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Chapter Fourteen
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Chris' eyes stayed locked with Calliope's as he took his hands from her face and ran them down over her bare shoulders and arm. Stopping at her hands, he took hold of them.
"Are you cold?" Chris asked and then felt like kicking himself for asking that. It was a stupid question really. Of course she was cold. Her shorts and tank top were soaking wet and she was obviously shivering.
Her eyes staying with his, Calliope nodded her head.
"Come here." Still holding her hands, Chris backed up until he was against the wall of the cave. He slid down until he was sitting, pulling Calliope down with him onto his lap. He drew her close against him as he wrapped his arms around her body.
Calliope sighed softly as she relaxed against him and laid her head against his chest. She closed her eyes, the strong, steady beat of his heart calming her.
Some time later, Calliope lifted her head and tipped it back to look at Chris, as she wanted to say something to him. Chris had been leaning his head against hers, and when she moved, his lips brushed hers for a brief moment.
They both moved apart in surprise, each of their eyes wide at the sparks that had surged through their bodies at that brief contact. Their hearts pounding and breathing irregular, they stayed like that, each staring at the other for what seemed to be eternity. It was in reality only a few seconds before Chris snapped out of the daze that he was in.
"Sorry." He mumbled as he looked away, knowing that if he looked into those beautiful eyes, or gazed upon her lush, full lips any longer, he might not be able to keep himself in check. Just from that fleeting 'kiss' his body was responding with an iron will of its own, his emotions threatening to completely take control and drive all reasonable thought from his mind.
Calliope shocked herself even more than his lips touching hers had by the words that next came out of her mouth. "I'm not."
And at that moment, she wasn't. Feeling his lips against her...no matter how brief, or how innocent it was...it had brought feelings to her that she had thought were long dead. She had felt attracted to Chris on the last couple of days that they had been getting along. But that was all it was...an attraction. It could have been genuine or it could have been brought on by the trauma of the airplane crashing and them being stranded on this island. Maybe she had felt that was all along, but their fighting had prevented her from seeing it. Calliope wasn't really sure what.
What she was feeling right then ran much deeper than a simply being attracted to an incredibly handsome man. The desire that was suddenly raging through her body made her feel more alive than she had in the six months since her family had been killed and since her boyfriend at that time had split soon after that. Never before had she felt such a need...a yearning, to get closer. To have him...all of him.
Surprised by her words, and thinking that maybe he'd heard her wrong, Chris snapped his eyes back to hers. He knew immediately that he hadn't heard wrong when his gaze touched upon her once again. And that was all that it took. He was gone, and there was no turning back.
"Chris-" Any other words that Calliope might have spoken were stopped when Chris pulled her back against him with one arm while his other hand reached up toward her face. Cupping her chin, he tipped her head back as his lips came down to capture hers in a brutal, soul shattering kiss.
Slipping her hands between their bodies, Calliope went to work with the buttons down the front of Chris' bright, multi-colored shirt. When she had them all undone, she slid her hands inside and ran them over his chest. She felt the deep, rough groan against her hands as it rumbled through his chest. That alone was nearly enough to send her to the edge.
Calliope moaned passionately against his mouth as she slid Chris' shirt off. She ran her hands over his shoulders, down his arms, and back up before she tangled her fingers through the length of his silky hair and increased the depth of the all consuming kiss.
Pulling slightly back again, Calliope broke their kiss and put distance between them only long enough to rid herself of her tank top, and then her bra. She let out a desire filled gasp when Chris pulled her back to him, their skin coming into full contact, each of their hands roaming hungrily over the other.
She closed her eyes, her head falling back as a thick moan escaped her lips when Chris dropped his head, his mouth surround the taut peak of her breast. Sucking gently, he circled her nipple with his tongue, bringing it to hardness before moving over to the other and doing the same.
The next thing Calliope knew, she found herself on her back on the wet, muddy cave floor. She arched her back, pressing her body against Chris' as he leaned forward and caught her lips in a hungry kiss. Then, his lips leaving hers, Chris found the sensitive spot behind her ear and nuzzled it until she was squirming around underneath him; begging him to stop, and trying to get closer all at the same time.
Moving back again, Chris stared into Calliope's eyes, seeing everything that he felt mirrored there. With a deep groan of need and longing, Chris lowered his head again. Starting at her lips, he left a trail of fiery kisses as he made his way down her body so very slowly that Calliope thought she would go insane from his slow, sweet torture.
"Chris, please!" She whimpered desperately, unable to wait any longer.
Unable to wait any longer himself, Chris quickly removed the clothes that she had left on and then his own before he covered her body with his once again. After shifting their position slightly, Chris buried himself completely inside her.
*****
"Is...Everything okay?" Chris asked Calliope later as they were getting dressed. She'd been cold and distant since they'd been together, having not once looked in his direction or said a word to him. He sensed something different about her...a sense of anger and regret.
"No...Everything is not okay." Calliope spat out as she spun around and looked at Chris. He could see the fury shining brightly in her eyes, but if it was directed at him, he didn't know why. "This," Calliope spoke again as she gestured between Chris and herself. "Should have never happened. It was a mistake."
"But we-" Before Chris could finish his thought, Calliope cut him off.
"Yes Chris, it was incredible and amazing," Calliope paused for a moment. Hell, if truth were told, what she'd just shared with Chris had been the most amazing and fulfilling moment she'd ever experienced in her life. She'd never felt so whole, or more complete with anyone than she had at the moment when she and Chris became one...even if she'd never admit it to anyone...even herself until later. "But it should not have happened. It was just the intensity of the situation that we were in. The heat of the moment...that kind of thing. It's just one of those things that happened and it shouldn't have." Calliope finished as she busied herself trying to shake some of the dried mud out of her hair.
"You know," Chris began, his own eyes shining, his voice laced with his building anger at her throwing him aside so carelessly. "You are right. It should not have happened. I was foolish to think that you had changed in the time that we've been on this island, but you are still the same self- absorbed bitch that you've always been."
"And you are no better!" Calliope shot back at him. "You are still the same pompous...ass clown that you've always been!" Calliope insulted him using yet another one of his in-ring catch phrases.
Chris ran his hand over his face in an effort to get his temper under control. Calliope knew all the right buttons to push. "You are a nothing more than a miserable little bitch." He ground out through clenched teeth, his hand called into tight fist at either side of his body.
Before Calliope had a chance to say anything in return, Chris spun around and stalked out of the cave, thankful that the storm was winding down and not caring if she found her way back to the beach or not. And honestly, right at that moment, he wished she wouldn't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Fifteen
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Chase mumbled incoherently and tried to get closer to the warmth that was wrapped around her, fighting to go back to sleep, but the deep groan that came from her 'pillow' brought her back to full consciousness.
Her eyes snapped open and she lifted her head, looking around disoriented. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that the storm was over. In fact she must have slept through the night, since sunlight was breaking through the dense forest.
She shifted again, trying to get her bearings together. She jumped slightly when strong hands suddenly grasped her hips and stilling all her movements.
"For the love of God, please don't move!" A gruff voice ground out, through what sounded like clenched teeth.
Chase's eyes opened wide, and she was unable to prevent the gasp from leaving her lips, when she realized she was practically lying on top of Adam. Sometime during the night, in their sleep, they had wound up in a very intimate position.
She blushed deeply, not only from their positioning, but also from the immediate reaction of her body. And most importantly from his reaction, which he couldn't very well hide with the way their bodies were pressed together.
"Oh god!" she exclaimed, twisting to get away, but unable to do so with his hold on her hips. His hands tightening, his fingers digging into her, and she realized her mistake.
"Chase." He groaned in warning. He didn't know how much more he could take of this. He'd woken up a while ago; long before she started all her wiggling around, but his body had been on fire from the second he opened his eyes. Then when she started waking up and moving around, needless to say it hadn't helped the situation.
He closed his eyes, using all his strength to keep from rolling them both over, pinning her beneath him, and completely ravishing her body.
"Sorry," she whispered, then cut herself off before she could say anymore when he opened his eyes. She knew the awareness and desire she saw his eyes was clearly visible in her own.
Her breath caught in her throat when his eyes got heavy lidded, his hand moving from hip to push the hair away from her face, then to gently cup the back of her head. With their eyes locked, they both started slowly moving towards each other.
"CHASE!"
They both jumped, then jerked apart, scrambling to put some distance between them after being torn out of their trance. It took them both a few seconds to realize it was Chris's yelling that broke through and interrupted them.
"CHASE? ADAM?" he yelled again, this time his voice closer than before.
"CHRIS!" Chase yelled back as she moved out from their protective covering, unable to look back at Adam. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before facing Chris.
"Great timing." She sighed to herself, unsure of if it was in relief or frustration.
Chris sighed with relief when he saw Chase standing a few feet away. He'd gotten back to the camp and had been more than a little worried when neither Adam nor Chase had been there. As soon as the sun came up, he was on his way looking for them.
Calliope still hadn't returned to the camp, and while looking for Chase and Adam, he had gone back by the cave, glad to find she was asleep in the safety of the cave. Not that he would ever admit to Calliope that he'd gone back to check on her.
He was still so angry he could barely see straight, but at least he had a little bit of a distraction.
"Thank god you're alright!" he exclaimed as he rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Where's Callie." She demanded, when she didn't see her friend.
"She's fine." He answered, his voice taking a cold tone too it. He pulled back and looked her deep in the eyes. "Are you alright?" She looked to be fine, but he needed the reassurance. He knew full well how she reacted to storms, and he felt extremely guilty that he hadn't been there with her.
Chase nodded and smiled, wanting to ease him of the guilt she could easily see in his eyes. "I'm fine, Chris, I promise. Adam took great care of me."
She saw Chris look over her shoulder and felt him stiffen. "I just bet he did." He growled, glaring over her shoulder.
Confused to the sudden change in him, Chase turned and groaned, knowing immediately why Chris reacted the way he did.
"What?" Adam asked completely clueless as to why he was receiving the death stare from Chris. He quickly looked down at himself, inwardly sighing with relief, seeing the few moments he'd taken after Chase went to meet Chris, had worked to calm himself down. He hadn't looked in her direction just yet, knowing if he did he would give himself away. Then the glare he was getting might be justified.
"Where the hell are your pants?" Chris demanded, unconsciously moving to stand in front of Chase in a protective 'big brother' fashion. Chase put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.
Adam grinned at Chase's reaction, but wiped it off his face when Chris turned up the glare. "They're wet, so I didn't put them back on." He explained with a shrug.
"Why'd you take them off in the first place?" Chris nearly yelled. He knew he was taking his anger out on Adam, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.
"I had sand in them." Adam answered nonchalantly, then turned to duck back under the branches in search of his jeans.
Chase studied Chris for a moment, then put her hand on his arm, gaining his attention. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, her eyes questioning.
"I'm fine, just a little shocked to see Adam standing there in his underwear." He replied, running a hand over his face.
"You sure that's all? You seem…I don't know…on edge. No pun intended." She grinned.
"Hey, where's Callie?" Adam asked as he emerged once again, his jeans in hand. He'd heard Chris say she was fine, but he had expected to see her with him.
"Last I knew, back in the cave near the spring." Chris answered. Chase saw him stiffen and glanced at Adam, who was also giving him a look, having also heard the coldness back in his voice.
"You don't know where she is now?" he demanded, wondering what the hell was going on.
"Don't know." Chris replied shortly. "And don't care." He muttered under his breath, low enough for Adam not to hear him. He looked at Chase and saw the way her eyes widened in surprise, and groaned inwardly, knowing she heard him.
"We should go and see if she's still there." Adam stated, this time his turn to shoot the glare in Chris's direction. Something had happened and he fully intended on finding out what it was.
"Be my guest. I'll be back at the beach." Chris threw over his shoulder as he started back in the direction he had come.
Chase stared after him. She was torn. She wanted to go with Adam and make sure Calliope was okay, but yet at the same time she felt she needed to go with Chris and see what she could find out. She knew he'd most likely bite her head off, but she could honestly say, throughout all she and Chris had been through together, she had never seen him in as fowl of a mood as he was now.
She looked back at Adam, her heart beginning to pound when their eyes met and held. She felt the heat rise to her face as she thought about what nearly happened, and most likely would have happened, if Chris hadn't shown up.
Just looking at him was enough to fuel the fire that was burning inside of her…the fire that hadn't been completely extinguished by Chris's arrival. There was no way in hell she could be alone with Adam right now. She knew it, and he knew it.
Spinning on her heel she ran to catch up with Chris.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Sixteen
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Adam stopped at the mouth of the cave and looked around, not seeing Calliope anywhere. He walked deeper into the cave, quickly becoming fearful for her when he still didn't see her or hear her answer to him calling her name. He stepped back outside the cave, swearing he'd kick Chris' ass for leaving her alone if anything had happened to Calliope.
Leaving the cave, Adam decided to check at the spring, figuring that if she weren't in the cave, she'd either be there, or back at the beach.
Calliope wiped furiously at the tears spilling down her cheeks when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She quickly got up and ran around to a patch of thick brush on the other side of the spring and hid there. She knew that it was Adam when she heard him calling her name, but she didn't feel up to facing anyone at that moment...not even him.
Adam stopped, his eyes searching the spring and the surrounding area. He felt worry crawl through his body when
he didn't see Calliope anywhere. Where the hell was she? Adam started to turn to go back to the beach to see if she was there, but stopped when he caught a glimpse of blonde hair hidden in the brush across the spring. Relief instantly flooded his body, only to fade again as he again remembered the coldness in Chris' voice when he spoke of her. And now...why the hell was Calliope so obviously hiding from him? Adam began walking over to where Calliope was, fully intending to find out what was going on.
Calliope groaned when she knew that Adam had found her. She was happy to see him and know that he was okay, but she was certain that if he found out what she'd done to Chris, he'd hate her. She was sure that Chase would not be too happy with her either. Forcing a smile, Calliope stood up from her hiding spot and looked up at Adam as he stepped up to where she was.
The next thing Calliope knew, she found herself wrapped up in a tight hug. Adam pulled back looking into her eyes.
"Are you all right? Why were you hiding from me?" he questioned, not letting her look away when she tried. Her red, puffy eyes or the still damp tear streaks on her cheeks didn't escape his attention. She had been obviously crying and he had a feeling that it was directly linked to Chris' foul mood.
"Where is Chase? Is she okay?" Calliope asked, not wanting to answer Adam's question because she knew that she'd lose it.
Adam sighed when Calliope didn't answer his question. He could see that physically, she was fine, but he worried about how she was emotionally. "Chase is fine." Adam answered after a few moments of silence where he had intently studied her. "She's with Chris." Adam threw in, wanting to see how she reacted when she heard Chris' name. He was even more confused when she reacted much the same way as Chris had when he heard her name.
"What the hell is going on, Callie?" Adam demanded to know, not being able to wait any longer.
"I do not want to talk about it." Calliope immediatly answered as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at Adam, Much the way she had done with Chris, she let the false cover of anger hide what she was really feeling.
Adam ran his fingers through his hair, obviously frustrated with the entire situation. He looked straight into Calliope's eyes. "Again I ask, What the hell is going on?"
Calliope didn't want to fight with Adam and relented somewhat. "I fucked up, okay! There now you know!" She told him, the anger still coving what she truly felt. She jerked out of his arms and turned away as she fought desperately to keep the threatening tears back.
Seeing the distress that she was in, Adam placed his hand on her arm and gently turned her back around to face him.
"What happened, Callie?" He asked softly...almost soothingly. "Whatever it is, I'm sure that it can be worked out."
Calliope shook her head. "No, this can't be."
"Can't be or you don't want it to be?" Adam asked in reply. Although she hadn't said as much, he had a pretty good idea what was going on.
"I can't Adam. I really can't!"
"Can't what?"
"Get close." Calliope answered as she looked up at Adam, her body beginning to tremble. "I can't get close."
Before Adam could say anything, Calliope spoke again. "I didn't mean for it to happen...Well, actually I did...I knew that it shouldn't, but I couldn't stop it. Then afterwards, I panicked and pushed him away. I didn't mean to hurt him...I just didn't know how else to deal with what I was feeling."
Adam smiled softly down at her as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Calliope still hadn't come right out and said what had happened, but he fully understood. "Don't you think that it's time to let go of that fear?"
Calliope pulled back slightly and looked up at Adam for a few moments before she shook her head and then rested it back against his chest. "I can't."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Seventeen
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"Chris, wait up!" Chase called as she rushed to catch up with him. Instead of slowing down, he seemed to move faster. "Damn it." She muttered under her breath.
It wasn't until they were back at the beach when she finally caught up with him. "Hey, what the hell is your problem?" she demanded, grabbing his arm, turning him around to face her.
She knew she was pushing her luck with the mood he was in, but there was only so much attitude from this man she could take. As much as she loved him to death, there were times when their tempers would clash, and now was dangerously close to being one of them.
"What happened back there with you and Adam?" Chris snapped. He knew he was being irrational, but he needed to vent his anger some how or he felt like he was going to explode. "And don't try telling me it was just sand, I'm not stupid."
Chase's eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. "That's exactly what it was, Chris. And if it was more, since when do you care?" she shot back, confusion written all over her face. He'd never really cared who she was 'involved' with before, as long as she didn't get hurt. Not that she was involved with Adam, she reminded herself.
"You know what? I don't." He sneered. "So why don't you just go on back, fuck him then throw him away. It's what you women are good at!"
The instant the words left his mouth, he regretted it. He knew he'd gone too far. Chase gasped, her eyes going wide with shock, rage and most of all hurt.
"I can't believe you just said that to me." She whispered, backing away from him. Out of all the little spats they'd had, neither of them had ever said anything so hurtful to the other. She felt like she'd been slapped.
Chris grabbed her arms, stopping her from running from when, when he knew she would. "God, Chase, I'm so sorry. I…I didn't mean that." He apologized, stumbling over his words. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw the tears in her eyes.
"That's a hell of a thing to say to someone and not mean it." Chase retorted, trying to break free of his grasp. She looked up, opening her mouth, ready to really let him have it, when she saw the anguish in his eyes.
She sighed and relaxed a little. She was pissed and still hurt, but she was able to see past that at the moment, although he wasn't off the hook for that little remark.
"What's going on?" she asked, her voice a little shaky. When she saw he was about to shake his head, she interrupted. "And don't even think about telling me 'nothing', cuz after that, I think I deserve some kind of explanation."
Chris sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. "Your right. Come on, let's go sit down."
A little while later, after telling her everything that had happened, and after apologizing profusely, Chris looked her in the eyes, waiting for her reaction.
Her face softened, and her heart immediately went out to him. Now it all made sense. Whenever someone hurt
Chris, he lashed out at anyone around him, and obviously Calliope had really done a number on him. She sighed to herself, knowing that at the same time, Callie was putting herself through hell. She couldn't be mad…at either of them.
"Oh, Chris, I'm sorry." She said sincerely, laying her hand on his shoulder. "I can't imagine how that must have hurt. And not that I'm siding with her, by any means, but I'm sure Callie didn't mean to hurt you the way she did. She was just trying to protect herself."
Chris's head jerked up and the fire was back dancing in his eyes. "Protect herself?" he asked softly.
"Protect herself?" he said again, this time nearly yelling it, causing Chase to jump. In one fluid movement, Chris was on his feet, his hands braced on his hips as he glared down at her. "She's the one who wanted it!"
Chase bit her lip, deciding that now was not the time to point out that if Callie were the only one who wanted it, it wouldn't have happened. She got to her feet also, feeling like she was at even more of a disadvantage when she was sitting and him standing over her. Not that standing really helped, since he still towered over her.
"Chris," she tried again. "You have no idea the pain that Callie has been through. Loosing her parents nearly destroyed her, then when Scott left right after, it was a blow that I was afraid that she wouldn't recover from. But she fought her way back, and opening up to you was a huge step for her. She's pushing you away because she's afraid to get close and loose you, like she's lost nearly everyone else she's ever cared about."
"Bullshit! She's using that as an excuse. I'm not here just to be used for her pleasure then tossed aside. I may have made that mistake once, but I'll be damned if I'll do it again." He snapped. He held up a hand when Chase tried to say something.
"I understand what your saying Chase, and I feel for her loss, believe me I do. But that doesn't even come close to excusing what happened. Maybe it isn't all her fault. I could have stopped things from happened too. But I do know it won't happen again. Keep her away from me Chase. I mean it." He stared into her eyes, letting her see just how serious he was before he turned and headed down the beach, pausing long enough by their supplies to pick up a spear they had made the day before to do some fishing.
Chase let out the breath she had been holding, slowly. She stared after Chris, unsure of what she should do. Part of her wanted to comfort Chris, yet another part wanted to comfort Callie for what she knew she was going through, and at the same time smack her upside her head for hurting Chris.
She also knew that one reason Chris was letting this get to him so badly was more than just a bruised pride and ego. He may have denied it until he was blue in the face, but she knew he had been instantly attracted to Calliope from the moment he first laid eyes on her. Knowing she had a boyfriend only made things worse. Wanting what he couldn't have and having her so close, yet so far out of reach made him almost hostile towards her. And from there, their constant bickering grew.
She'd never really suspected before, but now she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Calliope hadn't been fighting the same attraction, and finally given into it, then pulled back, afraid of what she was feeling.
"Would make sense." She said, thinking out loud.
Now, the only person who could calm Chris down was Calliope. And she highly doubted that Callie would be too willing to go to Chris and open herself up to him like that.
"Oh what a mess." She groaned, rubbing her temples, trying to ward off the headache that was starting to build behind her eyes.
"Damn storm." She glared at the sky, deciding to just blame everything on the weather the night before. She knew there was a reason she disliked storms.
She started chewing on her bottom lip as her thoughts turned to Adam. What the hell was going on there?
"Again, the weather." She told herself. Although she was very attracted to Adam, she knew nothing could come of it, other than friendship. Nothing like what nearly happened would have even come close under normal circumstances. No, they'd still be either completely ignoring each other or at each other's throats.
She closed her eyes, biting back a groan when she envisioned him at her throat, his lips caressing her skin, leaving a trail of hot kisses as he slowly worked his way down to…
"Oooh, NO! Bad girl!" she scolded herself, shaking her head, trying to get rid of the mental picture.
"We're barely even friends." She told herself. "Remember that! Now, think pure thoughts." An image of Adam in his underwear flashed before her eyes.
"That's it!" she fumed, spinning around and walking towards where all their stuff was sitting, safe from the weather in the shelter the guys had built.
She took a moment to admire their work before going in and rummaging through one suitcase, pulling out the suite Callie had told her to use. She needed to cool off…badly. And a dip in the cold ocean water was just what she needed.
After changing quickly, she paused to look at the suit. It certainly didn't leave much to the imagination. Again she wondered about Callie's intentions with this suit. "Good tan, my ass." She giggled. Callie already had a great tan.
She poked her head out, looking around, sighing with relief when she saw no one was around. She figured Adam had found Calliope and it would be awhile before she saw either them or Chris.
"Thank god." She thought to herself, again looking at the suit she was wearing. She wasn't conceited, but she knew she had a good body, just as Calliope did, but the suit was a little more reveling that what she was used too. Neither she nor Callie ever tried to flaunt what they had, which had been another reason she had been shocked by Calliope's choice in bathing suits.
After checking once more, seeing she was indeed alone, she headed off down the beach and into the cold water. She waded in a little ways, then took a deep breath and dove under. She resurfaced seconds later.
"Christ!" she exclaimed, her teeth chattering. She wanted cold, she got cold! The difference in the temperature of the ocean and the little spring was astounding.
After giving herself time to get adjusted to the temperature, she floated on her back, careful to keep a close eye on how far away from shore she was. It was then that she let her mind drift back to Calliope and Chris.
She sighed loudly, hoping and praying someone would come along and rescue them soon. Because she had a feeling the rest of the time spent on the island was going to be anything but pleasant.
To Be Continued....
Chapter Fourteen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris' eyes stayed locked with Calliope's as he took his hands from her face and ran them down over her bare shoulders and arm. Stopping at her hands, he took hold of them.
"Are you cold?" Chris asked and then felt like kicking himself for asking that. It was a stupid question really. Of course she was cold. Her shorts and tank top were soaking wet and she was obviously shivering.
Her eyes staying with his, Calliope nodded her head.
"Come here." Still holding her hands, Chris backed up until he was against the wall of the cave. He slid down until he was sitting, pulling Calliope down with him onto his lap. He drew her close against him as he wrapped his arms around her body.
Calliope sighed softly as she relaxed against him and laid her head against his chest. She closed her eyes, the strong, steady beat of his heart calming her.
Some time later, Calliope lifted her head and tipped it back to look at Chris, as she wanted to say something to him. Chris had been leaning his head against hers, and when she moved, his lips brushed hers for a brief moment.
They both moved apart in surprise, each of their eyes wide at the sparks that had surged through their bodies at that brief contact. Their hearts pounding and breathing irregular, they stayed like that, each staring at the other for what seemed to be eternity. It was in reality only a few seconds before Chris snapped out of the daze that he was in.
"Sorry." He mumbled as he looked away, knowing that if he looked into those beautiful eyes, or gazed upon her lush, full lips any longer, he might not be able to keep himself in check. Just from that fleeting 'kiss' his body was responding with an iron will of its own, his emotions threatening to completely take control and drive all reasonable thought from his mind.
Calliope shocked herself even more than his lips touching hers had by the words that next came out of her mouth. "I'm not."
And at that moment, she wasn't. Feeling his lips against her...no matter how brief, or how innocent it was...it had brought feelings to her that she had thought were long dead. She had felt attracted to Chris on the last couple of days that they had been getting along. But that was all it was...an attraction. It could have been genuine or it could have been brought on by the trauma of the airplane crashing and them being stranded on this island. Maybe she had felt that was all along, but their fighting had prevented her from seeing it. Calliope wasn't really sure what.
What she was feeling right then ran much deeper than a simply being attracted to an incredibly handsome man. The desire that was suddenly raging through her body made her feel more alive than she had in the six months since her family had been killed and since her boyfriend at that time had split soon after that. Never before had she felt such a need...a yearning, to get closer. To have him...all of him.
Surprised by her words, and thinking that maybe he'd heard her wrong, Chris snapped his eyes back to hers. He knew immediately that he hadn't heard wrong when his gaze touched upon her once again. And that was all that it took. He was gone, and there was no turning back.
"Chris-" Any other words that Calliope might have spoken were stopped when Chris pulled her back against him with one arm while his other hand reached up toward her face. Cupping her chin, he tipped her head back as his lips came down to capture hers in a brutal, soul shattering kiss.
Slipping her hands between their bodies, Calliope went to work with the buttons down the front of Chris' bright, multi-colored shirt. When she had them all undone, she slid her hands inside and ran them over his chest. She felt the deep, rough groan against her hands as it rumbled through his chest. That alone was nearly enough to send her to the edge.
Calliope moaned passionately against his mouth as she slid Chris' shirt off. She ran her hands over his shoulders, down his arms, and back up before she tangled her fingers through the length of his silky hair and increased the depth of the all consuming kiss.
Pulling slightly back again, Calliope broke their kiss and put distance between them only long enough to rid herself of her tank top, and then her bra. She let out a desire filled gasp when Chris pulled her back to him, their skin coming into full contact, each of their hands roaming hungrily over the other.
She closed her eyes, her head falling back as a thick moan escaped her lips when Chris dropped his head, his mouth surround the taut peak of her breast. Sucking gently, he circled her nipple with his tongue, bringing it to hardness before moving over to the other and doing the same.
The next thing Calliope knew, she found herself on her back on the wet, muddy cave floor. She arched her back, pressing her body against Chris' as he leaned forward and caught her lips in a hungry kiss. Then, his lips leaving hers, Chris found the sensitive spot behind her ear and nuzzled it until she was squirming around underneath him; begging him to stop, and trying to get closer all at the same time.
Moving back again, Chris stared into Calliope's eyes, seeing everything that he felt mirrored there. With a deep groan of need and longing, Chris lowered his head again. Starting at her lips, he left a trail of fiery kisses as he made his way down her body so very slowly that Calliope thought she would go insane from his slow, sweet torture.
"Chris, please!" She whimpered desperately, unable to wait any longer.
Unable to wait any longer himself, Chris quickly removed the clothes that she had left on and then his own before he covered her body with his once again. After shifting their position slightly, Chris buried himself completely inside her.
*****
"Is...Everything okay?" Chris asked Calliope later as they were getting dressed. She'd been cold and distant since they'd been together, having not once looked in his direction or said a word to him. He sensed something different about her...a sense of anger and regret.
"No...Everything is not okay." Calliope spat out as she spun around and looked at Chris. He could see the fury shining brightly in her eyes, but if it was directed at him, he didn't know why. "This," Calliope spoke again as she gestured between Chris and herself. "Should have never happened. It was a mistake."
"But we-" Before Chris could finish his thought, Calliope cut him off.
"Yes Chris, it was incredible and amazing," Calliope paused for a moment. Hell, if truth were told, what she'd just shared with Chris had been the most amazing and fulfilling moment she'd ever experienced in her life. She'd never felt so whole, or more complete with anyone than she had at the moment when she and Chris became one...even if she'd never admit it to anyone...even herself until later. "But it should not have happened. It was just the intensity of the situation that we were in. The heat of the moment...that kind of thing. It's just one of those things that happened and it shouldn't have." Calliope finished as she busied herself trying to shake some of the dried mud out of her hair.
"You know," Chris began, his own eyes shining, his voice laced with his building anger at her throwing him aside so carelessly. "You are right. It should not have happened. I was foolish to think that you had changed in the time that we've been on this island, but you are still the same self- absorbed bitch that you've always been."
"And you are no better!" Calliope shot back at him. "You are still the same pompous...ass clown that you've always been!" Calliope insulted him using yet another one of his in-ring catch phrases.
Chris ran his hand over his face in an effort to get his temper under control. Calliope knew all the right buttons to push. "You are a nothing more than a miserable little bitch." He ground out through clenched teeth, his hand called into tight fist at either side of his body.
Before Calliope had a chance to say anything in return, Chris spun around and stalked out of the cave, thankful that the storm was winding down and not caring if she found her way back to the beach or not. And honestly, right at that moment, he wished she wouldn't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Fifteen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chase mumbled incoherently and tried to get closer to the warmth that was wrapped around her, fighting to go back to sleep, but the deep groan that came from her 'pillow' brought her back to full consciousness.
Her eyes snapped open and she lifted her head, looking around disoriented. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that the storm was over. In fact she must have slept through the night, since sunlight was breaking through the dense forest.
She shifted again, trying to get her bearings together. She jumped slightly when strong hands suddenly grasped her hips and stilling all her movements.
"For the love of God, please don't move!" A gruff voice ground out, through what sounded like clenched teeth.
Chase's eyes opened wide, and she was unable to prevent the gasp from leaving her lips, when she realized she was practically lying on top of Adam. Sometime during the night, in their sleep, they had wound up in a very intimate position.
She blushed deeply, not only from their positioning, but also from the immediate reaction of her body. And most importantly from his reaction, which he couldn't very well hide with the way their bodies were pressed together.
"Oh god!" she exclaimed, twisting to get away, but unable to do so with his hold on her hips. His hands tightening, his fingers digging into her, and she realized her mistake.
"Chase." He groaned in warning. He didn't know how much more he could take of this. He'd woken up a while ago; long before she started all her wiggling around, but his body had been on fire from the second he opened his eyes. Then when she started waking up and moving around, needless to say it hadn't helped the situation.
He closed his eyes, using all his strength to keep from rolling them both over, pinning her beneath him, and completely ravishing her body.
"Sorry," she whispered, then cut herself off before she could say anymore when he opened his eyes. She knew the awareness and desire she saw his eyes was clearly visible in her own.
Her breath caught in her throat when his eyes got heavy lidded, his hand moving from hip to push the hair away from her face, then to gently cup the back of her head. With their eyes locked, they both started slowly moving towards each other.
"CHASE!"
They both jumped, then jerked apart, scrambling to put some distance between them after being torn out of their trance. It took them both a few seconds to realize it was Chris's yelling that broke through and interrupted them.
"CHASE? ADAM?" he yelled again, this time his voice closer than before.
"CHRIS!" Chase yelled back as she moved out from their protective covering, unable to look back at Adam. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before facing Chris.
"Great timing." She sighed to herself, unsure of if it was in relief or frustration.
Chris sighed with relief when he saw Chase standing a few feet away. He'd gotten back to the camp and had been more than a little worried when neither Adam nor Chase had been there. As soon as the sun came up, he was on his way looking for them.
Calliope still hadn't returned to the camp, and while looking for Chase and Adam, he had gone back by the cave, glad to find she was asleep in the safety of the cave. Not that he would ever admit to Calliope that he'd gone back to check on her.
He was still so angry he could barely see straight, but at least he had a little bit of a distraction.
"Thank god you're alright!" he exclaimed as he rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Where's Callie." She demanded, when she didn't see her friend.
"She's fine." He answered, his voice taking a cold tone too it. He pulled back and looked her deep in the eyes. "Are you alright?" She looked to be fine, but he needed the reassurance. He knew full well how she reacted to storms, and he felt extremely guilty that he hadn't been there with her.
Chase nodded and smiled, wanting to ease him of the guilt she could easily see in his eyes. "I'm fine, Chris, I promise. Adam took great care of me."
She saw Chris look over her shoulder and felt him stiffen. "I just bet he did." He growled, glaring over her shoulder.
Confused to the sudden change in him, Chase turned and groaned, knowing immediately why Chris reacted the way he did.
"What?" Adam asked completely clueless as to why he was receiving the death stare from Chris. He quickly looked down at himself, inwardly sighing with relief, seeing the few moments he'd taken after Chase went to meet Chris, had worked to calm himself down. He hadn't looked in her direction just yet, knowing if he did he would give himself away. Then the glare he was getting might be justified.
"Where the hell are your pants?" Chris demanded, unconsciously moving to stand in front of Chase in a protective 'big brother' fashion. Chase put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.
Adam grinned at Chase's reaction, but wiped it off his face when Chris turned up the glare. "They're wet, so I didn't put them back on." He explained with a shrug.
"Why'd you take them off in the first place?" Chris nearly yelled. He knew he was taking his anger out on Adam, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.
"I had sand in them." Adam answered nonchalantly, then turned to duck back under the branches in search of his jeans.
Chase studied Chris for a moment, then put her hand on his arm, gaining his attention. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, her eyes questioning.
"I'm fine, just a little shocked to see Adam standing there in his underwear." He replied, running a hand over his face.
"You sure that's all? You seem…I don't know…on edge. No pun intended." She grinned.
"Hey, where's Callie?" Adam asked as he emerged once again, his jeans in hand. He'd heard Chris say she was fine, but he had expected to see her with him.
"Last I knew, back in the cave near the spring." Chris answered. Chase saw him stiffen and glanced at Adam, who was also giving him a look, having also heard the coldness back in his voice.
"You don't know where she is now?" he demanded, wondering what the hell was going on.
"Don't know." Chris replied shortly. "And don't care." He muttered under his breath, low enough for Adam not to hear him. He looked at Chase and saw the way her eyes widened in surprise, and groaned inwardly, knowing she heard him.
"We should go and see if she's still there." Adam stated, this time his turn to shoot the glare in Chris's direction. Something had happened and he fully intended on finding out what it was.
"Be my guest. I'll be back at the beach." Chris threw over his shoulder as he started back in the direction he had come.
Chase stared after him. She was torn. She wanted to go with Adam and make sure Calliope was okay, but yet at the same time she felt she needed to go with Chris and see what she could find out. She knew he'd most likely bite her head off, but she could honestly say, throughout all she and Chris had been through together, she had never seen him in as fowl of a mood as he was now.
She looked back at Adam, her heart beginning to pound when their eyes met and held. She felt the heat rise to her face as she thought about what nearly happened, and most likely would have happened, if Chris hadn't shown up.
Just looking at him was enough to fuel the fire that was burning inside of her…the fire that hadn't been completely extinguished by Chris's arrival. There was no way in hell she could be alone with Adam right now. She knew it, and he knew it.
Spinning on her heel she ran to catch up with Chris.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Sixteen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adam stopped at the mouth of the cave and looked around, not seeing Calliope anywhere. He walked deeper into the cave, quickly becoming fearful for her when he still didn't see her or hear her answer to him calling her name. He stepped back outside the cave, swearing he'd kick Chris' ass for leaving her alone if anything had happened to Calliope.
Leaving the cave, Adam decided to check at the spring, figuring that if she weren't in the cave, she'd either be there, or back at the beach.
Calliope wiped furiously at the tears spilling down her cheeks when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She quickly got up and ran around to a patch of thick brush on the other side of the spring and hid there. She knew that it was Adam when she heard him calling her name, but she didn't feel up to facing anyone at that moment...not even him.
Adam stopped, his eyes searching the spring and the surrounding area. He felt worry crawl through his body when
he didn't see Calliope anywhere. Where the hell was she? Adam started to turn to go back to the beach to see if she was there, but stopped when he caught a glimpse of blonde hair hidden in the brush across the spring. Relief instantly flooded his body, only to fade again as he again remembered the coldness in Chris' voice when he spoke of her. And now...why the hell was Calliope so obviously hiding from him? Adam began walking over to where Calliope was, fully intending to find out what was going on.
Calliope groaned when she knew that Adam had found her. She was happy to see him and know that he was okay, but she was certain that if he found out what she'd done to Chris, he'd hate her. She was sure that Chase would not be too happy with her either. Forcing a smile, Calliope stood up from her hiding spot and looked up at Adam as he stepped up to where she was.
The next thing Calliope knew, she found herself wrapped up in a tight hug. Adam pulled back looking into her eyes.
"Are you all right? Why were you hiding from me?" he questioned, not letting her look away when she tried. Her red, puffy eyes or the still damp tear streaks on her cheeks didn't escape his attention. She had been obviously crying and he had a feeling that it was directly linked to Chris' foul mood.
"Where is Chase? Is she okay?" Calliope asked, not wanting to answer Adam's question because she knew that she'd lose it.
Adam sighed when Calliope didn't answer his question. He could see that physically, she was fine, but he worried about how she was emotionally. "Chase is fine." Adam answered after a few moments of silence where he had intently studied her. "She's with Chris." Adam threw in, wanting to see how she reacted when she heard Chris' name. He was even more confused when she reacted much the same way as Chris had when he heard her name.
"What the hell is going on, Callie?" Adam demanded to know, not being able to wait any longer.
"I do not want to talk about it." Calliope immediatly answered as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at Adam, Much the way she had done with Chris, she let the false cover of anger hide what she was really feeling.
Adam ran his fingers through his hair, obviously frustrated with the entire situation. He looked straight into Calliope's eyes. "Again I ask, What the hell is going on?"
Calliope didn't want to fight with Adam and relented somewhat. "I fucked up, okay! There now you know!" She told him, the anger still coving what she truly felt. She jerked out of his arms and turned away as she fought desperately to keep the threatening tears back.
Seeing the distress that she was in, Adam placed his hand on her arm and gently turned her back around to face him.
"What happened, Callie?" He asked softly...almost soothingly. "Whatever it is, I'm sure that it can be worked out."
Calliope shook her head. "No, this can't be."
"Can't be or you don't want it to be?" Adam asked in reply. Although she hadn't said as much, he had a pretty good idea what was going on.
"I can't Adam. I really can't!"
"Can't what?"
"Get close." Calliope answered as she looked up at Adam, her body beginning to tremble. "I can't get close."
Before Adam could say anything, Calliope spoke again. "I didn't mean for it to happen...Well, actually I did...I knew that it shouldn't, but I couldn't stop it. Then afterwards, I panicked and pushed him away. I didn't mean to hurt him...I just didn't know how else to deal with what I was feeling."
Adam smiled softly down at her as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Calliope still hadn't come right out and said what had happened, but he fully understood. "Don't you think that it's time to let go of that fear?"
Calliope pulled back slightly and looked up at Adam for a few moments before she shook her head and then rested it back against his chest. "I can't."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Seventeen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Chris, wait up!" Chase called as she rushed to catch up with him. Instead of slowing down, he seemed to move faster. "Damn it." She muttered under her breath.
It wasn't until they were back at the beach when she finally caught up with him. "Hey, what the hell is your problem?" she demanded, grabbing his arm, turning him around to face her.
She knew she was pushing her luck with the mood he was in, but there was only so much attitude from this man she could take. As much as she loved him to death, there were times when their tempers would clash, and now was dangerously close to being one of them.
"What happened back there with you and Adam?" Chris snapped. He knew he was being irrational, but he needed to vent his anger some how or he felt like he was going to explode. "And don't try telling me it was just sand, I'm not stupid."
Chase's eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. "That's exactly what it was, Chris. And if it was more, since when do you care?" she shot back, confusion written all over her face. He'd never really cared who she was 'involved' with before, as long as she didn't get hurt. Not that she was involved with Adam, she reminded herself.
"You know what? I don't." He sneered. "So why don't you just go on back, fuck him then throw him away. It's what you women are good at!"
The instant the words left his mouth, he regretted it. He knew he'd gone too far. Chase gasped, her eyes going wide with shock, rage and most of all hurt.
"I can't believe you just said that to me." She whispered, backing away from him. Out of all the little spats they'd had, neither of them had ever said anything so hurtful to the other. She felt like she'd been slapped.
Chris grabbed her arms, stopping her from running from when, when he knew she would. "God, Chase, I'm so sorry. I…I didn't mean that." He apologized, stumbling over his words. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw the tears in her eyes.
"That's a hell of a thing to say to someone and not mean it." Chase retorted, trying to break free of his grasp. She looked up, opening her mouth, ready to really let him have it, when she saw the anguish in his eyes.
She sighed and relaxed a little. She was pissed and still hurt, but she was able to see past that at the moment, although he wasn't off the hook for that little remark.
"What's going on?" she asked, her voice a little shaky. When she saw he was about to shake his head, she interrupted. "And don't even think about telling me 'nothing', cuz after that, I think I deserve some kind of explanation."
Chris sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. "Your right. Come on, let's go sit down."
A little while later, after telling her everything that had happened, and after apologizing profusely, Chris looked her in the eyes, waiting for her reaction.
Her face softened, and her heart immediately went out to him. Now it all made sense. Whenever someone hurt
Chris, he lashed out at anyone around him, and obviously Calliope had really done a number on him. She sighed to herself, knowing that at the same time, Callie was putting herself through hell. She couldn't be mad…at either of them.
"Oh, Chris, I'm sorry." She said sincerely, laying her hand on his shoulder. "I can't imagine how that must have hurt. And not that I'm siding with her, by any means, but I'm sure Callie didn't mean to hurt you the way she did. She was just trying to protect herself."
Chris's head jerked up and the fire was back dancing in his eyes. "Protect herself?" he asked softly.
"Protect herself?" he said again, this time nearly yelling it, causing Chase to jump. In one fluid movement, Chris was on his feet, his hands braced on his hips as he glared down at her. "She's the one who wanted it!"
Chase bit her lip, deciding that now was not the time to point out that if Callie were the only one who wanted it, it wouldn't have happened. She got to her feet also, feeling like she was at even more of a disadvantage when she was sitting and him standing over her. Not that standing really helped, since he still towered over her.
"Chris," she tried again. "You have no idea the pain that Callie has been through. Loosing her parents nearly destroyed her, then when Scott left right after, it was a blow that I was afraid that she wouldn't recover from. But she fought her way back, and opening up to you was a huge step for her. She's pushing you away because she's afraid to get close and loose you, like she's lost nearly everyone else she's ever cared about."
"Bullshit! She's using that as an excuse. I'm not here just to be used for her pleasure then tossed aside. I may have made that mistake once, but I'll be damned if I'll do it again." He snapped. He held up a hand when Chase tried to say something.
"I understand what your saying Chase, and I feel for her loss, believe me I do. But that doesn't even come close to excusing what happened. Maybe it isn't all her fault. I could have stopped things from happened too. But I do know it won't happen again. Keep her away from me Chase. I mean it." He stared into her eyes, letting her see just how serious he was before he turned and headed down the beach, pausing long enough by their supplies to pick up a spear they had made the day before to do some fishing.
Chase let out the breath she had been holding, slowly. She stared after Chris, unsure of what she should do. Part of her wanted to comfort Chris, yet another part wanted to comfort Callie for what she knew she was going through, and at the same time smack her upside her head for hurting Chris.
She also knew that one reason Chris was letting this get to him so badly was more than just a bruised pride and ego. He may have denied it until he was blue in the face, but she knew he had been instantly attracted to Calliope from the moment he first laid eyes on her. Knowing she had a boyfriend only made things worse. Wanting what he couldn't have and having her so close, yet so far out of reach made him almost hostile towards her. And from there, their constant bickering grew.
She'd never really suspected before, but now she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Calliope hadn't been fighting the same attraction, and finally given into it, then pulled back, afraid of what she was feeling.
"Would make sense." She said, thinking out loud.
Now, the only person who could calm Chris down was Calliope. And she highly doubted that Callie would be too willing to go to Chris and open herself up to him like that.
"Oh what a mess." She groaned, rubbing her temples, trying to ward off the headache that was starting to build behind her eyes.
"Damn storm." She glared at the sky, deciding to just blame everything on the weather the night before. She knew there was a reason she disliked storms.
She started chewing on her bottom lip as her thoughts turned to Adam. What the hell was going on there?
"Again, the weather." She told herself. Although she was very attracted to Adam, she knew nothing could come of it, other than friendship. Nothing like what nearly happened would have even come close under normal circumstances. No, they'd still be either completely ignoring each other or at each other's throats.
She closed her eyes, biting back a groan when she envisioned him at her throat, his lips caressing her skin, leaving a trail of hot kisses as he slowly worked his way down to…
"Oooh, NO! Bad girl!" she scolded herself, shaking her head, trying to get rid of the mental picture.
"We're barely even friends." She told herself. "Remember that! Now, think pure thoughts." An image of Adam in his underwear flashed before her eyes.
"That's it!" she fumed, spinning around and walking towards where all their stuff was sitting, safe from the weather in the shelter the guys had built.
She took a moment to admire their work before going in and rummaging through one suitcase, pulling out the suite Callie had told her to use. She needed to cool off…badly. And a dip in the cold ocean water was just what she needed.
After changing quickly, she paused to look at the suit. It certainly didn't leave much to the imagination. Again she wondered about Callie's intentions with this suit. "Good tan, my ass." She giggled. Callie already had a great tan.
She poked her head out, looking around, sighing with relief when she saw no one was around. She figured Adam had found Calliope and it would be awhile before she saw either them or Chris.
"Thank god." She thought to herself, again looking at the suit she was wearing. She wasn't conceited, but she knew she had a good body, just as Calliope did, but the suit was a little more reveling that what she was used too. Neither she nor Callie ever tried to flaunt what they had, which had been another reason she had been shocked by Calliope's choice in bathing suits.
After checking once more, seeing she was indeed alone, she headed off down the beach and into the cold water. She waded in a little ways, then took a deep breath and dove under. She resurfaced seconds later.
"Christ!" she exclaimed, her teeth chattering. She wanted cold, she got cold! The difference in the temperature of the ocean and the little spring was astounding.
After giving herself time to get adjusted to the temperature, she floated on her back, careful to keep a close eye on how far away from shore she was. It was then that she let her mind drift back to Calliope and Chris.
She sighed loudly, hoping and praying someone would come along and rescue them soon. Because she had a feeling the rest of the time spent on the island was going to be anything but pleasant.
To Be Continued....
