Chapter 7

Lexi

He frustrated her, but he had a couple of good points and she appreciated his assistance on the trip. That fisherman was impossible to work with. Talk about unprofessional. Thank goodness James had been there to deal with him. Old Bernardo wouldn’t take her seriously if she were the last human alive. James listened to her though, at least sometimes. The other part of the time he’s flirting like crazy, trying to impress me. She let out a dry chuckle. Help me find the damn gold. That will impress me.

They traveled along the trail until they came to a wooden sign with a picture of a volcano and an arrow.

James tilted his head to the side and looked ahead at the trail. “Looks like we’re going the right way.”

She tried to swallow, but her throat was as dry as a desert. The hike proved to be more difficult than she first thought. She rubbed her weary eyes to create moisture. “Yeah.” What was the point in elaborating? Yeah, the picture says the peak of the volcano is straight ahead. That’s the peak of the damn mountain. It’s your idea, not mine.

James through his pack in the dirt and leaned against the sign. He stretched his neck backward until it cracked. “What is the chance that this volcano erupts while we’re here?”

The base of her neck throbbed. “Hmm. I would have thought you would’ve asked that question before coming up here.”

He put on a lopsided grin. “Come on girl. Show me love.”

How dare he even mention the word love? Carl use to say that crap and he was cute until she’d walked in one day to their two-story house in New Orleans to find him massaging the breasts of another girl.

She vowed it would be the last time she’d ever get involved with anyone from the business again. It wasn’t worth the risk. If he loves you, you do well. When he turns on you, you’re out of a man and a job. When they had first broken up, he broadcasted her life along with a bunch of scathing lies on Facebook. Both friends and business contacts found themselves in the awkward position of having to choose sides. Some remained in contact, others silenced. And he was the one who cheated! It took her a long time to regain their trust.

But James was a different story. They had known each other for years and he was cute and sweet, but love? Yeah, right. Her mind juggled responses to his hilarious statement and came up with too many. He doesn’t even know what love is. How could he? He never kept a woman over three days.

But whatever. She didn’t seek love, and it didn’t seek her. Love was for whimsical fools who didn’t have their heads on straight.

Maybe she was being too difficult in terms of their business relationship though. He was proving to be valuable. The trip would have been a disaster if it hadn’t of been for him, and his money. Eleven thousand for a boat rental? Geez, she would’ve never been able to handle that kind of bill. The whole trip would have been a waste. She’d pay the money back soon after selling her share of the gold because she wasn’t eager to be indebted to anyone in the business. She straightened her shoulders and pretended to ignore the “show me love” comment. “The volcano’s been extinct for centuries.”

James lifted his chin. His pupils looked dilated. “That’s what I thought.”

“Let’s get going. It’ll be dark soon and we still need a good spot to camp.”

His eyes traced her body. “We sleepin’ in the same bed?”

See, it’s stuff like that. Can’t he talk straight for once? Every time he says something intelligent, it’s always backed up by playboy antics. She chose not to answer and instead walked up the first few yards of the trail. He followed too close. She stopped and motioned him forward with an open palm.

He walked in front of her, his lips pressed into a nonchalant grin.

They continued walking for three more hours until they came to a flat, grassy plane.

Relief washed over her shoulders. “Oh thank god. I can’t think straight.”

He swayed in his stance. “I know. I’ve been delirious for the last few hours.”

She gave him a once-over. “This whole hike was a few hours.”

He nodded, the corners of his eye crinkling. “I was tired from the get-go. You’re a tough woman. I prefer the leisurely route when I’m out. Do you not like to stop and breathe?”

“When I’m out scavenging in the scorching heat, I like to get it done. I rest when I have what I want.”

James was her competition and she couldn’t help but compare herself to him. Silly, considering they were now on the same team. She argued with him even though she didn’t believe he was tired. He had to be pretending. His massive Spartan physique looked as though he could survive a hundred more days like these. Who was he fooling?

He raised an eyebrow. “You and me have different philosophies about hunting. The prize is the same either way though. Gold is gold. You can have a good time while you look for it, or you can have a miserable time. Either way, you’re getting the treasure chest.”

Did he really think she was unhappy? She drew in a deep breath and tried to relax her tense shoulders. “I’m not having a miserable time. I’m determined to get it and there’s nothing that will get in my way.”

“That’s not what you said a couple days ago when you needed help to get that boat.” He winked and studied her.

True. “Well I got it, didn’t I?”

His eyes glinted with affection. “We got it.”

She resolved to stop competing with him and relax. “We work well as a team.”

She didn’t want him to think otherwise and why was there so much banter anyway? It should be about the gold.

He was hot. Blazing hot. But she wasn’t going to let that get in her way. There was no way she was letting herself fall into one of his little bed traps that he put up for his prey. If there was any bamboozling to be done, it’d be done by her. She refused to let years of built-up know-how fall by the wayside just because the guy was hot. And charming. And thoughtful. And protective. No chance in hell.

“Wow, come see this.”

It was a 360-degree view of the surrounding water. Everything was visible, the rocky coves, the sand, even the boat they arrived on.

The open view meant there was nobody following them. She felt his need to protect her, but there was nothing to protect her from. It was a deserted island. “There’s no one else out here.”

He narrowed his eyes on to her. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to be safe. You don’t know what these people are capable of. I hear the Haitian underworld is ruthless.”

“You can even see Haiti from here. The coast is clear.” She took a moment to rub her righteousness in his face.

His pupils flared as he watched her. “Well, it’s not as if we wanted someone to be out there. I’m glad you were right. You’re a smart girl.”

Stop. He was always giving her awkward compliments. Any more of this and it’d be difficult to continue being snarky toward him. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. Is he trying to be kind to get in my panties or is he sincere? Is his playboy reputation true? She gnawed the side of her cheek. Of course it’s true. It’s how he gets girls into his bed--by being nice to them at first. Like he was being to her at this very moment.

He stepped around on the moist earth as if he was measuring the area. Then he gathered roughage from the ground and pulled it to one big heap. “Seems as good a spot as any.”

“What are you doing?”

He shoved more leaves into a rectangular shape. “Building beds.”

She bit her cheek more. “It’s too close to that hole over there. Aren’t little creatures crawling around here?”

He dropped his hands at his sides. “We live in Florida. Aren’t you used to little creatures by now?”

His spreading leaves might not be a bad idea. It beat sleeping on the hard ground. “Go ahead. You’re fine,” she remarked. She didn’t like the words coming from her mouth. Who would? The more he tried to show off in front of her, the wearier she became. Why couldn’t he be sincere? He was half-charming and half a smart-ass gigolo.

She set down her pack and opened her toiletry bag. Or maybe it was just her. She was exhausted and she was sure she looked and smelled horrific. She sniffed her underarms. He hadn’t complained, but she quietly excused herself and walked behind a tall rock. She freshened up and came back out.

“We’re up on top of the volcano, lookin’ down on you, Bernardo, my man,” he called out to the sea.

The old fisherman was far away now. She only hoped he would not lose patience on waiting for them to return.

“Everything looks fine. Not a ripple on the water. We must’ve lost those guys. They had to have gone home or somewhere else.” He raised his eyebrows. “Cause there’s nobody up here. And that’s the way we like it, right? Whole island to ourselves.” He lowered his eyes to her shoulders and continued to her breasts. “What do you want to do?”

She lowered her eyes mockingly to his chest while rocking her head to the side and darted back up to his eyes. “Get the gold.”

He stood back on his heels. “Ah yes. Of course.” His mouth formed a dumb, dreamy smile. “Gold. We’ll get up tomorrow when it’s daylight and review the course. Let’s get some shut eye for now, huh?”

Lexi reached in her bag and brought out her notes and map and laid them on the leaves. She took out her small waterproof flashlight from her pack. “I didn’t come here to sleep.”

The map crinkled in her fingers as she unraveled it. The seawater had made the pages crisp, and the words hard to read. She sprawled over the blurred writing. The glow was dim, but it was enough to see the squiggles and lines. If she could only get her head on straight to make tomorrow’s plan.

“What? You need your rest. Don’t overdo it today. We’re here for three days. We’ll wake up bright and early tomorrow and—” he stopped.

Her eyelids weighed her down as her mind fought to stay awake.

He looked worried. “Lexi?”

His face blurred. He leaned in to her and spoke, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Her heartbeat slowed. A dizzy spell washed her into darkness.

James hovered over her, fanning a large palm leaf.

A blurry film covered her eyes, but she felt fine. She sat up straight. “Mmm. What happened?”

He stroked her cheek and moved threads of hair away from her face.

“You face-planted into the map. That hike was debilitating. You need to get some rest.”

Heat radiated throughout her chest. Is he seriously standing over me taking care of me? This side of him was unusual. Had she pegged him wrong? “I’m sorry. Sometimes I get too excited.”

“Were you really going to come out here by yourself?” His eyebrows drew in while he fidgeted with the threads of the leaf.

Her stomach fluttered. Had she ever seen him like this? He always had a witty comeback, or was right on the brink of teasing. But he wasn’t teasing now. He had grown serious.

“Yeah, it’s dumb. I’m glad you’re here,” she cooed.

“I think we should get a bite to eat and then call it a day. Want to share another can of sardines?”

“Yep. Sounds good.” Truth be told, she couldn’t stand the smell or the sight of another can of sardines. All they’d eaten today was canned fish. But she had grown tired of being so disagreeable and she was the one who had packed nothing but peanut butter, sardines, and tuna.

James was right. She should be having fun. What sense did it make to be on a secluded island with a hot guy and not take advantage? He was, after all, a sheer piece of eye candy. She studied his dreamy blue eyes. His blond hair hung tousled over his eyes. His squared shoulders contributed to his rugged handsomeness. It was the first time she didn’t write off his attractiveness. Maybe he was born with it, but surely his muscular build came from hard work and dedication at the gym.

She marveled over his smart outdoor bedding technique. He had gathered bunches of leaves and piled them on to two rectangular forms while she had been pouring over the maps earlier. She looked at the “beds” now. They were close to one another, but still separate.

“I hear the fresh fish is good around here,” he said, scarfing down the sardines with more of the crackers.

“How are we ever going to catch it without a rod from Sport Mart?”

He smiled with one corner of his mouth. “You're right. I’ll head to Sport Mart, you get the cooler ready.”

Her mouth curled upward. “Funny.”

He placed a sardine in his mouth and stared at the sea. “We’ll get coconuts too. There’s got to be edible food on this little island.”

It sounded as if he wanted to stay for a while. “Hey, we’re only here for one or two more nights,” she piped. He didn’t need to hunt for groceries. He needed to help her find the gold so they could get back home. The island and the talk of modern-day Haitian pirates freaked her out. She wanted to get the treasure and disappear. “I hope no one sees the boat and springs a surprise on us.”

“Let’s not think any more about that tonight.” He turned around in a circle. “I checked the surroundings. I believe we’re safe for now.” The tone of his voice didn’t reflect as much safety that his words did. “So, you never told me how you got the map from your dad. If he doesn’t approve of treasure-hunting, how’d you manage to get it out of him?”

She was quiet. “My father just died of a heart attack.”

He furrowed his eyebrows as his head jolted back. The response had clearly pained him. “Oh, wow. Sorry to hear, Lexi.”

“It’s okay. He never wanted me to come out here. A waste of time, he said. He spent his last dimes on playing the damn lottery, but he knew the map was important though. Because when he died, they allowed me to enter his safe deposit box and there it was.”

She stepped across the pile of leaves and sat. “I feel much safer having you here.”

His face softened and became flushed. “I’m glad to be here, Lexi.” His gaze continued for an awkwardly long time. She broke away and looked at the trees. “See you in the morning,” she said, pushing herself back on to the pile of leaves. It was softer than she thought it’d be.

“Lexi?”

“Hmm?”

He looked upset. “My father just died too.”

“What?” Was he serious? What a strange coincidence. “Really?”

“Yeah. It kinda sucks, doesn’t it?” He sounded sad, yet his voice was bitter.

“Yeah, it does.” Her eyes moistened for the first time since the funeral. She hated talking about it. Now the bittersweet memories unraveled before her. Sometimes she wondered if her father had ever loved her. Who knows? He had never said it. Not even once. She removed her mind from her own father and concentrated on James.

What kind of father did he have? Did he miss him? “Oh my god, James. I’m sorry too. I guess all we can do at this point is make them proud.”

His body stiffened. His face looked as if he fought a flood of rage. Why had mentioning his father brought the look of unease? She resolved to never mention it again. Whatever had happened between him and his father was none of her business.

She rested her head and willed sleep to take her. It didn’t. She stared at the moon, wide awake. What kind of day would tomorrow bring? A lucky chest full of treasure? Or miserable hunting and map-unraveling? She peeked at him.

His eyes were closed. What kind of man is he? She allowed her gaze to lower to his rugged chest. He had taken his shirt off earlier, but she had pretended not to notice. He must have noticed her obvious embarrassment because he left it off for the rest of the walk, forcing her to tear her focus away and face straight forward for the rest of the day.

Her eyes feasted on the lines of his robust curvature now. He was a beautiful specimen of raw masculinity.

Her vision became blurry as her eyelids sagged. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Tomorrow could prove to be an interesting day. She drifted into a deep slumber and relaxed into a vivid, sensuous dream.

She found herself in waist-deep, warm, sparkling ocean water. She wasn’t wearing her usual blouse and tank, but instead, a cornflower blue bikini. The surrounding ocean was the same deep, clear blue. The same shade of blue that matched his sexy eyes. The foam from the waves dissolved onto sparkling sand. The lush green jungle beckoned her. She inhaled the salty mist.

James beckoned her even more. He brushed the side of his eyebrow and smiled at her.

Her body heat rose even though she was standing in water. Her toes curled under the sand on the ocean floor.

He neared her, sporting the most seductive smile. His blue eyes vexed her. He touched the arm and caressed her for a moment.

Her arms grew limp. She let them float freely in the water.

He circled an arm around her and drew her closer into his hard, wet chest. The smell of sea and sandalwood heightened the arousal in her belly. Her breathing increased as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Here was James, the heartthrob of every woman. And he was interested in her.

Her pulse increased as she felt his soft lips on hers.

His eyes centered on one of her dark nipples. He circled the tender skin through the wet bikini until it poked out. The arousal swirled through to her inner core.

He teased it more and kissed her neck.

Her mind pondered stopping the pleasure. It was all too much. They had just began working together, and now she was throwing herself at him? She tried to pull away. Everything in her mind said to pull away and stop the craziness, but it felt so insatiably good.

She buried her lips into his salty chest.

He rocked his head back and groaned out a long sigh.

“You know I’ve wanted you forever,” he said.

“I know and I can’t stand it anymore, James. I want you too.”

She opened her eyes. What? Why did I dream of this guy? Completely unacceptable. Her mind panicked. Heat rose to her cheeks and ears. Her chest and stomach hardened. He’s off-limits. He’s just going to play me like he plays all women, and then I’m gonna end crying in my empty, cold bed. Besides, why have a man at all? Men are overrated.

She peeked at him. He lay stretched out on his bed of leaves with his fingers laced behind his head. His eyes were closed, his breathing solid. His head was tipped back, his messy hair tangled in with stems and twigs. He wore a slight smile on his lips.

She rolled over onto her back and stared at the blue dawn. There’s no way. He’s trouble. He’ll demand your company for couple weeks and then act clueless about it afterward. No way. Forget it.

Especially this man. He reeked of wrong. He couldn’t control himself around women, and further, they were gadgets to him--to be gained at a discount, and then thrown out upon boredom. Or upon realization that the next latest greatest was out. Or when—

“Morning, beautiful.” James was laying on his side, his fist embedded into his temple. He sighed a long breath. “Did you sleep well?”

She swallowed and tried to push down the lump that formed in her throat. She panicked for words. Say something normal. “Yes. Just fine.” She pushed her cheek bones into a quick smile.

Just fine? Sounds forced and fake. The dream had changed everything. Her body was throbbing for this guy and she needed to stop it. She needed to exercise emergency self-control before she found herself in a dead-end one-night stand. She rolled over and stared at the glowing sun on the horizon. They should get going soon, anyway. She raised herself from the leaves and straightened the collar on her blouse. She hoped her loosely buttoned shirt had covered her scars adequately. That would have been even more embarrassing. “Aren’t you getting up? You can sleep in when we get back to Miami.”

He raised an eyebrow, then frowned. “Yes, I’m getting up, Lexi. Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He raised himself up from the leaf bed, looked around, and stretched his elbows back. His chest looked hard and firm. Like the dream.

She turned away. Had she said anything stupid while she was sleeping? Anxiety plundered her chest. She fiddled with her hair and vowed to forget the dream ever happened.

His constant staring made her uncomfortable. Was he trying to read her mind? He spoke. “Well, did you at least think the bed was comfortable?”

She broke away from his gaze. It was the best sleep in a long time. There was something about sleeping in nature she had always loved. It brought back childhood memories of when her dad used to take her camping. She tightened her bottom lip. “Yes. It was fine.”

Stupid answer. This is fine. That is fine. Everything is fine.

“Glad you thought it was fine.” He pulled up his shorts higher on his rock-solid abs and threw a shirt over his head.

Geez, how much does he work out?

She buried her head into her pack. “The map and notes. They’re gone!”

He shifted on to one leg and rested into a bemused smile. “They’re right behind you.”

Her stomach rolled. They were laying on the ground two feet away from her. Get your head on straight. She dropped the pack. “Oh, my... I didn’t see it back there,” she said, her hand flying up to her heart.

The forgetfulness needed to stop. The focus should and will be the treasure, from this moment onward.

He shook his head and grinned. “No problem.”

Yes. It is a problem, James. “You’re kidding right? Anyone could have walked up and seen this map and then it’d be over.” She wanted to kick herself for leaving it out all night and kick him for letting her. Wasn’t he supposed to be watching things?

She snatched the map and unraveled the corners to get a better look at the geography again. She poured over the map, her mind racing to remember the best route while her butt had been in a comfortable seat on the airplane.

James said nothing. He narrowed his eyes and blinked and he stared at the ground and trees. “Hmm.”

Her heart pounded. Whatever he was thinking about, she wished he would tell her. “Hmm what?”

He rubbed the base of his neck and wandered a few steps away. He ran his fingers through his hair, then stuffed his hands in his back pockets. “It’s just that…”

Her mind scrambled to figure out what he was talking about. Say it. Tell me what’s going on! “What?”

“It might be me, but I don’t remember leaving my pack all the way over there.”