Part 24 (1/2)
”See, you think I'm a wuss.”
”I do not. I think you're an idiot for not telling me you were scared of heights. You could have stayed on the beach and I would have come up here to make the X.” She demolished the dress's other side seam.
”I couldn't let you do that.”
”Why not?”
”I don't know-there could have been something dangerous up here.”
”Like what?” She sneaked a glance at him. His protective urges were so cute.
”Well, isn't an albatross kind of big?”
She bit her lip to keep from laughing. ”Pretty big. Almost a seven-foot wingspan.”
”Holy s.h.i.+t!” He looked up in the sky as if afraid one could be dive-bombing them at this very moment. Then he shuddered. ”See what I mean? If some bird the size of a Learjet came swooping at you-”
”I don't think there's ever been a report of an albatross attack.”
”That doesn't mean it couldn't happen. You could have a rogue albatross. d.a.m.n, are they really seven feet wide?”
”That's what I've read. I've never seen one.”
”Well, if there are any hanging around here, it's good there are two of us. They wouldn't feel so free to mess with two people.” He finished ripping apart his s.h.i.+rt and picked up the jacket to her dress. ”I don't see any point in tearing this. It's as big as it's going to get.”
”I suppose you're right.” She knew their situation was a little uncertain, and she should probably be more worried than she was. But it was hard not to feel optimistic sitting here beside Jack, a most excellent lover, and enjoying an outstanding 360-degree view.
”I really liked this dress.”
”Me, too, but I don't care about it now. We have to be practical. We want the X to be as big as possible, so-”
”Bigger than a freaking albatross,” he muttered.
”Jack, you really don't have to worry about those birds.”
”Oh, yeah? What do they eat?”
”Fish.”
”My point exactly. Meat eaters. For all we know, a herd of hungry albatrosses, or albatrossi, or whatever, could be headed this way. And we are a whole lot more accessible up here than fish swimming underwater. There's this old Hitchc.o.c.k movie about-”
”Now, stop it. I saw that movie on TV and it made me mad. Birds aren't like that.”
”Says you.”
”When it comes to birds, I am the expert on this island.” She pulled her pale green skirt out of the suitcase.
”You're going to ruin that, too?”
”Yep.” She cut through the waistband. ”So what? ifou've already sacrificed your s.h.i.+rt and the bottom half of four pants.”
Jack laughed. ”Yeah, but I think we've established that's 10 big loss.”
”True.” She grinned at him. ”Except now I'm getting and of sentimental about your style of dress. It's you, after ill.”
”Don't get too attached to that look. I'm going for all black when we get home.”
”I'll probably barely recognize you.” And wearing all black, he'd start attracting women. That's what she'd hoped for, of course. She reached into her suitcase and handed him her blue panties. ”Tear these along the side, okay?”
”Okay.”
She pulled the skirt apart. ”I wonder if you really will buy an all-black wardrobe. You might get back to civilization, start thinking about computer programs, and forget all about your clothes and what we talked about. Right now you don't have your computer stuff to distract you.”
When he didn't answer, she looked over to find him sitting like a statue while he stared at her panties. ”Can you rip those by yourself, or do you need me to start you off by snipping some of the threads? The st.i.tching's small. Do you want the gla.s.ses?”
He glanced at her, as if coming out of a trance. ”No, I can do this without the gla.s.ses. Actually, I was thinking how much more fun it would be to rip them off you.”
She gulped. Just like that, what had been a friendly discussion exploded like a cherry bomb. To think that thoughts of having s.e.x with her had sent him into a trance. Now, that was exciting. ”You . . . you know what ripping panties off of me would lead to.”
”I know,” he said in a c.o.c.ky, very-sure-of-himself way.
His tone gave her delicious goose b.u.mps. If a guy started out talking that way, like he was G.o.d's gift, then everyone knew he was a jerk. But Jack had started out with a low opinion of his s.e.x appeal, and his brand-new self-confidence really turned her on, maybe because she'd helped him get to this point. She was proud of her contribution, and almost ready to suggest changing into those panties.
Then he tore them neatly across the side seam. ”And for the record, Gen, I won't forget a single minute of the time we've spent here.” He tossed the panties onto the pile of torn clothes and looked her straight in the eye. ”The question is, will you?”
”Of course I won't.”
”Then it seems to me we should reminisce together.”
His suggestion made her heart hurt. She wished he hadn't brought up the subject, but maybe they needed to get it out of the way. ”It won't be the same, once we're back in Honolulu.”
”Why? Because you can't see yourself dating a nerd?”
”That's not it. Well, that's sort of the problem, but not what you think.” She didn't suppose he'd understand the astrology obstacle, so she brought up the other important issue. ”You need to find somebody who's willing to play second fiddle to that computer screen you're so attached to. I'm not.”
”G.o.ddammit!” He lurched to his feet and started to pace. Then he winced and stopped. ”G.o.ddammit,” he said again, softer this time. ”I've told you I won't forget a minute of the time we've spent together. What makes you think I'll get involved with my computer and forget about you?””
”Because you're a genius! And there's some woman out there ready to make allowances for that, but I know myself, and the first time you forgot about me because you were so fascinated with your beloved computer program, I'd feel like you'd lost interest. I would hate that, Jack.”
”I wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.”
”You couldn't help it.”
”I could! I could program my computer with a timer, so it would beep a signal when it was time to see you. h.e.l.l, I could program it to shut down completely, and then-”
”Don't you see?” It was good they were having this talk, because it pointed out exactly the problem she was so worried about. ”I don't want you to have to set a timer. I want a man who's so crazy about me he remembers on his own, without being reminded.”
”I'm pretty sure I would remember! But just in case, I could have a backup system.”