“Why would they be interested in me?” Sophie asked, staring up at him in disbelief.

“Because you were with me.” Trey grabbed her arms and set her back from him, so he could look into her eyes. “Don’t believe anything they tell you, Sophie. What happened here was real. What goes on everywhere else isn’t. Promise me you won’t listen to any of it.”

“But I-”

“Promise!” he demanded, a desperate edge to his voice.

“All right,” she murmured. “I promise.”

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently. “Good. As long as I know you believe in me, then everything will be all right.”

There was an apprehension in her expression that frightened him. How could he protect her from that? Public opinion had never been on his side. But Sophie had lived so far from what went on in the rest of the world. Maybe it wouldn’t make a difference.

He’d face that problem when it came. For now, he had an entire night to convince her he wasn’t the man the rest of the world believed him to be. Instead, he’d be the man she wanted him to be.

SOPHIE SNUGGLED INTO THE CURVE of Trey’s arm. They sat on the top step of the porch, staring out at the lagoon in the night. The squall had passed, the rain had stopped and every now and then, the moon would peek out from behind a cloud.

It was late, probably well after midnight. Trey’s fire had been doused long ago, but there was no need for it now. In six hours, the sun would come up and a new day would begin. She took a deep breath of the damp night air, a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. She was afraid to go to sleep, afraid that when she woke up, everything would have changed.

For now, she wanted things to remain exactly as they were, for just a few more hours…until the sun rose and this magical night came to an end. She’d always remember this Christmas. Every detail would remain etched in her mind-the presents, Trey’s tree, the storm, the dancing and singing. Though it wasn’t a traditional celebration, it was perfect in her eyes.

Sophie turned to Trey and smiled. “I do have a Christmas gift for you,” she said.

“What is it?”

She slowly stood, then pulled her T-shirt over her head. A moment later, her pareu fluttered to the ground. He stared at her, unblinking, in the moonlight. As she shed her clothes, Sophie felt as if she were letting her last inhibition go.

She didn’t want to hold anything back, not physically or emotionally. They only had one chance, just a few more hours together, and she didn’t want to leave Suaneva with any regrets.

At first, Trey seemed to be afraid to touch her, his gaze skimming her body. Though it was dark, her skin gleamed from the monoi, reflecting the white light from the moon. Sophie knew the effect her body had on him. But this time, she wanted him to really see her, not just as a sexual object, but as a woman.

He slowly reached out and spanned her waist with his hands. “That’s a nice present,” he said, running his palm from her shoulder to her hip.

Sophie shook her head. “I have something else,” she murmured.

His eyebrow arched. “What are you giving me, Sophie?”

She took his hand and placed it over her heart. Sophie could feel the pounding of her pulse and she wondered if he could, too. Drawing a deep breath, she met his gaze. “Just for tonight, I’ll love you.”

He looked at her, a frown furrowing his brow. “What?”

“I’ll love you. Tonight, I’ll be completely yours, my heart and my body. I’ll do anything you want, be anything you want.”

“What if I want you to love me for more than just one night?” Trey asked.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen once we leave Suaneva,” Sophie said. “You don’t, either.”

“But I know what I want, Sophie. And it’s you.”

“When we wake up tomorrow morning, everything might be different. We might feel different.”

“That’s not going to happen. I know how I feel. And I think I know how you feel.”

“It’s all I can give, Trey. Tonight, I’m yours, completely. It has to be enough for now.”

Trey stood and took her hand, drawing it up to his lips and kissing each fingertip. “Then for tonight, I love you, too.”

He laced her fingers through his, then led her back up the porch steps. After slipping out of his shirt and tossing it aside, Trey took off his shorts, as well. Sophie held her breath, watching as the light from the moon played off the planes and angles of his naked body. He bent down and dug through his pocket, then held up the condom they’d been saving. He pressed it into her hand as he led her to the hammock.

It was damp from the rain, but Sophie liked the feel of their bodies cradled so closely together, as if there were nothing between them at all. They could barely move, but it didn’t make a difference. He kissed her, softly at first, teasing at her tongue until she moaned in frustration.

Sophie ran her fingers through the hair at his nape and drew him into a longer, deeper kiss, a kiss meant more as an invitation than a challenge. He was already hard, the heat of his erection pressed against her belly. But this time, she was in no hurry. Sophie wanted the night to last forever.

It was a long, slow seduction. Sophie focused on the warm spot beneath his ear, rough with a day’s growth of his beard. Then she moved to the notch in his collarbone, tracing the soft dusting of hair there.

All the while, her hands roamed over his lean but muscular body, smoothing over hard flesh and warm skin. Though she’d touched him before, this time she felt a measure of possession. His body was hers, at least for tonight. And in turn, she surrendered herself to him.

They held off for as long as they could, each of them bringing the other closer and closer to release, touching and teasing. When she finally sheathed him, Sophie was almost dizzy from the need. He turned her away from him, tucking her against his body, his lips pressed to her nape. Then, ever so slowly, Trey entered her.

The sensation was more powerful that she’d ever experienced before. And as he began to move, Sophie had to keep herself from dissolving into her orgasm. Trey whispered her name softly, telling her how much he wanted her, how much he needed her.

His hands drifted to her breasts and then to the damp spot between her legs. But Sophie was so close that she couldn’t bear to have him touch her. She wanted the feelings to last far longer than they ever could. Days, weeks, months would never be enough.

“Tell me you want me,” he murmured, his breath warm against her shoulder.

“I do,” Sophie said, arching back against him. “Oh, God, I want you so much.”

It was nearly impossible to get any closer to him, the hammock cradling them both. Sophie knew he was almost there and this time, when his hands drifted lower, she allowed him to touch her.

Her orgasm came quickly, like a bolt of lightning, sending a current through her limbs until she trembled with ecstasy. Spasm after spasm rocked her body and a moment later, Trey followed after her, moaning her name as he surrendered.

The pleasure seemed to go on and on, long after they’d both been satisfied. For Sophie, this time had been different. This wasn’t just sex. It was an expression of her feelings for Trey, of her trust and her affection for him.

Sophie listened as his breathing gradually slowed. Trey pressed a kiss to her shoulder and sighed. “Say it,” he whispered.

“I love you.” The words were so simple, yet so powerful. But she barely had to think before they formed a sentence and became true.

“I love you,” he replied.

Sophie didn’t care whether it was the truth or not. For now, in this moment, it was. And though their feelings for each other might not last past morning light, they would last the rest of the night and that was enough.

TREY SLEPT SO SOUNDLY, he didn’t stir when Sophie crawled out of the hammock. As he opened his eyes to the early morning light, he realized she wasn’t lying next to him anymore. He raked his hands through his hair and brushed the sleep out of his eyes before swinging his feet to the floor.

He was still naked and the breeze off the ocean was cool on his skin. He rubbed his chest, surprised at how smooth his skin was from the monoi that Sophie had rubbed all over their bodies yesterday.

Trey smiled sleepily. It was odd to wake up and find himself alone. Usually, he was the one who crept out well before dawn, preferring to finish out the night in his own bed, alone.

Drawing a deep breath, he stretched his arms over his head and worked a kink out of his back. Though the hammock had kept them close, it wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep. His thoughts shifted to the big four-poster in his hotel suite, with the down pillows and crisp cotton sheets. He’d like to wake up with Sophie there.

Trey walked to the door of the cottage and peeked inside, then turned and stared out over the lagoon. There was just enough light to see the outline of the atoll, and Sophie standing at the edge of the water.

She was naked, the low light creating a silhouette over her curves. The stiff breeze tangled her hair, whipping it around her head. For a moment, Trey wished he’d had a camera with him to capture the scene. She looked like an island princess, a sacrifice to the gods of passion, her tanned limbs and dark hair a contrast to the white sand that surrounded her.

He’d thought the sunset had been beautiful the evening before, but this was just breathtaking. Closing his eyes, he committed the scene to memory, burning the image into his brain so it would be there for years to come.

What was she thinking? Was she looking for the rescue plane to come and take them both off the island? Or was she thinking about last night and the pleasure they’d shared? Her words still echoed in his head. I love you.