Jo crossed her arms over her chest.
A moment of silence passed before Heather asked, “Have you ever been in the ocean before?”
Jo shook her head. When would she have had the chance? She’d grown up landlocked, had ended up going to college in Chicago. It wasn’t as if there’d been a lot of family vacations when she was a kid.
Quieter this time, Heather said, “Then maybe you should give it a shot.”
“I don’t know…”
“Why did you decide to come today?”
Wasn’t that the question of the hour? Despite her reservations, their outing to the rain forest had been more than worth it. Maybe she’d hoped this would be the same.
Maybe she hadn’t been able to resist the heat in Adam’s gaze as he’d pressed her up against the door and asked her.
He looked so good, out there amid the waves. The bronzed musculature of his chest glowed in the sun, the darkened mop of his hair slicked back against his skull.
“Peer pressure,” she settled on. “Mostly.”
Heather hummed. “Yeah. If he’d asked me to go somewhere, I don’t know if I could have resisted, either.”
Forget the heat. Forget everything else. The pit of Jo’s stomach flashed with ice. She turned, following Heather’s gaze, and sure enough, she was staring at Adam. Her mouth twisted with a knowing smile.
Shit. Jo blinked hard and flexed her jaw. “Does everyone know?”
“Nah. A few suspect, maybe. But you’ve been playing it pretty cool. Him, on the other hand?”
“Oh.”
Heather’s voice went soft and warm. “If you could see the way he looks at you…”
Only Jo had. She’d caught him more than once. He’d been completely unguarded about it, gazing at her with a deepness to his eyes.
“Plus,” Heather added, “he’s started to come over here about a dozen times, only he keeps stopping himself.”
Right. He’d been trying to abide by her wishes. Sure, Kim had always known, and she and Jared had gotten more than enough confirmation a couple of nights ago. But their advisors. The scientists they work with…
“We were trying to be discreet.”
“Oh, please. Picking out which summer interns are hooking up is a national pastime around here. It’s the most fun we get all year.”
Off in the distance, Adam’s head swiveled around, and it was just like Heather had described. His gaze sought her out. It wasn’t easy to see from where she sat, but Jo knew his expressions well enough by now.
Nudging her with her elbow again, Heather said, “Do what you want, Jo. But if I were you, I would be taking as much advantage of that as I could. There’s more to life than just work.” With that, she stood, dusting the sand off her legs as she went to rejoin the rest of the grown-ups beneath another umbrella a respectable distance away.
Alone again, Jo tried to force her breathing deeper. But it wasn’t any use. Around her, the world was twisting on its axis.
She’d come to this island dressed in anger, convinced she was being passed over for a choice assignment on account of her gender. She’d taken a guy who was only trying to help—one she’d since learned could be so tender—and she’d literally thrown him on account of some misguided fear, some reflex.
She’d been letting that same fear guide her ever since.
Had she ever not been operating on fear?
The spots in her vision faded, resolving the space around her into hues that seemed even more vivid than they had just a moment before. Bright white sand and the red of her borrowed shorts. Ocean blue and Adam blond. Adam eyes and Adam flesh. And beyond him, a sky that stretched out into infinity, an atmosphere of limitless colors, illuminated by a single star.
It was literally night and day versus the last time she’d stared up at the heavens in wonder. Wrapped in Adam’s arms, still shaking from the revelations she’d made to him about her mother, she’d cast her gaze skyward. For the first time, she’d allowed the possibility she might deserve more.
And here she was, eyes blinded by brilliance instead of darkness, considering almost the exact same thing.
More was out there, swimming freely in the water. More had sunlight dancing off his shoulders. More kept looking her way and waiting for her to join him. All she had to do was stop being afraid to.
For one long, aching moment, she rested her forehead on her knees.
Then with trembling fingers, she reached out and unlaced her boots. When her bare feet touched the sand, she let out a single, cut-off fragment of a laugh. Heather had been right enough. The sand squished between her toes, cool beneath the umbrella’s shade and searing hot beyond it.
She’d scarcely gotten to her feet, scarcely begun to lift the hem of her shirt before Adam was jogging up the beach toward her. And it wasn’t even fair. He looked like something out of a movie, or from television, and here she was. Looking like this.
“Hey.” He came to a stop before her, grinning widely. Water droplets slid in rivulets down his chest. “Are you coming in?”
“Thinking about it.” She was thinking about a lot of things. Casting her gaze aside, she fingered the edge of her shirt again. Quietly, she asked, “You sure I won’t look ridiculous?”
“You’ll look perfect.” He put a hand on her shoulder, ducking to put them eye to eye. “You’ll look like you.”
Fuck her if he didn’t sound as if he actually believed that.
She wanted to laugh, just as much as she wanted to shove her boots on and go hide in the van for the rest of the day. Unwilling to actually do either, she brushed her hair off her face and shook her head.
“Here,” he said, crouching to reach for his pack, which he’d left in a pile with the rest of them. “I promised I’d sunscreen your back.”
It was a relief, not having him looking right at her as she stripped. He probably knew that. Still, she hesitated. “You’re supposed to put it on at least fifteen minutes before you go out there, you know.”
“Then we’ll dawdle here for as long as you think we have to.”
He rummaged through his bag for what seemed like an awfully long time, and she stood there, dumbstruck, until she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.
And it wasn’t any big deal. Adam had seen her naked plenty of times at this point. She was wearing shorts that covered her to her knee, and her sports bra was almost a tank top. It was just her shoulders and a little bit of midriff. And cleavage and arms and…
Fuck it. She closed her eyes and tugged her shirt over her head. Her heart stuttered, and she held her breath. But when she looked again, nothing had changed. The world had kept on spinning. Their advisors still sat a stone’s throw away, talking amongst themselves, while the rest of their friends played in the waves or lounged in the sun. No one looked their way.
No one cared. And it was the biggest, most impossible relief.
Jo was strangely still beneath Adam’s hands as he massaged the sunscreen into the skin of her arms. She was even paler than he was, and she probably would burn if they didn’t follow the instructions to the letter. Protectiveness surged inside him, telling him to take care of her however he could. But there was also an instinct to get her down the beach and into the water right now.
She felt so good, and she’d look even better out there in the surf, salty and wet, black and blue hair shining bright in the midday sun. The bra she was wearing would keep her covered, but once it got wet, he bet he’d be able to make out her piercing through the fabric. The shapeless, too-long trunks hanging off her hips would cling to her skin.
Kind of like his own shorts were clinging to him, and he really needed to start thinking about other things before he gave the game away but good.
Who could blame him, though, getting a little excited while rubbing her down like this? Maybe her kludged-together suit wasn’t as revealing as what some of the other girls were wearing, but he hadn’t been lying. It was the kind of swimming getup she looked like she belonged in.
And that was more than enough of a turn-on for him.
Slathering his hands again, he coated her shoulders before shifting to stand behind her. And he had to stop—for a second he had to squeeze his eyes shut tight, smoothing the cream into her neck entirely too thoroughly to buy himself some time.
When he’d gotten himself under control again, he opened his eyes and swallowed a groan.
The bra blocked the upper half of her tattoo, but this was still the best look he’d gotten of it. The lines of ink twisted and curled around the top of her spine, tendrils of it spilling out toward her arms. He’d been right about it being an animal of some sort, maybe a dragon or a lion, legs with talons or paws standing strong beneath the line of her bra.
“Adam?”
He bit the inside of his lip and forced his hands to move again, slipping his fingertips just under the elastic around her shoulder blades.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
He made a pained noise, and she started to turn around. He dropped his hands, grasped her waist, the skin slick with sweat and lotion. And he was trying so hard to be good.
Pressing his brow to the top of her head, he exhaled long and slow. “I am having a very, very difficult time not throwing you over my shoulder and finding a dark corner somewhere to take this”—he snapped her bra strap—“off of you.”
“Oh.”
“Your tattoo looks so gorgeous. You look so goddamn sexy. I know you’re trying to keep this quiet.” He drew in another, sharper breath. “But I cannot explain to you how much restraint is involved in keeping this PG right now.”
She went very still, just the expansion and contraction of her ribs beneath his fingertips even betraying that she was alive. A low, deep fear rose inside of him.
Maybe this was Shannon all over again. A girl who didn’t want as much from him as he wanted from her. Maybe this was him, building something up inside his mind.
Cursing himself, he squared his jaw and took a step back. With mechanical motions, he finished rubbing the last of the sunblock into the flesh at the dip of her spine, then made to pull away entirely.
Except she caught him. Closing her hand around his wrists, she held him where he was, and his heart lurched. Ever so slowly, she turned around to face him.
And maybe this wasn’t what he’d thought it was at all. Maybe it was better.
Her eyes were darkened with a wanting he could recognize well enough by now, but her mouth had that stubborn set to it. Like she was about to tell him off for waiting to be loved, like she was about to tell everyone off for having gotten to this island based on their connections. Like she was about to kiss him.
He held his breath. But then she was reaching up, settling her forearms on his shoulders to clasp her hands behind his neck. He gripped her by the hips, trying like hell not to get the wrong idea. She eased up onto her tiptoes.
Leaning in close to his ear, she whispered, “There’s a pier, maybe a quarter of a mile down the shore.”
“Excuse me?”
“Looked like a dark corner to me.” She inched back so he could see her face, one of her eyebrows wickedly arched.
“Oh.” Just like that, his breath returned to him.
“For later. Just so you know.”
He could so get behind that idea.
Just like he could get behind the way she was closing in, the way her lips approached his, and her eyes closed.
And yet he made her close the gap, standing motionless but for the press of his thumbs into her hip bones. She was the one with all the reservations, all the restrictions. If she wanted this, she’d have to take it. And then he’d give her everything he had in return.
She kissed him, gentle and slow and in the broad light of day, and it was his heart restarting, blood pulsing fast into every one of his cells. His hesitation fell away, and he hauled her in, lifting her and spinning her and claiming her mouth exactly how he’d been longing to since the very first day. She tasted hot and filthy, like sex and want and something so much more—something better because she’d offered it to him. Here. Where he’d thought he’d never have it.
And he was so damn glad. So happy.
She broke the kiss after a few long, heart-pounding moments, but he kept her, safe in his arms and flush against his chest. With a growl in his throat, he nipped at her jaw and then her ear, just to hear her laugh and feel her squirm.
“You sure you want to hold on to that whole dark corner idea for later?” he asked.
Swatting at his head, she hugged him back, those lean, strong arms of hers wrapping around his shoulders as if she didn’t want to let go, either. She did, though, and a whole lot sooner than he’d have liked her to. “Put me down, you lug.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” The words came out a shade too serious, too soft.
He let her go, setting her on her feet on the sand. Grasping his hand, she gazed up at him, eyes just as tender as her voice had been.
“Take me into the ocean with you?”
She said it like she wasn’t sure if he’d say yes.
He squeezed her palm. “Happily.”
With her hand secure in his, he led them down the beach. The scorching sand beneath their toes pulled a squeak out of her, and he grinned, tugging her along faster until they hit an all-out sprint. At the shoreline, cool dampness eased the burn. “You ready?” he asked, facing the surf.
Nodding, she took the first step. He watched her as she slipped her feet into the ocean, an unusual tentativeness guiding her movement. But her eyes were bright, her smile unguarded in a way it rarely was. Until the water lapped at her knees and they hit the jagged patch of rocks and shells. She winced, her steps faltering.
“It’s just a few feet of this.” He pointed to where the rest of the gang played in the waves. “Just a little farther and it all goes smooth again.”
“If I get stung by a jellyfish or step on a sea urchin…”
“I’ll carry you to shore.”
Grumbling, she said, “And this is why I never go barefoot anywhere.”
As promised, the way eased quickly enough. “There. Better?”
“Something just touched my leg.”
“Probably seaweed. You’re fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
He stopped them there, still a little ways off from everyone else. The water came up past his waist, the low rocking of the waves sliding in toward shore making them sway.
He turned to her. Rested his free hand at her hip and ducked to put them face-to-face. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
“Fine-fine, or fake fine?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, and that right there made him feel a little better. He looked her up and down. Then with his arm, he jostled her. “Loosen up a bit.”
She snickered. “Not exactly my strong point.”
Arching a brow suggestively, he grinned. “I’ve seen you loosen up plenty.”
She huffed. “Very specific circumstance.”
“Well, pretend it’s the circumstance right now.” He put his palm on her hip. “Let the waves move you.”
She scowled, but her posture softened. Transcribing his every movement, he drew her in closer until her breasts brushed his chest. Their legs tangled beneath the water.
Heat pooled low in his gut.
“See?” he asked, mouth close to hers. “Isn’t that better?”
“I suppose…” She pushed off the bottom, rising with the swelling of the tide. Her thigh slid against him, slipping between his knees.
His hindbrain had him reacting. He curled his arms around her. She was so warm, so soft in his arms, there in the sun and the calm cool of the ocean. He trailed his lips along her cheek, giving her plenty of room to stop him. She didn’t.
The kiss tasted of summer and salt, and he glided his hands up and down the bare expanses of her back and shoulders as he licked into her mouth. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he
scraped his teeth against her lip.
They were getting carried away, and fast.
His voice came out gravelly as he forced himself to break the kiss. “I thought you wanted to spend some time in the water?”
“I do.” Her hips ground into his, and he hissed at the relief—pleasure and torment all at once—before grasping her more tightly. Stilling her.
“I really don’t think you want me to take you up on that.”
As if to underscore his point, laughter from just behind them interrupted the quiet bubble they’d dropped themselves into. She glanced over his shoulder and sighed. “You’re probably right.”
He twisted to follow her gaze. Kim sat atop Jared’s shoulders, hands clasped with Carol’s, who was riding Anna. Struggling, Carol shrieked. Their kicking churned the water.
Jared noticed Adam and Jo, nodding at them cockily from between Kim’s thighs. “You guys want winner?” he called.
For fuck’s sake.
Adam nudged at Jo, prompting her to unwind herself from around him. Getting himself some breathing room. Looking to her, he asked, “What do you say?”
“What the hell are they doing?” Jo’s forehead was all scrunched, her mouth confused.
Oh, this was going to be fun. “What? You’ve never been in a chicken fight before?”
“A what fight?”
That decided that. “Come on.” He took her hand again and led her into deeper waters.
They’d nearly reached the rest of them when, with a squeal, Carol toppled over, falling from Anna’s shoulders. She came up spitting seconds later while Kim raised her hands in the air in triumph. Jared squeezed her thighs, beaming up at her before turning to Jo and Adam.
“You guys up for this?” Jared asked.
“Hell, yeah, we are.” Adam grabbed Jo, unsurprised when she flinched.
“Um, no.”
“It’ll be fine.” He lowered himself so his shoulders sank beneath the surface of the water. “Just climb on board. It’s easy.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” She came up behind him despite her protests.
He took it as the closest to permission he was going to get. “Hop up.” Hooking one hand under her leg, he gave her a boost, while with the other he plugged his nose and dropped down.
When The Stars Align Page 18
