Gillian’s Island Page 7

  With that, Jamie was out the door and headed up top leaving Gillian alone with her thoughts.

  Her sister. God, she’d forgotten her sister had been within hearing distance in the room directly across the hall all night with Rob. Gillian was sure she and Jamie had gotten pretty loud at times, too involved in what they were doing at the moment to care who heard. She remembered burying her face in the pillow to muffle what could only be described as screams of pleasure while Jamie thrust into her from behind. Her face burned with embarrassment.

  They’d been like rutting animals, unable to get enough of each other. Somehow, when the future had been uncertain and they’d been desperate castaways, their behavior had seemed justified. Now that the real world was sailing toward them at full speed, her shame overwhelmed her. She’d practically jumped him last night. They’d done things together she’d never even thought of doing with a man before and in the heat of the moment she’d begged him to do those things.

  The cheers from the stranded wedding party up on deck got louder and the rescue ship’s horn sounded again. Her sore muscles protested as Gillian bent to retrieve the condom box off the floor. Never before had she woken up feeling so good, sore and ashamed all at once, and all from just one night of sex.

  She sighed. For better or worse, reality beckoned.

  After she threw the box of condoms back into the drawer, she gathered the garbage and stashed it deep in the pail in the bathroom. With another bout of embarrassment she wiped off the flashlight with the towel. The towel went in the hamper and she stashed the light in the nightstand drawer. After straightening the still damp bed coverings, she grabbed the bottle of cooking oil to return to the galley and exited their little castaway love nest.

  Gillian arrived up top just in time to see Rob grinning and slapping Jamie on the back as they both laughed. Her stomach twisted. Had Rob heard them? Was he congratulating his buddy on the conquest? They’d probably all heard last night. She didn’t dare make eye contact with either Brandon or Reilly. Instead, she slipped closer to Julie.

  “Hi.” Gillian kept her eyes focused on the military ship as it anchored in the distance and lowered a smaller boat filled with sailors into the water. When she finally allowed herself to look at her sister, she found a smile there.

  “Hi, yourself.”

  Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, Gillian turned fully to face Julie. “Okay. Go ahead. Get it out of your system.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Julie’s sly smile didn’t match her words.

  Gillian lowered her voice. “I know you heard us last night. If you’re going to tease me, get it over with now.”

  One blond eyebrow rose above Julie’s ocean blue eyes. “It was hard not to hear you, but I’m not going to tease you. I’m thrilled. Rob and I wanted you and Jamie to hook up. You two are perfect for each other.”

  Instead of noting that crazy, one-night—okay two-night—hookups did not a relationship make, Gillian pointed out the other obvious issues. “One, he lives and has a good job in Chicago while I live and work here in California. Two, it was just sex. I don’t know what got into me. I think I was convinced we were going to all die here, but whatever it was, it was brought on by the situation and probably won’t ever happen again.”

  The sway of Julie’s head stopped Gillian from adding to her list of why she and Jamie couldn’t be together. “What?”

  “Jamie is not the kind to have sex with a girl unless he’s serious. At least that’s what Rob told me. I wouldn’t be so sure it won’t be happening again, and often.”

  Gillian thought back to the first day they’d met. He didn’t know her at all and they’d ended up in bed that day. Of course, she had acted like a brazen hussy then too. Downing champagne in the sun on an empty stomach. Telling him she hadn’t had sex in a long time. Saying she was going to kiss him, possibly rip his clothes off and then actually doing it.

  What was it about this guy that drove her crazy?

  Maybe they’d hook up again at the wedding. There would be champagne there and it seemed that was the only aphrodisiac she needed these days. Though she didn’t remember drinking any last night before she’d jumped him.

  “Gillian. You’re over thinking things, as usual. He’s a great guy. You obviously had a great time together. More than once. All night long.”

  Gillian’s cheeks blazed with heat. “Julie. Shhh.”

  Her sister smiled. “You’re so easy to embarrass.”

  “Did the others hear?”

  “I don’t think so. We found them all passed out on the beach when we came up top this morning.”

  “Thank goodness for that, but does Rob really have to do the whole manly slap on the back, ‘congrats on getting laid’ thing with Jamie?”

  Julie glanced at the two men together and shrugged. “Boys will be boys. So, tell me. How was it? I mean, it sounded pretty good…”

  “I’m not talking about it.” She forced the words out through clenched teeth.

  “Come on. I’m your sister. Who did I call the moment Rob and I first did it?”

  “Yes, and thank you for that, but you didn’t have to call me from his bathroom the actual minute after. You could have waited until, oh, I don’t know, never to give me the intimate details.”

  Julie laughed. “I’ll just have to ask Jamie then I guess.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.” Gillian’s eyes flew open wide.

  “Try me. Come on. Give me something here, Gilly.”

  She drew in a deep breath and admitted what she didn’t want to admit even to herself in the light of day. “It was amazing. It’s never been like that before and I doubt it ever will be again.”

  Julie raised a brow and glanced at Jamie again. “Wow. The quietest guy here and he’s virtually a sexual Zen master. Who’d have thought?”

  The bigger question was, now that they weren’t going to die stranded on this island, how was Gillian going to live without him?

  Chapter Ten

  “You’re avoiding me.”

  “Hmm?” Just being in Jamie’s arms had her trembling. How she was supposed to deny the truth when they both knew she couldn’t lie for shit was beyond her, but she tried anyway. “I’m not.”

  “Gillian. You sat at the other end of the table at the rehearsal dinner last night and today the only time I was anywhere near you was walking you back down the aisle on the way to the receiving line.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re together now, aren’t we?”

  “It’s the first dance. You couldn’t avoid it.” He spun her around toward the photographer who’d been stalking the entire wedding party. “Smile.”

  She did, then went back to frowning. “I’ve been busy. I’m the maid of honor, in addition to being a recently rescued castaway.”

  The truth was she had been avoiding him the past few days. Since the rescue, she’d kept herself purposely busy double checking every detail for the wedding and trying not to think about him going back to Chicago, but she couldn’t admit that.

  “I know and I understand. I also realize neither of us got any sleep on the island for ah…various reasons, which is why I only called once after the rescue to check on you and left you alone the rest of the week, including last night after the rehearsal dinner. Besides, I’m staying at Rob’s place and I had to be there for him this week, but our responsibilities are almost done now. I give one short toast. You stand in a group to catch the bouquet, we eat brunch tomorrow morning and then that’s it. You and I will just be us again, no more best man and maid of honor. Then we’re going to talk because I am not going back to Chicago until we have. Got it?”

  He had never been so intense. Actually, that wasn’t true. He’d been pretty intense that last night on the island.

  Gillian swallowed hard. “Okay.”

  “Good. Smile. That damn photographer’s here again.”

  Jamie was even hotter when he was ordering her around than he had been fee
ding her raw fish or doing other things to her. Dazed, she pasted on a smile and tried not to melt in his arms.

  “Can I cut in?” Brandon’s sudden appearance cut in all right—into her enjoyment of Jamie.

  There was a distinct slur to Brandon’s words and he was swaying a bit. How had he possibly gotten so drunk so soon? When he whipped out a flask, she understood.

  “No. You’re supposed to be dancing with Ronni.” Jamie frowned.

  “I did already. Besides Ronni doesn’t put out, unlike some others.” Brandon broke into a wide and very suggestive grin and looked down at Gillian.

  Jamie spun her around and toward the edge of the dance floor. “Excuse me a moment.”

  Leaving her alone, he turned back, laid an arm across Brandon’s shoulders, and steered him out the door. A few moments later Jamie returned, his right fist cradled in his left hand.

  “What happened?”

  “What do you mean?” He led her back into the dance as if nothing had happened.

  One glance at the doorway showed Brandon looking more dazed than before, touching his chin gingerly.

  “You beat up Brandon?” Gillian stared up at Jamie wide eyed.

  “I didn’t beat him up.”

  “You punched him.”

  “Well, yes, but he deserved it.” The song ended and Jamie clasped her hand in his left one. “I have to make that toast now. I want you to be next to me when I do, okay?”

  Having trouble processing it all, she nodded and let him pull her to the front of the room. The bandleader introduced him and Jamie took the microphone, only letting go of her hand to take the glass of champagne a passing waiter handed him. She took a glass for herself.

  After clearing his throat, Jamie began speaking. His rich voice, amplified by the sound system, echoed throughout the room.

  His gaze remained locked with hers while he made the toast. “Some people come into our lives for a moment and end up staying a lifetime.”

  Drawing in a deep breath, he finally glanced up to locate Julie and Rob in the crowd.

  “I could not be more thrilled that Rob has found Julie to be that person for him.” Jamie’s gaze met Gillian’s again. “May we all be as lucky. To Rob and Julie.”

  He raised his glass and the crowd echoed the toast.

  “To Rob and Julie.” Gillian raised her champagne. Her eyes welled up with tears, but that was okay because every other female in the room, including her sister, was dabbing at their own eyes.

  Then Rob and Julie were there next to them. Julie hugged her hard and whispered against her updo, “He is such a keeper. If you don’t hold on to him, I’m going to have to hurt you.”

  Gillian laughed tearfully. “Okay.”

  They switched and Julie went to hug Jamie while Rob came to Gillian. He leaned low and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re next, Gilly.”

  “Rob. Stop.” She glanced at Jamie, who was still engrossed in conversation with Julie. “It was just a one night thing.” Actually, two, but Rob didn’t need to know about her indiscretions.

  “No, it wasn’t.” He shook his head. She opened her mouth to protest and Rob touched a finger to her lips. “Trust me.”

  “Look, Rob, I saw you slapping him on the back the morning after. I know you’re happy your matchmaking worked and your best friend got lucky but—”

  Her new brother-in-law’s eyes opened wide. “You think that’s what I was doing. Congratulating him that he got lucky with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Gilly.” Rob shot a glance at Jamie and then lowered his voice. “I was happy because he’d just told me you’re the one.”

  “The one?”

  “Gillian, you’re his Julie.”

  The wind totally knocked out of her, she was barely able to stay upright when Julie and Rob went to do bride and groom stuff and Jamie took her arm. He steered her toward the back doors that opened onto the garden. Without much memory of how she arrived there, she found herself seated on a bench in the shade in the middle of a rose garden with Jamie’s tux-clad thigh pressed against her dress.

  “So.” He watched her closely.

  She swallowed hard. “So.”

  “Tell me why you’ve avoided me since the island. I want the truth, even if it hurts me.” A frown knit his sandy brows. He stared down at the ground. “I said this on the island and I’ll say it again now. If it was just a fling for you, that’s fine. Well, not really because I don’t want it to be, but if that’s what you want—”

  “It wasn’t just a fling for me.” Her fingers fidgeted in her lap until he laid his hand over them. Finally, she raised her gaze to his face. “I’m embarrassed. I acted like a sex crazed lunatic that last night. I apologize. I don’t know what got into me.”

  His eyes opened wide. “You apologize? Gillian, that was the most incredible night of my life. Don’t you dare feel bad about it. And if anyone was sex crazed, it was me.”

  Gillian shook her head. “No, I practically tore your clothes off.”

  “I did a lot more than that to you.”

  “Only because I begged you to.” She felt the blush creep into her cheeks.

  “I didn’t exactly fight you, now did I?” He smiled and ran one finger down her face. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Can I tell you something that might help?”

  Gillian nodded.

  “I did a little research when we got back because you’re right, we were both a little crazed that night, not to mention insatiable. I had some suspicions about why and anyway, it turns out that meal I fed you…”

  “Yes.” Now she really was interested.

  “Everything we ate that night is on the list of known aphrodisiacs. Sea kelp, abalone, sea urchins. All of it. High on the list actually. There’s a website all about aphrodisiac foods. They even have a cookbook.”

  The laugh that burst out of her surprised Gillian as much as Jamie, judging by the expression on his face.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Besides the fact he didn’t even realize how adorable he was researching why their sex was so amazing?

  “That’s a nice excuse, but that doesn’t explain…” She drew in a breath and started over. “I haven’t eaten any of that stuff today and yet I could attack you right here and now.”

  A smile spread across Jamie’s face. “Me too. Gillian, I don’t need to eat or drink anything to make me want to be with you, both in and out of bed.”

  He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. The gentle kiss turned more intense until two children ran past them, screaming and blowing the bubbles Julie had placed on each table inside.

  Gillian straightened, and leaned away from him as the children lingered nearby. “I’m going to miss you when you go back to Chicago. That’s the other reason I was avoiding you. I thought it might help to wean myself off you.”

  “Like a drug?” He smiled.

  She nodded. “Yeah. Crazy, huh?”

  “Not at all. But there’s something you don’t know.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I was offered a job at USC.”

  Her eyes opened wide. “California? Really? Are you taking it?”

  “I was going to visit after the wedding and then make my decision, but I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I’ll find there that could change my mind now. I don’t want to be half a country away from you, Gillian. The weather’s much nicer here in California than in Chicago anyway.” He grinned as Gillian’s heart soared.

  “I’m really happy to hear that.”

  “So, no more avoiding me?”

  The children had finally gotten distracted by a mother and the promise of chicken fingers being served at their table inside. Seeing they were alone again, Gillian threw her arms around Jamie’s neck. “Just try to get rid of me.”

  Smiling, he lowered his head toward hers. “I’m thinking of buying that cookbook I found on that aphrodisiac website. You up for it? Crazy sex every night of the week?”

 
“Yes.” Only Jamie could find a book to insure insanely great sex. “God, I love your mind.”

  “Good, because I love your mind too, and the rest of you.” His mouth covered hers and she couldn’t reply, but that was fine. They had plenty of time later for declarations of love, and so much more.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Cat Johnson is the author of contemporary erotic romance in genres including western, military, romantic comedy, multiple partner and paranormal. She is known for her creative research and marketing techniques. Consequently some of her closest friends/book consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living, she owns an entire collection of camouflage and western footwear for book signings and she’s sponsored pro bull riders. Cat’s also now a regular blogger at Eat Something Sexy .com, the real life aphrodisiac website she used to research this story. Look for an exciting new collaborative project in conjunction with the site in 2013.

  Cat is the author of over a dozen full-length romance novels and numerous shorter works. For more information about the author, her blogs and all of her available works visit www.catjohnson.net .

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