Jacob had noted, with a gleam of admiration, Hanna's voluptuous proportions and, so as not to cause the lady any undo discomfort, he had taken care to tie her chest ropes beneath her arms but over her bosom. After quickly loosening the waist rope, Hanna merely raised her arms, swallowed a deep breath, and slipped beneath the water to freedom.
Justin fought the ocean for what felt like an eternity. He reached the surface for air but before he could see his position, a wave crashed over him, sending him tossing and turning beneath an unimaginable weight of water. Once it subsided somewhat, he swam with all his great strength, but the tumult of water spun him in every direction and abruptly he realized he had been swimming down instead of up. The same frightening sequence was repeated over and over. His lungs burned and his body stiffened, hardening like lead in a refusal to fight without air. Just as water was to be his last breath, he felt himself rising upwards and up and up. With some surprised awe, he realized he had been a good forty feet under. Like a cork, he popped to the surface and never but never had air tasted so sweet.
The ship was sinking and Jacob, along with what men remained on board, worked frantically to lower the lifeboats. Cajun, staring into the black water, waited and waited and, and with quick thanks to his god, he spotted Justin just as his head submerged.
Cajun had never wasted a single effort in his life. The life line hit Justin in the face. Justin grabbed onto it and was pulled so swiftly through the water he knew without a doubt Cajun was on the other end. Cajun secured the rope to a pole and pulled Justin up the side, lifting his friend over.
"Christina!" was all Justin said and the two men raced to what remained of the hull. The lifeboat was lowered and Jacob and two others quickly followed.
Hanna fell on Christina and, thanks to Beau, she had only to tug once on the ropes and then lift Christina to air. Sputtering and gasping, and scared, just scared, Christina held to Hanna, who embraced her tightly in return. Christina trembled with the struggle for life. Every fiber of her being was alerted and mobilized to fight. She had never known she possessed such strength. Water still poured into the cabin and, recovering somewhat, she broke away and flew into action. "There's no time! We must get help!"
Hanna hurried to Elsie, crying now, and then to Marianna, while Christina first rescued Beau and then Katie. Desperately, Christina slapped Katie's face. "Wake up! Wake up!" Katie's head dropped forward and her skin felt unnaturally cold to the touch. With great effort, Christina maneuvered Katie's lifeless form, trying to pull her to the safest point in the room.
Upset by her actions, Beau barked, then whined, and tried to nudge Christina's hands from Katie. "Stop it! No, Beau, no!" The dog persisted and Christina turned to the others. Marianna, too, remained unconscious, despite both Hanna and Elsie's efforts at revival.
" 'Tis no use, they're out of it. We need to get help."
Christina nodded and all three gazes lifted to the ceiling where the door now was located. The waterfall continued to fall into the room, threatening drowning for all of them, ropes or not. "We can't get out and w'at if, w'at if—" Hanna stopped, not daring to finish the sudden frightening idea that no one was left to rescue them.
"We'll boost you up," Christina said to Elsie. The three women scrambled into position, and Hanna and Christina each took one of Elsie's legs and lifted her. Elsie grabbed onto the slippery ledge, salt water pouring over her chest and arms. She closed her eyes, trying desperately to get a grip.
"Jesus!"
And suddenly Elsie's weight was lifted from their arms and Justin was there.
He lowered himself into the room, dropped to the floor, took one look at Christina, and pulled her into his arms. "My God, you're all right! I thought—" He too never finished, there was no reason to, and instead he just held her tighter and for precious long moments he could not let go.
The second those strong arms came around her, his unexplainable warmth securing her to him, she nearly swooned with sudden intense relief. Relief at what she knew not; that he was alive, that they were saved, that all would be well. Though she would have been perfectly content to drown in his arms.
She never wanted him to let her go.
"Come on now," Jacob called down. "I know she's probably the sweetest thing your blackguard hands have touched, but the fact is we're goin' under and none too slowly."
"The ship's wrecked on some rocks or a reef, we can't tell," Justin quickly explained as he glanced around, first spotting Marianna. "We can't see it but land can't be far away. We're going to reach it in the lifeboats." He lifted Marianna into his arms and Christina watched as two dark muscled arms lowered into the room. The powerful hands swept gently under Marianna's stilled form. Jeweled fingers flashed magnificently in the dim light, and Marianna suddenly disappeared through the door in the ceiling as if taken by a whisper of the wind.
Justin lifted Hanna next and the same jeweled hands lifted her with an ease that defied explanation. "Over here, Beau," Justin ordered his dog beneath the opening and, obediently, Beau complied. He tossed up the rope attached to Beau's harness and then lifted the dog's hind legs, while Cajun pulled up his front. As the dog went up, he called out, "Jacob, get Diego before it's too late."
Cajun and Jacob exchanged a glance in which a world of meaning passed. So many had met their death in the storm; why could not Diego be left to meet a merciful death? Jacob had no answer but he would not question Justin's direct order. He shook his head sadly and left to brave the storm long enough to see Diego to the lifeboat.
Christina suddenly remembered and turned abruptly to the other side of the room. "My whistle," she said, distress filling her eyes. "Beau snapped it from my neck and dropped it there." She pointed.
Justin looked confused for a moment but then a smile lifted to his eyes. "There will be other trinkets," he said, and gently kissed her forehead.
This startled her. Until that moment she had never nurtured a selfish thought and, despite the situation, the fact that the battle to survive was still being fought, she wanted that whistle. She hardly understood but didn't care.
"I don't want other trinkets," she said simply. "I want the whistle."
"I don't believe this," he chuckled, and wasted no more time. His hands completely circled her small waist and he lifted her into the air. Christina gasped as those same dark hands fitted under her arms and pulled her through the hole to her feet. The hands remained under her arms as though uncertain of her balance, and Christina found herself looking at a most remarkable man.
Cajun looked to her life the manifestation of a genie in the glass vase. He was a giant of a man, oddly wearing only loose jewel-studded red silk pants tied by a gold sash, the sash too laced with shockingly large jewels: diamonds, emeralds, rubies, or sapphires, she hardly knew which. His caramel skin was dripping wet but he seemed strangely separated from the surrounding disaster. Dark liquid eyes held her and she watched his bright white smile lift in stages. "Ah, Justin's treasure; the other," he said.
Justin had never before experienced any difficulty refusing a woman's whim and looking at the water rapidly filling the small room, he cursed his sudden weakness. And then he dove into the dark pool. It didn't matter that the wasted minutes could cost life and limb. All he knew was that if they survived, he wanted to see the smile in those gray eyes when he returned the whistle.
Jacob, along with two other men, had already taken the others away and Christina remained in the same intimate position with the man who introduced himself as Cajun.
"Are you very afraid, la niña!" he asked.
La niña. My little one. The endearment caused her eyes to fill with smiling curiosity. It was as if he knew her or had known of her, and was offering her a special friendship. "No, I'm not afraid now," she realized suddenly. Then, as though she had never known a moment's shyness or temerity, as though they were a million miles away on safe ground, asked him, "Are you very afraid?"
Cajun threw his head back and laughed, a wonderful sound that ins
tantly won her affection. "No niña," he replied, pleased, "I am not afraid of what can be seen or heard or felt."
Beau barked as Justin jumped and lifted himself effortlessly through the hole. Cajun and he immediately swung into action, tying a rope from Justin's belt around her waist and then attaching Beau's leash to his belt.
"You'll have to hold yourself to me, Christina. The wind has died somewhat but it's still fierce enough to lift you."
Christina nodded but looked to the door, confused.
"Katie, you've forgotten Katie!"
"She died some time ago," he said softly.
Christina's eyes searched his face to ascertain the truth of this, and then her knees buckled under and she collapsed.
"No, Christina," Justin said firmly, holding her upright. "You must be strong for me!"
She nodded weakly, though she suddenly felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and the only strength she felt was his. He lifted her to his arms and she clung tightly to his neck. Beau followed at Justin's side and Cajun moved silently behind them.
She would never forget those long minutes it took to reach the lifeboat. The rain felt like a thousand bullets stinging her skin and she needed a strength she did not have to fight the force of the wind to keep to Justin, for he could only hold her with one arm as he braced against the upturned side of the ship.
Beau's leash was dropped to Jacob, who waited in the lifeboat and the dog was ordered in the water. Beau obediently jumped into the churning blackness and, with some effort, Jacob pulled him back. Holding her firmly, Justin grabbed onto the rope and lowered into the boat. Cajun came next. Christina looked up and gasped just as Justin threw her to the floor and came on top of her, a split second before a twenty-foot wave crashed over the boat. It was the last thing she remembered.
CHAPTER 3
The soft gray light of pre-dawn shaded everything, sky and sea and land. A gray overcast sky melted into a grayer sea, and, while relatively calmer, the ocean still raged in the aftermath of the storm. Large waves crashed onto a ravished beach. The wind had died to a warm breeze. Nature signaled the end of her vengeance with a sound that woke Justin. He heard the song of birds, a thousand chirping birds.
He woke to the pleasurable tightening of his body's full arousal and he smiled. Sleeping soundly, Christina nestled intimately against his warmth and in a position suggesting she might have slept with him for a good ten years. She wore only the remnants of her chemise and a petticoat, tattered and torn now. Clothing that hid little from his gaze.
The lifeboat, held up on its side by their sticks, served as a makeshift shelter for twenty-two people sleeping beneath it. Accounting for the four women, only eighteen men of a crew of seventy-eight had survived. Some had been lost on the short trip in the lifeboat to the island. The boat had capsized twice and it had been all he and Beau could do to keep Christina alive and breathing until his legs touched the blessed shores of the island.
Christina had remained unconscious, even while he had moved the torn remnants of her dress, undergarments, and boots to check for broken bones. She had no broken bones, but multiple bruises and scratches marred her lovely skin. Somehow by a miracle of God or fortune, they had survived.
Christina nuzzled closer to the warmth, lost on the sweet shores of a dream spun from memories of a time not long ago. She could see it all so clearly. A bright springtime sun shining over Hollinsborne, the quaint village in Kent that had been her home. The huge stone church—her father's church—rose from the center of town, with its steep bell tower touching a pure azure sky. Row upon row of small thatch-roofed, Tudor-style cottages lined the narrow tree-lined cobblestone streets. Then she saw her home, similar to all the rest, except two stories high and in the far corner of town. A small gate surrounded her father's well-tended garden. A garden made with a smooth blanket of neatly cropped lawn and flower beds: geraniums, daisies, delicate monkey flowers and roses, dozens of roses blooming pink, yellow, and white beneath the springtime sun. Madelyne hummed as she went about the day. She heard the familiar sound of the clip-clop of horses as carriages drew to the gate, friendly greetings extended by a parishioner or neighbor come to call on her father.
She sat behind the house with her ever-present sketchbook, drawing the wilderness that encroached there. How often had she sat there like that, staring at the meadow of tall green grass surrounded by dark woods, tall cedars, ash, and gangly oaks? What had she been dreaming of then? Her father had teased that he lost her to the dreams of a young girl becoming a lady...
Her father! She loved him so! She sat on a stool while he rested in the huge easy chair by the hearth after supper, listening as she read out load. Madelyne appeared with cider or tea and some sweet treat, an apple tart, cake, a dish of trifles, or eclairs. Like old and comfortable friends, the three of them sat around the fire. She felt so warm and secure...
Justin endured the exquisite pressure of the soft form against him for as long as possible. The gentle swell of her breasts brushed against his chest with each of her small breaths and watching, feeling this, became a torment he had never imagined he could, much less would bear. Every fiber of his being wanted and was ready for her, and yet he would force himself to wait.
He had never before had a virgin and the idea that he would take her innocence stirred strange emotions in him, not all of them pleasant. And presently the one bringing the most discomfort was knowing he had to awaken her to love slowly and gradually.
Had he ever waited for a woman's love?
No, he realized, and it would be as new to him as love was to her.
He shifted, hoping to relieve some of the pressure and, to his surprise, Christina nuzzled back against him. This was decidedly too much. He ran his hand over the curve of her small waist, stopping beneath her bosom, teased where the chemise interrupted his pleasure. He let out his breath in a low groan and then brushed his lips against her forehead and whispered, "Wake up sweetheart. You've been asleep too long now."
Christina stirred but before she opened her eyes, she heard the call of exotic birds and she smelled the delicious fragrance of a garden washed by rain. So she had gone to heaven! How odd, she had always doubted there was really such a place. She smiled and opened her eyes.
The smile disappeared instantly and she gasped, bolting up, only to be caught by a strong arm gently easing her back down. "Easy does it," he whispered. "You've been asleep for a day and a night and you'll have to go at it slow."
"A day, a night?... What happened?"
"The ship wrecked on an island reef and sunk about a mile off shore." He glanced toward the ocean, his eyes suddenly filled with sadness, perhaps regret. "We reached the lifeboat. You must have hit your head in the boat, for you've been unconscious since. I was getting worried," he smiled, his hand lightly touching her face, "until you did me the favor of opening your eyes."
Consciousness brought back the terrifying events, all of them—the storm, nearly drowning in the small room, Justin, Jacob, and Cajun finally coming for them and Katie, poor Katie dying. She looked past him to see the twenty or so people sleeping alongside them beneath the lifeboat. She saw Hanna, Elsie, Marianna, Jacob, Cajun, and many others she did not know. Beyond them she saw a deserted stretch of beach, lined by lush green foliage and palm trees, all flattened by the wind.
Still dazed and confused, she asked, "Where are we?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. We're on an island in the south seas. Fortunately, it seems to be a large island with an adequate fresh water supply and an abundance of food." He watched as she tried to comprehend all that was said. "How do you feel?" he asked, brushing stray strands of hair from her face. "Dizzy?"
She nodded, still confused and somewhat dazed. "I'm thirsty," she added, touching her lips, suddenly aware of her parched throat. He reached behind her and withdrew an odd hairy shell, shaped like a mug with its top cut off.
"Here, drink this."
She would never forget her first taste of coconut milk. Nothing in the wor
ld had ever tasted so good. It was sweet and delicious and she felt the soothing cream slide down her throat all the way to her empty stomach. She finished, and not willing to lose a single drop, she licked her lips and looked at him for more.
Justin chuckled and handed her another shell. He withdrew his knife, cut open the one she had just finished, and sliced off two pieces of the moist white meat. He handed her the piece when she finished. She watched him eat it and there was something about the gleam of amusement in those dark blue eyes that brought a sudden awareness.
"My clothes!" she half gasped as her arms crossed protectively over her near naked figure.
"I was wondering when you would notice."
"You... you took off my clothes!"
"I had to, not that I wouldn't have anyway. I first had to cut your skirts and boots when the lifeboat capsized, for they were heavy and pulling you under." His boots, however, rested an arm's length away. "I had to remove the rest later to check for any damage— broken bones and such." He chuckled at her, tossed the coconut aside, and his arms came around her, bringing her back to him. Her arms braced against his broad shoulders and she lifted from him, unaware of the view this afforded him.
"Don't worry, Christina." He smiled as his gaze lowered, caressing the curves she presented to him. "I have seen many beautiful women in my time and I must say I'm very pleased."
He watched shock lift on her features and he chuckled again, shifted so that she was beneath him. Her breath caught and she closed her eyes, terrified by the sweeping montage of sensations his body pressed upon her. He kissed her, firm and warm, and exercising all the restraint he owned, he drank the sweetness of her mouth with a deep but tender hunger.
She froze in sheer panic but his kiss brought a warm rush through her and she felt herself melting again, suddenly limp and passive and helpless. His own desire rose with an urgency that shook him and he shifted to his side, bringing her with him and kissing her still as his hands slowly roamed over her small back, the curves of her waist.
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