Tempt (Take It Off #3)(10)
Author: Cambria Hebert

The darkness started to lift, bringing out more shadows, and I became aware of needs that required the bathroom we didn’t have. I felt myself squirm in his lap, knowing I couldn’t hold it forever, but not wanting to use the jungle out there as a potty.

He groaned a little, his hips bucking up, pressing a very solid length against my hip. I froze. Squirming around in a guy’s lap probably wasn’t the best idea. He moved again, the hard length of him nudging me.

My mouth went dry.

I wasn’t really sure how to react. Part of me wanted to leap off him. The other part of me was curious. My fingers itched to reach out and explore that part of him—the part of a man that was sort of a mystery to me.

Before I could do anything, he opened his eyes and I felt his stare. A half smile played across his lips. “Good morning.”

“Hi,” I said shyly.

“It’s still really early.”

“I have to pee,” I said, totally embarrassed I just announced that like a five-year-old, but clearly the feel of his… well, his you know, robbed my brain of the filter it obviously needed.

He chuckled. “Yeah, me too.” He patted my back. “Come on, then, up.”

I swung my legs off him, which pressed my bottom farther back in his lap. A groan ripped out of his throat as the ridge in his pants punched forward, right up against my backside.

I froze, not really sure what to do. I hoped he didn’t think I did that on purpose.

“He’s not going to get any smaller with you sitting in my lap like that,” he murmured.

Embarrassment flooded my cheeks and I jolted off him, stumbling a little over the debris on the ground. Nash grabbed my arm to steady me but didn’t say anything else, thank God.

We went outside and he pointed to the right. “Ladies that way.” Then he started off to the left.

I wandered around a few minutes, squinting at every shape I saw, half expecting some kind of wild beast to attack me and make me breakfast. When nothing came after me, I found a spot and did my business, the whole time wrinkling my nose. I was so not a roughing it kind of girl.

Nash was waiting beside the plane when I pushed my way back through the plants. His back was to me and he was staring out toward the beach. He didn’t turn, but he held out his hand to me. “Look,” he said, his voice hushed.

I stepped forward, slipping my hand into his, and gasped.

The sun was rising over the ocean. The sky was a vibrant hue of pink with the pale yellow of the sun in the center. The water sparkled like a chest full of gems and a light, cool breeze brushed over my skin and ruffled the large leaves around us.

“I’ve never seen a sunrise so beautiful.”

“It’s the ultimate love story,” he murmured.

“What?” I glanced away from the view to his strong profile. I couldn’t help but study the planes and angles of his face and the slight stubble that covered the bottom portion of his jaw.

“The story about how the moon loved the sun so deeply that it died every morning so she could breathe with the new day.”

I glanced back at the climbing sun. “I’ve never heard that before.”

“Two entities intertwined forever, destined to never share the sky at the same time, but never able to hate each other for it. Instead, they die for one other over and over again.”

“That’s beautiful.” And it brought an entirely new significance to night and day.

“Si,” he agreed.

We stood there unmoving, staring out at the water until the sun had ascended above the verge and appeared to be sitting on top of the horizon like a giant boat ready to sail away.

“Kiki would have loved to see this,” I said, thinking of my beloved grandmother. Then panic stole through me and I gasped. “Kiki!”

Forgetting all about the beautiful sunrise, I raced back toward the plane—toward the last place I remembered seeing the suitcase with the urn inside.

Before the crash.

Before the tail of the plane was whipped away and Nash and I were knocked out cold.

I couldn’t believe I had forgotten about her ashes until now. What if they were gone? What if they had been sucked out of the plane when the tail was torn away?

It would be like losing her all over again.

5

I searched furiously through the wreckage, my heart pounding and tears swimming in my eyes. Surely she was still here. Surely life couldn’t be so cruel as to kill a woman twice.

I felt the jab of something sharp in my hand and I yelped, yanking it back and seeing blood. I wiped in on my shirt and kept on rummaging.

Nash searched alongside me, lifting up the heavier items that I didn’t have the muscle to move. Dread spread through my limbs the longer we looked and came up empty. I was about to completely lose it when Nash called out from behind. “Found it!”

I made a sound of relief and rushed over as he pulled the black suitcase from underneath a pile of junk. It was scuffed up and the fabric was lightly shredded. He laid it down and I ripped at the zippers, my fingers just not being able to move fast enough. When I got it opened, I flung the lid back and stared down at the contents inside.

The urn was still in once piece. It was completely unharmed.

A single tear slid down my cheek as I lifted the container carefully, inspecting it and then hugging it close to my chest.

“Thank you,” I whispered to Nash.

He wrapped me and the urn in his arms and held me close while the strongest of my emotions rolled through me. I could bear to lose anything else to this crash except for this.

He pulled back and wiped at the tear on my cheek. Then he looked at my hand and frowned. “You’re bleeding.”

“I’m okay.”

He retrieved the first aid kit, and I scowled at him. “I’ve had enough stitches to last me a lifetime. If you plan on pulling anything out of that case other than a Band-Aid, I’m going to kick you.”

“So violent,” he said, grinning.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Will you consent to a little antibacterial cream as well?”

“Fine,” I grumbled and flung out my hand.

“I think we should clean this place up a bit or we’re going to keep hurting ourselves. Maybe we can find some soda or some food. And maybe we can find an extra blanket or two to hang up over the part that’s missing.” He motioned toward the gaping hole that used to be the tail.

“I have some protein bars in my suitcase if we can find it.”

He nodded. “I’ll try to radio for help.”