Tempt (Take It Off #3)(18)
Author: Cambria Hebert

Nash nodded. “Our plane went down.” He pointed in the direction of the beach. “Over on that side of the island. We’ve been here about four days.”

“Will people be looking for you?” Duke asked.

“Yes,” Nash answered. There wasn’t a hint of doubt in his voice.

Duke bent down and picked up one of the avocados that I dropped and extended it to me. “You dropped this.”

“Thank you.” I took it and put it on display for Nash. “Look, avocado.”

He pulled his hand out of mine and placed it on my lower back possessively. “Good job, Bella.” The last word he drawled in Spanish.

I liked it, but I wondered if he only called me that to send a message to Duke. Why was he behaving that way?

“You’re hungry?” Duke said, looking at me.

“Yeah, we’ve been looking for food.”

“I know where coconuts and mangos grow.”

A little moan of desire escaped my lips. “Will you show us?”

“Of course. The fruit is farther that way on the island.” He pointed off in the direction away from the plane.

“Let’s gather as many of these as we can,” I suggested. “And take them back to the plane. Then we can go gather some fruit.”

Nash seemed a little hesitant at first, but then he relented. The lure of fresh fruit was too strong to deny. “Is the water here drinkable?” Nash asked, gesturing back toward the little lagoon and waterfall.

“Yes,” Duke said, nodding his head. A lock of hair slipped free of his ear and brushed against his stubbled cheek.

The light scruff coating his jaw caught my attention. “I’m surprised you don’t have a full beard from being here so long,” I said.

“Eh, I’ve always been lousy at growing a beard.” He grinned and scratched at his chin.

I found myself smiling back at him.

“We can fill up our bottles too,” Nash said, his voice sounding slightly annoyed.

Stirred back to the task at hand, I started gathering the fruit, piling my bag full. There was one piece that looked particularly enticing and it was just out of reach. I stood on my tiptoes, extending my arm, but I just couldn’t seem to stretch far enough.

“Here,” Duke said, coming up behind me. His voice was deep and it brushed against the back of my head. He stepped close, his chest brushing my back, and reached up, plucking the food from the tree. As he pulled down his arm, he brushed against the bare skin of my arm. Little tingles of awareness shot along my skin.

I stepped back a little, looking between him and his offering. “Don’t you want to keep any for yourself?”

He shook his head slowly. “I already have some saved up. You take it.”

“Thank you.” I tucked it beneath my arm. “Where do you… umm… live? Did you build a shelter?”

“I did, but a storm came through last month and it was lost. I pretty much stay wherever now.”

I couldn’t imagine being here through a tropical storm. That had to have been so scary. And to be alone. At least Nash and I had each other. I glanced at him and noted that he was no longer gathering fruit. He was watching Duke and me.

“We could help you build a new one,” I offered. “Since you’re showing us where to find the mangos and coconuts.”

“You would do that?” Duke asked, his eyes sweeping over me.

“Of course.”

“Ava,” Nash called. “Come on. We need to get some water.”

The three of us made our way back to the lagoon, where I pulled out the empty water bottles and cans. The water was cool against my fingers and I plunged them down deep, enjoying the icy freshness of water without salt. My mouth almost ached for a taste, as we’d been rationing our water and soda intake since we arrived.

I cupped my hands and filled my palms with the liquid and brought them up near my face.

“Wait,” Nash spoke softly, crouching down beside me. His hand stilled my own. Then he pulled away, reached into the water and got his own drink, sipping it into his mouth and swirling it around his tongue.

I had a sudden desire to be that water.

Then he swallowed. He took another drink. I started to lift my hands again, almost desperate for a drink, and he stopped me again.

I made a sound of frustration. “I’m thirsty.”

“I know,” he said softly, bringing up his dampened thumb and sweeping it across my lip. Automatically, my tongue came out, licking off the moisture and pulling the pad of his thumb into my mouth.

“I told you it’s safe to drink,” muttered a voice from the other side of me. Startled, I pulled away, releasing Nash’s thumb.

“I wanted to make sure,” Nash said, his voice holding a hint of annoyance.

“You were testing the water out on yourself!” I exclaimed, pinning him with an gaping stare.

“I doubt it would do much good,” he said. “If it’s going to make me sick, it won’t be for a while.”

“I’m so thirsty,” I whined, not caring I sounded like a child.

Duke made a sound, drawing my attention. He cupped his hand in the water and took a great gulp. “See?” he said. “I’ve been drinking this since I got here. It’s never made me sick.”

Then he reached out and guided my hands back into the water. It lapped over our skin, swirling around us. I looked up at him. His face was so close to mine. He smiled.

Nash cleared his throat.

I pulled up my hands, Duke keeping his palm cupped beneath mine, and I drank. The fresh, icy water slid down my parched throat and I sighed. It was heavenly.

I drank more, feeling like I couldn’t get enough. Then I splashed it over my face and neck, feeling more refreshed than I had when I cleaned off in the ocean the day before.

Once the bottles were filled, the three of us set off toward the plane, Nash and I eating an avocado in record time. Nash was fairly quiet, only interrupting Duke’s and my chattering to ask questions about the island.

Turns out Duke had no idea where we were either. He wasn’t sure how far the closest civilized location could be.

I opened my mouth to ask him if he heard the same sounds we had the night before, or if he knew if we were the only ones here, but Nash caught my eye and gave me slight shake of his head. For some reason he didn’t want me to say anything. So I didn’t.

Duke was fascinated with the plane and once he realized Nash was a pilot, he peppered him with a million questions. Nash didn’t seem to mind. I could tell how passionate about flying he was. How much he loved it. I puttered around, placing the fruit inside with the water and glancing at the remaining protein bars longingly.