Knight in Tattooed Armor: International Billionaires XII: The Latinos

by Caro LaFever

  Huffing at her thoughts, Risa flipped over the weird flap. Unlike the hammock her mom had on their patio, this one was odd. Instead of a white-laced weave with plump pillows, it looked more like a green bat with its wings folded together. Yet, it was far better than the humid, hot shelter.

  She jumped into the center of the hammock as she did at home. The thing jostled, joggled, and flicked her off, like she was an irritating pest. She hit the muddy ground with a hard thud. “Ouch.”

  A rumbling chuckle emanated from the other hammock.

  “You asshole.”

  His chuckle rolled across her once more. But before she could stand and launch herself at him and his hammock, a lick of a wet tongue slid across her cheek.

  “Jiggs.” She sighed, embracing the wiggling dog. “What’s wrong with your asshole of an owner?”

  “Stay away from my dog.”

  “He came to me, not the other way around. So stick it.”

  A hum of amusement was his only response.

  Getting up, she tried to sweep the clumps of mud off her butt and glared through the gloom at the offending hammock. “Stay still.”

  “Jiggers. Don’t pay any attention to the woman. Come here back to your bed.”

  “I wasn’t talking to the dog. I was talking to the hammock.”

  An exaggerated sigh slid across the terrace. “Only a woman would talk to an inanimate object.”

  “As if you know much about women at all.”

  Silence again filled the space between them.

  Jiggs whined at her side, before plodding off toward his bed.

  All she wanted right now was to sleep. Her belly was full, though she was getting sick of eating MREs. Her body was filthy, but right now, she couldn’t care less. The only thing she wanted was the hammock to behave and sleep to take her over.

  She jumped again.

  With an even faster response, the damned thing flung her to the ground once more.

  This time, he didn’t chuckle. This time it was a full-out laugh.

  Sitting in the mud, the blinking of stars above the only light, she tried to stifle her tears. The last thing she wanted to show him was more weakness. He thought she was a spoiled, stupid girl, and perhaps she was. Perhaps she had been.

  But she wasn’t now.

  In a few short days, she’d grown up. She’d seen the family company for what it was—deeply in trouble. She’d understood her parents couldn’t save her or the company. She’d managed to find out where this man was and got herself to this island. Surviving a hurricane, eating MREs, not letting herself care about her hair or her nails or her body…

  She’d grown up.

  And yet, the jerk in the hammock just laughed and laughed at her. Like she was some sick joke.

  The unwanted tears welled, pushing at her tenuous control.

  “As I said before, you should sleep in the shelter.” The words were flung at her, not caring, not wondering if she were okay. “It’s a lot easier than the hammock.”

  “Shut up.” She stuffed the tears down and rose. Letting her hands run across the hammock, she decided to try a different way. Instead of a jump, she attempted an easy roll into the canvas.

  It worked.

  Stilling, holding her breath, she waited until the swing slowly came to a stop. “Yippee!”

  Not a sound came from him now.

  Jerk.

  Rather than focus on him, she let herself sink into the comfort of the makeshift bed. She was filthy, salt and mud and dirt covering her from head to toe. But she was alive, and she’d grown up.

  Everything else could be conquered tomorrow.

  Maurisa Margot Migneault closed her eyes and slept.

  Guilt came to him again. Riq had thought it gone from his life forever because it was a useless thing that hung over a guy until he got a headache. Then it would slide into a man to turn into a thick sludge in the middle of his chest.

  So he didn’t do guilt any longer.

  Until the princesa.

  He glanced at the other hammock as he eased himself from his own. It didn’t move, and there were no sniffles, either. Gracias a Dios. He didn’t want to hear that pitiful noise ever again. Surprisingly, once she’d managed to stay in the hammock last night, he hadn’t heard a thing. But the memory of her choked voice and sniffs before she figured things out, still lingered in his mind. Shaking the memories away, he straightened, making sure to put most of his weight on his good leg.

  The morning sun edged above the horizon, and his faithful dog stood, panting by the palm tree. Trying to distract himself, he focused on the positive.

  “Ready for a walk, boy?”

  A tail thumped, thumped on the ground as a response.

  He took off across the terrace, absently scratching his naked chest. Sometime during the night, he’d gotten hot and taken off his T-shirt. He knew by the silence from the other hammock he’d have no female starring at him with gleaming eyes filled with lust.

  His cock, which normally greeted the day with an erection, finally woke and went hard. “Coño.”

  Taking a longing glance at his house, he turned and headed for the path leading down to his boat. He might as well take a look out to sea in the off chance there was some craft going by that could rescue him.

  Rescue him.

  He chuckled, low and ironic. Because that would be what it was. Rescue him from this lust pumping in his blood for a woman who’d used him. Rescue him from making another fatal mistake and falling for her lures. Rescue him from caring.

  He shouldn’t care about her.

  What he should do is go straight into his house, take a shower, and wash the salt and grime off him. What he should do is not tell her how he’d gotten clean. Let her suffer.

  Jiggs woofed by his side.

  “Yeah, boy. I know you like her. But you shouldn’t.” He stomped down the stairs, eyeing the horizon. After all the activity yesterday, his knee didn’t hurt, which astonished him.

  Activity.

  A snort came from him at the absurd word. Having quick, hot sex with the princesa wasn’t exactly an activity. The act was imprinted in his brain like a rerun of a favorite movie. Over and over, she appeared, naked. Her Marine-blue eyes wide and filled with desire. Her swinging breasts with the white skin blending into a golden tan. The prettiness of her bare mons, making his mouth grow dry with need.

  His cock ached.

  But the knowledge he’d been stupid enough not to think of a condom and inept enough not to satisfy her, lay like a blanket of irritation on top of him.

  The thoughts swirling inside made him testy and ready for another battle.

  Landing on the sandy beach, Riq did what he had to in order to get his body under control. He splashed into the ocean, grabbing his dog and sinking under the water. When they both popped up, Jiggs’ gaze focused on him with typical adoration before he barked.

  “Yeah, you love the water. I get it.” He was going to regret getting more salt on his itchy skin. Right now, though, in the early morning, with the sun shining and his buddy with him, he only wanted to enjoy the first moment of peace he’d had since Risa had barged into his life.

  My name’s Risa.

  The memory of their sex refused to stay away. It slunk into his peace like a snake, bringing with it the memory of how she’d felt, so soft and welcoming. So hot and wet.

  His cock, which had subsided, rose again, even with the cool sea water encircling it.

  She hadn’t minded his weight. Apparently, she’d liked it. Her long legs had wrapped around his waist, keeping him close. The acceptance and the tight hold of her had set something off in him. More than sexual. More than lust. And because of it, he’d lost his control before he’d taken care of her needs.

  The memory cut.

  Although she was the princesa, he should have taken care of her. He’d ridden her like a cheap date and then, he’d marched off in a huff. Not since his first time having sex, had he acted so badly. Guilt, the emotion
he despised, rose inside him once more, just as surely as his cock stood upright in his wet shorts.

  Jiggs woofed, as if he sensed the turmoil rolling in his owner.

  “Hey.”

  At the call from the beach, Riq swung his reluctant gaze her way.

  There she was. As expected.

  The sun turned her blonde hair to a blend of ivory and pearl. Her legs and arms gleamed in the light, showing off her trim figure and taut muscles. She wore her borrowed T-shirt and shorts, and by the way she held up the latter, he’d guess the knot he’d tied on it had come loose.

  “Hey,” she called again. “Taking a morning dip with Jiggs?”

  With the friendly question came an equally friendly grin.

  What the hell?

  He’d been an asshole to her last night. If his mimi and yaya had seen him, he would have had his ears boxed and his butt paddled. And still, here she was—not acting pissed or pouting. Not acting as he’d expected her to.

  Riq frowned.

  Her grin fell. “Don’t start the day being a jerk.”

  Guilt no longer snuck around inside. It overwhelmed him, like a hurricane’s storm surge. Pouring over him, almost drowning him. There was no way he could deal with it anymore. No matter how much this woman irritated him, invaded him, tried to inflict her infantile plans on him, he owed her.

  His frown turned to a scowl.

  Jiggs woofed at her, his tongue hanging out, and his eyes glowing with as much adoration as he showed his owner.

  “Your dog has nicer manners than you do.”

  At her charge, his funny bone, something he rarely dealt with other than with her, got tickled. He chuckled.

  “That’s better.” A slight smile crossed her face, turning her expression from disgruntled to encouraging. “So, caveman. What are we going to do today?”

  His cock immediately answered with a twitch.

  But no. He wasn’t going to go there. Guilt he might feel, yet it didn’t mean he had to fall down in supplication to her female wiles again. Still, he owed the woman. Something. And hell, he hated feeling dirty and salty. No self-respecting Marine would stand for the state he was in if he could do something about it.

  His brain crowded out his cock.

  “We’re going to get clean,” he announced, starting to swim toward the shore.

  Even from this far away, he saw those blue eyes turn bright. “Clean?”

  The delighted tone in her voice made him chuckle once more. “Yeah, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  “I love surprises.” She waved her one hand in excitement, like a little girl.

  Something twisted in the center of his chest. If he had one romantic bone in his body, he’d say it was his heart. But he’d never been a romantic, ever. And certainly not with this woman.

  His cock reared inside his shorts.

  Stopping, he assessed the situation. The water still lapped around his waist, so she couldn’t see and take advantage. What he needed to do was distract her until he got control of himself. “Come get Jiggs.”

  Her brows rose, but she obediently strolled across the beach and into the water. “Got a problem, caveman?”

  “Yeah.” Sì, he sure as hell did. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her as the water soaked the T-shirt until he saw her nipples and the weight of her breasts.

  She didn’t seem to notice. “Give him to me.”

  Holding his buddy like a shield, Riq sighed in relief as she took the dog and turned without giving him another look. He waited until she slogged out of the water, one hand on her shorts and the other wrapped around Jiggs, before he finally felt safe. His eyes closed and he focused on a list of stocks he planned on buying when he got back on the mainland. His cock’s excitement faded in the face of a series of numbers and names.

  “What’s the surprise?”

  Riq didn’t open his eyes. “Waterfall.”

  “What?” Her shriek made his dog bark in accompanying glee.

  Then, it hit him.

  Sure, the fresh water would feel great. The waterfall was not far away, and would offer some relief from the humid heat as well. His skin wouldn’t itch, and his hair wouldn’t feel like gravel was strewn through the strands.

  But they’d be together. In the water.

  His cock rose to life once more, and a salty curse rolled across the water.

  “You can’t go back on a surprise.”

  As he’d come to expect, the woman was smart enough to figure him and his thoughts out. A fact that made him testy once more. “Can’t I? Is there a rule about that?”

  “Yes, there is. Somewhere.”

  With the greatest reluctance, he opened his eyes. She stood on the beach, and it struck him how truly young she was. With only a little effort, he could see her as a small girl. A fairy-tale girl, waiting for her surprise. Her expression shone with hope. Her blonde hair stuck out all over, asking for help. Her expression pleaded for him to deliver what he promised.

  “Pleeeeaase.” She sounded like a kid as well.

  A mix of irritation, lust, and guilt rolled inside. Along with it, rose a wistful, weary wish that for once, a woman would see him for more than what he presented to the world. More than a tough, harsh SEAL with more money than God, who could make dreams come true like the angels above.

  Just himself. Enrique. Nothing special, except perhaps, to one special woman.

  She cocked her head, and her mouth and gaze softened. “Riq.”

  “Yeah?” He forced a smirk before wading toward the beach. “Don’t worry, princesa. I won’t renege on the waterfall.”

  “That’s not what I was thinking about.” Holding her stand as he paced toward her, she slipped him a gentle smile. “But I thank you anyway.”

  He shrugged, and in an attempt to hide from her penetrating stare, he leaned down to pet his panting dog.

  A soft sigh floated above his head. “Okay.”

  “Okay, what?” One glance told him she still had that gentle look in her eyes. “Are you ready to go or not?”

  “Okay, you don’t want to talk right now.” She swiveled and headed for the stairs. “And yes, caveman, I’m ready for anything.”

  Riq was beginning to realize that was true. She might be spoiled and impulsive. Yet, she was more than game for whatever he dished out. The recognition wrapped around his constant, lusty awareness of her, causing a line of sweat to pop up along his spine.

  He needed to be careful. Or he might find himself not only lusting, but liking.

  But the world is full of zanies and fools,

  Who don’t believe in sensible rules.

  The Fairy Godmother

  Chapter 23

  Risa couldn’t believe her eyes.

  “It’s natural, if you’re wondering.” His surly comment came from behind her, where he’d been since they’d entered this lagoon of wonderment.

  He’d been sullen as they walked through the jungle and it had taken all of her patience not to lose her temper. She’d made herself a promise, though, and she aimed to keep it. Waking in her hammock after a surprisingly satisfying sleep, she’d spent several minutes collecting her thoughts and making herself a promise.

  No matter what Riq de Molina said or did, she was going to keep focused. Keep calm.

  She had not taken him into her body to manipulate him, and outrage still bubbled. Yet, she’d seen a wary pain in his eyes when he’d thrown the accusation, an emotion that told her he had scars beyond the ones on his knee. Not being the type to get upset or hold a grudge, she was willing to cut him some slack.

  For now.

  What she needed to do was be friendly while she proved herself. Prove she was smart and worthy of his trust and his help. Once she gained that, she’d make sure he understood.

  The sex hadn’t been anything other than a giving act of…

  Love.

  Love?

  She pushed the thought from her mind and concentrated on the beauty in front of her.

 
The waterfall towered above them, at least three stories high, and the water thundered as it splashed into the deep pool below. The rocks were multicolored behind the water, a blend of reds and oranges, making the water turn from blue to aqua to green as it fell.

  “Come on.” The caveman’s voice rose, cutting through the roar of the falls. “The beach.”

  She caught his gesture before he took off and gasped when she saw the perfect circle of white sand off to the side of the rock pool. Scrambling behind him, she climbed barefoot over the last of the ridge of ferns and moss to land on the bank. The water danced in front of her eyes, a green-blue beckoning.

  “It’s fresh water.” He leaned closer, his breath sweeping across her cheek and his tone lowered. “No salt.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Shooting a smile of delight at him, she caught his grin before he turned his head to look at the water. “Promise you won’t ruin this with your attitude.”

  His thick brows rose. “Me? Attitude?”

  He might be impossible. Impossibly sullen. Impossibly gorgeous. But he was also funny. A chuckle escaped her before she could push it back.

  Swinging his focus back to her, his grin dipped into dangerous territory. It wasn’t edged with anything other than pure pleasure in the moment. His eyes filled with the same emotion, his face softening into friendliness and acceptance. She’d become so used to him as the quintessential jerk, it stunned her that he could be so free and easy, so happy.

  With her.

  The gorgeous grin retreated as she stared at him.

  An ache whispered through her.

  He’d thrown on his T-shirt before they left the terrace, but now, with one wrench, he had it over his head. Before she could take in the tattoos and beauty, he ran toward the water to take a flying leap into the middle of the pool.

  His head popped up almost immediately, dark hair plastered to his forehead and neck. His misty gaze was wary, though the remnants of the grin lingered on his mouth. “Coming in, or are you planning on missing this treat?”

  For a second, she wavered. Not about diving into the water—that was a given. But should she take her dirty, salty clothes off? Before they’d started this journey to the waterfall, she’d managed to tie a sloppy knot in the waistband. Still, by the way the shorts sagged, the knot wasn’t going to last—especially under water. And it would be so nice to be free of the filthy T-shirt and shorts. She wanted to, desperately. Except would he see it as a provocation? As a sexual lure to get his attention about her idea on bottling their mutual scent?