Page 53 of Uncharted Desires

Dear god, Kat!

They were going to Indonesian jail now. He elbowed her in her side.

“What? It’s true. Might as well be honest.” She gestured to the man, who raised his eyebrows at her declaration. “You see, we washed up on this island with a bunch of men growing coca plants and manufacturing cocaine, then we escaped on their boat, ended up here, and now we need to get to Jakarta so we can fly back to the United States.”

He looked at her and blinked a few times.

“I know it sounds crazy,” West added, “but—”

He put his hand up. “I believe her. We thought you were with those men. We see these boats drive by, with their motors day and night. These White men with no regard for our customs or our waters. I am glad you are not one of them, but we can never be too sure.”

Then he smiled. “Welcome to Sawu Island!” He opened his arms wide, gesturing for them to follow him off the dock. “Let’s get you cleaned up and get you some food.”

Kat smiled up at West. “Did you hear that?” Her eyes sparkled.

“What? We’re going home?”

She laughed. “No. Food!”

He laughed and kissed the top of her head as they followed him off the dock; she would finally be safe.

A few hours later, Kat had showered, and had eaten real cooked food for the first time in what she had estimated to be ten days. Her whole body relaxed and felt slightly normal—aside from her aching arms—for the first time, and she sat on the bed, looking out at the ocean finally able to appreciate the beauty of her surroundings.

Sawu Island was small, not a destination for tourists, but thankfully had a place for them to stay. West used the man from the beach’s phone to call his father, who in turn said they would be picked up in the morning.

It wasn’t as spacious or gorgeous as her room in Bali, but there was a beautifully carved bed, a small powder room, and half of the space opened to the ocean breeze. The moonlight streamed in, and Kat thought she might never go back home. What was she even going back to? She still didn’t have a career. Her family loved her, but they all had their own things going on, and she couldn’t face seeing West with someone else, which would inevitably happen. Here she could toss her phone into the ocean, write music, and live a nice peaceful life.

You’d be lonely.

She pushed her intruding thoughts aside and sat at the edge of their room on the steps. She watched West as he walked up from the bathhouse and crossed through the moonlit clearing to reach her. His tanned skin glistened with water droplets. A towel was draped around his neck, and he had a new pair of shorts on, but no shirt, and it took everything within Kat’s power not to start drooling as she watched his muscles bunch and flex as he walked toward her.

He smiled as he saw her watching, and her body felt like a live wire buzzing with anticipation.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now,” he said, his deep voice wrapping around and warming her.

West leaned his arm on one of the columns that held up the rumah adat’s roof, looking the perfect picture of a relaxed male, his crisp clean scent floating all around her. Kat had to get away or she was in serious trouble. Who was she kidding? She was already in trouble.

She uncurled herself from her seated position, and as she rose, her arm grazed his bare chest. She heard the catch in his breath and stumbled back a step, desperately searching for something to say. The noise of crickets filled the silence between them, but their eyes remained locked.

He grasped one of her hands, pulling her into his arms and started swaying back and forth.

“Dance with me,” he whispered in her ear.

Kat leaned her head on his shoulder, listening to the crickets chirping around them, and the wind rustle through the trees.

“There’s no music,” she said breathlessly.

“Aren’t you the one who hears the music all around you?”

She nodded against his chest, inhaling his scent. “I hear it. I wasn’t sure you did.” She looked up into his eyes, half shadowed in the dark, and he smiled at her.

She couldn’t handle the emotion she saw, so she rested her head back on his strong, warm chest.

And then he started to sing. A song she had never heard before. One he had just made up, or one she just didn’t know. Either way, her legs were failing her.

His voice was soft, but his deep sultry tone still wrapped itself around her body. If there was ever a fantasy she’d had over and over growing up, this was it. The sexy rock star, singing a song just for her. This had to be a dream. Famous stars did not sing love songs to women like Kat. She jerked her head up, surprising West.

“Is that a new song?”