took her hand in his. “Come on. There’s a band playing. Let’s dance.” Slowly, he began to move, gliding her around the floor as he hummed “White Christmas.”
Sophie was reluctant to participate at first, but then he picked up the tempo and pulled her into a swing dance to “Jingle Bell Rock.” Trey didn’t know half the words and hummed almost everything but the chorus. And before long, they were laughing again.
He didn’t like to see Sophie sad. When she hurt, he felt almost frantic to soothe her. But then he realized it was all right to let her cry, or yell or pout if she wanted to. She’d held her emotions in for so long that letting them out was a good thing. If she could feel passionately enough to get angry at him or to weep in front of him, then she could feel passionately enough to love him.
“Look out,” he warned. “Dip coming up.” Holding tight to her waist, he leaned Sophie back, then yanked her up again. Before long, they were moving easily around the floor, their steps strangely in sync with each other. “We’re not too bad, are we?”
“You’re a good dancer,” she said.
“My mother made me take dancing lessons when I was a kid. She said someday I’d appreciate knowing how. She’s right.” He glanced down at her, then dropped a kiss on her lips. “Feeling better?”
She rested her head on his shoulder as he moved her slowly around the room, this time singing “Silent Night.” “I wish I’d known you when you were a little boy,” she murmured. “I wish I’d known you when you were a young man.”
“You wouldn’t have liked me very much,” he said.
“Why not?”
They continued to dance in silence, Trey wondering how much he ought to tell her about his life before Suaneva. “I suppose you’ll find out anyway, once we get off this island.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s not good. I have a bit of a reputation around town. Actually, around the world. Some journalists have called me a wastrel. Others, a playboy. A boy toy. A himbo.”
“A himbo?”
“The male equivalent of a bimbo,” Trey explained. “All looks, no brains. I don’t think I deserved that label, but then, the press is never really interested in the truth.”
“I don’t understand. Why would they call you that?”
He opened his mouth, ready to change the subject. But then, Trey decided to tell her everything. He wanted to be honest with her, to let her know that he’d left that life behind. “Because that’s what I am, Sophie,” he said. “I’m famous for spending money. And for being with famous women. You said that once they realized I was missing, they’d call my parents. In twenty-four hours, the whole world is going to know that you and I spent the night on this island. They’re going to want to talk to you and take your picture and get all the salacious details.”
“Why would they be interested in me?” Sophie asked, staring up at him in disbelief.
“Because you were with me.” Trey grabbed her arms and set her back from him, so he could look into her eyes. “Don’t believe anything they tell you, Sophie. What happened here was real. What goes on everywhere else isn’t. Promise me you won’t listen to any of it.”
“But I-”
“Promise!” he demanded, a desperate edge to his voice.
“All right,” she murmured. “I promise.”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently. “Good. As long as I know you believe in me, then everything will be all right.”
There was an apprehension in her expression that frightened him. How could he protect her from that? Public opinion had never been on his side. But Sophie had lived so far from what went on in the rest of the world. Maybe it wouldn’t make a difference.
He’d face that problem when it came. For now, he had an entire night to convince her he wasn’t the man the rest of the world believed him to be. Instead, he’d be the man she wanted him to be.
SOPHIE SNUGGLED INTO THE CURVE of Trey’s arm. They sat on the top step of the porch, staring out at the lagoon in the night. The squall had passed, the rain had stopped and every now and then, the moon would peek out from behind a cloud.
It was late, probably well after midnight. Trey’s fire had been doused long ago, but there was no need for it now. In six hours, the sun would come up and a new day would begin. She took a deep breath of the damp night air, a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. She was afraid to go to sleep, afraid that when she woke up, everything would have changed.
For now, she wanted things to remain exactly as they were, for just a few more hours…until the sun rose and this magical night came to an end. She’d always remember this Christmas. Every detail would remain etched in her mind-the presents, Trey’s tree, the storm, the dancing and singing. Though it wasn’t a traditional celebration, it was perfect in her eyes.
Sophie turned to Trey and smiled. “I do have a Christmas gift for you,” she said.
“What is it?”
She slowly stood, then pulled her T-shirt over her head. A moment later, her pareu fluttered to the ground. He stared at her, unblinking, in the moonlight. As she shed her clothes, Sophie felt as if she were letting her last inhibition go.
She didn’t want to hold anything back, not physically or emotionally. They only had one chance, just a few more hours together, and she didn’t want to leave Suaneva with any regrets.
At first, Trey seemed to be afraid to touch her, his gaze skimming her body. Though it was dark, her skin gleamed from the
He slowly reached out and spanned her waist with his hands. “That’s a nice present,” he said, running his palm from her shoulder to her hip.
Sophie shook her head. “I have something else,” she murmured.
His eyebrow arched. “What are you giving me, Sophie?”
She took his hand and placed it over her heart. Sophie could feel the pounding of her pulse and she wondered if he could, too. Drawing a deep breath, she met his gaze. “Just for tonight, I’ll love you.”
He looked at her, a frown furrowing his brow. “What?”
“I’ll love you. Tonight, I’ll be completely yours, my heart and my body. I’ll do anything you want, be anything you want.”
“What if I want you to love me for more than just one night?” Trey asked.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen once we leave Suaneva,” Sophie said. “You don’t, either.”
“But I know what I want, Sophie. And it’s you.”
“When we wake up tomorrow morning, everything might be different. We might feel different.”
“That’s not going to happen. I know how I feel. And I think I know how you feel.”
“It’s all I can give, Trey. Tonight, I’m yours, completely. It has to be enough for now.”
Trey stood and took her hand, drawing it up to his lips and kissing each fingertip. “Then for tonight, I love you, too.”
He laced her fingers through his, then led her back up the porch steps. After slipping out of his shirt and tossing it aside, Trey took off his shorts, as well. Sophie held her breath, watching as the light from the moon played off the planes and angles of his naked body. He bent down and dug through his pocket, then held up the condom they’d been saving. He pressed it into her hand as he led her to the hammock.
It was damp from the rain, but Sophie liked the feel of their bodies cradled so closely together, as if there were nothing between them at all. They could barely move, but it didn’t make a difference. He kissed her, softly at first, teasing at her tongue until she moaned in frustration.
Sophie ran her fingers through the hair at his nape and drew him into a longer, deeper kiss, a kiss meant more as an invitation than a challenge. He was already hard, the heat of his erection pressed against her belly. But this time, she was in no hurry. Sophie wanted the night to last forever.
It was a long, slow seduction. Sophie focused on the warm spot beneath his ear, rough with a day’s growth of his beard. Then she moved to the notch in his collarbone, tracing the soft dusting of hair there.
