Paradise (6 page)

Why did he keep staring at her? Was her head on crooked?

“I guess we should get moving,” she suggested. “The sooner we start, the sooner we’ll be back. Right?”

“Whatever you say, Ma’am. The customer is always right.”

From the raised eyebrow and half smile, she didn’t think he actually believed those words.

Chapter Three

“Depending on the season, the swamp is home to a variety of…”

Four hours into the trip, Robbie was certain she had no chance of surviving the week. If the gators and mosquitoes didn’t get her, the boredom certainly would.

Evidently, the “Outdoorsman’s Paradise Package” included a running commentary in which George of the Jungle lectured on every bird, fish, tree, plant and heaven knew what else. As long as she ignored his words, the deep rich tone of his voice made a nice backdrop to cover the croaking frogs.

Rather than waste time listening about a yucky swamp, she checked her cell phone -- no emails, no texts -- and let her thoughts drift to formulate a new plan for Excelsior. Her presentation was ready, all the I’s dotted and T’s crossed. Only now, it sounded like the presentation had turned into a job interview.

Pitching her Internet design company to the new spin off of Excelsior Insurance, Inc. had been a major coup -- okay, so the only reason she got the meeting was because Leah’s aunt was the CFO, so what? Her company might be small -- okay, so she was the whole company right now, but if this account came through, she’d hire people and grow and besides, her company was damned good. She’d done it all herself, and she loved running her own business.

But now, the new VP wanted to keep the design functions in-house instead of outsourcing them. And she had a shot at heading up that department for them. Did she want to move to
New York
? Did she want to give up her business? It would certainly put her in with the big boys. She had no doubt she could hold her own. Oh, yeah, she could be on her way.

“Robbie! Wake up.” With the jarring stop, she slid off the bench and landed on the bottom of the canoe.

“Didn’t you hear me? I warned you we were beaching.” He leaped from the canoe with a splash then strong arms lifted her and deposited her on land.

“Are you all right?” Concerned eyes checked her over. A gentle hand smoothed a strand of hair back under her cap while his other arm circled her, holding her tightly to his chest. Her legs buckled, not from the jolt of the canoe or cramped muscles but from the overpowering sensation of his body locked to hers.

Sparks
rocketed straight between her legs at the feel of his large hands. When he held her like this, he was anything but boring. His amber eyes searched her face, and she couldn’t look away. The pulsing vein in his neck told her he was as affected by their contact as she was.

In that minute, all thoughts of Rick, her past and what anyone might think didn’t matter. Like it or not, Eddie McGraw was about to become her Rebound Man.

* * * * *

“Are you sure it’s safe here? We’re not going to get attacked, are we?” Robbie perched on a log next to the canoe. “Do you have a bullwhip or something, just in case?”

After beaching the canoe on the small island, Eddie had unpacked deli sandwiches from the cooler. Not exactly four-star cuisine, but a good lunch in a fast food sort of way.

She groaned silently at the cramps in her legs. Some stretching and a quick jog would solve the problem, but no way was she moving more than two feet from the boat. You never knew what might be lurking out there in the underbrush waiting to eat your foot off.

Cramped leg muscles weren’t her only problem. She shifted uncomfortably. After spending the entire morning in a canoe, nature was calling, and it wasn’t whispering. As delicious as Maisie’s coffee had been, it was turning into a serious problem.

For the last hour, she’d kept her eyes peeled for one of those “comfort stations” mentioned in the tour package brochure but didn’t really know what she was looking for. Maybe she should casually mention to her hunk of a tour guide that she had to go wee-wee. She did a mental head slap. That was way more information than he needed.

She finished her sandwich but took only a swallow of water. No point in exacerbating the situation. Efficient as a team of Navy SEALS, within minutes, Eddie had the area policed and the gear stowed back in the canoe.

“I’m, er, going to use the, um, facilities. There’s a roll of TP in that brown canvas bag, if you, um, need it. I’ll be back shortly.” He turned and strode into the underbrush.

Oh, thank goodness. A restroom. And not a minute too soon. She also needed to wash her hands and fix her hair. At Eddie’s insistence and warnings about UV rays, she’d worn the silly pink cap. A mirror would help snag a few stray hairs that escaped her makeshift ponytail.

She quickly located the toilet paper and hustled after him. “Where is it? Should I follow you?”

At his abrupt stop, she barreled into his solid back, but he turned and caught her arms before she fell.

“Follow me where?” he asked, releasing his hold.

“To the restrooms, of course.”

The corners of his mouth twitched.

“What’s so funny? You did say you were going to the facilities, didn’t you? Wait a minute. You’re not going to tell me it’s one of those horrid Port-O-Lets, are you? Ugh, I hate those things.”

His chest shook and he laughed out loud. “No, it’s not a Port-O-Let.”

“Good. Then, I’ll just follow you.”

When he continued to laugh, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, Tarzan, what is so funny?”

“Unfortunately, darlin’, your
Paradise
package doesn’t include that particular package.”

“Huh? What package? What are you saying?”

He turned her around and gave her bottom a gentle push.

“What I’m saying is…” He chuckled. “I guess I need to be more specific. I’m going this way.” He hitched his thumb over his shoulder toward some thick underbrush. “You’re going that way.” He pointed in the opposite direction. “Now, be a good little camper, find a nice big bush to hide behind and go tinkle. I’ll meet you at the canoe. Unless, of course, you want to help me?”

She stood stock still, not daring to look at him. Oh. My. God. He expected her to…in a bush? She opened her mouth to protest when his comment about the
Paradise
package hit her. Her mouth snapped shut. Oh, crap. Now would be an excellent time for an alligator to scurry over here and bite off my head.

* * * * *

Eddie did most of the paddling, but she made a token show of dipping hers into the water every so often. She’d had a nice little chit-chat with Leah until her friend had to get back to work. Now Robbie was tuned to the “All Nature All the Time” channel -- Eddie.

He kept up his official tour guide monologue, pointing out different species of small animals and, occasionally off in the distance, the stars of the show, alligators. As long as they stayed far away, those floating logs with eyeballs weren’t too terrifying.

“You’ll notice the cypress trees near the shore. They thrive in these wet, marshy areas. Those small, pointy growths sticking up next to them are called cypress knees, they…”

She glanced at the trees he indicated. Gee, the trees had knees. Did they have bees? Was she caught in a Dr. Seuss book?

Although he didn’t allude to the incident, she hung her head. Even knowing she would be in a swamp, it never occurred that there were no bathrooms. It had taken some thought, but she finally figured out the process. What was more humiliating? Not knowing about the restrooms or chasing her tour guide into the bushes? Her cheeks heated -- again. What if she’d caught up to him after he’d whipped it out?

His low voice drew her attention. “It’s too late in the season, so we probably won’t spot any…”

Sitting in the front of the canoe, separated from him by the supplies, she hid behind her sunglasses, provided an occasional head nod, and ignored him. Either he didn’t notice or he didn’t mind her lack of enthusiasm because he continued to regale her with boring, tedious and infinitely dull swamp factoids.

Eddie was a perfect host even if he talked more than a Southern preacher at a tent revival. He went out of his way to ensure she was comfortable -- tinkling incident aside -- helped her in and out of the canoe, but kept his distance. He even provided bug spray.

That little finger of guilt tickled the back of her mind again. She should be nicer to him. After all, it wasn’t his fault she was stuck out here, and he evidently had no idea how boring he was. Since she’d already tagged him as her Rebound Man, it would probably help if they were on speaking terms before she had sex with him.

“…leave the main waterway and take a side trail now. I think you’ll really enjoy these sights, Robbie.” The canoe gracefully veered into a smaller stream.

Dense vegetation grew haphazardly on small clumps of earth that popped up in the water like tiny islands. A sense of unease crept around her as the islands became larger, the growth denser and the stream narrowed into little more than a creek. In all, it couldn’t be more than ten feet across. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. The banks on either side loomed close. Too close.

Air as thick as the silt under the water made it impossible to take a calming breath. Her heart thudded like some wild native drum in the stillness of the swamp. The silence echoed around her. The only sound was the gentle rhythmic dip of Eddie’s paddle. No frogs, no crickets, no beasties. Wait. No Eddie. He wasn’t talking.

Glancing sharply over her shoulder, she nearly capsized the canoe to discover his gaze exploring her butt. At the shift in her posture, his eyes shot upward to catch hers. Unwavering, they darkened into a deep, golden honey. A ravenous stare replaced all his previous laughter and teasing.

Her stomach did a flip flop, and she couldn’t tear her gaze from his. The world stopped spinning and time slowed so that in the still air, sound seemed to disappear except for the unrelenting dip of his paddle. Almost. Could he hear the roar of blood rushing through her veins? The deafening thud of her heart hammering in her chest? Heat radiated to her inner core, tingling each cell along the way.

It didn’t seem possible, but his eyes grew darker to a tawny chestnut. His lips parted, revealing the tip of his tongue. Mesmerized, she watched it slide across his upper lip.

The sharp cry of a crow on a nearby bank startled her. She lost the grip on her paddle, dropping it overboard. With one swift movement, Eddie sliced his through the water before it drifted away with the current.

“You’re not going to get out of paddling that easily, darlin’.” He smiled, his tour guide persona resurfacing. He handed her the paddle. The swamp water dripped onto her jeans.

The moment passed as if it hadn’t occurred. Had she imagined his gaze trained on her as if she were a tasty morsel for his enjoyment? Maybe all this fresh air was causing hallucinations.

He steered the canoe into another narrow waterway not more than six feet across. “There are some interesting egret nests this way,” he commented. “We should be able to see quite a few of them. Did you know that the egret is…”

There he went again. She smiled to herself. Didn’t this guy ever stop talking? Egrets were not exactly --

“Oh, my God!” she screamed as they rounded a bend. She swayed back, falling off her seat onto the supplies behind her, paddle raised over her head. A monstrous alligator sunned itself on a fallen tree trunk not ten feet ahead of them.

“Do something!” she screeched, feeling like a turtle on its back struggling to right itself. She continued to hold the paddle over her head, ready to defend herself when the massive beast attacked. She might get in a swat or two before she became his Happy Meal.

Eddie continued to calmly paddle in the same slow rhythm. “Settle down.” He chuckled. “Mr. Gator won’t hurt you. He’s just out there working on his tan. We’ll glide right by him and he won’t bother us.”