Cabin Fever

Oh, no. What had she done? She stared at the key in her hand. He probably thought she’d purposely given him her key and room number. That this was all a ploy to get him. Did he think that she was so desperate for sex, or for him in particular? She’d never. She squeezed her eyes closed, too embarrassed to look at him.

“Hey, everybody makes mistakes.” His rough fingers cupped her chin and lifted her face.

She made herself open her eyes and meet his gaze. “I swear, I didn’t—”

“I know.” The fingers of his other hand caressed her cheek. He lowered his head and gently touched his lips to hers.

And that was all it took. She opened her mouth and took the kiss deep, her lips as desperate and as needy as she’d convinced herself she wasn’t minutes ago. She pressed him to her, wrapping her arms around his neck, running her hands over his taut shoulders and fingering the curls at the base of his neck.

With a low growl he took control of the kiss, teasing her with his tongue. His arms tightened around her waist. He lifted her, and she hooked a leg around his hip as he walked them to the bed. The comforter slipped down to her hips and he broke the kiss, grinned and laid her on the mattress.

Joe’s eyes flared as he stared at her body. Feeling her feminine power, Carly lay back on her elbows and raised one knee, then let it drop.

She watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. He raised a brow, unzipped his pants and got rid of them, along with his underwear.

Her breath caught. He was magnificent. How was this guy still single? Wait. Maybe he had a girlfriend.

He lowered himself over her, bracing himself with his hands. With one knee bent between her thighs, he nuzzled into her neck, nibbling the sensitive skin from below her ear to her shoulder.

Carly closed her eyes, shivering at the feel of his lips exploring, moving down her collarbone... What had she been about to ask him? Something about too good to be true... A girlfriend. She snapped her eyes open and flattened her palms on his chest.

He raised his head and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“You have a fiancée?”

“Hell, no.”

“A girlfriend?”

His face contorted in disgust. “I wouldn’t be here, doing this with you if I did.” He shoved off the bed and bent to pull up his pants.

Carly scooted forward to the edge and covered his hands as he was about to zip up. “Wait.”

“I think the mood has passed, don’t you?”

“It’s just that generally when something seems too good to be true, it’s because it is.”

He scoffed. “And what about me seems too good?”

“Well, you did just win Modiste’s sexiest Average Joe.” She let go of his hands and ran her palms over his chest, reveling in the wall of muscle, and large flat nipples. “You have to admit you’re exceptionally attractive.”

Now he caught her hands. “I know I don’t exactly scare women away.”

“Come on!” She looked up into his eyes, saw the disbelief there. “You really didn’t enter our contest yourself, did you?”

“Does it matter as long as I’m here?”

She shook her head. “Not a bit.”

He cupped her face, his fingers combing back her hair. “Then, where were we?” He bent and captured her mouth and Carly assumed it was a rhetorical question.

She couldn’t get enough of his mouth moving over hers, his tongue playing with hers. She writhed beneath him when he caught her breast in his palm, kneading and caressing it until the nipple became a sensitive peak. His lips deserted her mouth and left a hot, moist trail down her jaw and neck to the top of her breast. He tugged the thin strap of her cami down until he could capture her nipple and draw on it deeply.

Shifting his weight to her side, he teased her nipple as the fingers of his other hand slid down her hip and slipped under her thong.

She moaned, bucking in time to his intimate touch. The exquisite pressure was building inside her.

The orgasm hit her hard and fast and she cried out. A fog of pleasure enveloped her. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t quite believe this was happening. That she’d let this happen. She was vaguely aware he was pressing tiny kisses around her breast, still stroking her sensitized core. He was skilled, all right. But it was more than that. More than just his unbelievable physique and charming smile. She’d met plenty of good-looking guys. But Joe seemed—the word sounded silly—but...he seemed sincere.

“Well, my job is done here.” Joe started to remove his hand and sit up.

Her eyes snapped open and she caught his wrist. “What?”

He grinned and chuckled. “Just wanted to see if you were still with me.”

With a growl, she shoved his chest until he lay on his back. She climbed over him, straddling his knees, unzipped his pants and encircled his cock. “Oh, I’m with you, all right.” She bent and took him in her mouth.

Behaving like this was so unlike her. She didn’t usually do playful in bed. This wild, intense response to Joe was mad. She’d probably regret it.

But not tonight.

He moaned and whispered her name. Thus encouraged, she put all her effort into driving him crazy. She took him deep and then teased him with her tongue, then deep again. He cursed and lifted his hips, tangling his fingers in her hair.

When she raised her gaze to watch him, his eyes were squeezed closed, his head thrown back and she could see a vein or two enlarged in his neck. She grinned. Turnabout was fair play. She swirled her tongue around the head once more before he urged her to stop.

“Okay, I give.” His chest rose and fell in heavy breaths, but his mouth was turned up in a lopsided smile. “Uncle. You win.”

With a seductive smile Carly pulled the cami over her head and tossed it to the floor. His gaze dropped to her breasts and he reached up to cup them in his large callused hands. His touch was so sensual, the look in his eyes admiring. She hadn’t felt desirable in so long.

She wanted him inside her.

She kneeled in order to drag her thong down and off, but she lost her balance, flailed awkwardly and fell onto him.

“Whoa!” He caught her and rolled her to her back, smiling. “You aren’t as graceful as you pretend.”

Carly clamped a hand over her eyes. This was ridiculous. What was wrong with her? She was twenty-eight, not eighteen. And even at eighteen she hadn’t fumbled sex as badly as she was tonight. First she’d insulted his fidelity, now this. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

The aggravating man chuckled more. “If it helps, I like you better this way.” She felt him tug her thong down to her ankles and off. Then, as she lifted her fingers away from her eyes, his hand traced a path up her leg, sending shivers along her skin.

Wait. She rose to her elbows and gripped his wrist. “So, you’re saying you didn’t like me before?”

“I didn’t say that. But maybe I like you a little more this way.”

“What way?”

“Relaxed. With your guard down.”

She let out a relieved breath. Relieved? Since when had she ever worried about being liked? Oh, who cared? He was caressing her hip, her stomach, and he’d leaned over to close his lips around one nipple, then moved his hand slowly down.

Her breathing faltered as he delved between her thighs with the exact right amount of pressure and an exquisite sense of timing. Much more of this and she’d be a goner for a second time. But she wanted him inside her when she came again. “Joe.” Was that her voice all husky and trembling?

“Hmm?” he answered around nibbling her other nipple, his unshaven jaw tickling her breast.

She gripped his shoulders. “Stop teasing me.”

He narrowed his eyes, but he was smiling. “Really? You have to boss me around even now?”

Boss him around? Is that how he saw her? She wasn’t demanding. She was begging. She was coming apart in his arms.

With a sigh, he rolled above her, pushed his erection against her hip and took possession of her mouth. She made approving noises, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hooked a leg over his thigh. “I’m not bossy I just know what I like.”

He chuckled against her lips and then pulled back long enough to grab a condom from his pocket before getting rid of his pants completely. “And this is what you like?”

She quirked a brow. “Yes, please.”

The way he looked at her, it was as if he knew how lonely she was, how scared she was to admit she needed someone. His gaze seemed to penetrate the layer of bravado she’d built around herself. As if he could see the real Carly.

“All right.” In a fluid motion he rolled on protection and fitted himself to her entrance. Then, with a satisfied groan he was where she wanted him. Needed him.

She gasped at the feel of him inside her. His head dropped to her neck as he began moving, thrusting at an angle and in a rhythm that made her say wicked things. She wasn’t usually verbal in her lovemaking, but she found herself murmuring, “Yes. Oh, yes. Oh, Joe,” over and over again.

The more she encouraged him, the faster and harder he thrust, building to a frenzy of pleasure. “Please.” Winding her fingers into his silky black hair, she nipped at his ear, as everything spun out of control. She cried out, clutching his back at the same time he froze above her. His muscles contracted beneath her hands as he made a low growling sound deep in his throat and pumped his hips one last time.

Neither of them moved for several minutes. She was still reveling in the best sex of her life. He was breathing heavily above her, but careful to keep his weight on his elbows. She almost wanted to pull him down and tell him it was okay, to relax, to touch his skin to hers, but that seemed too intimate. Too...emotional. And yet, she felt a niggling sense of happiness. As if things weren’t as dire as she’d always believed they were. She smiled and rubbed his back and he moaned and moved to her side. Air blew over her sweat-moistened skin and cooled her.

He rolled to his back and ran a hand through his hair. “Wow.”

“Yeah.” There. That sounded okay, didn’t it? Not too enthusiastic. She wasn’t gushing any more than he was.

But she wanted to. She wanted to roll over and press kisses all over his sexy, strong chest. How silly was that? She needed to get herself back under control. She should get up and head to the bathroom and tell him to find his own room now. And not to expect that this was going to happen again. Because it wasn’t. It couldn’t.

She had a photo shoot to supervise. This was the most important career opportunity of her life. If she blew this there wouldn’t be another. And Joe was as vital to her success. Not to mention she needed to maintain a professional relationship with him. Which meant she needed to make sure he understood tonight had been a one-off. Never again.

He rolled to face her, cupped her face in his hands and planted a kiss that promised he wasn’t anywhere near done. “Let’s do that again.”

She blinked and looked into his eyes, glinting with anticipation. “Okay.”

5

AND TO THINK he hadn’t wanted to come on this cruise.

Joe stepped out of the taxi and scanned the scene before him. Whoa. No wonder the magazine had gone to so much trouble to get them to North Caicos Island. From Grand Turk they’d had to take a chartered plane to Providenciales and from there they’d had to hire half a dozen taxis to drive to this island.

But Joe had to admit it was worth it. This was paradise. They were on a high bluff overlooking a deserted beach. The palm trees and foliage lining the crescent-shaped beach looked like CGI for a movie. Turquoise water, gentle waves and smooth white sand. Give him a cold beer and he’d be in heaven.

Then Joe saw Carly emerge from a taxi pulling up behind his and revised that thought. Carly in his arms again would be his version of heaven.

She was wearing white capris and a brightly colored shirt cinched by a wide white belt. She wore strappy heels, of course, and all the perfect accessories. Her hair was up, with wispy tendrils falling loose around her face and down her neck. She should be posing for the magazine herself, she was always so perfectly put together.

Well, not always. Joe smiled, remembering her, just a few hours earlier, lying beside him gloriously naked, her arm bent holding her head in one hand, her knee bent in a provocative pose. Her skin had been damp with perspiration, her lips red and swollen from his kisses, and her eyes half-lidded in satisfaction. And despite the sated laziness his body had felt, he could’ve kept going if they hadn’t had to be ready to disembark in less than an hour.

But there was always tonight.

He grinned as he caught her eye. So much for getting a good night’s sleep, right? And if he had shown up “unkempt,” whose fault was that?

Carly didn’t return his smile. Her lips thinned and she spun to direct the lighting and camera crews to set up in front of the ruins of the main house up the path. Joe chuckled. She could pretend icy indifference all she wanted. He knew there was a fire burning in that woman that could scorch a guy if he didn’t know how to handle the flames. Luckily, he was a trained professional. Although maybe with Carly, he’d need some extra practice....

“This heat is unbearable.” Joe turned to see Piper stumble awkwardly from another taxi. She wore dark shades and a large floppy hat, and she started swatting madly at the mosquitoes buzzing about. “If I get bitten I’m going to sue someone.”

Carly had warned everyone on the plane about the mosquitoes and handed out a supply of bug repellant. Piper ordered her makeup assistant to apply it on her while she’d been waiting for the taxis. “Oh, this heat is intolerable!” Piper fanned herself with her hand. “Where are we? It looks like the middle of nowhere. Where’s the hotel? Is there not even a restroom? You!” She snapped her fingers at a poor assistant carrying cables and tripods down a dirt path. “Direct me to the nearest facilities.”

“Uh...” The unlucky gofer looked at Joe with pleading eyes.

Joe sighed. “Maybe you can think of this as an adventure.” He reached out to take her arm and lead her down the path. “The intrepid supermodel braving a primitive environment.”

“What rubbish.” Piper’s scowl remained as she snatched her sunglasses off and gazed around her. For the first time, he really examined the woman. Or girl, really. She couldn’t be more than twenty-two, twenty-three. She wore red short-shorts with a hot pink halter top. Her body was perfection. Full breasts and tiny waist, thin to the point of skeletal, taller than Carly. Her caramel skin and thick, straight black hair hinted at her exotic heritage.

“Piper. Joe.” Carly strode toward them, a pile of clothes draped over one arm. “These are your outfits for the shoot.” She led them down a worn path through dense foliage to a cornerstone with a two-story-tall chimney still standing. “There’s a mostly intact stone building this way where you can change, Piper.” She gestured to the right for Piper, and Joe to the left. “And another building this way for you, Joe.”

Joe took the clothes she handed him and winced. Tall black boots. Tight black jeans. And a crisp white shirt with gold cuff links. All with famous labels.

What was he supposed to be? A designer-wearing pirate? All he needed was the eye patch and parrot. He gritted his teeth and remembered his agreement. Mumbling a curse under his breath he yanked his T-shirt off and began unbuttoning his shorts. Just get this over with.

When he’d finished dressing he headed for the sound of Carly’s voice directing the crew. She’d set up the shoot at a half wall with the beach behind it. The stunning view behind these old ruins made for a great location. Carly really knew what she was doing. Joe paused to admire her.

Directing the cameraman and lighting crew, she wiped her temple with the back of her hand. She wasn’t complaining about the heat or the bugs. She had ambition and wasn’t afraid to work hard to get what she wanted.

He made his way to her side. “Where do you want me?” Though he’d meant the double entendre, he hadn’t meant to startle her.

She jumped and swiveled to face him, glaring. Then her gaze lowered down his body, slowly. She made a funny little sound, not quite a whimper, and swallowed as her gaze traveled back up and stopped at his chest. She licked her lips and then reached up and began unbuttoning the shirt. All the way down to the waistband of the jeans. “There.” Her voice was barely a whisper. She licked her lips and finally met his eyes. “Women are going to go crazy for this one.”

Disappointment thudded in his chest. Was that all he was to her? A commodity to sell magazines? Wait. Of course he was. Why had he begun to think otherwise? Just because he’d felt a connection with her last night? She was tough, but feminine. Assertive, disciplined, goal-oriented. And he wanted to get to know her better. She obviously didn’t share the sentiment. Hadn’t he learned anything from the break up with Lydia?

“Where’s Piper?” Carly sidestepped past him, heading in the direction of the ruins where she’d sent Piper to change. “Joe, go to Christoph for a little makeup, please?” she called over her shoulder.

Makeup. Great. But, hey. It beat having to deal with the diva. Joe didn’t envy Carly tha—

“Joe!” Carly’s terrified shriek had him racing toward her before he knew exactly where he was going. Was it a snake? Had she fallen down the cliff? His heart pounded double time picturing her injured, scared. He followed the path, rounded a corner and found her hunched over Piper, who was curled up in the corner of two crumbling walls, shaking, gasping for breath.

“She says she can’t breathe,” Carly offered.

He squatted and checked Piper’s pulse. Rapid, erratic. Her pupils were dilated. Not good.

“Any other symptoms?”

Carly shook her head, shrugging.

Joe cupped Piper’s face in his hands and spoke firmly. “Piper, look at me.”

The girl flinched, but her eyes met his.

“Does anything hurt?”

“M-my chest hurts.”

“Are you dizzy? Nauseated?”

She nodded.

“Were you bitten by anything?”

She shook her head. “I...don’t know. Don’t think so.”

“Have you eaten today? Taken any drugs?”

She turned her head, closed her eyes.

He glanced at Carly. “We have a first-aid kit?”

She nodded.

“Get it. And some water. Hurry.”

Carly got to her feet and took off at a sprint.

He turned his attention back to Piper. “Has this happened before?”

Between gasping for breaths she shook her head.

“Piper. Look at me.” He put a finger beneath her chin. “I want you to raise your arms above your head and take as deep a breath as you can, slowly, and then let it out slowly. Can you do that?”

Her panicked eyes stared into his a moment, then she blinked and nodded. Her breathing was already slowing.

He shifted his weight to one knee and gently lifted her arms. “Breathe in.”

She obeyed.

“Now breathe out.”

She followed his instructions and he repeated the breathing commands. Then Carly returned with the kit and the water. After several gulps Piper seemed back to normal.

“Is she going to be all right?” Carly asked Joe.

“I’m fine now. It’s this bloody heat.”

He checked Piper’s pulse again. Steady, only slightly fast. If his diagnosis was correct, she needed more than to cool off. “You should eat something.”

Piper shoved him away and got to her feet. “If you really want to help, find me an air-conditioned building.” She brushed dirt from her outfit, then grabbed her hat and sunglasses from the ground.

Joe took that as his cue to leave and headed back for the bluff. The witch was back to normal all right. Just because he was a trained paramedic didn’t mean she had to listen to him.

“Joe,” Carly called from behind him. He stopped and turned as she jogged up.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” He nodded. “She going to continue the shoot?”

“I asked her to see how she feels after she rests for a while.” She gestured down the path and he noticed she was carrying her high heels by the straps. “Piper insists it’s the heat.”

He raised his brows, highly doubting that was the problem. He remembered the way she’d gone all ashy-faced when he mentioned the word drugs and asked if she’d been drinking. With her reputation, who knew?

“What’s that look about?” Carly scrutinized his face. “You don’t believe her?”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

She grabbed his arm before he could turn to go. “Wait. If there’s something going on that will affect my photo shoot, I need to know.”

Carly had a point. And her hand on his arm was like a cushioned vise. There was no tight grip, but it held him captive just the same. “Look, I’m not a medical doctor. This isn’t an official diagnosis. But, you might want to talk to Piper about panic attacks.”

“Panic attacks?” Hands on her hips, she spun from the waist to glance behind them, then faced front again. “I thought you were going to say something about drugs.”

“Could be stress-induced from a busy schedule, combined with the heat. Find out if she’s ever had an attack or received treatment for them before.”

“Wow.” She nodded, her expression still confused. “Okay, I’ll talk to her and try to keep a closer eye on her.” She pulled her sunglasses off, met his gaze and lifted her hand to his shoulder. “Really. Thank you.”

Joe gazed at her hand, then into her eyes. She licked her lips and swallowed and Joe studied the movements. Without stopping to think, he cupped her cheek and lowered his head. She stepped closer and raised her chin. Their lips almost touched.

“I cannot do this now,” Piper called, coming along the path. “I want to return to the ship.”

Carly jumped back and gave her attention to placating her supermodel.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

PIPER BARELY MANAGED to keep her mask of indifference in place until she reached the line of taxis waiting in the road. She ordered the taxi driver to go away, and then climbed into the backseat and slowly drew her knees up to her chin.

Nandan. He should be with her. If only she hadn’t left him. Her brother had only been ten the last time she saw him.

Squeezing her eyes tight, she dug her nails into her palms. She heard her manager’s—Mrs. Henderson’s—clipped voice in her head. Stop crying!

She let out her breath on one last gulp. Then silence.

Mrs. Henderson had been right. Allowing herself to wallow in her emotions did not make her feel better. She felt worse. Weak. Foolish. And it solved nothing. She’d had private detectives searching for Nandan for more than five years. But it was as if he’d vanished from the earth.

The wind gusted in from the sea across the high bluff, blowing through the palm fronds. Seagulls squawked and other birds sang happy chirping songs. She wished she were a little bird and could fly away.

She set her jaw. If she let it, the guilt would swallow her whole like a boa swallowed a mouse. Then how would she help Nandan once she found him?

Sitting up, she wiped her cheeks and reached into her purse for the bottle of meds the doctor had prescribed for her. Back of the throat, easy swallow. She substituted the medicine bottle for her makeup bag.

A little repair work and she’d be as good as new.

She only hoped they’d believed her story about the heat.

6

“YES. THOSE SHOULD work great. Let’s stop for the day.” Carly called to the crew, her voice echoing inside the large cavern. “Thank you, everyone.” She approached Piper. “I realize the cave terrain was rough, but you were fabulous.”

Piper shrugged. “I’m just glad we’re done. I need a drink. Where’s the nearest cantina?” She exited the cave with a swish of her flowing sheer orange cover-up. Her makeup and hair people followed in her wake like courtiers of a queen.