Tropical Tryst: 25 All New and Exclusive Sexy Reads

by Nicole Morgan

  “Of course. I want you, Juanita. I’ve never stopped wanting you.” He reached for her hands and folded them between his. “But I have something to tell you first.”

  Wariness interrupted the dawning happiness in her eyes. “What?”

  Ryan took a deep breath and stared at their linked hands. “I’m not in Mexico City on vacation. I’m here to stay. I’ve accepted a position with a large engineering firm downtown, and my permanent residency paperwork came through last month. All my stuff is in storage with a shipping company. I’m staying at a hotel right now, but as soon as I find a place to rent they’ll deliver it. I start work on Monday.”

  Juanita stared at him. Her face had gone pale so rapidly he worried she might pass out. Her fingers gripped his. She breathed heavily for several seconds. Finally she choked out, “You’re moving here?”

  “I already have. It’s a done deal.” He freed his hands and extracted a plastic rectangle from his wallet to display to her. “The Mexican equivalent of a green card, more or less. I’m legal to live and work here as long as I want. My new company expedited my application. Apparently American engineers are in high demand.”

  When she didn’t say anything, he kept talking as he returned his wallet to his pocket and reached for her hands again. “I’m excited about the projects I’ll be working on. There’s a lot of infrastructure redevelopment going on, bringing the older parts of the city up to modern standards. My new colleagues have all sorts of things to teach me, and they’re eager to learn what I know. It’s going to be a productive collaboration.”

  Juanita started shaking her head halfway through his speech. When he paused, she burst out, “Ryan, you can’t!”

  “It’s a bit late to change my mind now.” He stroked her taut fingers.

  Tears welled in her eyes. She dashed them away impatiently. “You’re not fooling anyone. I know you did this for me. You gave up your home and your family and your country and followed me here. Why didn’t you ask me first? I would have told you not to. I didn’t let them deport me again just to have you go into exile, too.”

  “That’s why I didn’t ask.” Ryan chose his words carefully. “This isn’t exile. I didn’t give any of those things up. I can go to the US anytime I choose, either for a visit or to move back. My family is only a two hour flight away, closer than if I’d moved to Los Angeles. I’m still an American citizen, and I don’t have any plans to change that. I just decided I’d like to live abroad for a while.”

  Desperate, painful hope was growing in her eyes, but she shook her head, scowling. “What if I decide I don’t want to get back together with you?”

  “Then I’ll be very sad. But I won’t be sorry I came here, and I won’t go back.” He cupped her cheek. “Juanita, when I found out what you did, I was so proud of you and so damn angry at the same time. I know how much courage it took. I know I would have spent years in prison if you hadn’t, and Carmen, too. I’ll forever be grateful that you saved me from that. And I was furious at you for throwing your future away for my sake. I wanted to grab you and shake you and yell at you until you changed your mind, except it was too late. You were already gone.”

  She pressed her face into his hand. “That’s why I didn’t tell you what I was going to do.”

  “I know. So you understand why I didn’t, either.”

  She turned to scrub her damp eyes against his palm. “But… but… to move to Mexico… it’s such a huge, drastic, crazy—”

  “That’s what everyone keeps telling me, but it really isn’t. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, actually.” He stroked her hair, savoring the soft, springy waves he’d spent so much time imagining. “I’ve always wanted to see as much of the world as I could. This is an adventure.” He wrinkled his nose at her. “The fact that you live here is just a bonus.”

  That won the chuckle he’d wanted. “Right.”

  He slid his hand beneath her hair at the nape of her neck and dropped his voice to a husky murmur. “A wonderful, incredible, unbelievably amazing bonus.”

  She yielded to his gentle pressure until her forehead was resting against his. “You really mean that?” Her breath quickened, and a note of incredulous wonder tinged her voice. “It’s true, isn’t it? There’s nothing keeping us apart anymore. We can be together.”

  He swallowed. “There’s no rush. We have all the time we need. You don’t owe me anything. When I decided to move here, I knew there were no guarantees. I just knew I would regret it forever if I didn’t do everything in my power to give us a chance.”

  She drew a shaky breath that was at least half sob. “Oh, god, Ryan, I love you so much. I don’t need time. I want you now.”

  She reached for his mouth and Ryan pulled her close, drinking in the lips and tongue that were even sweeter than he remembered. And even hotter than the fantasies that had tormented and tantalized him the whole time they’d been apart. By the time they came up for air she was in his lap and both of their shirts were on the floor.

  He nuzzled the curve of her breast. “I love you, Juanita. I never want to be apart from you again.”

  “You don’t have to.” She kneaded his shoulders. “Move in with me. This apartment is big enough for two. There’s plenty of room for your stuff. The second bedroom is empty because at first I couldn’t afford furniture for it, and then I didn’t have any reason to get any. And it’s only a five minute walk to a rail line that will take you straight downtown. I promise, it’s an easier commute than you’ll find anywhere else in the city.”

  He slid his fingers under the waistband of her jeans. “All very persuasive arguments. But I don’t know. What else can you offer to sweeten the deal?”

  She put her head to the side, pretending to consider. “Hot sex every night?”

  “Sold.” Ryan pushed her bra aside and sucked on her nipple, earning a gasp of pleasure. He paused on the way to the other side. “And with both of us sharing the rent, we’ll have plenty of money to set aside for other things. Like travel. I want to go everywhere in Mexico. We can start with Chichen Itza; it’s one of the seven wonders of the world. And when we’ve seen as much as we want here, we can go farther. You might not be able to visit the United States, but as a Mexican citizen you shouldn’t have any trouble traveling to the rest of the world. South America. Europe. Africa. Asia.”

  She sucked in her breath. “Can we go on another cruise?”

  “Sure. There are plenty that leave from ports outside the US.”

  She lay her head against his chest. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up.” She toyed with the hair around his nipple, giving him a shy glance before looking away. “Dad wouldn’t be able to come to our wedding, but Carmen could. And your family.”

  “Juanita Gomez, is that a proposal?”

  She shrugged and hid her face in his chest, blushing. “We shouldn’t rush into anything.”

  “Too bad, because I was about to say yes.” He hugged her. “We can set up a Skype connection for your dad. On a phone or a tablet, because I want to get married on a beautiful tropical beach. I don’t care where, but in addition to good phone service it’s got to have sand and palm trees and bright blue water.”

  She sighed, then wrinkled her nose at him. “Beautiful as that sounds, I want a church wedding. In the oldest, most historic Catholic church we can find.”

  “Uh-oh. Looks like we have a problem.” Ryan grinned at her. “We’ll just have to compromise. There has to be a church on a beach somewhere.”

  “Or near one, at least.” Juanita sighed and wrapped her arms around him. “Ryan, are you sure about this? Are you sure that a few years from now you aren’t going to get homesick and be sorry you ever left? I want you to stay with me more than I can possibly express, but I don’t want to hurt you. I know how hard it is to lose your home.”

  Ryan buried his face in her hair and inhaled its citrusy scent. “Juanita, from now on, my home is wherever we’re together.”

  “Oh.” She breathed hard, and
Ryan felt dampness on his chest. “I thought I’d never be home again.” She raised her tear-streaked, shining face to him. “But here I am.”

  He crushed her close. When he could speak again, he said, “I think we should celebrate our homecoming.” He wiggled his hips. “Somewhere more comfortable than this very hard chair.”

  She laughed, the bright, uninhibited sound he loved so much, and jumped out of his lap. She grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. “I know just the place. With my first paycheck from the clinic I bought a nice, big, soft bed. Come see.”

  “Now that’s an invitation I can’t possibly refuse.” Ryan let her draw him into her bedroom and down onto her bed. Their bed, now and forever. He’d come home at last to Juanita’s arms, and he was never going to leave again.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Elana Brooks is the author of the science fiction romance series The Covenant of the Rainbow. Read an excerpt of Book One here (www.ElanaBrooks.com/excerpt). She also writes young adult fantasy under the name Angela Holder (www.AngelaHolder.com).

  Elana lives with her husband of twenty-six years in Houston, Texas. She went on her first cruise two years ago with her whole family, and enjoyed it so much she immediately planned another with just her husband. Many of the details and incidents in this story are drawn from those two trips. She's already counting the days until she can sail again!

  To learn about new releases and special deals, subscribe to her newsletter (www.ElanaBrooks.com/subscribe) or visit her Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/ElanaBrooksAuthor).

  JUST TRUST ME

  CELESTE HALL

  Love is unconditional. Trust must be earned.

  When her best friend since childhood invites Jenn to spend time in a beautiful Amazon resort, free of charge, Jenn leaps at the opportunity. Maybe she can finally escape the terror stalking her in New York city.

  * * *

  Almost the moment she steps off the plane, Jenn is blindsided by the appearance of Remi's surly older brother. An ex-marine, now chief of resort security, Jackson is looking sexier than ever, but just as unapproachable.

  * * *

  Jackson has wanted Jenn in his bed for as long as he can remember, but sleeping with your little sister's best friend felt like a huge violation of unspoken sibling law.

  * * *

  When Jenn's terrible secret follows her to the jungle and threatens to take her from him forever, Jackson vows to keep her safe, but to do so, he'll need to gain back the trust he destroyed long ago.

  CHAPTER 1

  “I don’t like it, Jenn. I’d feel a lot better if you’d cancel this trip and stay here, where I can protect you.”

  Jenn gave the man sitting behind the steering wheel a mock scowl. He was painfully thin, with unkempt hair, and the complexion of a computer geek who rarely saw sunlight. But for what he lacked in looks, he made up with unquestionable devotion.

  “Peter, we’ve been over this. I really need this vacation. Besides, I miss Remi and our long girl talks.”

  “You can talk to me.”

  She offered a wan smile, because she could see that he was being sincere.

  Although he was rumored to have a questionable history, Peter was really a thoughtful guy, although a bit strange. And very clingy. He’d firmly attached himself to her after she’d started working her new job at the call center.

  At first, she’d believed that he was romantically interested in her, but after having him puppy dogging her around the office for a few months, without ever actually hitting on her, she’d decided he was just the kind of personality who struggled to make friends on his own.

  When Remi left, Peter had simply inserted himself into the void left behind.

  Best friends since kindergarten, Remi and Jenn were nearly inseparable until just six months ago, when Remi had taken a job as the manager of an exotic tropical resort in South America.

  “Last chance,” Peter begged as they pulled up in front of the airport terminal. “You can still change your mind. Just tell Remi that you got busy at work and needed to find another week to come visit, that should buy you time to come up with a better excuse.”

  “Sorry hon, I might never get another chance to visit the rainforest,” she returned. “I’m not rich. The only reason I can afford this trip, is because Remi now runs the place. She’s giving me a free room and meals, so all I had to pay for were the plane tickets. I really can’t pass up an opportunity like this.”

  “It’s not safe,” Peter argued. Were those tears glistening in his eyes? “I was just reading an article about girls who disappeared while on vacation. It happens every year. Hundreds, maybe thousands of women are raped, abused, or completely vanish, most likely sold into slavery or murdered.”

  “Jeez, Peter!” Jenn frowned. “Can’t you just be jealous of me, like everyone else? You’re really starting to freak me out!”

  “You should be scared,” he pressed. “It’s not safe to travel alone. Especially in a place like the Amazon. There are tribes down there which still practice cannibalism. There was an article about them on CNN last month.”

  “Those tribes live in the deepest, most remote parts of the rainforest,” Jenn growled, shoving open the passenger door and climbing out of the ancient Ford Fiesta. The car was probably older than she was, with a patchwork of primer gray smeared over large portions of its otherwise rust covered body.

  “Besides, I won’t be alone. I’ll be with Remi.”

  Peter awkwardly emerged from the driver’s side of the vehicle and hurried around the back to meet her.

  “Remi will be working,” he continued the argument, ignoring her scowl. “She’s not going to be watching out for you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Jenn sighed in frustration, making a halfhearted attempt to steal his keys when he didn’t immediately open the trunk for her. “I’ll stay in the resort area. They have private security. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

  Peter reluctantly helped her lift the luggage out of the trunk, but she could see that he wasn’t very happy doing it. In fact, he looked rather mad at her attempts to brush off his concern. Yet, despite his nagging, it was kind of nice to have someone who cared.

  “I’ll be fine,” she promised. “Now stop trying to scare me and give me a hug.”

  He attempted a smile, but it failed to reach his eyes.

  “Just be safe,” he mumbled against her shoulder.

  “I will.”

  IT WAS a seven-and-a-half-hour flight from New York to Cusco, then a two hour wait to catch a charter flight from Cusco to Boca Manu. When Jenn finally stepped off the tiny charter plane, she gulped in a huge breath in relief.

  The view was incredible, even from the tiny rainforest airport, which was really nothing more than a grassy swath cut out of the trees. It looked like that narrow strip of grass was on the verge of being consumed by the thick rainforest trees and vines, which pushed into the area from every direction.

  The sun was beginning to dip low in the sky, yet the tropical breeze remained warm.

  The air felt so incredibly clean. It was rich in oxygen and carried the heavenly fragrance of lush, green plant life. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been back in New York, now she swore she could feel the stress knots in her back and neck beginning to unravel.

  Remi was waiting for her near the tiny palm leaf hut which served as the Boca Manu airport terminal and Jenn felt her heart swell with joy at the sight of her.

  Best friends since childhood, it had been hard when Remi had accepted the offer to live in South America full time. But she’d worked hard all her life, she deserved this exquisite reward, even if it meant that their friendship had to be pushed onto a back burner.

  Of course, Jenn had tried to stay in touch using the internet and semi-regular phone calls, but it just wasn’t the same as having her friend close by.

  “You’ve lost weight,” Remi scolded, by way of greeting. “You look awful.”

  “Oh, my god, I missed you too!” Jenn laughe
d, she actually laughed, for what felt like the first time in six months. It felt good to be happy again. “You look amazing!”

  Jenn hugged her friend a bit too long, earning Remi’s suspicion.

  “Jeez, what’s wrong? The last time we talked you sounded like things were rough back home, but now that I see you, I’m seriously concerned.”

  “I just needed a vacation,” Jenn fibbed. She wasn’t ready to admit the whole truth just yet. The real reason why she’d been dropping weight and had become a paranoid shadow of her former self.

  “Let me help you with your bags,” Remi commanded. “We still have a boat ride ahead of us, it’s the only way on or off the resort. The dock isn’t far, it’s just down this path a little way. I can’t wait to show you around. You’re going to love it!”

  Jenn inhaled a cleansing breath and nodded. This was exactly what she needed.

  “Has Roger tried calling you?” Remi tossed over her shoulder, and just like that, Jenn’s lungs deflated. Even the sound of his name was enough to make her stomach upset.

  She felt like a bird whose wings had been clipped, afraid to fly again, afraid of falling.

  She hated being afraid, which was why she’d finally broken down and listened to Remi’s nagging, agreeing to take time off for this vacation. She needed to reclaim her life, to heal the part of her soul which was vulnerable and hurting.

  “He tried calling a few times, but I never answered. I think he finally gave up.”

  “I’m proud of you, Jenn. He was a dick. You should have kicked his ass to the curb months ago.”

  Jenn sighed, drawing a sharp look from her companion. It wasn’t that she regretted breaking up with Roger. Hell, she agreed with Remi, she should have dumped him sooner. She just wished she could figure out why she was still struggling in the relationship department.