Secret Surrender (Forever 2)

I popped the tablets in my mouth despite not needing them and took a swig of water. “I’m feeling much better, thank you Nancy.”

“My pleasure. Can I get you two anything else? More blankets?”

“We’re good for now. Thank you,” Vincent said. Nancy returned to her seat near the cockpit where she resumed reading her magazine.

Vincent turned over to me. “Who’s the one not being careful now?”

“That was an accident.”

“You going to make it until we land?” he asked, hand possessively caressing my thigh again.

“It’s not like I have a choice do I? Unless I want to appear airsick again.”

“It’ll help if you try to get some sleep. I have a feeling you won’t be getting much of that once we arrive at our destination.”

Chapter Five

I managed to catch a light nap before we landed. Once the plane came to a stop, I stepped out into a cool breeze and seventy-degree weather. It was approaching evening but the sun was still out, illuminating the small airport and tropical scenery in the distance.

“We’re on an island in the Caribbean called St. Lucia,” Vincent said, hand at my back ushering me toward the terminal.

“Seems you’re fond of the Caribbean.”

“It’s close to New York City where I spend a lot of my time nowadays. But this isn’t our final destination.”

This place seemed as good as any for an ideal weekend getaway. “Where are we going?”

“It’s close by but we’ll have to take a boat from here.”

We hopped into a rented jeep and took a short drive to a harbor.

Vincent led us to a sleek boat with white hull and red trim. Letters along the side read “Pier Pleasure”.

“Clever name,” I commented.

He smiled. “Took me a while to come up with it. It was either that or ‘Playbuoy’.” He nudged me gently to indicate he was teasing.

“Glad you didn’t choose the latter.”

I didn’t know anything about boats but I could tell it was built for speed. The controls didn’t appear complicated—it wasn’t much more than a throttle and a steering wheel—but the boat had a very big, very loud engine. The way we shot out as soon as I had put my life vest on and sat down next to Vincent told me handling this thing wasn’t a job for amateurs.

He slowed the boat to a cruising pace as we headed off toward an island in the distance with the sun setting in the horizon casting red and orange hues on the deep blue waters. I wondered what he had in store for us tonight.

The boat came to a stop and he tied it to the dock jutting out from the shore.

“So what is this place?” I asked as I stepped off the boat onto the wooden planks.

“It’s my private island.”

“You own an entire island?”

“It’s not that large, just a few miles in each direction. Not big enough for a runway. It’s my personal spot to get away from everything.”

First St. Thomas then St. Lucia. I was starting to see a pattern. “So what do you call it? St. Vincent?”

He laughed. “That’s actually the name of a real island just south of here. The people on St Lucia call this place “île aux oiseaux”, which is French for “Bird Island”. There’s a lot of pretty, exotic birds that live here.”

“Interesting.”

“Unfortunately, there aren’t any puffins.”

“That’s a deal breaker,” I teased.

His lips curved into a grin. “You’re high maintenance. But worth it.”

“I was just kidding,” I said, playfully nudging him. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done. Surprising me on our dates. Being discreet, being supportive. I want you to know that all those things mean a lot to me.”

His grin widened. “So have I changed your opinion about me?”

“What was my opinion before?”

“You tell me.”

I sighed. “Okay, I’ll admit I thought you were a bit of a sex-crazed playboy who was more hands-on with his recreation than with his business.”

“And now?”

“The sex-crazed part hasn’t changed.”

“Maybe it has for you.” He winked.

“Maybe,” I mused. “I will say I’ve wanted sex a lot more in these last few weeks than in the past few years—possibly ever.”

“Good, ‘cause we’ll be having plenty this weekend.”

“Okay.” I smiled. My response sounded a little odd to my own ears considering I’d rebuffed his sexual advances only weeks ago but a lot had changed since then. I had no intention of taking my response back.

He led us across the beach to a path leading into the forest. Fortunately I only packed a small bag so it was easy to carry, otherwise it’d be ridiculous rolling luggage across sand and dirt. After walking for fifteen minutes, tall trees swishing in the breeze and birds chirping all around us, we reached a small cabin with smoke billowing from the chimney. The setup reminded me of an old fairy tale involving bears—except my hair was brown. If I saw a bowl of porridge inside I’d probably make Vincent eat it.

He opened the door and gestured inside. “Ladies first.”

I stepped inside and was hit with the spicy smell of wood. It was like the spicy scent I loved to smell on Vincent but stronger. The exterior looked rough but the interior was refined with smooth hardwood floors, elegant furniture, and a stone fireplace at the back that was already lighted. The cabin was small and cozy with various pictures and objects lining the shelves to each side of the fireplace. It felt more like a home than his condo in NYC.

“Quite a setup you have here,” I said, admiring the surroundings.

“Welcome to my home.” He dropped his bag on the brown couch in front of the fireplace and looked at me for my reaction.

“It’s beautiful and quaint. Did you build it yourself?”

He laughed. “Although I would’ve liked to, it would’ve taken forever. I had it built a year ago when I purchased this island. I come here often but when I’m away, I have someone come by and maintain the place or prepare the place before I arrive.”

“You sure know how to vacation.”

I wanted to look around the cabin more, particularly at the pictures he had, but Vincent wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said, “Come on, it’s getting dark. I want to show you something.”

I put down my bag next to his on the couch and followed him out of the cabin. He led us further into the forest and we eventually popped out onto another beach. There was a tent set up with standing torches lighting the path around it. When we got closer, I could see it was some sort of Arabian-looking tent with lush reddish-lavender drapery. It was open on the side facing the ocean, giving a scenic view of the rolling waves along the shore and the small silhouette of other islands in the distance. Inside was a blanketed floor and a sea of cushions with middle-eastern-inspired geometric designs on them. There was a fire pit in the center and a hole in the roof above it.