Silver Lined

by Stephanie Taylor

  But not once had Ella asked for anything. Not anything of him physically or emotionally, not anything worldly, nothing. Had it all been a ploy? A way for her to keep him because she loved him? What if she knew that if Sheena was here right now, he’d tell her he couldn’t marry her? That this trip had proven to him that his feelings for Ella were just buried instead of over?

  The revelation left him reeling. He’d never not loved Ella. Sure, he’d made himself forget her for a little while. Buried himself deeper in his work, found other means of distraction in the form of women, travel, and occasionally alcohol.

  The cold, hard reality was he couldn’t deny it. Her whole demeanor spoke of the pain and hurt he’d put her through. The old Ella was still there, but right now she was prickly as a wounded bear and leery of him. How did he not see it before now?

  Now the question was, what did he want to do about it? Obviously, calling off the wedding with Sheena wouldn’t be easy, but he would do it, even if Ella pushed him away again. He couldn’t go into a marriage right now with this kind of feelings for someone else.

  Linc looked at Ella. Really looked at her. Her back was ramrod straight and the shorts she wore were crusted with salt now. On her feet were still those blasted shoes and he could see the hike had left another trail of blood down the back of her foot. They had to be uncomfortable. Her shoulders were stiff as she drank her fill of the fresh water and then silently handed him the bottle to do the same. Even angry with him, she was still kind and thinking of him.

  He suddenly wanted to kiss her senseless. Tell her he understood everything and they could try again. But the timing was off. There was work to do if he wanted her to trust him again, and he did. He also wanted her again. Over and over and over again.

  But this time, he had to keep the physical out of it. They’d both accused each other of wanting only each other’s body. Now he knew when they’d first made love, it was one of the few times she’d let him in emotionally as well. And she’d been a virgin. He wanted her trust to now be the rule instead of the exception, not the other way around. Resolved, Linc stood.

  He had work to do.

  Chapter Six

  Ella watched, enchanted, as Linc walked over and knelt in front of her. Gently, he removed her shoes and lowered her heel in the cool stream. She sucked in her breath, not just from the intimacy of the contact, but from the sting of pain.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, trying to jerk away.

  “We have to get this cleaned off,” he mumbled, keeping his grip and pouring water carefully over her cracked and bleeding feet. His fingers glistened as they dipped in the cool water and then resurfaced to scoop the water over her toes.

  When he appeared satisfied with her feet he took a knife from his pocket and gathered her pants leg. Ella simply watched him through veiled eyes, seeing him as he was, taking care of her when she needed him the most. He used the knife to slice through her long short legs to form shorts that came just above her knees. The fabric made a ripping sound through the quiet air. Above them, a seagull squawked.

  Linc looked up, then went back to his task, doing the same thing to her other short leg. Once the strips were off, he turned and washed the fabric in the stream until the dry and scaly salt had rinsed away. Then he laid them on a nearby rock.

  “When those dry, you can use them as bandages on your feet. They’ll be easier on you than those will be.” He pointed his finger, all the while eyeing the shoes with disdain.

  Ella cleared her throat. “Um. Thank you.”

  He nodded once, studying her for a long time afterward. Then he tossed her a careless shrug and said, “It needed to be done. And I wanted to be the one to do it.”

  Ella gave him a perfunctory smile, unwilling to admit how marvelous his hands had felt on her skin, how the water was exactly what her aching feet needed to feel better.

  “Now that we’ve found water, I’m going to go back and get our stuff. You stay here and try to find some foliage and such for our shelter. We’ll need to build something soon. We have no way to check the weather and while it’s still early, it is hurricane season. I don’t want to take any chances.”

  Ella blanched. She hadn’t thought of that. Hurricanes on this side of the state weren’t standard, but it did happen every few years. Suddenly, Ella felt sick.

  “You don’t know something I don’t, do you?”

  “No, I just want both of us to stay as safe and as dry as we can, no matter what the weather is.”

  Already he was heading back toward the beach. Ella stood.

  “No, have a seat and let me do this. You need to rest your feet so they don’t become infected. I’m already thinking we’re gonna need to pour some of that whiskey on it later tonight.”

  Ella watched as he left her there. What if he couldn’t find his way back? What happened to not getting separated? The seagull above them guffawed again, and she was on her feet, running full speed toward Linc’s figure in the distance.

  As she caught up with him, he laughed. “Took you long enough.”

  “You knew I’d be coming?”

  “Of course, Ella. You always were a scaredy cat.”

  Ella couldn’t help but smile, remembering the first and last time they went to a horror movie. She had screamed so loud during parts of the movie that someone had asked her to leave. So Ella and Linc had left and gone to his boat, where they’d first made love.

  “Look, that bird back there looked like it wanted to eat me for dinner!”

  Ella loved the way Linc threw his head back and laughed candidly. A full-on belly laugh that left him doubled over with mirth.

  She gave him a shove but he barely even stumbled. Jerk.

  Still, Ella couldn’t help but smile as he clutched his sides and his hair fell into his face.

  “Oh, Ella. You always were so funny.”

  “Glad I can amuse you.”

  For some reason, they had both stopped and were looking at each other. What did he want from her? Something had shifted and she couldn’t tell what exactly.

  Linc held out a hand. She looked at it, the tender hands that had brought her pleasure, cleaned her wounds and now were extended in what felt like a peace offering.

  But would taking his hand send the wrong message?

  At the moment, looking into his sea green eyes, she didn’t care. For one second, she wanted to pretend there was no other woman and she wasn’t a fool.

  She slipped her hand in his. He squeezed her softly and pulled her along as he trekked through the brush back to the beach.

  When they arrived, they realized quickly it was going to take some work to get the raft filled and drag it to their campsite. They worked together in silence, in perfect harmony, until the last thing was piled on the raft.

  “I guess we can take turns pulling it. I’ll do most of the work.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” she insisted and he nodded, okay with her proclamation.

  Ella estimated the stream was roughly a mile from the beach. Not a bad jaunt, but it would still take some work to get there with all their supplies. They took turns dragging the raft, resting, pulling it together, until finally the stream was in sight.

  Together they collapsed like fallen trees next to the raft. When their breathing slowed, Linc held up his hand. “High five. We did it.”

  Ella was too weak to move but she managed a thumb’s up. She closed her eyes and tried to rest for a minute as the sun hid behind a passing cloud.

  A moment later, cool water was splashed on her face and a soothing hand spread it around. “Are you okay, Ella?”

  “Mmmhmm.”

  “You’re burning up. You need water. Sit up and drink this.”

  Ella did as she was told, even when her stomach revolted. How had she not noticed her body was no longer producing sweat? Probably because Linc had kept her distracted walking slightly in front of her the whole way back.

  “Good girl,” he cooed at her, rubbing his hands through her h
air. She’d once loved that.

  When the whole bottle was down and it stayed down, Linc left her side to bring twigs and branches filled with leaves over to make a shade for them. “We’ll need to build a new fire, I didn’t think to do more than snuff out the first one. I still have the flint though, so we’ll be fine.”

  Linc seemed content to ramble on as she lay on the sand, listening to his soft voice. She must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing she knew, she awoke to a fire and a blazing sunset. How long had she slept?

  A sudden chill wracked her body when at the same time she was so hot it hurt everywhere.

  “Ella?” Linc came into her line of vision. “I think you have sun poisoning. You’re really sunburned on your legs and arms and they’re swollen. But to be on the safe side, I want to put some alcohol on your heels. I don’t want an infection to keep you from getting better.”

  She looked around for the first time. She was inside a little leaf hut, complete with three walls. It was big enough for two.

  “Did you build this?” she asked, trying to sit up in order to investigate his handiwork. But her head swam and she felt nauseous.

  “My dad owned a construction company. I have a few memories of my childhood, okay?”

  She tried to smile but another chill shot through her body.

  “Just rest, baby. Rest and drink and try to let your body do all the work. I’ve had this before and it’s not pleasant, but you’ll be fine. We just have to make sure to keep your sun exposure limited.”

  “Linc, in case you didn’t notice, there’s not a lot of shade on this island. This hut can only do so much. I don’t think it’s going to withstand a hurricane.”

  “No, but it will keep you safe and out of the sun and heat until your body can get rid of the toxins. Now drink some water.”

  She did as she was told and fell back into a restless slumber.

  ****

  Linc didn’t get much sleep that night. He couldn’t stand the thought of Ella needing him in the middle of the night and maybe he wouldn’t hear her. Instead, he kept vigil at her feet, sitting upright and refusing to sleep, even when his eyes drooped.

  The woman was his life. Seeing her in so much pain and knowing there was very little he could do to help her pained him. The sun didn’t play nice with fair-skinned girls and Ella was as fair as a porcelain doll. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner. They didn’t have any kind of sun protection.

  He briefly wondered if maybe he should try to swim out to the boat and see if he could find some sunscreen, but that was just a temporary fix if they were here for very long.

  Linc wasn’t a praying man, but he found himself offering up a prayer for the first time years. They needed help. They needed to be rescued.

  They needed a miracle.

  How had he gotten the coordinates wrong? Had the listing entered it wrong? Had he been that distracted over Ella being so close to him?

  He glanced over at Ella, sleeping fitfully. It was nearing dawn. If he was going to take care of her, he should probably try and get a couple of hours of rest. When she woke, he knew she’d be thirsty and still in need of care.

  Gently, so as not to disturb her, he lay down next to her, her hot body uncomfortable next to his. He moved farther away so they didn't share body heat. He didn’t want her temperature to rise any more.

  But as if she was drawn to him, she rolled over and snuggled into his arm. Who was he to deny a beautiful woman? He raised his arm and allowed her to use him as a pillow, all the while asking himself what in the devil he was doing. He might still love her but he was still engaged.

  Even on the heels of that thought, came another unbidden one. He wanted to kiss her. Her face was upturned toward his and it would be easy to taste her again. She would probably never know.

  Before he could change his mind, he covered her mouth with his own, forcing himself not to take it further, not to wake her and remind her of all that was good between them. They’d been down that road, and never again.

  For just a moment, he thought the moonlight was playing tricks on him when he pulled away and she was staring at him. He waited for her to blast him with a thousand curses or tell him that he was the lowest type of man to cheat on his fiancée. Maybe he was.

  Instead of the cursing and everything else he expected, she did the exact opposite. Ella smiled at him. A real, happy smile that reached her eyes and spread across her face.

  Linc’s heart jumped for joy as they both fell asleep.

  ****

  “You son of a—“

  “Hey!” he exclaimed as he fended off an attack of leaves and branches. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “You know what’s wrong with me! You slept with me last night. You kissed me.”

  Opening his eyes as far as he could without fear of corneal injury, he frowned. “You kissed me back! You smiled at me.”

  Linc pushed himself up on an elbow, trying to see how her health was this morning. Clearly she was better. The water bottle he’d filled late last night was empty and her eyes flashed bright and aware. Good.

  “Have I not told you how I feel about that? I don’t want this. I don’t want to be sucked into your web again!”

  “Now you’re comparing me to a spider?”

  “Yes, a big, fat, hairy one with nine legs.”

  “Arachnids have eight legs, honey.”

  She glared. And oh, how cute she was when she glared. Against his better judgment, he chuckled.

  “I’m serious, Linc! I told you I didn’t want to sleep with you again.”

  It took him a moment until he finally realized what she’d just said.

  “Wait. You think we slept together?”

  “I woke up half naked in your arms.”

  For the first time he realized she was wearing only her bra and panties. He looked away and handed over her clothes. “You must have shed them during the night when your fever broke. And we didn’t sleep together.”

  “But you just admitted you kissed me.” The rustling sound of her pulling her clothes on made him swallow against the lump in his throat.

  “Just a small one. I couldn’t seem to help myself. But that’s where it stopped.”

  “I don’t believe you. I don't remember anything after that kiss.”

  “Because you were delirious with a fever. But this is one time you’ll just have to trust me. Your virtue is still intact.”

  “My virtue? Really? I think that's something that disappeared on your boat a few years back. But glad to know if I had any, it would still be there.”

  She climbed out of the hut and left him sitting there, stunned over what happened. So she remembered the kiss. Did she regret it? Did she want more?

  Did he want more?

  No. He was engaged to Sheena. No matter how powerful their attraction was, he wouldn’t do something to hurt her, even if his feelings the last few months had waned. He would do things right and call it off with her, then explain to Ella that they both deserved to give each other one more shot to see if there was anything left.

  Anything at all.

  Chapter Seven

  As the sun set that day, Ella somehow managed to see a plane at cruising altitude.

  “Look!” she exclaimed, pointing to the sky and jumping in excitement.

  When they’d grabbed their supplies at the beach, they’d spelled out H-E-L-P above the erosion on the sand. They’d used a combination of driftwood, black shells and anything else that might show up to someone that far up.

  “Maybe this is it,” Linc said as softly as he could. “Maybe we’ll be able to get off this island.”

  Ella’s face fell. Why was she disappointed? It wasn’t like she wanted to stay forever on this island. Their supplies would run out eventually and living off the land didn’t seem like something she could handle for very long.

  But she did know she didn’t want to end her time with Linc because she was a glutton for punishment. It was no lon
ger about the commission check, but about being with the man she loved. Before he committed himself to another woman. Named Sheena no less.

  “What’s wrong?” Linc asked quietly, coming to sit next to her.

  Ella shrugged. “I don’t really know.”

  Gently, Linc’s fingers urged her to face him.

  “I know how you feel, you know. I still know you. You want to go home, but you’re afraid for us to leave, that this will be the end.”

  “We’ve been over for a long time, Linc. This has nothing to do with an us.”

  “Oh, but it does. You know it, and I know it.”

  His face moved toward hers. Her brain screamed this was a bad idea. So bad.

  Yet so good and so right.

  “I said I wasn’t going to kiss you again… but…”

  His mouth hovered over hers, as if he were waiting for her permission. This might be all she had to take with her from this whole experience. One last kiss goodbye.

  Ella touched her lips to his tentatively. It felt new again and raw, but yet it was so familiar her heart ached. She knew how he moved his lips when he kissed. She knew how his tongue would taste against hers before it ever transpired.

  Then, it happened. With a groan, Linc parted her lips and claimed her mouth. His hands tangled in her hair and pulled her close, his tongue dueling and mating with hers. It was a dance they’d perfected together within weeks of their first meeting.

  “Ella,” he whispered hotly against her mouth. “I love you. I’ve never stopped.”

  To Ella, the words were like a slamming into a Sequoyah tree after going ninety miles an hour. They hurt. They were unexpected. They killed her.

  Wrenching away from him, she backed up and held her hand to her mouth, shaking her head. “That doesn’t change anything, Linc. You’re still engaged.”

  “Of course it changes things. I know you still feel the same way. I know you protected me when we were dating and didn’t want to bother me, but you were it for me. I wanted you as my partner, my wife, the mother of my children, but I didn’t understand that you were sacrificing yourself and your needs to keep me happy. But I get all that now. It can be different this time.”