Enigma (14 page)

“Jack, are you okay?”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me. I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” he said through gritted teeth.

“You’re in pain!” I shouted. “And it’s my fault.”

“No, it’s the curse, not you.” He turned and looked up at me.

His eyes sparkled the most prominent shade of purple and his face was deathly pale. He was weak and somehow, I had to give him the strength to fight.

“Jack, please hold on. I love you.” He beckoned me over to him. “No, I have to stay away from you. I’m what’s hurting you.”

“Please, Kate. I have to know . . . I have to know if it’s your touch that’s causing this pain.” He knelt by the rock, holding his head up for a few seconds, only to lose strength, letting it fall again.

“No, I won’t hurt you; don’t ask me to do that,” I begged.

“We have to know, please. I won’t ask you ever again,” Jack pleaded, his voice waning.

I walked slowly toward him, my heart pounding in my ears. Jack was lying in the sand and I prayed that he wouldn’t slip away from me. I knelt by his side, watching his purple eyes sparkle against the night sky.

“Wait,” he said, looking at me. “If anything happens, remember, I love you and it’s not your fault.” My eyes welled and my face felt hot. “Run away from me as soon as you touch me; I don’t want to hurt you.” His concern made me feel even guiltier. “Do it, I’m ready.” He looked away from me.

Reluctantly, I ran my hand along his chest and down to his pelvis. As I brushed along the top of his swim trunks, he yelled out and I moved away from him as his body flinched and writhed in agony. The sight of him in pain was unbearable and went on for what seemed like hours, until he finally passed out. I lay next to him, praying that this wasn’t it. I couldn’t lose him. Not yet.

Placing my hand on his chest, I could feel his heart still beating. Now all I had to do was wait. I re-lit the candles throughout the night, and placed my hand on his chest every few minutes to make sure he was still breathing. But as each candle blew out, I began to lose hope. I laid my head on his chest and willed him to wake up.

The next thing I knew, it was daylight and I was lying on the blanket alone. I got up and looked around for Jack, calling out to him and praying that he was still alive, but he didn’t answer. Then, I looked out at the ocean and saw a lone wave. I had never felt such relief, and stood at the edge of the shore calling out to him.

Jack emerged from the water strong again, his body divine, and his eyes crystal blue. He held me in his arms and I sobbed.

“Kate, I’m okay. The pain is gone. Please stop crying. Look at me; I’m fine.” Jack ran his fingers through my hair and wiped away my tears.

As I ran my hands over his face and kissed him like it might be the last time, he pulled away and I realized that we’d never have the chance to fully be intimate with each other. The curse was prevailing. I had no idea if the pain would come back, and if it did, would Jack die?

Jack opened the picnic basket and we sat eating croissants and fresh fruit while watching the tide ebb gently.

“Jack, I think we should consider what your mom said; maybe she was right. If we end things now, you might live.” I put down my half-eaten croissant.

“No, Kate. There’s nothing right about us breaking up. Even if we did, I doubt I would survive now, after what happened last night.” Jack took another bite of his croissant.

“Why aren’t you taking this more seriously? Maybe if you’d seen yourself, then you might be more apprehensive.” I stood up and waded in the shallow water.

Jack followed me. “We’ve been over this, Kate. We agreed to be thankful for the time we have. I don’t want to dwell on yesterday. We can keep trying to be more intimate.”

I spun around. “Are you insane? No way. If we stay together, we’ll have to accept that we can’t have a physical relationship. It’s far too risky. Are you prepared for that? We could be together for months or years, and you wouldn’t be able to make love to me. I know you want to, but you can’t.” Jack pulled me into him as the waves crashed around our feet.

“Of course I want to touch you, and I want to try again. Just give me some time to build up my strength.” Before I could protest again, Jack held his finger to my lips. “Relax. Let’s sit and talk for a while.”

I finally began to relax, and we went for a swim. Jack and I didn’t discuss our inability to be intimate again, and suddenly realizing that time was flying by, I knew we wouldn’t make it home before dark. We’d already been out all night and I knew my father would be worried. After all, I was his easy child, a good girl, and he wouldn’t expect me to do something like this.

As the sun faded, I lay wrapped in Jack’s arms, looking up at the stars. We fell asleep, spending the night in our secret cove.

CHAPTER 14

T
he next morning, we were awakened by the thunderous sound of a helicopter circling above us. Not only would we have to think of a good reason why we’d been away from home for two days, but I’d also have to explain to my parents why I was with Jack on a secluded island in the first place. Except for Jack’s parents, no one knew we were dating.

Jack held me tightly as the helicopter lowered. As the blades circled, the strong breeze blew sand in the air and whipped my hair across my face. I pressed myself into Jack’s chest and shielded my eyes. My heart was racing, but Jack wasn’t fazed by the helicopter.

“Kate, follow my lead. I have this under control,” he yelled over the deafening sound.

“Okay, but you’re going to have to be convincing! My father detects lies just as quickly as he detects flaws!” I yelled back. I trusted Jack, but I wasn’t a very good liar.

The rescue team didn’t say much, except to ask us if we were okay. They gave us bottled water to cool us down; it was already warm and the day had hardly begun. I guess they knew that we were about to get the third degree from our parents, and were sparing us a lecture.

As the helicopter landed on the main beach, our parents were waiting for us. The beach was crowded and we were causing a scene. Normally, I’d be embarrassed and nervous, but nothing mattered as long as I was with Jack. I still had no idea what his plan was, but I trusted him.

The rescue team helped us out of the helicopter, and our parents came running toward us. My mother looked hysterical and I covered my mouth so she wouldn’t see me laughing. She could barely run in the pencil skirt and heels she wore, and she desperately tried to keep her hair from falling out of place. My father ran behind her, yelling into his cell phone.

When they stopped in front of us, Jonathan and Lindsey glared at us. Then, Jack wrapped his arm around me and kissed me passionately, and I wished I had a camera to capture the shock that spread across my mother’s face. But her surprise quickly turned to anger as she lunged forward and pulled me out of Jack’s arms.

“Kate, where have you been? You’ve been missing for two days! We thought you were dead! What are you doing with
him
?” she asked, glaring at Jack. I waited for Jack to intervene, but his parents were hugging him. “Well? Kate? Are you going to answer me?”

I was thinking of a good lie when Jack saved me.

“Mrs. Harris, I’m so sorry for keeping Kate away from you. We were out on my dad’s boat when the engine blew. We would’ve called, but we didn’t have our cell phones. So we swam to a cove, hoping that someone would come and find us.” He looked over to his father. “Sorry about the boat, Dad.”

My mother smiled and hugged Jack. “Thank you, Jack! Thank you for saving Kate! You’re a hero!” she said in her normal, overly dramatic tone. I rolled my eyes. Lindsey looked at me like I was her worst enemy. Although she was okay with me dating Jack, I didn’t think she was completely comfortable with me knowing about his supernatural abilities. Jonathan looked sternly at Jack.

“Dad, I’m really sorry about the boat,” Jack repeated.

“Don’t worry about it, Jack,” Jonathan said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I relaxed a little, impressed with Jack’s believable story, and thankful that Jonathan supported our lie. We smiled at each other and followed our parents away from the beach.

W
hen we got home, my mother huffed and removed her heels, pouring sand out of them. Before she had the chance to bombard me with questions, I hurried upstairs and ran a bath. As I sunk into the warmth of the water and thought about my time on the island, Jack opened the door and closed it quietly behind him. I grabbed a towel to cover myself, soapy water spilling all over the floor.

“Jack, what are you doing here? Who let you in?” I asked quietly.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay. I came in through your balcony,” he said.

“Is your dad mad with you? How did you get up to my balcony? Never mind. Tell me what happened with your dad.”

“He was mad for a while. He thought we had run away together, but he’s over it now. I’m sure his invisible boat will be just fine too.” We both laughed.

“Good. I bet your parents think I’m a bad influence.”

“They were both mad at me for not telling them where I was, or that I was with you. But they kept their word; you’re now officially part of my family. They accept us, and you’re welcome to come over anytime.”

Finally, everyone knew that we were a couple.

As I leaned forward to give Jack a celebratory kiss, I heard my bedroom door open. Someone walked across the floor in heels and knocked on the bathroom door. I jumped in the tub while looking around for a place for Jack to hide. Then, he took off his clothes and stuffed them behind the laundry basket. I couldn’t help giggling and wondering what the hell he was doing, especially after what had happened earlier on the island. Then, he jumped into the tub with me and disappeared. I could feel him caressing my body as he merged with the water. The feeling was pleasurable and it was difficult for me to control my urges.

Tired of knocking, Heather impatiently barged in.

“Heather, why are you home? I thought you had gone to torture Paris,” I said, trying to ignore the sensation tingling through my body.

She threw my robe on the floor and sat in my white, wicker chair, crossing her long, fake-tanned legs.

“I’m only here for a week. I just came from meeting with my agent, and I’m starting to get a lot of offers for fashion shows!” She sighed happily. “I’m so excited, Kate! Anyway enough about me; I want all the gossip about your new, far-too-hot boyfriend.” Her eyes lit up. She loved to gossip—behind your back
and
to your face.

Knowing that Heather really wanted to ask how a plain girl like me managed to bag the hot guy next door, I rolled my eyes and stared blankly at her.

“Well, Kate? Spill it! I want to know everything about your little trip with the hero next door, who by the way, is way too hot for you to handle.”

I wanted to slap her bony face. I had no intention of telling her anything, but I had to give her something. Otherwise, I’d be stuck in the tub all evening, and so would Jack.

“Heather, can we talk later? I’m really tired,” I said, but she crossed her arms and banged the heel of her shoe on the floor.

“I want details, Kate, and I want them now. My little, virgin sister stranded on a deserted island with the hot guy next door? Come on! Give it up! This is the most exciting your life has ever been. You should be happy that I’m finally taking an interest in you.”

She wasn’t letting up.

“Heather, there are no juicy bits,” I lied. “We just sat and talked, and hugged, and there was a little kissing. That’s all.”

“Oh, well! I should’ve known. If I’d been stuck on that island with the hottie next door, I would’ve done a lot more than kiss him, if you know what I mean. The sad thing is that you probably don’t know what I mean, do you? That island was the perfect place to lose your virginity, Kate.”

I screwed up my face at her crude assumptions.

“It wasn’t a deserted island, Heather, and can you please keep your seedy thoughts to yourself? Leave! Go back to Paris and harass the poor French men. At least most of them won’t be able to understand you.”

She wasn’t impressed that someone had dared to speak back at her so rudely.

“Kate, you really need to loosen up, everywhere—if you know what I mean—or he’ll be knocking on some other girl’s door. When I get back, my door will be open!” She winked at me.

“Get out, Heather! Get out!” I shouted at her.

She stormed out of the bathroom, unsatisfied with my non-juicy version of the tale of two nights. I stood up in the tub looking for Jack, but he was standing behind me drying off. He helped me out of the tub and wrapped a fluffy towel around me.

“Sorry, she wouldn’t leave.”

Jack smiled and wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t worry. I was fine.”

“At least you didn’t hear her.”

His smile widened. “It’s a shame I didn’t hear you bragging about the hottie next door.”

I felt my cheeks burn and shook my head. “That’s not possible; you were under water the whole time. How were you able to hear us?”