the door and hopped out, waiting to help me down the small steps.
Standing in the doorway, the moist ocean air immediately hit me. “Where are we?” I asked. “Where is King?”
The pilot held out his hand, and I hesitantly took it. Complete darkness surrounded the helicopter’s illuminated perimeter. The sound of waves crashing far off in the distance swept over me with a gentle breeze.
“King instructed me to bring you here,” he said.
My heart started to pound. I didn’t know where “here” was. “You are not dumping me in some dark field in the middle of goddamned—”
“Mia, I am here with you.” I felt King’s hot breath in my ear and his warm palm press against the small of my back. “There is nothing to fear.”
I turned to find King towering over me. Even in my six-inch heels, I still felt meek compared to his size.
“He cannot see or hear me,” King explained in that deep, confident voice which told me I was behaving like a child, “and I did not want to frighten the man. By the way, you’re late for dinner.”
Ugh. King and his punctuality.
I turned toward the pilot.“Thanks for the ride. See you later.”
The pilot dipped his head and disappeared inside the helicopter.
“So now can you tell me where we are?” I asked.
King smiled and reached out, placing his large hand on my cheek. “You look beautiful tonight, Mia.” He then rubbed his thumb across my lower lip, staring with intensity at my mouth. “I cannot wait to show you what I have planned for us.”
His devilish smile almost brought me to my knees, half in fear, half due to the excitement I felt when he touched me. It was a rush. A drug. A sick addiction.
King took my hand and led me away from the field. It was difficult to see anything, but I tried my best to make out the hard texture of the ground to avoid falling in my heels.
“My apologies for the rustic accommodations,” he said, “but cement has no place here.” He pulled me along, and I heard the helicopter’s engine start. A strong gust of wind whipped at my hair, blowing a few clumps loose.
“He’s leaving?” I asked.
“He’s needed elsewhere but will return shortly,” King said. The wind whipped violently around us.
There goes the hair.
“I prefer your hair down, anyway,” he commented.
My blonde locks generally resembled a wildebeest’s chin unless I took care to trim it regularly and use anti-wildebeest products, but there’d been little time for any of that, so I’d worn it up.
“Just don’t complain when it attacks you.” I slipped the pin from my hair and let the rest fall loose.
King let out a deep chuckle, and I had to admit, it made my toes tingle. There was nothing like it in the world—sensual, unapologetically male, and completely seductive.
“Wait here one moment,” he said.
Before I could protest, a torch burst with flames in his hand. “There. Now that the helicopter has departed, we can have light. Right this way.”
He held out the torch, and I saw a long, narrow, sandy walkway ahead and a set of stone steps leading up. Up to what, I didn’t know.
“This is my private island,” King said. “I’ve had it since I was born. Handed down from my father.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I spent many summers here with my family. It brings good memories.”
I followed him up the steps, and along the way, he lit various torches staked into the ground. “How did you keep it all this time?”
“It helps that it doesn’t appear on any maps. And I have quite the security system.”
“Dogs?” I asked.
“No. Any strangers who come near it spontaneously combust.”
“That’s a bit severe, don’t you think?”
He laughed. “All right, they do not explode into flames, but they cannot enter. They then forget they ever saw it. As I said, the island is private, and I intend to keep it that way—hidden from the world.”
I just hoped never to become shipwrecked in a place like this. It would
Standing in the doorway, the moist ocean air immediately hit me. “Where are we?” I asked. “Where is King?”
The pilot held out his hand, and I hesitantly took it. Complete darkness surrounded the helicopter’s illuminated perimeter. The sound of waves crashing far off in the distance swept over me with a gentle breeze.
“King instructed me to bring you here,” he said.
My heart started to pound. I didn’t know where “here” was. “You are not dumping me in some dark field in the middle of goddamned—”
“Mia, I am here with you.” I felt King’s hot breath in my ear and his warm palm press against the small of my back. “There is nothing to fear.”
I turned to find King towering over me. Even in my six-inch heels, I still felt meek compared to his size.
“He cannot see or hear me,” King explained in that deep, confident voice which told me I was behaving like a child, “and I did not want to frighten the man. By the way, you’re late for dinner.”
Ugh. King and his punctuality.
I turned toward the pilot.“Thanks for the ride. See you later.”
The pilot dipped his head and disappeared inside the helicopter.
“So now can you tell me where we are?” I asked.
King smiled and reached out, placing his large hand on my cheek. “You look beautiful tonight, Mia.” He then rubbed his thumb across my lower lip, staring with intensity at my mouth. “I cannot wait to show you what I have planned for us.”
His devilish smile almost brought me to my knees, half in fear, half due to the excitement I felt when he touched me. It was a rush. A drug. A sick addiction.
King took my hand and led me away from the field. It was difficult to see anything, but I tried my best to make out the hard texture of the ground to avoid falling in my heels.
“My apologies for the rustic accommodations,” he said, “but cement has no place here.” He pulled me along, and I heard the helicopter’s engine start. A strong gust of wind whipped at my hair, blowing a few clumps loose.
“He’s leaving?” I asked.
“He’s needed elsewhere but will return shortly,” King said. The wind whipped violently around us.
There goes the hair.
“I prefer your hair down, anyway,” he commented.
My blonde locks generally resembled a wildebeest’s chin unless I took care to trim it regularly and use anti-wildebeest products, but there’d been little time for any of that, so I’d worn it up.
“Just don’t complain when it attacks you.” I slipped the pin from my hair and let the rest fall loose.
King let out a deep chuckle, and I had to admit, it made my toes tingle. There was nothing like it in the world—sensual, unapologetically male, and completely seductive.
“Wait here one moment,” he said.
Before I could protest, a torch burst with flames in his hand. “There. Now that the helicopter has departed, we can have light. Right this way.”
He held out the torch, and I saw a long, narrow, sandy walkway ahead and a set of stone steps leading up. Up to what, I didn’t know.
“This is my private island,” King said. “I’ve had it since I was born. Handed down from my father.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I spent many summers here with my family. It brings good memories.”
I followed him up the steps, and along the way, he lit various torches staked into the ground. “How did you keep it all this time?”
“It helps that it doesn’t appear on any maps. And I have quite the security system.”
“Dogs?” I asked.
“No. Any strangers who come near it spontaneously combust.”
“That’s a bit severe, don’t you think?”
He laughed. “All right, they do not explode into flames, but they cannot enter. They then forget they ever saw it. As I said, the island is private, and I intend to keep it that way—hidden from the world.”
I just hoped never to become shipwrecked in a place like this. It would
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