I knew he struggled to pull out some nights, and when the silvery liquid jettisoned from his body to soak into the sand, he had mixed emotions.
But unless we could figure out how to make a condom, he would never come in me.
It was the price we both had to pay.
.............................
MAY
As weeks turned to months, we continued to adapt and evolve. Conner constantly grew as his body underwent teenage upgrades. Some nights, he was an opinionated asshole where I would happily strap his backside and turf him outside. However, others he was the sweetest kid.
He played with Pippa.
He brought me flowers.
He questioned and listened when Galloway taught him with such keen intelligence, my heart fluttered with gratitude for such a great man.
Pippa, on the other hand, stayed quiet. I couldn’t compare her to the previous little girl before the crash because I didn’t know her, but I did worry about her.
She argued or acted out very rarely. She smiled but not fully. She seemed wiser and braver than any eight-year-old was but at least, she had us. She was still young enough to only need our company and not that of punk boys or bratty girls.
Galloway continued to infiltrate my soul with how capable, strong, and incredible he was. Constantly surprising me with glimpses into his past and personality. He’d changed so much from the surly, snappy douchebag when we’d first arrived, but one thing hadn’t changed.
He still refused to tell me what hung over him—what he could never run from.
It had to be something huge.
Something monstrous.
But I could never believe he was a monster.
He might’ve done something to justify the term...but I trusted him with my entire existence.
He wasn’t a bad person.
He’s not.
Some nights, I encouraged everyone to the wet sand and scratched messages for the incoming tide to steal.
Things like:
I’m grateful for fresh water and look forward to the next rain so I can have a bath. (Mine).
I’m pissed off that I can’t get off this island but at the same time don’t want to leave. (Conner).
I miss the turtles. I wish I could’ve kept one. I want a pet. Puffin and Mr. Whisker Wood aren’t cutting it anymore. (Pippa).
I hope bad luck never visits us again. (Galloway).
Sharing our troubles and having them wash way helped ease our burden (I didn’t know why, but it did), and I also remained faithful to documenting our life with photos and videos, becoming more selective on what to save as the memory card slowly filled up with our sandy existence.
Overall, we weren’t doing too badly.
Until Galloway’s fear of bad luck returning came true.
.............................
“Goddammit, Estelle, come back here.”
Galloway’s arm lassoed around my middle, pulling me back in the waves.
I giggled, pinching his forearm as it wrapped tightly around my hips. “Let me go, you sea-beast.”
“Sea-beast?” His lips captured my ear, yanking me hard against his front so his erection dug into my lower back. “I’m a sea-beast now? All right, let’s see what you think of said sea-beast when it wants something from you.”
His hand disappeared down my back, ripping open the Velcro of his board-shorts and shoving them down his hips.
“Oh, my God. What are you doing?” I spun in his arms. The vast ocean spread behind him, the sunset losing its final vermillion glow as it extinguished on the horizon. “Stop it.”
He smirked, his fingers dipping to my core and sliding my bikini bottoms to the side, exposing me in the cool tide. “I won’t stop, and I would’ve thought it was obvious what I’m doing.”
Trying to wriggle from his arms, I looked over my shoulder. “Pippa and Conner might see.”
“So what?” Galloway captured my lips, swallowing my complaints as he slid one finger inside me. The coolness of ocean and probing heat of his digit unravelled me.
His tongue entered my mouth at the same leisurely pace, making me pant as my hips ignored my refusal and rocked on his hand.
His lips turned up beneath mine. “I see you’ve decided to stop fighting?”
I shuddered as he inserted another finger.
“You had me this morning.”
“So?”
“You had me last night, too.”
“I ask again...so?”
“Do you ever put that sword of yours to bed?”
He chuckled. “Sword? Oh, Stel, my sword never sleeps. In fact, it’s desperate for a sheath and wants to come home to you.”
His fingers slid from my body, replacing with the urgent pressure of his cock.
I arched my back, wrapping my legs around his hips. “This is so inappropriate.”
Galloway licked my neck. “How? Pippa and Conner went in from their swim. They’re probably having a snack and playing checkers or something. They won’t be watching. Not that they can see us now the sun has set.”
“They can too see us.” My mouth parted as the crown of his erection slid just a little bit inside me.