An Innocent In Paradise

Six

Grace wasn’t sure how long she slept. Eventually, she opened her eyes and found Logan leaning on his elbow, watching her. A frown marred his handsome features.

“I hurt you,” he said, as his fingers edged along her hairline. He was still stretched out next to her with his leg thrown over hers. It felt perfect.

“No,” she said, struggling to sit up and regain some dignity. But it was impossible because he wouldn’t budge, so she plopped her head back down on the pillow with a sigh. Dignity was overrated anyway. Besides, she was naked. How much dignity would she really be able to find?

And who really cared? She had finally lost the big V she had carried around inside her mind for years. Her virginity was gone and frankly, she had never expected to enjoy losing something so much. Grace looked up into Logan’s eyes and felt her heart give a soft, warm flutter. He had been wonderful, even though, right now, he didn’t exactly look pleased to be her deflowerer.

“You didn’t hurt me at all, Logan. It was…”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

It would be silly to pretend not to know what he was referring to, but she considered playing dumb for a half second. Then she gave it up. “You mean why didn’t I tell you I was a virgin? Honestly, I didn’t think it would be an issue. And I confess I was so wrapped up in the moment, I didn’t want to stop. I’m glad we didn’t stop.”

He smiled at that. “Me, too, Grace. But I still wish you’d said something.” His voice was repentant as he stroked her hair. “I would’ve been more gentle, taken my time to make you feel more at ease.”

She was surprised to see regret reflected in his eyes and she reached up and touched his face. “You did everything right, Logan. It was wonderful.”

“No,” he said meaningfully, taking hold of her hand. “But it will be.”

He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her with a tenderness she’d never thought to experience. Desire trembled within her all over again, rising inexorably as he tormented her with gentle warmth, lavished her with whispered endearments, tempted her with slow, openmouthed kisses. He touched her with a softness born from regret, she knew, that he’d neglected to use enough care with her before.

The sweetness of his actions touched her heart and she met his passion with a wholehearted joy she’d never known before. Oh, she tried to hold on to a dash of detachment for her own good, but it was useless. Logan effectively destroyed all her defenses until she was left with nothing but shivering need for his hands and mouth on her skin.

Was this what love felt like? Oh, she wasn’t stupid enough to imagine she’d fallen in love with him. But she’d often heard that being in love was the best feeling in the world, and right now, she felt pretty darn fabulous.

“I’m just going to hold you for a while, Grace,” he said softly, tucking her in close to his side.

“We’re not going to-” Even she could hear the disappointment in her voice.

He smiled against her hair. “Not right this minute.”

“Oh,” she said, snuggling her head against his shoulder. “Why?”

Logan chuckled and she smiled even as she closed her eyes.

“Because you wore me out, Grace,” he said, still smiling.

“I did?” She sighed, and stretched out one arm across his broad chest. Even though it had been her first time, she must have done everything right. Good to know. “That’s nice.”

As they dozed off to sleep, she issued her naive self a warning. This wasn’t love. She hoped she was smart enough to know that much. But several times during the night, when she awoke and found herself in his arms, she had to wonder if she hadn’t already slid effortlessly into something very close to love with him.

As daylight began to lighten the room, Grace quietly rose from the bed and got her first real look at Logan’s elegant bedroom. Pale gold walls and terra-cotta floor tiles gave the space a lovely, open feeling, while thick, colorful area rugs provided warmth and a touch of charm. White plantation shutters covered a wall of windows that when opened would no doubt reveal an unsurpassed view of blue water and lush green hillsides. A comfortably overstuffed taupe sofa with striped brown and coral pillows sat against the wall facing the bed. The room was casual, elegant and expensive, and completely suited its owner.

Logan sprawled sound asleep under the covers, all rumpled and warm and sexy. Shards of sunlight streamed in through the windows illuminating the king-size bed and lending a romantic aura to the scene.

“No, no,” Grace whispered, taking quick pains to sweep all thoughts related to romantic auras out of her mind. What she and Logan were having was sex. Wild, exciting and passionate, for sure, but not a romance. Romance was for some other couple, not for them. And that was just fine and dandy with Grace. She could be as sophisticated as the next girl, right? So she vowed to be perfectly happy and enjoy her time with Logan for as long as it lasted.

And once she was back in Minnesota, whenever she found herself feeling a little bit lonely, she would be able to look back at these moments with him and remember this time as the most thrilling of her life.

Not everyone could say they’d had such a time. She was lucky. And happy.

She took one more glance at Logan, then tiptoed to the bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror, she gave herself a little squeeze because she felt so wonderful. She’d never guessed that sex could be so… Well, now she totally understood why the spores did it every morning like clockwork.

She finished freshening up, then quietly opened the bathroom door. And shrieked.

“Not staying for coffee?” Logan said casually, as he stood there waiting for her. He wore a gorgeous smile, but otherwise, he was completely naked.

She scurried backward and yanked a bath towel off the rack to wrap around herself. Naked in the middle of the night while she was wrapped around him was one thing. Naked while standing in the morning sunlight having a conversation was something else altogether. “I didn’t think you’d… Well, good morning.”

“Good morning to you,” he said, still grinning. “You do know I saw your naked body all night long, Grace.”

“That was different,” she said, clutching the towel in a death grip. “Now it’s…it’s morning.” She almost groaned. So smart, yet, oh, so lame.

“Yes, it is,” he said agreeably. “I ordered coffee and breakfast. No need to rush off.”

“Oh, thank you. But I should…” She had no idea how to complete that sentence. Her lack of knowledge when it came to sexual etiquette was disheartening.

“Stay,” he said, settling the matter. He walked past her into the bathroom. “I’ll be right out.”

They had breakfast on his private terrace. He’d ordered eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and toast for both of them, along with a variety of pastries, juice and coffee.

Grace knew she wouldn’t be able to eat half of the food on her plate, but took a bite of egg and a sip of coffee.

One half hour later, her plate was empty and Logan was pouring her another cup of coffee.

“I guess I was hungry,” she said, as she stirred a teaspoon of cream into her coffee. Logan had graciously loaned her his bathrobe so she would feel more comfortable.

He stretched back in his chair. “It’s refreshing to be with a woman who enjoys eating as much as you do.”

“I take it you haven’t been up to Minnesota lately,” Grace said wryly. She popped the last bite of toast into her mouth and dabbed her lips with her napkin.

He laughed. “You’re right…I haven’t.”

“We have to eat to stay alive up there,” she explained. “And we live by those words. Minnesotans believe you need an extra layer of body fat or two, just to keep warm through the long winters.”

“Ah.” He leaned closer, untied her bathrobe and skimmed his fingers across her stomach, causing a shiver of excitement to race through her like lightning. “But you don’t have an extra layer of body fat on you, Grace.”

“I…I suppose I work it off in the lab.” She wished she could drag him back to bed right then. But, once again, she had no idea what constituted proper behavior the morning after.

“Your lab job sounds like it would be fairly sedentary. Is it?”

“I suppose it can be for some people, but I do a lot of running around.”

They both reached for the same croissant and she almost screamed from the shock of tingling heat she felt as their hands touched. What was wrong with her?

She stared at Logan but he didn’t seem to be at all affected by the touch. Instead, he grinned, took the croissant, tore it and handed her half.

“So tell me why someone like you is still a virgin.”

The question surprised her. “Someone like me?”

He broke off a piece of the flaky pastry and munched on it. “You’re beautiful, Grace. What’s wrong with the guys up there in the tundra? Has all that snow frozen their brains?”

“Maybe.” She felt her cheeks warm up, but she had to smile at the unexpected compliment. “Thank you. But the most likely answer is that the men I work with are lab geeks like me. They’re only interested in my theories.”

She wasn’t about to tell him how Walter had pretended an interest he didn’t really feel. Instead, she added, “Other than that, I don’t get out of the laboratory much.”

“Why not?”

“It’s my job,” she said simply, but it was more than that. “It’s my life.”

“Life is more than a job,” he countered.

“I suppose it should be,” she said, and knew she could’ve left it at that. But, for some reason, she wanted him to know more about her. “But I grew up there. I’m most comfortable when I’m surrounded by science. Even though much of it is theoretical, it’s so much more real than anything else in my life. It’s tangible. I totally understand it, too. It’s nothing like the world outside the lab where everything is confusing and I always feel like I don’t know the rules.” And that sounded pathetic, didn’t it? She took a breath and added, “The lab is safe-and unemotional, for the most part. Except when I get excited about some result or finding.”

He studied her as he sipped his coffee. “What do you mean, you grew up there?”

She shrugged. “I’ve lived at the university since I was eight.”

“Eight?” His eyes narrowed and he set his coffee cup down and leaned in. “You mean, eight years old?”

On the other hand, maybe she shouldn’t have been quite so forthcoming because now he was staring at her as if she’d suddenly grown a second head. Her imagination took flight as she envisioned the headlines: Two-headed scientist found on tropical island. Eyewitness reports would deem it scientifically significant, but gruesome nonetheless. She and her two heads would be put in a cage and displayed at zoos around the world. And everyone would look at her the way Logan was right this minute.

Grace reeled her thoughts back to planet Earth and held her chin up high. “That’s right, I was eight years old. I told you I was smart.”

“Yeah, you did,” he said slowly, sitting back and crossing one leg over the other. “Told me I’d run for the hills if I knew how smart you really were.”

“That’s right. Well…” She folded her napkin, placed it carefully on the table and stood. “I’ll be going now.”

He grabbed her hand. “Not so fast, Grace.”

“Logan, I think we’ve said all there is to say.”

“I don’t.” He yanked her down onto his lap and met her mouth with his in a hard, wet kiss that involved teeth and tongues and lots of zapping electrical currents zooming through her body. Then he pulled his mouth away and she knew she would’ve collapsed if he hadn’t been holding her so tightly.

“I may not be Einstein,” he said gruffly, his eyes narrowed on her, “but I’m not an idiot. I like you just fine. And I don’t run.”

Looking into his eyes, all she could think was that she was the one who probably should run-but she really didn’t want to. As soon as she caught her breath, she whispered, “I’m glad.”

“Good.” Then he grinned. “Now let’s go hunt for spores.”

She had been a virgin.

Logan was still shaking his head in disbelief two days later as he sat at his office desk. He’d just received the revised set of blueprint renderings of the proposed sports center and he pulled them from the large mailing tube. Unrolling the thick stack of drawings across his conference table, he used his stapler and a hardbound dictionary to secure the ends and prevent the stack from curling up.

Grace was the last woman on earth he would’ve guessed would be a virgin. If he’d known, he sure as hell wouldn’t have taken her to bed the other night.

But how could he have guessed? The woman had come across as though she’d written the book on sex. She studied a species’ sexual habits, for God’s sake. She gave lectures to newlyweds on how to find their G-spot-or whatever they were calling it these days. Who would’ve guessed that Ms. Sexual Expert had been faking it this whole time?

“Hell.” He wiped a hand across his jaw. He should’ve been pissed off with her deception, but instead he caught himself laughing out loud as he recalled her demands in bed the other night. He’d tried to be a nice guy when he discovered she’d never done the deed before. He’d been willing to stop altogether, or at least slow down. But not Grace. She was full steam ahead. Thank God.

Logan shook away the image of Grace naked in his bed and tried hard to focus on the sports center blueprints.

He and Aidan had learned long ago that projects like the sports center would cause problems at every step. And whenever a new problem reared its ugly head, a whole new set of drawings had to be rendered. So not only had the design of the center itself changed three times now, but they’d been forced twice to completely move the site of the project. The new site was based on the latest geological survey and the environmental impact reports they’d received last month.

Logan turned to the next blueprint to study the architect’s three-dimensional rendering.

Most of the problems with building a sports center on the tiny island of Alleria had to do with the geological makeup of the island itself. The beaches, the natural bay and the rocky coves were the features that brought most of the tourists here. But also, the island had been formed by an ancient volcano, now dormant, and the land around the volcano had been ravaged by ancient lava flows. Now, over one square mile of north island coastline was barren except for the scrub that managed to grow there. In contrast, much of the southern part of the island was covered in lush rain forest.

The original investors had suggested that the brothers put the sports center adjacent to the hotel and within walking distance of the edge of the rain forest. The theory was that sports enthusiasts would be able to enjoy not only the beauty of the rain forest, but also the hiking and zip-line features offered.

But early on, Logan and Aidan had nixed that location and considered canceling the entire project. Who wanted to look at or spend time at a concrete sports center when they could simply enjoy the natural beauty of the island itself? But when the brothers decided they could relocate the sports center to the north side of the island, closer to the dead zone at the foot of a dormant volcano, the project was revived and revamped.

The brothers wanted a hotel built closer to the sports center, as well. They had invited developers to the island to check out the possibilities, but none of those builders had brought the sort of entrepreneurial spirit and sensibility that Logan and Aidan envisioned for their island. But then, this past year, they’d met their Duke cousins for the first time.

Adam, Brandon and Cameron Duke owned Duke Development and after touring a few of their California properties, the Sutherland brothers had decided that the Dukes would be the perfect partners in a new boutique hotel on Alleria.

The Duke family would be arriving next weekend and Logan and Aidan had already planned an extensive private tour for them in order to show off all the special qualities that had originally attracted them to Alleria.

In fact, there were several island features that had never been advertised in the hotel brochures or on the website, such as the hot springs that bubbled in various places around the island. The ancient volcano had created thermal pockets that still provided heat to the small pools. One secluded lagoon was located in the rain forest, within hiking distance of the hotel. But the hike was treacherous enough that few hotel guests had ever ventured far enough into the forest to discover it.

Logan suddenly wondered if the scientist in Grace would enjoy exploring the hot springs. Logan grinned, knowing the scientist in him would definitely enjoy exploring her naked body as it soaked up the heat.

“Damn,” he muttered. It was getting impossible to concentrate on work as the thought of Grace crossed his mind again. She was definitely unlike any virgin he’d ever known before-not that he’d known all that many. Frankly, he tried to avoid virgins whenever possible. They were just too much damn responsibility. After all, if he somehow ruined a woman’s first sexual experience, it would traumatize her for the rest of her life and leave a black cloud over her memory of him and all other men on the planet. Who needed that kind of pressure? Not Logan.

Grace didn’t seem at all traumatized, he thought, then chuckled. Far from it. In fact, Logan had been blown away by her natural passion and enthusiasm for trying new things. He had originally planned to walk her back to her hotel room later that night; but, the truth was, he hadn’t wanted to let her go. The feel of her in his arms, the soft sigh of her breath as she drifted into sleep. The woman got to him on levels he hadn’t even been aware of.

They’d spent every night since then together.

He couldn’t get enough of her and damned if he knew what to make of that.

The only thing that concerned Logan was that once his brother and their corporate staff returned to Alleria, he was a little uncertain about how he and Grace would arrange to spend time together. Getting their latest project up and running was going to keep both Logan and Aidan busy.

But, hell, maybe it wouldn’t be an issue; his need for Grace might fade by then. It would certainly fade eventually. It always did. And, of course, sooner or later, she would have to go home. And that would be the end of it.

But that didn’t matter right now. For now, he wanted her in his bed at night. Once Aidan was back, Logan and Grace would simply have to be as discreet as possible. After all, he didn’t need his brother tormenting him about sleeping with the staff. On the other hand, Grace wasn’t really part of the staff anyway, considering the fact that she’d arrived on the island under false pretenses. So it wasn’t a problem, was it?

Yeah, that was his story and he was sticking to it.

“I still can’t believe you’ve never been sailing before,” Logan said as he held Grace’s hand and helped her aboard the sailboat.

“The closest I ever got was when I very young and went fishing with my father.”

Logan watched her glance around and take everything in. “How’d that go for you?”

She stepped up next to the mast and studied the rigging and hardware. She seemed to be weighing her words before she finally gazed at him and spoke. “I spent most of the time calculating the velocity of the wind versus the barometric pressure, then trying to angle my fishing line in the direction I’d theorized would produce more biting fish.”

Logan laughed as he hauled the large picnic basket on board, then led the way down into the cabin. The thirty-foot Catalina sailboat belonged to Logan and Aidan and they’d had some great adventures-and some awesome parties-sailing around the Caribbean together. But with business obligations and scheduling problems, it had been a few months since Logan had taken the boat out.

Grace followed him down and glanced around the sleek main cabin. “It’s so nice down here.”

“Yeah, it’s a cool design,” he said, strapping the picnic basket under the galley table.

“So did you catch any fish?” he asked.

“Yes, I caught twelve,” Grace admitted, frowning.

“Twelve fish for a little kid is a pretty good haul,” he said, flashing her a grin. “How’d your dad do?”

She made a face. “He didn’t have much luck. He told me I scared the fish away.”

Logan was taken aback. “Hardly sounds fair.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” she said quickly. “I talked a lot. I guess it freaked him out sometimes.”

“What do you mean?” He climbed the ladder back up to the deck, then turned and gave her a hand up.

“I was such a pain,” she said with a rueful laugh. “I seemed to know so much about everything, except I didn’t know enough to shut up once in a while. Little kids like to talk, you know? But my parents didn’t seem to have a clue what I was talking about. I intimidated both of them.”

She said it lightly, but Logan could see the hurt in her eyes. He could relate to the pain she must still be suffering from her parents’ inability to love and understand their child.

“I thought parents love it when their kids are smart.” He tossed her a life jacket and she slipped it on over her tank top. “Their reaction doesn’t sound right.”

She sighed. “When I was five years old, my cat broke her leg and I set it in a plaster cast. My parents took the cat to the vet to have it x-rayed and he said it was a picture-perfect set.”

Logan laughed. “Wow, they must’ve been proud of you.”

“Oh, no, that scared them to death.”

“I can’t believe that. I mean, there are plenty worse things you could’ve done. At least you used your power for good.”

“I tried,” Grace said, laughing, then sobered. “My parents used to say that I belonged to the world. I think it was their excuse to get me out of the house because they didn’t know how to deal with me.”

“You don’t seem all that difficult to deal with.”

She smiled and stared out at the water, but Logan had a feeling her thoughts were a few thousand miles away. After a moment, she turned and looked at him. “I’ve never admitted this to anyone, but when they told me I was going to go live at the university, I was scared to death. I cried and begged them not to send me away. I promised I’d behave better, but they insisted that it wasn’t about my behavior. It was about me having this great opportunity. That was how they justified it, I guess, by telling themselves they were doing it for me. But they looked so relieved and happy about their decision, I knew they’d simply given up on me. So I let them think I was excited to be going.”

“Sounds like you were the grown-up in that house.”

“Maybe.”

“I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head and waved his words away. “No, I’m sorry. Nobody likes a whiner.”

“Grace.” He sat down, took her hand in his and said quietly, “Don’t apologize. Tell me what it was like for you at school.”

She smiled. “You don’t want to hear all that melodrama.”

“Tell me.”

“Okay,” she said, and took a deep breath. “At first it was awful. I was afraid every day, and I was so lonely. I had no friends my own age and everyone looked at me like I was an alien or something.”

“Did you tell your parents?”

“Oh, no,” she said quickly. “I knew they didn’t want to hear anything bad. But it turned out okay. I loved working in the laboratory, and, slowly but surely, the university became my life. It’s where I belong.”

She gazed up at him and tried to smile. “I guess I sound pretty weird, don’t I?”

Logan shrugged. “Who isn’t weird?”

She beamed at him and squeezed his hand. “That’s so nice of you to say.”

“Hey, it’s true. And trust me, I’m not that nice.” He stood and stepped onto the pier to untie the rope, then shoved the boat off and jumped back onto the deck. “Just watch me turn into Captain Bligh.”

Saluting, she said, “Aye aye, Captain.”

Logan used engine power to steer the boat through the small marina and out into the bay, explaining the basics of sailing to Grace and assigning her certain duties. As soon as they cleared the last pier, he unfurled the sails and they headed for open water.

It had taken every ounce of willpower he had to stay calm as Grace talked about her parents. He couldn’t imagine growing up in a house like that. Hell, his own mother had walked out when he was seven, but at least he and his brother had always had their father. Dad had been their biggest champion and always showed them nothing but love and support, even when they behaved badly.

But Grace’s parents? Sounded like all they’d shown her was contempt. They’d never supported her at all. In fact, it sounded like they might’ve tried to stifle her constant search for knowledge; but, knowing Grace, she probably couldn’t be stifled.

So her parents couldn’t handle it and they shipped her off to some university where she’d been put to work from the age of eight, conducting research and writing papers that would bring acclaim and new funding for the university. But it sounded like she’d never been allowed to have a life outside of the school. She’d certainly never had a boyfriend, or she wouldn’t have still been a virgin. On the other hand, she didn’t seem unhappy with her life. In fact, she seemed happy, loving, well-adjusted. She got along great with everyone at the resort. So maybe he just needed to stop worrying about it.

“Ready to come about,” he shouted, and watched Grace scramble to get out of the way of the boom, then pull the mainsheet taut as he’d showed her.

“Good job, mate,” he called out.

She laughed. “Thanks, Captain.”

Once the boat was on course, Grace moved aft and sat with him on the small padded bench where he showed her how to steer and steady the wheel.

“You’re a natural,” he said after Grace had been steering the boat for a few minutes.

“I’m just a good student,” she said, smiling as she gazed up at the full sail, resplendent against the blue tropical sky.

Logan had to agree. Hell, maybe she really had been better off at school than at home with her parents. Sounded to Logan like they were the real oddballs, not Grace.

Yes, she was really smart, but she was also funny and sweet. She had a great attitude and enjoyed learning new things. She’d taken to the cocktail waitressing gig as well as any of the other waiters on staff. Okay, she still got a lot of assistance from the others, but that was because they all liked her and didn’t want to see her get fired.

He still had to laugh whenever he thought back to their first conversation about the spores. She’d been so adamant about staying on the island, and now he was glad she had. Not that it mattered, of course. She would leave eventually. Logan figured the timing would be just right for him to move on to the next woman anyway. That’s how it had always been and it would keep on going that way. Women were a plentiful commodity. And as he and Aidan had always said, the more the merrier.

For now, though, for as long as it lasted, he was more than satisfied to spend his time with Grace.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said, pointing to the coast.

“Yeah, it is,” Logan murmured, then realized he wasn’t even looking at the shoreline.

“This chicken salad is delicious,” Grace said after taking her first bite.

“The kitchen does a great job with picnics and box lunches,” Logan said, as he spooned more coleslaw onto his plate.

They’d dropped anchor in a small deserted inlet a mile beyond the picturesque port town of Tierra del Alleria, and Grace and Logan had unpacked the picnic basket the hotel kitchen had prepared. Along with chicken salad sandwiches, there was orzo salad and Asian-style coleslaw. It was simple food expertly prepared, and Grace’s mouth was watering by the time she’d filled her plate. The kitchen staff had also tucked a half bottle of crisp white wine into the basket, along with brownies for dessert.

They ate and talked, and Grace felt a little tug at her heart as she replayed Logan’s earlier words when he’d defended her against her parents. Grace no longer blamed her parents for anything they’d done, but it still gave her a warm feeling to know that Logan was on her side.

He and Dee were the first people she’d ever shared her background with, outside the university, and they had both rushed to support her unconditionally. Nobody in her life had ever done that for her before and she felt so much love for them because of it. And of course she’d used the word love in the friendliest sense possible. Nothing more. Good grief, she’d known these people for less than two weeks. And yet, she had to admit she felt closer to Logan and Dee and Joey and Clive and some of the others, than she did to the lab colleagues she’d known for years. And what did that say about her life up to now?

“Everything okay, Grace?” Logan asked, rubbing her knee gently. “You look a little anxious all of a sudden.”

She gazed at him with what she hoped was a carefree smile. “I’m fine. Wonderful. I was just, um, a little worried that we’ll never finish all this food.”

He took another big bite of his sandwich and grinned at her. “That’s never been a big problem for me.”

They napped in the shade of the mainsail, then made love below deck in the well-appointed, mahogany-lined forward cabin where a cool breeze wafted through the open brass portholes. Grace had enjoyed exploring the cleverly arranged space, but all those fun design details drifted into the ether as Grace lost herself in the exquisite sensation of having Logan sheathed inside her.

Pleasure built as he drove into her again. They gazed at each other and Logan’s mouth curved in a smile of satisfaction that indicated pure male approval. Then his face shifted, his jaw tightened, his eyes squeezed closed as his breath grew ragged and passion rose to a fever pitch. His murmured endearments awakened her innermost desires and Grace’s heart beat even faster as every nerve ending inside her was stretched to the limit. Then in an instant, they all flew free in an explosion of joy more colorful than any Fourth of July celebration she’d ever experienced.

Seconds later, waves of tension rippled through him and he cried out her name, then joined her in this place that was beyond anywhere she’d ever been before.

A while later, he gathered her in his arms and dozed for a time. His pounding heart grew quiet and steady against her chest and she felt completely cherished for the first time in her life. If they never left the boat again, she knew she could be perfectly happy here. Then her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at his expression. Maybe she was dreaming, but she would’ve sworn she was looking into the face of serenity, pure and simple.

And that’s when she knew she was in big trouble.

It was early afternoon the following day when Grace glanced around at the fertile hillside of palm trees and couldn’t believe her amazing good luck. Fumbling in her bag for her forceps, she kept her focus on the profusion of spore-rich fronds she’d just discovered. The groupings looked slightly thicker and darker than the others down in the palmetto grove. Was that due simply to the lack of direct sunlight on the hill or were these new spores a different subspecies? Would these more prolific creatures provide even more insight into the scientific puzzle she was on the verge of solving? She could only hope and pray that they would.

She’d spent the morning collecting samples from the palmetto trees. Then, on a hunch, she’d walked a few hundred yards along the trail that led into the rain forest, stopping when she reached a fork. Instead of the wider trail she’d taken before, she chose the narrow, less worn path that clung to the side of the rugged green hill and meandered even farther into the vast canopy of verdant trees, thick vines and wild green ferns.

It was hot and close, with sunlight only managing to peek through the heavy trees occasionally. The thick scents of the rain forest wrapped themselves around her and she smiled despite the sweat she felt rolling along her spine.

The path continued climbing up and around one hill to another area of the forest where she found more palm trees growing in scattered profusion up and down the hillside. She stopped to study the fronds at the base of one tree that grew close enough to the path, since she didn’t dare veer off in her lightweight sandals. Next time she decided to hike into the hills, she would wear appropriate shoes.

After collecting as many spores as her forceps would grab, she stacked her petri dishes in her bag and looked around at her surroundings.

With a short laugh, she realized that after walking for at least an hour, she’d barely risen thirty or forty feet above the forest floor. But the view was incomparable anyway. From here she could see a slice of coastline in the distance. Unlike the calm, protected waters of Logan’s bay, there were waves swelling and tumbling onto that faraway beach. Did Logan ever go surfing there?

She turned and stared at the tops of the trees and felt tears sting her eyes. That’s when she hugged herself, knowing she’d never seen a view more exotically beautiful in her life. After a few minutes, she pulled out her smartphone and took some pictures, despite knowing they could never convey the true colors and natural splendor of the real thing. That was okay. The photos would at least provide a reminder to Grace that she had, indeed, stood in this place once upon a time.

A movement caught her eye and she glanced to the nearest hill across the expanse of trees. A narrow rush of water fell over rocks and shrubs on its way down the hill and formed a waterfall that splashed into a small, secluded pool at the base.

Surrounded by thick plants and greenery, the tiny pool wasn’t visible at first. But now she could barely wait to see it up close. She wondered if Logan knew it was here. Then she wondered if he would come back here with her. She shivered at the thought of the two of them frolicking in their own private lagoon.

Her next thought caused her to shiver again, and not in a good way. Were there alligators? Snakes? She would have to find out for certain before she dared step foot in the water.

“What would paradise be without a snake?” she muttered aloud, and shivered all over again. But it was too lovely a day to be harboring sucky thoughts of reptiles, so with a mental shove, she rid her mind of all images of slithery creatures. Instead, she went with the much more pleasant daydream of lazing the day away with Logan in their own private rain forest swimming pool. As she picked up her kit and headed out of the forest, she smiled in anticipation.