Chapter Fourteen
Holly lay still, listening to Josh’s soft breathing sounds as he slept beside her. The morning sun rose over the jungle, and the wind had settled enough for her to hear something scurry by the tent. Her mind rewound to last night, to the way Josh had pulled her to him and curled a protective arm around her body as they drifted off to sleep. She’d never felt so wanted, so desired by anyone. Over the course of the week, Josh had proven to be caring, smart, strong, and protective. But he was also trustworthy, easy to talk to, and a lover who put her needs first. He was everything she wanted in a man, and then some.
Would her father frighten him off?
Stop! Don’t go there. This was a week’s fling, and she was not about to bring him home for daddy’s approval. She shook her head and gave that more consideration. How could they go back to being coworkers, their offices side by side, and act like nothing had ever happened between them?
She shouldn’t have let things get personal. It would only make it harder when they walked away. She’d suggested a quick, hot affair and nothing more. He’d agreed to her terms. So why, then, was last night’s sex so tender and soft, less physical than before. There had been a new gentleness in his touch, a deeper possessiveness in the way he looked at her. Was it possible that he might want more?
“Morning, sunshine.”
Looking rumpled, sleepy, and sated, he shifted and went up on one elbow. The light blanket they’d draped over themselves fell, exposing his hard chest. Her fingers itched to touch him again, to stay in this tent and make love for the remainder of their trip.
Oh God, Holly, what is going on with you?
He slipped his hand around her neck and drew her mouth to his. Their lips collided, and he kissed her deeply. She sagged into him, wanting his touch, but there was a part of her that wanted something…more.
He broke the kiss and inched back, and she took in his short hair and the way it exposed his handsome face. If Anita didn’t want him before, she sure as hell would now. “Good morning to you, too,” she said, working hard to keep her voice steady. Josh’s stomach took that moment to grumble, and she laughed, grateful for the distraction. “I think we’d better make our way out of here so you can get some food.”
“You sure you’re still up for the walk? We do have the phone and can call for help.”
“Nope, I want to walk.” She wasn’t quite sure whether it was to prove to Jeff she had what it took to be a leader, or because she wanted to spend more time with Josh.
She found her clothes and pulled them on as Josh opened the zipper on the tent and climbed out—stark freaking naked. Laughing, she tossed his clothes at him. “Stop trying to scare the wildlife away.” The fragrant scent of the forest swirled around her, and she sneezed.
Josh pulled on his clothes, disappeared for a moment, and came back with last night’s leftover tea. “Want me to reheat it?”
“No, I’m sure it’s fine.” She took a swig and winced at the cold, bitter taste, but the liquid did feel good going down her scratchy throat. She held it out to him. “There is a bit left.”
He shook his head. “No, go ahead and finish it.”
“No, here.”
He took the bottle and drank the last few drops, then screwed the cover back on. His brows pulled together as he looked around. “We can follow the water. Hopefully we’ll get out by dark.”
Josh broke down the tent as she repacked their supplies. Once done, she tossed her backpack over her shoulder and straightened her spine. “All set.”
His gaze moved over her face, a troubled look in his eyes as he assessed her. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then closed it again.
“I’m fine, Josh.”
He gave a curt nod and turned. “Follow my lead, okay?”
She fell in behind Josh, her gaze latched onto his perfect ass as they walked for hours and hours over twigs, roots, and rocks. Her water shoes did little to protect her feet, and she winced a few times as sharp shoots cut into her soft soles. The sun rose higher and higher in the sky, then dipped lower and lower. As the big orange fireball rose and set over this lush tropical island, her thirst grew. She swallowed against a dry throat and tried not to think about her hunger. Josh stopped a few times, walking deeper into the woods to collect berries. She followed him in, and they took breaks as they ate, but it did little to sate her hunger or ease her exhaustion. Cripes, she really needed to get on the treadmill more often.
Maybe she should have called for help. But, dammit, she hated to give in. What about Josh, though? Even though he looked as refreshed as he did this morning, he was shouldering most of the weight, and was even carrying the tent. She hadn’t even stopped to consider his situation, or that he was now favoring his scarred leg. How selfish of her. He might have wanted to call for help and kayak out of here instead of walking a million miles. Maybe it wasn’t too late.
“Josh,” she began, pushing her mussed hair from her face, but she stopped when she spotted something lodged in the rocks up ahead, something long and yellow and buoyant. She shrieked and pointed. “Our kayak!”
“Sweet.” He shifted his pack on his shoulders, and while he pulled out the satellite phone, she sank to the ground and took that moment to rest. He punched in a number. “Yeah, we’re about halfway back and found our kayak.” A pause and then, “We’re fine. See you soon.”
His head dipped, and when he found her sitting on a rock, he dropped to one knee. “You okay?”
She was tired, weary, starving, and just might have bitten off more than she could chew—in so many ways. She forced a smile. “Fine.”
He made a fist and nudged her chin. “If this doesn’t prove to Jeff just how tough you are, then nothing will.”
“Thanks.” She lifted her mouth to his, and he brushed his lips over hers—light, soft, so damn tender that if she wasn’t sitting, she would have fallen.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, and stood. He captured one of her hands and lifted her. He trekked through the water and pulled the kayak from the rock and balanced it so she could climb in. Darkness fell over them as he guided them back, and hours later he paddled them into the shore back at the resort, where he found one of the guides waiting.
Holly stole a glance around at the other kayaks, all sitting empty. The group must have passed them on their way back upriver when Holly and Josh had been resting deeper in the woods. At least they all made it back safe and sound. The guide stepped into the water, grabbed the edge of the kayak, and pulled them onto the sand as he looked them both over.
“You two okay?”
“Perfect,” Holly said.
“I glad you found your kayak.” He nodded to the empty boats beside them. “The others had seen it when they went by, and we were hoping you two would come across it.”
“Lodged in the rocks,” Josh supplied as he climbed out. “Wind carried it away from us.”
“You both look like you need a shower and something to eat.” He checked his watch. “The restaurants are closed, but the buffet is still open.”
At the mention of food, Josh rubbed his stomach, and Holly formed an idea. Catching her second wind, she jumped from the boat. “First things first, I need a shower.”
“Me, too.”
His knuckles brushed hers as they walked the dark path back to their villas. When they reached the fish fountain, she stopped. “Meet me at the restaurant where we learned mixology.”
He frowned. “It’s closed this time of night, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
He angled his head. “What are you up to?”
“One hour,” she said, and dropped a quick kiss onto his mouth. Leaving him standing there wondering what she was up to, she rushed to her villa. After a quick shower—no time to luxuriate beneath the hot steam—she dressed in a pair of shorts, pulled on a tank top, and hurried through the resort, making a quick trip to the nearly empty buffet first.
Darting along the tree-fringed path, with the waves splashing on shore a few feet away, she snuck up to the restaurant and looked around. Empty. Perfect. She used the knife she’d snatched from the buffet to jimmy the lock on the door. Damn, Josh made it look easier than it was. She wiggled and jiggled and finally heard the lock click. Yay. When the door opened, she ducked inside, locking it behind her, and made her way to the back.
Hurrying around a kitchen that was foreign to her—heck, every kitchen was pretty much new to her—she rooted around in the freezer until she found what she was looking for and then rushed to the pantry. Keeping one eye on the clock and one on what she was doing, she seared the steaks, boiled the potatoes, and prepared a salad. With only two minutes to spare, she plated the food and carried it to one of the corner tables in the restaurant. Not wanting to turn on any lights, she found some matches and lit the small white candle on the table.
A knock sounded, and she nearly jumped out of her shoes. Breaking and entering to cook a meal really wasn’t something she normally did, but she wanted to do something nice for Josh before they left for home tomorrow. She smoothed her hand over her stomach and rushed to the door. When she found him standing on the other side, hands jammed into the pockets of his khaki shorts and wearing a tight T-shirt that showcased a hard body, her heart nearly failed. So handsome.
Pulling herself together, she released the lock. “Hurry,” she said glancing past his shoulders to make sure no one had saw him, but it was after midnight and the parties were dying down and the place was fairly quiet.
His body bumped hers, and her skin came alive. “What are you doing, Holly?” he asked, his deep, raspy voice like an erotic caress.
“Follow me.” She slid her hand into his and tugged, ushering him to the back corner where she had his big, juicy steak, potatoes, and salad waiting.
He stopped at the table, and his gaze shot to hers. A shadow passed over his face, something dark and tortured.
She swallowed and faltered backward. “You don’t like it? You were craving a big, juicy steak so I thought—”
“It’s perfect,” he said, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him. His familiar scent surrounded her, and she just stood there, breathing him in. The way he touched her made her feel so warm and comfortable, eliciting things she shouldn’t be feeling. She closed her eyes against the flood of unwanted emotions, and tried to breathe past the tightness in her throat. “I was just surprised is all. You were so worried about trespassing, I never thought you’d break and enter, just to cook for me.”
It was true. She wasn’t that girl, and a lot had changed since she’d stepped foot on the island. “That’s because you don’t really know me.”
The muscles along his jaw rippled, and the room went quiet. Too quiet. “I know you,” he murmured through clenched teeth. The seriousness in his words, the intent on his face, gave her pause. He didn’t know her. Not really. How could he? They’d only just met. So why, then, were the hairs on her nape lifting. Was there more to those words than she knew?
Before she could give it further consideration, his mouth closed over hers, and her mind shut down as she lost herself in his kisses, the feel of his hands on her body. He inched back and sucked in a sharp breath as his deep blue eyes moved over her face.
“We should eat. You spent all this time preparing, and I don’t want it to get cold.”
“Okay,” she said. Even though she was ravenous, she’d rather spend the rest of the night kissing him.
He pulled her chair out for her. “Aren’t you the gentleman?” she said.
“You think this is me being a gentleman?” he teased.
“Yes, I do.”
“This isn’t me being a gentleman, Holly.”
“No?”
“No, me being a gentleman is when I take you back to your place and nurture three sweet orgasms out of you.”
Her throat dried. “Oh.”
He grinned, that sexy, panty-melting grin that she could see so well now that his hair was short. She squirmed in her chair and looked him over as he sat across from her, really giving his strong features and hard body further consideration. With the short hair, she would have taken him more for a military man—the kind that always hovered over her back home—than a software designer. Suddenly her father’s warning about hurting herself there came back, and the hairs on her nape tingled again.
Nah, he couldn’t be. If he were working for her father, no way would he have slept with her, right?
Stop being so paranoid!
“Eat,” she said and gestured to his plate.
He reached for his knife and fork and dug into his steak with enthusiasm. “I can’t believe you made me steak.”
“You were craving it. It’s all you could think about when we were camping.”
“There were other things I could think about,” he said, his voice intimate, soft, full of mischief.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I spent a lot of time thinking about putting my mouth on your body, and then when I finally did, I spent a lot of time thinking about how good you tasted, and how much more I wanted.”
As a fine shiver traveled down her spine and settled between her legs, she pointed her fork at his plate. “Probably not as good as that steak, though.”
His expression filled with adoration. “Oh, I’m sure you tasted better, babe. Much, much better.”
She sniffed, her allergies still bugging her. “Take a bite and let me know.”
He did, and she slipped a fingerling potato into her mouth as he chewed on a generous portion of meat—and chewed and chewed and chewed, then finally swallowed. Hard. His face contorted, and he swallowed again, like the meat was stuck in his throat.
“Well?” she asked.
“Holly,” he began, and swallowed a third time. “This is really…really…bad.”
She threw her napkin at him. “Hey,” she said, but then started laughing. She pushed her plate away. “You’re right. I’m not much of a cook.”
He grinned. “How about I cook for you?”
“Thank you, Mrs. J,” she said and dropped her fork. “I’m sad that I didn’t get to meet her. She sounds like she was a wonderful woman, a great mother figure for you and Anna.”
He smiled and looked down, his eyes glazed for a moment, lost in thought. “Yeah, she would have loved you.”
As soon as the L-word left his mouth, he stiffened like he’d said too much.
Then he shook his head. “Let’s start with some spicy salsa and lots of garlic.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, your allergies are still bad.” He popped a buttery potato into his mouth and licked his finger.
Damn.
“But if I eat garlic, you’re not going to want to kiss me.”
He wagged his eyebrows, his grin playful and deliciously naughty. “It’ll take a whole lot more than garlic to keep me away from you.”
As he leaned toward her and gently pressed his mouth to hers, her heart skipped. What exactly would it take to keep him away?
Her father?