled.

  He groaned. “Only one.”

  “Who was she?”

  “Not your concern,” he said coldly.

  “Jesus, Brash,” I spat. “I’ve just deep throated you. We’ve been freaking intimate. I think it totally is my concern.”

  My lips are still sore from his kisses and from sucking his cock.

  He leaned away and skipped his suddenly cruel gaze over my heated face.

  “I warned you, Aly. We can only be fuck buddies. If you don’t want to continue that’s fine by me.”

  I set my jaw and tried to calm my anger. How had I not seen this coming? I’d been a complete idiot. “Good,” I snapped. “I didn’t like it anyway.”

  “Could have fooled me,” he barked out a mocking laugh.

  Vibrating with rage, I went to hit him, but he grabbed my fists before they landed, pulled me roughly against his chest. I shuddered at the contact. “Let me go.”

  Another crash of thunder, and he released me.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He got to his feet and paced across the room to where rain was seeping through the roof and making a puddle on the floor.

  He spun around and our eyes locked. “I can’t talk about it. About the girl I loved. It still hurts so fucking much.”

  The little boy lost look in his expression was killing me, but I steeled myself to be strong. He’d hurt me. Torn me to pieces. I’d been a fool to let it happen and I wouldn’t go down that route again.

  I rubbed my flushed cheeks. “I’m sorry too, but I don’t wanna be your fuck buddy anymore.”

  He studied me; his feet locked to the floor.

  I winced.

  Couldn’t bear to be in the same room as him.

  I jumped up and ran out the door.

  A gust scooped me up and threw me sideways. I landed on my hands and knees, raised my head and stared in horror at the havoc.

  Our campsite had been freaking destroyed. The palm canopy we’d built to extend the shade at the side of the building had disappeared. The lean-to over the fire lay tangled in piles of sodden wood. No sign of our water bottles, nor of the raft. The sea was hurling itself against the shore, the sky behind it purplish and bruised. Goosebumps leapt over my skin as lightning forked again.

  Strong hands lifted me up and carried me back inside. Brash. “Jesus, Aly, why did you do that?” He put me down.

  I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. Just stood there, dripping water all over the floor.

  He picked up his t-shirt and handed it to me. “Put this on or you’ll catch a cold.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Welcome.”

  We stared at each other and I quivered under his gaze.

  “You could have been struck by lightning,” he scowled.

  I yanked my hands through my drenched hair. “Not your concern.”

  He came at me then, grabbed my shoulders and pierced me with his eyes. “We’re friends, of course I’m concerned.”

  “Then stop pushing me away. You were horrible to me earlier. Made me feel like you’d used me for sex.” I shook my head. “You freaking hurt me, Brash.”

  “I said I was sorry.” He dropped his hands.

  I sucked in a sharp breath. “You shouldn’t let one failed relationship destroy your happiness.”

  “It was more than a relationship. She was my life.” He fixed me with his gaze.

  Oh, God, the agony in his eyes. Such pain. He must have loved her so fucking much. I reached for his fingers, gave them a squeeze. “Okay,” I said. “We’re friends. Friends share things with each other. But you don’t have to talk about her now.”

  He quirked a brow. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

  “What’s the first thing you’ll do when we’re off the island?” I dragged him over to his bed and we sat together.

  “First, I’ll order a Vodka Martini. Next, I’ll shave off this fucking beard.” He scratched his chin. “How about you?”

  “A nice, cold Coke,” I sighed and licked my lips. “But first I wanna give everyone in my family and my bestie, Emma, a big hug. Tell them how much I’ve missed them.”

  We spent the next hour swapping information. Little details like how he loved fishing in the Colorado mountains and his plans for his hotels. In return, I told him about my life, how I longed to escape from the gilded cage of my upbringing and develop my career as a photographer.

  Finally, the wind lessened, the walls of the bungalow stopped shaking and the rain died down. We went outside and surveyed the devastation.

  We found the raft, shoved up against a tree. Thank God. The plastic bottles were floating in the lagoon, only a few yards offshore. Our few possessions were scattered across the sand. We left them to dry in the sun, retrieved the cannister and filled it with water that had collected in the broad leaves of the trees around us.

  We spent the rest of the afternoon constructing another lean-to and gathering firewood, piling it inside so it could dry.

  Brash went to collect coconuts and fruit while I tried to get the fire going again. The wood was too wet, though. It would have to wait until tomorrow.

  I wanted to howl hot tears of frustration. How can I take much more of this? I lifted myself off the wet sand and told myself for the zillionth time that rescue was on its way. Except, it had become increasingly difficult to believe it.

  If they haven’t found us by now, chances are they’ll never find us.

  I curled myself into a ball and closed my eyes.

  So tired.

  I was drifting off to sleep when I heard Brash return to the camp.

  “The beach on the other side of the island is covered with shit,” he said, and I heard the smile in his voice.

  I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “What kind of shit?”

  He showed me a snorkel and mask. “Found these. The rest is mostly plastic bags spat out by the ocean on account of the storm.”

  I laughed. “Great. We can use those.”

  He peeled me a mango and handed it over. I sucked on the sweet flesh, and the juice dribbled down my chin. He passed me the water bottle, and I took a swig before passing it back to him.

  Our eyes clashed.

  “I was thinking while I was foraging,” he leaned toward me. “Felt like I owed you an explanation for my behavior.”

  I held my breath, waiting. Scared if I said something, he’d clam up on me.

  “You wanna know why I’m so crazy fucked up, Aly? You really wanna know?”

  I nodded.

  “I w
as in love with my stepsister. Loved her since we were kids. She wasn’t related to me, let me add. Our parents got together when we were five years old.”

  My mouth fell open and I let out a gasp.

  Becca. Emma’s stepmom’s sister’s wife. Poor Brash…

  “I see you’ve worked it out,” his mouth twisted. “Becca always said she loved me like a brother. Never let me prove we could be more than that. So, I became a playboy while she and Olivia…”

  “And you can’t move on?” I risked the question.

  He blew out a breath. “Never met anyone who made me feel anything like what I felt for her.” He paused, took my hand. “Until I was trapped here on this island with a mafia princess.”

  I stared at him. Had he just said what I thought he’d said? “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, Alyona Abramovich, that I’m developing feelings for you. Feelings that scare the shit out of me. That’s why I was mean to you. I wanted to push you away.”

  “Do you still want to push me away?” I whispered.

  Breathe, I told myself. Breathe.

  “I no longer want us to be fuck buddies, either, Aly. I want something more.”

  “More?” I repeated like an idiot.

  “I swore I’d never let anyone else close enough to cause me the heartache I’ve suffered since I realized I stood no chance with Becca.” He gazed into my eyes. “While I was walking around the island earlier, it occurred to me that this could be it. That storm might have killed us. If either of us gets sick, we have no medication. Any injury and we’re fucked. If something happened to you, Aly, I’d be devastated.”

  “As I would be if something happened to you,” my breath caught on a sigh.

  He pulled me into his lap and brushed his lips to the top of my head. Then he lifted my chin and took my mouth in a possessive kiss.

  And I kissed him back, God help me.

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  Alyona

  I woke with Brash spooned around me. He was still sleeping, breathing rhythmically, so I lay still while thoughts flitted through my head like moths around a flame. Last night, after we’d kissed, we’d gone to bed and had fallen asleep almost straight away we were so tired. Now, in the light of day, I wondered if I’d done the right thing by kissing him back. I’d been totally determined not to fall under his spell again, yet, here I was, my body responding to the feel of his toned pecs pressing against me, my chest squeezing with so much love that it hurt.

  My stomach clenched as I remembered the words he spoke yesterday. We could die on this island. Illness. Infection. Tragic accident. Our lives snuffed out like candles in the wind. We had no resources, no backup. The realization had made Brash lower his defenses; had made him open himself up to me and risk his heart.

  I sighed and pulled at a strand of my matted, salt-encrusted hair, bleached almost white by the sun and sea.

  I don’t want to die technically still a virgin.

  We had no clue what the future would bring. If this was it, and we’d end our days here, I didn’t want to leave this world with any regrets. My fears of getting pregnant struck me as arbitrary. I’d been on my second period since we’d arrived and it had ended the day before yesterday. I knew about ovulation; now was the safest time of my cycle.

  Slowly, so as not to disturb him, I wriggled out of Brash’s hold and went outside. After using our ‘rest room’, I immersed myself in the tedious task of spinning a stick against a log to make fire. Thankfully, I could use twisted coconut husk to make the job easier. Soon I’d managed to create a spark.

  I was grilling slices of breadfruit when Brash came around the side of the house.

  “Morning, babe,” he smiled his lop-sided grin that went straight to my heart. “You’re up early.”

  I blushed with sudden shyness. The dynamics between us had changed, and I didn’t know how to act. “Erm, would you like some breakfast?” I asked.

  “Sure,” he said, making his way toward the bushes. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  I placed our so-called toast onto two palm leaf plates and waited for him to return.

  “Let’s go around to the other side of the island after we’ve eaten.” He sat himself down and picked up a slice of breadfruit. “We can sift through the shit that’s washed up and see if there’s anything we can use.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I said, gazing at his wild handsomeness.

  His thick curly hair had grown long, keeping its almost-black color despite being constantly in the sun and sea. His dark beard framed his bow-shaped lips; lips that had done such dirty things to me. Even thinking about them made me tingle all over. He’d tanned to a nutmeg brown, which made his indigo eyes pop in his rugged, chiseled face. His muscles were more defined than they’d been a month ago. We’d been subsisting on a meagre diet, which had caused us both to lose body fat, and his body had become tougher and more sinewy in recent weeks.

  Everything about him turns me on.

  “Come on, Aly, let’s get going.” He pulled me to my feet.

  We loaded the fire with sticks and branches tossed about by the storm, covering the flames with the reconstructed lean-to in case it rained again, then set off.

  Some twenty minutes later, we were combing the white sands on the other side of the island. Every time I brushed up against Brash, desire spiraled through me. If he felt the same, though, he showed no sign of it. Just got on with the job in hand.

  Most of the debris consisted of plastic bags. We retrieved them to sift through later; they’d be useful for collecting rainwater if nothing else. The rest I would cut into strips to twist into a kind of yarn, weave it into mats maybe, or whatever I could think of to make our lives easier.

  “Hey,” he called out from the edge of the shore. “Look.” He held up a lobster trap he’d found and let out a whoop.

  I whooped back at him, stoked at the thought of something fleshier to eat than bony little fish or skinny crabs.

  We carried our loot back to the campsite. Wearing the mask and snorkel he’d found yesterday, Brash swam out to the reef while I immediately began sorting through the plastic bags. I set aside the best ones and started cutting the more degraded into strips. Soon I’d twisted some yarn out of the plastic and was weaving what I hoped would turn into a comfortable mat to sit on.

  I was so engrossed I didn’t see Brash swim back to shore; didn’t even hear him until he was only a few yards from our camp. “Aly,” he shouted, holding up the trap. “I’ve caught our lunch.”

  The lobster was gray in color and snapping its claws. “Be careful it doesn’t pinch you,” I giggled as he lifted the crustacean up by its tail.

  I closed my eyes while he killed it with his knife. Opened them to watch him split the creature in half lengthways. He washed it in a bag of seawater he’d brought with him for the purpose. I slathered the pieces of lobster and the cracked claws in coconut oil and placed them on our hot stone to grill.

  It was the best meal I’d eaten in weeks, and I told Brash so after we’d sucked out every juicy morsel and devoured the succulent flesh.

  I licked my fingers clean and stared at him, shivering inside at the thought of touching him, kissing him, finally feeling him thrust inside me.

  My heart is thudding for him and my body melting.

  He caught my eye, lifted a brow and scooted across the sand toward me.

  We shared a look, laden with lust.

  I dropped my gaze as I decided to come right out with it. “Last night you said the realization we might die here made you want something more than just being fuck buddies.” I paused, my cheeks heating. “Well, I want more too. I want you to make love to me in every sense of the word...”

  I sucked in a breath while I waited for his answer. My lips ached to kiss him. My body strained for his touch. He’d become the entire focus of my existence.

  He dragged both hands through his hair, and his eyes met mine. Laid bare. All the pain he’d suffered for years.

&n
bsp; Little boy lost.

  I touched my fingers to his chest, felt the beating of his heart.

  “God, Aly,” he groaned. “I’m way outta my comfort zone. But, one thing I can promise you. If we ever get off this island, I’ll still have feelings for you. I want a future for us, babe…”

  “I want that too,” I murmured.

  He bent and brought his mouth to mine.

  A whimper caught at the back of my throat and I pressed my breasts against his firm chest.

  “Brash,” I moaned as his kiss became stronger.

  He clutched me hard and I mewled. His teeth replaced his lips, nipping their way from my mouth to my throat.

  My back arched and he tore his mouth away from my neck, his eyes transformed into burning blue beacons. Groaning, he kissed down to my breasts and took my nipple into his mouth.

  I threaded my fingers into his hair and held his face close. “Mmm,” I moaned again, turning liquid like the lagoon.

  My wetness trickled out of me.

  I lost all sense of time, of space, of right and wrong. I forgot about my family and the crash and the island and the fact I might never see my home again. All I knew, all I cared about, was the beautiful man in my arms and the magical ability our bodies had to replace all our woes with this bliss.

  Brash released me and yanked down his shorts. He was nothing but heat and wildness and lust.

  God, how I love him.

  I stared into his eyes, and he stared back at me like I’d broken him, like I’d shattered the walls he’d erected to protect his heart.

  As for me, I fell deeper and deeper.

  Fell from resistance to find respite in his arms.

  He sat back on the sand. “Take off your panties and straddle me, Aly. That way you’ll have control of the penetration and it won’t hurt so much.”

  Hurt? Of course, it would hurt the first time.

  But I was ready. I wanted it.

  “I won’t come inside you, babe,” he added, stroking the hair back from my face.

  I didn’t tell him I thought it was my safe period, didn’t want to spoil the moment. I licked my lips as he hoisted me up onto his lap. Instinctually, I wrapped my legs around his hips and pressed myself against the hardness I so desperately wanted. Holding his gaze, I reached between us and grabbed his cock.