Page 11 of Modern Romance September 2025 1-4
She swore that she would cherish the incredulous look on Sebastian’s darkly handsome face until her dying day.
CHAPTER FOUR
‘YOU’RE CLEVER,’SEBASTIANcommented over an evening meal of freshly grilled fish, which he had supplied, and freshly made bread, which she had baked.
‘How?’ she challenged although she knew perfectly well, for that afternoon had passed with both of them laying out an SOS message on the beach on both sides of the island. Palm leaves weighted down with stones had worked the best. And Sebastian had been kind of quiet and broody.
‘When you told me to undress, youknewwhat—’
‘Of course, I did,’ she said lightly. ‘But it’s not that simple, Sebastian. I’m not ready to take that step with you.’
His wide sensual lips compressed hard. ‘That’s fine.’
‘And maybe you haven’t thought of it, but I have… Have you any contraception?’
His ebony brows lifted and dropped again, his lustrous dark eyes steady while his lush black lashes dipped. ‘As a matter of a fact, no. But surelyyou—?’
‘What I was using was left behind on the catamaran.’
In the simmering silence, Sebastian breathed in deep and smiled at her, a level smile that surprised her. ‘I should’ve thought of that aspect. I’m afraid I didn’t.’
‘And I’m afraid I’m naturally sensible and cautious,’ Bunny confirmed quietly.
‘As a rule, I am too,’ he told her, his brilliant dark eyes narrowing. ‘But,notwith you for some reason. Don’t look so anxious. But I will certainly cherish that moment when you told me to take my clothes off for many years…and then took them away to wash them.’
‘I didn’t want to argue with you. I didn’t want a confrontation.’
‘Listen…’ Sebastian closed a hand over hers with complete casualness and smiled at her. ‘A woman doesn’t ever have to apologise for being clever when she’s saying no. I’m not the type of guy who will ever quarrel with that but, be warned, Iamthe kind of man who will think of all theotherthings we can do.’
‘Understood,’ she said a little breathlessly, her colour high.
‘You’ve been bitten,’ he pointed out, indicating the swelling on her arm.
‘Last night,’ she said with a shrug.
‘You won’t be bitten tonight. We’re both sleeping with the insect drapes around us upstairs.’
Bunny bit at her lower lip.
‘And you will be perfectly safe in that bed with me,’ Sebastian assured her smoothly.
Bunny didn’t think she would be safe even in an Arctic environment with Sebastian, never mind a big, comfy bed. Furthermore, her pyjamas weren’t dry as yet, which meant sleeping in the shirt again. She breathed in deep and asked herself if she was really that concerned. And she wasn’t. She trusted Sebastian, didn’t know why but she simply did. In her opinion he was too outspoken to be a habitual liar.
‘How long do you think it will take for us to be found?’
‘It could be a couple of weeks until a search finds us and I doubt if we’re even officially missing yet. We’ll conserve the tinned and dried goods and I’ll fish,’ Sebastian informed her.
Bunny tried not to think of the horror that would assail her family when or if they were informed that she had gone missing at sea. In an effort to move on from that thought, she said, ‘Who do you think owns this place?’
‘A keen birdwatcher with enough cash to build his dream hideaway in the back of beyond,’ Sebastian opined with a frown. ‘Someone older than us, I suspect, and there’s no sign of a woman or guests ever having been here. I’ll compensate the owner for everything we’ve used, broken or ruined.’
‘I suppose that’s all you can do,’ Bunny muttered, thinking that there really wasn’t anything else to eat on the island unless they started trapping birds and she recalled Reggie telling one of their hunting-mad passengers that it was forbidden on most of the islands they visited.
She tried to get into a book on birds and soon found herself yawning. Sebastian had taken himself off again. He was like that: restless, always needing an occupation or a challenge. She went upstairs and had a brief shower, put a replacement head on the electric toothbrush and freshened up. Pleasantly sleepy, she unfurled the drapes right round the bed and crept in one side. She wondered if she should put a pillow down the middle of the mattress and grimaced at an idea that would only make Sebastian laugh at her.
A while later, she was vaguely aware of Sebastian’s return, the sounds of him undressing, the beat of the water in the fabulous shower and she turned towards him as the mattress gave beneath his weight.
‘Go back to sleep,’ he whispered.
