Lost in Paradise Read online

  “How’s your leg?” she asked as her gaze fell on it. She’d cleaned and rebandaged it earlier today, but the wound looked red and swollen around the edges, and she wished she had some antibiotics to give Fiona.

  “It’ll be fine,” Fiona responded without moving.

  That wasn’t quite the same as her usual answer of I’m fine, and the difference bothered Nicole. “We’ve got plenty of pain pills if you need them.”

  “Mm,” Fiona said, eyes still locked on the sunset.

  Nicole watched her for a moment of uncomfortable silence before finally heaving a resigned sigh. “You’re freaking me out a little bit.”

  Fiona turned, her gaze locking onto Nicole’s. “What? Why?”

  “You’re just…not quite here or something.”

  “Sorry.” Fiona stretched out on her sleeping bag, hands clasped over her waist. “I’m not used to spending so much time with someone, I guess. Sometimes, I just don’t have anything to say.”

  Nicole lay beside her on her own bag. “Are you saying I talk too much?”

  A soft smile curved Fiona’s lips. “No. Only that I don’t talk enough. I’m sorry. I’m tired.”

  “God, me too.” They’d barely slept last night or the night before. “We’ll feel better in the morning.”

  “We will.” Fiona reached over to take her hand, a gesture that had lent comfort and connection between them since that first night on the Cyprus Star as they hid in the shadows behind the lifeboat.

  “Good night, Fi.”

  “G’night,” she slurred, her eyes already sliding shut.

  Nicole held tight to her hand as she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep. The next thing she knew, a bird squawked, startling her awake. The sun peeked over the hill to her left, and Fiona’s sleeping bag was empty. Disoriented and sluggish, she sat up, rubbing at her eyes. Holy crap. She had apparently slept without stirring from sunset to sunrise.

  Her eyes settled on Fiona, a vision in red down on the beach. She sat on a flat rock near the water’s edge, hands on her knees as though she were meditating. Maybe that was what she’d needed last night when she got so distant and weird. Was she really so unused to the company of another human being? She’d been planning to spend a week on the Cyprus Star with her lover, after all.

  Nicole watched as Fiona got to her feet, stretching like a cat before folding herself into some kind of yoga pose that left Nicole with pretty much no choice but to stare at her perfectly shaped ass…and the red satin panties peeking out from beneath her newly short skirt.

  Well, she could have turned away, gotten out of bed to go find a place to pee, but no, she just sat there, helpless to do anything but watch Fiona go through her morning yoga routine. Mixed in with her gawking, though, Nicole worried over the scrapes and bruises visible on Fiona’s skin and wondered how the wound on her leg was doing this morning.

  Finally, Fiona headed in her direction, scaling the rocks like a sea nymph, her lean muscles flexing impressively as she climbed. She arrived at their sleeping bags with a bright smile, the sunrise dancing in her eyes. “Morning, sleepyhead.” She tossed a food ration in Nicole’s lap and sat beside her with one of her own.

  “I’ve been up for a little while,” Nicole said, and something must have shown in her eyes, because Fiona grinned.

  “Were you up here watching me?”

  Nicole grinned right back at her. “Maybe.”

  “I hope you enjoyed the show.”

  “Oh, I did. It was almost as good as a cup of coffee.”

  Fiona’s lips quirked. “You Americans and your coffee.”

  They busted into their breakfast then, making small talk to distract themselves from the nasty taste of the food cubes. As gross as they were, though, she and Fiona were lucky to have them, and to have the rations for eighteen people. It would keep them going for a long time if necessary.

  After they ate, they freshened up and set off down the beach for some exploring. They’d decided to walk as far as they could in one direction to see if they ended up back where they’d started, confirming they were in fact on an island. They would walk until the sun was directly overhead before turning around to make sure they’d return to their campsite before nightfall, scouring the island for fresh water as they walked.

  Yesterday, Fiona had cut open several of the thermal suits, separating the shiny outer layer so they could wrap it around their shoulders to protect them from the relentless sun overhead. They each wore a sun cape today as they walked, glistening in the sunshine. It seemed to be working, though. Neither of them had sustained more than a minor sunburn.

  “What’s that?” Fiona asked suddenly after they’d walked in silence for a while.

  Nicole followed her gaze to see a man-made structure about a hundred yards inland. “Holy shit.”

  “It looks like some sort of ruins.”

  Actually, it did. Nicole’s initial excitement gave way to disappointment as she realized they were still alone, but hey, at least other humans had lived here at some point in history? They walked toward it together, picking their way over rocks and shrubs.

  The structure looked like it had once been a pavilion or a shrine. Its white marble floor was mostly intact, cracked here and there and interspersed with weeds and vines. White columns were in various states of disrepair. A few still stood tall and proud, but most had crumbled to the earth.

  “It’s beautiful,” Fiona muttered, standing with one hand against a column like a Greek goddess, golden curls tumbling over her shoulders, red dress clinging to her slender frame until it met its knife-altered end against her thighs.

  “You’re beautiful,” Nicole said. “This place is a crumbling mess.”

  Fiona looked at her over her shoulder. “It’s a piece of history. Maybe no one’s stood here for centuries. The way it’s fallen is like…art.”

  “Would you paint it?” Nicole asked. “If you had your stuff with you?”

  “I would. And I’d paint you in it.”

  Nicole shook her head. “I’d take a picture of you standing there, just like that, so you could paint it for me. Now that would be art.”

  Fiona ignored her, walking between the fallen columns, seemingly lost in thought, or maybe just lost in art. Nicole was intrigued by this side of her, these glimpses of a whimsical, aloof artist that seemed so at odds with the confident, forward woman who’d brought Nicole to a secluded corner of the ship to seduce her before launching their escape.

  What was Fiona like in real life? This Fiona or that one? Neither? A combination of the two?

  “Aphrodite,” Nicole said. “She’s the goddess of love, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  Nicole followed her across the marble floor, her cloth-wrapped feet soundless against its smooth surface. “Imagine if someone showed up here right now, on this beach where no one lives, and found us standing here in this ancient structure like Greek goddesses brought to life.”

  Fiona turned toward her then, a smile dancing in her eyes. “I’d say we qualify as goddesses for escaping and surviving the way we have.”

  “Me too.”

  “Athena,” Fiona said, “the goddess of war. Hera, the queen.”

  “You know a lot about Greek goddesses.”

  Fiona had stopped walking, and Nicole stood beside her, gazing down at the beach. It looked like one of those graphics on Pinterest, “Top Ten Remote Beaches for a Romantic Getaway,” with turquoise waves lapping at the sand, ancient ruins overhead, and rolling hills behind.

  “If this really is a deserted island, perhaps we should move our camp here,” Fiona said. “It’s lovely.”

  “I agree.”

  Fiona turned toward her, a hunger gleaming in her blue eyes that had nothing to do with the food ration they’d brought with them to share for lunch. The same hunger had been simmering inside Nicole since she’d first caught sight of Fiona at the bar. It was the reason she’d followed her to that darkened corner of the deck where they’d shar
ed their first kiss. The memory of it sent a thrill through her system.

  Fiona leaned in, one hand finding its way into Nicole’s hair, much the way she’d done that night on the Cyprus Star, and like that time, goose bumps rose on Nicole’s skin, a shiver of anticipation. Her lungs expanded, filling with fresh sea air. “Kiss me.”

  As if she’d been waiting for that invitation, Fiona brought her lips to Nicole’s. They met hesitantly at first, as though weighed by the knowledge that there was nothing stopping them this time, no reason not to do this…more…anything they wanted to. Nicole was drunk on the possibilities, somewhere between thrilled and terrified.

  She settled her hands on Fiona’s waist, loving the womanly shape of her, the dip and curve of her hips, so different from Brandon’s bulky frame. Fiona’s tongue was in her mouth, her fingers tangled in Nicole’s hair. She slid a hand around Fiona’s lower back, drawing her closer. Their breasts pressed together, and Nicole’s nipples hardened into aching peaks inside her dress.

  It had been so long, so very long since she’d been touched by anyone but herself, even longer since she’d felt anything like this. Her skin was alive with sensation, every cell attuned to Fiona’s presence, acutely aware of everywhere they touched and the places not yet touching.

  “You feel so good,” Fiona murmured, one hand sliding down Nicole’s back to cup her ass.

  “So do you.” Nicole drew her closer still, so that their hips brushed together.

  Fiona slid one of her thighs between Nicole’s, and she groaned at the contact, unable to hold back as she rolled her hips, seeking friction. Fiona tightened the hand on Nicole’s ass, encouraging her, and she rolled her hips again, clutching at any part of Fiona she could reach.

  “Yes,” she gasped. “More.”

  Fiona took Nicole’s hands in hers and drew her down to the marble beneath them. “Anything you want,” she whispered.

  “What do you want?” Nicole countered, a tingle of nerves mixing with the desire overwhelming her system, because Fiona clearly had more experience in these matters than she did, and she hated feeling inadequate.

  “You.” Fiona captured her mouth in another breathless kiss.

  Nicole had thought Fiona’s eyes to be sky blue before, but this close, she saw that there was a gold ring around her pupil, mirroring their tropical paradise where the turquoise water met the golden sand. Her eyes were the beach, not the sky.

  And her body promised the answers to everything Nicole had been seeking.

  “I’ve never done this before,” she whispered into their kiss.

  Fiona nodded as though she’d already known this. She peppered a string of gentle kisses over Nicole’s cheek to her jaw. “Are you sure it’s what you want?”

  “Yes, but…” Her fingers clenched in the soft fabric of Fiona’s dress.

  “But?” Fiona held her in her direct stare.

  “A little nervous, I guess.”

  Fiona rested a hand on Nicole’s hip, squeezing gently. “No need to be.”

  “You’ll tell me if I’m doing it wrong?”

  Laughter danced in Fiona’s eyes. “You couldn’t possibly.” She took one of Nicole’s hands and pressed it against her chest. Her heart raced against Nicole’s palm. “Feel that? You drive me mad every time you touch me, every time you so much as look at me.”

  “Oh,” Nicole whispered, her own heart speeding at the contact, desire throbbing in her core.

  Fiona leaned in for another kiss. “You’ll be fine. But we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  “Oh, I want to.” She was so turned on, she might combust if Fiona didn’t touch her soon.

  “Me too,” Fiona whispered, sliding her hands down Nicole’s back so that their bodies pressed together. “It’s okay if you’re just using me to forget your ex-husband. I don’t mind.”

  Nicole shook her head emphatically. “It’s not that. Or maybe that’s part of it. But I’ve known for a long time that I’m bisexual, if that’s what you’re asking. I had a girlfriend in college.”

  “But you never had sex with her?”

  “No. We were young and unsure of ourselves. It never went that far.”

  Fiona smiled at her, a wicked grin full of sinful promise. “Then I’ll be your first.”

  6

  Fiona trailed a hand down Nicole’s body, positively high with anticipation over giving Nicole her first sexual experience with a woman. “This will be our warm-up,” she whispered against Nicole’s neck, causing gooseflesh to rise on her skin. “Later, we’ll make a proper bed out of those thermal suits, and we can take our time.”

  “Fuck,” Nicole whispered, back arching as Fiona’s fingers traced the edge of her underwear.

  “Mm.” Fiona tugged at her panties. “We need to get rid of these.”

  Nicole pushed them down her legs, drawing Fiona in for another kiss as their bodies pressed together, and she thought she’d never seen anything as lovely and pure as this vision of Nicole, eyes hot and wanting, her hair a mess of dark waves around her face as Greek columns rose behind her and the ocean crashed below on the beach.

  Fiona couldn’t help picturing what they looked like together up here, lying above the sea in this crumbling pavilion, the contrast of her red dress against the gray of Nicole’s. If it were a painting, she’d hang it in her living room, a masterpiece to inspire her day in and day out.

  Smiling at the thought, she slid forward, rolling Nicole onto her back. “Sorry about the marble,” she whispered as she positioned herself over Nicole.

  “I don’t even feel it.” Her hips lifted, seeking contact with Fiona’s.

  “You probably will later, but I’ll make it worth your while.” She wanted Nicole naked, wanted to touch and kiss every bare inch of her, but that would have to wait, because it simply wasn’t practical on this ancient, filthy marble. Instead, she palmed one of Nicole’s breasts through her dress while her other hand slid beneath her skirt. Her fingers brushed against Nicole’s drenched flesh. “You’re so wet for me.”

  “Yes,” she whispered, hips thrusting to increase the pressure of Fiona’s touch.

  Giving her what she wanted, Fiona began to stroke her. She gathered Nicole’s arousal on her fingers and swirled it over her clit, drawing a strangled sound from Nicole. Their faces met for a messy kiss as Fiona built a rhythm with her fingers. She pushed two fingers inside Nicole, stroking in and out as her palm provided friction against her clit.

  Nicole writhed against the marble, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, eyebrows jumping as she drew closer to her release. Fiona curled her fingers, pressing against Nicole’s G-spot, and she let out a needy whimper that had Fiona pressing her own thighs together. She resisted the urge to straddle Nicole, giving herself some much-needed relief.

  This moment was all about Nicole.

  Fiona bent her head, kissing Nicole’s neck as she focused her full attention on delivering a shattering finish. She wanted Nicole’s first experience with a woman to be memorable for all the right reasons. Fiona quickened her pace, dividing her attention between Nicole’s G-spot and her clit, and Nicole flung an arm over her eyes, swearing, her thighs clamped around Fiona’s hand. Fiona added a third finger, and Nicole’s body gripped her, hard.

  “Fuck,” she gasped, hips moving frantically as her body spasmed around Fiona’s fingers. Fiona held herself still, allowing Nicole to ride out the waves of her release until she fell limp against the marble, her pussy still pulsing against Fiona’s hand. “Wow.”

  “I’ll say.” Fiona carefully withdrew her hand. She leaned in to press another kiss against Nicole’s lips, trying to ignore the insistent throbbing in her core and the wetness pooling in her panties. This was Nicole’s first time, and she might not be ready to return the favor just yet.

  It had been a while since Fiona had been with a woman, long enough that she’d almost forgotten how much she enjoyed it, even when she was the one giving and not receiving. Generally, she always preferr
ed women, but her number one preference was for no-strings-attached sex, and that was usually easier to find with a man. So she’d grown accustomed to burying her desires and making do with what she could get.

  Nicole was the living embodiment of every one of Fiona’s fantasies, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever been so turned on without having been touched. So much that she could almost come just from shifting her thighs together and watching Nicole regain her wits after her orgasm.

  “That was…amazing.” Nicole rolled toward her. “My turn?”

  “Please,” Fiona whispered, almost overwhelmed in anticipation of Nicole’s touch. She lay beside her, body burning as Nicole raked her gaze from the wild tangle of her hair to her chipped red-painted toes.

  “So beautiful,” Nicole said as she slid a hand experimentally over Fiona’s chest.

  Fiona was too turned on to do anything but arch her back, pressing her tit into Nicole’s palm. She whimpered as Nicole squeezed her nipple through the bodice of her dress.

  “Glad you cut this,” Nicole said, bringing her other hand to the jagged hemline of the altered red dress.

  “Me too,” she gasped, hips jerking toward Nicole’s hand.

  Nicole tugged at her underwear. “Can I take these off?”

  Fiona lifted her hips as Nicole slid them down her legs, feeling a rush of cool air against her overheated flesh. Nicole leaned over her, eyes narrowed in concentration as she brushed a hand against her, fingers dipping into the wetness she found there. Fiona closed her eyes as a sigh of relief escaped her lips.

  “Wow,” Nicole murmured, dipping her head to trail her lips over Fiona’s chest. “You feel different… Better than I expected.”

  Fiona rolled her hips against Nicole’s hand, silently urging her to continue, and Nicole seemed to take the hint. She pressed her fingers against Fiona’s clit, sending her brain whirling. Yes. God, she’d needed so badly to be touched. She’d needed to feel a woman’s touch, and ever since she’d first laid eyes on Nicole in the Cyprus Star’s bar three nights ago, she’d needed to feel this woman’s touch.