Sleep With Me (Be With Me) Page 6

  ***

  The coconut wasn’t exactly her thing, but Katherine had to admit it did perk her up. She munched on a chunk of the milky white meat as they continued the trek to the end of the island. The sun rose high and hot, and by the time she could see the tide sliding up over sand she was sweating in her newly found clothing.

  David stopped just short of the warming sand and pointed to a sandbar out in the sea.

  “Amy should be able to pick us up on that sandbar,” he said, shielding his face with one hand as he scanned the horizon. “We can walk out over there when the tide goes down a little more. We’ll just have to be careful not to get stuck - it’s a long swim back if she doesn’t make it.”

  Katherine scrunched up her nose, not keen on that idea at all.

  “We should have brought the boat. Remind me why we didn’t just hop in and motor around the island?”

  “Not enough gas,” he said, stepping onto the sand. “So walking was pretty much our only option.”

  “Right.” She followed him, her feet sinking past the sun-warmed top layer of fine grit through to the cooler layers below. “So we’re just going to wade out to the middle of the sandbar and wait to be stranded there when the tide goes out? There has to be a better plan than that...”

  He chuckled, sounding far more annoyed than amused. “I’m all ears, Kat. If you have a better suggestion, don’t be shy.”

  “Katherine. And I think we should make a signal or something to let her know where we are. Then if she comes, we can wade out there, and if she doesn’t, we’re stuck on the beach instead of surrounded by water and sharks again. I’ve had enough sharks for awhile, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “What kind of signal did you have in mind? I think we can safely rule out a fire, and it seems like that’s the only thing that would be visible from way out there. What else you got? And why do you mind me calling you Kat so much?”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. I just really don’t think we should get stuck out there. And my name is Katherine, not Kat. That should be reason enough.”

  “Try again, sweetheart.” He moved closer, running a finger just inside the vee of her shirt. “Kat is a perfectly good nickname, and honestly, you’re very cat-like, so it suits you. I want to know why you don’t like it.”

  “It wasn’t a compliment in grade school. I hated it then, and I hate it now. Just let it go, okay?”

  ***

  David knew he should let it drop, but he couldn’t seem to keep from prodding her.

  “No.” He moved closer yet, his fingers moving down between her breasts to span across her ribcage. “The problem is, when I hear Katherine, I think of a quiet librarian who hides away in dark stacks and needs to be coaxed out of her shell. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I get that you want the world to think you’re that person, but hard as you try, you’re just not her.”

  She tried to protest, but he brought his other hand up between them, laying three fingers over her mouth.

  “No, you’re feisty, and sexy, and everything about you makes people sit up and take notice. You project confidence and even when the claws come out, you’re still too cute to be mad at for long...”

  Kat tried to step back, but he held her in place, raising his eyebrows. “Going somewhere?”

  “Let me go, or I’ll use these too-cute claws on the side of your face.” Her words were almost a growl which just made him smile more.

  “See, that right there is what I mean. You are gorgeous when you’re angry, and extremely sensual when you’re not.” He stroked his hand up and down her back, slowly, smoothly.

  “Just relax, Kat. Let me pet you a little. Better yet, you can curl up in my la--ouch!”

  He released her quickly as the flat of her hand connected solidly with his jaw. Reaching up to feel the burning in his face, he wasn’t prepared when she threw herself at him from the side, tackling him to the ground and straddling his hips while she pinned his arms overhead.

  “I’m not a mousey librarian,” she said, her pulse beating rapidly against the skin of his wrists through her fingers. “But I’m not a social butterfly willing to just sleep with anyone either, which is what the name Kat means to a lot of people. I don’t want to be that woman - can you understand that?”

  David figured it wasn’t a good time to remind her she’d come to the big island with the express purpose of getting laid. Instead, he slowly nodded his head.

  “I understand wanting to redefine yourself,” he said carefully. “But can’t you be both Katherine and Kat? Different sides of yourself, but both still ‘you’?”

  She thought for a moment, her gaze wandering somewhere past his head. Then she sat back, narrowly missing the family jewels, and released his wrists.

  “Kat scares me,” she finally said, so softly he almost missed it. She ran her hands through her hair and looked up at the sky, the backs of her thighs resting on the front of his. If she’d just scoot up a few inches...

  He reached out to grasp her hands, moving her forward to where he wanted her. Bending his legs, he created a back rest for her and then released her hands.

  “What scares you the most about her?”

  She gave a little half-laugh. “Everything.” She glanced down at him, her defenses lowered long enough for him to see the abject fear in her eyes before she looked away again.

  “You don’t know what I’m like - not really. I like schedules and routines and everything in its place. I hate change. I get antsy every time I have to make an unplanned change to my day. It was nerve-wracking just getting on the plane to come here without any plans or itinerary other than the return flight. And then you...and this screwed up trip...” she rubbed her face with one hand. “I just need to go home, and get back into my normal routine. Everything will be fine if I can just do that.”

  “Run and hide, you mean?” David said, propping one arm under his head so he could look up at her. “Because that’s what you’ll be doing. It won’t actually fix anything. You’ll be stuck where you always were. And wasn’t that the reason for coming here - to learn how to meld both worlds together?”

  ***

  There was truth to his words that Katherine didn’t want to face. She was trying to decide how to answer when a small but unmistakable shape floated into her vision out in the open sea.

  “Run,” she said, getting hastily to her feet. “We both need to run. Now!”

  Reaching for his hand to pull him to his feet, she couldn’t make her mouth move fast enough and simply pointed to answer his confused and irritated look.

  “Boat! Ship! Whatever - we have to catch it!”

  He didn’t need any further explanation, taking off in the direction of the exposed sandbar. She followed as closely as she could, minding the odd bits of rock and driftwood sticking up on the beach. The surface of the sandbar wasn’t really all that sandy, but rather hard and jagged, and she had trouble keeping her balance. Somehow she did though, almost catching up as they reached a point in front of the passing ship.

  “Is that your boat?” she asked, bent over with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. He shielded his eyes and squinted against the glare off the water.

  “I can’t tell. Doesn’t matter though. Looks like they saw us. See the dingy being lowered?”

  Katherine nodded. “Oh thank God. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a warm shower and a soft bed more than I do right now.”

  David chuckled. He glanced sideways at her, then returned his gaze to the small boat making its way to them.

  “You didn’t answer my question. And I still want to know the answer,” he said, just loud enough to be heard over the waves.

  Katherine shrugged, looking down at the crevices and lines of the sandbar beneath her feet. “I came to relax. So I could sleep. So far I’ve done very little relaxing, and more sleeping that I could have hoped for, so I suppose it was a success. But this isn’t real life, David. I can’t function like this. So melding those t
wo personalities into something I can live with is something I’ll need to work on at home. I don’t know how else to do it.”

  He nodded as the boat drew closer. “Sounds like a solid plan.” He waved at the woman in the boat, and Katherine realized with relief that it was Amy, the Captain from the day before.

  “Thought you might be waiting,” she called out as she got the small craft as close to the sandbar as possible. “Sorry I couldn’t get back last night - that was a hell of a storm.”

  “No problem,” David said, gesturing for Katherine to board first. “We did okay, all things considered. But we’ll be glad to get back to the main island.”

  Katherine stood at the edge of the sandbar and reached for the side of the boat, but it was too far away.

  “You’re gonna have to get wet,” Amy said. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

  Nodding, Katherine took a breath and stepped into the ocean, bobbing quickly to the surface with a gasp at the temperature drop. Swimming the few feet out, she reached up and grasped the edge of the boat, pulling her legs up sideways as Amy helped anchor her arms by the wrist. As soon as she was settled, David was climbing in beside her. Wrapped up in a thick towel, a strong sense of exhaustion came over Katherine as she listened to David and Amy banter on the way back to the ship.

  Chapter 6

  When they reached the ship, David helped Kat climb aboard and then left her to get settled while he helped Amy secure the dingy and prepare to head back to the main island. When he finally thought to look for Kat again, he found her stretched out on the same padded bench she’d ridden out on, fast asleep. He covered her with a blanket and then went to the control room.

  “So did you shag her?” Amy asked with a wry smile. “She looks slightly less tense than she did yesterday, which is odd considering what I imagine you’ve been through.”

  David shrugged. Normally he was eager to share his conquest stories, especially since he knew it drove Amy mad. But this time, he wasn’t sure. With Kat it had been...different.

  Could he afford to let it be?

  “You better believe it,” he said, forcing the usual cockiness into his voice. “What woman could possibly keep her hands off this body while stranded on a deserted island? You excepted, of course.” He laughed, but it sounded too loud even to his own ears. Amy shot him a knowing look, her lips tugged up in a told-you-so smirk.

  “I do believe you might be falling for this one, David. The only question now is, are you man enough to see it through? Or will you send her off like all the others with a quick kiss and a promise to call that you never intend to keep?”

  He clutched dramatically at his heart, stumbling back at her words.

  “Ow! You should be careful with those barbs. You could put an eye out or something.”

  Amy shook her head. “You’re seriously going to do it, aren’t you? Just let her go because you’re more afraid to let her in than to lose her. I’m disappointed, but not surprised.”

  “Nah,” David scoffed, “it’s not like that anyways. She was only looking for a quick lay so she could sleep, and I gave it to her. Now she can go home to what sounds like a pretty boring life, and I can go back to harassing island girls. Win-win.”

  He happened to glance toward the door and felt his heart drop into his stomach at the expression on Kat’s face. Hurt and dismay followed quickly by that mask of cold indifference he’d seen too many times before. He tried to remember why it had been so important to hide his true feelings from Amy, but couldn’t think of a single good reason in that instant.

  It didn’t matter now though, judging by the ice in Kat’s eyes. He’d just lost her.

  At the sudden silence, Amy turned to look at him, and then followed his gaze to Kat. “Oh wow. I’m...we didn’t know you were there. Is there something you need?”

  Kat gave the Captain a wan smile. “I was just wondering if you had any bottled water. I woke up kind of thirsty. It’s okay if you don’t - I’d hate to be a bother.”

  Amy scowled at David. “You’re not a bother, and there’s water in the cooler to your right. Help yourself to anything you want.”

  “Thank you.” Kat walked away without another word.

  “You are such an idiot,” Amy said, turning back to watch as they sailed closer to the docks. David stepped closer and lowered his voice.

  “You didn’t even like her yesterday, so what do you care? Besides, you’re the one who started it.”

  She shook her head. “Whatever. I need to dock this thing, and you need to go talk to her, since we both know you were lying through your damn teeth and she’s obviously not just messing around. Get out of the cockpit. That’s an order.”

  ***

  Katherine quickly blinked back the tears as she saw David approach out of the corner of her eye. She picked up the towels she’d used and tossed them in a hamper, then gathered her things while he watched.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, keeping his distance. “You know how guys are. They always say stupid stuff to their buddies about girls. It’s just a thing we do. And Amy’s more like a guy friend, you know?”

  Katherine forced herself to look up at him and smile.

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” she said, taking care to use a chipper tone. “Everything you said was the truth. I wanted to get laid so I could sleep. Mission accomplished, and I appreciate you helping me out.” The boat bumped against the dock and she saw David look at the moorings, and then back at her.

  “Are you going to secure the boat? I’d better start checking on things like my hotel room and a flight home. I just hope the airline will understand and change my ticket. Flying is just so expensive, don’t you think?” She knew she was rambling, but couldn’t seem to help it. He knew too, judging by the look he was giving her, but he said nothing.

  He finally nodded and turned away, jumping down onto the dock to tie the ropes to the moorings. Just as well.

  She put her bag over her shoulder and waved to Amy as she opened the gate in the railing and hopped down to the wooden deck below. Stifling the urge for one more glance over her shoulder, she walked up the dock to the beach and headed for the hotel.

  The next few hours were a nightmare.

  Her little beach hut had been cleaned out and given to someone else, so she had to pay for a small room within the hotel proper, all they had available on short notice. At least they still had her suitcase and clothes. She’d write David’s scuba tours company for a refund later.

  After a shower and a change of clothes, she called the airline only to be told that her non-refundable return ticket couldn’t be transferred, and that she’d have to book another flight home at full price. It took some wrangling, but she was finally able to reserve a seat the next afternoon, maxing out her credit card.

  Head hurting and beaten down, she lay on the bed and tried to sleep. Tossing and turning, she finally gave in to the tears simmering just below the surface. How had everything gotten so messed up?

  Half an hour later, she got up and washed her face, looking at herself in the mirror. The woman staring back at her was foreign with tanned skin and loose, tousled hair. Very different from her normal put-together professional self. The dark circles she recognized, but that haunted, lost look in her eyes was another new, unwelcome change.

  David had done that. Or rather, she’d let him, which was worse. Candace was wrong. Opening herself up had just made it worse, and for what? A couple nights of sleep? Memories that would take too long to fade?

  With a heavy sigh, she turned away and grabbed the last of her cash and key card. No sense in wasting the night sitting alone with her depressing thoughts. She’d find something to eat, and then watch the sun go down on the beach. A fitting end to a disastrous vacation.

  Especially if it involved a Mai Tai. Or two.

  ***

  The sun was just beginning to set as David walked up the beach. He’d tried to stay away, but he needed to see Kat once more before she left. Needed to apologize again
for...everything. Having just interrupted what appeared to be an intimate moment involving whipped cream and chocolate syrup at what used to be her hut, he was on his way to the hotel in hopes she hadn’t found a flight out yet.

  Glancing to the right, he saw the dark profile of a beautiful woman in the distance. Sitting in the sand, she held a hurricane glass in one hand while the other wrapped around one knee. Her hair drifted gently around her shoulders with the breeze, and though he couldn’t see her features, he knew her.

  Switching course, he went to her side. Lowering himself to the sand, he sat beside her and watched quietly as the huge orange ball slid down under the horizon. The fact that she let him was encouraging, he supposed.

  When the last vestiges of light were gone, she finally spoke.

  “I fly out tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Okay.” His stomach flipped over, his chest tightened. There were so many things to be said, and he didn’t know how to say any of them. Didn’t even know where to start. But it couldn’t end, not yet. Not like this.

  “Kat, I--”

  A gentle touch on his arm stilled him, drew his gaze up. He could just make out the haunted look in her eyes, the sad smile on her lips. She got to her feet, holding a hand out to him.

  “Shhh. Let’s just go.”

  He took her hand and she helped him up, lacing her fingers with his as they walked up the beach to the hotel. She led him down a long hall in the older part of the building and into a small room with a double bed and not much else. After she locked the door, she turned and leaned against the door as he watched.

  “I know I’m just another island fling,” she said, holding a hand up when he would have protested. “It’s okay. I get it. And you can say no if you want to. But I was hoping...”

  She pushed off the door and moved in close, sliding her hands up over his shoulders to play with the hair at the back of his neck.