My heart won’t hurt from being left on the island, it’ll hurt from him leaving. But it’s not Dante’s problem.
It’s mine.
“Whiskey, what’s on your mind.” After my morning with Dante, I’ve been in a sour mood. I almost didn’t come. Almost. I open my eyes from the shaded lounger to find Ryker staring at me from the pool. “You’ve been quiet today.”
It’s alarming that he knows me so well already. A man has never been this attentive with me. “Dante came to visit me earlier today.” There’s no need to lie. “He’s worried about me.”
Ryker pushes up, his muscles contract, and in one jump, he’s out of the pool. Water gushes down his body and I can’t stop staring at him as he walks over to his towel on the lounger beside me.
He faces me when he sits down, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Will you be okay?” Does he mean now or when he leaves? As if reading my mind, he adds, “In a couple days.”
I bite back the emotion wanting to surface. I will not cry in front of him. “We both went into this knowing what it was. It is what it is.”
He gives a sharp nod, swinging his legs around to lie flat. “That we did.” His somber tone only buries the pain a little deeper.
“What does Manu mean?” he asks out of the blue. I loll my head his direction with furrowed brows. “Isn’t that what he calls you?”
I chuckle once in understanding. “Yes. It’s a childhood name he gave me. It means bird. Since I’m not a native, he said the birds brought me.”
He lets out a noncommittal hum. “That’s interesting.”
“Why?” I would think it’s more silly than interesting.
He moves off his lounger and straddles me with his panty-dropping smile. Or at least, my panties drop. His finger scrapes circles around my belly button, and I tense at the tingling sensation. “Seems I am an Ornithologist.”
“Wow.” I snort, remembering when I asked him if that was his occupation. “That’s an astute conclusion.”
He shrugs a shoulder while keeping his attention on his finger, dragging it up my chest. “It’s true. I’m a bird watcher. I’m very intrigued by one that has whiskey-colored eyes and has a love for water and adventure. In fact, it’s so rare that one must travel to the most remote islands of the Pacific. Watching it has been the highlight of my trip.”
“And now that you’ve seen one?” My voice cracks, emotions I tried keeping at bay make their way out.
“You never forget your first time seeing one.” He leans down and presses his lips to mine. “The rush you get,” he says against my lips, “it takes your breath away.” His words vibrate to my core. “I’m afraid nothing will compare.” He continues moving down my neck, goose bumps pebble my skin. I run the tips of my fingers up his back and his muscles twitch under them. “But do you know what I like the best?” He lifts his head, his gaze seeks mine.
I swallow. “What?”
“That she’s not a mockingbird pretending to be a blue jay.”
There must be a lot of fake people in his world because he’s brought it up before. It makes me sad that people can’t be themselves.
“But are you a mockingbird?”
A man can’t be this perfect.
“I’ve never been so real in my life. You make it easy to be me.”
“Well, then… everyone is missing out.”
“Take me shopping,” he demands as he watches me tie my dress around my neck. I glance in the mirror and my hair is wilder than normal. Last night, Ryker wanted to have sex in the pool. I know what happens in those pools, so instead, I talked him into a midnight swim in the ocean.
I made sure there were no stingrays first.
After, I fell asleep with soaking wet hair. And now, I have crazy hair.
I glance up at him in the mirror while braiding my hair. “What are you buying?”
“I want to get my mom something before I leave.”
As sweet as that is, my lips pout. I don’t need a reminder of his departure. I kneel on the bed. “You’re going to miss this.” The words are out before I can stop them. At least they came out playful rather than needy.
His eyes rake over my body, and he swallows hard. This is what I’ll miss the most. The way he looks at me. Like I’m his next breath. “Whiskey, I definitely will.”