Temptation Island (12 page)

“Sorry about that.  Forgot that was there.” 

Sure he had.  He’d probably aimed for the blasted thing.  Carm wouldn’t put it past him.  And just when she was starting to soften a tiny bit toward the jerk. 

At least he had the presence of mind to actually look contrite.  Marek sent a sheepish smile in her direction and bit his bottom lip
.  Oh no you don’t.  You don’t get to play cute with me, buster. 

As the rain settled back down, a thick blue mist surrounded the jeep as they finally came to a stop.  Turning off the engine, Marek reached for the door handle and said, “I’ll be right back.  I’m going to jog over to the shack and grab those ponchos.”

Carm nodded and watched as he loped around the front of the car and off to her right.  She caught herself admiring the powerful way he moved and chastised her self.  The last thing she needed was to fall for him.  He was so far from being her perfect Mr. Right it wasn’t funny. 

He just looked like it.

“Dammit Carm.  Get a hold of yourself and stop acting like a teenager with a crush.”

Marek returned to the jeep and knocked on her window startling her.  He’d already put on his bright yellow poncho and was holding an orange one out to her.  Opening the door Carm took it from him and quickly draped it over her head. 

Before she stepped out of the car Marek held up a pair of rubber boots.  He pointed down to her feet and grinned, “You don’t want to mess up your pedicure, do you?  I thought you might need these.”

He was right.  She’d completely forgotten she wore her favorite strappy sandals.  Carm made quick work of putting on the boots and stepped down. 

Marek reached behind her and closed the jeep door.  For a tense moment he remained close to her, his breath hot on her neck.  A shiver crept down her spine at the caress and Carm froze in place.

Slowly lifting her eyes to his face Carm found Marek staring intently on her mouth.  Heat shot through her as his tongue slipped out and moistened his bottom lip.  She couldn’t help but stare at his sensual mouth as his teeth scraped along his full bottom lip. 

She wanted more than anything to feel that mouth hot on hers.  To feel it feed greedily on hers. 

A small moan escaped her when Marek lifted a hand and cupped her chin, tracing his thumb along her the seam of her lips.  Helpless to do otherwise, her lips parted in invitation.

Carm saw heat flare in Marek’s green eyes, turning them an intense, wild green.  Caught up in the current of them, Carm swayed toward him and closed her eyes.  She wanted his mouth, wanted him.

That realization hit Carm like a bucket of cold water.  Jerking back, Carm yanked her eyes open and gasped.  She wanted Marek like she’d never wanted anything before. 

And it scared the hell out of her.

Marek muttered an oath and released her.  Carm stood shaking as Marek raked his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.  Finally he looked at her and spoke, his voice harsh and raspy, “What the hell kind of game are you playing, Carmen?”

Feeling like she’d been slapped, Carm took a step back.  “I might ask the same of you, Marek.  What the hell are you doing?”

She could feel the tension and sexual frustration coming from him like a palpable force.  She’d felt that before a time or two with other men when she’d called a halt to their intimacy, but nothing so strong as what she felt from Marek.  Unsure of what to do, uncertain of Marek, Carm did the only thing she could do.  She hid behind a shield of cold indifference.

“Well, now that you’ve finished your little experiment, shall we get on with things?”  Pushing past him, Carm started walking.

Apparently Marek wasn’t quite ready to let it drop.  Catching up to her, he demanded, “Tell me you wanted that, Carmen.  Tell me you wanted it as bad as I did.”

Shrugging, Carm dismissed him.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.  What we had back there was a moment, that’s all.  And it’s gone.”

“Bullshit.”  Marek gripped Carmen’s shoulders and spun her around.  Crashing his mouth down on hers, Marek yanked back her hood and filled his hands with her hair.  Like a man too long denied, he slanted his mouth hungrily over hers. 

Carm was taken by force and passion.  She’d never experienced anything like it before.  Responding with a powerful need of her own, Carm wrapped her arms around his neck and clung.

She’d never been wanted like this before.

Opening her mouth, Carm whimpered when his tongue thrust to meet hers.  Aroused beyond anything she’d known Carm stroked and caressed his tongue.  At her boldness, Mark growled deep in his throat and ripped his mouth from hers. 

Breathing heavily, Marek held her head in his hand and let his hot gaze bore into her.  Sparks flew between them as they stared silently at one another.  Finally Marek released her hair and growled, “You and I are going to finish this, sweetheart.  In my bed or in yours, it doesn’t matter.  But we’re going to finish this tonight.”

Reeling from the strength of her response, Carm numbly shook her head, her face still flushed with desire.  Turning Carm stumbled away.  She needed some space to regain her composure.  With her back to him, Carm closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten. 
What have I done? 

She had a sinking feeling that she was in way over her head.  Though she wasn’t wholly innocent this went far beyond anything she knew.  What just happened between them was lightning hot and potent.  Carm was very much afraid she couldn’t handle it.

Some nasty little voice taunted her, telling her she’d already compromised everything.  Why shouldn’t she give in and surrender to it all.  Why shouldn’t she give them both what they want to desperately?

Because I want him to love me first.  And dammit, I deserve better.

Carm felt Marek closing in behind her and started walking.  Into the tense silence Carm asked, “Do you love me, Marek?”

She heard him stop dead. 
You weren’t expecting that, were you? 
Scanning around the deep brown field full of tender young plants, Carm inhaled the rich scent of damp earth.  It was breathtaking up high in the mountain jungle.  Carm could hear the lively chatter of exotic birds and watched as a wild monkey raced along the branches of a tree and leapt high through the air to another one.  Thrilled at the sight, Carm felt a smile tug her lips and sighed. 

When Marek still didn’t answer Carm turned to face him and found him staring at her with an unfathomable look on his face.  Half wild with his hair curling madly in the damp air and his eyes bright with emotion, Marek looked as exotic as the surroundings.  Wondering if she’d terrified him with her question Carm taunted, “What’s wrong Marek, cat got your tongue?  Or was it the L-word that’s got you stumped?”

Hoping to tease him into easing up, she was thrown by the seriousness in his voice when he finally responded, “It means that much to you, doesn’t it?  You weren’t joking in your hotel room when you said you were waiting for love.”

On a sigh, Carm responded, “No, I wasn’t joking.”

Marek slowly walked toward her, his eyes locked on her.  “So, you are just going to ignore this magic between us?  You’re going to deny it and throw it away because I’m not in love with you?”

Carm didn’t like the accusatory note in his tone.  “Yes Marek, that’s exactly what I’m saying.  Except for the throwing away part.”

Marek stopped a foot in front of her and spoke softly, but with conviction, “Then you’re the fool, Carmen.”

Meeting his gaze, Carm tipped her head in consideration, “Maybe.  You might be right, but at least I’ll be able to look at myself in the mirror tomorrow without shame.  Neither of us love the other, Marek.  I deserve love and I won’t settle for less.  You don’t have to agree with my choice, but I do expect you to respect it.  Now are you going to show me your coffee, or did we waste our time coming here?”

A tick jumped in his jaw betraying his tightly leashed anger, but Marek gave a terse nod and ground out, “This way then.  We’ll start over here.”

Releasing a breath she hadn’t been aware she held, Carm looked up at the heavy grey sky and followed.  They made their way through the rows of waist high plants.  Carm admired the deep green, glossy leaves.

As Marek began telling her about the process of growing and harvesting shade grown coffee beans, Carm listened.  It was fascinating really.  She’d never known it took coffee plants years to mature enough to produce the first crop of beans.

Absorbing the information so that she could relay it all to Kate when she got home, Carm followed after Marek.  To the side near the edge of the field a plant caught her attention.  Interrupting Marek’s speech Carm asked, “What’s that plant over there?  It looks sort of like a poppy.”

Marek followed her line of sight until he spotted what she was staring at.  “I’m not sure what it is, but there are a ton of them up here.  They’re scattered like a thick blanket all over my fields.  I think they’re some sort of wildflower, like a poppy.  But it’s not an actual poppy, but it could be a relation of it.  They’re a damned nuisance.”

“I think they’re pretty.”

“Well, sweetheart, feel free to take as many as you like.  I certainly don’t need them and they end up getting plowed under.”

Carm shrugged and prodded him back to his lecture.  “You were saying before I interrupted that you have to prune back the coffee plants because they can reach up to twenty feet tall, right?”

Marek laughed and began walking again, “So you were listening. I wasn’t sure you about that.”

Pretending outrage, Carm burst, “Shame on you Marek Stokes!  How dare you accuse me of inattention?”  Dropping the phony voice Carm added, “Seriously, I find it quite fascinating and I think it’s great that you’re out here doing a lot of the manual labor yourself instead of sitting in your plush office all day.”

Marek stopped short and Carm plowed into his back.  Raising a hand he whispered, “Shhh.  Did you hear that?  I think someone’s in the trees.”

Carm gripped his slick rain poncho and whispered back, “Why would anyone be in the trees?  It’s probably a monkey.  I saw one just a bit ago, Marek.”

Looking around Marek began walking again, only this time back toward the jeep.  “Could be poachers, locals, just about anything, but it’s definitely not a monkey.  This is all private property up here.  My property
.
And I haven’t given anyone permission to be up here except during regular work hours.  Let’s wrap up the tour and head back to town.  That alright with you?”

Unsettled by the idea of being watched by someone high in the remote jungle, Carm agreed and tried to break into a run.  Marek put a restraining hand on her arm and slid it down to grip her hand.  Marek smiled and leaned down to say in her ear, “Don’t run and don’t panic.  If someone is out there we don’t want them to know we know.  Got it?”

Carm pasted a shaky smile on her face.  Trying to act casual, Carm leaned her head on his shoulder so she could murmer, “I don’t like this feeling, Marek.  I’m creeping out.  I don’t like the idea of someone watching us.”

Marek kissed her on the head and squeezed her hand, “I don’t either,
cheri
.  I’ll look into it as soon as we get down the mountain.  I just saw some movement to my left so I want you to laugh, right now.”

Though it sounded weak and hollow Carm did as he asked and laughed.  A shudder ran through her and she sighed in relief as the red jeep came into view.  While they’d been out in the fields the mist had grown steadily thicker and now circled the wheels of the jeep in an eerie glow.

Looking down at her feet Carm swallowed a gasp as she noticed her feet were practically invisible in the soupy mist.  Every step she took swirled the dense air, sending it rolling in lazy whirls around her.  Before when she’d first seen it she’d thought it was beautiful and otherworldly.  In the wake of discovering someone was out in the jungle watching them, the mist just felt oppressive and scary.

Her overactive imagination had the mist curling around her legs and tugging at her, trying to pull her down.  Evil tendrils slivered out from the center, wrapping around to clamp her wrists.

Laughing uneasily at herself, Carm clung to Marek’s arm.  She’d always had way too good an imagination.  It had been great as a kid, but now she wished it gone.

At last they reached the jeep and Marek opened her passenger side door and tucked her safely inside.  Carm watched him circle the hood of the jeep and jump in on his side.  He wasted no time in starting the engine and turning them around in the tall grass.

Carm shivered in the cab.  Locking her door, Carm gripped her poncho and pulled it off.  The field disappeared in the blue fog as they hastily made their way back down the mountain.  Marek hit the same bone jarring rut rocketing Carm to the roof.  She whacked her head sharp against the ceiling hard enough to leave a nasty bump, but she didn’t say a word.

Marek muttered an apology, but kept his eyes on the rough, dirt road.  He flipped on the lights and continued down the hill.  Though it shouldn’t have been dark yet, the mist was so thick it made it impossible to see twenty feet in front of the car without light.

The sky let loose with a loud thunder clap and opened up.  Rain began hammering at the jeep and bounced off the windshield.  A steady stream of water flowed down the windshield and pooled on the hood.