The Bad Boys of Eden

by Avery Aster

  “And the boat sank before they made it to the New World?” Kylie wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold despite the warm sun. “That’s so sad.”

  “It really is.” Jenna nodded and paused a moment before she added, “The story goes that when the families found out about the wreck, they were dumbfounded that the couple would even have run away in the first place, because they would have embraced their love with open arms.”

  “So it was all for nothing?”

  “Sadly, yes. All they had to do was trust that they were making the right choice.”

  There was that word again. Kylie shook her head and turned away. The story was so sad, so unnecessarily tragic that it made Kylie want to cry. She snuck a glance at Malcolm, who helped Caine get the tanks hooked up to the vests. The story was strangely familiar. Except for the whole running away part. She shook her head. “It’s so strange.”

  “What’s strange?” Jenna stood next to her, a small knowing smile on her face.

  “The word trust. I keep hearing it from everyone, and then last night there was a box with a chocolate on my pillow.”

  “Oh, the chocolate.” Jenna smiled. “It’s exclusive to the island. The Master has it brought in special from a master chocolatier in Paris. And the messages on the boxes are also unique. I assume the chocolate had a message for you?”

  “It just said, ‘trust’ and I could have sworn it wasn’t there when I’d arrived. It’s just really strange.”

  “No it’s not.” Kylie stared at the other woman, open-mouthed. “Not if you think about it,” Jenna continued. “The island knows what you need and what you want. Maybe you should heed the advice on the box?” Jenna smiled again and Kylie shook her head with a smile of her own.

  “Do you remember the invitation you got?”

  Kylie nodded slowly, trying to recall what it had said.

  “It said, Welcome to Eden. Where reality is whatever you wish it to be…”

  Kylie remembered. But that didn’t mean anything and it certainly didn’t have anything to do with the fact that she was constantly being told to “trust”—someone? Something? Herself? She didn’t know. “So it makes sense, right?” Jenna still spoke and Kylie struggled to pay attention. “I mean, you’re here for a reason and obviously the island, or your subconscious, is trying to help steer you in the direction of what you really need…and want.”

  The other woman winked at her. Before Kylie could ask her more questions, Caine called from the back of the boat. “We’re ready to go.”

  * * *

  Malcolm had been worried that their short introductory course to scuba diving wouldn’t be enough before they hit the open water, but he needn’t have worried. Caine and Jenna were very thorough in their teaching and as soon as Malcolm donned his gear and flipped backwards into the water, he felt as if he’d been doing it for years. And by the looks of Kylie, she did too. Damn, she looked good in her form-fitting skin suit that hugged every curve of her tight body. Of course, she looked good in everything, or out of it, too, he thought. Once again the desire to take Kylie to bed and claim her for his own was so strong it was almost an overwhelming need.

  All in good time, he told himself—not for the first time. After he’d almost screwed everything up on their first night, Kylie was going to have to come to him. And he’d be ready for her when she did. More than ready.

  He submerged, the way Caine had taught him, and soon he was under the sea along with Kylie, Jenna, and Caine. Slowly, following their leaders’ hand gestures, they descended through the blue water. Schools of tropical fish in all colors and shapes swam around them, completely unaffected by the intruders in their world. Malcolm found himself watching Kylie. Hell, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Even with a scuba mask and regulator covering her face, she was stunning and to see her eyes light up at the sea life as it swam around them was amazing. His brother may have had her first, but he’d have her last and forever. He was the one sharing this experience with her. And that’s all that mattered.

  Caine pointed below him, and Malcolm followed to where he pointed. The wreck. He couldn’t remember how old Caine had said it was, but the sea water had preserved a great deal of it. It rested on its side, half submerged in the sand. The hull had a number of holes in it, and there appeared to be a great deal of access points inside. Jenna and Caine had told them it was perfectly safe to go inside, but they should stick with a buddy because it was easy to get turned around and not remember which way was up. Malcolm had every intention of staying close to Kylie anyway. He kicked his fins hard, and swam up beside her. She took his hand, and Malcolm could have sworn he saw her smile at him through the regulator in her mouth. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so happy as he was at that moment swimming in the ocean with Kylie by his side.

  He knew she was excited to look for artifacts in the wreck and he’d overheard Jenna telling her a bit of the story surrounding the shipwreck, but he hadn’t heard any of the details as he’d been too busy helping Caine set things up. It didn’t matter, though. Whatever the story was, if there were artifacts, and Kylie wanted one, he would do his best to help her find them.

  Together they swam through an opening in the hull and into the ship. The water may have preserved it somewhat, but a lot of the boards had eroded away and left great open areas for them to explore. Jenna was right: it was easy to get disoriented, but they stuck together and he knew their leaders were close by in case there was any trouble. They swam around and explored for quite some time, and just the way he was taught, Malcolm continued to check his gauges to see how much oxygen he had. He was getting low and they wouldn’t have much longer. If they didn’t find an artifact soon, he was afraid Kylie would be disappointed. She’d let go of his hand and was only an arm reach away; she sifted through the sand on the bottom. He was about to swim over to her when a sparkle caught his eye.

  Malcolm reached down through some rotted boards and pulled out a delicate ring, with what he thought was a blue stone set in the gold. It was dirty, covered in years of buildup, algae, and who knew what else, but Malcolm could tell it was beautiful and more importantly, Kylie would love it. Instinctively, he turned to show it to her, but she was gone. Malcolm tucked the ring into a pouch around his waist and spun around, frantically trying to find Kylie.

  She was nowhere. He kicked his fins, propelled himself forward to another opening. Would she have gone in there? Without him? She knew the dangers, dammit. Kylie would never be so reckless. But she would. When she had her heart set on something, there was no stopping her. Her determinedness was one of the things he loved about her. But that was before he was desperately trying to find her at the bottom of the ocean in a shipwreck. At that moment, he could have done without her bullheadedness. He paused at the mouth of the opening that he was sure would lead him to Kylie.

  He looked back. Jenna and Caine were probably still exploring on the outside of the wreck. They’d wanted to give Malcolm and Kylie privacy. A lot of good that was doing now. He could go back and find Caine to help him get Kylie. He knew that’s what he should do. But what he should do and what he was going to do were two totally different things. Malcolm glanced at his gauges again. He didn’t have a lot of oxygen left. Caine had told them to start gathering at the meeting spot when the gauge read in the yellow zone. If he went back for Caine and Jenna, he definitely wouldn’t have enough air to get Kylie. And he’d be dammed if he would leave her there. What if something had happened?

  Fear flashed through him and chilled his blood. The idea that something could have happened to Kylie terrified him. Sure, there were dangers with diving—especially in shipwrecks—but he hadn’t actually thought any of those dangers applied to them. And even when he’d first discovered she wasn’t at his side, he hadn’t really thought she’d be in trouble. But it wasn’t like Kylie to take off and…with one last glance back toward where Caine and Jenna would be waiting soon, he pushed forward and into the dark hole.

  It took
Malcolm’s eyes a moment to adjust to the lack of light. Streams of daylight filtered through holes in the ship; the water made the light dance and morph in strange patterns. But it was definitely darker in this part of the wreck. He wanted to call out for her. A foolish idea, but it was a hard instinct to control. He swam slowly and scanned the area in front of him and to the sides. He worked his eyes methodically, looked for any sign of her. And then there it was.

  A flash of movement, a stirring of sand. Kylie. He moved quickly and kicked his fins hard to propel him forward toward her. He put his hand on her back and she jumped and twisted so she looked at him. Beneath the mask, her eyes were wide with panic and fear. A quick assessment of the situation and he could see exactly why she was scared. Kylie’s hand was stuck between two boards. It looked as if she’d reached between them to grab something, but she couldn’t seem to maneuver her gloved hand back through the small space.

  Malcolm’s heart twisted as fear assaulted him as well. But he couldn’t let it show. He reached around her to grab her gauges and check her oxygen level. A whole new spike of fear ran through him. She was low. Dangerously low. No doubt her fear had caused her to breathe faster and use more oxygen. She had to calm down, or there was going to be a real problem. And fast.

  As best he could, Malcolm used his hands and gestured for her to relax and slow her breathing. He tried to convey a sense of calm with his eyes, and he knew the instant Kylie relaxed and trusted him enough to get her out. He just hoped he was worthy of that trust.

  Malcolm turned away from her and focused on the boards Kylie was trapped in. He could see the artifact she’d been trying to reach. A hand mirror. Even covered in a hundred years’ worth of ocean grime, he could tell it was beautiful. No wonder it had attracted Kylie’s attention. Her gloved hand dangled close to the mirror; he positioned himself closer to the boards so he could see the problem. Her glove had ridden up and was acting as a stopper. It wouldn’t let her slide her hand back through the opening. Malcolm quickly wrapped his fingers around the board and, trying not to expel too much energy, he pulled backwards until the board splintered and moved. Kylie pulled free, but not before she grabbed the mirror.

  Malcolm shook his head. He didn’t expect anything less. When Kylie wanted something, she’d get it.

  He grabbed her hand and yanked her back the way they’d come. The watery blue light guided them to the exit, and Malcolm swam as fast as he could while they navigated around the debris. He didn’t even want to glance at their oxygen gauges because he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what he saw. He needed to get to Caine and Jenna. They’d be able to get Kylie to the surface quickly and safely. Something he didn’t have the knowledge or expertise to do.

  They were waiting for them at the opening of the wreck, and the moment Caine spotted them, he swam over and grabbed their gauges. When he saw Kylie’s, Malcolm was sure he could hear the other man swear. He gestured to Jenna, who swam up next to Malcolm and pointed her finger between herself and him. He looked to Caine, who’d taken Jenna’s hand and had already begun their ascent toward the surface. Malcolm nodded at Jenna in understanding, and together they followed.

  They’d only gone a few feet when Malcolm saw Kylie wave her arms wildly and grab at Caine. He knew instinctively what was wrong. She’d run out of oxygen. The urge to swim to her and drag her to the surface overwhelmed him, and as if she sensed it, Jenna grabbed his arm and held fast. She shook her head and pointed up.

  They continued their ascent, but Malcolm didn’t take his eyes off Kylie and Caine, who now calmly shared his regulator with Kylie as they kicked slowly upwards. They’d gone over that particular skill during their lesson in the pool, but Malcolm never thought they’d actually have to use it. A feeling of helplessness washed over him, as he watched Caine save the woman he loved, knowing he couldn’t have done it.

  Moments later, Malcolm and Jenna broke the surface and Malcolm immediately ripped the mask from his face. “Kylie,” he sputtered. “I need—”

  “You need to get to the boat,” Jenna cut him off calmly. “I’m going to see if I can help. We’ll be up in a few moments. Have a blanket ready for her. She’ll be scared.” That was all she said before she disappeared under the water again.

  Malcolm did as he was told and hurried to the boat. He stripped off his gear and found a blanket from below deck. He watched the turquoise water, willed his eyes to see farther below the surface than he could. The water was clear, but he still couldn’t see them. And then suddenly, there they were.

  Never before had he felt such relief, and intense longing and need to hold her, as he had in that moment. Somehow he waited until she made her way to the boat and up on deck. But before she could even get her gear off, Malcolm had her in his arms and he swore in that moment, that no matter what, he’d never let her go.

  CHAPTER 7

  It didn’t matter how many times Kylie told him she was okay, Malcolm had not let her out of his sight since she’d come up from the dive. Jenna and Caine had brought them straight back to her beach bungalow even though the plan had been to have dinner together. Malcolm was in full damage control and treated the situation as a near-death experience, which, if she allowed herself to stop and think about it, it was. But she didn’t need to be treated like a china doll. She wasn’t going to break. He’d settled her into an oversized lounge chair on her flagstone patio and had been catering to her ever since.

  “Malcolm.” She stopped him as he tried to tuck a blanket around her feet. “Stop. Seriously.”

  He looked up at her. His beautiful blue eyes blazed with a heat she’d never seen from him. “But you—”

  “I’m fine.” Kylie giggled a little to dispel some of the tension. “I promise you. I’m totally fine.”

  Before she knew what happened, Malcolm moved so he was overtop her. His hands rested on either side of her head, his face only inches from hers. His eyes flashed dangerously. “Don’t laugh it off, Kylie. I almost lost you today.”

  A shiver ran through her, but it wasn’t from the breeze that came off the water. “Malcolm, I—”

  “I know I told you I’d wait until you were ready. But today, when I saw you trapped in the wreck, like that...I can’t even tell you how scared I was. And Kylie, I don’t scare easily.”

  “I know you don’t.” Her voice came out as a whisper. His intensity was all at once a little frightening and completely sexy.

  “Well, you scared me today.” His eyes pinned hers and she couldn’t look away. “And when you ran out of oxygen, I was helpless to save you.” She saw the pain and regret cross his face and instinctively, Kylie reached out to stroke his cheek.

  “You did save me,” she said. “If it wasn’t for you coming to find me, I—”

  “Don’t say it.” He silenced her by touching his lips to hers. His lips were firm, demanding and completely different than the sweet, tentative kiss from the other night.

  Part of her brain told her it was too soon, she hadn’t decided how she felt yet. But she knew that was bullshit. She knew exactly how she felt, how she’d always felt. Her hand wrapped around his head, pulled him closer as their kiss deepened. Her entire body responded, and she could feel the heat of him coming off his long, hard body that still hovered only inches from hers.

  “Kylie, I—”

  “Don’t stop.”

  His fingers trailed down her cheek. She groaned and tipped her neck to the side as his touch traveled south. When he reached the edge of the blanket, he whipped it out from between them with a quick pull. His hand found her waist and inched the edge of her t-shirt up. “I don’t intend to.” His words were heavy, loaded in desire as his fingers crept up her bare skin and found her breast. “In fact.” He nipped her bottom lip before he sucked it into his mouth to ease the spark of pain. “I don’t ever intend to let you go again.” He devoured her mouth into a kiss even more passionate than the one before it.

  Kylie’s body arched up in response as his fingers found her nippl
e and tweaked it; her body responded with a flood of heat to her core.

  “I don’t need to be taken care of.” Kylie managed to get the words out as Malcolm turned his attention to her neck and kissed the length of it, before he used both hands to pull her t-shirt off and over her head to expose her bare chest.

  “Oh, I know.” He dropped his mouth to one nipple, suckling it to a hard peak, before he turned his attention to the other. “But it doesn’t mean I’m not going to do my very best to take care of you right here, right now.”

  Kylie couldn’t disagree with the type of care taking he was talking about, especially when her entire body yearned for more kisses, more touches. Never before had her body responded so readily to a lover’s touch. Not even with Marcus.

  The thought of her ex took her off guard, and her eyes flew open, needing to connect with Malcolm. When Malcolm looked into her eyes, there was no mistaking which twin she was with. Marcus had never looked at her that way. There had never been so much passion in his kiss, or his touch. It was different with Malcolm, in every way. And in all the ways that mattered.

  With both hands, she pulled his head up and kissed him, pushed all other thoughts from her head. They broke the kiss only long enough for Malcolm to kick off his shorts, fetch a condom from his pocket and sheath himself. She wriggled out of her own jean shorts before she propped herself up on her elbows to watch him. Kylie admired his hard body openly. She’d seen him shirtless, sure. But taking in his complete nakedness was something else entirely. Her eyes trailed down his chest, to where his ab muscles dipped into an incredibly sexy V. Her eyes caught and focused in on his very obvious excitement. “You’re beautiful.”