CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jess
Morning comes quickly after we finally drift off. I wake because the sun is burning into my eyelids, making it feel as though I’m lying directly under it. I groan and stretch. Dimitri is wrapped around me, his hard body pressed against mine. There’s a massive amount of heat between us and the moment I shift out of his arms, it escapes, letting me feel the cool breeze outside.
I get to my knees, looking down at Dimitri.
He’s half on his side, half on his back. His dark hair is messy, and there are twigs poking out from the thick depths. His skin is dirty and he looks like he’s done two rounds with a puddle of mud yet he looks so utterly perfect my breath catches in my throat. I manage to compose myself enough to steady my breathing. I focus on inhaling the fresh morning breeze.
I walk over to the stream and kneel down, my knees burning as small rocks poke into my skin. I shift and groan, cupping my hands and placing them into the water. I splash my face and then turn my attention to washing my arms and trying to remove some of the dirt I’ve managed to accumulate through the night.
“You’re crazy.”
I turn and see Dimitri staring down at me. He’s shirtless and he’s got a hand up in his hair, tugging the thick strands, trying to tidy them up.
“It’s a good way to wake up,” I say, splashing my face again.
“It’s fucking cold.”
“Yes, yes it is.”
He kneels beside me and dunks his shirt in. He lifts it, wrings it out and presses it against his face. He shudders and makes a horrified sound, then turns to me with a wide-eyed expression.
“I’ll say it again, you’re crazy.”
I shrug and get to my feet. “Crazy and starving. Are you ready to get going?”
He nods and throws his shirt over his shoulder. I stare down at his ankle—it’s far less swollen and he seems to be able to put pressure on it, so that’s a good thing.
“How’s your leg?”
He stares down at it and shrugs again. “The bleeding has stopped on the gash and my ankle feels a lot better.”
“Good. Do you need your stick?” I ask, nodding toward the tree where he laid it.
“Yeah, can’t hurt.”
He walks over and takes it, and we head back to the camp.
“Talk about fuckin’ scare us!” Luke mutters, shoving Dimitri in the shoulder.
“Sorry. We didn’t want to risk walking at night and my ankle was killing me.”
I give the group a brief smile and then turn and head toward the ship. They’ve been all over Dimi since we got back, making sure he’s okay. For a moment, just a small second, this group reminded me of Hendrix and the pirates. My heart aches to know if they’re okay, but there’s no way for me to do that. I just have to hang in there until a plan becomes more clear.
I do know one thing, though.
I can’t kill Dimi.
Part of me wanted to, thinking it was truly the only way I could save Hendrix, but now I’ve learned a little more about him—I realize I just can’t do it. Dimitri isn’t bad at heart. Hell, he’s not even really bad anywhere else either. He’s just looking for a way to bring himself peace. I can’t judge him for that. I’ve been in that position before. Even if it was for just a little while, I’ve still been there.
“Hey, Jess.”
I turn at the sound of Dimi’s voice. His eyes meet mine and I can see genuine gratitude in their depths.
“Thank you.”
I give him a weak smile and nod, then I turn and continue on my way back to the ship.
Something doesn’t feel right in my belly, and I’m not sure what it is.
Dimitri
“I can’t find him. We’ve been out here two weeks and I’ve let out every fucking radar we have and he hasn’t come,” I mutter, pacing up and down the sand two days after we docked at the island.
“I don’t know, boss,” Luke says, putting his hands on his hips and leaning against a tall palm tree.
“He’s up to something. He’s smarter than I thought. I was expecting him to go to any lengths to get Jess back, but he’s not. He’s making us wait, he’s making us think he’s forgotten about her. Luckily for me, I know that’s not the case.”
She isn’t easy to forget.
I shake her from my head. I shake the memories of her curled in my arms all night and the fact that I didn’t feel sick being so close to her. I shake the feelings that are swelling in my chest. She can’t mean anything to me, it’s not how this plan was meant to unfold.
“Maybe something has happened to him?” Luke suggests, snapping me back to reality.
I shake my head. “No, he’s too smart for that. He’s working something. I’m just not sure what it is.”
“Well, there are definitely other ships out there. Marco picked some up this morning, southwest, about a hundred miles.”
I nod. “We’re spending only one more night here. Chances are they’re just carrier ships, but I am not naive enough to think we’re the only criminals on this ocean. Hendrix ain’t the only one either.”
“More pirates?”
“Yeah, more pirates.”
He nods and pulls out a cigarette. “See Linden got a boar this morning? Having a cookout tonight.”
“Yeah,” I say, staring out at the ocean.
Jess is sitting on the sand, smiling out at the sea, a look of complete calm on her face.
Stop looking, Dimitri.
Don’t let her affect you.
Fuck, it’s too late. She already is.
Hendrix hasn’t come for me.
I overheard Dimitri, even though he thought I couldn’t hear him. When there’s no other noise around, it’s not hard to hear what’s going on around you. I heard bits and pieces of what Dimi said, and from what I can gather, Hendrix hasn’t jumped into his trap like he wanted. That surprises me—Hendrix is a hothead sometimes and I honestly thought he would have run off the rails and dived in.
He didn’t.
That could be because of Indi. She would be holding him back, keeping him on level ground so he doesn’t act without thinking. She’s good like that. It could also be because Hendrix is smarter than I first thought. I actually feel bad that for a second there, I doubted him. He’s a pirate; he’s been running these waters for years. He knows them better than anyone else.
He wouldn’t just let Dimitri destroy everything he’s built so easily. The feeling of intense relief I feel in my chest is comforting. I’ve struggled with the thought that I might never make it home, but now that I know there’s still a chance and that Hendrix is probably coming up with a sturdy plan, I’m far more confident.
I sigh and drop back into the water. The waves that crash along the shoreline are calming, almost like a drug. I sigh once more, only this time it’s longer and drawn out. I tilt my head back into the water and let the cool ease my aching neck. I’m still stiff and sore from sleeping on the ground with Dimitri.
“We’re having a fire.”
I lift my head and see Dimitri standing on the sand, only his ankles in the water. I can’t help but smile at the image. He’s gorgeous—no, scrap that, he’s a breath of fresh air. A god. A mold that was broken and never created again.
“Hello?” he says.
I blink. Shit, I was staring.
“I . . . sorry. A fire, you said?”
He gives me a lazy half-smile that has me clenching my thighs together.
“Yeah, you know, the burny orange thing that people use to cook on.”
“Ha ha,” I smile, standing and walking out of the waves. “I know what a fire is.”
“Really?” he says, following me as I walk up the beach. I can hear the sarcasm in his voice.
“Really, really.”
“How are the cramps going?”
I smile but I keep my voice steady so he doesn’t know I’m smiling.
“Dimi?”
“What?”
“It’s never okay to ask a woman about her
period.”
He’s quiet for a moment, I can only hear his footsteps as he follows closely behind me.
“You women are completely confusing.”
“Yes, yes we are.”
“You want help when you’re hurtin’, but you don’t want us to ‘ask’ about it.”
“Okay, let me put it like this—you know when a woman has a period, you know when she’s cramping, but you never, I repeat never ask her directly about it.”
“Jesus,” he mutters.
“Precisely.”
We reach the camp and I can see everyone sitting around a large, beautiful fire. I smile, my body shivering with need as we draw closer. A fire brings a certain level of peace. It’s warm and you can just sit staring at it for hours, not thinking, not feeling, just enjoying. I realize I’m smiling stupidly when Livvie clears her throat. I turn my gaze in her direction to see her glaring at me.
“Dimi,” she sings. “Come sit by me. I’m cold.”
“There’s a fire,” he points out, but he still walks toward her.
My chest clenches—with jealousy or just frustration, I don’t know. I take a seat on a long, thick log beside Luke. He’s sitting with a young crew member. I’ve not noticed him before, but that’s probably because I’ve been wrapped very tightly in Dimitri’s grasp. I stare at the man and when he notices, he smiles at me. I can’t help but smile back—he has a kind face.
He’s got big brown eyes and dark brown hair. His skin is olive and his body is tall and muscular. He’s a very good-looking man. I really don’t know how I missed him. In fact, the more I look around this group, the more I realize I’ve not taken any notice of any of them. I feel like an ass now, they must think I’m a complete bitch.
“Hi,” Brown Eyes smiles.
“Hey,” I smile back. “I’m Jess.”
“I know,” he grins.
“And you are?” I prompt.
“Zed.”
“That’s a cool name.”
He reaches down, lifting a bottle of rum. He pushes it toward me. “It is. Want a drink?”
“Is that all you boys drink? Rum?” I tease. “Sure you’re not pirates?”
Zed laughs. “I’m pretty sure we’re pretend pirates, does that count?”
I take the bottle and take a long sip. It burns as it goes down, but it’s a great relief.
“It counts to me. Know any good jokes?”
He laughs, shaking his head. “I haven’t taken Pirate Jokes 101, sorry.”
“Me either, it’s on my TDL.”
He raises his brows. “TDL?”
“To do list.”
He shakes his head and I beam.
“So how come I haven’t spoken to you or seen you around?”
He shrugs. “Probably because you were under the boss’s wing. That and I’m working a lot of the time.”
“Working?”
“I navigate.”
“Ah,” I say, nodding. “You make sure we don’t get lost.”
He chuckles. “That amongst other things.”
“Like?”
“Like tracking.”
I frown. “Right.”
“Sorry,” he murmurs, looking genuinely sympathetic that he’s been hired to track the man who saved my life.
“No problem,” I manage through gritted teeth.
“Come on,” he says, pushing the bottle back toward me. “I’m only doin’ my job. Don’t judge me for that.”
He’s giving me the eyes—the pleading puppy dog eyes. I giggle and shake my head, rolling my eyes. “God, fine, okay. Give me that.”
I take the bottle and have a drink, feeling for the first time in weeks like things might just go how they’re meant to.
And surprisingly, I feel content.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jess
Louder, louder!” I giggle, spinning around in a circle.
I’m drunk—no, I’m beyond drunk. I’ve gone to the level of crazy and I’m rocking it. I’ve been dancing to my own voice for the past half an hour, singing and spinning until I land in a heap on the sand, then I start again. I have most of the guys in fits of laughter; I’ve even seen Dimi smiling here and there. His eyes haven’t left me, though, even when Malibu Barbie tried to crawl onto his lap.
“Zed!” I yell. “Sing louder.”
Zed has joined in now and we’ve skipped off to the sand. He’s now perched on a rock singing “Cotton Eye Joe” to me in his best country voice. It’s not very good but I’m not about to break that to him. He sings louder and I spin harder, twirling until my stomach turns. I drop onto the sand with a loud laugh. Zed leaps off the rock and runs over, plonking down beside me.
“Ever tried to make shapes out of the stars?” I giggle, staring up at the small stars streaking across the sky.
“No.”
“Try,” I encourage, squinting to see through the haze. Nope, I’m too drunk to see them clearly.
“You go first.”
“Okay,” I say, concentrating. I let my blurred vision slide over the stars until I’m sure I can see a shape. “Oh, look, that one looks like a penis.”
Zed snorts and chuckles. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, look, there.”
I point up to the sky.
“Yep, there’s about a billion stars up there.”
“Look harder,” I urge. “It’s right there, pointing to the moon.”
Zed bursts out laughing. “Are you serious?”
“Serious,” I cry, wiggling my legs. “Look.”
“Zed?”
I hear Dimitri’s voice and I turn to see him standing in the sand, arms crossed, looking down at us. Zed leaps up, dusting the sand off his jeans. “Sorry, boss, just lookin’ at stars.”
“I got it from here. Go and finish up with the guys.”
He nods and flashes me a smile. “Later, Jess.”
“Later, Zed, thanks for making a penis with me.”
He chuckles and shakes his head, disappearing into the trees. Dimitri takes his spot, lying beside me. He puts his hands up behind his head. My body becomes aware of his presence and in my drunken state, I’m finding it very hard not to roll toward him.
“Do I even want to know what you two were doing?”
I giggle. “We were making shapes out of the stars. I saw a penis—he couldn’t see it.”
Dimitri turns to me, raising his brows. “Pretty sure there’s no penis shapes up there.”
“There’s a penis, Dimi. Don’t you doubt it.”
He laughs softly. “It’s getting cold, you should go and get some rest. It’s nearly two a.m.”
I raise my brows, rolling clumsily onto my side. “Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“Let’s go for a swim first.”
“Not sure that’s wise.”
I pout. “What did I say about being a fun-spoiler? Come on.”
I get up after a few hilarious attempts, and I stumble forward toward the ocean.
“Whoa there,” Dimitri says, wrapping an arm around my waist and hauling me backwards. “You’ll kill yourself.”
I huff. “No I won’t, it’s fine.”
“Come on, you’re drunk and you need to sleep.”
“But, Dimi,” I whine. “I want to swim.”
He makes an amused sound and pulls me toward the ship that’s docked on the sand. He helps me up the ladder, which ends in a lot of giggles and curse words from him. By the time we get halfway to his room, he’s given up and has scooped down and lifted me into his arms.
“I can walk,” I protest, attempting to squirm. It’s really useless. He’s too strong.
“I have no doubt, but it’s far quicker this way.”
“Can we go for a swim?”
“No.”
“Please, Dimi.”
He smiles and I reach up and touch his cheek where a lone dimple appears. “You have only one dimple.”
“Is that right?”
I nod, poking it with my finger. “Tha
t’s right. Do you think it’s a deformity?”
“You’re a sweetheart, really . . .”
I giggle. “I’m not insulting you, Dimi. I think it’s cute.”
“Well, now you’re insulting me.”
“Why?” I ask, now stroking the stubble on his cheeks.
“Because you just called me cute.”
A giggle bubbles up in my throat, but I smother it.
“What’s wrong with cute?”
“Cute is what you call the guy you don’t think is good-looking, but you don’t want to insult.”
I laugh, shaking my head and poking his bottom lip with my finger. “Okay, how about this? You’re sexy, hot, smokin’, panty-melter, the wetter of all pussies everywhere.”
He laughs loudly. “Are you fuckin’ serious?”
“People are asking me that a lot tonight,” I frown. “And yes, I’m serious. There are many women with uncomfortable vaginas right now because you gave them the sex eyes.”
His chest is rumbling with laughter and it makes me smile. “Uncomfortable vaginas? Really?”
“It’s a very serious issue, Dimi. Don’t blow it off. One look from you and boom, we’ve got some serious leakage.”
“Jesus, stop. You’re making vaginas sound like they’ve got a condition.”
I laugh loudly and poke him in the chest. “You’re the one that gives them a condition.”
He drops me onto his bed and stares down at me. “And how’s your vagina?”
I give him a disgusted face. “That’s such an ugly word, right?”
“What would you prefer your condition to be referred to as?”
I cross my arms. “I never said I had the condition.”
He’s giving me that half-smile again. Shit.
“You never said you didn’t, either.”
“Smartass. Your sex eyes don’t work on me.”
He lies down on the bed beside me. “Is that right?”
“It’s very right.”
“Okay then,” he murmurs, yawning.
“If you’re tired, you can sleep. I’m going swimming,” I say, getting up and crawling to the end of the bed.
Dimitri launches up, catching me around the waist and pulling me down.
“No you ain’t.”
“Are you always so bossy?”
Boy, did I just slur? Not classy, Jess. Not classy at all.