My cock jerks.
That was my mistake. I shouldn’t have been thinking about precisely that. I force myself to think about the fact Cal and I are stranded on a tropical island, and no one has come for us yet.
My cock softens.
I clear my throat. “I’m going to get breakfast.”
And then I run away.
Cal wanted a fire, and I move on to that. I’m not convinced rubbing twigs together is enough to start a fire, no matter what Cal’s Social Studies teacher maybe taught him. I remove my Ray Bans and direct it on a dry leaf. Then I wait.
Finally, a fire sparks. Smoke circles my nostrils.
A happy whoop escapes me, but just as quickly, the leaf shrivels in my fingers.
Shit.
I go to gather more dried leaves and hope Cal didn’t hear me. Excessive enthusiasm isn’t cool. Dad always tells me peopledon’t take happy people seriously, confining the good-natured to the jobs no one else wants to do.
I remove my sunglasses again and hold it in front of a new, even more dried leaf.
Finally, the leaf explodes in flames. I shield it from the breeze, then move it carefully to the other leaves. The fire spreads. I hold my breath until the twigs glow red, crackling and humming in the fire pit Cal built—then they leap onto the larger pieces of wood.
It’s a fire.
I did it.
“Cal!” I shout.
But he’s already running toward me, his stocky figure rippling. He’s still wearing his pink polo shirt, but he’s abandoned his khakis entirely and his hair is mussed, his feet bare.
My mouth goes dry, and I will my own cock to act slightly less athletic.
“You made fire!” he exclaims.
I beam at him. “Uh-huh.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Cal
Flames dart in the fire pit, crackling pleasantly, and Jason beams at me with obvious pride.
“You’re incredible.” The words tumble out as I yank him into a hug. His sharp intake of breath makes me pause, but when our eyes meet, his expression has gone soft.
“It was nothing,” he grumbles, voice gruff, but he doesn’t step from my arms.
“We don’t have to talk about last night,” I assure.
“Oh?” His voice is hoarse, and I can’t help but smile.
I didn’t imagine last night. It wasn’t a dream.
“I get it. It’s fine,” I tell him.
In the next moment he’s closing the distance between us, and suddenly the only thing I can think of is the color of his eyes. The world is azure blue. Part of me wants to run back to the beach, run into the ocean.
But another part of me... Oh, God. Another part of me wants anything else.
