by Suzanne Cass
So much for his resolve to stay away from her after her head was healed. Instead of remaining detached, he’d done the exact opposite; he’d allowed her to burrow even deeper under his skin.
They still continued their easy friendship; as if nothing had happened. They seemed to have both silently agreed to shut that particular memory away, walled it into a neat little box, not referring to it even once in the days afterwards. He’d do well to remember that Cilla seemed to have put it behind her. It was essential for him to do the same, get his head back into the game.
The problem was he couldn’t. Couldn’t ignore the feel of her reacting to his touch, the way she’d allowed him a glimpse at her true nature, her raw emotions.
He was a goner. He’d indeed fallen for this intelligent, surprising, strong-willed woman. But what was he to do with that knowledge?
She’d run a mile if she ever found out how deeply he was beginning to care for her.
The sound of Cilla’s voice dragged him back from his contemplations and he managed to plaster a grim half-smile on his face.
‘You’re right, Simon. Of course you’re right,’ Cilla said in a placating tone. She glanced over at Simon and gave him a knowing smile. Had her gaze lingered just a little too long? Of course not, he knew Cilla found Simon as insufferable as he did. She was just making him feel at ease. Maybe in the hopes he’d reveal something about his plans for the rest of the game. He should join in her act, start being nicer to Simon.
‘But I keep thinking of poor Alisha and Marg and Hayden and Rosa, all back there starving. Well maybe not Hayden and Rosa,’ she amended with a smile. Cilla held Simon’s gaze for longer than necessary, it was unquestionable this time. Tam’s gut clenched in a surprising reaction. He didn’t like her looking at Simon that way, not one little bit.
Drawing in a calmative breath, he said, ‘I agree, it does seem a shame that everyone else is missing out on this wonderful food. But then I guess that’s why a plunder knockout is such a big boon. We get the advantage of having eaten a huge meal and slept peacefully in a soft bed, while the rest of them get nothing.’
‘Got that one right, big boy.’ Simon grinned across the table at him and Tam had to grit his teeth together. Now wasn’t the time to take offence at Simon’s manner, even if it did feel like a sly put down.
‘Thanks for bringing us both along today, Simon. It was big of you.’ The words almost stuck in Tam’s throat.
‘Not a problem, bro.’ Simon flicked his fingers in a gesture of indifference.
‘Yeah, thanks, Simon,’ Cilla said, echoing his sentiments.
‘We may as well make the most of the time we’ve got cooped up here together,’ said Simon, putting his feet up on a nearby chair and stretching his arms behind his head. ‘How about we all get to know each other a little better. That kind of knowledge could be gold in this game you know.’ Again, Simon was right. The more they knew about each other the better. Everyone knew at some stage of the game they would play the knockout called, how much do you know about your team members. Tonight was all about more leverage in the game.
‘Let’s start with you, Cilla. Tell us why you came on Sea-Quest?’ Simon speared Cilla with a sharp gaze, at odds to the sleepy grin he fired in her direction.
‘Oh, okay then.’ It was obvious Cilla had been caught off guard, but she gathered her thoughts and said, ‘It was actually my boss, Brad Dursley, who got me to audition. He owns a charter boat business, Whitsunday Yacht Escapes, renting out luxury yachts. He’s the one who hired me as a Sailguide.’
‘Sounds kinda like a rich dick to me,’ said Simon with contempt.
‘Well, he is a multi-millionaire, but he’s also a great down-to-earth guy. I love working for him,’ she continued, unfazed by Simon’s comments. ‘Anyway, he called me into his office one day, to look at the website for Sea-Quest. Told me they were looking for contestants for their next game, and asked if I thought he’d make a good competitor?’ Tam could see that thoughts of Brad brought a faraway smile to Cilla’s face. It seemed she truly did like her boss.
‘So he’s the one who gave you the idea to audition then?’ asked Tam, wanting her to continue with the story.
‘Yeah. He joked to me that it wouldn’t be the money he was playing for. Rather for the glory and prestige. That’s when I realised another million wouldn’t change Brad’s life much. But it might change mine.’
‘Ain’t that the truth,’ growled Simon in agreement.
‘Pity Brad didn’t make it on to Sea-Quest too,’ she continued. ‘But I think he might secretly enjoy it more sitting at home dissecting the show from the comfort of his expensive condo than actually playing the game.’
‘Cool,’ said Simon, ‘but you didn’t—’
‘Hey, Simon, I’d love to hear about your childhood. I bet you were a wild and cheeky kid,’ Cilla interrupted. She was almost cooing at the man, leaning her elbows on the table and gazing at him with soft, expectant eyes.
Simon hesitated before giving a shrug. ‘Sure, doll, anything you want.’ He launched into a spiel about his early life, but Tam couldn’t concentrate. It was more than obvious Cilla hadn’t wanted to talk about why she’d entered Sea-Quest, so she’d neatly deflected Simon from his conversation by playing up to the man’s huge ego.
Simon was really starting to get on his nerves. But Tam was determined he’d keep his temper. He had to if he was going to gain anything from this reward. Apart from everything else, it wouldn’t do for Cilla to see how much Simon got under his skin. And the last thing she needed to know was how jealous he was getting watching this little scene unfold before him.
Tam tuned out the droning hum of the other man’s voice, instead staring out at the darkness held under the canopy of the jungle trees.
~
Tam woke with a start, his neck stiff from where he’d slumped in the chair. The food sat cold and congealed on the table in front of him. There was no sign of either Cilla or Simon. How long had he been asleep? Half an hour, maybe more. He got up, still a little groggy. Peering down towards the beach by the lagoon, he tried to see if there was any movement. Nothing. It was no use going to look for the other two, they could be anywhere. He headed for the sleeping hut they were all sharing tonight, hoping they’d both be sound asleep in there.
Three single beds all stood in a line inside the hut. All were empty, their crisp sheets still folded neat and unruffled. Where were they? And what were they up to? Dark thoughts roiled round in his mind. But there was nothing else for it, he may as well go to bed and get some sleep. He’d be damned if he was going to search for them now.
For half an hour he lay in bed, not able to appreciate the cool smoothness of the white sheets, or the soft cradling of the mattress beneath him, so mystified was he about what Cilla and Simon could be up to. All kinds of scenarios were running through his head, and most of them made him want to get up and hunt Simon down and crush him to within an inch of his life.
Suddenly there were voices, right outside the window. Tam turned over and feigned sleep. Through eyes open a crack, he watched as Cilla slipped in, followed very closely by Simon. Was that Simon’s hand on the small of Cilla’s back? It was too dark to see clearly.
‘Goodnight, Simon,’ she whispered.
‘Goodnight, Cilla. Great chatting with you,’ Simon said, making a pretence of whispering, but it came out more like a dull roar. Tam remained perfectly still.
Cilla hopped into bed and slid under the sheets, quiet as a mouse. But Tam saw the quick, guilty glance she cast in his direction. A thin slice of ice slithered into his heart. That look told him everything he needed to know.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
How could Tam have done that to her? Cilla tried to swallow the lump at the back of her throat. Her stomach twisted, making her feel sick.
It was no use wishing she’d never gone on that prize reward with Simon; that she could go back in time two days previous. If she hadn’t found out about Tam’s duplicity, she’
d still be looking at him through those stupid rose-coloured glasses.
‘You alright? You look a little green.’ Tam turned that amber gaze towards her, his face softening as he smiled. She wanted to hit him, scream at him.
‘Must be all the food I ate last night.’ She showed her teeth in what she hoped looked like a smile, even though it felt more like a grimace.
‘We’ll be back on the beach in a few minutes, you’ll feel better when you get off this boat.’ He leaned in to pat her shoulder and it was all she could do not to flinch away from his touch.
‘Can’t wait,’ she replied, crossing her arms tight across her chest and staring straight at the oncoming beach. They were on their way back from the lagoon, but because it could only be reached from the other side of the island they’d taken the boat to get home. Cilla couldn’t wait to get back in amongst the other team members. It’d be easier to hide her grief once she could mingle with them.
Simon gave her a knowing glance from the other side of the boat. If only he wasn’t so smug about the whole thing. She didn’t like him any better just because he’d been the one to tell her the truth. She still found him insufferable. After all, he’d been in on it too. He’d been there, and he’d seen her naked. And probably taken advantage of the situation to ogle her while he’d the chance, even though he protested his innocence. The thought made the bile rise in her throat again. But at least he’d been honest enough to admit to his part in their dirty little trick. She did owe him something for showing her the reality of her situation.
Simon had enticed her down to the lagoon last night after dinner. Tam had fallen asleep at the table, stuffed so full of food he couldn’t stay awake, and she didn’t see the harm in leaving him. He’d looked so innocent with his head on his hands, like a child.
Once down at the lagoon Simon sat down on the sand and patted a spot beside him in a gesture for her to sit. There was a harvest moon slanting its lustrous rays over Emerald Lagoon. The edges of the water shimmered, reminding her of liquid silver. The sound of the cicada symphony was almost deafening. It was a perfect evening. If only it could be Tam sitting beside her on the sand instead of Simon. She might’ve brushed his arm with her hand. Just a fleeting touch, to see what he’d do. Would he turn those passion-dark eyes on her and push her down in the sand so he could kiss her until she could no longer breathe? Goose bumps raised all over her skin at the intoxicating thought.
‘Are you going to sit, or what?’ Simon’s demanding voice sounded nothing like the honeyed rasp of Tam’s in the throes of passion and it jolted her back to reality. She sat down.
‘I need to tell you something, Cilla. Something I should’ve told you days ago.’ The goose bumps came back at Simon’s words, but for all the wrong reasons this time. It sounded oddly similar to the words Tam had said to her on the beach the other night, before she’d interrupted him by stripping off her clothes. She shook her head, suddenly not wanting to hear what Simon had to say.
He didn’t notice her lack of consent, however, instead he started talking in a fast monotone as if he wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
‘A couple of weeks ago, when we were still part of Dawnbreakers, I was just grabbing the snorkel and goggles to go and try a little crabbing when Tam came over to me.’
That sounded harmless enough. Cilla released a little of the breath she’d been holding.
‘Tam said something very strange. He asked me if I’d like to get a look at the best view on the island.’ Again, fairly harmless stuff. A bit odd for Tam to say something like that, but she couldn’t see any mischief in it.
‘There was something a bit … I don’t know … underhanded about Tam’s attitude, but at the time I ignored my gut instinct telling me not to go, and tagged along after him into the jungle.’ Now that sounded strange, but also not too surprising, coming from Simon. He’d probably undermine Tam any chance he got. She nodded for him to continue.
‘He led me to this gorgeous little bay about fifteen minutes north of the Dawnbreakers beach. Do you remember it? There was a wide sandy shelf that dropped off over the reef and lots of large boulders at the back. The one where we found all those enormous crabs.’
Cilla’s heart stilled in her chest. She couldn’t move or breathe. Yes, she remembered it.
‘Well, you were there … in the water … naked.’ She broke out in a cold sweat. Simon rushed on, saying the words so quickly she almost didn’t catch them. ‘I said we should leave immediately and what was he thinking, to come here and gawp at you like some kind of perverted lecher. It was disgusting. But Tam wouldn’t listen. He hid behind the boulders and kept staring at you. I pleaded with him to leave you alone and eventually he agreed to return to camp, but only after he’d seen his fill of you. Stark naked.’
Simon kept going on and on about how sorry he was, and how he should’ve told her that very day, but Tam made him swear not to tell her, because he knew it’d ruin any chances he might have with her. And how the guilt had eaten away at him. That’s why he’d chosen her to come on the prize with him, so he could tell her.
Cilla didn’t remember what she said back to him.
In a daze she hardly even remembered walking to the cabin, she was so lost in the depth of Tam’s deceit. The idea was so preposterous, she almost didn’t believe Simon, but he’d been very convincing.
In the end Simon had pleaded so hard for his innocence in the matter, Cilla begrudgingly gave him absolution.
Tam was another matter altogether. How could he have done that to her? And how could she have fallen for that amiable persona, taken in by him so completely that she’d actually had sex with him. She felt dirty and betrayed. No wonder he’d jumped on her the first chance she gave him. He was just fulfilling some kind of sick fantasy after seeing her naked. And she’d led him on, she’d instigated it. The thought had made her sick to her stomach.
Why hadn’t Tam told her? The fact he’d kept it a secret for so long was the sickest part of the whole thing.
Of course it’d be just her luck, yet again the one man she thought she could depend on had turned out to be an arsehole. Tam had just proved beyond a doubt that men were all the same. Not to be trusted.
Should she confront him? Every fibre in her being wanted to have it out with him right this instant. But she had to be logical about this, she needed time to think through all the ramifications and decide how it might affect their alliance. And Alisha; she had to talk to Alisha.
The bow of the boat scrunched into the sand with a lurch and she found herself caught in Tam’s arms as she toppled sideways.
‘Sorry,’ she muttered, disentangling herself and backing away as fast as was humanly possible. The grin on Tam’s face faded, replaced by lowered eyebrows and a furrowed brow.
~
‘It’s called the spiderweb knockout,’ said JJ in his gravelly voice. He watched them all tilt their heads to stare up into the trees and a wicked smile broke his features. ‘Take a good look, because you don’t want to be falling from up there.’
Tam swivelled his head around to follow the web of ropes strung between the great trunks of many large jungle trees and groaned quietly. It reminded him of some confusing military rope course. They’d all have to be part monkey to complete this knockout.
‘This one’s not for the faint-hearted, hey, big fella?’ Simon punched him in the arm and gave a friendly grin. Tam clenched his jaw, trying to keep his breathing even. Simon was taking all sorts of liberties since they’d come back from the lagoon this morning. As if they were now best mates or something. It was annoying the hell out of him, even more than usual. Tam couldn’t put his finger on exactly why, but there was a self-righteousness to Simon’s smile that unnerved him.
And Cilla was definitely avoiding him since they got back from the reward. She’d barely even make eye contact with him now. What had she and Simon said to each other last night? For the hundredth time today, Tam cursed the fact he’d let his concentration drift
and fallen asleep. Had Simon tried to ingratiate himself with Cilla? Or even worse had he tried to kiss her? The mere idea got Tam’s blood boiling. Enough was enough. He needed to get to the bottom of it. He’d confront Cilla as soon as this knockout was over, whether she liked it or not.
After fifteen minutes of fighting the confounded spiderweb course, Tam collapsed in a heap on the netting in the middle of the course, his chest heaving with exertion. He admitted defeat. He was completely drained. He knew he’d be safe enough at the conclave tonight, but that wasn’t the point. He wanted to win.
Tam heard JJ cry, ‘Hayden wins exemption,’ and watched as JJ handed the rainbow coloured parrot to him, while he gave a whoop of joy. Well he might too. He was supposed to have been next on the chopping block.
They’d have to choose someone else to vote off tonight.
Tam made his way down the ladder, the muscles in his arms already protesting at their over-exertion. Cilla came down right behind him. By the look on her face she felt just as bad as he did. He offered her a hand down the last few rungs, but she shied away from him.
He nearly swore out loud. What was wrong with the woman? She blew hot and cold so fast it made his head spin.
~
Cilla poked the campfire with a long stick, watching as the coals collapsed in on themselves, dying down to a tawny glow. It was just after breakfast and everyone else was off doing their morning ablutions. She was alone at camp.
