Page 78 of Rival Hearts

“I don’t know if these are wet or just cold.”

I stood and walked to her and didn’t miss how her eyes slid down my body for a moment. I was semi-aroused, not completely flaccid, and she noticed.

For a second, I entertained the idea of scooping her up and carrying her back to our makeshift bed for another round of everything that was delicious, but I forced myself to stay in control.

“I think they’re just cold,” I said.

“Good,” Charlotte said. “Then we don’t have to go out there and head back to the real world in wet clothes. That’s what I hate the most—getting into clothes when they’re still wet. Ever had to get into wet swimming trunks after already getting out of them?”

I laughed. “Yeah, as kids. These days, no. I have people who dry everything for me when I need them dry.”

“Of course you do,” she said, but a smile played around her mouth, and her eyes danced with laughter.

I snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her closer, planting a kiss on her lips. It was just a quick kiss, but when I pulled back, her eyes had softened, and the smile was still there.

“We should get dressed and get back,” I said, hating my own words. “They’ll start to wonder where we are soon.”

“Yeah.”

We reluctantly pulled apart and got dressed. I watched Charlotte as she put her clothes back on, ran her fingers through her hair, found a hair tie and pulled it back in a ponytail.

“I wish we had a mirror in here.”

“You don’t need one. You look fantastic.”

“Bedraggled, I’m sure,” she said with a laugh.

Sexy as hell.“Not at all.”

She smiled, and I finished getting dressed.

She opened her backpack and tried the phones.

“Yeah, I don’t think they made it. It’s either water or the battery, but they’re both dead. Shit.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said. “I’ll replace it.”

“You don’t have to do that. This was as little your fault as it was mine.”

“I want to.”

It was the least I could do to look after her.

She nodded and handed my phone to me. It really was dead.

That was fine. I had no one I needed to talk to right now. The world could go on without me for a little longer.

Probably for a lot longer.

We walked down the spiral stairs to the bottom room. The rain hadn’t driven into the room too much, and save for a few wet patches, it looked untouched by the storm.

We stepped outside, and the island was a vibrant green, the gray rocks a beautiful divide between the lush ground and the impossibly blue water.

The sun shone brightly, and gulls squawked as they circled lazily above the water or sunbathed on the beach.

Debris had washed up on shore, pieces of driftwood and broken bits I couldn’t identify from this distance. It was the only proof the storm had happened at all.

“I can’t believe it looks so beautiful out there,” Charlotte said. “You’d think we were making it all up last night.”