Paradise (21 page)

She stared up into laughing eyes. “What do you mean? I was paying attention. I even asked questions.” Hmm, how nice it felt leaning into him.

“What is with the leap frog business?” The corners of his mouth twitched, fighting a smile.

“Oh, well, you see, I was being careful not to step on any plants.”

His skeptical look told her he wasn’t buying it, and he didn’t release his hold.

“If you must know,” she replied with false haughtiness. “I’m stepping where you did so I won’t trip over any snakes or bugs.”

He chuckled and gave her one of those smiles that went all the way to his dark honey eyes. “For God’s sake, you’re making enough noise to scare every living thing for miles around. The snakes and bugs are not going to attack you.” He took her hand and drew her with him. “Besides, I’m here to protect you if they do. Come on, there are some spectacular old trees about a half mile from here that will impress even you.”

His big hand holding hers was warm and rough and comfortable. A hand that would be there to help her, to take care of her.

Walking next to him, she imagined they were a couple. A warm, rosy feeling of belonging settled over her. Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she again thought how handsome he was.

He’d changed after breakfast, claiming jeans were too hot in the outdoor sun. He was now dressed in his tour guide uniform, khaki cargo shorts and shirt, dapper work boots all topped off with the Red Sox baseball cap. The poster boy for outdoor adventure.

“The small flowers you see are…”

Try as she might, his lecture went in one ear and out the other without a jangle in between. They reached the clearing where several groups of people milled about a gigantic tree. Its huge limbs spread out for dozens of yards in all directions, many of them touching the ground. These appeared to take root and almost become separate trees themselves. The main trunk had to be over eight feet across.

“Oh, wow,” was all she could squeeze out.

Spanish moss swayed in the gentle breeze, and the other tourists murmured softly as if they were in church. Peering upward through the branches, she searched for a glimpse of sky but the tree was so dense, it was like standing under a massive umbrella. Eddie glanced her way, his raised eyebrow awaiting her reaction.

“It’s magnificent,” she breathed quietly, not wanting to disturb the solemn atmosphere of the surroundings.

He smiled down at her. “I thought you’d like it. A virgin oak. Loggers somehow missed it at the turn of the last century.”

They stopped walking, but he continued to hold her hand, and she made no move to reclaim it. It felt so right, as if they’d been holding hands for years.

“Come on. There’s something else I want to show you.” He led her past another Crocodile Hunter with a group of women tourists about her own age. Their inviting smiles and appreciative stares at Eddie sent a vicious stab of jealously through her. She moved closer and clasped his hand tighter. Her heart leaped when he squeezed her hand.

She looked up sharply and her insides flipped when he gave her a wink, as if they shared a special secret. He nodded at the tour guide and women and continued walking.

“I know this is going to be tough, but you need to be quiet. No talking and try not to sound like a herd of buffalo when you walk.” He smiled and squeezed her hand again, taking the sting out of his words.

Leading her down a narrow path away from the tourists, he shortened his steps, holding her close to his side. They walked forever before he halted, and yet the time next to him wasn’t nearly long enough.

Leaning down, he brushed his lips against her ear. “Shhh,” he whispered. “Be very quiet now and follow me.” She hesitated only a moment when he led her off the path, following signs only he could see. His footsteps fell silently on the damp earth as he held back the foliage.

Her breath escaped in a silent sigh. He was so close, his lips grazed her ear. Every nerve in her body was on high alert as they crept to a low cropping of rocks. Eddie raised his hand and pointed toward a large body of open water. The water rippled in all directions at once.
Wait. That’s not water. It’s birds -- thousands and thousands of birds!

Eddie’s lips hovered over her ear again. “Heron,” he whispered before slowly turning his head to gaze out over the scene again. His cheek brushed her hair, and he released her hand to slide his arm around her shoulder and hold her tightly. She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest, and admired the spectacle. But it wasn’t the magnificent sight that had her heart pounding. No, it was the feel of his lips on her hair, and the echoing response of his heart beneath her ear.

He was going to kiss her. Savoring the feel of his arm around her until she was sure she’d melt and dribble at his feet, she slowly leaned her head back to look into his eyes. Her lips grazed the rough curve of his chin.

He redirected his attention from the birds to the top of her head. His eyes slid downward, holding her gaze too long before dipping to study her mouth. Her lips burned at the sensation. Involuntarily, they parted and her tongue slipped lightly across them to quench the burning heat.

Every muscle in her body tensed, waiting, begging.

“God, I can’t get enough of you,” he murmured an instant before his mouth descended to hers. She’d expected an assault and was surprised at the light, searching, questing touch. A shiver beyond anticipation ran down her spine. Her mouth silently pleaded with him to deepen the kiss. He rewarded her with a gentle flick of his tongue across her lower lip before accepting her gift with a low, almost imperceptible groan.

His mouth widened and his tongue found its quarry, circling hers with the heat of molten lava. He continued to grip her waist while his other hand traveled a torturously deliberate path up her arm to caress her shoulder, her neck, before his fingers tangled in the hair beneath her cap. “More,” he whispered. “I need more of you.”

His mouth commanded hers. Controlled, persuaded, coaxed. Breathing became a memory as his tongue stroked, then dueled with hers. Wanting more, she closed her lips around his tongue and cautiously sucked it.

Chills, shivers, shudders and every other word for exquisite sensations shot straight from her mouth to her most sensitive places. Her brain played no part in the symphony her body conducted. It didn’t matter. She wanted this. His tongue escaped to caress her lower lip even as his teeth scraped hers.

“You’re incredible, babe. Touch me.”

She smiled inwardly. Even in the throes of passion, Eddie talked.

Somehow, her hand made its way inside the collar of his shirt to be greeted by hot, searing flesh. Reaching, her fingers undid one button, two buttons, three buttons before plunging into the wiry mat covering his chest. Her hand sought, then found the hardened nipple, and she rotated her palm over it. His lesson from the night before was not lost on her. She knew what aroused him.

“Do you like this?” she whispered.

He ripped his mouth from hers to explore the tender gully at the base of her neck. “Keep doing that,” he groaned. “Don’t stop.”

His lips, no longer soft, sucked deeply as if he wanted to inhale her. Sliding his hand down to her bottom, he drew her closer, positioning her against his hard shaft.

She shifted until he was right where she needed him. Then determinedly spread her legs and pressed her pelvis into his.

“Oh yeah, right there, babe.” He pulled her tightly, grinding his erection at the juncture of her thighs.

Her mouth found his and she clung to him, experiencing the delicious shards of tension that shot through her. The deep, musky scent of his aroused body filled her nostrils, blanking out every other scent in the swamp. Even in the shade of a moss covered cypress tree, a fine sheen of perspiration glistened on his neck and arms.

This new side of Eddie intrigued her. The affable tour guide had many facets, including this wild, passionate one she’d hoped to tap, never realizing the depth of it.

She slid her fingers over his warm pectoral muscle, reacquainting herself with the contours and the heat. The wiry hair, once springy, was now damp with excitement.

He grasped her wrist and gently pulled her hand away, placing it on his hip before stepping back and putting some inches between them. Surprised and disappointed, she moved to close the distance, but he held her forearms keeping her in place. His labored breath excited her, even as her own lungs refused to operate.

“If we don’t knock this off, I’m going to take you right here, right now,” he rasped in a low growl. “You are one dangerous lady, Miss Robbie.” He gazed off into the distance before focusing on her face again. “More than anything, I’d like to lose myself in you, but not here where we can fall in a patch of poison ivy or be interrupted by a reptile or thousands of birds.”

He hugged her affectionately, apparently under control again. Her heart hammered and, judging from the heat, her face must be magenta. She didn’t want to stop. She wanted him to take her right there, right then. Who cared about some creepy old gators anyway? She nuzzled closer, once again inhaling his scent.

Her pelvis brushed his, checking, and he chuckled. “Yeah, I’m still hard. You got me way too excited to just forget like that. I’m going to be in some serious pain for awhile yet.”

She smiled into his shirt. “Good. It’s your own fault.” She leaned against his chest and her pulse gradually resumed a beat somewhat less than the speed of hummingbird wings.

After a long while, he nudged her and stepped away, signaling that she should follow. Marveling at the sea of birds one last time, she silently slipped back to the path. He held her hand again and led her back toward the magnificent tree.

“What was that place? Why are there so many birds there? Where did they come from?”

“It’s their feeding and breeding ground. I found it when I was a kid. The rangers know about it, and I’m sure other swamp groupies are aware of it, but since it’s off the beaten path, most tourists miss it. Those who know about it don’t go out of their way to advertise it.”

“Thanks for sharing it with me. It was awesome.”

His appreciative smile went straight to her heart, and she stopped walking. She wasn’t ready to share him with other tourists yet.

Pulling him to the side of the path, not quite into the underbrush, she slid her hands up his chest, around his neck and pressed her mouth to his. He hesitated, then joined in the kiss, encircling her in his arms.

Her kiss was hot, hard and determined.

“Wow. What was that for?” he asked, nuzzling her lower neck.

“Just so you remember who you showed your birds to.”

“Oh, there’s not a chance I’ll forget that.” He pulled back, keeping her in his arms. A crooked smile meandered across his face, and he traced a finger from her lips to the base of her neck where he drew small circles. “Oops.”

“What do you mean ‘oops’?”

His smile widened. “Nothing. We’d better get going. It’s a long way to the next platform and we’re running late.” His smile disappeared, replaced now by smoldering eyes. “There are some…things I need to do when we get there.”

The desire in his expression had flames lapping at her toes. After buttoning his shirt, he slung his arm around her shoulders, and led her back to the large oak.

“You won’t find many trees like this in the Big Apple.” He was back in tour guide mode. She nodded, ignoring him. They walked hand-in-hand around the sprawling oak, stopping to take in the aura of it again.

Several women tourists drifted over to listen to Eddie’s spiel. He smiled at their interest and continued to spurt out swamp facts, although now, his voice had a distinct Southern drawl. Where on earth had that come from? Was he out to charm all the women on the planet?

Pressing herself firmly into his side, she staked her territory and openly frowned at them. They had no business sizing up her Tarzan. Out of nowhere, a sharp stab of regret hit her. At least, he was hers until tomorrow afternoon.