Castaways

by Lily Harlem

  “Fuck. Yes. Squeeze me. Like that… Jesus.” Harry upped the already wild pace. Forging in and out of her. He roared, a loud animalistic sound that echoed around the cave.

  Olivia’s orgasm thudded on and on as he claimed his. Grasping his big body and filled with him, she’d never felt so small or so consumed.

  Harry was right when he’d said he had kinks. That was no ordinary fuck. He’d teased her, trapped her, and somehow made her feel that was just the tip of the iceberg of what he’d like to do—if they were somewhere else, another time and place, what levels of pleasure could he take her body to?

  He slowed and set his face at the side of hers, his mouth near her ear. His breaths came like a storm as he waited for them to return to normal.

  She was dizzy with the intensity of what they’d just shared and thankful he was holding her.

  Eventually, he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

  “Feeling better?” she asked, stroking his hair.

  “I think you know the answer to that.” His gaze drifted to her neck.

  “You’ve marked me.”

  “Yes.”

  “Not territorial I hope.”

  “No, it was a heat of the moment thing.” He shook his head and dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I get, we get, that being territorial isn’t going to work here.”

  “I agree.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Harry withdrew and set Olivia down. The cave was cool but still her skin prickled with heat.

  After tucking himself away he passed her her discarded bikini bottoms.

  “Thanks,” she said, tugging them on.

  “Here, drink too.” He unscrewed the cap on her bottle of water and handed it to her.

  She drank deep, suddenly conscious of how dry her mouth was. She’d done a lot of crying out during their wild cave sex.

  He watched her drink, a smile tugging at his lips.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You,” he said.

  “What about me?”

  “There’s a very real danger of you sneaking in here.” He tapped his chest.

  “And would that be a problem?”

  He was quiet and a kernel of nervousness grew in her belly.

  “No,” he said. “I don’t reckon it would be.” He held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s get back to camp. I’m hungry.”

  “Me too.” She allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Because there was no question about it, Harrington Vidal had already claimed a piece of her heart and that piece was his, for all of time.

  They headed back to the beach.

  As soon as Olivia spotted the ocean, she broke free and ran down to it. She was hot and sweaty and needed the cool waves to freshen up.

  “Hey.” Harry ran after her. “What you doing?”

  “Come on.” She kicked off her shoes then ran into the sea. The water splashed upward and covered her. Laughing, she dived into a perfect, aqua-blue wave.

  When she came up for air, Harry was next to her.

  He pushed his hand through his hair and laughed. “You’re crazy, you know that.”

  “I do, because I actually think this place is paradise.” She found the seabed and stood. “Even though we’re lost without a trace.”

  He slipped his arm around her waist. “But in paradise there should be a bit more food.”

  She looked toward camp. Raul and Mason were fishing. “Maybe they’ve got lucky.”

  “Yeah, let’s go see.”

  They waded out of the water and grabbed their shoes. Olivia enjoyed the sensation of feeling cool as the breeze stroked over her wet skin.

  When they reached the camp, Raul was frowning.

  “What’s up?” Olivia called as she squeezed water from her hair.

  “No fish. No fish.” He shook his head. “All this sea, where are they?”

  “There’s really nothing biting?”

  He sighed. “No.”

  “Nothing.” Mason gestured to a huge leaf, the same as the one they’d filled with fish the evening before. It was empty.

  “Hey, I’ve found these.” Lucas stood at the entrance to the camp pointing to a big pile of green fruit he appeared to be adding to.

  Angel stood nearby, staring at the fruit and shifting from one foot to the other. Her head was twitching from left to right.

  “What are they?” Harry called.

  “Mango.” Lucas headed back into the tree line.

  “Oh yum.” Olivia’s mouth watered just at the thought of the sweet, succulent flesh that would be nestled inside the dark green skins.

  She rushed toward them. Angel backed away, her large eyes seeming even bigger than usual.

  Harry laughed and so did Mason.

  “Greedy girl,” Raul called.

  “Shut it,” she said. “I’m starving.”

  She shoved several mangos aside and they rolled around her feet in a haphazard pile. Digging deeper, she looked for the biggest. Her fingers scrabbled, she was so keen to split one open and bare the flesh for everyone to sample.

  But as she rooted at the base of the pile a pair of vivid orange eyes stared back at her. A forked tongue appeared, then a yellow head and a chunky body rose up from the stack of fruit.

  Snake.

  The word screamed in her head, but no sound had left her mouth.

  She froze. Every nerve and tendon and muscle in her body turned to ice. Fear gripped her heart and stole her breath. Adrenaline raced into her system.

  The huge creature swayed menacingly only a couple of inches from her outstretched hand.

  Behind her the guys carried on talking as if nothing was happening, as if she wasn’t about to be bitten and killed by a venomous reptile.

  She stared at the neat yellow and black diamond scales on its head. Her hand was so close to it. Stepping back wasn’t an option, moving wasn’t an option. If it thought for one minute she was about to attack it, it would attack her. And she knew damn well it would move with breath-taking speed, much quicker than she could, especially with the mangoes piled around her.

  The tongue came out again, tasting the air. It swayed its head, left to right, never breaking eye contact with her.

  Olivia looked at her hand, almost touching its face… a hairsbreadth from its fangs.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Mason called. “Can’t find the one you want?”

  Olivia stayed frozen still.

  “Olivia, you okay?” Mason’s voice again.

  She willed him, anyone, like telepathy, to come to her. To save her.

  “Liv?” Harry called. “What is it—?”

  “Shit.” Mason was right behind her, his hands rested on her waist as he pushed the fruit around her ankles aside with his feet. “It’s a snake. Looks like a poisonous bastard too.”

  Olivia swallowed. She wondered if she might vomit.

  “Stay still,” he said.

  “Yes,” she managed. “I am.”

  “It’s okay.” His face was by hers. “It’s probably more scared of us.”

  She didn’t think it was possible to be any more scared than she was. Sweat popped on her forehead. Her belly clenched and her pulse thudded in her ears.

  “Take a deep breath,” he said, “It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.”

  The snake slithered upward, exposing more of its meaty body and coming even closer. The damn thing was huge and it seemed to be on the hunt… for her.

  “Mason,” she managed, staring at the now reduced gap between the snake’s head and her outstretched hand.

  “I’m here. We’re going to back away real slow.” He curled his arms around her waist. “No sudden movements.”

  “Slow? Not fast?” she whispered.

  “Nice and slow,” he pressed his body against hers and seemed to steady his stance.

  She was glad of his support, the last thing she’d wanted was to fall onto the damn thing.

  A sudden whoosh pierced the air. There was a flash of red, a puff
of sand and a mango burst open like a small grenade spraying meaty orange flesh over her feet.

  Mason dragged her backward and they stumbled across a patch of driftwood.

  “What the fuck?” Mason said.

  She turned to the right.

  Evan stood with one foot in front of the other and with one hand in the air. He was staring at the pile of mangos with narrowed eyes.

  She followed his line of sight then clasped her hand over her mouth.

  The snake’s head had been cut clean off and was lying on the sand some distance from the mangos. The body was writhing sickeningly over the fruit.

  “Oh fuck,” Olivia managed.

  “You okay, babe?” Evan asked, dropping his hand and stepping toward her.

  “Yes, I think so.”

  He ran his gaze over her hand and arm as if checking for puncture marks. “It didn’t get you?”

  “No.” She paused. “Thank you.”

  “No thanks needed. I wasn’t about to let it bite you, was I?”

  She swallowed. Her throat was tight. A sob was trying to fill her chest but she beat it down not wanting to cry.

  Mason seemed to sense this. He spun her around and slotted her head under his chin. He ran his hand up and down her back. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. It’s okay now.”

  She nodded and pulled in a deep breath as Evan picked up the cleaver he’d thrown to slice the creature’s head off.

  He stepped into the pile of mangos, gripped the snake’s body and held it up. “Hey, Raul. I hope you’ve got some seasoning for this thing.”

  “Mierda, you want me to cook that? I am top chef, you know?” He raised his hands and stomped toward Evan. “Top Barcelona chef and I have this, a snake to cook for dinner.”

  “And you’re a damn good chef,” Evan said, clasping his free hand on Raul’s shoulder. “So I know it’ll be delicious whatever you do with it.”

  This seemed to calm Raul and he tapped his fingers together and studied it. “Plenty of meat, no?”

  “Yep, plenty of meat. You want me to gut it?” Evan asked.

  “Si, you do that, then bring to me. I make us delicioso dinner with snake and mango.”

  “Good man.” Evan smiled then stepped away, holding the creature high so it didn’t drag on the floor. He glanced at Olivia again, as if checking she really was okay.

  Olivia felt her breathing return to normal though her heart was still thumping. Mason continued to rub her shoulders in soothing circles.

  Harry stepped up to them. He ran the back of his thumb down her cheek. “Be careful, okay. Watch where you put your hands and fingers.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him. It hadn’t been so long ago his fingers had been inside her and that hadn’t been a problem, for either of them.

  He chuckled as if reading her thoughts. “Just be careful okay.”

  “I will.”

  He walked toward the camp, the sun glistening on his still damp shoulders.

  Mason reached for her upper arms and stepped back. He studied her face. “I’m sure that frightened you, hen, but it scared the shit out of me as well.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause a fuss.”

  “It’s not a fuss. This place is beautiful, but it’s also full of danger. We’re not designed to be here, us British folk.”

  She smiled, just a little.

  He reached up and tipped her head, studied her neck. “You had fun with Harry?”

  “Yes.” She looked into his eyes, wondering if she’d see jealousy. But there was none, he’d simply been stating a fact. She’d been with Harry, had sex, great sex. That’s all there was to it.

  “He seems more relaxed than earlier,” Mason said.

  “He is.”

  “You’re good for him.” He released her chin and smiled. “You’re good for all of us. Come on, let’s go to camp. You look like you need to sit down.”

  “Yes. I think I do.”

  An hour later and Olivia was tucking into a huge leaf full of rice, mango and soft white meat seasoned with salt and herbs. She tried to think of it as chicken and not snake, which made it more palatable.

  “You’re a genius, Raul,” she said, breaking the silence around the fire.

  “You think?” He grinned.

  “Yes, Michelin quality food.”

  He popped in a chunk of snake. “Perhaps I serve it up on my next restaurant menu. Yellow snake could become a speciality.”

  “I don’t think the snakes will be too happy,” Evan said, scooping rice together with his fingers then popping it into his mouth.

  “True,” Olivia said. She slid a piece of mango over her tongue and sighed as the sweet syrupy juice seeped down her throat.

  Lucas—who’d already felt the need to apologize profusely for having stacked the mangos for the snake to hide in—tipped his head and looked at her.

  “I was just thinking,” she directed at him as he’d asked the unspoken question about her sigh. “How nice it would be to have those two big bottles of champagne Harry organized for when we all met back at the hotel. Served in huge buckets full of ice, crystal flutes to sip them from… bliss.”

  “I’ll get that for you again,” Harry said, reaching for his water bottle. His leaf was empty and after he’d taken a drink, he tossed it onto the fire.

  “That’d be nice,” she said. “Though sitting here, with the sunset, and this meal… it would taste different, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, I reckon you’re right,” he said.

  She followed his line of sight out toward the sea. The dipping sun had turned the sky scarlet with streaks of pink, violet and cerise darting over the horizon.

  She wondered at how fast the day had gone. With eating and exploring, retrieving water. There was lots to do but as a team they’d worked well.

  She stroked over her hickey, thinking of her time in the cave with Harry. It had been hot, so damn hot. They’d had an intense connection. Harry was a passionate guy with so many layers. She wanted to unveil them all, see what existed at his very core.

  Having finished her meal, she threw her leaf onto the fire and it sizzled to nothing.

  Raul did the same with his leaf, wincing a little as he did so.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Si. I am okay.” He pressed his hand over his arm, the one with the bandage.

  “We should have a look at that,” she said, suddenly worrying it had been left alone all day and not checked.

  “It is fine.”

  “No.” She stood. “Come on, let’s go out there, it’s a bit lighter. We can put some more cream on it, and redo the bandage.”

  He opened his mouth.

  “No. Don’t argue with me,” she said, standing. “You’ve got a wound, Raul. We need to keep an eye on it.”

  “You really are Miss Bossy Shoes,” he said. “Like Harry is.”

  “You mean bossy boots.” She took his hand, on his good side, and drew him to standing. “And yes I am, so come on, this way.”

  She heard Evan, Harry and Mason chuckle as she walked past them, dragging Raul with her. Well what option did she have? No one else was going to check his arm wasn’t maggot infested or weeping with pus.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Olivia walked hand in hand with Raul onto the beach.

  “Hey, look,” he said, pointing way beyond the raft. “What is that?”

  They stopped in the shadows, and Olivia peered forward.

  A big lump was dragging itself up the sand and leaving a deep trail. “It’s a turtle,” she said.

  “I have not seen one before.”

  “She must be coming to lay her eggs.”

  Silently they walked to the raft then past it. Here Olivia could see the indents and rises on its shell and its beaky face. It seemed to have such an air of concentration and determination about it.

  “It is lovely,” Raul whispered.

  “I agree.” She paused. “And definitely not dinner.”
/>   He nudged her with his shoulder. “Do not worry. I have no recipe for turtle.”

  “You invented a snake recipe pretty quickly.”

  He chuckled. “That is true.”

  “We should stay well away,” Olivia said. “So we don’t disturb her.”

  “I agree.”

  They walked quietly back to the raft, then Olivia rooted around and found the cream from the first-aid kit and a fresh bandage.

  Raul tugged his sack open and dug into it. He pulled the rum out and held it in the air. The dark liquid sloshed around the edges of the bottle. It was over half full.

  “I drink, si, for medicine.”

  “I don’t see why not.” She laughed.

  “You will drink with me?”

  “I’m on night watch.”

  “Ah si, but a few sips will be good for you.”

  “Maybe another time.”

  “Okay. But it is here if you want it.” He pulled the lid off the bottle and knocked back a couple of big mouthfuls.

  She watched his throat move as he swallowed, and the way the twilight shone on his olive skin. He was leaner than all the other guys but still his physical strength lurked beneath the surface. He reminded her of a sexy Spanish singer, one with come-to-bed eyes and smooth moves, but she couldn’t remember his name.

  “Better?” she asked when he’d replaced the lid.

  “A little.” He sat on the sand and held out his arm. “Please be gentle.”

  “I will be.” She dropped to her knees next to him. The sand was still warm from the heat of the day.

  Slowly she began to unwind the bandage, listening to the sounds of the gentle waves and Raul’s breathing. When it was completely undone she set the bandage aside. Tomorrow she would wash and dry it so she could rotate the two.

  The wound wasn’t great, but neither did it seem infected or getting worse.

  “What do you think, mi niña hermosa?” he asked.

  “I think it’ll be okay, but I’m no doctor.” It was a large area and that worried her. Even if it did heal, here on the island, it would certainly scar.

  Using a clean swab, she applied more cream.

  He winced, though tried to hide it.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  “It is not your fault.”