Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Bahamas
Five years ago, October
It was late. No one would have guessed how late it was because the party was still in full swing. The wedding of Ron Palacio and Aditi Wilson had been a raging success. The open bar might have had a little something to do with it.
Despite the series of doors open to the stunning view of the beach under a moonlit sky, the heat pervaded. All those bodies packed onto the dance floor of the resort ballroom intensified the humid summer night atmosphere. Travis wandered outside with an ice-cold bottle of water in his hand. He had intended to take a brief walk down to the shore, dip his feet in a little, and then maybe head back to his bungalow.
The sight of a woman lying motionless under a cluster of palm trees drew his attention. Fear thundered in his heart, but once he drew near, he could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she took in steady breaths.
It was Sophie.
His heart twisted in agony. God, she was everything. She was beauty and vice. Joy and terror. Pleasure and ruin. She was his best friend’s little sister and therefore stood for everything forbidden to him. If that was true, then why did he find himself coming closer instead of walking away?
She opened her eyes and stared up at him.
“It’s you,” she said.
Travis didn’t respond. He looked down into her face, trying to ignore the way the deep neckline of her dress and the short skirt affected him in the most inappropriate of ways.
“Are you okay?” he asked, fighting his dirty thoughts with every inch of his being. “Do you need me to walk you back inside?”
It was Sophie’s turn to pause. Instead of answering, she held out her hand. Travis grasped it and helped her to a sitting position. He loosened his grip, but Sophie didn’t let go.
“Sit with me,” she said.
Travis sat. They were about six inches apart on the sand, their legs extended in front of them. Travis handed her the bottle of water.
“Took advantage of the open bar, huh?” he said.
“It was my idea, you know.” Sophie twisted the cap off and took a dainty sip. “Ron didn’t want it at first. He’s super kuripot, but with a lot of threatening, I finally persuaded him.”
Sophie was buzzed. It was unlike her to use Tagalog words, especially ones describing her brother’s frugalness. She was a pleasant, happy kind of drunk who swayed gently back and forth in her seat. She wasn’t the kind that went off on slurred diatribes and stumbled around everywhere, threatening to topple over with every precarious step. No. Despite her hooded eyes, joy illuminated them from the inside out. It made Travis happy knowing she was in the moment.
She scooted closer and leaned her head on Travis’s shoulder.
He froze. Everything in his rational mind told him to put distance between them. Unfortunately, the rest of his body wanted nothing more than to get as close to Sophie as humanly possible. His rational mind was effectively outnumbered.
“Aren’t you afraid of being on an island?” she asked. “Did you know that islands were formed by these huge, cataclysmic volcanic eruptions? Aren’t you scared that could happen to us while we’re here?”
A grin broke across his face.
“No. I never thought about it,” he replied, trying to hide his amusement.
“How could you not?” Sophie demanded. “People will tell me I’m being paranoid, but it’s bullshit. I don’t believe for one second that all these volcanoes are dormant. They’re just waiting to explode, and we’ll all be caught by surprise.”
“Did you have a bad experience with a volcano or something?” Travis asked.
“Not necessarily,” Sophie said. “But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”
She shifted in the sand, easing up even closer to Travis. She wrapped her hand around his bicep. Her face was very close to his, but she was so animated she didn’t seem to notice the way her proximity affected him.
“You wanna know what I got for my brother for his wedding? A personalized table runner. And it’s silver. With green-and-red bead accents. God, what a shitty gift. Do you think that’s a shitty gift?”
“No. That’s a nice gift.” Travis’s voice almost cracked when Sophie brushed her bare leg against his thigh.
“No. It isn’t.” Sophie gasped, her eyes lighting up under the soft glow of the night sky. “You know what would have been an amazing gift? A volcano eruption survival kit.”
Travis turned his face toward her and looked her in the eye.
“Really?” he asked. “What does that entail?”
Sophie scooted in closer. She was turned toward him, her breast pressed against his arm and her leg halfway slung over his. Travis was not a religious man, but he found himself imploring the Virgin Mary to give him strength to banish every sinful thought running through his head.
“Maybe…super heat resistant personal protective equipment.” Her excitement persisted. Travis was relieved she seemed oblivious to the way she made his pulse race like a flood bursting through a dam. “Some kind of hazmat-looking suit, except it was designed to resist superhot temperatures. And then an inflatable raft made of the same kind of heat resistant material so that you could ride on it instead of getting buried under a river of deadly, fiery magma.”
Sophie paused for a second. She appeared to ponder her thoughts, then a smile of disbelief materialized on her face.
“Oh my god!” She laughed, burying her head against Travis’s arm. “You probably think I’m the most ridiculous person you’ve ever met. For real though…I don’t know why I give such terrible gifts. It’s a weakness of mine.”
Travis felt a lump in his throat. He gazed at her profile. He wanted to ease her worries…to make it so that he could right any wrong in her life.
“It’s not about the gift,” Travis murmured. He gently brushed aside a lock of hair obscuring her face. “It’s the thought. No matter what you get someone, no matter how small, your intent shines through.”
Sophie’s smile faltered. A darkness rushed into her eyes, eclipsing the soft, starry illumination from the moon above. It was darkness and…heat. Travis recognized its pull, and he paused too, wondering what Sophie would do next.
He watched, transfixed, as Sophie’s lips parted slightly. The tip of her tongue peeked out as her eyes trained on Travis’s mouth.
“What do you think my intent is now?” she asked, her voice suddenly husky.
With his heart near to bursting, he could no longer fight the urge. Travis reached out, cupping her cheek with a gentle hand. Sophie’s eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into his palm.
“I hope to god your intent matches mine.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Sophie replied.
She leaned in and kissed him.
He’d imagined what this moment would feel like a million times, but nothing compared to the real thing. The power of her kiss overwhelmed the voice of his conscience. It didn’t matter that she was his best friend’s little sister. She had a hold on him he hoped would never break.
Travis closed his eyes and lost himself in her. He knew from that moment he would never be the same.