Temptation Island (27 page)

Lime green swim trunks rode low over his hips, the deep groove of his chisled stomach muscles pointing down into the waistband.  Below his blue dolphin tattoo a dark brown happy trail disappeared beneath the green material and Carm felt her face heat as she mentally pictured what she knew was down there.

Pulling her eyes away from the bulge in his shorts she ran them back up over his chisled abs and pec muscles to his face to find him grinning wickedly at her.  A naughty glint flashed in his pale green eyes like he was thinking of something particularly dirty.  She had a feeling she knew what it was.  He’d put her yoga flexibility to good use last night.

Feeling her face heat Carm dropped her gaze from his face to the tray he was carrying.  Then he spoke and her hair caught on fire.  “
Merde
you look good enough to eat, sugar.  Again.”  He sat the tray down, pulled back her loose hair and whispered in her ear, “I can still taste you on my lips,
cheri
.  And smell your hot, sweet scent every time I inhale.”

Then he placed a wet kiss at that spot just below her ear he knew drove her wild and bit, a sharp nip of teeth.  She thought she’d melt out of the chair then and there.  Melt into a big ol’ puddle of arousal right there on the verandah floor. 

Large, broad palms and long fingers snuck over her shoulders down between the open vee of her robe to cup her heavy breasts.  Carm bit her lip to keep a moan from escaping but couldn’t stop her nipples from puckering at his touch.  When his thumbs flicked over them, teasing them, a small whimper escaped.

A deep, throaty male chuckle sounded behind her.  Air stirred over her chest and Carm glanced down to see he’d spread her robe wide and her breasts were exposed in the open, the balmy air caressing her heating skin.  Moisture pooled between her thighs as she watched Marek’s strong hands cup and manipulate her breasts.  His deeply tanned hands an arousing contrast to the paleness of her skin.

The ropy muscles in his long, bare forearms flexed as his hands slid to the bottomside of her breasts, tested their weight.  Marek had the most beautiful skin coloring, the softest, palest shade of mocha.  Like the caramel colored foam off the top of a frothy latte.  And it covered every single inch of him.

“Tell me, sugar; do you want to go for a ride?  Or are you too tender this morning?”  He pinched her nipples as he asked, his voice low and gravelly.

Carm sucked in a breath and arched into his hands.  Every single thought she had was quickly emptying out of her head from his erotic touch.  Before she lost all brain function, Carm tilted back her head and looked in his hot green eyes.  “I’ll ride you like a bucking bronco, later.  I am sore this morning.”  Carm reached a hand up and stroked his scruffy jaw.  “And my thighs feel a bit chafed from your facial hair.”

She watched male satisfaction dance in his eyes.  It did his ego good to know he’d put his mark on her.  His eyes dropped down her chest to his hands, his thick, inky lashes shading the liquid green.  His lashes were so long and thick they almost tangled together as the lids lowered.  Usually Carm thought lashes like that were completely wasted on men, but in this case she couldn’t complain.  His eyes were showstoppers for sure.

Heat flared briefly in his hooded eyes as he gazed down at her.  Then his hand slipped up her chest and gripped below her jaw on her throat.  Squeezing gently Marek forced her head back and lowered his mouth to hers.  Warm, firm lips caressed hers and his hot, wet tongue slipped out to lick the seam of her lips.  Opening for him Carm moaned as he gently sucked her tongue into his mouth.  Tongues rasped and dueled as the kiss deepened, turned heated and impatient.

On a groan that sounded almost painful Marek pulled back.  Carm felt his thumb stroking the underside of her jaw as her eyes slowly fluttered open.  She focused on him, her mind foggy and dazed. 
Whew-boy
the man knew how to kiss.  One thorough kiss and she completely lost her senses.

Gazing up at his lazy, hooded eyes gone a vivid green with desire, Carm cleared her throat and tried to think of something to say.  She came up blank.  With the force of his testosterone surrounding her, dominating her, she couldn’t find a coherent thought in her head.

Pure egotistical male satisfaction crossed his face and glinted in his eyes.  Dropping a short, quick kiss on her lips Marek stood up and let his hand fall away.  Carm watched his loose swagger as he rounded the table and sunk into the patio chair.  Everything about him was lethal to a girl’s libido.

Clearing her throat again, Carm tried a second time to speak.  She needed a breather from the potency of his sexuality, so she turned the conversation to an innocent topic.  “I went into town yesterday.  Found out some very interesting things.”

Marek glanced up from fixing their coffees, his eyes twinkling.  He knew what she was doing, the rotten man.  And he was thoroughly enjoying it. 

“
Oui
?  What did you learn,
cheri
?”

Carm watched him as she replied, “That you and I didn’t sleep together the night we were married.”

Not a flinch, not a shake of his hand.  The man was unflappable.  “I figured as much, cupcake as soon as I thrust into you the first time.  You didn’t have a barrier, but the way you called out and tensed up told me so.”

Well, duh.  Smack me on the forehead.  I can be so blond sometimes.  Of course he knew.  He’d even mentioned something about it.  But I’d been too busy with my hiney in the air to pay attention.

“What I want to know is if you had decided to sleep with me before or after you discovered that fact, Carmen.”

Carm reached for the mug of steaming coffee that Marek handed her and looked him dead in the eye.  “I knew I was going to the moment I saw the photo album of you.  Thank you for that.”

He shrugged his big shoulders uncomfortably and dismissed her gratitude, “I don’t want your thanks, sweetheart.  I want you to know me, see me as I am with all the facts and make your decision from that.  I am who I am, Carmen.  I thought you needed to see that.”

Carm glanced at the man sitting across the table from her, his hair a riot of curls around his head, a morning shadow darkening his strong jaw.  He was who he was.  And she loved him.

Would he talk openly about the things he’d written down for her, or in the light of day were they off limits?  Only one way to find out.

As casual as she could Carm said, “I liked the pictures very much.  You were a beautiful child.”  She saw a smile tug his lips and continued, “I didn’t know you went to college in the states, but it explains why your accent isn’t as heavy as the other locals.  Except when you’re turned on.”

A naughty grin lit his face and he chuckled, “You love that don’t you, sugar?  The way I sound when I’m hard for you?”

Oh no, she wasn’t going there.  She’d end up on her back on floor if she did.  With him hard between her legs.

Carm shifted in her seat and took a sip of her coffee.  He made the best coffee, hands down.  “Why did you go into stock trading?”

Amusement flashed in his eyes and he chuckled.  Gripping the bright red mug in his large hand Marek drank his black coffee and replied, “I wanted to get rich, cupcake.  Simple as that.  I’ve always had a head for numbers and a sharp mind.  That’s why I did what I did as a kid.  I was too damned smart for my own good.  Instead of turning it in the right direction I used it to create a profitable little business of pick pocketing and selling pot.”  Marek glanced at her to see her reaction.  When she kept silent he added, “When I was caught and sent to UNCW I finally pulled my head out of my ass and did something good with it.  What really got to me was the look of disappointment and sadness on my mother’s face when she found out what I’d been doing.”

It made sense now.  Stock trading was a ruthless business, where a person could churn and burn.  But could make a small fortune too if they could hack it.

“Tell me about you, cupcake.  What was it like growing up for you?  I bet you were a good girl, weren’t you?” 

She heard the slight sarcasm in his voice, but chose to ignore it.  “Actually, I was a good girl.  What’s wrong with that?”  She challenged.  When he grinned and shook his head she went on. “Kate is my older sister by two years and my only sibling.  I grew up in eastern Washington on a small fruit farm outside of town.  My mother sold fresh fruit and vegetables we grew at the local farmer’s market for a living.  And every Saturday morning from May to October Kate and I helped her out at the stands.  We loved it.  My mother was a blast to be with.  She was a wonderful woman.”

Tears prickled at the back of her eyes and Carm blinked them back.  “My father worked for the city as an engineer and coached our soccer team when we were kids.  I remember him being full of life with a big, boisterous laugh.  He and my mother were so in love.  Kate and I swore to each other that we wouldn’t settle for less than what our parents had.  Their relationship was one in a million.”

Marek spoke quietly, his rich voice low and soothing, “What happened to them,
cheri
?”

Carm took a big breath and said as she let it out, “They died four years ago in a boating accident on the Columbia river.  They were killed instantly.  I miss them every day, Marek.  But I console myself with the fact that they’re in heaven together.”

A warm hand covered hers gripping her mug and she looked up to meet somber green eyes.  “I’m sorry for that, Carmen.  You loved them very much.”

“I did.  I still do.  They were wonderful parents and gave Kate and me a secure, happy childhood.  I couldn’t ask for more than that.”

Marek read her mind and subtley changed the subject.  “Did you play sports in highschool,
cheri
?”

She let him see her gratitude in her eyes.  At his small nod of acceptance she replied, “I played volleyball in high school and at the junior college I attended.  When I was getting my childhood education degree I was too busy focusing on that and working at the local bookstore to play.”

Marek asked, “What made you want to be a teacher?”

A smile stole across her face.  She really loved being a teacher.  “I love children.  Their innocence and exhuberance give me joy.  I love going into my classroom every day and seeing how their inquisitive little minds work.  I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

Warmth settled around her heart when Marek murmured, “I admire that, Carmen.  This world needs more people like you.  Those willing to devote themselves to the development and well-being of the children, sacrificing big pay for what matters most.  Our children and their future.”

Shocked by his words and flattered more than she could say Carm glanced at Marek and basked in the glow of his sincerity and pride in her.  It was almost tangible and surrounded her like a soft, cozy blanket.  It sucked her in, made her heart soar.  No one had ever complimented her like that or felt proud of her choices in life.

No one but Marek.

In the next moment it was gone and Marek was standing up, holding a hand out to her.  His tone was light and playful when he asked, “Have you ever snorkled, cupcake?  No?  Well, you’re in for a treat then.  Smuggler’s Cove has some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean.  I figured we could grab something to eat then walk the trail down to the beach.  What do you say, sugar?”

So ends the heartfelt talk.  I guess men can only handle so much connecting. 
Carm inwardly sighed and agreed.  There was time still for more.  But she didn’t want to push him.

Oh, phooey.  I almost forgot. 
Gripping his hand, Carm tugged on his arm and blurted out, “I forgot to tell you something.  When I was in town yesterday I stopped by the inn and saw your mother.  She said that Big Bubba died, Marek.  He didn’t pull through.  I’m sorry.”

Marek was quiet for a moment taking it in.  He glanced down at Carm, faint lines showing between his lowered brows.  Then he tugged her hand and started walking.  “Poor old bastard.  He was a dirty one, but had a good heart beneath it all.  He’ll be missed.”

The clear aqua water lapped at Marek’s legs, warm and gentle.  There was practically no surf in the cove, the water almost like glass it was so calm.  The sun bounced off the surface allowing him to see perfectly to the bottom of the bay to the coral reef.  He could see exactly where it ended and began. 

It was still fairly early in the morning and since it was late June, past prime tourist season, the beach was almost deserted.  A family with two young children building sandcastles in the white sand and a local working the bar at the drink stand were the only other people on the cove.  He waved at the black man behind the bar in the green polo and short brimmed khaki bucket hat.  For as long as he could remember Junior and his family had been running that stand.

Soft sand sifted between his toes as he shifted his gaze and watched Carm snorkel about twenty feet in front of him, her blond hair pulled back in a pontail floating on the water.  The ties of her yellow and pink halter swimtop bobbed on the surface. A black breathing tube shot straight up by the side of her cheek and the thick purple band of his goggles wrapped around her head.

She’d taken to snorkeling with youthful enthusiasm, smiles lighting up her beautiful face.  Her delighted giggles had worked their way between his rib cage and lodged welcome around his heart.  Contentment settled over him, comfortable as his favorite t-shirt.