The jungle that had felt magical an hour ago was now a gauntlet of hazards—slippery rocks, sudden mud patches, branches whipping in the growing wind. Lightning strobed through the canopy, followed by thunder that seemed to shake the earth.
Alex kept a tight grip on Lily's hand, hyperaware of her presence behind him. Every few seconds, he glanced back to make sure she was okay, catching glimpses of her face in the lightning flashes—determined, trusting, following his lead without question.
They burst out of the tree line just as the storm reached full fury.
The cabin was fifty yards ahead, barely visible through the curtain of rain. Alex pulled Lily against his sideand they ran for it, both of them drenched within seconds.
He yanked open the door and they tumbled inside, slamming it shut against the howling wind.
For a moment, they just stood there, dripping on the wooden floor, breathing hard. The cabin was dim, the storm clouds having swallowed the late afternoon sun, and the rain hammered against the roof like a thousand angry fists.
"Well," Lily panted, pushing soaked hair from her face. "That was?—"
Alex kissed her.
He couldn't help it. Couldn't wait another second. He crowded her against the door, his mouth claiming hers with an urgency that surprised even him. They were both cold and wet and shivering, but the heat between them burned through all of it.
She tugged at his shirt, and Alex helped her yank it over his head, tossing it aside with a wet slap. Her hands immediately found his chest, tracing the muscles she'd been eyeing at the lagoon, and he hissed at the contact.
"Been wanting to do this," she admitted, her fingers trailing down his stomach. "Since I saw you on the beach that first morning. Well. After I stopped wanting to murder you."
"The feeling's mutual." He reached for the tie of her bikini top again. "Both parts."
This time, there was no lightning to interrupt.
The fabric fell away, and Alex took a moment to appreciate what he'd only glimpsed at the lagoon. Lily was gorgeous—full breasts, peaked from the cold and arousal, freckles scattered across her chest like a constellation map he wanted to memorize with his tongue.
So he did.
Lily gasped as his mouth found her breast, her back arching off the door. "Oh god?—"
He lavished attention on one, then the other, learning what made her gasp versus what made her moan versus what made her dig her nails into his shoulders hard enough to leave marks.
A massive crack of thunder shook the cabin, and Lily flinched violently.
Alex pulled back, suddenly noticing how she'd gone rigid. "Hey. You okay?"
"Fine," she said quickly. Too quickly. "I'm fine."
Lightning lit up the cabin, immediately followed by another boom that rattled the windows. Lily squeezed her eyes shut, a small tremor running through her.
"Lily." Alex cupped her face in his hands, making her look at him. "Are you afraid of storms?"
"No." Another flash, another boom. She winced. "Maybe. A little."
The vulnerability in her voice—this woman who was never anything but confident—cracked something open in Alex's chest.
"Hey." He pressed his forehead to hers, his thumbs stroking her cheekbones. "It's okay. You're safe."
"I know. It's stupid. I'm a grown woman who's traveled the world, and I still can't handle a little thunder."
"It's not stupid." He kissed her softly, gently, a stark contrast to the desperation of moments before. "Everyone's afraid of something."
"What are you afraid of?" she whispered.
You, he thought.What you're making me feel. How much I don't want this to end.
"Lousy timing," he said instead, and was rewarded with a shaky laugh.
