Wicked Island Of Ireland - Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

They arrived at a spot about five minutes away from the shelter.

Isu took in the scenery.

The lake sat at the lowest point. Above it was a gently sloping meadow.

Stone houses reminiscent of ruins were scattered across the meadow, and beside the lake stood a majestic stone mountain.

At the very front of this mountain was a hole large enough for a person to enter with room to spare, from which water streamed steadily.

Falling with the force of a strongly turned faucet, the water flowed over rounded stones down toward the lake. Hayden climbed up onto the massive opening and gestured to Isu.

“Come up. I’ll take your hand.”

Isu gripped the body cleanser tightly with one hand and extended the other. Hayden pulled her up as if snatching a small animal, then helped Jena up as well.

The cave, which she had expected to be dark, was surprisingly bright. After walking a few steps inside, she was greeted by a space with an open ceiling.

Dazzling light poured through the hole in the ceiling.

Not just light, but clean water fell like a waterfall. It was a breathtaking view that demanded admiration.

“Wow, it’s really… beautiful.”

The scene of water and light intermingling as they fell from the open ceiling resembled a painting. Isu was busy admiring everything, even touching the ashen cave walls.

In contrast, Jena, who had traveled extensively during her work as a flight attendant, was more interested in examining Hayden’s body than the scenery.

Hayden watched Jena from the corner of his eye. As if she had been waiting for this, Jena began unbuttoning her light blue blouse.

Jena’s fingertips were focused more on seduction than simply undressing. Her index finger, which had undone the topmost button, slid smoothly down her collar.

After watching this scene intently, Hayden briefly said:

“You’re impatient.”

“You don’t seem so innocent yourself.”

Jena undid the next button, revealing her cleavage. However, without showing any sign of embarrassment or agitation, he calmly walked out of the cave.

“I’ll wait outside. Come out when you’re done washing.”

Jena stared at his indifferent back that she had been watching for the past two days. Then, standing irritably in front of the waterfall, she removed all her clothes.

Isu also undressed and began showering. The water was colder than expected, but thanks to the warm weather, it was bearable.

Without proper shower supplies, she used her underwear with body cleanser to wash her entire body.

Jena, who had finished washing quickly, shook her wet clothes and put them back on before saying to Isu:

“I’m done, so I’ll go ahead?”

Isu, who was washing her hair, nodded.

“Yes, go ahead. Since I’m here, I’m planning to wash my clothes too.”

Jena left the cave without replying. Outside, Hayden was doing push-ups with his feet on a bench-shaped stone, his hands planted on the ground.

It wasn’t clear how long he had been exercising, but his back was wet with sweat. His lower back and the area around his shoulder blades were bumpy with muscle. His thick thighs also showed clearly defined muscles.

Jena approached him as he exercised with perfect form. When she stood right in front of him, she shook her hair and said:

“Isu says she’ll come later. She has to do laundry too.”

The implication was that they should go together. But Hayden, showing no intention of getting up, replied:

“Go ahead.”

Then he changed his pattern from just bending his arms to pushing up with his chest muscles. Jena traced his flexing back with her eyes, licking her lips before asking:

“It feels like you like her or is that just in my head?”

Hayden answered while breathing steadily:

“You’re perceptive.”

His directness caught her off guard. She couldn’t make sense of it.

Was he looking for someone easy to handle and docile? Did he have unusual tastes? Jena took a step back and crossed her arms.

“So you have a thing for Asian women?”

Hayden pushed himself up one final time before sitting on the bench. He sounded weary, as if he’d explained this too many times before.

“Yes, if you must know. The best s3x I’ve ever had was with an Asian woman. So when I see her, I get hard. And when I get hard, naturally I want to pursue it. Take the hint and back off.”

At twenty-six, Jena had known her share of men.

Some of her fondest memories involved taking proud, dominant men like Hayden and reducing their egos and playing with them with her lower lips.

The thicker their wallet and the better their body, the more entertaining they were as playthings. Her persistence despite his obvious disinterest was calculated. She took his hand from the bench and guided it to her thigh.

“If you’re getting hard, you need somewhere to put it, don’t you?” she purred, using his hand to inch her skirt higher. She pressed his thick index finger against her panties.

“How about here? You can try it first, think about it later”

Hayden responded with the practiced ease of someone who’d fielded countless propositions:

“I prefer to think before I stick it in, actually.”

He withdrew his hand and tugged her skirt back down. The force pulled her a step closer. She narrowed her eyes.

“Then what do you prefer?”

His profile as he gazed at the cave was aristocratic, almost noble. Just as she found herself drawn in by his features, his lips curved into a crude smile.

“If you’re so curious, you’ll hear all about it from Isu soon enough.”

The implication was clear – Isu would be learning his preferences firsthand.

Jena bit her lip, burning with the need to conquer him.

“We’ll see about that.”

Though furious, all she could do for now was imagine Hayden completely under her spell. She shook the moisture from her hair with barely contained frustration and headed back to the shelter.

Isu emerged from the cave well after Jena had returned to the shelter. Her black hair, falling to her chest, was damp, and her previously dirty clothes had been restored to their original state.

Hayden met her at the cave entrance, extending his hand. When she stumbled in her slippers, he steadied her with an arm around her waist as he helped her down.

Looking up at him, Isu noticed his once-clean face was now streaked with sweat, as if he’d been battling the heat.

“Was it very hot waiting?”

Hayden splashed water on his face and wiped his eyes.

“Yes, nearly passed out.”

Though it wasn’t sweltering, the sunlight was strong enough to burn the skin. She felt both grateful and guilty that he had waited for her under the scorching sun without proper shade.

“Thank you. With the sun so intense… I would’ve understood if you’d gone back.”

He raised his eyebrows at this. Pushing his wet hair aside, he said,

“I spotted three venomous snakes heading up to the cave. Should’ve let them be.”

Isu, who had forgotten about the existence of snakes, froze.

“Really?”

Hayden’s eyes reflected Isu’s startled expression. Narrowing his eyes as if he might gently devour her, he shook his head.

“No, I wished they would appear, but there weren’t any.”

She relaxed her shoulders, watching him act like a guard dog seeking danger to prove his worth.

“You scared me.”

They walked along the lakeshore, cold water lapping at their feet. Though the gentle flow was soothing, it couldn’t wash away her anxiety.

“Do you think… we’ll be rescued?”

The uncertain future made her hands and feet go cold. Even if they escaped the island, she had nowhere to go. The Graham family might hear the news and come for her.

Though remembering why, she was involved with them was crucial, her memories remained locked away as if sealed.

“Even if I’m lucky enough to be rescued, I might end up imprisoned again. If I just knew what I did to end up here, I wouldn’t feel so lost.”

Rather than offering empty comfort, Hayden tried to help her dream of the future rather than dwell on the past.

“When we leave, I’ll help however I can. If we can hold out about ten days, we should be able to get out of here.”

“Ten days… You really think we can leave in ten days?”

“By then, rescue teams should be searching this island at the latest.”

Jena had mentioned teams would search based on the crash site. Ten days at most. Isu nodded, then glanced at his underdressed state.

“When are you planning to put on pants?”

His response left her unsure whether he was joking:

“When you fall for my charms.”

Of course, she didn’t think he was serious. They’d only known each other three days.

What would he gain from pursuing someone who couldn’t remember her own name or address?.

His interest probably stemmed from seeing her in her underwear that first day. He was simply expressing a physical attraction to what he’d seen.

Isu walked on, kicking at the water. Would rescue really come in ten days? And would Hayden be properly dressed when they left this island?

***

While Isu and Hayden dried their clothes in the blazing sun, Manuel returned from the beach.

“Left some rescue signals out there,” he said, dejected. “Though who knows if anyone will even spot them…”

DeHart and Jan looked equally discouraged.

Declan and Nate returned carrying a snake as tall as a child. Its dull coloring suggested it wasn’t venomous. Declan gripped it by the neck, dangling it in the air.

“Think this would make decent food?”

The snake, still alive, thrashed its tail before coiling around Declan’s arm. Manuel watched him flex against the creature’s grip, frowning.

“Does that actually look appetizing to you?”

Declan gave a nervous laugh.

“Well, might want to keep it alive in case we run out of food.”

Nate pulled out a toolbox from the sack placed on the tent table. Then, opening the box, he picked up pliers.

“Should we cut off its fangs just in case?”

Declan nodded as if it were a good idea.

“Yes, let’s cut them and lock it in a box.”

The football players gathered in a circle under the tent to work on the snake. It wasn’t clear if they were being practical or just finding ways to pass the time.

Hayden, showing no interest in their project, lay on the shelter floor staring at the ceiling. Jena sat in a corner, watching him.

Her rich green eyes gleamed in the darkness. To Isu, she looked like a predator eyeing its next meal.

Manuel placed the toolbox on top of the door frame.

“That thing is incredibly strong.”

Isu, who had been rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, asked:

“Did you cut off all its fangs?”

Manuel sat down on the wooden box placed in front of the door and answered:

“No, it was too difficult to cut them, so we pulled them all out.”

Isu questioned:

“You pulled out all its teeth?”

“It might bite if we’re not careful.”

“That’s true.”

The formal tone she’d been maintaining dropped noticeably with Manuel. He seemed pleased by this, offering a warm smile before joining Declan.

Hayden, however, propped himself up with an unwelcoming expression, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve gotten quite friendly with him.”

Isu, sitting with her legs stretched out on the floor, playing with her hands, nodded.

“We became closer after he caught the venomous snake yesterday.”

His next question came loaded with personal implications:

“Mind if I use your lap as a pillow?”

He seemed to be trying to remove Manuel’s presence from the conversation as he moved closer.