“You’re a firefighter?” Adela asked him with round eyes.
Jack nodded. “Yeah, I fight wildfires in California.”
“That’s so scary,” Camilla said.
Adela kept quiet, and he wondered what went on in her head. She didn’t seem afraid to voice her opinion, but compared to her friend, she’d been slightly reserved.
Even though she had been about ready to knock him on his head with a stick earlier and didn’t seem in need of his help, he still felt this primal urge to protect her. If Gabriel hadn’t called him back, he would have followed her into the jungle, thrown her over his shoulder and hauled her pretty ass out of there.
Jack looked over at Zane, who unzipped his bag. “I think that the news of finding fresh water on this island calls for a celebration!”
Zane pulled out beer can after beer can, enough for all eight of them surrounding the small fire.
“I can’t believe you got beers!” Camilla giggled.
“I’m afraid these are the last ones, sugar. I’m keeping eleven beers in my bag for when we areallrescued off this island.”
Zane’s words weighed heavily on them all, but Jack respected Zane for including the three missing girls. That was the thing with his brawny best friend; he may seem like a cocky fucker who didn’t take anything serious in life. In reality, Zane had the biggest heart out of everyone.
Adela and Camilla shared a watery smile before they clinked their beer cans in cheers. Adela brought the can to her lips and closed her eyes. He watched her throat work before she moaned, clearly enjoying the malty taste.
Jack quickly gulped his beer to cool off. Hearing Adela moan made him hard as a rock. He shifted on the sand, hoping nobody was on to him.
Zane, however, winked as he gave him a knowing smile. Fucker.
“Since we’re with eight, we can search the girls tomorrow in two groups of four. Or if we really want to make a dent in the remaining grounds to cover, we can also make four groups of two,” Dominic said.
“I’m in,” Jack said.
Adela gave him a watery smile. “You guys don’t need to do that. It’s going to be hard enough to survive on this island without trekking through the jungle and—”
“Bull shit. We’re helping you find your friends. We’re all in this together,” Zane said.
“That would be awesome, guys. I’m sorry we ran from you earlier,” Camilla said.
Adela brought a trembling hand to her lips, holding back a sob, unable to talk.
Jack grabbed her other hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve got you…”
Adela didn’t pull back and let him hold her hand while the rest started talking about a game plan for tomorrow.
There must have been something in the air, because even though holding hands with a girl was most definitely not Jack Tullen style, none of his friends gave him any shit about it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Adela pulledup her bikini bottoms and jean shorts while the gentle ocean waves tickled her feet.
“Okay, I’m done. Are you ready to head back?” she asked Camilla, who peed in the water several feet away. After their run in with a snake and spider in the jungle, Camilla had been dead set on peeing in the ocean instead of in some foliage.
“Yep. I’m sorry. Give me one beer and I can fill up an ocean,” Camilla joked.
Adela laughed while turning around to go back to the fire. Luckily, the moonlight gave her enough to go by as she made her way through the sand.
“Wait up!”
Adela paused her step towards the six men sitting around the fire who—without even knowing them, had offered an hour ago to help search for their friends tomorrow.
“What’s up?”