Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

***THEO***

" W ell, I'm certainly glad this is entertaining to you," he said, giving Max a dirty look. "I think I'm done with breakfast. I've lost my appetite."

He was just about to get to his feet when a young woman walked up, Eden trailing after her. "I'm sorry to interrupt," the woman said. "Eden and I were just wondering if it would be possible to arrange a shopping trip to the big island. We need a few more things for the summer, and the sooner, the better."

Eden's eyes met his across the table. a blush spread across her cheeks, and he knew that he had to say something. "Hi, Eden," he said, smiling at her. "You look nice this morning."

Max looked past Barbie, taking in the baggy shorts that hung down below Eden's knees and the oversized long-sleeved shirt hanging from her narrow shoulders, then gave him a sideways glace full of confusion. "You ladies both look beautiful this morning, the island must agree with you," Max finally said. "If it's shopping you want, the summer market is the place to go. Just let me find a couple of the boys to go with you. "

"That would be great," Barbie said, plopping into the chair next to Max, leaving Eden standing a few feet away from them. "Come over here and sit down, I'm sure Theo won't mind."

He saw mischief in the young woman's eyes and knew that Eden had told her about the kiss. He felt the sting of embarrassment but pulled the chair next to him out. "Of course not, join us," he said, smiling at her, telling himself that he could handle sitting next to her for a few minutes.

But as soon as she sat down, he got a whiff of her scent, something floral with spicy undertones, and his body came to life. He looked over at Max, who had an amused look on his face, then took a deep breath, thinking it would calm him. All it did was drive the scent of the woman sitting next to him further into his lungs. He clenched his teeth, not daring to say a word while Max made a phone call, then let out a long sigh of relief when he hung up, a smile on his face.

"You're in luck; Pierce and Tyrone are both free," Max said. "I'll feel better knowing you're not running around town on your own, and they know Barbados better than anyone working here. You'll be safe with them."

"Fine with me," Barbie said. "I'll never say no to a couple of good-looking escorts. What about you Eden, do you mind?"

"Oh, no, that's fine with me," Eden said, looking anywhere but at him. "It might be nice to have someone with us who knows where they're going."

"Good, then it's settled," Max said. "The boys will meet you down at the dock in ten minutes."

Barbie jumped to her feet. "Thanks, Max," she said. "We'd better get going if we're going to make it to the dock in ten minutes. I have to run back to my cabin and get a few things. "

Eden got to her feet but didn't move any farther. "Thank you for coming to my rescue last night, even if I wasn't really in danger," she said, still not looking at him, a blush slowly creeping up her cheeks. "The gecko hasn't moved from the corner of the room, so I think we're going to get along okay. I named her Chelsea."

"Chelsea?" he asked. "That's a strange name for a lizard."

"Can you think of a better one?" Eden challenged, a spark in her eyes.

He thought about it for a minute. "No, as a matter of fact, I can't," he said, then smiled over at her. "Now that I think about it, that is a perfectly acceptable name for a lizard."

"I'm glad you approve," she said, rolling her eyes at him, then turned away when Barbie called her name. "I guess I'd better go. Barbie is on a mission to……never mind, I'll see you later."

He watched her walk away, his mind stripping away the loose clothes to what he knew lay underneath, and his body came to life. Waves of desire washed over him, but he forced himself to look away, only to find Max grinning at him and shaking his head.

"I don't see it myself," he said, then held up his hands. "Don't get me wrong, she's cute and all, but……well, she's just not my type."

"That's fine with me, she's mine," he said, then snapped his mouth closed, wondering where the words came from. "I did not just say that."

"Oh, yes, you did," Max said. "This is getting better and better by the minute."

He got back to his feet again. "I need to go on a hike, a really long one," he said. "I've got to get control of myself before I do something stupid again."

"Take the trail up to the waterfall," Max said, pointing behind him. "That should wear you out, but I don't think it's going to help. You've got it bad, pal."

"Gee, thanks for pointing out the obvious," he said with a big sigh. "You could be a bit more helpful. I'm trying to do the right thing."

"Well, good luck with that, I saw the way she was looking at you," Max said, slapping him on the back. "She's smitten with you, and even an innocent like that can bring a man to his knees."

"Then keep us apart, do something," he pleaded. "Switch her cabin, move her into the main house, I don't know, just keep her away from me."

"It's a small island, Theo," Max said, shaking his head. "Even if I moved her to a different cabin, which I can't do, you're still going to see her. Just look at this as a test of your self-restraint."

***Eden***

The sun was beginning its slow descent in the crystal blue sky as the boat approached the island, but Eden wasn't looking at the land growling bigger. Instead, she was focused on a small group of boats heading into another set of docks. Transfixed by the sight, she watched as, one by one, they snugged themselves into their berths, then disgorged their laughing and smiling passengers. Some carried fishing poles, other coolers, and even from a distance, she could see their happy sunburned faces as they made their way onto the shore.

She was just about to ask Pierce about the boats when a man began ringing a big bell she hadn't noticed before. "Looks like the fishing boats brought in a good haul today," he said. "We'll be eating like kings tonight."

"Max always has a cookout on the beach when there's a good catch," Tyrone explained. "We never know for sure what we'll be eating, but it's always fresh and always delicious, just another one of the perks we get working for him."

"Oh, a cookout sounds like fun," Barbie said. "That will give you a chance to show off some of your new clothes."

"Don't wear anything too nice, unless you want to miss out on the clam digging," Pierce warned. "It's messy business, but it's worth it."

"Then shorts and tank tops it is," Barbie said, giving her a nudge. "You should wear those new jean shorts and that purple top you love so much."

When they'd been shopping, she'd felt brave, ready to cast off her old look for something new and fresh, but she was suddenly nervous at the thought of showing off that much skin. She'd spent most of her life draped in layers of fabric, and had it drilled into her head that showing off her body was just asking for trouble, that boys were a waste of time, and the only good man was one who didn't care what she looked like, only how intelligent she was.

Looking at the packages at her feet, a little smile spread across her face. Her mother wasn't here. For once, she could enjoy being young and attractive. She knew that she couldn't be called beautiful, cute was probably the most she could hope for, but that was okay with her. All she wanted was a chance to wear something besides old lady clothes, and Barbie had given it to her. She wasn't about to waste it being self-conscious.

"That's a great idea," she said, grinning over at her friend. "I'm a little nervous about my new look, but I can't thank you enough for doing this for me."

"That's what friends are for," Barbie said, giving her a quick hug. "Now, let's talk about Theo. You haven't mentioned him once all day. "

She felt a blush rising on her cheeks. "There isn't really much to say," she said with a sigh. "I think that kiss last night was just a mistake. He was very polite this morning, but that was it. But it's okay, really. It was still the most exciting thing that's happened to me; ever."

Barbie looked at her suspiciously. "Liar," she finally said, then shook her head. "I can't believe you're going to give up that easily. A kiss like that shouldn't be ignored. There's heat between the two of you, and you'd be a fool to walk away without pushing it just a little bit. What's the worst that can happen?"

"I could humiliate myself," she said. "I could make a fool of myself chasing after him. He probably thinks I'm just a kid, and in a lot of ways, I am."

"Well, there's only one way to change that," Barbie said, wiggling her eyebrows at her. "But I'm not going to push you into doing something you're not comfortable with. I am saying, however, that there are ways to get a man if you really want him."

"You mean seduce him?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I couldn't do that; I wouldn't even know where to begin. I really would make a fool out of myself."

"You would not," Barbie said, shaking her head. "And I could give you a few pointers."

The thought of kissing Theo again made her body begin to warm in a pleasant way. "I'm not exactly the seductress type, in case you missed it," she said, then lowered her voice. "I don't know anything about sex; I wouldn't know what to do."

Barbie waved her hand in the air. "Just follow your instincts; that's lesson number one," she said. "Besides, a man like Theo isn't going to let you take the lead for long. "

"Is that a good thing?" she asked, then sighed. "See, I don't even know that."

"Just relax, Eden," Barbie said. "It's not a test you have to pass. All you have to do is let him know that you're interested, he'll take it from there."

"I hope you're right," she said. "This all seems very complicated to me."

"Sometimes it is, but in this case, I think it's very simple," Barbie said. "An island romance, no strings attached, no expectations for the future? What man could say no to that?"

"I guess you're right," she said, but still wasn't convinced she was up to seducing Theo. "I'll give it a try, but if I make a fool of myself, I'm going to blame you."

"I'm not worried. I think you're going to surprise yourself," Barbie said, then leaned in a little closer. "There's a woman under all those layers. You just have to let her out."

Eden would remind herself of those words a few hours later when she stood in front of the mirror in her cabin, looking at her reflection, not recognizing the woman looking back at her. Feeling a moment of panic, she thought about changing back into her other clothes, then looked hard at herself, being more critical than a stranger would be, and saw nothing wrong with the way she was dressed. Ignoring her mother's voice in the back of her head, she turned away from the mirror, slipped her feet into the new sandals, and left the cabin.