Surrender The Booty (2 page)

“There’s no official record of it ever being occupied,” she said.

“But locals on the mainland say an older couple lived out here for most of their lives. They never came over to the mainland, at least not that anyone can recall.”

“I can believe it,” Trevor said. “The island’s covered with fruit trees, even some macadamia. I’m sure the fishing’s good, and there’s a fresh-water spring.”

“Is there a house or any other buildings?” Jose asked.

10

Carmie L’Rae

“There’s a cabin near the spring. It’s not in the best shape, but it’ll keep the rain off if we need it to.”

Bella shook her head. “We’re not going to be here long enough to worry about that. Are we?”

Jose scratched at the back of his neck and Trevor searched the empty gulf that stretched around them.

“We don’t have any way to call for help,” Trevor said. “Unless a boat or plane passes close enough for us to signal, we’ll need to prepare to stay here until someone sends out a search party.”

“Search party?” Bella stifled a groan. No one would send a search party out for her for a couple of weeks. This was Saturday morning.

She was scheduled to take a two-week vacation starting Monday. J.P., her brother, was the only person who’d miss her, but the staff at his care facility wouldn’t report her missing if she didn’t come by for one of her regular visits. Most patients they cared for rarely got any visitors at all.

“Nobody knows where to look for me,” Jose said. “I wanted to keep this place to myself. If word leaked out I was here, paparazzi would plaster it on every newsstand.” Anger edged into his voice, but Bella picked up on something else too. He sounded tired.

Who could blame him? Anybody would get tired of that kind of unrelenting attention.

“Nobody’s looking for me. What about you?” she asked Trevor.

“Somebody will miss you, right?”

Trevor shook his head. “Nah. I’ve got a habit of taking off and not telling anybody. The ranch is big, and I take my horse out sometimes for a week or more.”

Bella stared at his face, as rugged as it was handsome. He was the real deal, a man’s man, an outdoorsman to the bone. She could easily picture him riding his ranch looking better than the Marlboro man, but she couldn’t figure out why he’d be interested in buying an island.

Surrender the Booty

11

“I’ll walk down past the bend and see if the captain made it ashore,” Jose said. “Maybe you can take Bella to the spring for some water.”

“You’ve got to be thirsty too,” Bella said.

Jose tossed his orange in the air and caught it. “I’ll have some orange juice and meet you over there.” He turned to Trevor. “Which way?”

Trevor explained how to find the stream and Jose sauntered off, his long legs taking him quickly down the beach.

Trevor rested his hand at the base of her spine and warmth spread through her hips like hunger. “Wanna have breakfast poolside?”

“Poolside?” He was so appealing it hurt, with that slow southern drawl and sure, unhurried swagger. There wasn’t much she wouldn’t do with him poolside. Or anywhere else.

“You’ve never seen this island?” he asked.

She sank ankle-deep into the sugar white sand as they walked toward the nearest dunes. “The listing’s not mine. I’ve never had a reason to come out here until you and Jose asked to see it. The property’s been on the market for two years, and I think the two of you are only the second and third people to show any interest in it.”

“Who was the first?”

She took a deep breath. “I wanted to tell both of you at the same time, but Jose was busy talking with the captain. And then the storm came …” She shook off the memory of being plunged into the water, and swimming for her life. “I have to be careful,” she said. “I’m representing you, and only showing Jose the property as a favor to Maxine. You’re my client, but I’m trying to remain ethical and fair. If you both put in offers and I’ve divulged something to one of you and not the other, the situation could get sticky. If not legally, for me personally. Maxine is more than a colleague. She’s a good friend.”

“I don’t deal in anything underhanded,” Trevor said. “If you want to wait and tell us at the same time, that’s fine by me.”

12

Carmie L’Rae

The heat from his hand had spread into her belly and settled deep in her chest. He was a straight-shooting kind of guy. She’d known that five minutes after meeting him.

“I’ll tell Jose as soon as he joins us. On the ride out here, I got a text from Maxine. She contacted the seller and found out a sales contract was signed yesterday.”

“So somebody already bought the place?”

“Not exactly. But if you want it, you’ll have to move fast. The buyer has a contingency clause that allows him to sell another piece of property before he’s obligated to close on this one. He has thirty days to sell the other property. The seller, on the other hand, has a twenty-four hour first right of refusal. That means if you or Jose put in a cash offer, the original buyer must be able to close within twenty-four hours or you can purchase the property.”

“Cash?”

“That’s the way the contract’s written.”

Trevor increased the pressure on her back as he guided her up the bottom of the first dune. “There’s a trail over here.” He pointed toward a dip in the sand about halfway up and off to their right.

“Of course, there’s also the possibility that the buyer won’t sell his other property within thirty days. You can put in a standard offer, but you’re taking more of a gamble.”

They stepped onto the trail between the dunes and her breath caught. The pending real estate transaction skittered from her mind.

“Oh my God!” Goosebumps rose on her neck and a shiver danced down her spine.

* * * *

Jose swiped at his nose. Something in the island air tickled his senses, a scent sweeter than jasmine and earthier leather. The smell was almost familiar, but he couldn’t place it. He breathed deep, tasting the flavor at the back of his throat. Heat pooled in his stomach.

Surrender the Booty

13

A surge of blood rushed to his groin and his cock jumped. He rubbed at his nose again and pounded a fist against his thigh. Damn fine time to get horny. Bella was hot as hell, but after last night’s battle it was a miracle to be walking. He shouldn’t be aching for sex.

A cliff rose ahead, a rocky crag that hung over a narrow beach and hid the coastline beyond.

“What the—?” He broke into a jog toward a dark object bobbing in the surf.

He scooped up the dark leather satchel he’d seen slung over the captain’s shoulder when the man welcomed them onto his boat.

Before pulling away from the dock, the captain had stowed the satchel. It must have floated ashore with some of the other debris from the wreck. A jagged piece of the hull had washed up on the beach and lay in the shade of the cliff, but there was no sign of the captain.

Jose worked the brass clasp and lifted the soaked flap. The flat black color was the perfect camouflage for a stocky handgun at the bottom of the dark pouch. Anger pounded the blood through his veins.

A water taxi driver didn’t have any reason to carry a gun. Was the captain planning to kill them after they got to the island, or sometime before? He tilted his head toward the heavens and crossed himself. No doubt that storm had saved them all. Anger surged again. He wasn’t naïve enough to think he would have been the only victim. Trevor and Bella would have been killed too. There’s no way the captain would have allowed any witnesses to survive. One thing was certain, his stalker was keeping a better eye on him than he thought, but how in the hell had he found him? Only one person knew where he’d gone.

He bit the inside of his cheek and scanned the horizon. No sign of the captain. He slung the satchel over his shoulder and started around the bend. If the captain had made it ashore, none of them were safe.

Jose clenched his fists. Nothing was going to happen to Bella. Not on his watch. He owed her that much, even if she didn’t know it.

14

Carmie L’Rae

He stretched his fingers and forced some of the tension from his muscles. He had known she wouldn’t remember him. No one knew who he was anymore. Hell, he could barely recognize himself. But she’d figure it out. And when she did, she’d hate him. And she had every right to.

* * * *

Bella caught her breath and Trevor gripped her waist. A tropical oasis spread out before them, completely hidden from the beach.

“This has to be the best-kept secret in the Caribbean,” she said.

“Do you feel it?” His voice dipped low, his hand lower. She felt it all right, right down to her toes. His touch was pure magic.

She licked her lips. “It’s beautiful.” A low grove of sea grapes grew at the base of the dune and beyond that the landscape was as lush as a rainforest. Hibiscus in reds and yellows, bougainvilleas in fuchsia, and the greenest ferns she’d ever seen grew beneath the shade of towering palms. And everywhere her eyes landed was a fruit tree, orange, lemon, avocado, lime, pomegranate and others she couldn’t identify. In the center of it all, a pool was bordered in smooth, rounded stones. A low waterfall trickled at one end, and the water was so clear she could see straight down to the white sandy bottom.

“Come closer,” he said, leading her toward the sea grapes. “Tell me if you feel it.”

She shook her head to erase the strange fog that had filled her mind. Tingles crept through her limbs, and desire pooled between her legs. She’d never been so horny in her life, and the man was barely touching her. She swallowed hard and licked the dryness from her lips.

“Feel what?” she asked, breathless. She could taste the sweet scent of the flowers, and the colors of the garden began to swim in her eyes. Vibrant colors, delicious flavors and the warmth of the breeze
Surrender the Booty

15

that wagged the palm fronds overwhelmed her. “It’s like a drug,” she said, leaning into his arm. “A really good drug.”

Trevor’s chest rose and fell. “It’s not just me? You feel it too?”

His hand moved to her waist and he held her close.

She lifted her face, and without a word, he met her halfway. His tongue sought hers. His full lips were gentle, but she could feel the tension in his big body. She dropped the fruit he’d brought her and clasped both hands behind his neck. He groaned and dragged her against him. His erection pressed into her belly. His hands dropped to her ass and he squeezed her butt cheeks in his broad hands.

She pressed herself closer, overcome by the fog of desire and an ache so deep in her soul she thought she might die if his tongue left her mouth or his hands left her body.

His hands traveled up her back and wrapped around her shoulders in a strong grip. Abruptly, he jerked back, tearing his mouth from hers.

“It’s this place,” he muttered. “This place—”

“No. It’s you.” She swallowed hard. Her body trembled. Her breath came hard and fast, and the need between her legs had never been so intense. “Please,” she said.

“Come with me.” He took her hand and hurried past the sea grapes to the edge of the pool. “Get in.” The command wasn’t harsh, but there was enough firmness in his voice that she could tell he was fighting back the same ache she was.

She crossed her arms and grabbed the hem of her cotton tank. The linen jacket she’d worn over it in the office was long gone, lost at sea.

She pulled the tank over her shoulders and reached back to unhook her bra.

Trevor’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his blue eyes darkened. He reached around her, covering her hands with his and making quick work of the fasteners at her back. Slowly, he slid the straps off her shoulders and his lips parted as he lowered the bra from her breasts.

“I could eat you right now,” he growled.

16

Carmie L’Rae

She curled her hand around his neck and pulled him closer. Rising to her toes, she offered him a taste.

He led with his mouth, moist tongue, parted lips. His breath hit her shoulder, he brushed her hair aside and his lips closed on her in a kiss. He shook his head and stepped back, breaking the spell again.

“Get in,” he said. Desperation laced his voice. His shoulders were tense. A long, tight tendon strained in his neck. “Get in,” he said again.

Bella slid her skirt over her hips and reached for her panties. He reached them first, pushing them down her thighs and dropping to his knees. He buried his face in her hip and let the panties fall to her feet.

“God, get in now.” He was begging, she realized.

She steadied her hand on his shoulder and stepped into the warm water. She had expected it to be cool, but the waterfall was misleading. She sank breast deep into the silky bath, and immediately her mind began to clear. The lusty haze lifted. The surroundings remained stunning in their beauty, but she was no longer at the mercy of a force she couldn’t control.

Trevor had torn his shirt over his head and thrown his boots on the ground. How he’d swum through the night with those things on his feet, she would never know. He had his jeans to his calves, removing his underwear at the same time. Even without the haze of lust, he was gorgeous. Muscles carved his thighs. His abdomen was chiseled and his cock ... Oh. My. His cock was impressive. Long. Thick. Pink. And hard as rock. Bella moaned. The water may have cleared her mind, but it didn’t douse the fire between her legs.

He placed a palm on one of the porous stones lining the pool and dropped feet first into the water. He cupped water and pushed his hands through his hair. The water rippled against his ribs and he blew a heavy breath.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t apologize.” She covered her breasts with her arms and chewed the inside of her lip.

Surrender the Booty

17

“What do you think it is?” He looked around them, slowly scanning the surroundings. The island was quiet except for the roar of the surf, the rustle of the wind through the palms and an occasion call from a bird.

“How did you know the water would cure it?”