“I’ll have a blood orange Cosmo,” I said. “And keep ’em coming.”
Luke and Christian ordered a pitcher of beer to split, Jenn and Kinsley ordered Cokes, and Derek and Chase both ordered bottles of some beer I’d never heard of.
“Wolaver’s? Never heard of that,” said Luke, who never drank anything except Bud Light.
“It’s an organic beer,” Chase answered, leaning back in his chair and toying with his fork. “It’s good, you should try it.”
“I tend to stay away from things that are organic,” Luke joked. “That’s just code for ‘expensive’.”
“Get one and put it on my tab if you want to try it,” I offered. “You too, Christian.”
Chase made a noise from beside me, and I turned to glower at him. “I’m sorry, Chase, do you have something you’d like to say?”
Hunching his shoulders, Chase continued fiddling with his fork, keeping his eyes on the table. “Nope,” he said. “Don’t mind me.”
“I won’t,” I snapped, turning my attention back to the menu. The waitress returned with our drinks and I took half of mine in one swallow. This guy was starting to give me a headache and I needed to get good and buzzed.
“What are your vegetarian options?” Chase asked the waitress after taking a sip of his beer. “I don’t eat anything with a face.”
“We have a special vegetarian menu, sir,” the waitress replied with a smile. I didn’t miss the way her eyes traced the bulges of his muscles beneath his baby blue T-shirt, but he was oblivious. “It’s there, on the bottom left corner.”
Chase nodded. After perusing the small vegetarian section, he settled on a red curry vegetable soup. The waitress rounded the table and came to me last. I set my menu aside and ordered the Southwestern nachos.
“Chicken or beef?” the waitress asked, her huge smile still in place.
Smirking smugly, I cut my eyes at Chase. “Beef,” I said in a syrupy sweet voice. “Extra beef.”
The waitress took up our menus and left, promising to come back with another Cosmo for me. I drained what was left of my first one.
“Are you a vegetarian, too?” Kinsley asked Derek, who had ordered a pasta dish.
Derek laughed. “No way, man. I’m all for organic and going green, but I’m not as dedicated as Chase. I could never turn down a good steak.”
“I hear that restaurant, Andromeda, has the best steak on the island,” I said conversationally, nodding my thanks to the waitress when she set my second drink in front of me. “We’re having dinner there Friday night.”
Chase mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like: “You gonna pay for that, too?” I couldn’t be sure, though, so I ignored him.
“Don’t know if we’ll have time to hang out in town much,” Derek explained. “We’re only here a few more days, and our work is keeping us pretty busy. We’re supposed to be studying mostly threatened and endangered species, but we’ve been sidetracked by everything else Dasia has to offer. You could spend your whole life out there and still never uncover all its secrets.”
Kinsley stared at Derek with wide eyes and parted lips … the conversation wasn’t exactly a panty dropper to me, but for her it pretty much sealed the deal. I had to admit, Derek was pretty cute, even if he was kind of nerdy. “It seems so fascinating,” she said, leaning toward him. “I’d love to see some of your research.”
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked. “I could take you out there for a few hours. You can bring your friends, too.”
I wrinkled my nose. “No thanks. I had my fill of the rainforest this morning.”
“I’m sure the rainforest has had its fill of you, too,” Chase mumbled.
“Okay, that’s it,” I growled, swiveling to face him. “What the hell is your problem?”
Setting his beer bottle aside, he pierced me with his cool green stare. “I don’t have a problem, but you seem to.”
“Only one,” I countered. “You. I was having a perfectly nice vacation until you came along, mister I’m so perfect and live in the woods with the snakes and monkeys, and ‘I don’t eat anything with a face’.”
Chase shot to his feet, his chair scraping back from the table. Derek stood as well. “Dude, leave her alone.”
Ignoring him, Chase never took his eyes off me. “Oh, I think daddy’s little girl can defend herself. Can’t you, princess? Miss prissy pants, scream at the sight of a harmless snake, spend daddy’s money, spoiled, pampered little brat!”
My arm lashed out on its own accord, flinging the rest of my Cosmo and splashing him right in the face. Slamming the glass down onto the table, I turned on my heels and stomped off.
How dare he call me a brat? He doesn’t even know me well enough to know that it’s true. Jackass.
“Hey, wait a second!”
Without stopping, I dared a glance over my shoulder and sped up when I realized it was Chase pursuing me. With the red-orange drink staining his shirt, he followed me from the restaurant and out toward the beach. His legs were way longer than mine, and he’d caught up to me in about five long strides. His hand caught my arm and I was forced to stop and face him.
“What do you want now?” I demanded, jerking my arm from his hold. “You want me to stand here and let you insult me some more?”
Chase sighed, a sound that was both exasperated and resigned. He used the hem of his shirt to wipe his face clean, giving me a five second glimpse of his delicious, golden abs. Jesus Christ, if he wasn’t such a jerk, I’d have mounted him then and there.
“Look,” he said, letting his shirt fall back into place, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean any of that stuff I said.”
“Sure you did,” I scoffed.
He shrugged. “Okay, you got me there. I did mean it, but I still shouldn’t have said it. I’m having a bad day, and you just rubbed me the wrong way.”
“Apology accepted. Now, kindly go to hell.”
Turning on my heels, I continued on my way. To my surprise—and annoyance—Chase followed me. “That’s it? All I get is ‘go to hell’?”
“I’m not sure what else you want from me,” I answered.
“How about a chance to make it up to you?”
I paused in the doorway of the hotel, eyeing him thoughtfully. “Make it up to me how?”
He ran a hand through his brown curls, adorably tousling them. “Well, your first rainforest experience wasn’t exactly the best. What do you say I take you out and show you the good stuff?”
“How do I know you’re not going to shove me into a snake pit and call your little buddies to come eat me?”
“Because they’re still working on the last unsuspecting girl I lured down there,” he said with a laugh. “Look, I swear, no more snakes—at least, I won’t let you see them. They’re everywhere, and that can’t be helped, but you’ll have fun and I won’t let anything eat you. Scout’s honor.”
“You would be a Boy Scout,” I grumbled.
He grinned. “Made it all the way to eagle. You in or what?”
“Definitely not. Hiking in the rainforest … that’s fun? I have a spa appointment in the morning.”
“So meet me right after. Noon?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. Part of me wanted to tell this guy to kiss my ass—both cheeks. Another part of me couldn’t help but notice that he had dimples that magically appeared when he turned on that megawatt smile. He wasn’t at all my usual sort of guy, but I wasn’t in the market for anything permanent. I gave up on permanent a long time ago and started opting for temporary fun. Besides, his invitation was more than what it seemed. It was a downright challenge, and I never back down from a dare.
“Fine,” I relented. “I’ll be here.”
I was in a surprisingly good mood when I met Chase in the lobby for our outing. It might have had to do with the hour long massage, Tahitian vanilla body scrub, seaweed wrap, and mani/pedi I got before meeting him. I’d donned my boots—which had dried overnight from t
heir soaking on the boat—a pair of white shorts, and a turquoise tank top. Underneath, I’d put on my black bikini, hoping to get to the beach after my rainforest excursion with Chase. Unfortunately, the chances of that were slim. The day was already overcast, and it seemed highly likely that a storm would squash any plans to hit the beach.
Chase was yummy in khaki cargos and a black tank top, his biceps bulging and forearms defined. One of his biceps was tattooed, a tribal design that circled his arm, standing out stark black against his sun-tanned skin. He frowned when I got closer.
“You smell like a sugar cookie,” he said.
I grinned. “Right? The Tahitian vanilla body scrub treatment was a last minute addition to my spa day, but I love it.”
He rolled his eyes as he rifled through the backpack I hadn’t noticed until just then. “You’re going to need this,” he said before thrusting a spray can in my face. I choked and sputtered as he covered me with foul-smelling bug spray.
“Dude, what the hell!” I screeched, sneezing a few times as the aerosolized repellant wafted up my nose.
“You don’t want to go into the rainforest smelling like that,” he said with a shrug, jamming the spray back into his bag. “You’re just inviting the bugs to bite you. ‘Oh, hi Mr. Mosquito, please have a taste, I smell like pastries’.”
I wrinkled my nose at him. “Well, now that you’ve effectively ruined my spa treatment, let’s get this show on the road.”
Chase slung the backpack over his shoulder again, and we took off, exiting the lobby and wading through the bodies coming to and from the resort. The beach sprawled out in front of us, but we hung a left, heading toward a path leading into the thick rainforest. A tour guide was leading a group on a well-beaten trail, but Chase directed me in a different direction, down a fork in the path, leading into a thick region of overgrown trees and bushes.
“This path doesn’t look very well used,” I mumbled as I followed Chase. He pushed low-hanging vines and branches aside, clearing a better path, but I could tell not many people opted to come this way.
“It’s not,” he said, “but that’s the best part. This is where all the good stuff is. The tours are nice and the guides know their stuff, but there’s nothing like going off the beaten path.”
I studied the back of his head as we walked, intrigued. “Wow, you really are nuts. You know, paths are there for a reason. They tell you where to go so you can avoid getting eaten by a jaguar.”
Chase paused and turned to face me with a boyish grin—one I’m willing to bet has melted more than its fair share of panties. “True,” he said. “But then, someone has to be the first, right? Come on, you’ll like this. I bet you’re hungry. It’s about lunch time, isn’t it?”
I ran a hand over my stomach, thinking idly that I wished I had eaten more than the fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait I ordered at breakfast. “Sure, I could eat. What are we going to do, skin a monkey?” I laughed, but then choked on it when Chase shot me a dirty look over his shoulder. “Oh, right, I forgot. Nothing with a face.”
We came to a clearing where the trees opened up a bit, revealing a deep pool with water so clear I could see down to the bottom. A rocky ledge rose up on one side, and a cascading waterfall ran down it and into the pool, which was surrounded by flowering plants in a burst of bright oranges, pinks, and purples. My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. From the corner of my eye, I could see Chase’s smug grin as he took in my reaction.
“See this vine, here?” he asked, reaching for a twisting, green mass of vines, leaves, and beautiful purple blossoms. I nodded, coming closer as he plucked one of the blooms from the vine. “This is purple passion fruit.” He handed me the blossom and pointed to a cluster of plump plum-colored fruit hanging from the vine beneath more of the flowers. “It’s really sweet, and one of the many edible plants around here.”
Plucking a handful, he held them out to me, and I reluctantly took one. “Is it safe to eat right off the vine like that?” I asked, wrinkling my nose as I eyed the fruit suspiciously.
Chase laughed and brought one to his lips. “Probably safer than the pesticide-coated crap they sell at the grocery store.” He bit into the skin, causing a bit of the juice to spurt out and land on my cheek. Before I could wipe it away, he reached up and swiped at it with his thumb, his fingers light on my jawline, causing an undeniable case of the tingles. He brought his thumb to his lips, causing my own to part as his tongue flicked out to lap at the droplet. Chase caught me staring, and his gaze locked on mine, the eyelids lowering sensually over those dreamy green eyes of his. “Try it,” he said, his hand grasping my wrist and lifting it up between us … reminding me that I was still holding the passion fruit while staring at him like an idiot.
Blinking rapidly, I obeyed, faintly aware that Chase’s fingers were still wrapped lightly around my wrist. He was right, the passion fruit was to die for, sweet and tender beneath the firm skin. “Wow,” I said after chewing and swallowing. “That is good.”
Chase let go of my wrist and deposited more of the little fruits into my palm. “That’s not all,” he said, turning away abruptly. Grasping a low hanging branch, he braced his foot on the trunk and began to climb.
Craning my neck up to watch, I called to him, “Hey, what are you doing?”
Either he didn’t hear me, or he chose not to respond, because Chase just kept climbing, his long arms and legs propelling him steadily upward. I popped another passion fruit and chewed, watching him warily. He paused a few feet up and reached out, plucking something brown, oblong, and fuzzy from one of the branches. When he dropped back to the ground, he held it out to me proudly.
“Coconut?” I asked, frowning at the hairy thing.
“Close,” he answered. “This is cupuacu. Very similar to the coconut, but I personally like it better.”
Striding over to a large boulder, he bashed the cupuacu against it, splitting it in half. Handing me one of the halves, he made his way over to the edge of the water and sank down onto the grass, cross-legged. I joined him, watching as he dipped his fingers into the shell, pulling away the white pulp. The smell of it was tempting, like a combination of chocolate and pineapple, causing my stomach to rumble. I was too hungry to care about not having a fork or spoon.
“Well, when in Rome,” I murmured, before digging in with my fingers. “So,” I asked between bites, “what are you studying at Texas A&M that has you hanging out in a rainforest during your summer vacation?”
“I’m in the Biology graduate program,” he answered. “I graduated with my Bachelor’s last year, with a minor in Chemistry. The trip out here is part of a summer abroad program. A lot of other students chose to go places where they could party and drink while fitting in trips to museums so they can say they got exposed to some culture over the summer.”
“No partying and drinking for you, huh?”
He shrugged, lifting the shell of the cupuacu to take a swig of the juice pooled at the bottom. I tried it as well, surprised to find it tasted kind of like pear with a hint of banana. Note to self, find out if it’s possible to grow a cupuacu tree in Texas.
“I like a good drink as much as the next guy, and don’t mind parties, but this is important, being here and seeing it all firsthand. The rainforests are dying … no, they’re being murdered by corporate greed and ambition. Slashing and burning of the rainforests is already having a huge effect on the world, and it’s only going to continue to get worse if people don’t wake up. Carbon cycling, endangered animals, plants that have the ability to cure diseases … they’re all going to be lost if someone doesn’t do something.” He blushed sheepishly and lowered his head. “Sorry, sometimes I get caught up and start rambling.”
“No, that’s cool,” I said quickly, honestly meaning it. “You’re passionate about the environment, I respect that.”
He smirked. “What are you passionate about, princess?”
“Fashion,” I said without batting an eyelash. “Fashion and journalism.”
I scowled. “If that’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fashion, then you’re clueless,” I said with a snort. “And it says a lot about what you think of me.”
Chase sighed. “Look, don’t take it personal, it just seems like such a waste of time worrying about what people are wearing and where they got it from. There are so many more important things in the world to spend your time and energy on.”
Scoffing in annoyance, I stood, unsure of why I even cared what Chase thought of me. I certainly have never cared before about a guy’s opinion. “Right, and while you and the other tree huggers are out there saving the world I suppose you plan to do so naked? Someone has to design and make cargo shorts and tank tops. And by the way, going green in fashion is actually a big thing right now—sustainable energy, environmentally friendly production, fabrics made of recycled materials. You’re not the only one who cares about the world, Chase.”
He stood to face me, hands up in defense. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry! Geez, I didn’t mean anything by it. I said don’t take it personal.”
“It’s kind of hard not to. What if I were to say something like: who cares about animals when there are starving children—people—in the world who deserve way more of our time and energy?”
Chase frowned. “Oh, thems fightin’ words, princess.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Exactly.”
He nodded, his unruly curls bobbing. “Okay, point taken. You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry, okay? I guess, I just don’t get what the fuss is about when it comes to clothes. I mean, you’ve got your hair all pressed, that crap on your nails, and that goop on your face, for what? To impress some guy?”
I laughed. “Are you kidding? Girls don’t dress to impress guys, we dress to impress other girls! Clothes are about expression and showing people who you are with an outward display.”
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