Authors: Cassandra Pierce
He returned to kiss her on the forehead. Then he stepped away. “I will leave you to sleep,” he told her. “It’s true that Tagin and Ejan are…otherwise occupied, but Janko, Ivar, and I are nearby. You may consider yourself well protected.”
“Is that necessary?” She sat up, covering herself with the light quilt. “I mean, you don’t think I’m in some sort of danger? Is there something you’re not telling me about Septimus?”
“No, nothing like that. I simply want you to feel comfortable and safe in a place and under conditions unfamiliar to you. Sleep now.”
He smoothed a palm over her forehead. She closed her eyes. She heard the rustle of him sliding his clothes on and leaving the room.
Outside the window, a cloud slid over the full tropical moon. Then everything went dark.
* * * *
In the morning, she dressed in a white button-down shirt and demure wraparound skirt and came downstairs to find all five of the guys at the breakfast table. Somewhat to her relief, they were discussing Septimus’s absence and not her impromptu little interlude with Daq the night before.
“I’ve been thinking about the situation,” she said as she joined them at the table and helped herself to fresh fruit and coffee. Daq’s gaze touched hers only briefly. None of the others seemed to notice the spark that passed between them. “I wasn’t quite clear on whether you had notified the authorities.”
“Not yet. We hoped it wouldn’t be necessary,” Daq said. “You would have no way of knowing this, of course, but the police force on Bequia is not what you are used to in the States. They are trained only to write up reports of cameras and cell phones stolen from tourists. People disappearing for a few days isn’t uncommon here, for many reasons. The majority turn up safely, though perhaps a little hungover.”
“I doubt Septimus is off on a bender,” Maura said. The words came out more primly than she’d intended.
“No, but he tends to get caught up in his work and lose track of time,” Ivar observed. “Can you imagine how angry Septimus would be if he was accosted on some obscure little beach and detained by the police while he was trying to take field notes?”
Maura sighed. “I guess you have a point. Still, I can’t help worrying that a wave took him, or he’s lying hurt on the rocks someplace.”
“In my opinion, he’s fine,” Janko spoke up. “The old man is an excellent swimmer, and he knows everyone who lives here year-round. It’s not uncommon for him to paddle over to the other side of the bay and have dinner with friends over there.”
Ejan nodded. “He’s also been known to stop at the guest houses and take groups of tourists on an impromptu eco-tour, looking at shells and turtles. In return, they invite him for dinner or even an all-night party on the beach. Maybe he’s staying with a friend.”
Yes, she thought, Septimus, a dedicated professor all his life, probably missed teaching. Maybe someone invited him to stay at a guest house or onboard a yacht in exchange for his expertise. Or maybe someone offered to show him a nesting site for a rare bird or reptile. He would spend days hiding in one spot, waiting for a clutch of eggs to hatch or documenting the movements of an unusual sea snail.
Then again, maybe his powers of observation had gotten him into trouble. She’d heard tales of drug smuggling and poaching on islands like this one. Had he shown up at the wrong secluded spot at an inopportune time?
She looked around the table. “You don’t think he stumbled on someone who was up to no good?” she asked. “You know…noticed something he shouldn’t have?”
A glum silence settled over the group. “I guess anything’s possible,” Daq admitted.
“Actually, I do have a theory of my own,” Janko said after a moment. “It’s true he was looking forward to Maura’s visit…but maybe there was another frequent guest he hoped to avoid.”
To Maura’s surprise, all the guys except Daq shared a subdued laugh. She struggled to make sense of their reaction.
“Daq’s sister has been sort of underfoot lately,” Tagin soon explained. “She’s been hanging around quite a bit—trying to recover from an unpleasant breakup.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Maura sympathized.
“Don’t waste your pity on her. Cyra can take care of herself.” Ivar grinned. “Anyway, you’ll find out for yourself. She’s bound to wash up again in a day or two. Forewarned is forearmed, I always say. So be prepared.”
“My sister’s not as tough as you think.” Daq’s voice grew defensive. “A lot of that is an act.”
“Was it a long relationship?” Maura asked.
“Not really. I would call it more of a fling,” Janko said. “With five guys. And every last one of them turned his back on her at the same time. Ouch, right?”
“Five guys?” Maura choked out.
“Yup.” They all spoke in unison and then paused, expecting her to comment further. Maura was so shocked she wasn’t sure what to say.
“Well…I suppose everyone’s needs are different,” she said noncommittally. Privately, she wondered how that could work, logistically or emotionally. Would Cyra be…intimate…with all five at once? Would they take turns? She couldn’t even imagine an answer.
On the other hand, she thought as she looked around the table, she could see the appeal in having five guys lusting after her at one time. It presented a delicious fantasy.
“Enough of this. Why don’t you tell us more about the research you came to assist Septimus with?” Daq suggested. He seemed eager to change the subject. “Maybe it’ll help us come up with a clue where to look for him.”
Grateful to move on to a less incendiary topic, Maura nodded. “Well, he wrote and told me he’d made some exciting new discovery, and he wanted to discuss it with me. I took that to mean he wanted help publishing the results, or having me verify his findings. But I don’t know for sure. He was very mysterious about the whole thing.”
Ivar frowned. “What do you think he meant?”
“I honestly have no idea. Knowing Septimus, it could be anything from mapping out a shipwreck to documenting a new species of snail. Or it might simply have been a finding that contradicted some long-held scientific trope.”
“Doesn’t give us much.” Daq ground his teeth. Maura couldn’t help but notice how sexy he looked when he did that.
“I could go through his notes and computer,” Maura offered. “Maybe I can find a clue about what he was working on and where he went.”
“Okay. That’s a plan.”
“Well, we’re going into port today,” Tagin said, glancing at Ejan. The two grinned at each other, no doubt remembering their night together. Maura knew the feeling. “We need to get the boat serviced and pick up some supplies.”
“Go ahead. Daq and I will do the dishes,” Ivar said. “Janko made breakfast, so I guess it’s our turn to pitch in.”
“That means I get to take Maura to Septimus’s work area,” Janko said. “Come on.”
Maura got up and followed him out. They crossed the beach, made their way up a slight incline strewn with rocks and wild vines, and walked into the small bungalow she’d spotted earlier.
Inside, Septimus had set up a crowded but functional office. Books lined the sagging shelves he’d pushed up against every available inch of wall space, and a desktop computer sat in one corner with piles of notes scattered around it. Maura seated herself and shuffled through them.
To her surprise, Janko leaned over her shoulder to look on with her when she opened a lined journal and began flipping the pages. She felt his chest brush her shoulders, and his long hair touched her neck. If she turned her head, his lips would be so close to hers. Did he suspect she and Daq had become lovers last night? Or was “lovers” the wrong word? Maybe they had just been indulging a physical itch?
She thought about Cyra and her allegedly wild lifestyle. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have both Daq and Janko pleasuring her at the same time.
Janko’s hot gaze drifted over her shoulder as if he sensed her naughty thoughts.
“You’re thinking about Daq,” he said.
“What?” she jumped, startled, and dropped some of Septimus’s notes. “Why do you say that?”
Janko laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not psychic or anything. It’s just a feeling I have. I know the two of you were together last night.”
Maura blanched. “He told you?”
“No. He has more respect for you than that. I just saw the way you interacted this morning and figured it out. How was it?”
“Well…to be honest, it was wonderful,” she said with a sigh.
His arm slid around her as his lips settled against her ear. The tip of his tongue traced the shell-like curves, and Maura felt a tingle creep down her neck. His fingers strummed her nipple through her shirt. The writing on the pages in front of her grew blurry.
Soon his hand moved inside her shirt. She closed the journal, as if she could somehow prevent Septimus from knowing what she was doing instead of looking for him, and turned her face into Janko’s. He continued to kiss her lightly, undid her buttons, and moved his hand down to the waistband of her skirt.
She heard voices, and suddenly Daq walked in…with Ivar. She and Janko broke apart.
“How is it going?” Ivar asked. “Come up with a lead?” Apparently he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. His expression, at least, remained neutral.
“We haven’t had enough time to do a careful analysis.” Maura searched Daq’s eyes for any hint about what he was thinking or feeling. She detected nothing. Either he really hadn’t noticed what she and Janko had been up to, or their encounter hadn’t inspired a reaction.
He and Ivar came and sat on opposite sides of her at the desk. She returned her attention to the journal. Its pages were filled with years’ worth of her mentor’s scientific observations. Between paragraphs and lists of numbers were interspersed drawings of shells and exotic fishes, diagrams showing the directions of currents and the times of tides, notations concerning water temperature, and other things that would have been meaningful only to someone as precise about oceanography as Septimus.
“That just looks like scribbles,” Ivar said.
“What little I saw of his notes over the years didn’t make much sense to me,” Daq admitted. “He used a lot of notations and shorthand that only he could read.”
“Not uncommon among scientists. They don’t want anyone to steal their research. Since I was his graduate assistant, I learned how to decipher some of these snail trails.”
A wave of sadness hit her. Was she holding her mentor’s last legacy to her?
“Don’t worry.” Ivar noticed her troubled expression. “We’ll find him. Or he’ll come back on his own. He’s a tough old oyster.”
She bit her lip. “I know.”
“Want to go for a swim?” Janko asked. “We can do this afterward.”
“Yeah,” Ivar said. “Clear your mind a little and then return to it. We’ll help.”
Now that he mentioned it, she was feeling rather hot.
She stood up. “Why not?”
Chapter 3
To her surprise, the guys jogged down to the sea’s edge, flung their clothes on the sand, and waded into the surf naked. Maura held back, unsure what to do except stare. She had no control over that—they were all such perfect specimens of maleness, with their sun-bronzed skin and rippling muscles. Watching them cavort in the sea in their natural state proved nothing short of breathtaking.
“Come on,” Janko called out. He paused in waist-deep water and motioned for her to follow him. “It’s warm and there’s almost no current. I’ll keep an eye on you if you’re worried you’ll get in over your head.”
Was he talking about the ocean? “No—I’m a good swimmer,” she said. Drifting into deep water didn’t seem to worry Daq and Ivar. Already they were pretty far out, plowing through the waves like flesh-colored missiles.
Janko stirred her from her reverie. “What are you waiting for, then?”
She watched the crystal blue-green water eddy around his waist. He was so comfortable in his own skin—and nothing else, in this case. She remembered what Daq had said about island culture. Still, she wasn’t an islander. She felt far too self-conscious to do what he asked.
She twisted her hand into the front of her shirt and shook her head. “I can’t. Not yet, anyway.”
He grinned. “Okay. I understand. When you change your mind, let me know and I’ll come back.”
She couldn’t help but return his smile.
When
, he’d said. Not
if
. These guys were certainly sure of themselves, but not in a way that made her feel pressured or inadequate. A certain innocence and charm lay behind their appreciation of life’s pleasures.
He plunged into the water and paddled out toward his friends. As his figure grew smaller, Maura’s eyes turned from him and swept the shore instead. She wished, perhaps irrationally, that the brush would part and Septimus himself would come striding through the palm trees. With any luck, the guys were right, and he was just off enjoying some remote slice of the island.
Meanwhile, her three new friends swam on ahead. Never had she seen such graceful and powerful swimming outside of an Olympic pool. She could have spent hours watching their sleek limbs and sinewy-strapped backs split the waves, speeding out to deep water and then effortlessly pivoting and racing back. Now and then, one or the other ducked underwater for what she considered a remarkably long time. With anyone else, she would have felt nervous, but they reappeared without fail, looking refreshed at hiding from the world for a while.