Riordan woke early, too early for a vacation day, but he felt well rested and wide awake, even though the alarm on his bedside table showed only seven in the morning. He could hear someone rummaging about in the kitchen downstairs, and from the room next door the faint noise of snoring told him that Duncan was still fast asleep.
Slowly, he sat up and stretched, rolling his shoulders, flinching when he realized he was a bit sunburnt. Nothing serious, but he really ought to know better. A quick, cool shower took away most of the sting. He put on shorts and a comfy, faded shirt and made for the stairs. On the way there, he couldn't resist the temptation to sneak a glance into Duncan's room, and what he saw there made him smile.
Isabela must have wandered over there at some time during the night, and the two of them were lying in a tight embrace, legs entangled, Duncan's face buried between her gorgeous full breasts, his lips almost touching a dark nipple. A very enviable place to be in, no doubt.
Downstairs, he headed for the kitchen. A slim, pretty girl with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes was busy refilling the fridge when he came in.
When she saw him, her eyes widened. "Oh! Good morning." She spoke with a faint accent he couldn't quite place, and she seemed a little embarrassed at meeting him. "Don't mind me, please. I'll be gone in a second."
"No rush." Riordan yawned widely. "I didn't mean to get in your way. I just need a cup of coffee. Good morning to you, too-" He stopped short, when he realized he didn't know her name. The staff hired by Anora were discreet to the point of being self-effacing, and they had been all but invisible so far.
"My name is Erlina." Again, she looked almost as if he had caught her at something forbidden. "And really, it's no trouble. I'll have a cup of coffee ready for you in a moment. Would you like something to eat as well?"
He hesitated for a moment, unwilling to let himself be pampered, but the girl actually sounded more collected now, as if the return to her proper role had helped her regain her confidence. "Yes, please. Some toast and jam would be lovely."
Erlina seemed pleased at that, and quickly set to work. Within moments, a large mug of steaming coffee was placed in front of him, followed by two slices of golden-brown, crunchy toast, a slab of yellow butter, and a little bowl of strawberry jam that looked to be homemade.
Riordan hadn't been all that hungry, but he found it impossible to resist. Tucking in with relish, he eyed Erlina over his slice of toast. She was already busy cleaning up again, with quick efficient movements, her face quiet and unreadable.
"So, Erlina…" He swallowed a piece of toast and reached for his mug. "You don't do all the work around the house by yourself, do you?"
"No." She shook her head, a faint smile playing around her lips. "You've met Oz, or Oswyn, I should say. He's in charge of the boat, and he also helps me with the shopping. Old Landry takes care of all the repairs and the heavy lifting. And then there's Mrs Threnn who does all the heavy cleaning. They've all been with Mrs Kingsley's family forever."
Riordan nodded. Anora Kingsley had been fabulously wealthy in her own right before her marriage, the sole heiress of the vast MacTir fortune. Her father, Loghain MacTir was something of a legend in financial circles, a self-made billionaire, as stubborn and opinionated as he was brilliant. And obviously good at inspiring loyalty, just like his daughter.
"Well, we appreciate all you're doing to make us comfortable," Riordan said aloud. "And we really enjoyed the trip over to Wade's garden. Do you have any more tips for us, maybe? Things we should see while we're here?"
Erlina pondered for a moment. "Well, there's Pirate's Bay, of course, on the small island, over there." She indicated the place with a tilt of her head toward the panoramic windows.
Riordan followed her gaze and could just about make out a rocky shore in the distance. "Pirates, eh?" He didn't bother to hide his grin.
"Yes." Erlina remained serious. "A small group of corsairs made the island their headquarters for a while, a few hundred years ago. They are said to have buried their treasure there."
"Sounds exciting." He winked at her conspiratorially. "You wouldn't happen to have a map for us?"
"Not really, no." Again, the hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "But it's worth a visit anyway. You can't see it from here, but there are beautiful beaches over there, hidden from view and all but deserted. You'd have them all to yourselves."
There was a tiny flash of… something in her eyes at those words, and for a moment, he wondered how much she knew of their relationship. But, it didn't really matter. He was pretty sure he could rely on her discretion.
"Sounds heavenly." He finished his toast and handed her the plate, which she accepted with a small, grateful nod. "Could you ask Oz to have the boat ready for us this afternoon?"
"Of course." Erlina's face was a cool, professional mask again. "Anything else you need?"
"No, thank you." He watched her leave, musing idly what a clever girl like her was doing on such a remote island, doing a servant's job.
Then again, it probably wasn't that bad. At any rate, she got to live in this island paradise year round, and the workload didn't seem too hard. Maybe she's doing online classes in her free time.
He shook off the thought and headed for the stairs. Time to wake the other two and persuade them to go on a little adventure. Exploring a pirate island should be right up Isabela's alley, after all…
Duncan held his breath. The path they'd been following for the past ten minutes had led them to a small secluded beach that looked as if it was taken straight out of a travel agent's brochure, under the heading of 'Caribbean Dream Vacations'. The ground was covered in soft, white sand, palm trees offered welcome shade, and turquoise waves lapped gently against the shore. Right in front of them, a picturesque weather-worn trunk completed the picture, as if placed there by an overeager prop assistant.
"Oh, wow!" Isabela echoed his thoughts. "Maybe we should postpone our treasure hunt and have some beach fun first."
"Absolutely." Riordan dropped the picnic basket in the sand with a heavy thunk. "I don't think we'll have much luck without a map anyway."
Duncan added the towels he'd been carrying to the piler and reached for the basket, frowning when he lifted it. "Why is this so heavy? We don't need that much food-"
With a grin, Riordan reached inside and produced a large bottle of rum. "I figured, if we're playing at being pirates, we might as well do it properly."
"Ah, I love the way you think." Isabela accepted the proffered bottle with a wide smile, taking a generous draught. "But, first things first."
Her wide, flowing dress came off without further ado. Underneath it, she was stark naked. "Help me with the sunscreen, will you?"
Riordan was only too eager to be of assistance, and Duncan joined in, too. Her soft, brown skin was warm from the sun, and just the tiniest bit sweaty, and it felt wonderful under his hands. He almost regretted it when they were done, but then Riordan got rid of his clothes as well, and both Duncan and Isabela moved over to him. By the time they were all finished, both men were visibly worked up from all the touching.
Yet, Isabela chose to ignore their arousal for the time being. "Come on. Let's get into the water!"
Riordan groaned. "Really? Why did we bother with the sunscreen, then?"
"It's waterproof!" Isabela rolled her eyes at him. "And you can get sunburnt while swimming. Trust me, I've been there." She tilted her head expectantly. "Well? Are you coming?"
Riordan shook his head. "I'll join you later. Go and play." He stretched out on a towel in the shade of a palm tree, glancing up at the sun through half-closed eyes.
Duncan chuckled at the sight of him, feeling almost envious for a moment, but then Isabela took his hand and dragged him over to the shore, and he forgot about everything else. The water was surprisingly cool, fresh and salty. True, it wasn't really deep enough to swim near the shore, and he wasn't about to risk swimming further out on an unsupervised beach. But that didn't matter. As far as he was concerned, it was perfect: stretching out in the surf; letting the waves wash over his skin with just enough force to make him feel alive; enjoying the view across the little bay.
Isabela was watching him fondly, a sly smile playing around her full lips. It was nice and quiet and peaceful - until she threw back her hair and took hold of his feet, attempting to drag his head underwater. "Yo ho!" she cried out with a wild, happy laugh. "Beware! Here be pirates!"
"You-" A wave swallowed his answer, making him spit and gasp, and he didn't waste his breath on further insults, just grabbed her instead, eager to get his revenge.
Within moments, they were rolling through the surf together, both of them laughing breathlessly as each tried to get the upper hand. The combination of water and sunscreen made them slippery like eels, and it was impossible to get a firm grip on Isabela. But it was glorious, all fun and laughter, and smooth skin, and her smiling face right before his. By the time he finally managed to pin her down and kiss her, he was fully hard, rutting shamelessly against her naked body.
And suddenly Riordan was behind him, breathing into his ear. "Come to the shore, both of you."
They complied, embracing tightly as they made their way over to the towel, tumbling down on it in a tangle of limbs. Isabela was right under him, and without thinking, Duncan found her breasts with his mouth, sucking hard on a nipple – only to pull back with a grimace.
"Eugh." He'd gotten a large mouthful of sand and sunscreen.
No wonder, really. They were covered in sand, all three of them, and though he appreciated the attractive pattern it made on Isabela's strong thighs, the prospect of finding sand in unexpected places for the next few days put a slight damper on his enthusiasm.
Riordan laughed out loud at his discomfort and handed him the rum bottle. "Here. Wash it off."
Duncan drank deeply, feeling the alcohol go straight to his head. Then, after only a moment's hesitation, he poured a little rum over Isabela's luscious breasts, then captured her nipple again with his mouth.
"Better?" Riordan was still laughing, but Duncan didn't care.
The taste of the rum on her skin, the way her nipple hardened in his mouth, skin taut and pebbled, the low moan from her throat as he sucked even harder – it was enough to make a man go mad. Or so he thought, until Riordan's warm mouth closed around him, and everything got twice as intense, twice as arousing. Riordan must have taken a sip of the rum, too, and the extra heat it added was almost more than Duncan could bear.
Isabela was whining with pleasure, her hand buried in his hair, holding his head tightly, as if she wanted to make sure he'd never stop. He did his best not to disappoint her, flicking his tongue against her nipple, swirling it around her taut flesh, teasing and playing, but it was getting increasingly hard to focus.
Glancing down, he was greeted by the sight of Riordan's lips, stretched around his cock, and that was so incredibly hot. And then Riordan glanced up at him, his eyes gleaming with passion, the heat in them tempered by sheer tenderness, and that one glance was what did it. He had to let go of Isabela's breast, jerking back hard, for fear of biting her, because the sudden spike of lust that tore through him made him lose every last shred of control. He came with a cry, almost a whimper, pouring himself down Riordan's throat, clinging to his shoulders so hard he was probably going to leave bruises.
Isabela almost whined at the loss of Duncan's mouth, but the expression on his face made her heart skip a beat. He looked completely overwhelmed, as if Riordan's talented mouth had robbed him of all capacity to think. Which is probably exactly what happened.
Riordan pulled back with a triumphant laugh, and pushed Duncan aside to take his place in her arms. When he kissed her, she could taste Duncan on his tongue, Duncan and the dark, spicy rum, salt and sugar, sex and booze. Delicious. One of his hands slipped between her thighs, spreading her open, so he could slide his long fingers straight inside her. He was watching her face, his eyes dark and focused, and when she cried out, he pulled back his hand, then thrust it firmly back in. He stole her cry of lust straight from her lips, then repeated the move, over and over until she was almost ready to beg.
Almost. Not quite. Her own hands snaked down his body, finding his cock and gripping him tightly. He faltered for a moment, but then his lips set in a determined line and moved his hand even faster, deeper, his fingers curling to find the perfect spot. And she was close already, so close that her thighs began to tremble, so close that she felt the orgasm lurking, there, right behind the corner, so close, so incredibly close… When it hit her, she almost blacked out with the force of it, pleasure flooding her body from head to toe, almost unbearably sweet.
For a split second, she loosened her grip on him, but Duncan's hand was already there, wrapped around hers, helping her finish Riordan off. It took them only a few hard strokes, Riordan watching their intertwined fingers avidly until he came, spilling all over her stomach, his body wracked by shudders.
They cleaned up in the ocean, then settled on the shore again for a quick snack and some more rum.
Duncan raised the bottle in a mock salute at her. "To our lovely captain. What is it they say: Take what you can, give nothing back?"
"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho," she agreed, reaching for her bandanna to tie back her hair.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I got plenty back, myself." Riordan smiled lazily. "But yeah, here's to you, Captain Isabela. May you have smooth sailing and never lack for treasure."
"Oh, I'm sure I won't." She smiled back. "With a crew like mine, what could possibly go wrong?
Big hugs and thanks to suilven for all her help with this. :)