Page 43 of Ruthless Fae
“I’ll go with you.” I followed after him.
He stopped at the cave’s entrance and faced me. “You should stay and rest, keep an eye on Becca.”
“No, I’m not letting you go alone. We can’t get separated again. Becca’s fine.”
He smiled, his green eyes twinkling with their light. Gently, he pressed a hand to my cheek and kissed me. His soft lips caressed mine lightly, tenderly. My whole body seemed to exhale as I closed my eyes and pressed against him.
Pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, he pulled away and smiled. “I love to hear that. I want you to stick by me. Always.”
We left the cave, my hand in his, and stepped into a moonlit jungle. Insects chirped and the waves crashed in the distance.
“We are still close to the water,” he said.
“I’m sick of coconuts, but they’re certainly an option.”
We followed the sound of lapping waves, the moonlight easily illuminating our path. A short walk from the cave, we reached a small stretch of sandy beach. To the right, the sheer cliff through which we had entered the cave system loomed over us, casting a shadow over the churning water and rocks that lay at its base.
I glanced up in awe. “Wow, that was quite the jump.”
Vaughn followed my gaze. “Yes, it was. Ronnie impressed me. Very brave, don’t you think?”
“Yes, he’s a fine young man and warlock.”
“He is.”
We walked the small length of the beach toward a few palm trees that dotted the area. As Vaughn quickly constructed a makeshift basket from branches and large fronds, I flew about, plucking coconuts and throwing them in a pile close to where he worked.
I gathered ten in total, not much, but better than nothing. When I shook them, liquid slushed inside, a good thing since we, at least, needed something to drink. The fruits’ meat wouldn’t be much nourishment, but it was the best we could do.
When I’d gathered all the available fruit, I landed next to Vaughn and helped him quickly make rope-like strips from the fronds to tie the branches together and finish off the contraption, which would make it easier to carry our measly plunder.
After loading the coconuts, Vaughn stood over them, dusting his hands. “We certainly won’t win a prize for these.”
“We’ll be lucky if they don’t lynch us.”
We exchanged a smile, which felt foreign on my face as if this place had taken the capacity to feel joy. This island had robbed me of so much. I wondered when, if ever, I would feel like myself again or if that person was gone completely.
As I stooped to pick up my side of the basket, Vaughn stepped closer, took my hands, and drew me into his arms.
“We’ll get out of here,” he whispered in my ear, his warmth seeping into my body like rays of sunshine. “And maybe for a month, we won’t go outside at all. We’ll take two showers a day, and there’ll be no sand, no dirt, no relentless sun beating at our backs.”
“Hmm, sounds good.”
“Doesn’t it?” He chuckled. “We’ll also have plenty to eat and drink. All your favorites. I don’t know what they are, but I’ll learn, and I’ll get them delivered right to our door, and I’ll feed them to you like the princess that you are.”
“I really like this idea. What else?”
Vaughn pulled away, peered into my eyes, and spoke tentatively. “There will be a huge, soft bed where we will sleep together and where I will…” he kissed the corner of my mouth, one arm sliding around my waist, the other one cupping my face, “kiss you.”
“I like this best of all,” I said breathlessly, my heart speeding up, my belly tightening with the deep rumble of his words.
“Do you?”
I nodded and kissed him back, full on the lips, my fingers threading into his hair. His beard prickled against my chin as he deepened the kiss.
Yes, everything he had said sounded like heaven, but what if we never got out of this island? What if our days were numbered? I couldn’t wait to see if we had a future together, if all the things we wanted to share would come true. But here and now, this was real. It was all we had.
Daringly, I began unbuttoning his shirt.
