“Nope.” She took a step back when he reached for her. “As much as I like where your head is at, I need a break. Every muscle in my body is sore. Including muscles I didn’t even know I had before today. No,” she quickly added when his brow furrowed. “Don’t get all troubled and concerned. I’m fine. I’m better than fine. I’mgreat. But I’m calling a brief timeout. You need one, too, if the look of that bandage is anything to go by.” Now it washerbrow that was furrowed. “Damn it, Mason. Did we pop a stitch?”
He glanced down to see three splotches of red staining the white of his dressing. “It’s fine,” he hedged when she bent to get a closer look. “Wounds bleed.”
She straightened and crossed her arms, eyeing him skeptically. She looked so adorably stern that all he could think of doing was throwing her onto the blanket so he could erase that expression and replace it with one of ecstasy.
Again, what was in his head must’ve been plastered all over his face, because she took another step back, quickly shrugging into her bra.
He wanted to weep when her lovely breasts disappeared from view.
“Come on,” she cajoled, stepping into her panties. “Get dressed. And be quick about it, because if you continue to stand there looking likethat”—she motioned with her hand up and down his length—“then I might have to practice a few more of my newfound skills on you.”
Her words hit his ears, traveled down his spine, and landed inside his cock with a deliciously warmthunk. In response, the organ faithfully lifted itself vertical.
Her breath quickened. “No.” She waggled her finger. “No, no. I can see you took that as an invitation, but I—”
She jumped away when he lunged for her. Then, to his complete shock, she danced by him and smacked his bare ass hard enough to leave a handprint.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” she admitted with an impish grin, hastily gathering up her T-shirt and shorts.
When she straightened, she saw the look in his eyes had turned positively predatory, and her own eyes widened in response. “I’ll meet you back at the house.” She darted passed him into the woods, narrowly escaping his next lunge.
Run, little rabbit, he thought hungrily.The big, bad wolf will be right on your tail.
As he finished dressing and packing up the picnic supplies, he found himself smiling.Reallysmiling.
He realized it was because for the first time in a long time, he was happy.
* * *
4:20 p.m.
Ring, damn you, ring!
Despite Alex’s silent pleading, the satellite phone remained aggravatingly mute in the center of the kitchen table. No help whatsoever in diverting the attention of the five sets of eyes that glanced between her and Mason.
An unspoken question hung in the air like a suffocating cloud.
She didn’t like being the center of attention. Neither did Mason, judging by his fierce scowl and the agitated bunch of his biceps when he crossed his arms over his chest.
Biceps…
Chest…
She may have called for a hiatus from their amorous congress, but seeing him across the table from her—so damned big and sexy—made her think perhaps break time was over. The idea must’ve registered on her face because when Mason caught her looking at him, his eyes darkened in that way she now recognized.
The peanut gallery must’ve caught on too. She’d swear the back-and-forth glances grew faster. The air grew thicker.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” She threw exasperated hands in the air. “The answer isyes, okay? Mason finally pulled his head out of his ass and accepted my offer. The deed is done, so can wepleasefocus on something else?”
“Mazel tov!” Uncle John saluted her with the joint he was in the middle of rolling.“It’s about damn time,” he added after licking the edge of the hemp paper.
The color over Mason’s cheeks deepened about ten shades, and the look he shot Alex succinctly saidWhat the fuck?
She shrugged. “Sorry. I was suffocating under the weight of their speculation. Besides, it’s not like anything on this island stays a secret for long. They were bound to find out.” She looked pointedly at Doc who’d been the one to catch them canoodling naked on the picnic blanket.
“What?” Doc blinked innocently. “I didn’t say a word.”
Romeo kicked Doc under the table. “Youknewand you didn’t tell?”
