Paradise Lost (Private 9)

So when the hell was he going to try to kiss me already?

"All right then, lookup," Upton said.

Okay. I guessed he wasn't. Feeling embarrassed, I did as I was told. The sky was completely jammed with so many stars that there was actually more light than darkness.

"Wow," I said breathlessly.

He smiled. "Try to think dark thoughts while looking at that."

We lay there in silence for a moment, and I started to feel calm in a way I hadn't felt in days. I let the feeling wash over me and sink

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in. The sounds of the party behind us--the shouting, the laughter, the music--slowly faded into a soft hum.

"When I was a boy, my mum and I used to camp out in the yard under the stars. She made up loads of stories about all the other planets and the goings-on in their unique alien societies."

"Sounds like fun," I said.

"It was. She's got a bloody fantastic imagination. Should have been a writer."

A boy who loves his mother Cute.

"Tell me one," I demanded.

Upton laughed. "It's been ages. I'm not sure I could remember."

"Yes, you can. You wouldn't have brought it up otherwise," I teased.

Upton considered this for a moment, then he frowned. "All right, you've caught me out," he said. "I'll t

ell you my favorite one. It's about these tiny little creatures called Puffnicks. They live on the planet Puff."

I laughed, shimmying from side to side to get more comfortable. "Puffnicks. They sound cute."

"Oh, but they're not cute. They're actually fierce little buggers. With fangs," Upton replied. "And this story is about the year they went to war with the Bangrots."

"Oooh, I love a good Puffnick-Bangrot war story," I said, folding my hands over my stomach. "Let's hear it."

"Our story begins on one dark, stormy night in the village of Jangle, when the sole Bangrot lookout spied the mast of a vast ship on the horizon. ..."

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I sighed and settled into listen to Upton's strange childhood story. His melodic voice was lulling, soothing, and I soon found myself drifting into the dream world he created all around us. He didn't try anything, which was intriguing. Upton was not only the hottest guy on the planet, but he was also smart. Funny. Creative. Uninhibited. And he made me forget all about Easton and Billings and Sabine and Ivy and Josh. We spent the entire night out there on the beach, telling stories and laughing, and I didn't think about my "dark past" once. By the time he walked me back up to Noelle's house, the party was winding down, and I was no longer encased in cement. Instead, I felt as though I'd been wrapped in cashmere for the past few hours.

As I made my way up to the Langes' guest room and shut the door behind me, I realized that if I had been looking for an island fling, Upton would have been perfection. But, staring out the window at the stars sparkling in the Caribbean sky, I reminded myself that I was not. No romance for me. Not for a while. Not even for Fun Island Reed. I was simply not ready.

Right?

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CHAPTER 7 SEXY, NOT SLUTTY

"You guys, seriously, you don't have to buy me anything," I protested as Kiran gathered up a few flowing garments in her arms. The shop they had brought me to that day was small and sunlit with floor-to -ceiling open-air windows and racks of designer clothes arranged in the center of the creaky but clean wooden floor. On the walls were displays of sunglasses, hats, and bags--all straw and thatch and woven with leather details. Upscale resort wear all the way.

After yesterday's unsuccessful shopping excursion--unsuccessful because I had refused to let them spend their money on me--Noelle, Kiran, and Taylor had insisted we go out again. And this time they were not taking no for an answer. It was consumer warfare. "Yes, we do," Kiran said seriously. "Especially that dress." I turned around and looked at myself in the slim mirror on the dressing room wall. The dress was lovely. Just under the bandeau top, it was tapered at the sides to show off the curve of my midriff, and

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