Surrender The Booty (15 page)

But sometimes it paid to walk away. When the time came to fight, he’d bring everything he had to the table. Now wasn’t that time.

Trevor picked up one of the shovels and handed it back to Jose.

“This ain’t getting us anywhere,” he said.

Jose took the shovel. “You need to understand what I know about the curse first.”

Trevor grunted. That damn curse business was ridiculous. “If the chest is empty, we’ll know that curse ain’t worth the leather it’s printed on.”

Jose shook his head. “It won’t be empty.”

“Let’s go find out.” Trevor picked up the rope and handed Jose the other shovel. “You want to go get the little lady or you want me to?”

Jose’s gaze traveled down to Trevor’s crotch. “We can get her in a minute. Fighting makes me horny.”

“You want to fuck me?”

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“No. I want to suck your dick.”

Trevor’s cock jumped. Hell. He’d never had a man turn him on before, but he’d never fucked around with one either. At least Jose wouldn’t be declaring his love after a handful of orgasms. He’d let him suck his dick all right, and he’d love every minute of it.

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They had explored most of the island. The only area they hadn’t checked out was the relatively narrow tip at the north end. Bella followed the shoreline, her bare feet washed by the waves and sand sinking beneath her heels. Ahead, large gray boulders bleached white on top by the sun blocked her path. This is where they had turned back when they first explored this side of the island. Now alone, she had no intention of turning back.

The men could beat the hell out of one another for all she cared.

Fighting over treasure wasn’t her idea of fun, and refereeing wasn’t either.

She turned her body sideways to slip between two close boulders.

Beyond them lay a maze of others, varying in size and shape and spread on the shore in no particular pattern. Here the water was shallow, but the beach was narrow. Inland the vegetation was too dense and thorny to walk in. She continued between the rocks, avoiding small stones with her feet and climbing over a long low boulder that would have taken longer to walk around. Finally she reached the end of the island, the head of the phallus-shaped land in the middle of the blue-green Caribbean. What she saw took her breath away. The beach was as sandy and white as the one they had landed on their first night here. But more boulders lay in the shallow waters just off shore. These were in a semi-circular pattern, protecting the beach from the rougher waters off the island and creating a peaceful pool with plenty of space to sun and lounge. She waded into the warm water, lifting her skirt as it caressed her calves. Without thinking, she lifted her tank top over her head and tossed it onto one of the rocks.

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Her skirt followed. She lay down. The sun kissed her naked skin and what happened next can only be described as magical. The water held her, like a warm velvety cloud. She floated in its caresses. Sunlight reflected like diamonds all around her.

She closed her eyes. Something sensuous wrapped around her thigh, spreading her legs. Another gentle touch slid along her waist. A low voice whispered in her ear, a language she couldn’t understand but words that made her heart swell and her body pulse.

Delgado’s spirit was alive and well on this island. She had no doubt. And she never wanted to leave. She floated for what seemed an eternity, drifting in and out of a foggy state, her body in a constant state of arousal.

“Bella!” The alarm in Jose’s voice jerked her upright. Her ass bumped the sandy bottom of the shallow water and a rough touch slid beneath her calves as the python swam away.

The snake was long gone before Jose and Trevor reached her, but none of the fear she expected gripped her. “I don’t think his name is Monty,” she said, keeping her eyes on the dark pattern as it maneuvered swiftly through the water.

Jose’s brows furrowed in question.

“We better call him Delgado. He has a wicked tongue.”

Jose laughed as the snake slithered onto the beach and disappeared into the thorny vegetation. “No doubt. We have the chest out of the ground. Do you want to open it with us?”

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Jose grasped the lid of the treasure box in both hands. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Open it,” Trevor said.

Bella nodded.

The stubborn lid creaked open and the scent of old air slammed the back of Bella’s throat. Her eyes burned and her breath caught, but the mass of gold, silver and jewels stopped her heart. The glitter was gone from most of the pieces, but that didn’t diminish her awe.

“Shit,” Trevor said in a low voice.

“It’s ours now.” Jose’s voice shook. “We have to guard it with our lives.”

“Can we touch it?” Bella asked.

He nodded. “Your whole life’s about to change if you do.”

“What do you mean?” Trevor’s hand hung in the air over the curved blade of a short cutlass. The handle of the weapon was embedded with jewels.

“We are bound to guard this now,” Jose said. “But if we take possession of any of the pieces, Delgado’s second curse will fall.”

“You didn’t tell us about a second curse.” Bella searched his dark eyes. Nothing but open honesty shone back at her.

“I just read it.” He slowly closed the chest and ran his fingers over the words engraved along the edges. “Truth of heart has its reward. A heart denied beats no more.”

Trevor drew his hand back and Bella sat still. Denial was her survival mechanism. And now it might kill her?

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Jose reached into the chest and pulled out a hand overflowing with loot. He lifted out a thick ring, dark with tarnish and slid it on his finger. Fear gripped Bella.

“What have you done?” she asked.

“I’ve bound myself to truth or death.” He sat back. “This island is where I belong. Where we all belong, free to be who we are. I’ve been playing with an idea. We could open this place up to other people.”

“Develop it?” Trevor growled.

Jose shook his head. “Maybe another cabin or two, but no condos, no strip malls. Just a place other people can come and find what’s inside them. Stay with me. Both of you. Let’s stay here.” He caught Bella’s eye. “J.P.’s just a boat ride away. We can both visit him.” He turned back to Trevor. “The horses would love it here.”

“You want to share the island?” Bella asked.

“I want to share everything.” He nodded toward the treasure. “If you want something, it’s yours. Just heed the warning.”

She hesitated. Could she be true to her heart?

“But the land will still legally be yours?” Trevor asked. “Provided we can get back to the mainland in time to buy it.”

Jose shook his head. “Ours. Equal shares, never to be separated. If one of us wants out, the other two divide that share.”

Bella swallowed hard. “I can’t afford two square feet of it. Every dime I have goes to J.P.”

“You don’t need money, Bella.” His eyes softened. “Everything you’ll ever need is right here. J.P. will be cared for. But what about you? Are you ready to take care of yourself?”

Trevor reached for her hand. “Don’t do anything you don’t want to do,” he told her.

Jose nodded. “If you choose to stay here and this island is not in your heart, you will die.”

A rustle in the grass sent a shiver down her spine. She didn’t have to turn around to know the snake was there, only a few feet away. She didn’t fear the serpent. She feared the truth. Her heart wanted to be
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free. She would never shirk her responsibility to J.P. but she wanted more. So much more.

“What if we don’t get back in time to buy this place?” Trevor asked.

Jose twisted the ring on his finger. “We already own it.”

Bella’s heart pumped. “That’s not possible.”

“The treasure has curses and the island does too. To own Lovers Island, one must love. I bought it,” Jose said. “I already carry the curse. If I had taken possession of the island without finding you, Bella,” he turned to Trevor, “and you. I would die too. Just like my father.”

“Your father?”

“He inherited the island, but refused to honor his responsibility.

He never wanted to live here. He died the day the deed transferred.”

“So you didn’t have to buy the island. It was already yours.”

Trevor said.

Jose shook his head. “It went to my father’s trust and sat there until I was ready. Then I purchased it from the trust.”

“What if we don’t stay here?” Bella asked.

Jose twisted the ring again. “I die.”

“Why? You’re planning to stay here.”

“We’re in this together now. I shared the treasure with you. Our souls are linked. What happens to one, happens to all.”

Trevor fisted his hands. “You mean, if all this isn’t bullshit, you just trapped us on this island forever?”

Jose shook his head. “No. You don’t have to stay here. Unless you accept your share of the island, you’re only bound to the curse on the treasure. You’re bound to guard it. If you take something from the chest, you have to be true to yourself. Living on the island and sharing the magic with other people is just an idea. If your heart is elsewhere, follow it.”

“How long do we have to decide?” Bella asked.

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“Until the contract is sealed and the land legally falls into my hands.”

The whir of a boat motor broke through the soft hush of the breeze. Bella’s heart pounded. “Someone’s here!”

Trevor jumped to his feet, but stopped. His gaze fell on Bella and his jaw tightened. “I don’t do relationships,” he said.

She nodded. “I know.”

He glanced at Jose quickly before heading off toward the beach and the sound of rescue.

“What about you, Bella?”

She swallowed hard. “I love you both.” She reached into the treasure and lifted out a simple necklace, a feminine version of the medallion Jose already wore around his neck. “I’d rather die here with you, than live without either of you.”

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Returning to the island felt like coming home. After only two days on the mainland, Bella had started craving the salty air, the sweet, magical scent that clung to the breeze and both her men.

At the bow of the boat, Jose stood next to her, his arm draped around her waist. He had set up an account to financially care for J.P.

after they passed away, and he had spent a day at his old friend’s side doing what he should’ve done a long time ago.

Bella couldn’t hold the past against him. Mistakes are made.

People learn. Good people make amends when they can. Jose was a good person, and she didn’t regret for a moment choosing him over the lackluster existence she had before they met.

The captain guided the boat close to shore, and Jose jumped into the calf-deep water first. He held his hand out to help her down.

The captain passed down their bags, two small duffels with only a few changes of clothes. What else did they need? The island had it all.

And it was only a matter of time before the curse killed them anyway.

To be true to her heart, Bella needed both the men she loved.

Trevor had chosen not to take the treasure. He wasn’t in the curse’s debt. He could deny his heart for a long time to come.

Bella waded ashore. The warm sand pulled at her ankles as she and Jose made their way between the dunes toward the cabin.

An unexpected sound shot through the air, startling them both.

Bella saw the horses and her mouth spread into a grin. “He’s here!”

A horse whinnied again and Trevor stepped out of the garden. The shade of an old Stetson hid his handsome face, but nothing could have hidden his smile.

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Bella ran to him. His big arms wrapped around her in a crushing embrace and his hungry lips devoured her mouth. Jose’s hand curled around the back of her neck and her heart swelled. She pulled away from the kiss slowly and sank against Trevor’s chest. Jose pressed a kiss to her cheek, then met Trevor’s masculine lips with his own.

Their kiss was explosive, shooting through Bella like lightning. Not a single thing in her life was missing.

The wispy grass and sea oats rustled and out of the corner of her eye she saw the familiar pattern of Monty Delgado’s skin. The large snake moved slowly, encircling them until his broad head touched his narrow tail. Surrounded by what had once been her biggest fear, Bella had never felt more at peace or more free in her life.

She looked up at Trevor, unable to contain the smile on her face.

“I thought you didn’t do relationships.”

“I didn’t.” One broad hand clasped her ass and the other gripped Jose’s hip. A familiar medallion hung against his bare chest. He had taken Delgado’s treasure. “I couldn’t surrender the booty.” His smile softened. “And I couldn’t stop loving you.”

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carmie L'Rae is an erotic author who has published several books under other names. She has become hard to pin down over the years, relishing her privacy. If you like erotica so hot flames leap from the pages, you'll love Carmie's work.