Paradise (5 page)

“How sweet. Are they a big help?”

“Truth? It’s like playing dodge ball in a mine field. You have a good trip, and we’ll see you on Friday. We’re leaving, Eddie,” he called, opening the door. “Have a good tour and remember what I said about the rigging. Don’t mess with it and everything will be fine.” The bell jangled cheerfully as the door fell back into place.

Eddie rolled his eyes.
Nick McGraw, King of Subtlety.

“Here we go. This should do the trick,” he said brightly, emerging from the closet. “What all the well appointed campers are carrying this season. You should be able to fit everything in here.” He held up a candy pink backpack with a dancing unicorn on the front flap and waited. He wasn’t disappointed.

“
You
expect
me
to use
that
?”

“Sure, Drew picked it out just for you.”

It was this side of impossible to keep a straight face, but somehow he managed it. The look of horror that spread from her open mouth to her wide eyes was priceless. You’d think he’d handed her a burlap sack of rotting fish and asked her to make sushi. This was going to be one hellava week baiting Little Miss Designer Label.

As long as they still got a good TV review, why not have a little fun with Miss Priss? Hopefully, it would keep his mind off her great ass and the heat that centered in his groin every time he looked at her.

Better to keep her at arms length with some good-natured teasing than to endure those heated looks she was casting at JT and now him. If she wanted something more from this trip, she was in for a disappointment. Nick was right. Ms. Miller was untouchable.

“Is there something wrong with it? It’s one of the favorite backpacks around here.” he said, filling his voice with innocent reproach.
Yeah, if you’re under the age of six.
He chewed his lower lip to keep from grinning.

“Um, no, no, it’s just fine. But er, don’t you have something a little bigger? I didn’t pack the kitchen sink, but I do need a few things to get by this week.”

“Hey, this is perfect. After all, you’ll have to carry it yourself at different points on the trip. You won’t want it too heavy then.”

He handed her a box of Ziploc baggies. “Here, seal anything that can be damaged by water in one of these.”

She gave him a closed-lipped grimace, placed her suitcase on the desk and opened it. When he came to stand beside her and watch as she transferred the contents to the Ziplocs and backpack, he got a raised eyebrow and her lip line thinned.

“Don’t you need to see to the rigging or something?”

He fought back a laugh but only succeeded in choking on it.
Oh yeah, I’d like to see to the rigging, all right, but I promised my brother I’d leave you alone.

Sitting on the corner of the oak desk, he scrutinized every article she shifted to the backpack, trying to get a feel for what type of person she was.

When she glared at him, he backed off and pretended to peruse the weather forecast on the computer but not before catching a glimpse of some brightly colored silk and lace.
Nice. None of that white cotton granny stuff. Miss Priss is a sexy
Victoria
’s Secret girl.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her glance furtively at him before palming a small white plastic box. Unless they’d re-designed those boxes, she was on the pill. So what were those smoldering looks about if she was sleeping with her boyfriend? She slid the box into a Ziploc then rammed it into the bottom of the backpack.

His eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’ve gone camping before?” The crammed backpack overflowed with garments and Ziplocs, but the suitcase was only half empty.

“Yes, of course I have,” she snapped, trying to jam a blow dryer into the pack. “I camp out every chance I get.”

“Hmm, well then if I can offer a suggestion…” He scrubbed his face to hide the smile. “Lose the blazers and the high heel sandals. We haven’t been invited to any cocktail parties with the raccoons this week. You can also ditch the hair dryer. No juice where we’re going. It’s strictly propane.”

A becoming shade of cherry crept up her neck and blossomed across her cheeks. My God, she was delicious. All that innocence wrapped up in a blanket of bravado. He turned away before she caught a glimpse of the straining zipper of his cargo shorts. Crap. He promised Nick he wouldn’t touch her and he’d keep that promise, but damn, it was going to be tough.

Without warning, she pulled items from the backpack and stuffed them back into the suitcase. “Fine. Just fine. I don’t need this. I don’t need that.”

“No need to beat those clothes to death, darlin’, er, Ms. Miller. Here, mind if I help?” Without waiting for an answer, he selected one pair of jeans, a bright orange
University
of
Florida
sweatshirt, a few shirts and shorts, and a sweet canary yellow, fuzzy jogging outfit. Thank goodness her underwear was in a side pocket. He wouldn’t survive if he had to go picking through that. He neatly rolled each item and packed it snugly into the little pink backpack.

“There, everything the well dressed camper needs for a week in the Okefenokee. And you, Ms. Miller, will be the best dressed of them all.” He raised one eyebrow. “By the way, love that fuzzy yellow thing. Is it Versace?”

He grinned when she rolled her eyes at him. A mental picture surfaced of her all cuddly and warm and fluffy yellow. Lust heated his flesh as an unbidden image formed of his hands sliding down inside those soft pants to cup her warm butt and pull her against him. At Maisie’s, the feel of that butt pressed snuggly against his hips had heated his blood beyond boiling. Now, the thought of being alone for five days and, more importantly, four nights sent spears of desire streaking through him.

He hit a few random keys on the computer before she could read his thoughts. Damn, it was going to be a long week. He brightened, grinning to himself. Nick said, “Don’t touch.” He hadn’t said one word about looking.

“Did you leave your hat in the car?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Er, hat?”

“Yeah, hat. An experienced camper such as yourself wouldn’t want to get sunburned.”

“Oh yeah, hat. I, um, must have misplaced it.”

He didn’t even try to keep the smirk from crossing his face. “I think we can fix that. Wait right here.” He shuffled into the closet again and returned with a hot pink baseball cap with “I (heart) the Okefenokee” emblazoned on the front.

Her loud groan delighted him.

“I’m afraid you won’t need that either.” He nodded at her large shoulder tote. “Not too many wetland creatures take VISA. Put what you absolutely need in a Ziploc in your backpack. There’s a wall safe in the closet.” He pointed to the door that had produced the backpack and hat. “We can lock your wallet, keys and any other valuables in there.”

She removed her cell phone, camera and Ipod along with a few other items and crammed them into the backpack before handing her purse to Eddie. Folding it, he stepped into the closet. She followed him quietly to the door but not quietly enough. He couldn’t resist one last dig.

“What’s the matter, darlin’? Don’t trust me?” he asked without turning. “I assure you, it’s been a long time since I’ve taken anything from a lady she didn’t want to give me.” Swinging around, he cocked an eyebrow in invitation.

Crimson-faced, she retreated back to the desk. “I’ll just go put this suitcase in my trunk,” she stammered. The bell jangled violently, and the slamming door left no question of her departure.

He folded his arms and leaned his shoulder against the closet doorjamb, wondering at his behavior and more at his reaction to their contest winner. Sure, he was looking for a wife, but he wanted a good ol’ country girl, someone to share his love of nature and the simple life. That’s what he wanted… Wasn’t it?

* * * * *

Whoa, boy. This was more than she’d bargained for. It was one thing to fantasize about George of the Jungle and Good Ol’ Boy as her Rebound Men. It was an entirely different matter to come face to face with the possibility. Well, forget Good Ol’ Boy. A man with five kids was out of the running. How could she have missed that wedding ring? Just went to show how out of practice she was.

Robbie threw her suitcase into the trunk and retrieved the car cover. Now that she was within minutes of leaving civilization to spend a week alone with an incredibly sexy Crocodile Hunter, her breathing came in short, sharp gasps. She could almost feel him leaning into her, smell that fresh scent of soap, hear his low voice whisper as his lips grazed her ear. How was she going to survive a week alone with… with… She tripped over the candy pink backpack as she smoothed the cover over the sleek frame of the classic car. The little unicorn grinned up at her.

Leaning against the door panel, she crossed her arms and stared at the goofy backpack and the silly hat. A soft giggle escaped before she could stop it. This was going to be one interesting week.

She may be done with Rick, but she wasn’t done with men. Leah was right. This morning’s phone conversation flitted across her mind. A Rebound Man was sounding pretty good. A quick fling to get over Rick and find her confidence again.

No commitments, no strings and she’d never see the guy again. Hmm, an interesting concept, but how did you go about it? She’d never asked a stranger for sex before.

Eddie McGraw had all the qualifications to fill the position. A hot, hard body; good looking in a careless, rakish way; and he was interested in her. She’d seen those looks he gave her when his brother was occupied elsewhere. A Rebound Man sounded like just the thing. Could she get up the nerve to try it?

A low rumble reached her ears. She looked up to see dark clouds rolling across the murky gray sky. Yeah, a Rebound Man might be a good idea -- if she lived long enough to enjoy him.

Picking up the backpack and cap, she wandered over to the last Land Rover with a canoe in tow left in the parking lot. A bright blue plastic tarp covered a mound in the middle of the canoe. Loosely tied, the bungee cord easily gave way. She peeked under the tarp to see all sorts of foreign looking equipment. Rats, not a microwave or espresso machine in sight.

She plopped the pink cap on her head and pulled her hair through the opening at the back.
You just wait, Eddie McGraw. I’ll show you what a good camper I am. I’ll be the best darn camper you’ve ever seen. It may have been a while since my last camping trip. Well, okay, the last time was with my Brownie troop when I was eight. Come to think of it, I hated every minute of that trip, too.

“It only took me a minute to pack. You ready to go?” A deep voice whispered close to her ear.

She spun around, bumping her nose into that damn shirt button again. For the second time that morning, the scent of Irish Spring intoxicated her. He held up a bulging backpack but dropped it when she staggered into him. He caught her and held her close.

“Cripes! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” At his touch, an unexpected warmth crept into her stomach.

“Oh, sorry, I thought you heard me.” His twinkling whiskey eyes told her he was lying -- and loving it.

Now. Say something flirty, and you’ll have your
Rebound
Man.
Look at him. He’s waiting. He feels the attraction, too

Her mouth opened but memories shut it. What was she thinking? Sex with a man she’d just met? Wouldn’t that make her a…? She couldn’t finish the thought. She’d seen enough of that.

The friendly smile froze on his face. His eyes searched hers, looking for -- what? She pushed her ludicrous Rebound Man thoughts away. One week. That’s all she had to survive.

Besides, what if she was wrong? What if he was only being a considerate tour guide? What if he had no interest in her at all? Wasn’t he having a fling with the floozy waitress?

She pulled away. “I, um, had fun with your nephew. I haven’t been around kids in awhile. It’s like riding a bike though, it all came back in a rush.”