He didn’t say a word as he stepped from the vehicle, pulled out a pad and a couple of blankets, a bottle of wine and glasses, and a few snacks. A starlit picnic in the most magical place on earth was a date a person would never forget.
Or a date a person would never return from.
Once it was set, he walked back. She was leaning against the truck, looking unsure of what she should do. Her nerves calmed him. The more out of control she seemed to feel, the more confident he became. Maybe it was knowing she wanted him, or maybe knowing that he could turn her nerves into passion. He pulled her to him, making her gasp as her body collided with his.
He leaned down, his lips clinging to hers as his fingers tangled in her hair. She melted against him, giving him complete control. They remained this way for several moments before he reluctantly pulled back. She let out a disappointed sigh. He smiled.
“Don’t fret, there’s a lot more to come,” he assured her. She let out a nervous chuckle as he led her to the blankets. They sat.
Over the next hour, she leaned against him as they drank wine, snacked on fruit and cheese, and quietly talked about everything and nothing. His hands never left her body as he whispered his fingers across her torso, arms, legs, and neck, touching her enough to leave her wanting more. Anticipation was beautiful and hell in one.
He searched for Harmony in Heidi’s laugh, in the way she tilted her head, the way she filled silence instead of sitting in it.It wasn’t there. That should relieve him. Instead, it left a hollow ache, something restless scratching at his ribs. He thought of the way everyone was watching everyone now, as if the island itself were a suspect.
Up here, no one was watching.
No one but him.
He stopped playing, and laid her down. She gazed at him, her eyes wide, her breath uneven. He slowly traced her cheek, then drifted down the column of her neck, where he made light circles. A shiver traveled through her as he slid his hand between her covered breasts, watching her nipples bead.
Zach traced her lips before taking her bottom one between his teeth and biting, then sweeping his tongue across the swollen flesh. She groaned as she rotated her hips. He pulled back and stripped away her clothes.
He licked his way down her neck and breasts. Finally, he clasped her nipple between his teeth and bit down, running his tongue over the swollen bud. He squeezed her other breast as he devoured her nipple.
Zach took his time, bringing her to the brink of pleasure only to pull back again. She was whimpering by the time he gave her what she needed. He felt it through his entire body when she exploded, her back arching, her cry of pleasure escaping into the night, lifting to the stars. When the last of her trembling stopped, he lay down beside her.
She turned as she wrapped an arm around him. He gazed above at the stars as he took in deep breaths. The view was blocked as she climbed over him, her face flushed, her skin hot.
She kissed him this time before tracing her tongue along his neck, her hands brushing his skin, her lips and teeth sliding over him.
He’d let her play until he could no longer handle it, and then he’d take her the way she’d been asking for. She played. He saw more stars than were in the sky.
Enough was enough. He shot up, grabbed her, and flipped her onto her back, immediately covering her body with his, her legs spreading, her heels digging into the back of his thighs. His mouth smashed against hers in a passionate kiss that stole both of their breath.
He surged forward, easily sliding inside her. As soon as his hips hit hers in a solid, hard thrust, he pulled back before surging forward again. They held each other tight as he pushed in and out of her, the pressure building, the night holding them in its embrace.
When she cried out as her body gripped him, he no longer held back. He wrenched his lips from hers as he let out a roar, his pleasure pumping from him. They shook in each other’s arms before he collapsed on top of her.
With his last bit of strength, he turned onto his back, then pulled her close. She snuggled into him, neither of them saying a word. This was the moment he’d hoped for, that surreal pleasure that could only be found in in the blink between fantasy and reality. This might have changed things . . . he wasn’t sure what he was going to do next. He wasn’t normally a man to change his mind once he’d decided . . . but he make an exception this time.
Heidi’s breathing evened out, slow and trusting. The stars spun overhead like they were keeping time. Beneath the blankets, his muscles ached with satisfaction; somewhere deeper, something else burned—restless, unsatisfied in a way that had nothing to do with his body.
He could feel the drop beyond the cliff edge without seeing it, the weight of open air and thick clouds below. He thought of Torie, pacing balconies and accusing everyone. Thought of Mary, wrapping her fingers around the knife as if she were bornwith it there. Thought of Harmony, pen scratching, eyes bright, always listening.
Harmony would love this ending, he thought. He pulled Heidi tighter. Or maybe she’d rewrite it.
Zach stared up at the sky, listening to the silence. Up here, there were no harbor bells, no bar fights, no deputy’s questions. Only the thud of his heart and the soft sound of Heidi’s breath.
No one knew they were here. Except the kind of person trained to notice tire tracks where no tourist should be.
No one knew where Zach liked to go when he wanted to be alone.
He didn’t know if he was falling for Heidi, trying to exorcise Harmony, or testing something darker humming beneath his skin. He only knew this: the island wasn’t done with any of them. Not Lisa. Not Mary. Not Torie. Not Tosh. Not Cass. Not Janie. Not Harmony. Not him.
Far below, unseen, the fog shifted and rolled as if it were alive.
Zach closed his eyes and let the night hold them, telling himself this was just a date. Just another night above the clouds.
This was the kind of night no one ever suspects . . . until it’s too late.
