--: Keifer's POV: --
The tropical sun was already beginning to bake the island, but inside the cottage, the air-conditioning hummed a cool, steady rhythm that invited us to stay under the sheets forever. I felt the slow, synchronized beat of Jay-Jay's heart against my bare chest. She was heavy, warm, and smelled like the sea and the expensive soap from the cottage shower.
I reached up, my fingers tracing the line of her spine. I felt every slight shiver she gave in her sleep. "Jay," I whispered, my voice sounding like gravel. "Come on. If we don't show up soon, Section E is going to start telling everyone about everything you don't want them to know."
"Good," she grumbled into my skin. She didn't open her eyes. Instead, she let out a long, defiant whine and dug her forehead into my collarbone. "Let them think that. Then maybe they'll leave me alone for five minutes."
"I don't think that's how Section E works," I said, a low chuckle vibrating through my chest. I tried to shift my weight to sit up, but she immediately tightened her grip. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she threw her entire weight over me, pinning my shoulders back to the pillows.
"I said no," she muttered, her eyes finally fluttering open, though they were still glazed with sleep. She looked at me with a fierce, sleepy pout. "The bed is soft. You're comfortable. The world is out there. I'm staying here."
I looked up at her, my heart doing a slow, heavy roll. Her hair was a wild, dark halo around her face, and her lips—still slightly reddened from last night—were turned down in a stubborn line. She looked absolutely beautiful, and the fact that she was clinging to me like I was her only anchor in the world made it impossible to be the "responsible host" I was supposed to be.
"You're being difficult," I murmured, my hand sliding up to cup the back of her head, my fingers tangling in her messy knots.
"I'm being comfortable," she countered. She shifted her body, sliding her legs between mine and pressing herself even closer, if that was even possible. She let out a long, contented sigh, her eyes drifting shut again. "Just five more minutes, Keifer. The island isn't going anywhere. Your ego isn't going anywhere. Just stay."
I let out a breathy laugh, my hand sliding down to the small of her back. "My ego is fine. My patience, however, is being tested. Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay 'just friends' in the eyes of your brother when you're looking like this?"
She peeked one eye open, a mischievous glint breaking through the sleepiness. "Who said we were being 'just friends'?"
I arched an eyebrow. "Oh? So the deal has changed?"
"The deal is whatever I say it is," she whispered, her voice dropping into that low, husky tone that sent a surge of heat straight to my gut. She leaned down, her nose brushing against mine. "And right now, the deal is that you don't move. You don't talk. You just stay right here and let me sleep for a little longer."
I watched her, my gaze darkening. The playfulness was still there, but the intensity from the night before was already beginning to simmer back to life. I reached up, my thumb tracing the curve of her lower lip, pulling it down just enough to see the flash of her teeth.
"And if I break the deal?" I asked, my voice dropping to a velvet-soft growl.
Jay-Jay didn't flinch. She just leaned in closer, her lips ghosting over mine, the heat of her breath making my head spin. "Then I'll have to find a new punishment for you. And trust me, Keifer... you won't like the next one."
I didn't give her the chance to finish. I reached up, my hand gripping the back of her neck as I pulled her down into a deep, demanding kiss. It wasn't the slow, apologetic kiss from earlier. This was a reminder of exactly what had happened between us in the dark—a claim, a promise, and a challenge all wrapped into one.
She let out a soft, surprised moan into my mouth, her body going weak against mine for a split second before she fought back, her tongue tangling with mine in a desperate, heated rhythm. She was pulling me closer, her fingers digging into my shoulders as if she were trying to pull me right through the mattress.
The room felt like it was shrinking again. The golden light, the cool air, the distant sound of the waves—it all faded into the background, leaving nothing but the sound of our ragged breathing and the friction of our skin.
I pulled back just an inch, my forehead resting against hers, our breaths mingling in the quiet space. "Ten minutes," I rasped, my heart slamming against my ribs. "After that, we're going out there. And I'm making them apologize to you."
Jay-Jay smiled, a slow, victorious look that made my chest tighten. She snuggled back down into my chest, her eyes closing with a final, happy hum. "Make it twenty minutes, and I'll consider it."
I sighed, wrapping my arms around her and pulling the duvet back over us. "You're going to be the death of me, Jay-Jay."
"Probably," she whispered, already drifting back toward sleep. "But at least you'll die happy."