As slumber fluttered away, consciousness breezed in. Warmth permeated Naia’s cheek. She was snuggled against a deliciously hard body. For the first time since they’d been together, Cortez was in bed with her when she awoke, their combined body heat cocooning her, his masculine scent drugging. She inhaled deeply for more of his spicy fragrance, resisting the urge to rub her face along his skin like a feline to catnip.

He slept soundly, lying on his back. She debated staying where she was, or slipping away to make sure she looked presentable...maybe sneak back under the covers before he noticed her absence.

But when she shifted to move off the bed, he turned on his side and hooked her around the waist, tugging her into the warm curve of his body. Then he resumed his light snoring. Guess she was staying put. She couldn’t bring herself to mind when it felt so damn good in his arms. It made her feel cherished.

The word was like crashing into an icy dunk tank.

Her eyes flashed open and she mentally shook herself.

She realized she was letting this little fling get into her head. Her growing attachment was distracting her from her assignment. At the end of the week, he’d move on to his next conquest, and then another lucky female would be warming his bed.

The thought was crushing.

She shouldn’t be entertaining this fantasy anyway—imagining a future with him. It was a ludicrous idea that would only hurt her in the end.

Today she would need to start drilling him for information.

He stirred, burying his nose in the crook of her neck and inhaling deeply just as she had done to him. He let out a groggy, masculine groan, his breath skating along her skin. As if she’d already been conditioned, her body responded to that sound, heating and dampening and softening all at once, and she didn’t resist when he wordlessly pulled her underneath him. There was no better way to start the morning.

* * *

“I have a surprise for you.” Cortez stepped out onto the pool deck where she lounged in her olive-green bathing suit. Again he wore nothing but board shorts, that magnificently sculpted chest on display. She took the sight in with a greedy gaze. Just seeing him like this made her shiver, though it was well above eighty degrees.

“I’m going to overdose on surprises,” she informed him. This morning, after they’d made love in bed, and then again in the shower, he’d presented her with a simple box, inside, a pair of sparkling diamond earrings, stating, “I believe the lady demanded diamonds for breakfast.” She wore them now.

He really was going to spoil her—then she would return to her drab apartment and underwhelming life, left with only fond memories of the man who had totally consumed her life for a wondrous, if short, time. She rejected that dismal future, stubbornly kicking it out of mind. Enjoy it while it lasts was her new motto.

“You don’t have to keep pulling out all the stops. Consider me thoroughly impressed.”

Roguish grin. “You think I’m doing all this for you?”

She shaded her eyes from the sun to see him better, intrigued by the remark.

“I like it when your eyes light up every time I show you something you’ve never seen before. It’s turning into a rather addictive hobby of mine.”

A hobby? Like collecting stamps? If she wasn’t careful, he might just collect her heart.

“Perhaps it is my turn to surprise you,” she said, giving him a look that needed no translation.

“Everything you say and do is a surprise. Perhaps I’m growing addicted to that as well.”

She gulped at the intensity in his gaze. She couldn’t decipher the emotion behind it. Then his words registered. She surprised him? More than others? Why was that? Because he really could read minds as Cole had suggested? Only maybe not hers? She mentally scoffed. The whole notion was absurd.

Still, she mused over what it would be like to know what everyone around her was thinking. It would be great! She’d know who to trust. Who not to trust. What people really thought of her. If men liked her for her mind or merely her body.

She glanced up at Cortez, and fought a smirk. Definitely my body. Especially if he couldn’t even read her mind. Or maybe that’s what made her interesting. Maybe it gave her mystery. Made her a challenge. Not that she’d given him much of one.

Suddenly she couldn’t stop hypothesising.

An image of Boomer rubbing his paunch in the dressing room entryway slipped through her mind. She cringed. That was one man whose thoughts she could do without. In fact, that went for all the men who came to The Pit. They could keep their undoubtedly disgusting, grubby thoughts to themselves.

If mindreading was in the realm of possibilities, was it feasible to block the thoughts of a crowd and focus on only one person? Or would they all flood in like an unmanageable deluge?

Perhaps reading minds wouldn’t be so great.

Moot point, she told herself. Because no one could read minds.

Ignorant to her musings, Cortez held his hand out to her. “Come.”

Teasingly, she feigned a scandalized expression. “Right here? Cortez, you are a naughty boy.”

He flashed a grin. “Someone’s mind is in the gutter. Or is it that you didn’t get enough this morning?”

Never get enough. He was making her insatiable. One thing was certain: if he could read her mind, they’d never have made it out of the bedroom. Looking at him there with his glorious rippling muscles begging for her touch was turning her on by degrees.

Her desire made her bold. She yanked down the elastic of his shorts, and freed his impressive cock, triumphant that he was already hard as granite for her. “Looks like maybe you didn’t get enough either.”

His gaze was intense, anticipating her next move.

He didn’t have to wait long. She gripped his base and drew him into the heat of her mouth.

He hissed in a breath, the muscles of his legs bunching.

He was full and smooth against her tongue. The perfect dichotomy of silk over steel. Taking her time, she traced the thick length with her tongue, following the small pulsing veins. When she sucked him deep, he let out a rough sound, almost a growl. He gazed down at her, reverent, lust-drugged. She pulled back to circle the tip with her tongue and then sucked him to the root.

Body shaking, he twined his fist in her hair, groaning. “Mmm, you wicked woman. I really want to enjoy this, but Unh. You’re too goddamn good at that. You’ll make me come if you keep that up.” She grinned around his girth and then continued her ruthless assault. “Do you want that?”

In answer, she sucked him deeper than she had before.

Back bowing, he bellowed to the sky. His hips matched the rhythm of her mouth, their pace growing more frantic by the second. Then she reached up to tug lightly on his testicles and he lost it. A harsh sound ripped from his chest. His hips stilled. Hot seed shot forth, making its way down her throat. She swallowed him with a soft moan.

Without warning, he gripped her nape and pulled her away from him. His other hand wrapped his cock, and he gave several hard pumps. His seed lashed her breasts in hot spurts. The sensation was oddly arousing, causing her to moan and squirm for her own release.

His chest heaved from the strength of his orgasm. “You need to come, sweets?”

“Yes,” she whimpered.

Joining her on the lounge chair, his big hand breached the hem of her bathing suit bottoms and invaded her slick folds. He marveled for a moment at her dampness before caressing her clitoris till she was panting and moaning.

“Is this what you need, luv?”

“Yes! Please don’t stop!”

“If only I could keep you here forever.”

She looked away, wishing he wouldn’t say such impossible, delightful, frightening things. Not while she was falling apart in his arms. When she faced him again he caught her lips in a searing kiss. Their tongues clashed as he stroked her toward a blissful release. So close. Almost.... Her body began to shudder from the intensity of her burgeoning orgasm. She broke away from the kiss on a cry, her body preparing for blast off. Then, with a final stroke, she threw her head back on a scream. He kept her there for a moment in that mindless state, drawing out her orgasm.

As pleasure slowly subsided, she gazed up at his smugly satisfied expression. “I like your surprises,” he said.

“I just bet you do.” They were like a couple of damn bunnies! And she loved it!

Thirty minutes after she’d changed into hiking gear—his surprise consisted of a little off-road trip up the mountain...while her gaze was concealed behind a blindfold!—the jeep came to a halt. She fumbled for the door handle. “Can I take this off now?” Though she could still smell the ocean, there was now also a strong tropical scent that spoke of lush, jungle-esque surroundings.

The drive had been short, if bumpy. Every time they hit a groove or scaled a sharp incline, she’d been jostled in her seat, having to cling to him for stability. From his low chuckles, she suspected he’d enjoyed that.

“No peeking,” he scolded. The driver-side door opened, then closed, leaving her alone in the cab. Seconds later, her door opened, and he helped her out, guiding her away. Gravel crunched under her boots. Another, larger-sounding door squeaked open. More walking. She easily determined they were inside a structure of some kind. The air was different, almost musty, as if the place had been closed up for a long period of time. A set of stairs came next. She cautiously climbed them, feeling her way along a banister while Cortez kept a protective hand on the small of her back. Another door opened, letting in a flood of warm light that she felt on her skin. They were outside again. On a balcony?

He removed the blindfold. She had to blink several times, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. Then all she could do was slack-jaw-gape.

They stood on a platform at the summit of the mountain, above the tree line on a flat-top roof, allowing for an unfettered three-sixty view of endless glittering ocean, cloudless blue sky, and the jungle below. She spun in circles, wanting to take it all in at once. “My god, this is...this is...” there were no words except, “Incredible!” And even that was tame.

She glanced over the edge. They weren’t even that high off the ground, but with the mild slope of the landscape, the illusion was that they were miles above everything. “This would make a great stage,” she blurted. “All I’d need is a mic and an audience. Have you ever thought about putting on a show here? It would be a great venue.” She turned to Cortez with a confident grin. “You wouldn’t believe how I can rock a crowd.”

His lips hardened into a thin line. She didn’t understand the muscle bulging in his jaw. Guess he didn’t like that idea. Sure, he didn’t work with women he slept with, but she still held onto the hope that he would change his mind once this little escapade of theirs ended—and she was sure that it would. Cortez wasn’t the settling down type. That was plain to see—except he didn’t seem the slightest bit interested in hearing her sing. Not even for fun.

“This is my sanctuary,” he said, expression still tight. “It’s where I come to get away from people.”

She shrugged, and let it drop. Then, almost to himself, added, “I’ve never wanted to share it with anyone else before.”

“Why not?” As beautiful as this place was, hoarding it seemed like such a waste. Keeping something like this to herself, only coming here alone, would make her feel so...well, lonely. She scanned the dazzling horizon from left to right, following the chiseled line where liquid cobalt met the ice-blue sky. It was almost impossible to comprehend the vast expanse of never-ending water. The dark and unfathomable depths hidden below the glittering ocean. How even now someone could be on the opposite side of that horizon, gazing back and contemplating their own tiny existence.

His eyes were on the sea as well, his gaze distant. He waited so long to speak, she wasn’t sure he would. “I value my solitude.”

“An island unto yourself,” she quipped.

His lips twitched. “Something like that.”

Again, she thought, how lonely. Although she didn’t always like the people around her, she generally loved being around people. Give her a crowd and a decent beat and she could dance all night, laugh, and talk. Socializing was a balm to her inner siren. It energized her. Not near as much as singing did. It certainly wouldn’t sustain her. But it was like having a cupboard full of food, knowing if you got hungry, all you needed was to grab a snack and you’re good to go.

“The rooftop back at your club, that’s a sanctuary for you as well, isn’t it?”

“Of a sort.”

“Why would a guy like you need so many places to hide?”

“Not hide. More like recharge.”

“You need to be alone for that?” Could they be any more opposite in that regard?

He nodded. “Sometimes I need things to be quiet.”

“And I’m...quiet?” He’d said as much on the yacht.

He slanted her a wry grin. “In a way.”

Curiosity prowled her molecules. Could he mean in a way that mind readers would find interesting? Or maybe challenging? Was he trying to dig into her thoughts even now? Trying to crack her like a puzzle? She nearly laughed at her own absurdity. She was letting a silly rumor make her paranoid. And yet, she wasn’t totally sure it was a silly rumor.

Deciding to run a test, she conjured the most idiotic thought she could manifest and directed it right at him: a blue-feathered goat in a pink tutu doing pirouettes while clutching a lit cigar between a set of oversized teeth, flatulating yellow puffs of smoke.

She studied his expression intently, his lips especially, waiting for that telltale twitch.

He didn’t bat an eyelash. He calmly gazed back out to the sea as if the only thing running through his mind was how great the view was.

Banishing the cartoonish image, she tried again, sending him a vision of the two of them getting hot and heavy right here on this platform with the soft breeze flowing over their sweaty naked skin and the sounds of the waves mingling with their roars of pleasure.

If he could read her thoughts, he didn’t take the bait.

If he could read my thoughts, she reminded herself, he’d know I was a deceitful spy. And he would have done something about it.

Although, maybe he had done something about it. Just being here kept her from snooping. Was that the plan? Keep her busy till.... Till what? She couldn’t construct a logical theory that didn’t delve into a sinister plot. Would he use her and then leave her stranded at the end of the week? Steal away in the night while she was in a post-coitus coma?

All this beauty around her? The splendor? This gorgeous man who seemingly wanted her? Was it all too good to be true? Was she being played?

Was this paranoia or intuition speaking?

She’d allowed herself to become completely alone with a man she didn’t really know. Didn’t know if she should trust. Her safety depended entirely on his mood and temperament. How the hell had she even gotten herself into such a sketchy situation? Nobody even knew where she was. Sure, she’d told Cole she was on an island, but figuring out which one would be next to impossible. At least in a timeframe that mattered.

Normally she was a very cautious person—especially after the last man she’d been involved with.

If Cortez truly wanted to punish her for attempting to infiltrate his business, he could easily depart this island without her, trapping her—

“I’m enjoying this immensely,” Cortez broke into her paranoiac thoughts. His grin was soft. Easygoing. It almost encouraged her to relax, until his next words frayed her nerves all over again. “I may just keep you here indefinitely.”

Some part of her realized his statement wasn’t meant to be threatening, not meant to be taken literally, but that didn’t keep icy terror from crawling up her spine and stabbing poisonous fear into the base of her brain.

Chained to an island like her ancestors? How long might she last? Would she eventually die, withering to nothing?

The acutely disturbing awareness of isolation smothered her in a dark pall of nauseating dread.

As if she was somehow mystically connected to the island, she knew without a doubt they were the only people here—the only people for miles. This level of solitude went against her very nature. No boats on the horizon. No signs of life on this tiny patch of land besides a scattering of little critters scurrying for food.

She could already feel her voice itching for release, the siren within clawing at her insides, panicking. What would happen if Cortez caught her singing her lungs out in the middle of the night like a wolf compelled to howl at the moon? Would he know what she was then?

It was either her increased heart rate or something in her expression that drew his curiosity. “Are you alright?”

“Just dizzying...being so high up.” She tried for a gamely smile, but feared it came across more as a grimace.

He studied her for a moment, then offered his arm as though she might need it to keep from falling over. Was she swaying slightly? “Shall we return then? I’m keen to get you back into that bathing suit anyway.”