“I’m going to carry you,” he said. “Climb on my back.”
Numbly, she obeyed, clinging to his neck as he put his arms under her thighs and they set off on the perilous trek.
* * *
It wasn’t the first time Maximiliano had been forced to reach shore across treacherous rocks, but he’d never carried such an important burden before, and never in waterlogged boots.
Exhausted after long hours spent protecting Heidi from the hurricane’s power, he willed himself to concentrate on every sharp edge, every loose pebble.
The temptation was to hurry, but that might prove disastrous for them both, so he took his time, stopping frequently to map out the next steps. She kept silent, evidently trusting him.
Foolish woman.
When, at long last, they reached the sandy shallows, she slipped from his back and they waded ashore.
She collapsed on the sand and tucked her knees to her chest.
He fell forward on all fours, gasping for breath. “We made it,” he rasped.
“You saved my life,” she replied, her eyes wide with gratitude.
But I’m the one who put it at risk.
He managed to get into a sitting position, intending to pull off his boots, but the water had made it impossible, and he was too exhausted. He lay flat, looking up at the cloudless sky. They’d survived, but where were they?
“Lift your foot.”
He squinted into the sunlight. Heidi stood astride his legs, bent over. She still wore the nightdress, but her bottom might as well have been bare for all the good the sodden fabric did. Groaning, he obeyed, his hardened cock enduring the fiendish torture as she strained to pull off his boot.
“We have to find you something to wear,” he murmured lamely.
Picnic
Heidi thought she would never be warm again, but soon felt the sun hot on her face. Much as she loved tropical heat, she never went out on Sankt Thomas without a broad- brimmed hat to cover her fair complexion.
Fighting off the desire to sleep for hours, she sat up. Maximiliano lay on the sand, his bare ankles already showing signs of sunburn though she’d pulled off his boots only ten minutes before. She crawled to kneel next to him and put a hand on his chest. “We must find shade,” she whispered, reluctant to wake him after his heroic efforts.
He opened one eye and licked his dry lips. “Water, too.”
She nodded, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was.
He rose then helped her stand. She leaned on him as they surveyed the jungle beyond the beach.
“Can you make it there?” he asked. “Or shall I carry you?”
She’d already been too much of a burden. “I can walk, but will there be wild animals?”
“Not to worry,” he replied, patting his dagger, but she sensed an edge of uncertainty in his voice.
Wild creatures existed on Sankt Thomas. Monkeys were an everyday fact of life, and she’d heard there were wild boar in the hills.
“A cave would be good,” he said, as if reading her thoughts, “but I don’t seen one in the cliffs.”
There was no alternative but to find shade in the trees. He picked up his boots, and put his arm around her waist. “Ready?”
“Ready,” she echoed, putting her arm around his broad back.
* * *