Chapter 5
After making their way back to the beach and picking up wood pieces along the way, Davis dropped his load next to the tree he’d pointed to earlier. He threw over his shoulder “Just drop the wood over there.” before stalking off to the small raft.
He grabbed the emergency kit and the tarp from the boat. When he returned, he ignored Nicole. Davis went through the box again looking for the gun he’d found earlier. He took out the gun and walked back over towards their camp. He needed to get the fire going.
Nicole had never met Davis before today and she didn’t crash the plane. There was no need for him to take his frustrations out on her. They were in this mess together. If anything, she should blame him after all it was his plane. She hated the way he continued to talk to her...like a child. She sat there watching him trying to start a fire “Do you always do that?”
Again, sounding like he needed to placate a two year old he responded “Do ‘what’ exactly? I’m afraid you’ll need to be a little more specific.”
Nicole’s eyes blazed and she put her hands on her hips. “First, how about at least giving me the courtesy of addressing me while you’re speaking to me. And, secondly, stop throwing orders around like I’m a child because I can assure you, I’m a full grown woman. As a matter of fact, I’m the woman who helped you bring that raft onto these shores. We should be working together as a team.”
All women were just alike. No matter what the situation, they found a way to make it all about them and add more drama to it than necessary. Davis turned around and exaggeratedly peered into her eyes. “Look, I’m just trying to make sure we make it until the morning. Or, at least until we’re rescued, whichever comes first.”
“I get that but I want you to know that I’m not some damsel in distress. I think both of us are in distress. As you can see, I’m not some wilting flower who is breaking down and falling apart. I can help us get through this nightmare. All I’m asking for is a little respect.”
Davis glared at Nicole for what seemed like forever as he appeared to be making up his mind how to respond before he muttered to himself “not worth it.”
Nicole ignored his snide remark. “So, how about I’ll take the first sleeping shift and you take the second?”
“If giving me orders will make you feel better, fine.” Davis turned back around to tend to the fire. He hoped they were rescued soon because he did not want to have to be stuck on this island with this woman. She talked way too much. Who did she think she was talking to him the way she had anyway? He was Mr. Davis Chatham and she might do well to remember that.
It was a small victory for Nicole but she’d spent her entire life allowing men to dictate to her. That life ended the moment she’d stepped foot onto that plane. She’d allowed her ex, Todd to ‘take care of her’ and that ended in disaster. No, she needed to set clear boundaries right now. She didn’t care who he was, how much money he had, or even how sexy he was…there was no excuse to be disrespectful and just plain rude.
Now that the sun had mostly gone down the temperature had dropped significantly. Davis had the fire roaring and Nicole got closer to warm herself. He hadn’t spoken to her since their discussion earlier. The moment she got close to him he turned towards her “If you’ll be taking the first shift then you’ll need this.” He shoved the gun he’d taken out of the box into her hands and stalked off towards the tree.
Nicole couldn’t figure out for the life of her why he was so hostile. They’d never met before, so it couldn’t have been anything she’d done. She would have thought that since they’d both survived that plane crash that he would have left his asshole antics back on the plane. She was wrong and not going to spend any more energy trying to figure it out.
She sat down Indian style in front of the fire before looking back over her shoulder at Davis. He appeared to be sleeping. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and rocked back and forth. The sky was starless. Nicole couldn’t see two feet in front of her. Who knew what was lurking past the glow of the firelight. She held on tightly to the gun just in case. She was thankful she’d taken those gun lessons when she and Todd had moved into their first apartment. It was in a really seedy neighborhood but she didn’t care. Back then she thought as long as they were together it didn’t matter where they lived. Her life and the direction she thought it would take seemed like an outer body experience now.
The sound of the waves gently coming ashore was so hypnotic that it made it difficult to keep her eyes open. Maybe she should have taken the second shift after all.
Davis lay there watching her. She stood up and got to her feet pacing back and forth probably to stay awake. Then, after a little while she sat back down Indian style. Davis knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. There was no way his ex would have taken the first shift or any shift for that matter. There was a part of him that was curious as to Nicole’s angle. Then, there was the other part of him that said ‘warning…women are hazardous to your health; stay away, far far away.’ He decided to listen to that second voice.
After a couple of hours of watching Nicole’s head bobble up and down, Davis went to relieve her of her shift since he couldn’t sleep anyway. He silently walked up behind her before tapping her on the shoulder.
She nearly jumped out of her skin “Jeez! You scared me half to death. I could have shot you.”
He looked at her skeptically.
“I could have…you know….shot you. You gave me this trying to be funny but I’ve taken lessons and I’m a pretty good shot.”
“Then, I’m glad you didn’t. I just came over because it’s my turn. You can go.”
Nicole yawned, “I’m so tired that I’m not even going to argue with you about your tone. Hopefully, someone will find us in the morning. But, if not, we can discuss your bossiness tomorrow.”
She got up and walked over to the tree where she’d spread out the tarp. Moments after laying down, she fell into a deep sleep.
Davis couldn’t keep his eyes off of her as she walked away.
Chapter 6
Nicole woke up to a warm breeze tickling her skin. When she tried to stretch she was met with kinks in unimaginable places. She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping but understood why she’d never tried camping.
By the position of the sun, it was probably late morning and she was starving. Nicole had hoped the rescue team would have shown up by now. She could handle herself in the inner city but the jungle? On top of that she was stuck with Mr. ‘caveman’ who probably didn’t even know how to make his own coffee let alone survive on a deserted island.
Where was he anyway? He wasn’t anywhere near their campsite. She looked around for him before being temporarily distracted by beauty of the island. She thought it was beautiful last night but in the daylight it was even more breathtaking. Nicole got up and walked over to the water. Right after she’d put her foot into the water she saw Davis making his way back toward their camp carrying a bundle of bananas. The sight of him made Nicole’s mouth drop open. He’d taken off his shirt and my goodness the man had a body like Adonis. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. He was nothing but muscles and he was not overly large just ripped. Obviously, Davis did more than just sit on his butt and order people around. Nicole recovered quickly once she remembered what an ass he’d been. As he got closer she went to help him with the bundles of bananas.
“Oh thank god you’ve got food. I am so hungry. Why didn’t you wake me, I could have helped?” Nicole grabbed a banana and began to peel it. When she bit into it she closed her eyes and moaned as if she were in the middle of the best orgasm she’d ever had.
Davis was exhausted and responded dryly “I tried to wake you but you kept saying something about ‘please just five more minutes’, so I went ahead on my own.”
Nicole turned beet red, “Really? I must have been really tired. I’m so sorry. Were you able to get any rest last night?”
“Not really. I’m going to tr
y and take a quick nap now. Is that ok, your highness?”
Nicole couldn’t fault him for being a little angry this time. He was probably hungry, definitely tired, and frustrated. She’d let him slide on this one especially since he didn’t have to bring her anything back. She finished her banana and watched him walk off to sleep under the tree. Nicole smirked to herself for thinking she should probably wait until he was rested before asking to go to the lake for a bath.
Davis woke after a few hours. The heat was too much. He needed to cool off. When he sat up he found Nicole in a world of her own staring out towards the waters. She sat there with her arms wrapped around her body as if protecting herself. There was a mild breeze blowing through her hair. She kept trying to pull it behind her ear. It was one of the sexiest images of a woman he’d ever seen. What was even more fascinating was that she wasn’t even trying to be sexy. He wondered what it would be like if she really turned on the charm. She probably had men twisted around her fingers. Thinking of Nicole with other men left him feeling uncomfortable. Which was ridiculous since he’d only known her for a little over twenty four hours and most of that time was spent arguing. It had to be because he felt responsible for her. He didn’t like the direction his thoughts were going. That made him even more uncomfortable. He needed a distraction.
“I’m going to head over to the lagoon to see if I can cool off.” Without looking at her he got up, grabbed the stick, and headed towards the lake. Nicole jumped up and ran after him. She had been patiently waiting to get to that lagoon all morning.
After they arrived, Davis stripped down out of his pants and dived into the water. Nicole nearly choked seeing him in nothing but boxer briefs. No wonder he was so confident. The gods clearly gifted him in the physique department.
Davis submerged himself. He didn’t realize how much he needed to cool off. When he finally came up for air Nicole was still standing on the bank. He knew she had to be as hot as he’d been. She looked so uncomfortable. Good, she’d made him uncomfortable since the moment he’d met her.
“Um...Davis? Do you think you could turn around for a second while I undress and get into the water?”
Was she kidding? She had to be kidding? They were stranded on an island, it was hot as hell, and she was worried about him checking her out? Granted he had been checking her out but she didn’t know that.
He took that tone that she hated and spoke to her like a two year old child. “Nicole, I promise you, you don’t have to worry about me. All I want to do is cool off and for just a few minutes not think about this situation.” Davis turned his back to her anyway to give her some privacy.
Nicole knew she was being unreasonable. Still somewhat hesitant, she began removing her clothing all the way down to her two piece bra and panty. Todd had made her so self-conscience about her body that even in these extreme circumstances she was being ridiculous. Not to mention, Davis probably wouldn’t find her even mildly attractive. She shook off her nerves and dipped her toe into the water. Slowly, she continued to lower herself into it. The water was up to her mid-calf when Davis turned around. He thought he’d given her enough time to get into the water. When he saw her his breath got caught in his throat. Their eyes locked. Neither of them moved a muscle. All he could see was the rise and fall of her chest. He felt helplessly drawn there especially seeing her chocolaty nipples peeping through her bra. They were definitely more than a handful. She could have easily passed as a Victoria’s Secret model. Nicole was super toned but looked soft in all the right places. As irritating as she had been his body didn’t seem to be aware of it. He was rock hard. Without saying a word, Davis completely re-submerged himself back into the water.
Nicole just stood there not really knowing what just happened. She could have sworn she’d seen a flash of desire in his eyes but it was gone too fast to be sure. But, she was definitely tingling all over. She wasn’t sure if the heat she felt was from the weather or from Davis. Either way she needed to cool it down.
They’d been swimming in the lagoon for a little while each careful to stay as far away from the other as possible. Nicole hated the tension between them. She knew that he didn’t really like her but had no idea why. She decided to try and come to some type of truce with him at least until they were rescued.
Nicole swam over and playfully splashed him. He was caught off guard. He just stood there and looked at her with piercing green eyes.
“No, I don’t have a third eye and please try not to look at me so suspiciously. I was just hoping we could call some sort of truce. It’s exhausting being frustrated, irritated, and angry with you.” Nicole smiled at him. “You’re possibly the only other person on this island. So, how about it? I’ll even take watch for the entire night if you want.”
Truth be told Davis would rather kiss her than fight with her. That was the problem. He knew his anger was ample protection to ensure that didn’t happen. Her sparkling eyes did it. They held such honesty. He sighed, “Truce and don’t think I won’t take you up on that offer to take watch all night.” Her smile brightened.
“That’s fine. I meant it. I don’t mind pulling my weight.”
Nicole had always been the go along get along type of person so putting whatever tension they had behind them allowed her relax a little bit and enjoy the feel of the water. It was so refreshing from the heat. The sunlight hit the waterfall at just the right angle creating a rainbow. It really was a sight to behold. “Don’t you think this place is beautiful? I’ve always wanted to vacation in paradise. I mean, if we weren’t stranded, this would be a wonderful place to be.”
Davis almost smiled “Vacation? What is that? I haven’t had one of those in years.”
Nicole took her eyes from the beauty of the island and focused them on the man in front of her “Are you serious? Why not? I mean it couldn’t possibly be because you can’t afford it.”
Davis was caught thinking the droplets of water on her eyelashes could make a man forget his own name. He looked away from her “I have too much work to do. I just never can seem to get away.”
“Hmm.”
He wiped the water from his face “Hmm…care to elaborate?”
“Well...maybe. Never mind.” Nicole didn’t want to make him angry fifteen minutes into their truce. This was the closest to carefree she had seen from him.
He was curious “No, really what were you going to say?”
She chose her words carefully “I’ve spent the last few months trying to figure out my life. Before that I spent my time living for someone else or something. We’re very lucky we survived this plane crash and I promised myself I wouldn’t take the little things for granted. Even though we’re stuck here there are still things to be thankful for. For example, thank goodness for this lagoon.”
“It sounds like your year sucked. Is that your way of telling me I need to ‘smell the roses’?”
Nicole shrugged her shoulders “Maybe just a little.”
Davis’s smile had completely disappeared. Nicole almost felt sorry for him. He was obviously carrying some heavy baggage inside. He’d saved her life and she had an overwhelming desire to make him smile. Maybe she could help him with that. This time when she splashed water at him she did so with both arms.
He gave her a warning look. She splashed him again and again until finally he splashed her back. It became a water frenzy. They were actually having fun and playing in water like little children until Nicole stepped onto something slippery and tripped into Davis’s arms. Luckily, he was quick enough to catch her.
“You okay?”
There was genuine concern in his eyes. Nicole couldn’t respond because her senses had been overloaded by the feel of her breast against his naked chest. Those arms held her close and she’d never felt more protected in her life. Nicole took a step back and then took a couple of deep breaths to gain control of herself.
“I’m fine just a little embarrassed. I’ve always been a little bit uncoordinated. Sorry about that.”
Davis was glad she stepped back because having her in his arms was making his body go crazy…again. If he were honest with himself he’d admit that he was attracted to her. It had been awhile since he’d made love to a woman. He was sure that his attraction was purely physical. That had to explain it. He cleared his throat.
“No need for you to be sorry but we should probably head back and figure out what we’re going to do.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“I’ll turn around while you get dressed.” Davis really needed that time to get his own body under control. The water was so clear that if she looked down she would have seen exactly how aroused he’d been.
Chapter 7
It was early afternoon before Davis and Nicole made it back to the campsite. They took a moment and sat down under the tree to get their bearings. Nicole felt better knowing that they’d come to an understanding. She wasn’t the type to hold on to anger. She hadn’t known Davis that long but she did notice when he got that crease between his eyes that something was on his mind. The crease was definitely starting to form. It was understandable that this situation would stress anyone out but the crease wasn’t there earlier. And, it was not only back but deepening.
Pieces of Me Page 3
