Darker The Forbidden Berry

The boat came to a stop and the weathered captain threw down the anchor and tethered the boat to the small dock before helping them off and handing over their bags.

“Enjoy your stay, kids. Call the office when you’re ready for us to come to get you.”

“Will do!” Finn sang, reaching into his pocket and handing the captain a few hundred-dollar bills.

He grinned and tipped his hat towards Finn before re-boarding the ship. Finn grabbed both their bags with one hand, holding his free hand out to Aja. She took it without hesitation, walking towards the bonfire.

A tall man with dark hair came jogging down the shoreline, a bright grin on his face.

“Finn!” He was more muscular than Finn and threw his arms around the other man, squeezing him until Finn let out a choked cough.

“Hey there Ryan! What’s up, man?” As they pulled away, Finn slapped him on the back.

“Nothing much, dude. We’re just hanging out… Drinking a little.”

Aja glanced over her shoulder, eyebrow cocked. It was just past 3.00 pm and seemed a little early for the amount of alcohol everyone was consuming, but then again it was a party, right? As if reading her mind, a pretty blonde walked over and put a red cup into Aja’s hand. It was a bright red drink that smelled sweet and tasted like fruit punch with a bit of a kick. It was good.

“Looks like you got a good group together,” he said, taking his own red cup from a brunette who seemed a little too comfortable with Finn.

“Oh yeah. We’re having fun. Go ahead and drop your stuff off in the house. I put you two in the jungle room,” he said with a smirk.

“The jungle room?” Aja asked as Finn led her away from the bonfire.

Finn was rolling his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips. “It’s the room he puts people in when he thinks they’re going to hook up.”

“Well…Are we?”

“Of course we are.”

Aja grinned and followed him into the tall house and up the stairs. The house was narrow but long, with hallways to match. The overall theme was tropical and tacky compared to the house she’d gotten used to over the past month or so. Finn nudged a door at the end of the hallway open and wandered in, tossing their bags onto a large bed with a banana leaf print blanket.

The room itself was a bit dark with bamboo accents and pictures of jungle animals hung up. A strip of lights went around the edge of the ceiling, offering dim lighting. She cocked a brow and looked around, her hands on her hips.

“He thinks this is sexy?”

“Look, I don’t ask questions, okay? He’s a nice guy but he has questionable taste at best,” he murmured. “But…Let me introduce you to this.”

He walked over to a set of doors on the outer face wall. He pushed them open and grinned when it revealed a balcony with a hot tub. Aja gasped and all but ran over to it.

“Holy sh*t! This is ours?”

“Absolutely. Want to get in?”

“Right now?”

“I don’t see why not. We can enjoy the bonfire from here,” he pointed out.

That was true. They both still had their drinks and the fire was easily within view.

“That sounds amazing!”

Aja dipped back into the room and stripped her clothes off. She couldn’t care less that Finn was still in the room. Hell, she hoped he watched. She loved feeling his hungry eyes on her. She slipped into her yellow bikini, pulling the sides over her ample hips to show them off. When she looked up, Finn had simply stripped down to his boxer briefs and slipped into the hot tub already. She could hear a few of the women on the beach, wolf-whistling at him. Why did that make her blood boil?

Aja got into the hot tub with him and leaned her head back, sighing as she sipped her drink.

“This is nice. Thank you for suggesting it.”

“I’m not one to stay cooped up in the house,” he said with a shrug.

“I know. That’s why your parents hired me.” She was getting braver now that her first drink was almost gone.

“You’re doing a bad job, you know.”

“Huh?”

“You’re supposed to keep me from hooking up with people, but here we are, doing nothing but that.”

Aja snorted and waved her hand at him.

“Nooo!” She said quickly. “My job was to keep you from hooking up with a bunch of people! And I’ve done that by keeping you thoroughly occupied.” She could not help the smirk that came to her lips as she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He leaned into it and she was a little surprised at the way her heart fluttered when he leaned into it. Finn reached around and put his arms around her waist, holding her closer. Aja sighed and sank into his side, still sipping on the drink that had been thrust into her hand. The sounds of the wave and the distant party washed over them. Aja found herself lost in those stormy eyes, staring up at him as her throat tightened.

The last month had been nothing short of incredible, but she was starting to want more, and that seemed like a dangerous endeavor. Being greedy was never a good thing and she worried that it might lose her what she had with him.

Her face fell a little and she rested her head on his shoulder, her stomach doing flip flops. Finn already had his hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair gently.

“You okay?” He asked gently.

Aja’s heart was still in her throat, but she managed to swallow it down and nod.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just a little tired,” she sighed, unable to tell him the truth for some reason.

“Go ahead and rest. The party isn’t really going to start until tomorrow anyway.”

And so she did. She kept her head on his shoulder, her heart beating a little too fast and her

mind going even faster. They eventually made their way back to the bed, tangled in each other’s arms. They lay like that, telling each other stories until sleep finally took them.