"Nothing's going on. You're always so damn paranoid. It's just, you know, tradition. You get to the party late, then you take off on one of your brooding swims to the island."
"Tradition? I think I've done that swim twice. That's hardly—
"Oh, fucking hell, Bronx. I just think you should swim to the damn island." He looked pointedly across the water to the small, densely green island. I followed his line of sight.
She looked nothing short of an angel as she stepped out from the thick trees. She was wearing the same white bikini, and her bronze skin glistened in the sunlight. The music was still blaring, but the voices had stopped. Everyone, even pouty Nathan, was looking at me.
I glanced over at Helix. He nodded.
"Well, are you going to take that swim?" Kingston asked.
"Don't have to ask me something twice," I said as I kicked off my shoes.
"Bullshit, we asked you way more than twice, you jackass," he called to my back as I jogged to the water. I dove in and swam like that Olympic athlete I never was toward the woman standing on the wet slope of the island. It felt like the longest fucking stretch of water in the world. As I pushed up to wading at the shore, Layla stood shading her eyes with her hand and her bright white smile gleaming.
"I had this all planned perfectly, like the end of a romantic movie," she said. "You swam across, sat down in the exact location, and I came out of nowhere and admonished you for invading my privacy—"
"But you forgive me because I look like I need it more than you." I stopped just a foot from her. I was soaking wet, but my entire body was charged with electricity.
Her dark gold hair fluttered in the breeze. "You remember," she said softly.
"Every damn word." I closed the gap between us and took her into my arms. Our kiss was cheered loudly from the opposite shore.
She laughed. "We've got an audience."
I glanced back. Everyone was standing along the shoreline, Helix included, clapping and whistling.
"I seem to remember there's a secluded place on this island that's invisible to nosy coworkers." I grabbed her hand, and we pushed past shrubs and branches to the center of the tiny island, to the exact place we first met. Before we could sit, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her against me.
"Why does everything feel right with the world when you're in my arms?" I asked.
"Guess for the same reason that everything is right with the world when your arms are around me." We kissed, this time without the cheer session, and it was that much sweeter.
I couldn't seem to bring myself to release her. She sensed my unwillingness to let her go and reached up to touch my face.
"Don't worry, Jack Devlin, I've thought long and hard about it. This time, I'm here to stay."
I sighed. "Damnit, guess I shouldn't have gone off and fallen in love with someone else then."
She tensed in my arms, and her smile faded. "You've met someone?" she asked, a slight waver in her tone. She ducked out of my arms. "I mean, of course you did. I certainly couldn't expect you to wait around for me to get it into my thick skull that you and I were perfect together. I mean—"
I grabbed her back to me. "Just kidding."
She pulled back again. "You're teasing?"
"Yes, do you actually think I would fall in love with someone else after I've been so fucking hopelessly in love with you since the last time we stood right here on this tiny spot of sand?"
The smile returned to her face. "Hopelessly?" she asked.
"Hopelessly, desperately, doggedly, can't think of any more, but you get the point."
"So there's no one else? Because I would totally understand. I'd be heartbroken of course but—"
I pulled her into my arms again and gazed down at her. "No one else . . . ever. Just you, Layla. Only you."
