Brenda usually waited until the early afternoon to bathe since she would wash off the sweat and grime that came as part of her duties. She couldn’t believe that she had once loved the cold temperatures in New York where Sonny lived. It now seemed like the only climate she had ever known was tropical.

{Sonny. You haven’t thought of Sonny in days, Brenda. And you used to think he was the most important thing in your life next to your career. Can you even remember what he looks like?} Brenda closed her eyes and tried to picture his face, but the only face she could see now was one with dazzling blue eyes the color of the ocean water; blonde, sun-kissed hair that had grown ragged on the ends and most of the time was falling in his eyes; and a rakish blonde beard that she had finally trimmed with her sewing scissors so that it didn’t scratch her so much when they made love.

Brenda let out a sigh and slapped her hands down on the sand next to her. {You’ve got lots to do, Brenda. Might as well get started.} She stood up and stretched and rubbed the back of her neck, which was already beginning to perspire with the day’s heat. {It must be the height of the summer here. It’s already hot and it’s not even noontime yet.} She shielded her eyes with the back of her hand, gazing up at the sun. She glanced down the beach to where Jax was, and after she was sure he wouldn’t see her, she unbuttoned her blouse and took it off, casting it down on the sand in relief. She felt awkward, wearing only her bra, but then she reassured herself that it was just due to the heat and was no more revealing than some swimsuit tops she wore.

Brenda was carefully making her way back to their camp, picking her way through the rocks daintily to avoid cutting her bare feet, when she heard a low voice and jumped in surprise. "Need some help?"

"Jax! You scared the life out of me!" Jax steadied her by grabbing her by the elbows. His eyes traveled downward quickly to take in her unusual attire. As she gazed into his face, her own face paled. "Is something wrong? Did you spot those drug smugglers again? Is there a storm coming?"

Jax put one hand on her bare shoulder and felt the shock go through his body. It never failed to amaze him that she had such an effect on him. {How can she turn the desire on and off like she does? My touch seems to ignite her body during the nights, but during the day it’s like she’s made out of stone.} He took the gourds of water from her and then noticed the anxiety in her face. "Nothing’s wrong. There’s no storm and no smugglers. It’s hot today -- let me carry these back to the hut and dump them for you." He gave her a dazzling smile and then turned to do as he said. However, he quickly turned back and without a word, leaned down and kissed her hard on the mouth, slipping his tongue past her lips. She opened for him readily and he heard her whimper softly as he ended the kiss and then headed towards the hut.

Brenda watched him with her mouth open. She couldn’t imagine what had gotten into him. She was a little ashamed of herself for succumbing to his kiss so quickly. {Brenda, what’s the matter with you? You’ve turned into some kind of nymphomaniac! That’s you – Brenda Barrett, island sex playmate.} She made her way down to the hut and was waiting for him when he came out. "Thanks. They were getting heavy and it’s so hot today."

He smiled again and wiped his hands. "You’re welcome." Brenda felt the awkwardness that was there so often during the days lately and she rocked back and forth on her bare feet.

"So, if there’s no smugglers and no storm -- what are you doing here in the middle of the day?" Jax looked a little surprised at her bluntness.

"Can’t I come back just to see you?" he asked softly, moving closer to her. Brenda backed away slightly, not sure where this was leading.

"But you just saw me two hours ago," she laughed lightly. She caught her breath when she saw the fire in his eyes. Jax wasn’t laughing. He caught her by the waist and pulled her to him. She gasped when she felt the evidence of how much he missed her.

"It felt like two years," he muttered, running his hands lightly up and down her bare back. The feel of his hands made her shiver, even in the blazing sunlight. "If it was up to me, I would see you every minute of every hour of every day." He brought his hands up to cup her face, stroking her lower lip with his thumb. "I want to make love to you, Brenda," he said softly, and then kissed her deeply.

Brenda struggled to keep herself from sinking into that abyss where she found herself every night. The one where she melted at his slightest touch and had to restrain herself from begging him to make love to her. She somehow managed to push away from him slightly. "Now? You want to make love to me now? But it’s not even noon yet!"

Jax smiled at her. "Is there some kind of rule around here about making love before noon?" He reached out to caress her breast through the silky material of her bra and her breathing grew ragged. He pulled her back into his embrace, trailing kisses up her neck and whispering in her ear. "Come on, Brenda. You want me, too. Don’t you?" She nodded mutely, swallowing hard, but then froze when his hands moved to the front of her bra to unhook it.

"Wait!" she gasped, pulling away. "Aren’t we…I mean, are we going to….I mean…" She fumbled for words as Jax continued to trail his fingers lightly up and down her sides. "….out here?" she finally stammered, pointing to the beach.

Jax laughed a little. "Yes, out here! Why? You didn’t seem to mind making love out here on the beach last night." He leaned down to kiss her again but she pushed him away.

"But it was dark out here last night!" she protested breathlessly.

"It usually is, at night," he returned, pausing to take a good look at her. He stepped back and put his hands on his hips. "Why, Miss Barrett! I believe I know what the problem is. YOU are a PRUDE!"

She mirrored his stance, putting her hands on her hips. "I am NOT a prude! I just happen to think that people shouldn’t be naked on a beach where…..where…."

Jax cocked his head to the side. "Someone might see? And who were you expecting to see us? And besides, it’s not just that," he continued, moving back to stand just inches from her. "You’re always so serious, Brenda. You need to learn to relax – not to be so business-like all the time." He tipped her chin up to lock eyes with her. "When was the last time you blew off an entire day….just making love and enjoying how your body makes you feel….just for the sheer h*ll of it?" He ran his first fingers across her collar bone from each of her shoulders, meeting in the center and then running down to the clasp of her bra. "You have a beautiful body, Brenda. You should be proud of it."

She took a ragged breath. "I am," she squeaked softly.

"Then prove it," he replied quietly, dropping his hands to his sides. "Undress for me. Show me that beautiful body of yours – not just to prove a point, but because you feel comfortable doing it."

"Right here?"

He nodded. "Right now."

Brenda was embarrassed to admit he was right. Nobody had ever worshipped her body before like he did, even in the darkened hut. Sex with Sonny had always been in a darkened bedroom, in bed, under the sheets. She had never met a man who was so confident of his own body as Jax was.

Brenda stepped back a few steps and her hands moved slowly to unclasp her bra. She could see the desire building in Jax’s eyes, and it bolstered her confidence. She dropped the bra to the sand slowly, and then moved to the button and zipper of her remodeled shorts. She stepped out of them awkwardly, thinking that perhaps he would be satisfied that she went that far. No such luck. She followed his gaze as it dropped to her bikini underwear.

But a change was beginning to take place in Brenda. The warm sun did feel good on her bare breasts, and she could even feel the slight spray from the ocean misting her back. She was suddenly aware of the squishy sand between her toes. She felt freer than she had since before Julia got sick, freer than she ever had in her life before. And she suddenly felt sexier – although it almost made her blush. {Great, Brenda. Now you can start stripping on the side for a few extra bucks.} She hooked her fingers into the waistline of her panties, but Jax stepped forward and placed his hands on her hands, stopping her from pulling them down.

"No – wait." Jax realized how far she had come. He didn’t want to push her too far. He just wanted her to learn to relax – to finally have fun in life. She had taken an enormous step in just stripping that far for him. He released her hands and they dropped to her sides as he gently cupped her breasts.

"You have a beautiful body, Brenda. Your breasts are so soft." He traced the undersides of them with his fingers, continuing to speak to her hypnotically in a low voice. "I love the way they respond so beautifully to my touch. I love to watch them." He lightly flicked her nipples with his thumbs. "Look at them, Brenda. They almost look like they were made to fit into the palms of my hands."

Her eyelids were fluttering shut with the pleasure he was generating in her, but she forced them open at his command and looked down as he told her. When she looked into his eyes, she felt like she had fallen into a trap. They were a fiery shade of aquamarine, and she couldn’t look away. He moved his hands to her waist and she whimpered softly. "Your body is so lean and toned." Then he drew his fingers gently across her hips and began to pull her panties down. "You are so perfect, Brenda. Your body was made for my loving." He knelt before her, and she arched her back and let her hair trail down her bare back, feeling the tickling sensation in every nerve ending there.

As Jax continued to kneel before her, Brenda stepped gingerly out of her panties. Jax trailed his fingers up the backs of her legs and then grasped her buttocks to pull her closer to him. "You are built so perfectly to receive me, Brenda." Jax began to place butterfly kisses at her hip, across her stomach, at her other hip, and then as he moved lower and continued to worship her body with kisses, Brenda grabbed his shoulders when her knees threatened to buckle.

Her eyes drifting shut in a near-swoon, Brenda’s world exploded in shades of magenta and hot pinks behind her closed eyelids. As she gasped in the aftermath, Jax quickly moved away from her, shed his own shorts, and then pulled her to the sand beneath him. "I love you, Brenda. God help me, I love you," Jax repeated to her. It seemed to her like time had been suspended as he moved into her, inch by agonizing inch. As Jax loved her in a rhythm as old as time itself, he began to take her to a universe of unendurable pleasure. She murmured incoherent pleas into his ear, wrapping her legs around his waist, and Jax shifted slightly to make the delicious sensations even stronger. When he finally collapsed against her with his release, she dug her nails deeply into his shoulders with her own.

They lay on the sand for a long time, their perspiration drying in the soft ocean breezes and warm mid-day sun. Finally Jax rolled to her side and traced the contours of her face lovingly. Brenda smiled at him and gazed into his eyes, which had become lazy pools that mirrored the color of the water. "That was incredible," she said softly, and kissed his fingers as they passed close to her mouth.

Jax tapped her lightly on the lips. "Correction – YOU were incredible, Brenda," he smiled, kissing her softly for emphasis.

She trailed one finger down to his chest shyly. Sonny had never been one to compliment her on her sexual performance. He just usually gave her a kiss on the forehead and rolled over to fall asleep. She gazed seriously into Jax’s eyes as she rubbed the back of her fingers against his blonde beard. "Well, in my book, YOU were the one who was incredible."

He reached up to take her fingers into his hand and kissed them. "Yes, but I need YOU to inspire me," he replied, his Aussie accent on the word "inspire" causing her to smile. Brenda wasn’t used to discussing her own sexuality, and she cast her eyes down and blushed a little. Jax saw it and tipped her face back up to his with his fingers. "Now, Miss Barrett – you’re not turning into that shy prude again, are you? Remember – I want you to feel as comfortable with your body as I do!" Suddenly, his eyes lit up and his whole body seemed energized.

"What?" Brenda said in confusion.

Jax surprised her by jumping to his feet and pulling her up by the hand. "Let’s go for a swim."

"Now?" Brenda barely got the word out before she felt herself being pulled down to the waves where she screamed as the first breaker came washing over her nude body. Jax pulled her into his embrace, putting his back to the waves that were arriving on the shore so that he took the brunt of the soft force. He leaned down to kiss her, and suddenly Brenda couldn’t care less where they were. As long as his mouth continued that sweet pressure, she felt she could follow him to the ends of the earth.

As Jax slid his tongue into her mouth to prolong the rapture, he slowly continued to back into the waves until the water came up to his shoulders and she had to wrap her legs around him to stay connected to his body. He broke the kiss, smiled at her, and then brought his hand up to push her head under the water with a teasing grin.

She came up sputtering. "What was that for?"

"FUN, Miss Barrett! I gotcha!!" he shouted, and turned away from her to begin to swim lazily into the deeper water.

Brenda brushed her hair back from her face. "You shouldn’t have done that, Jasper!" she cried, beginning to follow him. His long arms and larger frame made him a much faster swimmer, but she managed to finally catch up to him and grab him around the shoulders.

Jax caught her in his arms and they slowly trod water, turning to survey the landscape around them. They were bobbing in the warm sunlight and the gentle waves, and Brenda squealed with delight when some tiny fish swam under them, tickling her feet. She kept one arm wrapped around his neck and brushed her hair back with the other hand, gazing into his eyes. "Jax," she began coyly.

He took one finger to push some stray hair out of her eyes. "Yes, Brenda?"

She trailed a finger across his face, down his beard, and then lightly down his neck to perch on his shoulder. "Have I ever told you…."

"Yes?"

"That I….." She looked at him shyly and batted her eyes – right before she whipped her hand from his shoulder to the top of his head, pushing him under the water and floating away from him. "….GOTCHA!!!"

She reached out to begin swimming for shore, only to have him grab her feet as he came back up to the surface, spitting water. She screamed in delight as they continued their game in the shallow waters. For the better part of several hours, they alternated between dunking matches and gentle touching. Jax taught Brenda to touch – to play – to just enjoy the simple pleasures in life that afternoon.

Brenda floated on her back for a while as Jax began to pinwheel his arms in a serious backstroke. She felt heavenly like that, with the sun kissing her upturned face and the feel of the warm water against her nude body. She had almost lost all sense of time and space when she felt Jax’s strong arms cradling her body, and his finger turned her face towards his. She reached out for him and he pulled her towards him, kissing her deeply. She locked her arms around his neck and he used his strong arms to propel them back towards the shore until he was sitting on the sand again with Brenda cradled on top of his body. With the waves still coming up to gently slap their legs, Jax continued his sensuous assault on her mouth, threading his hands into her tangled hair.

As Brenda sighed softly, Jax made love to her again there on the beach at the water’s edge in the waning hours of the afternoon. Lying in his arms, Brenda opened her eyes to look up at the sun. "Jax, did you ever catch some fish for our dinner tonight?"

Jax chuckled. "Hmmmm……now how could that have completely slipped my mind?" He turned her face up to his. "Maybe because some beautiful sea nymph bewitched me?" He gave a long sigh, and then unceremoniously dumped her into the sand as he sprang to his feet. "So, Miss Barrett, are you game to go fishing with me for our dinner?"

She smiled lazily and sat up, dusting the sand from her hands. As she reached for her panties and bra, she stopped, and then turned back to look into his expectant face. She rose to her feet and stood proudly, clad only in a brilliant smile. "Yeah. I’m ready. Let’s go show those fish who’s boss."

Jax returned her smile, observing the same dress code. "Have I told you lately how much I LOVE the way your mind works, Miss Barrett?" he said with a laugh, and then took her hand. They ran like two innocent children down the beach to where he had left his spear and when they returned, the elusive yellowtail of earlier that day turned out to be the main course of their delicious dinner.

Sonny Corinthos sat in the penthouse suite of the hotel he had occupied ever since Brenda’s plane disappeared, staring at the telephone. When it finally rang, he jumped a little but then answered it curtly. "Corinthos."

"This is Renaldo. There’s still no sign of it on any screens."

"No sign at all?"

"None, Mr. Corinthos. I’ve had them widen the search area, but they’re beginning to wonder how long the signal would continue to function. If it was damaged in the crash…."

Sonny put his hand to his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut. "I know, I know," he said in a tired voice. "Just tell them to keep trying. We have to think positively."

"Yes, sir," Renaldo’s equally tired voice came back. "I’ll let you know as soon as they pick up any kind of a blip."

Sonny hung up the phone without saying goodbye. He grimaced and walked over to the window, looking out into the vast expanse of the ocean. "I have to find it," he muttered to himself. "If Moreno thinks he can take that AND my woman away from me…." He took a deep breath. "….he’s made a FATAL mistake."

Jax sifted his way through the remains of the Lear once again. He really didn’t know why had had come back. He had found the captain’s log several days before and besides that, he really didn’t think there was anything else salvageable in the wreckage. But he had a nagging feeling that there was something he was overlooking -- something important.

He glanced down the beach towards their camp. Brenda was out in front of the hut, laying out the bed linens that she had so painstakingly pieced together those first days. {Why are you here, you idiot? You could be back at the camp, making love to her.} But Jax shook his head to clear it, and then reached down to use a large tree limb he had found to poke deeper into the wreckage.

He was about to give up when he heard it. As he poked into a large pile of ash and rubble with the stump, he heard a metallic thump. He poked again, not believing his ears, and heard the sound again. Jax squatted down for a closer look and gingerly moved the sand and burnt remnants of the plane aside. He must have moved over the place hundreds of times since they crashed, but it never caught his attention until today.

Using the tree limb as a guide, he kept pushing sand and ash and feeling carefully until he found it. It was some kind of metal box, but it was deeply buried in the rubble. Again using the limb, he began digging to get it out. After he had pushed what seemed like a mountain of dirt and sand away, he was finally able to grab enough of the box to pull it free. As he did, the weight of the box threw him off balance and he sat down hard in the sand with the box in his lap.

It was about the same size as a briefcase, and it didn’t look at all familiar to Jax. It was made of a dark grey metal, obviously fireproof and probably bomb-proof. It had no markings on it whatsoever, but it had two strong-looking padlocks on the hinged openings of the front. He rattled the padlocks, but they didn’t budge.

Jax was beginning to get a very bad feeling about the mystery box. He looked around and scrambled up to get some large rocks from nearby. He got down to his knees and after he set the box in an upright position, he began pounding on one of the locks with a rock. It must have taken him almost ten minutes of concentrated pounding until the lock finally shattered and came free. But the case still wouldn’t open. Perspiration was pouring off of his face but now he was determined.

Grabbing another rock, he began pounding at the other lock. He didn’t realize that he was making a great deal of noise until he stopped for a moment, breathing hard, and heard Brenda’s voice. "What ‘cha doin’?"

He looked up through a film of sweat and saw her, standing there with her hands on her hips, looking at him in amazement. He sat back on his haunches for a moment, and then licked his lips. "I found this in the wreckage this morning."

"What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "I don’t know. I was hoping you might be able to shed a little light on that for me." He looked at her with raised eyebrows and wiped his brow with the back of his wrist to clear his vision.

Brenda came a little closer. "Nope," she said succinctly, shaking her head. "Never saw it before." She looked into his eyes. "Wait -- did you think that I brought that aboard?"

"Well," Jax said slowly, "you WERE my only passenger and since I obviously didn’t have any luggage....."

"Now WAIT a minute," Brenda said cautiously, putting her hands up in the air. "Why don’t we find out what’s in the box before we go jumping to all kinds of conclusions."

Jax nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me." He raised up to his knees again and began pounding at the lock with the rock. Brenda covered her ears to shut out the loud noise, and after another five minutes of pounding, the second lock fell away.

Jax set the case down flat on the beach as Brenda knelt down next to him in the sand. He cast a sideways glance at her, and then flipped open the two hinged latches. When he raised the lid, he inhaled deeply as he saw the contents of the box.

"What is that?" Brenda asked, wrinkling her eyebrows in a frown. There were several clear plastic bags inside the heavy metal case, and as Jax picked one up and held it in the palm of his hand, Brenda could see that they were filled with some kind of white powder. She remained puzzled for a few moments, but when Jax looked at her with a deep frown, the light dawned. "Oh, my God!" she said softly, and put her hands to her mouth. "Do you think......"

Jax took one of the bags and, after closing the case, lay it there as a table of sorts. He pulled his knife out of his pocket and made a very tiny cut in the top of the bag and gingerly stuck his finger down into powder after wetting it with his tongue. He put his finger to his lips and tasted the powder and then closed his eyes sadly. Brenda reached out to grab his arm, and when he opened them again, they were blazing with anger. "Heroin," was all he needed to say.

Brenda was speechless, but then she realized the reason for his anger. "Jax......Oh, my God, Jax.......you don’t think that I......" Tears began to gather in her eyes.

Jax kept staring at her. "Well, I certainly know that I didn’t," he said in a quiet voice that scared her. "And we all know who your boyfriend is and what he does for a living. Does he usually use you as his packrat, or are there more of you?"

Brenda pulled back and delivered a stinging slap to Jax’s cheek. "How dare you!" she cried. "After everything we’ve been through together, how dare you even consider that I......" She jumped up to run from him and as she took off down the beach, she was blinded by the tears that were falling freely down her cheeks.

Jax caught up to her after she had gone about 25 feet. He spun her around and pulled her to him forcefully. "I’m sorry, Brenda. I’m sorry," he kept muttering, stroking her hair as she sobbed against his chest. He pulled back to try to face her and had to bring her chin up to look at him. "I’m just confused and angry and I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry." He put his arm around her and brought her back to where the d*mned case now rested.

Brenda’s sobs subsided into small hiccups and she finally looked up at him. "How much do you think is in there?"

Jax shrugged his shoulders. "I don’t know. Maybe we should ask your boyfriend." At her indrawn breath, Jax put up his hand. "I’m not saying that I think you’re a drug runner, Brenda. I just think that maybe he was taking advantage of you without your knowledge." His mouth set in a grim line. "And of J&J Charters for providing the transportation."

Brenda shook her head vehemently. "Sonny wouldn’t do that. Sonny won’t do drugs. He won’t even touch them. He says they’re bad business."

She watched as Jax sighed and then re-opened the case to place the bag back inside. Her face closed into a frown as Jax peered deeper into the case. "What’s the matter?" He poked amongst the bags and then began taking them out of the case. "What are you doing?"

When he had emptied the case, he took his knife again and began rapping at the base of the case. "It sounds like this is a false bottom," he said slowly. "This case is too big to only hold that many packages." He continued to try to get the case apart, and finally took the knife and tried to pry the bottom out. They both jumped when the bottom gave way and Jax pulled it out, peaking inside.

"What is it?" Brenda asked softly. "What’s down there?"

Jax turned to her with a deathly pale face. He showed her a tangle of wires in the bottom of the case. She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders in ignorance, so he told her. "It’s an electronic bug -- a homing device."

Brenda didn’t register the meaning for about 30 seconds, but then she gave a soft cry and she began to shake all over. Jax nodded. "Whoever this stuff belongs to is probably pretty upset it’s gone." He looked back into the box and then at her again. "And eventually, they’re going to come after it – and us." He reached out and took her hand. "And if you REALLY think it’s not Sonny, then it’s one of his competitors – and they probably won’t be too happy we’ve got it."

To be continued....

Author’s note: I think it’s important to point out that Jax’s actions in this chapter are NOT totally the result of his decision to get Brenda pregnant in the last one. His motivation becomes one of getting her to learn to "play" and "touch" – something like "all work and no play makes Brenda a dull person." He is not just initiating an afternoon orgy for the sole purpose of making a baby.