My heart thudded with a rush of queasiness. I was too hot. Too tense. Unbuttoning my shirt, I ripped it off, revealing the thin white t-shirt beneath. Tess's eyes went wide; she licked her lips. I looked down to what she focused on, noticing the ink from my tattoo shadowed beneath the material, giving hints at the hidden design.
Her hand landed on my torso, trailing her fingers over my abs.
Sucking in a breath, I lifted my arm, letting her snuggle into my body. I groaned softly as her fingers clutched my t-shirt. My arm locked around her shoulders, restraining her against me. Rubbing my nose in her hair, I whispered, "You keep doing that, and you'll be half-naked with my tongue between your legs in front of witnesses."
She froze. "You wouldn't."
I raised an eyebrow. "Keep your hands in one place and I might be able to hold on until we have privacy."
Tess gave me a look that shot my heart to pieces, then placed her hands in her lap demurely and rested her head against me.
The rest of the boat ride was fucking torture. The warm wind whipped Tess's curls into a mess of mayhem, filling my mouth and tickling my neck and face. All I wanted to do was grab a fist of it and use it to hold her delicious lips over my cock.
Even now. Even after everything she'd been through, I still wanted to use her like a whore-like a slave. I was still fucked up. Still my father's son.
I tried to focus on the expanse of ocean around us. Not one whitecap or wave in sight. The turquoise looked like glass reflecting the perfect sky I longed to be in. Islands popped up in the distance only to be passed in a whirl of salt spray.
Tess looked peaceful, resting against me. But the bags under her eyes and hollow cheeks spoke the truth. The moment she was on Volière I would make her happy again. I would spend my days feeding her delicious food to replace the curves she lost, and dedicate the nights reminding her how unbreakable she was. The ghosts in her mind wouldn't survive out here. Nothing dark could exist in this vivid sunshine.
Finally the boat slowed. We bumped gently against a decrepit jetty jutting out from a wild and rugged island.
Everything about it looked vicious and untamed. There was no helipad, no landing strip, nothing of great luxury. When I'd bought it, I toyed with the idea of chopping it down and destroying the thick jungle to make way for a hotel or other commercial development. But then I fell in love with it. With its exoticness, unruliness. It was perfect in its untouchedness.
"This is your island?" Tess asked, her eyelashes fluttering in the sunlight.
Franco jumped onto the jetty, helping Bill moor to the post. Old tyres were the only things stopping the sleek sides from being punctured by rusty nails and splintered wood.
"Yes. In all its natural glory." Standing, I bent down, wrapped my arms around Tess's back and legs, and picked her up.
"What are you doing?" she whispered.
"Te porter pour passer le seuil."Carrying you over the threshold. Cradling her in my arms, I made my way across the bobbing vessel and placed her ever so gently on the wooden platform beside it.
Climbing up beside her, I took a large lungful of air. The nausea I'd been battling since we took off miraculously stopped the moment my feet touched firm ground. The jetty wasn't on buoys but anchored onto the sandy bottom of the atoll.
A large flock of local birds suddenly took flight from the thicket of trees, squawking and shrieking at us interrupting their wilderness. I instantly felt better. I didn't want to change a thing, but one thing was a must-an airstrip-so I never had to step foot in a boat again.
"I'll go make sure the house is still standing." Franco gave me a look as he strode off. He knew where the path was, hidden by foliage leading toward the large six bedroom dwelling the previous investor had built for his family. Franco had been here with me while I worked, and the original home was well built if not a little rustic. It would be spotlessly clean thanks to a regular maintenance crew who came once a month.
Tess spun around in awe. "This place … it's … "
I smiled; tension siphoned from my muscles. Blue ocean surrounded us, hemming us in like a wall-less cage. Intruders would have a hard time touching shore without the security cameras noticing them first. Tess would be perfectly safe. I would be untouchable for any bastard who wanted revenge.
"Q, I had no idea it would be like this. I visualized a tiny sandy island with one palm tree."
I chuckled. "It has a fair bit more than one." Moving closer, I ignored Bill and his hellish boat. "You don't find it underwhelming … more suited for a boy's fishing weekend rather than a wedding?" After all, from here it looked as if we'd need a machete and dynamite to make our way through the undergrowth. She didn't know the house in the centre had manicured gardens and metres of idyllic paradise.