Return to the Island (Island Duet Book 2) by L.B. Dunbar

Author:L.B. Dunbar [Dunbar, L.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-10-12T16:00:00+00:00

18

Juliet

After we swam, he made us grilled fish and vegetables over a small Hibachi. This at least felt familiar. I refused the formal seat at the table, telling him we should make a picnic of it, spreading the table cloth over the sand by the fire. He’d given me a moment of privacy after we swam and I draped myself in a towel. He wore the same thing wrapped around his hips, and we laughed at how native we’d become. Again, it felt good to laugh.

He fed me off his fork. I fed him with my fingers. It was romantic in its own way, not the forced way he originally intended. After cleaning up the dishes, we sat by the fire with our own thoughts. He’d taken a blanket and wrapped it around us. We still wore only our towel-dressings. The night chattered as it had before with birds chirping, the ocean gently lapping, and the breeze rustling the leaves. It was peaceful, like my heart at the moment.

“What’re you thinking?” he asked.

“How things change.” I paused. “I feel like the island recognizes me. It’s telling me things, but I don’t understand their meaning. Silly, right?”

“Garvey would say you are one with nature.”

“Explain Colton, his son, to me. I thought you disliked him.”

“I learned that Garvey was instrumental in getting me into restorative justice. His grandfather and my great-grandfather had some kind of understanding. When he learned I was in trouble, he went to my father. His son had gone through this process. I asked Garvey about the experiment.”

“Was he involved?” I asked, shifting to look up at him from my position between his thighs.

“He wasn’t. I should have known better. He believes this island is sacred. He trusts in his cultural heritage. He believed I was here alone, but he also recognized that finding you here was a sign. Nature speaking, in some way.”

“So you believe it? Getting in touch with nature and everything?”

“Can't get any more one with nature than eating dinner nearly naked,” he replied playfully, his finger tugging at my hair. I laughed in response and silence slipped between us again. My thoughts turned serious.

“So many things I'm sorry for,” I said, my voice low.

“Me too,” he said swiping back his hair. He looked more like I remembered. Not so polished. “Trusting Rick. Being a dick. So many things I can't take back.”

“You still feel responsible for me, don’t you?” The question made me sad.

“I feel love for you.”

I spun to face him, my eyes searching his.

I still love you, I wanted to say, but I didn’t. I couldn’t explain why I still held back.

“Come inside the tent,” I said instead. I stood and stalked to the canvas structure, his presence following me as he moved from his seat by the fire. Just inside the flaps, I removed my towel. Slowly, stepping forward, I lowered and kneeled onto the mattress. It was lusher than his original one. A thick blanket softened the edges.

“And the vixen has returned,” he muttered directly behind me, having caught up to me.

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