They stayed like that for a long time, the peaceful silence disturbed only by the chirping of the birds and the gurgling waterfall. Then, after divesting her of her suit and him of his, they took a quick swim, after which he laid her down, tucked her to his side, and soothed caresses over her body until she drifted off to sleep.
She wasn’t sure how long they slept, but ever attuned to Nick’s antenna, she came awake the instant he tensed at her side.
Raising her head, she saw him reach for the gun. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t need to answer. She heard the electronic whine of the cart as it approached from the other side of the hill.
“You might want to get dressed.”
With a yelp, she jumped up and scrambled to find her suit. Behind her she heard Nick’s tense chuckle.
She rounded on him. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at. You don’t know who’s coming, and you’re as naked as I am.”
He remained where he was, his focus on the hill, his finger tapping the barrel of the gun. “There’s no time. Besides, I’m not as uptight about being naked as you.”
Deciding to get dressed first then kill him, she closed grateful hands on the discarded suit lying half-hidden under the basket and hurried into it.
But she was all thumbs, her efforts worsening by the ever-growing whine of the cart.
“Here,
let me help,” Nick offered magnanimously. With lithe grace, he rose and helped her into her suit, adjusting the straps with quick efficiency before giving in and climbing into his shorts.
Then, his eyes roving her flushed face and body, he murmured wickedly, “We really need to find a way to loosen you up a bit. Anyone would think you were ashamed of that magnificent body of yours.”
She was still sputtering her way to an appropriate response when a golf cart appeared at the top of the hill and parked next to theirs.
Yannis lifted his hand in greeting. Belle turned to Nick. “You knew it was Yannis?”
“I suspected. There are security and police crawling all over the island. Not even a crazy asshole like Mwana would attempt anything here.” He put the safety back on the gun and reached for the rest of his clothes.
By the time Yannis reached them, Nick was fully dressed.
At his first words, Nick froze.
Chapter Twelve
“What did he say?” Trepidation twisted through Belle as she tugged her dress over her swimsuit.
“We need to get back to the villa,” Nick said. “Spiros just called. Mwana has sent the second package.” He grabbed her elbow and propelled her toward the steps. Behind them, Yannis gathered the remains of their picnic and followed.
Negotiating the rocky steps didn’t give her a chance to speak, but at the summit she turned to Nick. “Has he opened it? Do we know what’s in it?”
“No. But that’s not all.”
Face set in stone, he placed her in the seat before starting the cart. “News of your capture and rescue has been released to the press. TV stations, both national and international, are leading with the news. The phone’s been ringing non-stop for the last hour,” he delivered in a clipped tone. “I supposed it was inevitable.”
Anxiety rippled through her. “God— Nick, my parents!”
“We’ll call them as soon as we get back,” he said.
Having cleared an outcrop of rocks, she was thrown back into her seat when he floored the accelerator, wringing every single horsepower from the battery-powered engine.
“I should’ve told them. They don’t deserve to hear it on the news.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were trying to protect them. They’ll understand. Let’s just get back to the house, okay?” He took one hand off the steering wheel to squeeze hers, a fleeting reassurance, which, although welcome, was gone before she could take comfort in it.
When he brought the golf cart to an abrupt halt in front of the villa and sprinted up the steps, she scrambled after him, almost running to keep up with his long strides. She tried to smile reassuringly at an anxious Demetra, who stood just inside the door wringing her hands, but she only managed a tight-lipped grimace as she dashed after Nick.