Page 57 of Anyone But You

“Bacon.”

“I could throat punch you right now,” Victoria whined as she wrapped her arms and legs around me.

“I know. I want to throat punch myself just for thinking about it,” I murmured into her neck as I shuffled away from the shore. Lately, our mornings have become more intimate. We spent the early morning hours in each other’s embrace, feeding each other sweet fruits and nibbling at each other’s lips, savoring the fruit’s robust nectar.

“I wish we were on one of those islands that had wild pigs,” Victoria said with a sigh as she sliced the mango open with her thumbnail.

“I don’t. The last thing we’d need is to take a tusk to the side.

“Amen to that,” she agreed as she leisurely peeled back the skin.

“Pick up the pace, Mrs. Ramsey.”

“Keep playing, Mr. Ramsey, and I’ll devour this mango in front of you.”

“I’d drown you first,” I insisted. Victoria mumbled something under her breath that sounded like, “Try it if you want to,” but I couldn’t be 100% sure.

I watched as she customarily took the first bite. As a husband, I had to ensure that my wife was fed before I was. If I thought about it, that was the dynamic Victoria and I shared long before we crashed on the island. Every breakfast, lunch, or dinner meeting, I always waited to eat until after she took a couple of bites. She caught onto my behavior and once accused me of using her as a food taster to ensure no nefarious characterswith ill intentions poisoned my food. That led to a thirty-minute tirade about corporate employees being just a number and disposable. I could’ve ignored her while she rambled on, but instead, I indulged her and fed into the madness with some words of affirmation.

My dick swelled between us when Victoria moaned around the first bite. The juices from the mango dribbled from her lips and down her chin. Without hesitation, I leaned in to lick up the remnants of the nectar. My bite was long forgotten as soon as our lips locked. Her lips were gratifyingly sweet, and if her lips alone could sustain me, I’d only eat and drink her.

I pathetically groaned when she pulled away.

“Eat,” she insisted, shoving the mango in my face. I rolled my eyes and took a bite out of the fruit.

I don’t know why she must be so stubborn. She’s only prolonging the inevitable—my face between her thighs.

* * *

“Holy shit! What is that?!” I exclaimed, snatching Victoria away from the tree and shoving her behind me.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I squealed.

“That, my dear husband, would be a coconut crab.”

“Okay, where did that alien motherfucker come from?”

“Coconut crabs are nocturnal and usually stay in burrows. That’s why we’ve never run into them before until now.”

“Can we eat it?” I asked, looking to my wife for guidance. She shrugged.

Come on, Tori Montana. I need you to be sure.

“Theoretically, you can eat them; however, I wouldn’t. That crab shouldn’t be out this time of day. It might be defective. I wouldn’t fuck with them, period. They have the strongest grip strength of all pincer-possessing animals.”

“Have I ever told you how sexy your brain is?” I asked, squatting slowly to pick up a large rock.

“Not nearly enough. Knox, leave the crab alone.”

“Victoria, look how big the claws are. There is meat galore in them.”

“Yeah, well, I’d rather you keep all your fingers.” I edged forward slowly and repeatedly clicked my tongue as if calling a kitten, trying to coax it down the tree. “Are you pspspspsing a crab?”

“Shhhh,” I whispered as I neared the tree. “Fuck!” I yelled, jumping back as a sharp pain radiated through my leg. I reared back in shock from the sight of the black snake that slithered away with what appeared to be a satisfied smile on its face.

“Knox? What’s going on?” Victoria asked softly.

“Stay back,” I demanded with my hand raised, stopping her in her tracks. I’d only been bitten for a few seconds, and already my leg was red and inflamed. Worse than that, the pain was unbearable.