Page 25

Chapter Twenty-Four

T he marina was nearly deserted, with a few vessels bobbing in the sapphire water by the pier, wavelets calmly lapping against their hulls. The sea shimmered in the morning sun, the teasing breeze carried salt and warmth that coursed through my chestnut hair. In the distance, the squabble of seagulls chased fishing ships dragging heavy nets. On the horizon, the árbol Hueco Isla appeared as a small brown spot, barely visible from the shore.

“I hope the boat you rented is better than the plane that brought us to Colombia,” I teased Andrew as we exited the car. It was just the two of us as Andrew had asked William to stay at the hotel and sign for a package delivery.

Andrew retrieved his backpack, a picnic basket, and a blue blanket that I hadn’t noticed before from the car’s trunk.

“What’s with the basket?” I followed him down the steps to the marina office building. Two men exited the building, chatting in Spanish, and strode toward the parking lot.

“Just in case we get hungry.”

I suspected that there was something more to the reason William had to stay behind. My stomach fluttered at the thought that it may also be a date.

Andrew stopped at the door and set the basket on the ground. “Wait here. I’ll get our boat keys.” He pointed the finger at me. “Don’t peek inside the basket.”

“Hmm, now I want to see what’s there.”

“Please don’t.”

Since the first kiss we’d shared two days ago, Andrew had found every opportunity to brush his lips against mine, or my temple, my shoulder, any part of my body he could reach. I’d seen couples like that who constantly touched and kissed one another, and I was sure they were faking it, making a show for the outside world. Now, we were that couple. And I loved every part of it and would never get tired of this.

In the building, Andrew talked to a plump, friendly-looking woman. He waved his hand in the ocean’s direction, and she laughed, shaking her head. He signed some papers and turned to face me, a mischievous smile tugging on his lips. And then he winked. The man winked at me. Not sure why, but that made me giggle, and the heat rushed to my cheeks. For the love of God, William was right. I was smitten with Andrew.

After a few minutes, Andrew glided towards me, dangling a boat key on his finger. “Call me your captain.” He snatched the basket off the ground and laced his fingers with mine. He had so much joyous energy in him, he practically bounced on his feet. “Let’s find our ride.”

The small motorboat wasn’t anything fancy; it needed new paint and maybe new seat covers, but other than that, it was in decent shape. And thankfully it appeared to have no issue staying afloat.

Andrew jumped in first, then helped me. As soon as I was in, he wrapped his arms around me, and my body instantly melted into his. I rested my chin against his chest and gazed helplessly into his eyes, wanting the comforting touch of his lips on mine. A question danced on the tip of my tongue. Would you like to continue us?

The breeze played with his wavy brown hair, and waves gently swayed the boat. His eyes searched mine. “You look like you have something on your mind.”

I smiled and buried my face into his chest, inhaling his cologne. Andrew tightened his arms and kissed the top of my head. The warmth I felt in the center of my chest wasn’t from the sun or Andrew’s embrace. How long could we stay like that? As if summoned, a mean wave hit our boat and we staggered sideways, breaking apart—the universe’s way of answering my question. It was time to get back to our search. Andrew started the boat, and I took a seat up front.

* * *

Waves calmly rolled in on the sandy beach that wrapped around the perimeter of giant rock rising out of the sea. Besides a small line of palm trees guarding the foot of the hill, the shoreline had sparse greenery. A stone stairway in the cleft steeply climbed up and rounded the corner.

Andrew tied the boat to a frail wooden dock which was missing quite a few planks and looked as if it could collapse at any moment. Leaving the basket behind, we gingerly stepped onto the structure. The end near the shore was in an even worse condition, so Andrew threw his and my shoes on the beach, then tossed his backpack, too. With his pants rolled to his knees, he jumped into the water and held his hands to me.

“I guess not many tourists come here.” I gripped his hands. Andrew’s free arm went around my thighs, and he hoisted me up. A squeak escaped me. “What are you doing?” I plastered myself to him for stability.

“I don’t want your feet to get wet,” he said. His thoughtfulness accelerated the flutter in my chest into full throttle. With my butt parked in Andrew’s grasp, he navigated to a dry spot near the staircase.

At the top, against a blue sky dappled with white clouds, a forlorn árbol Hueco church—a four-wall building with no roof—stood in the middle of the field blanketed with green grass. An enormous mahogany tree to the left of the ruins overshadowed a fenced-in area with seven gravestones.

Holding hands, Andrew and I walked toward the graveyard, tall grass blades tickling my legs.

“Who are these people?” I asked, studying partially illegible words carved into weather-beaten stones.

“A man named Father Rodrigos and some of his family. I don’t know much about him except that he and his wife had five children. When she passed away, he remarried and had six more kids.” Andrew crouched near a stone and ran his hand over letters covered in moss. “Rodrigos was the last one to be buried here. After his passing, the remaining children moved to the mainland to live with their older siblings.”

“I don’t blame them. What a boring life to live on this island, with one tree and nothing else to do.”

“At some point, there were more fruit trees and a garden, sheep, and goats. I’m sure they kept themselves busy.”

A lustful smile pulled my lips up. “Are we going to get busy, too?”

Andrew gave me a cheeky grin. “I didn’t mean it in that way, but I like the way your mind works. I’m sure they had plenty of sex, but most of their days were spent working in the garden, taking care of the few animals they had, and doing other things to ensure their survival.”

I weaved my fingers into his. “Come on, let’s look for Pérez’s long-lost treasure.”

Like its roof, the church doors were missing, and we passed over the threshold into an empty and ghostly room. Only the remnants of an old fireplace remained visible. On the left side, toward the end, a narrow staircase led down to the underground level. Andrew stopped near the opening in the floor, turned on two flashlights, and offered me one. “Fancy going into the church cellar?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

As we descended, the damp air blanketed us along with endless cobwebs. This basement was much less exciting than the Iglesia San Antonio. Why would a pirate hide something here? They would have to haul chests up the hill and then carefully store them using the puny steps. I removed a dusty web from my face, making the flashlight beam dance all over the room.

“I thought Pérez stole lots of treasure. This seems too small to hold it.”

“We’re searching for anything that resembles an opening big enough for you to slide your hand with the bracelet in,” Andrew said.

“If this is a church. Where did the family live?” I turned on the spot, searching for evidence of anything treasure related on the stone walls.

“The main house burned down about two hundred years ago. We can check out the outline of their house after we explore this place.” Andrew inspected the perimeter of the space.

I continued on, pausing at certain places and running my hand over moss-covered stones and ferns that clung to stairs where the sunlight had reached inside. After a while, I was ready to give up. I turned to ask if we should search elsewhere, but Andrew gazed at me the same way he often did, with a gentle smile.

“What?” I asked.

Andrew approached me, and his fingers found their way to the back of my neck. He angled my head and pressed the softest of kisses to my lips. Warm and tender. His touch muddled my senses, time losing its meaning, and a hot shiver roared down my spine. I reached up, threading my fingers through his hair, and yanked his mouth harder to mine. I wanted to lose myself in Andrew.

He pinned me to the stone wall and pushed his body against mine. The air buzzed with electricity as if lightning had struck near us.

I broke our kiss. “Isn’t it a sin to dry hump in a church?”

His gaze glowed with desire, no doubt matching mine.

“Then call me a sinner.” Andrew hitched up my leg, nuzzling his face at the side of my neck, scorching my skin with wet, hungry kisses. Every nerve hummed in me. “Adriana,” he said in a husky voice, “what I want to do to you is hard to express in words.” His mouth took control of mine again. My body burned for the man whose hardness throbbed between my thighs.

“Show me,” I said, breathless, my hands tugging on his shirt, needing to feel his skin.

Andrew pulled my hands away and trapped my arms above my head with one hand, his mouth never leaving mine. His other hand brushed gently down my side until it reached my shorts. He kissed me harder, his tongue dipping inside and stroking, and his hand slid between my skin and the rough fabric of my cutoff jeans. His palm traveled over my soaked panties.

“I made you this wet.” He groaned, his fingers working my center, moving with perfect rhythm up and down, and fueling my blood with more need. I rocked my hips against his hand, increasing the friction. I wanted the damn thong to be gone. I wanted skin on skin.

He trailed kisses down my neck and my collarbone. His hand released my arms, and he dragged my shirt and bra straps down, exposing my left breast. He cupped it, and his mouth sucked on my hard bud, then nipped with a tease. I untangled my arms from my shirt, and arched my back, drawing him closer. His fingers finally pulled the wet fabric to one side and massaged my clit. A moan escaped me. Swirling his finger over my pulsating center, he made me thrash and whimper. The heated pleasure inside of me threatened to explode any second.

“Don’t stop.” My words came out as a breathy plea.

Andrew’s mouth found my other nipple, and he pinched it with his teeth. He gently caressed my clit between his thumb and index finger, then pressed his fingers flat and swiveled, encouraging me to come, propelling me over the edge. I cried out, my entire body jerking forward with powerful spasms. Without once pushing into my entrance, Andrew had made me come undone. My legs went weak, and he held me upright, his arm wrapped my waist, his forehead pressing to the top of my head. Both of us panted as if we’d just finished a marathon.

I rubbed his erection with one hand and snatched a condom out of the back pocket of my shorts. I slapped it against Andrew’s chest. “We aren’t done.”

Andrew’s lips pulled into a lustful grin. “Not at all.”

If taking off clothes had been an Olympic sport, we would’ve won two gold medals. In no time we took off our shoes and threw every piece of fabric from our bodies to the floor. Andrew pinned my back to the cold stone wall again.

“Oh my God.” I squealed with laughter. “It’s so?—”

Andrew’s hot mouth covered mine while his fingers worked quickly on the condom, rolling it down his cock. Then he slid his finger inside me, and I gasped.

“Just making sure you’re still ready for me,” he rasped. I was ready for him the moment I saw him this morning. I wanted him more now. Raw and fast.

He cupped my ass with both hands and lifted me. I encased his waist with my legs, and my arms circled his neck. He guided his cock into me, stretching me wide. I inhaled with equal amounts of pleasure and pain. A satisfying groan rumbled deep in his throat, the most arousing noise I’ve ever heard, and it made me wetter. He moved his hips, spinning pleasure out of me with every movement. My breath caught, and I clung to him. The hot sweat of desire covered our bodies.

Andrew’s jaw tensed, and his breathing became labored. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and kissed him with so much intensity I could taste blood. Needing him deeper and craving another climax, I released my grip. “I want you behind me.”

He withdrew, his hand holding me, letting me plant my trembling legs on the floor. I turned, placed my palms on the wall, and spread my legs apart. He bent forward, his chest pressing against my back, and his hard dick toyed with my opening. He kissed my neck, then sucked on my earlobe as he reached under, and his fingers slowly circled my clit, then slid deep into me, manipulating me to my next orgasm.

“You’re so sexy.” His words rumbled over my skin, then his hands gripped my hips, and he rocked back in. He thrust in and out, going deeper each time, making me cry out. He felt so fucking good. Heat coursed down me, and my spine arched, inviting more of him. He picked up a driving rhythm, his firm grasp on my body steadying me. I shut my eyes when another orgasm ripped through my body, and a hoarse scream erupted from me. Andrew’s breaths became hard and fast. He groaned, low and deep, his fingers tightening on my hips, and then his movement slowed until he was still. We remained there, winded, his head resting on my shoulder and his palms braced against the wall.

Andrew kissed my shoulder. “If any ghosts lived here,” he said, still catching up his breath, “I think you did a good job scaring them away with your screams.”

I laughed. “I’ll try to be quieter next time.”

“Don’t. I love it.” He kissed the side of my face.

* * *

Dressed, we walked—holding hands—to the outline of the old building. Small piles of debris had been taken over by moss and overgrown grass. Andrew gave me a brief story of the family that had lived here, and with nothing else left for us to do or explore, he left me standing on the hill while he dashed to the boat.

Andrew returned with the picnic basket and a blue blanket. He spread the blanket on the shaded spot beneath the tree and invited me to join him there. The obscure Colombian coast was behind us, and a vast shimmering ocean was in front of us, seagulls flying in the distance.

I kicked off my boots and let the sun warm my feet. Andrew uncorked a bottle of red wine, poured it into glasses, and offered me one.

“Wow, actual glass stemware? At a picnic?” I sipped my wine. “Are you that environmentally cautious or too posh? Usually, people bring plastic cups.”

“I don’t mind helping our planet, but you also commented the other night that drinking wine out of plastic ruins its taste.”

“Oh, god.” I laughed and covered my eyes with a free hand. “You’re making me sound like such a wine snob. I don’t care. I was just pointing out that when you’re trying a new wine for the first time, it’s best to do it out of a glass, not plastic. But thank you. This is a lovely Malbec.”

Out of the basket, Andrew took out two plates covered with brown paper. He unwrapped them, revealing pre-cut cheese and fresh bread, red grapes, and gooseberries. Aw, he remembered golden berries too. He gave me a sweet smile and withdrew a tiny glass bottle with clear liquid stopped with a cork. Andrew uncorked it and added a white and purple Cattleya Trianae orchid. A warm glow shifted through me at his thoughtfulness and romantic nature.

“Come now,” I said in an awed whisper. “What else do you have in there?” I peeked in. The basket was mostly empty, except for one silver condom packet at the bottom. I glanced at Andrew without suppressing my smile. “You were serious about your plan, weren’t you?”

“Of course.” He kissed the tip of my nose.

We lapsed into a comfortable silence while nibbling at our food, stealing glimpses of each other now and then. I munched on everything, whereas Andrew only ate cheese and fruit.

“Why aren’t you eating bread?” I said, smoothing away loose strands that the wind liked to play with. He shook his head and held up a finger while he chewed.

“I was always a chubby kid,” he said once he’d swallowed. “And all the shite I had to take from other kids could top this mountain. I was fifteen when I joined a cricket team. Later I tried rugby but didn’t enjoy it much.” His gaze focused on something in the ocean. “Maybe it was that, or maybe I finally hit my growth spurt, but in the next two years I grew two feet more, and muscles replaced my baby fat. I got different attention from everyone, especially from girls, but the fat, insecure kid stuck with me for years. Of course, I enjoyed the attention and didn’t want to lose it, so I lived on a strict diet and worked out like a maniac.” He shrugged. “The diet became a habit. I can have whatever; I just don’t crave it.”

“I bet you were a Casanova.” I crinkled my nose and bit into a large, red grape.

“The kid inside me pushed me to stay fit, but also kept me on a short leash of insecurity.”

It was hard to imagine the stunning and confident Andrew as a chubby kid or a timid young man. He for sure wasn’t shy anymore, at least not with me, and I loved his pure animal magnetism. And what baffled me the most was why in the world Brie let Andrew go.

“How long were you and Brie together?”

“Three years.”

I raised an eyebrow. That many years meant a serious relationship. I was having a hard time picturing them together.

“I thought she was special with her being my first and such, but we got too busy with school and drifted apart. We reconnected several years later. Things were going well, but then my parents died and…” Andrew looked away.

“And what?”

“I found her with Richard.” Andrew scrubbed a hand down his face as he blew out a slow breath. “While I was grieving and helping pregnant Charlotte, they were making a fool out of me.”

What a bitch.

“I think she’s an idiot.” I took his hand and laced my fingers with his. Andrew smiled, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles, his eyes running over our linked hands. “I fell head over heels for Greg on the first day of our economy class when he had this long debate with the professor. For three years I was so blind I didn’t see any red flags… like how he never introduced me to his family. He always had great excuses why, and I believed him. They lived somewhere in North Carolina and often traveled, so he always went to visit them. Alone. I couldn’t pay for a trip, and he didn’t offer to pay, but anyway…” I exhaled a heavy breath, the weight of how stupid and na?ve I’d been pushed hard on my chest. “When they came to his graduation, he introduced me as his friend, and acted cold and fidgety.” Andrew listened with a tense expression, his brows pulled together, creating a deep cleft in between. “Long story short, he broke it off outside the football stadium after the graduation. He said I’d been stupid to think there was a future for us. He couldn’t muddy his family blood with someone like me—trailer park trash.” The same gut-punching sensation I’d felt that day crashed into me again. I looked up at the sky through the tree branches, blinking away the tears forming in my eyes. I wasn’t going to cry over that shithead. “His exact words were, ‘You can take a girl out of a trailer park, but you can’t take the trailer park out of a girl.’”

“Adriana, Greg is a brainless numbskull fucking imbecile.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Oh gosh, I was so infuriated. One drunken night, William and I set a goal for me to marry into a royal family. We wasted hours researching and planning a scheme for how I could insert myself into their circle. Obviously, the next day while enduring a major hangover, I came up with a better plan: to work hard and move up in my career. I understand that I can’t rid myself of the past, especially one I had no control over, but the idiot’s words convinced me that I wasn’t good enough.”

Andrew grasped my hand. “You’re more than enough. The most important things in life are how pure your heart is, who you become, and how you treat others. Not how blue your blood is, or where you grew up, or how posh of a school you went to. You’re so astute, smart, and beautiful that you leave even the most confident man speechless and wonderstruck.”

“That’s kind of you to say,” I whispered. I set the empty wineglass next to the basket and laid back on the blanket. A lazy cloud drifted in the infinite blue sky before us, and a gentle breeze played with leaves on the tree. Andrew moved plates out of the way and lay next to me, one hand under his head and the other finding mine once again.

“Which royal family?” he said.

I laughed. “I think we primarily focused on any bachelor with straight teeth.”

Andrew rolled on his side and leaned into me. “I’m a bachelor. And I have straight teeth.” He grinned like a mad man, making me laugh harder.

“But you aren’t related to the King.” I looped my arms around his neck and pulled him on top of me.

“I’m not, but I plan on giving you the royal treatment…” He pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth. “Right.” He kissed my jawline. “Now.”

* * *

It was close to five in the evening when Andrew and I returned to the marina. His picnic had worked out just like he had planned, and nothing he’d brought in the basket was wasted. Despite our next clue hunt turning out to be a dud, Andrew hadn’t stopped beaming since we’d left the island. We walked from the boat to the marina’s main office holding hands. I loved the feel of my palm in his large one. He went to return the keys and get his deposit back, and I took the empty basket to our car.

I was securing my backpack in the back of the Jeep when Andrew ran up the stairs to the parking lot three steps at a time. He stopped dead in his tracks, his face streaked with confusion then shifting into obsidian anger, muscles in his jaw spasming as he clenched his teeth. His eyes were glued to someone or something behind me, the crease between his eyebrows deepening. A sense of unease coursed through me, and I turned.

Richard leaned against a green Land Rover’s hood, his hands folded on his chest, a sickening smile pasted on his face. Tweedledum stayed in the driver seat inside, his sunglasses too small on this stupid flat face. Tweedledee stepped from behind the car, swinging a gray Yeti duffle over his shoulder, his shirt rising and exhibiting a black gun in a holster.

What the heck? My thoughts whirled with possibilities. Had they been here all this time, waiting for us to return with a new clue or actual treasure, or did they just show up? Was someone spying on us, or did Richard track our phones? Or had someone told him we were here? My mind reeled through every instance William had hidden his phone as soon as he’d noticed me watching him texting. Was he talking to Brandon? Was William that stupid to leak our location? Or did Brandon track William’s phone? No, that couldn’t be it because William didn’t come with us to the island, so he must have just shared it in conversation.

Andrew stopped at my side. “Fucking hell.”

“Mrs. Jones, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Richard gave me a curt nod.

I won’t deny that it gave me great pleasure to be mistaken for Andrew’s wife. I threw Dickhead a dirty look. “I can’t say the same.”

“We just arrived.” Richard nodded in the direction of the ocean. “Do you care to share with me what you found on árbol Hueco Isla? Remember, we could always split the share.”

“We should go.” Andrew opened the passenger door for me, and I slid into the Jeep. He pushed past Richard, rounded the car, and jumped into his seat. Without buckling up, he started the car and backed out of the parking spot, making Richard jump back to avoid being hit.

Andrew navigated us out of the marina, buckling up as he turned onto the main road, heading back to the town where we were staying.

Andrew’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles white, as if at any second he would rip the wheel off the dashboard.

“I must apologize to William,” Andrew said.

I shifted in my seat and smoothed away the hair whipping my face. “Why?”

“I was wrong not to believe him.” Andrew looked at his side mirror and steered the car around a slow truck going up the hill with livestock. “Dr. Garcia is collaborating with Richard.”