The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0581

He was demanding, his tongue insistent, his lips melding with mine. I clutched at his shoulders, holding on, as his hands traced long paths up and down the length of my back.

When we broke for air, I sighed against him. He laughed lightly as he kissed along my cheek to my ear.

"No more fears of what is between us," he said. "Because I am truly alive because of you."

"Oh, Nick..." I turned into him and sought out his lips this time.

After another kiss, and then another, we split far enough to rest our foreheads together. I closed my eyes, finding contentment here with him like this.

*Julian's right," Nicholas said, breaking the soft quiet between us.

I peeked open my eyes to look up at him.

"I have to treat you right, keep you happy, or I risk losing you. If not to Julian, then to someone else," Nichols said. "You are precious, Piper. There are many people who would be ready and willing to scoop you up if I fumbled even once."

I smiled and shook my head lightly. "You can't think you would lose me so easily."

"I would deserve to," he said. "You should only know love and happiness." He sighed as he looked away. "I fear I am already failing at keeping you safe."

"None of this is your fault," I told him, "and I refuse to hear anything else about it."

He nodded a little. "You're right. What we should be doing is getting you off this damned boat. I can't wait to get you off this island."

I couldn't help but agree.

Nicholas stepped back, took my hand, and escorted me off the ship. The crew, probably having noticed our intimate moment had been courteous in letting us have a few moments alone above deck. They nodded at me now as we passed them. They each wore soft smiles. I wondered how much they saw and heard.

On shore, the others had moved onto the deck. There I found Elva, I rushed to her and held her. She seemed confused.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said. Cóntent belongs to NovélDráma. Org

"Why are you all wet? Did you go for a swim?"

Oh, God. I had forgotten I was still soaked through, and now I'd gotten Elva wet as well. I had just been so happy to see her.Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It'skay," she said,

I kissed her cheek and sat beside her. She was still coloring in the coloring book pages. Now she was showing me her work. She was getting better at coloring in the lines.

"What a day," Jessica said.

"Tell me about it," Julian said. "I don't know about everyone else, but I'm ready to go home."

"Me, too," Veronica said.

I agreed wholeheartedly, but it still hurt me to see everyone so down. I couldn't help but feel responsible. Yes, I couldn't exactly control that a sociopath wanted to kill me, but it still felt like my fault somehow.

"Why don't we do something to lift our spirits?" I said.

Jessica, Veronica, Julian, Elva, and Nicholas all looked at me. Bridget probably would have too, but she had already gone inside.

"What?" Jessica asked.

"Uh. I don't know. What about another volleyball game?" That had been kind of fun before, before Bridget's wardrobe malfunction had ruined everything. Julian was a better man now, though, so that probably wouldn't happen again.

The others glanced at each other.

"Sure," Jessica said.

"Great," I said, standing. "I'll go tell -"

Before I could even finish my sentence, the sky opened up and rain began to pour down.