“If they come while we’re busy, we’ll just signal them to circle the island until we’re ready to leave.”

“How about we make some plans,” he said, cupping her face in his hands. “Dinner tonight at my hotel. You wear your sexiest dress, I’ll order the best bottle of champagne and we’ll continue where we left off.”

“All right,” she said. “It’s a date.”

“Yes, it is a date.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. “I’m going to go gather up our stuff while you finish your shower.”

“No,” Sophie cried. “I need you to scrub my back.”

“If I start running my hands all over your body, then we are going to have a problem.”

She looked down at his crotch, then back up, a wicked smile curling her lips. “I know how to make that go away.”

Trey shook his head and stepped out from beneath the water. “Take your shower, Sophie. I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.”

He walked back toward the cottage, the sand clinging to his bare feet. Though the shower did a bit to cool him off, there was no escaping the heat and humidity on the island. The temperature really didn’t vary a whole lot. It only seemed cooler when he remained absolutely still for an hour or two. And Sophie didn’t make that easy.

When they got back to Pape‘ete, they’d have an air-conditioned room and clean sheets and all the food they’d care to eat. Living on the island with Sophie for a day had been a little bit of heaven. But when they got back, they’d be in paradise.

Trey turned to take one last look at Sophie, knowing that from now on, they’d be dressed. She smoothed her hair back, then opened her eyes to catch him staring at her. She smiled coyly, then reached over and turned off the water. Slowly, she walked toward him, the water glistening on her skin. As she passed by, she let her hand drift along his belly, just low enough to tease him.

“I’m in the mood for a pedicure,” she said. “I think we’ll have just enough time to take advantage of my Christmas present.”

Trey groaned. This wasn’t fair. He’d always thought he was the one in control when it came to sexual relationships. But here on this island, he had completely lost it.

It was getting ridiculous, or pathetic, he wasn’t sure which. He’d enjoyed a very satisfying orgasm fifteen minutes ago and just watching her shower had made him ready for another. A guy had to wonder how many more times his body could react before it just gave out.

Trey followed her back to the cottage, his gaze fixed on her curvy backside. A cold shower would have done the trick in a matter of a minute or two. But there were no cold showers on Suaneva.

“YOU HAVE VERY PRETTY FEET.”

Sophie dipped the brush into the nail polish and carefully painted Trey’s big toe. He’d finished her pedicure and with nothing better to do, she’d decided to treat him to pale pink toenails.

“You’re lucky I’m wearing boat shoes home.”

“What are you worried about? You’re manly enough to carry off pink. Coral might be a bit much, but…” She glanced at the bottom of the bottle. “Bubblegum Baby is definitely your color.”

They sat on either side of the porch steps, their backs braced against the posts, their legs stretched out in front of them. Trey idly massaged her feet as she painted his toes. But it wasn’t enough to just focus on the pedicure. Instead, she rubbed her foot gently against his crotch. He was hard again and if she teased him much longer, he’d need to seduce her again.

It wasn’t the worst use of their time, Sophie mused. They’d been expecting the plane for the past hour, but it hadn’t come. Neither one of them seemed particularly concerned about rescue. Sophie informed Trey that calling up a floatplane from Tahiti could take at least an hour or two. By her calculations they had about thirty minutes left.

There was a tiny sliver of fear inside her, a feeling that the moment they lifted off from the lagoon, everything would change. She knew there wasn’t anything magical about the island. It was just a deserted atoll in the middle of the South Pacific.

But something wonderful had happened here, something very unexpected. She’d gotten on the plane in Pape‘ete thinking she’d like to seduce Trey Shelton. A night in his bed was all she was looking for. But now, Sophie was sure that a single night together was just the beginning for them.

They had a date for that evening. She wouldn’t have time to go home, so she’d run out from the airport and find herself a nice dress, then shower at the hangar. She made a mental note to buy some sexy underwear, too.

“What is this?”

Sophie glanced up from her painting to find Trey rubbing his hand over the tattoo on her ankle. “It’s a sunrise,” she said, “with a hibiscus flower.”

“Why did you choose that?”

Sophie shrugged. “I didn’t. The tattoo artist did. In Tahiti, some of the artists are like…mystical. They read your aura and they create a tattoo to symbolize who you are. He saw the sunrise because I was beginning a new phase of my life. And the hibiscus was to remind me of my life on the islands.”

“Did it hurt?”

She shook her head, then laughed. “Yeah. It hurt like hell. But it only took about a half hour, so I tried to be brave.”

“I like it,” Trey said. “It’s sexy.”

“When my mother saw it, she was so angry with me. But I’ve always felt as if I lived between two worlds with my parents. My mother is French, my father American, but I feel Polynesian. I grew up in Tahiti. It’s home.”

“Maybe I should get a tattoo,” Trey said. “My mother would probably kill me, too.” He paused. “Although, I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life. A tattoo wouldn’t be the worst of it.”

“You have to get a tattoo for a reason,” Sophie explained. “It’s like a rite of passage. You get it when you undergo a change in your life. I got mine after I lost my virginity.”

“Going down in that plane was a big moment in my life,” he said. “Things kind of changed after that.”

“What changed?”

Trey thought about his answer. He wanted to say, “everything.” “I’m just looking at things a little differently. Taking stock of my life. Thinking about making a few changes.”

“Like with your resort?”

“Yeah, that. And other things.”

Sophie considered his story for a long moment, then nodded. “That’s worth a tattoo,” she said. “When we get back, I’ll take you. I’ll even hold your hand.”

She finished with his right foot, then blew on his toes. “It’s so damp, this isn’t going to dry very fast. If you walk in the sand, it’ll stick to the polish.”

“How do I get this off?”

“It never comes off,” she teased. “Your toes will be pink for the next year.”

“Pink toes would definitely scare my mother,” he said.

Sophie put the top back on the bottle, then handed it to him. “For touch-ups,” she teased. “And you’ll have to get some polish remover and some-” She stopped, a distant sound catching her attention. “The plane is coming.”

Trey swung his feet off her lap and stood, then held out his hand and helped her up. Sophie pointed across the lagoon. “They’ll come in from that way,” she said.

“How do you know?”

“The wind. They’ll land into the wind.”

They stood on the step and waited. Just as Sophie had predicted, ten minutes later, they saw the plane circle twice before lining up for a landing. Sophie smiled as she recognized Gabriel Aubert’s plane from Tiare Air. Both Gabriel and Franc were excellent pilots and Sophie wasn’t surprised that her father had called on them both to lead the search. Besides, Gabe and Sophie had also dated for a time three or four years ago and Sophie suspected he still harbored a small crush.

Gabriel made a perfect landing with the amphibious plane, maneuvering so it glided slowly up toward the beach. He cut the engine and the propeller stopped. A moment later, the plane came to a halt about twenty feet from the shore. Sophie strolled down to the lagoon, Trey walking a few feet behind her.

Gabriel hopped out of the plane and waded through the water, a wide smile on his handsome face. “Sophie Madigan, you have caused a lot of worry,” he scolded, his French accent thick. “Your father was frantic when you didn’t return last night.”

Sophie threw her arms around Gabe’s neck and gave him a hug. “Thank you for coming for us. We had a problem with the plane and I had to put it down.”

“She put it down without the engine,” Trey said.

Gabe glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Really? This is true?”

“It was nothing,” Sophie said.

“It was something,” Trey contradicted. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Alors, let’s get you home,” Gabe said, draping his arm over Sophie’s shoulders. “You can tell me all about it on the way. Your papa is anxious to see you, Sophie.” He looked over at Trey. “And so is yours, Mr. Shelton.”

“My father?”

Gabe nodded. “He’s waiting at the Madigan hangar at Faaa. He came in on a Learjet. Nice plane. I’ve always wanted to fly one of those.” He glanced around. “Do you have your belongings?”

Trey held up his bag and Sophie nodded. “We’re ready to go.” It was obvious from Gabe’s attitude toward her that he didn’t suspect anything had gone on between Trey and her. And it was obvious from Trey’s expression that he didn’t like Gabe touching her. But Sophie wasn’t ready to explain to anyone what had happened on Suaneva.

They waded out into the water. Gabe grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into the plane. Sophie crawled into the copilot’s seat, then turned to watch Trey and Gabe spin the plane around. When they were finished, Trey took the spot behind the pilot’s seat while Gabe strapped himself in. Sophie sent Trey a smile, but he didn’t return it.

She turned back to the controls, wondering what was going through Trey’s mind. Though she and Gabe had dated, they’d realized early on they were much better off as friends. And now, they were more like siblings, sharing their interest in flying and their frustrations with working for their fathers. Trey really had no cause to be jealous.