Read Online Heart's Paradise by Olivia Starke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Olivia Starke
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some in the shallows. We’ll have to eat whatever we find raw until the wood and tinder dries out.”
Jonathon grinned. “Sushi? First class dining, and they said this would be a challenge, eh?”
She refused to look at him, and it didn’t sit well in his gut. He should’ve left her alone, the last thing he wanted to do was make it impossible for the two of them to work together. Twenty-four days left, and if they hoped to make it through they had to be comfortable with one another.
Good going, genius. Horniness had gotten the best of him, but was it really a surprise? How many times had his dick done his thinking in his life? Phoebe deserved better from him, and until he figured out exactly who she was, he’d keep his hands to himself.
The last of the cloud cover broke, throwing early dawn’s colorful light over them. To make up for the previous rough night, Mother Nature had decided to give them one hell of a show. Light pinks and lavender touched the tops of the palm trees, and the white sands caught the color, shimmering pink here, orange and lavender there. Admittedly, Jonathon was a city boy. He loved the constant activity, the conveniences, and even the smell of hot pavement on a blistering Texas day.
But here, in this moment, he wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. It seemed they stood on a different planet. A strange and wonderful planet where only the two of them lived. A passenger jet crossed overhead, its faint buzz the only evidence they weren’t alone in the world.
“This is incredible,” he mumbled.
“It’s my favorite time of day,” Phoebe said. “Nothing can compare to the woods at dawn.”
The romance of the moment wasn’t lost on him, and he gazed down to his companion. She stared over the Indian Ocean. Her damp, mussed hair caught the dawn, throwing in glinting shades of copper and bronze in the dark chestnut color. She’d taken it out of its braid, and the soft waves hung down between her shoulder blades. He itched to stroke it, feel its silky texture between his fingers. The memory of the night stirred his blood. Already his silent vow to keep his hands to himself battled with the desire to touch her. Kiss her. Feel her soft curves against his body.
He struck out to the edge of the water, the last thing he needed was to let the fantasy build to frustration. Driftwood had washed ashore, and also surprisingly, a big blue cooler, along with plastic bottles. Random refuse washed in from the populated islands. At least Jonathon hoped the cooler owner hadn’t sunk somewhere offshore.
“Might be of some use.” Phoebe walked over to the cooler and tapped it with her foot. “It’s heavy, I think there’s something inside it.”
“Might be hiding a dead body,” he joked. He cleared his throat when she didn’t respond to the jibe. “Well, the audience will probably want to be in on this.” He strode back to the hut, finding the small headbands half-covered with sand, laying near the salvaged turtle shell. Luckily they weren’t required to wear them while sleeping or during bathroom breaks.
He picked them up, brushed them off, then hit power ‘on’. Their lights popped on, they’d somehow managed to survive the squall.
He donned his. “Last night, we rode out one hell of a storm,” he narrated for the audience. “I thought for sure we were goners, but we survived. Today, we’ve found some gifts washed ashore, including a cooler that might come in handy.”
He returned to the cooler, handed Phoebe hers, and she put it on. She dropped to her knees and rocked the cooler back and forth. “It’s really heavy. I can feel water sloshing inside, but there’s definitely something solid in it too.”
Not long before leaving for the island, Jonathon had watched a movie about a serial killer who kept his victims’ heads inside a blue cooler. Perhaps loss of sleep brought the mental image vividly to mind.
Phoebe grabbed the lid then hesitated, and the fact she seemed
Jonathon grinned. “Sushi? First class dining, and they said this would be a challenge, eh?”
She refused to look at him, and it didn’t sit well in his gut. He should’ve left her alone, the last thing he wanted to do was make it impossible for the two of them to work together. Twenty-four days left, and if they hoped to make it through they had to be comfortable with one another.
Good going, genius. Horniness had gotten the best of him, but was it really a surprise? How many times had his dick done his thinking in his life? Phoebe deserved better from him, and until he figured out exactly who she was, he’d keep his hands to himself.
The last of the cloud cover broke, throwing early dawn’s colorful light over them. To make up for the previous rough night, Mother Nature had decided to give them one hell of a show. Light pinks and lavender touched the tops of the palm trees, and the white sands caught the color, shimmering pink here, orange and lavender there. Admittedly, Jonathon was a city boy. He loved the constant activity, the conveniences, and even the smell of hot pavement on a blistering Texas day.
But here, in this moment, he wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. It seemed they stood on a different planet. A strange and wonderful planet where only the two of them lived. A passenger jet crossed overhead, its faint buzz the only evidence they weren’t alone in the world.
“This is incredible,” he mumbled.
“It’s my favorite time of day,” Phoebe said. “Nothing can compare to the woods at dawn.”
The romance of the moment wasn’t lost on him, and he gazed down to his companion. She stared over the Indian Ocean. Her damp, mussed hair caught the dawn, throwing in glinting shades of copper and bronze in the dark chestnut color. She’d taken it out of its braid, and the soft waves hung down between her shoulder blades. He itched to stroke it, feel its silky texture between his fingers. The memory of the night stirred his blood. Already his silent vow to keep his hands to himself battled with the desire to touch her. Kiss her. Feel her soft curves against his body.
He struck out to the edge of the water, the last thing he needed was to let the fantasy build to frustration. Driftwood had washed ashore, and also surprisingly, a big blue cooler, along with plastic bottles. Random refuse washed in from the populated islands. At least Jonathon hoped the cooler owner hadn’t sunk somewhere offshore.
“Might be of some use.” Phoebe walked over to the cooler and tapped it with her foot. “It’s heavy, I think there’s something inside it.”
“Might be hiding a dead body,” he joked. He cleared his throat when she didn’t respond to the jibe. “Well, the audience will probably want to be in on this.” He strode back to the hut, finding the small headbands half-covered with sand, laying near the salvaged turtle shell. Luckily they weren’t required to wear them while sleeping or during bathroom breaks.
He picked them up, brushed them off, then hit power ‘on’. Their lights popped on, they’d somehow managed to survive the squall.
He donned his. “Last night, we rode out one hell of a storm,” he narrated for the audience. “I thought for sure we were goners, but we survived. Today, we’ve found some gifts washed ashore, including a cooler that might come in handy.”
He returned to the cooler, handed Phoebe hers, and she put it on. She dropped to her knees and rocked the cooler back and forth. “It’s really heavy. I can feel water sloshing inside, but there’s definitely something solid in it too.”
Not long before leaving for the island, Jonathon had watched a movie about a serial killer who kept his victims’ heads inside a blue cooler. Perhaps loss of sleep brought the mental image vividly to mind.
Phoebe grabbed the lid then hesitated, and the fact she seemed
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