by Karen Booth
He hustled to catch up. They arrived at the dock, which was now nothing more than a series of gray wood planks nearly submerged in the water. There was no boat, nor were there any other people. Zane now doubted that anyone would be coming for them despite Allison’s family’s concern for her safety. The seas were too rough. It was all too dangerous.
Allison carefully started down the dock and Zane followed right behind her, just in case she slipped. They both pitched to the side with every wave that threatened to swallow up the slick wood planks beneath their feet. Zane again told himself that he would not let anything happen to her. He had to keep Allison safe. Still, he knew that fighting Mother Nature was a losing proposition. If she decided she was going to win, there was not much to be done.
About halfway down the dock, the water was getting even deeper and Allison smartly came to a stop. She took the strip of sarong and wrapped it around the metal pole that moored the structure to the seafloor. On a calm day, this would have been a simple task, but it was pure chaos outside right now. With her hands occupied and the wind threatening to topple her, even while she used her strong legs to brace herself, Zane had no choice but to wrap one arm around her waist, steadying her while pressing his body into hers. She felt too good against him. Too right. And maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through his veins that made him think that if ever there was a time to throw caution to the wind, it was now, when life was hanging in the balance and they had no idea if they were going to survive.
* * *
Allison couldn’t take any more of Zane’s hands around her waist. It was too great a reminder of everything she couldn’t have. She pried herself away from him now that the fabric was tied to the dock piling. She ran along the planks, but lost her footing at the very end. With a definitive thud, she landed on her butt. Pain crackled through her hip and down her thigh.
“Dammit!” She scrambled to her knees, embarrassed, frustrated and several other unpleasant emotions. She attempted to stand, but the dock was like a skating rink, and the ocean wasn’t playing nice, either, sloshing water in her face.
“Let me help you.” Zane threaded his hands under her armpits and lifted her to her feet with what seemed like zero effort.
“I can take care of myself.” She twisted her torso and leaped up onto the sand.
“I’m well aware of that. It doesn’t mean I can’t still help you. If anything ever happened to you, Scott would never forgive me.”
Allison was so tired of this. She turned to Zane, planting a single finger in the center of his chest to put him on notice. “I don’t want to hear one more word about what my brother will or will not forgive you for. If I die in this storm—which, for the record, I know I will not—I will take all of the blame. You are officially recused of your bro duties.”
He grabbed her hand with both of his. “But you’ll be dead, so I will definitely get blamed.”
“Then my ghost will haunt you and Scott and make sure you both know it was all me. Now, come on, let’s finish leaving our trail of fabric.” Allison didn’t wait for him to respond and trekked up to the spot where they’d dropped their bags next to the trail that led to the clearing. She tore off another piece of the sarong and handed it to Zane, pointing to a tree branch she couldn’t reach.
He tied it off. “We should go get whatever food we can and bring it up the hill with us.”
She didn’t want to give him any credit at all right now, but that was an excellent call. She hadn’t thought twice about food since yesterday, too miserable over his rejection. “Good idea.”
“Thanks.” He smiled, which seemed like more of an apology than anything.
Allison wasn’t quite ready to accept that from Zane, spoken or otherwise. So she started walking.
They split up back at their cottages, each scavenging for supplies. Allison took a moment to use a pair of scissors she found in her kitchen to cut up the rest of her sarong, but she still managed to return to their meetup spot first with bananas, bread, a flashlight and a blanket.
Zane emerged from his place second. “I brought a bottle of champagne.”
Allison just shook her head. “I’d say you were a numbskull if I didn’t need a drink so badly right now.”
“For what it’s worth, I also brought cheese and crackers, apples and a deck of cards.”
“Great. It’ll be just like summer camp.” Chances were that it might be just as rustic up the hill. She had no idea what they were walking into, whether the solar was connected up there and whether they’d have furniture to sit or sleep on.
They retraced the inland path they had taken yesterday, stopping periodically to tie another piece of her sarong to a tree. Having some protection from the rain and wind made the trip much easier than it would have been near the raging ocean, but it was still slow going. The ground seemed to shake with every gust of wind, rain was still coming down in sheets and they were both completely soaked. Allison didn’t necessarily fear for her life, but she was scared of the unknown right now. She was reasonably certain that she and Zane could work together as a team to survive, but what toll would it take on her heart when this was all over? A huge one, she feared. She was going to need a vacation from her vacation.
When they reached the base of the hill, it looked like an almost insurmountable climb. She was already exhausted and dreading what it was going to be like, holed up inside a shell of a house while riding out the storm. Even worse, the spot on her hip where she’d fallen was throbbing. “I’m really not excited about doing this,” she said.
“Seriously? You? The woman who marched me all over this island and had me snorkeling long distances?”
“Seriously. Me.” Deep down, the real reason she wasn’t looking forward to getting herself up the hill had nothing to do with exhaustion. Yesterday, she could stay away from Zane in her own space. How was she supposed to do that when they were about to be living in tight quarters and having to rely on each other to survive?
“It’s okay. We can do it. We just need to get to shelter.” He peered down at her, and all she could think was that this was such a damn shame. He was perfect. The two of them together for a night or two could have been magical. But no.
“Yeah. Okay. Let’s do this.” She led him down a narrow path at the foot of the hill, which eventually brought them to a wider trail that zigzagged its way up the incline. The terrain was mostly low scrub, giving them zero protection from the wind and rain. They both walked with heads down, watching the trail, slogging through what was quickly becoming a muddy mess.
“Is it just me or is the weather getting worse?” Zane asked as they made the final turn on the trail. They were close.
“It is. I wish we had access to an actual forecast. It would be nice to know if this was going to be the worst of it or if it’s only the beginning. I hope this hike won’t end up being for nothing.”
“Better safe than sorry, right?”
She shrugged. “You can’t spend your whole life staying out of trouble.”
“Why do I have the feeling we aren’t talking about the storm anymore?”
She came to a stop at the end of the trail, turned and confronted him. Water was running down her nose and cheeks. She felt like a drowned rat. “We aren’t.”
Zane’s shoulders dropped in defeat. “Allison, come on. I don’t want to argue.”
“I don’t, either, Zane. I shouldn’t have to.” Allison trudged her way around to the front of the house via a crushed-shell path with manicured hedges on either side. Bright pink bougainvillea was trailing from planters situated between the windows of the house. It had been years since she’d been up here, and she had no idea what state the house would be in, but the exterior already looked much nicer than she’d ever remembered, even in the pouring rain.
When they rounded to the front of the house, they both froze, even though they were standing in a complete dow
npour.
“Holy crap, Allison.”
She didn’t have a great response. It was beyond words. “I know.” There was so much to take in, it was difficult to figure out where to start. First, either she hadn’t appreciated the view when she was younger or it had somehow gotten better over the years. From this vantage point, you could see for miles, even with the disastrous weather. The glassy azure ocean was gone, replaced by a tumultuous cobalt sea, but it was still a sight to behold, and somehow seemed less menacing all the way up here.
And then there was the house. From the outside, everything was definitely upgraded from the last time she’d been up here. The old tiny plunge pool had been replaced with a sprawling one, complete with an infinity edge and surrounded by a gorgeous patio. If she wasn’t already as wet as she could possibly be, Allison would’ve jumped right in.
They ducked under the sizable porch roof. “I’m confused,” Zane said. “I thought you said they were renovating. I don’t know what the exterior used to look like, but it seems pretty damn perfect to me. The pool’s full of water.”
“They were renovating. Or at least that’s what I thought, although I didn’t actually speak to Angelique about it before I came down. It wasn’t like I was going to be staying in the honeymoon villa.” Nor would she be staying here again anytime soon. Her romantic future looked as bleak as could be, hot on the heels of rejection by not one, but two men. First Neil and his cheating ways, and then she attempted to distract herself with Zane, which didn’t work at all. Maybe she needed to just give up on men entirely. Focus on her career. The financial and professional upside with Black Crescent was potentially huge, and now that she wasn’t quite as concerned with hurting Zane’s feelings, she could really put her foot on the gas when they finally got out of this mess of a storm.
Zane turned and cupped his hands at his temples, peering into one of the windows. “Uh. Allison. It looks pretty spectacular inside, too.”
She strode over to one of the French doors and turned the knob, then stepped inside. “Wow. Gorgeous.”
The space was light and airy, twice the size of either of their cottages, but with one noticeable difference—the bed was right in the main living space. Situated on a platform that spanned the long back wall of the building, it had a soaring canopy overhead and sumptuous white linens. Allison walked across the room and took the two steps up onto the raised area, still several feet from the bed.
Zane was right by her side. “I guess if you’re on your honeymoon, there’s no reason to think about being anywhere other than in the sack.”
“Yeah. I guess.” She had to wonder what that would be like, to be so enamored of someone that you wouldn’t even bother to get out of bed. The only person she’d ever imagined that with was Zane, and she already knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“That bed looks so damn good,” she muttered. “I just want to take a nap.”
“You can do whatever you want, you know.”
“My clothes are still wet.”
“We should both change. You can have the bathroom, of course.”
Of course. Allison snatched up her bag and poked her head into a doorway she assumed was the bathroom. Out of habit, she flipped the light switch. To her great surprise, the fixture over the vanity came on. “The light works,” she shouted out to Zane.
“Thank God for solar,” Zane called back.
This room would be gorgeous eventually, but was definitely still under construction, with the tile of the two-person walk-in shower not yet complete. It had the other creature comforts, though—running water at the sink and toilet. Allison was happy for the little things.
As soon as she pushed down her shorts, the pain in her hip flared. She took a look in the mirror. Her upper thigh was turning a deep shade of purple. “No wonder it was hurting.” The thought of putting on more clothes that might bind against her injury was too unpleasant, so she put on a black sundress and skipped panties.
“Better?” Zane asked, wearing a dry pair of gray shorts and no shirt. He was currently toweling his hair and making it look like a seduction move. He was clearly oblivious to his effect on her.
She decided to save them both the lecture about how he should really be wearing more clothes. “My hip is all messed up.” She lifted the hem of her dress to show the edge of her deepening bruise.
“We need to get some ice on that, stat.” He made off for the kitchen.
“I doubt the fridge is working,” she said, gingerly sitting at the foot of the mattress.
“Got it,” Zane said, rattling a white plastic bin presumably filled with ice.
“Wow. A second round of applause for the solar.”
Zane dug around in a drawer, eventually finding a towel and placing a handful of ice in it. He brought it to her. “Scoot back on the bed.”
She raised both eyebrows at him. This was way too much like yesterday’s invitation, and she already knew this wasn’t going to end well, either. “Maybe I should sit on the floor.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re hurt. You should be resting. Scoot back and lie on your side.”
She didn’t have the strength to argue. Zane sat next to her on the mattress, placing the ice pack on her hip. She winced at the pain.
“Just relax,” he said, grabbing a pillow for her.
She took a deep breath, extended her arm and rested her head. “Thanks.”
“Looks like the rain and wind aren’t letting up anytime soon.”
Indeed, there were sheets of sideways drops again. They pelleted the surface of the pool, creating ripples and waves. It was oddly soothing, which was nice because not much else could make her happy right now. It felt as though life was playing a cruel trick on her, sticking her in the honeymoon cottage with Zane.
“So, I wanted to ask you something,” he said.
“Go for it. It’s not like I have anything better to do.”
“Were you serious when you said you’d been waiting fifteen years to have sex with me?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Zane didn’t enjoy putting anyone on the spot, but he’d been wondering about this since the minute Allison said it. Between that and the storm, his mind had been occupied with nothing else. Had she really had a thing for him all these years and he’d somehow managed to be oblivious? When she’d kissed him at Scott’s birthday he’d assumed it was nothing more than the impetuous move of a woman who’d had a few glasses of wine with dinner. Now he was eager to find out if he’d been wrong.
Allison stared at him, shaking her head. Her talent for making him feel like an idiot was unparalleled, but she somehow managed to make it charming. “You know, I’ve been thinking about it, and there’s no way you’re this clueless. You had to know I had a crush on you back in school. So if this is just some exercise to stroke your ego, I’m going to skip it.” She snatched the ice pack from his hand, climbed off the bed and tossed the cold bundle into the freezer.
“I swear I had no idea.” Of course, all those years ago, his brain had been occupied elsewhere. Women seemed to be the only thing that distracted him from the misery of his family’s abrupt and complete falling apart. Plus, Allison had been totally off-limits. Scott’s friendship and support had saved Zane. There was no breaking that trust, but it had been especially true at that time. “But I was pretty stuck in my own head when we were younger.”
“I think you’re still stuck in it.” She walked back to the bedside and planted her hands on her hips.
Zane was sitting on the edge of the mattress, looking up at her, mystified. “Excuse me?”
“Your loyalty to Scott all stems from this time in your life that you aren’t willing to let go of, Zane. It’s not healthy. Being a good friend is one thing, but it’s not like you’re forever indebted to my family because we were kind to you. Because we welcomed you when things were rough. That’s just what people do.
”
“You didn’t go through what I did, Allison. You have no idea what it felt like.”
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, as if she couldn’t possibly be more frustrated with him. She chose to sit next to him on the bed, which was of some consolation. “You know what? I don’t know, exactly. But I do know what it’s like to struggle or to get knocked down or to have a hard time. You don’t have a lock on that. You need to find a way to let go of what happened. Or at least move past it.”
“That’s why I came to this island. To clear my head. To try to let go of my animosity toward Black Crescent and the Lowell family. Or at least some of it. I don’t know that I can ever let all of it go.”
“Why not? Why can’t you just forgive everyone at Black Crescent for what Vernon Lowell did? It’s not their fault.” Allison’s eyes were wild and pleading. Meanwhile, the storm outside was starting to rage like never before. The windows rattled, and rain made a thunderous chorus on the roof.
“The Lowells destroy everything. Families most of all. They ruined my family. My parents got divorced because of the things they did. And for what? So somebody who was already making way too much money as far as I’m concerned could make more money? I just can’t forgive them for that. It’s the worst kind of greed.” As if Mother Nature was on his side, a massive gust of wind whipped up, smacking a massive palm frond against the French doors. He and Allison both jumped.
“Whoa,” Allison said, holding a hand to her chest, breathing hard.
“It’s getting scary out there.” The sky blackened. It was as if the sun had been extinguished.
“I’m tired of this, Zane. So tired.”
“The weather?”
She inched closer to him on the bed. “No. This. Us. We could die up here. This is serious. And I have waited for you for years.”
He was still having a hard time understanding this. Years? He really had been oblivious to her feelings, and that made him feel worse. “But I didn’t know. I swear.”
