Ginger meant it when she said she wasn't in the mood to seduce the Professor. But it did feel good to be with him, just holding each other. And she couldn't wait in her hut, with all its reminders of Mary Ann.

Despite her fears, the Professor's warmth, strength, and solidity relaxed her enough that she actually dozed off for awhile, her head on his shoulder. Then she woke to the sound of music, a soft, sweet instrumental. She thought she was dreaming at first, but then she realized it was the radio. She shook herself.

He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "How do you feel?"

"Better but still worried."

"Of course."

"Any word yet?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. But I'm sure it's the kind of thing they'd break in on regular programming for."
"The kind of thing?"
"If they're found."

She knew he meant either that if they were rescued or if their bodies were discovered. "I hope they are. Even if it's—I can't stand the not knowing."

He nodded. "The storm increases their chances. I think it will bring the canoe closer to civilization."

She suddenly wondered if it might take them to an island filled with hostile natives. But even that would have to be preferable to drowning at sea.

"Ginger, would you like to sleep here? I mean in my bed, not sitting up." He smiled.

"What would Mrs. Howell say?"

"I think there are more important concerns right now. And it comforts me to have you here."

She nodded. "I would like to." She couldn't help a mischievous smile all of a sudden. "Of course I usually sleep in the nude."

"I'll loan you one of my shirts."

"Thank you."

He went to his chest of drawers and took out one of his buttoned shirts and a pair of pajamas. They hesitated and then turned away from each other to undress. It wasn't so much an attack of modesty as that they both realized that this wasn't a time to see each other naked. Nakedness belonged to a happier time, a time that they could perhaps return to, but not yet.

She didn't even ask his help with her zipper this time but managed on her own. She removed her dress but left on her panties. She wasn't wearing a bra. She seldom did on the island. She'd started going bra-less even before they heard on the radio that it was fashionable back in the States. She liked having one less layer of clothing in this warm climate, and some of her dresses were low-cut enough that a bra would've shown if she had worn one.

She set her dress on a chair and then put on his shirt. After she buttoned it up, she noticed that it only came down to her hips, while his other shirts had reached to the top of Mary Ann's thighs. She wondered if she should see if he had an extra pair of pajama bottoms.

She turned around as he did, now dressed in his pajamas. He gasped at the sight of her, as if he hadn't realized how much of her legs would be visible. "Ginger!" he breathed and she could see the bulge enlarge at the front of his pajama bottoms.

"Oh, Roy," she sighed, feeling tingly.

Then they sprang for each other. They were soon locked in a tight embrace, kissing as passionately as they had ever kissed before. Then they hurriedly undressed each other. Neither of them mentioned Mrs. Howell this time, but as a concession to propriety, they did try to keep their voices down, even as their pleasure built. Ginger remembered just in time to whisper that she needed more of the ground date mixture, but he had some of it in his hut and quickly prepared a dose for her. She swallowed it and then they resumed necking.

His bed was much more comfortable than the cave had been. And this time they seemed to be proving that life was stronger than death. Love was as well, although neither of them had yet spoken that word aloud.

Moving their bodies together was somehow soothing as well as exciting. She felt like nothing bad could happen when such joy was possible. The feeling lingered even after the act was completed. They kissed and caressed each other afterwards, till they felt sleepy. She thought about how they were still discovering each other, learning each other in new ways after eight years, and not just physically.

Then she laughed, "It looks like we're both sleeping in the nude tonight."

"I probably should at least put on my pajama bottoms, in case the Howells knock in the middle of the night. They may wonder if I've heard anything on the radio."

"And what should I do? Hide under the bed?"

He shook his head. "I'll just open the door a little."

He was still the Professor, logical even after she'd melted his brain. She found that comforting, although she thought it was a pity to cover up any of his body on the chance that they might be visited in the night.

His bed seemed narrower when they were trying to find comfortable sleeping positions than when they had taken turns lying on top of each other. Neither of them, he in particular, were used to having company in bed of course.

"I think, if we end up not being rescued, I'll build a king-size bed," he murmured.

She didn't know what to say. It wasn't a proposal of course, but it was an acknowledgement that they would need to admit their relationship to the Howells. Then she realized the other part of the sentence. "You don't think we'll be rescued?"

He sighed. "I said if. It's just a possibility."

She understood. And it wouldn't necessarily mean that anything terrible would happen to Gilligan and Mary Ann. Perhaps they'd end up shipwrecked on another deserted island and live out their lives elsewhere in the Pacific. Perhaps that was what it'd be like for her and Roy. She liked the idea of that in a way, and yet it also made her sad, never seeing her two friends again.

"If we are rescued," he said, caressing her breasts, "you and I are going to find a nice big hotel bed."

She tried not to giggle too loudly.