His palms were warm on her naked skin and he found the knot in her pareu. With practiced ease, Trey tossed aside the filmy fabric and it drifted to the floor. She held her breath as he cupped her breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb over her nipple until it peaked.
Bracing his hands on either side of her head, he pinned her body against the wall with his. Another kiss, this one more intense and demanding, brought a moan from Sophie’s throat and the silent question he asked was answered. She did want him as much as he wanted her.
She tore at his shorts, hastily unzipping them before shoving them down over his hips. The instant his shaft made contact with her body, Trey knew any thought of stopping would be futile. But he wanted more than just pleasure. Unfortunately, he didn’t know just exactly what that was.
Trey hooked his finger beneath her chin and turned her toward the light from the window, his eyes fixed on hers. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he groaned.
He grabbed her waist and pulled her up, wrapping her legs around his hips and using the wall for support. His shaft was hot and hard between them, the length of his erection rubbing along the damp slit between her legs. Pleasure knotted inside him with every stroke and he struggled to keep himself from release. Sophie arched back, pushing against him with each stroke as her need built.
Trey ached to lose himself inside her, to feel her heat as he came. But neither one of them wanted to pause to retrieve a condom and he wasn’t even sure where the last one was. The force that had brought them together was too strong for them to deny or to stop.
He probed at her entrance and Sophie shifted above him. For one breathtaking moment, he slipped inside her, then cursed softly. “We shouldn’t,” he murmured, swallowing hard. “Should we?”
Sophie shook her head, her breath coming in short gasps, her hair tickling his chest. “I don’t want you to stop.”
“I have some control, but not that much,” he said, his voice raw with need. “And not with you.”
She moved again and he was inside her and it felt like heaven. But suddenly, reality set in. This woman had stolen the last ounce of his self-control. When he was with her, all he could think of was this, the feel of their bodies joined as one.
Drawing a deep breath, he slowly pulled out, then set Sophie back on her feet. If he expected anything more than sex between them, then the sex would have to stop, at least temporarily. The next time he was intimate with Sophie, Trey wanted it to mean something.
“What’s wrong?” she murmured, her lips pressed against his chest.
“Nothing. We just shouldn’t do this without a condom.” He pulled his shorts back up over his hips and forced a smile, the height of his desire still plainly evident.
“Are you going to go get one?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Right.” Trey nodded. “I’ll…go get one.”
He walked toward the door, wincing slightly as the zipper from his shorts rubbed against his erection. When he got outside, the last light from the day had nearly faded. The sky was a deep blue and the first stars twinkled through the clouds. The rain had stopped for the moment and the air was fresh with the smell of the island.
Trey leaned back against the weather-worn siding next to the door and closed his eyes. Things were moving far too fast. Emotions he’d kept so closely in check were threatening to break through his usual indifference.
Somehow, this place had worked a kind of magic on him. Civilization, and the real world, seemed miles and miles away. And for the first time in his adult life, Trey was able to live unencumbered by the expectations of others.
Here, on Suaneva, he was able to be himself. And he was beginning to like the guy he’d found.
6
SOPHIE LEANED BACK AGAINST the wood-paneled wall and sighed. The rain had begun again, the soft hiss of raindrops filling the room, the sound amplified by the tin roof. The sun had set and the last traces of light were leaving the sky. In another few minutes, it would be impossible to see.
Trey had walked out a while ago and hadn’t come back. She thought about going after him, wondering why he wasn’t interested in finishing what they’d begun, but Sophie didn’t want to hear the answer. They’d almost done something they could have both been sorry for later. And yet, Sophie was sorry now.
Since their sunset stroll on the beach, something had changed between them. What had begun as a physical relationship was quickly turning into something more. She’d grown desperate to feel him inside her, without anything between them, and not just because it brought physical pleasure. She had wanted him to bury himself deep during his release so that they could share something they hadn’t yet experienced, something that would be theirs alone.
It was foolish, Sophie knew. She’d never allowed such an emotional attachment to any other man. But her feelings had somehow become tangled up in all of this and she couldn’t help herself. For just a little while, she wanted to believe what she and Trey had was more than just sex.
Ever since her parents’ divorce, Sophie’s heart had been left nearly paralyzed. It still beat every day, but she’d been unable to feel anything deeper than mild affection for anyone. She couldn’t trust herself with emotions that might end up wounding her even more deeply.
Yet the moment she and Trey had faced possible death, the moment they’d stumbled out of the plane and into each other’s arms, she’d felt her heart begin to come alive again. Sophie had tried to tell herself it was just the adrenaline rush of landing safely. But the adrenaline had worn off long ago and she realized she was falling for her fellow castaway.
Sophie drew a ragged breath and moaned softly. Sexual attraction and mutual desire had somehow transformed into trust and affection. And though it was dangerous to even explore such emotions, perhaps it might be worth the risk. Maybe this was just a first step, a way for her to find herself. How much could he possibly hurt her in such a short time? She was stronger now and more able to recover. Why not take a chance?
Reaching up, Sophie touched her lips, still bruised from his kiss. No man had ever made her feel this way. Every moment with Trey was like a carnival ride, a mixture of thrills and fear and exhilaration. She wanted to get off, yet she felt compelled to stay for just a little longer, to see what wonderful experience might be next.
“That’s the problem,” Sophie murmured to herself. “Knowing when to get off.”
She bent down and picked up her pareu, then wrapped it around her naked body and knotted it under her arm. When she reached the door, she stepped out onto the porch. Trey was bent over the fire he’d built earlier, trying to coax a flame to life while shielding it from the rain.
Sophie wrapped her arms around the porch post and watched him, wondering what he was thinking. “It’s raining too hard,” she called. “It won’t last.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “If it’s big enough, I can keep it going,” he said. “Besides, your father is going to know something is wrong by now. He might send out a search plane. If they see the fire, it may give him cause to hope.”
Sophie smiled, grateful that he understood her father’s worries. But she suspected he was working on the fire to avoid talking to her. “In the dark, they could miss the island by miles. They’re not likely to see a fire that small.”
“Then I’ll make it bigger,” he snapped. Trey grabbed another branch and tossed it onto the feeble flames, the muscles across his back tight, his fists clenched.
He was angry, Sophie mused. They had let their desire get the better of them, both of them enjoying the feel of each other without a barrier between them. But they’d stopped in time. And it wasn’t as if she were trying to trap him with some surprise pregnancy. “You don’t have to take it out on me,” she replied. “What’s your problem?”
He straightened, as if he were about to turn around and face her. But then, he must have thought better of it, as he continued to stare into the fire. “I don’t have a problem.”
“Why are you angry with me?”
He drew a deep breath, his shoulders rising. “Sophie, just go back inside.”
She didn’t like being dismissed. And she didn’t like being blamed for something she wasn’t even sure she’d
