by Lisa Hughey
She tugged her hand from his and turned to Jack. “He’s going to take TFS into the jungle?” Her curved brow was derisive and her tone bordered on insolent.
Jack leapt to Riley’s defense. “He’s extremely well-trained and has knowledge of the area.”
“I’m a lot more adaptable than I look.” Riley smiled seductively, unable to stop the flow of innuendo. He wanted her. Bad. He carefully put his hands in his pockets to stop the instinctive need to reach out and grab her hand again. He hated to do it as it ruined the line of his fine wool gabardine trousers but desperate times and desperate measures. It wouldn’t do to accost the client.
She snorted. “I’m sure.”
Her abrasive attitude was starting to drill into the haze of attraction he was lost in. “Where am I headed?”
“Philippines,” Jack clipped out. “Jolo Island, specifically.”
Great. He’d had plenty of experience in country. Not his favorite as the political climate sucked almost as bad as the weather this time of year. Monsoon season was just about over, but the weather didn’t always conform to the timetables put out by man. Not to mention the bugs. He shuddered. But he would deal. “Cargo?”
“School supplies,” Jack replied.
“Piece of cake.” Riley grinned, exposed his white teeth and tried to put her at ease. But he got lost in the magnetism she exuded like a force field even as he noted peripherally the angry vibe that radiated from her.
But angry babe wasn’t put at ease. If anything, she stiffened even further while her pale eyes shot sparks at him. “I am going to the Philippines. I am not so sure about you.”
But Riley had stopped listening at I.
“Wait, what?” His eyebrows rose and he snapped his head toward Jack. He straightened from his nonchalant slouch and snatched his hands from his pockets. “You can’t possibly expect me to take her,” he gestured, careful to keep his voice low-key and well-modulated. “To Jolo Island.”
A rosy flush of annoyance spread across her high delicate cheekbones as she pursed her pale pink lips and her body vibrated with a fine tension.
“Exactly,” Di said. She dismissed Riley with a disdainful sweep of her lashes and trained her gaze on Jack. “Who else do you have?”
While he was insulted by the rejection , he was more concerned about her intention to travel to the Philippines, Jolo Island specifically. “You don’t want to go there.” Riley was shaking his head and trying to figure her out her. “You can’t.”
“I absolutely can. And I absolutely will.”
“Look, sweetheart—”
“My name is Diana,” she gritted out between clenched teeth. “Please use it.”
“Okay, Di,” Riley tried his super-patented, guaranteed to make the toughest critic crack, smile. “You are talking about an area overrun with pirates and terrorists, the MNLF has been entrenched there for years, and general citizens are trying to stay out of everyone’s way and just survive. It’s no place for a woman of your—”
“Are you kidding me?” she snarled. “It’s my company. Of course I’m going.”
Riley blinked. Why wasn’t she listening to him? “It’s not safe.”
“I know. That’s why we’re delivering the supplies personally,” Di ground out.
“It’s not safe for you,” Riley argued.
She patiently crossed her arms over her chest and drew Riley’s gaze to the small, perfectly plump handfuls, covered and lovingly cupped by the ice blue crew neck Henley. “That’s why I hired GHR.”
“Schools get destroyed with disconcerting frequency there.” Riley communicated the information with a pang. Kids needed all the help they could get.
“Again, that’s why I hired Jack.”
But she hadn’t hired Jack, she’d hired GHR. And Riley was truly the best choice for this particular job. He thought about the kids and school supplies and the books they needed. For more reasons than one, he would make sure that they got their supplies. Alone.
“Tools for Schools hired GHR,” Jack interjected firmly. He glanced between the two combatants, and a smug smile quirked his mouth. “And Riley is the most qualified employee for this drop.”
Diana stalked toward the door. “We’ll discuss this again. I’ll send the manifests and weight load next week.” She looked like she wanted to slam the door shut but instead she stiffened her shoulders, and swept from the office like a Southern belle in full, hoop-skirted regalia.
Riley just stared after her, admiring the subtle sway of her ass in her tight jeans as she walked out the door.
“What just happened ?” Riley asked bewilderedly. He couldn’t wrap his mind around her animosity, especially in the face of his overwhelming lust.
“You just got shut down.” Jack shouted with laughter. He bent over, shoulders shaking, hand to his stomach, as if he couldn’t contain himself any more. “You finally found a woman immune to your charm.”
Two
Present day
Di paced back and forth at the gate. She’d gotten through security in record time for which she was grateful. In the past two weeks, she had tried to convince Jack Stone, repeatedly, to send someone else, someone who didn’t care that she was going along on this trip, someone who wasn’t Riley Stone. Anyone who wasn’t Riley Stone, in fact.
Even Jack had attempted to dissuade her from traveling with GHR to deliver the school supplies. And Riley Stone had continued to batter her, via the phone, about not going to Jolo, and staying home to let him make the delivery.
They’d had multiple…discussions with each growing more contentious. Fortunately since she ran Tools for Schools, she wasn’t backing down. What he didn’t understand was that she had to go with him. Her contacts would only deal with her. The residents of Jolo were distrustful of strangers. They wouldn’t accept his presence, or anyone else’s for that matter, without her.
If GHR hadn’t come so highly recommended by her friends Lailani and Magtanggol, and if she’d been able to find another company on short notice, she’d have dumped them. But she was stuck if she wanted to get the books and paper and instructional supplies delivered on time. The kids were counting on her and TFS to get them the tools they needed to succeed. The only way to break the cycle of poverty that permeated the culture was to educate the kids, especially the girls. And Di refused to let her friends down.
Not to mention the fact that GHR was footing the bill for the transport and delivery of all the supplies. The Global Humanitarian Relief was funded by donations and a good portion of the Stone fortune. With the money that she was saving on shipping she could afford to supply additional schools. It had been hard enough to choose which schools would benefit now and which ones would have to wait until her next trip.
But Riley Freaking Stone didn’t seem to want to listen to her. Jeez, the man pushed all her buttons.
She knew his type. All glitz, no substance. He wouldn’t even look twice at someone like her. She didn’t wear short skirts, stilettos, or a double D bra. She wore jeans, motorcycle boots, and her breasts barely made bumps in her simple cotton shirts.
She didn’t drink fancy martinis. She was strictly a beer girl. She didn’t slather on makeup. She slapped on moisturizer and maybe a little lip gloss because otherwise her lips chapped. And—
What the hell was she thinking? Di reined in her temper which had started to boil and her imagination which had supplied a very detailed, specific picture of Riley Stone out for drinks with a beauty queen chick wrapped around his gorgeous frame.
She didn’t need Riley Stone to go out with her. She just needed him to help her deliver the school supplies that she’d sweated blood and tears to collect, to help the school children in the most ravaged areas, torn apart by political instability, greed, and the random destruction caused by the fighting between the Moro National Liberation Front, various other rebels, and the government.
That’s what Riley and Jack didn’t understand. She really wasn’t trying to be difficult. She had to go. Th
e contacts for Tools for Schools were hers. And they were slow to trust. Slow to believe in good, their lives a constant barrage of bad. Now was the right time. The country’s government and MNLF and other rebels had a cemented a peace accord in July, and the political climate was perfect for a humanitarian mission. She wasn’t stupid. She did understand there were dangers.
But what they didn’t understand was her compulsion to help those who had helped raise her. She had an obligation to give back to the community that supported her and nurtured her when she was growing up.
Everyone hoped that the accord would hold and the government and rebels could work out their differences. But that hope was tempered by the reality that the two factions had been fighting for years. There was tentative promise that the region was finally on the road to peace. But that road was littered with past optimism and past disappointment.
She prayed Riley wouldn’t leave her in Jolo when he discovered that she’d left the most important, and most difficult to access, school off the official itinerary. Her childhood friend, Lailani, ran the school and her daughter Divina was the most needy recipient of Di’s donations. It was located in a remote area with a fairly treacherous trek to get there. And housed the largest concentration of MNLF rebels on island so the place was still considered fairly hostile at least by the U.S. government.
Di headed for the coffee kiosk in the International terminal at San Francisco International Airport. The Monterey Regional Airport didn’t have international flight capabilities or runway length for the large cargo plane, so they’d had to travel to San Francisco. The good news was they could fly straight from San Francisco to Jolo Island in the Sulu Archipelago.
She’d barely slept last night, worrying about all the obstacles that they’d face. And worrying about Riley Stone and her unwilling and annoying attraction to him. She knew he was a player and had no loyalty to any woman. Guys like him were bad news.
Unfortunately, her body wasn’t getting the message. Her brain knew but her hormones didn’t care. Because she was unduly attracted to him. And why the hell was she dwelling on Riley Stone?
Dammit. She needed caffeine. Bad.
Guys like him thrived on the conquest, whether he had any interest in the spoils or not. She refused to let him see that she was not immune to his personal brand of sexy. Even though, damn, he was unbelievably hot.
But he knew it. And that was the biggest turn off of all. She refused to reveal that she held anything but disdain for him and his slick moves. She hated to admit that his confidence was just as attractive as his body. But the last thing she needed was sex with an over-confident stud like Riley Stone.
That was that.
Riley strode through the crowded cargo terminal, his duffel slung across one shoulder. The security checkpoint had been a bitch. Even with his “permission to carry” on board the plane and bring into a foreign country, he’d been drilled about his weapons and intentions. What he planned to do while he was there, how long he’d be there, and where exactly he’d be going.
If he’d gotten more than a few hours sleep it would have helped but every time he closed his eyes he saw Di’s pale blue eyes flashing, her x-rated mouth pursed, her pert breasts bouncing, and the lean line of her torso as she stormed out of Jack’s office a few weeks ago, which was the last time he’d seen her in person.
They’d had plenty of conversations over the phone.
She couldn’t stand him. Which honestly confused Riley. Everyone liked him.
He’d never met a person he couldn’t charm, but Diana Lundberg seemed to be the exception.
And if Di knew, that in addition to his job to deliver school supplies, he had a mission to gather as much intelligence on the political climate in the midst of the peace accord, to document the location of any MNLF camps he ran into, the true attitude of the government toward the peace accord, even the true position of the MNLF, she would gut him with his own K-Bar.
Publicly the government was very pleased with the cessation of violence treaty and open to finding a peaceful solution to years of strife, violence and confrontation. But there was a general feeling in the U.S. that perhaps privately the Philippine government was less receptive to the terrorist peace accord than they had publicly declared. In the past, the Philippine government felt that if they gave in and negotiated with the MNLF it would weaken their effectiveness overall. However, the hope was that the political climate really was shifting toward peace.
Unfortunately, intelligence reports suggested the latest thwarted bomb plot in Manila had originated in the Sulu Province. And again, that could be from a very small, disgruntled faction of the rebels, but the details regarding who instigated the plot were still sketchy.
All they really had right now was rumors. And no one wanted to make accusations or retaliate until the truth had been confirmed. The entire region was in a position of delicate instability. Exactly the wrong time to be taking a civilian to Jolo Island.
Riley strode toward the coffee kiosk and admired the very fine butt waiting in line for a moment before he realized he was ogling Diana. Shit.
He rubbed a hand through his hair. That was the last thing he needed. But perversely, the fact that she didn’t seem to like him made him want to try harder. He sidled up behind her just in time to hear her moan after she took a sip of her steaming coffee.
The sound went straight to his dick. He shifted his bag in front of his groin and hoped no one noticed his raging hard-on. It was going to be a long fucking trip if her unguarded response to coffee instantly made him hard.
“Good morning,” he rumbled in her ear and smiled as the puff of breath caused goosebumps to rise on her neck and her nipples to pucker beneath another form-fitting cotton, long sleeve shirt. In theory the shirt wasn’t remotely sexy, but the way the thin waffle weave clung to her high, perfect breasts and shaped to her flat, taut stomach revealed far more than it concealed. And her well-worn khaki cargo pants hung low on her sharp hip bones and cupped her absolutely spectacular ass. Riley’s palms itched with the desire to run his hands over her curves.
Diana yelped and bobbled her coffee.
Riley cupped his hand underneath hers like he was bracing his weapon, so she didn’t spill the hot liquid. “Easy,” he murmured. “You don’t want to get burned.”
Her pale pink, unpainted lips tightened and Riley tried, really hard, not to notice the flawless bow and think X-rated thoughts.
He couldn’t help but want to rile her until she unclenched her teeth and let him have it. Even her arguing made him hard. Riley let his fingers skim the inside of her forearm as he removed his hand from hers, the touch in no way inappropriate but still sensual as hell.
Her only response was a tight, “Thank you.”
“Have a seat and I’ll see if Shane and Ethan are almost ready to go.” Riley glanced at his Luminox Point Man watch, checking the time, and ignoring the inbuilt compass. “The pallets were loaded last night, so once we file our flight plan and gas up, we should be good to go.”
“Can’t wait,” Di said coolly, clearly meaning the exact opposite. She skedaddled to the row of plastic chairs as if she couldn’t stand to be near him, and sat primly in the hard seat. Then she pulled out her smart phone and proceeded to ignore him.
Riley took one more second to admire her outdoorsy look, woven hemp bracelets loose on her wrists, cargo pants low on her hips, and the tight Henley. With rectangular navy glasses that accented her gorgeous eyes, she looked like the epitome of every smart chick in high school who looked down her nose at him—at least it felt that way—when he’d barely scraped by with a C and she’d set the curve.
But he’d always managed to sweet talk the smart girls out of their glasses and their panties with ease, playing into every single bad boy fantasy they dreamed up after they finished studying. So who was really the smart one?
Riley suppressed a grin and tried really hard not to get turned on by her snarky attitude but he didn’t succeed. Every time she pursed
those lips, he wanted to lick into her mouth and spend the twelve or so hours of the long flight exploring her body. His cock rose as he thought about all the time they had before they arrived on Jolo Island and started the next, more grueling leg of their trip.
Now who was the one with the fantasy?
Which was exactly that. A fantasy. Once he started laying down the ground rules, she’d have even less interest in getting busy with him than she did now. Riley confirmed with Shane that they were only about half an hour from takeoff. Then he sauntered to the bank of seats and eased down next to her. Riley gave her his best smile. The one that got him the biggest piece of pie in the restaurant or the key to an upgraded suite in his hotel.
“We can board in a few minutes,” he told her.
She rolled her eyes then redirected her gaze back down at the screen on her phone, dismissing him as if he were a particularly pesky fly. “Fine.”
Damn, that smile usually worked.
“Is there a reason that you don’t like me?” He had tried to figure out why and failed to come up with any other reason than she was pissed because he hadn’t wanted her to go on this trip. He still thought it was a bad idea, but he and Jack had come up with measures to keep her safe.
“I don’t dislike you,” she disagreed.
“That’s not what I asked.” Riley tried to temper his reply but he really didn’t get it. As far as he knew, he hadn’t done anything to her personally, besides try to keep her safe.
He couldn’t even process why his blood pressure seemed to elevate around her. He was known for his calm under pressure and his easygoing attitude, but Di Lundberg got on nerves he didn’t even know he had. He shrugged off his ire. But with her acerbic attitude and unprovoked animosity, it was going to be a really long trip.
“Have you had your inoculations?” Ha, he might have found a way past having to take her with him. The thought had him relaxing slightly.
“Nice try, hotshot.” She smirked. And even that little curl of her sexy mouth turned him on. “Yes, I’m up to date on all my shots.”