Tropical Tryst: 25 All New and Exclusive Sexy Reads

by Nicole Morgan

  Jackson was standing in the small bungalow kitchen, whipping up an omelet. He must have sensed her approach, because he spoke without turning around to look at her.

  “I thought you could use the sleep, so I didn’t wake you up in time for the continental breakfast at the lodge.”

  “You can cook?” Jenn returned, in surprise.

  “Not much,” he admitted. “Have a seat on the couch, this place is too small for a table.”

  Jenn did as she was instructed and he placed a full plate on her lap.

  “There might be a tv tray around here somewhere.” He started a halfhearted search, but Jenn waved him off and dug into the food. She was surprised by how hungry she was.

  Jackson watched her for a moment, before turning to crack fresh eggs into a bowl and start on a second omelet. He waited until Jenn was halfway through her meal before he spoke again.

  “Tell me about Roger,” he demanded with all the charm of a police officer taking a criminal’s statement.

  Jenn’s stomach gave a dangerous lurch, forcing her to quickly abandon her fork and any thought of finishing breakfast. If Jackson noticed her sudden loss of appetite, it didn’t stop him from pressing her for answers.

  “Remi claims the guy was abusive?”

  “Yeah, that about sums him up.”

  “When was the last time you talked to him?”

  “A couple of months ago.”

  “Is he the kind of man to hold a grudge?”

  She snorted.

  “Absolutely. Why?”

  Jackson ignored her question and continued to drill her.

  “Do you have any other abusive men in your past?”

  Jenn stood up and carried the remains of her breakfast to the sink, this conversation was heading downhill fast. It was one thing to confess her terrible history to Remi. The last person she wanted to talk about failed relationships with, was the man she’d had a crush on since childhood.

  If Jackson could ignore her questions, maybe she’d just take a page out of his book and change the subject.

  “I better go get dressed,” she muttered, heading back towards the bedroom.

  There was a crash behind her as Jackson dropped the fry pan and unfinished omelet into the sink, then whirled to grab her arm and swing her back around to face him.

  “Jenn, wait.”

  She yanked her arm away and moved faster, a storm of conflicting emotions welling up inside her.

  A part of her really wanted to confide in Jackson, but the greater part of her was afraid and ashamed to admit just how much of a failure she was in the romance department.

  It was hard enough to admit it to herself.

  She only made it halfway across the living room before he grabbed her again, but this time he didn’t let her shake him off.

  “Just hold on a second,” he snapped, but as Jenn geared up for a fight, he quickly softened his tone.

  “I’m only trying to help,” he murmured, gentling his grasp on her arm. “I need you to talk to me Jenn, so I can figure out who is stalking you. Just trust me. Okay?”

  Tentatively, almost as if he were the one who was afraid, he traced the length of her cheek with his fingertips.

  Jenn felt the breath catch in her throat as her entire body responded to his touch. She wanted to press herself into his arms and beg for more, but at the same time she was terrified that this might all be a terrible mistake.

  He didn’t really care for her. He’d made that perfectly clear on more than one occasion. She was just Remi’s friend to him. Yet she felt hypnotized by the sensation of his touch upon her skin.

  Her mouth parted on a silent sigh as his fingertips slipped lower, to trace the curve of her lower lip. This was wrong. It was all wrong. He was making her feel things that she knew he didn't want her to feel.

  Yet all too soon, he withdrew his hand.

  “Don't stop.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.

  His eyes narrowed, but the angry rejection never came. Instead, he seemed to be hesitating.

  Maybe he was lonely out here in the jungle, without an endless stream of girls throwing themselves at his feet. It looked like he was seriously considering her offer, for the first time in his life.

  She knew it would only be for the night. She would just be the means for him to scratch an itch. But she was surprisingly okay with that.

  They lived different lives, in completely different worlds. His place was here, in this beautiful tropical rainforest, near his sister. While Jenn’s place was back in New York, with the job she was beginning to hate and the chaotic noise that no amount of insulation could block out.

  This place was like something out of a fairytale. So why shouldn’t she embrace every moment?

  She placed a trembling hand against his chest and held her breath.

  He didn't move away from her touch, but he slowly shook his head.

  “I can’t do this and keep you safe.” His voice was so rough and deep, it sent a fresh wash of need flowing down her body.

  “Please.” Her whispered plea was barely audible, but the look in his eyes went molten, as his jaw clenched against the need she could see hardening his body. He was tempted. His appetite awakened.

  She began to slide her hands up the hard plane his chest, loving the way his muscles went instantly hard beneath her fingertips.

  “Just give me one night,” she murmured, willing to offer just about anything to have her fantasy come true. “No commitments. No hurt feelings. Just one incredible night of sex, between consenting adults.”

  His expression went hard, as he caught her wrists and prevented her from moving them up to encircle his neck.

  “That’s not what I was asking for,” he growled, denying the physical evidence she could feel pressed hard and hot against her belly between them.

  His rejection stabbed through her heart, but she refused to back down. It was just like that night, so many years ago.

  “Why?” She demanded, curling her hands into fists on his chest. Why would she never be good enough for him? Why couldn’t he just let her have one night?

  Jackson took half a step backwards, opening space between them, denying her even the bittersweet heat of his body.

  “Because, if I were sleeping with you, I’d be distracted,” he answered with brutal honesty. “I wouldn’t be on top of my game. You could get hurt and I would never forgive myself.”

  Before she could reply, there was a knock at the door, followed almost immediately by Remi bursting into the bungalow.

  Jenn and Jackson leaped away from each other, but Remi wasn’t fooled.

  “Oh my god! I knew it!” She crowed. “I knew you guys would hook up last night.”

  “Don’t be crude.” Jackson growled, turning to clear the dishes in the sink. He bumped the hot frying pan with the back of his hand, and cursed violently, before adding, “We were just talking.”

  Remi turned to her best friend. “Please tell me that ‘talking’ is code for having an ungodly amount of hot jungle sex.”

  Jenn shook her head, finding it impossible to speak over the painful lump in her throat.

  “Are you serious? What the hell is wrong with you?” Remi scowled at her brother.

  Jackson chose to ignore that question, instead rounding on his sister with a severity that might have been offensive to anyone else.

  “Keep Jenn within resort boundaries,” he commanded. “If you need to leave, for any reason, notify me first. I’m going to shadow you both from a distance and see if I can determine who’s stalking her. If he’s still on the premises.”

  “You're not the boss of me, Officer Asswipe.” Remi fell back on a nickname she'd adopted after Jackson had joined the military. One she used whenever he'd tried to boss her around. But they all knew she would do as he said.

  “In the meantime,” Jackson continued, ignoring his sister’s mockery. “I’ll have Mateo look at resort guests who registered within the last few days. I’ve already
asked Alejandro to send over a log of passengers on the plane with Jenn, as well as any flights just before and after hers. Whoever it was, they knew her schedule and were at the airport to take that picture when she arrived. After 9/11, the only people allowed at the terminals are new arrivals or those waiting for a pending departure.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Remi assured Jenn. “Nobody’s going to bother you while you’re with me.”

  “She does have a way of driving off men.” Jackson smirked as his sister scowled and punched his bicep.

  Despite their bickering, Jenn could feel the deep affection the two shared. It made her heart hurt even more, but she silently followed Remi outside, and made sure Jackson was out of earshot, before she would comment on it.

  As she shadowed Remi down the path towards the main lodge, she allowed herself a moment to admire the exotic plants that surrounded her. It had been too dark to see them the night before.

  Some of the giant leaves looked as if they’d been splattered by an artist using a rainbow of paint colors. She’d never seen anything like them before. Not in any book or movie she’d ever watched. They were incredible and helped to distract her from the sting of another rejection.

  “Watching you with Jackson almost makes me wish I had a brother,” she finally murmured.

  Remi slowed her pace to match Jenn's.

  “Believe me, brothers are highly over rated.” She made a face over her shoulder. “Growing up, that jerk caused me more grief than anything else. He's okay now, but I think it's because of the war. It changed him. For the better, I think. He grew up a lot while he was over there.

  “It was hard on him though. He made a lot of new friends, and then lost some of them. He doesn't like talking about it, but he gets broody sometimes, when he sees or hears something that reminds him of those years.”

  “He never was much of a talker,” Jenn grimaced.

  “That's for sure. Especially about his feelings. I think he'd prefer everyone just assume he's a robot, without emotions.”

  “The world would sure be a lot simpler without emotions.”

  Remi stopped to wrap an arm around her waist. “No way! That would be horribly boring. We might never have become friends if I hadn't been so jealous of you.”

  “I can't imagine anyone being jealous of me. My life has always been chaotic. You're the one living in this incredible paradise. Speaking of which, are those big red parrots always here? I don't think they've moved much since yesterday.”

  “Scarlet Macaws,” Remi beamed. “All of the birds here are wild, but the tourists feed them treats, so they’ve become extremely tame. Just like the monkeys you're going to see today.”

  “Monkeys?”

  “Yep! There's an island in the middle of the river where the staff, and some of the nearby natives, care for monkeys that were injured or trapped by smugglers. For one reason or another, after rehabilitation, some monkeys can't be released back into the wild population. So, the island has become a preserve where they can live in a somewhat wild manner, but still be monitored and protected. The tour guides like to take groups over to visit and feed them.”

  “That sounds amazing!”

  “They’re kind of a motley crew of different species, but a few of them have babies now. They’re so cute and tiny, I can’t wait for you to see them!”

  They were drawing close to the lodge, which was teeming with tourists. Everyone appeared to be gathered in a large circle around something just outside the dining hall.

  “Oh, what perfect timing!” Remi exclaimed, catching sight of what everyone was photographing and grabbing Jenn’s hand to drag her into the center of the crowd. “Snuffy is here! We haven’t seen him in weeks. I was beginning to worry.”

  “Snuffy?”

  Remi weaved through the crowd, dragging Jenn along with her.

  As they reached the center, Jenn realized the tourists were taking pictures of a pony-sized creature, while the resort staff fed him treats from the kitchen.

  From the rear, the beast looked like a small hippopotamus or an enormous gray pig, but as it turned to look in their direction, Jenn realized it had a short trunk, like an elephant.

  “What the heck is that?”

  “He’s a tapir. Isn’t he adorable?” Remi gushed, giving the hideous creature a loving pat on the rump. “He usually comes around dusk, to munch on any leftover food the kitchen staff might have available, but he’s been absent for a few weeks now. I’m so glad he’s safe!”

  “Is it some kind of a pig? Or an elephant?”

  “It’s a tapir,” Remi repeated, as if that explained everything. “Haven’t you ever been to a zoo?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t remember seeing anything like that.”

  “They’re in danger of becoming extinct,” Remi sobered quickly. “The natives once hunted them for food, but the biggest threat to them now is deforestation. A lot of rainforest animals are in trouble.”

  Jenn stared as the creature used its bizarre trunk-like nose to snuffle at a tourist’s outstretched hand. It was both adorable and hideous at the same time. As she watched, the creature abruptly turned and shuffled out of the lodge, heading back towards the trees.

  A few tourists followed, from a respectful distance, most attempting to snatch a few last pictures.

  “I guess he’s had enough to eat,” Remi smiled. “He comes and goes as he likes. The staff makes sure the tourists don’t bother him too much.”

  Jenn turned to reply, but the words never reached her lips. For just a second, she thought she’d seen someone she recognized, someone who would not have set foot in the rainforest if his life depended on it.

  It couldn’t have been him, but she still found herself searching the crowd for another glimpse, just in case. He’d been turning away as she’d seen him, heading towards the bar at the back of the lodge.

  She must have been mistaken.

  Remi caught her hand once more, drawing her attention away.

  “I’ve got a boat waiting down at the dock. Are you ready to visit the most adorable monkeys ever?”

  “Uh, yeah, I guess so.”

  Remi giggled, like a woman with a devious plan, but Jenn followed anyway. She didn’t have much of a choice.

  CHAPTER 4

  J ackson watched and waited until Remi and Jenn were safely on the boat to Monkey Island, with Renzo at the helm.

  Renzo was a sturdy, stalwart sort of fellow. He could be trusted to keep the girls safe.

  Because Remi had wanted this visit to be a special one for Jenn, she'd arranged for a private trip to the island. Having no other tourists along would allow the girls unlimited time with the monkeys, without deadlines or time shares.

  It also meant that Jenn's stalker was left high and dry. If anyone from off the resort tried to visit monkey island, uninvited, they'd find themselves looking down the barrel of Renzo's ancient .45 caliber sidearm.

  That man took his job seriously, and Jackson felt particularly grateful for him today. He needed to make some phone calls and take a break from watching Jenn.

  He wasn't sure what that little bit of nearly transparent cotton she was wearing might be called, but it looked woefully small for a dress. He’d seen plenty of other women wearing them around the resort, presumably for comfort and to stay cool in the muggy jungle heat. But none of those other women had bodies like Jenn. Hell, she had legs to heaven and back.

  Every time he looked at her, he could feel her body heat calling to him. He couldn't help but imagine how it would feel to have those long legs wrapped around his waist.

  The day had only just begun, and he was already afraid of the coming evening. Would he be able to keep his distance once he was alone with her again?

  If Remi hadn’t interrupted them that morning, he was sure he would have given in to the incredible need he still felt. He would have ushered Jenn back into his bedroom and kept her there, naked and screaming his name.

  He would have spent hours memorizing every inch of h
er sweet body, first with his fingertips, then with his lips and tongue.

  He would have finally discovered if she tasted just as good as she looked, while he listened to the sweet sounds of her pleasure.

  Just imagining all of the things he would have done with her was enough to make him hard and hot again.

  He needed an ice-cold shower, but he'd have to settle for a sobering conversation with Mateo instead.

  The Peruvian native had grown up in the dust covered wasteland of Nazca, where a family was lucky if they had more than one crumbling mud wall to pin a blanket against. A poor barrier against the dust storms, or the vicious feral dogs who would prey upon any small human who was left unprotected.

  But the predatory behavior went both ways. If a dog wandered too far from it's pack, a hungry family might snatch him for the stew pot.

  In that poverty-stricken village, rodents and trashcans were the most reliable meals, unless you could beg a coin from one of the tourists who flew in to visit the famous Nazca Lines. But even begging could be a risky business in Nazca, because the tourist companies kept their guests secured behind twenty-foot walls, with rolls of barbed wire along the top, and guards armed with powerful machine guns out front.

  A kid had to be tough to grow up in such a place. He had to be resourceful to survive.

  With a father who was often gone for weeks or months at a time, working as a porter for the tourist industry, Mateo had been forced to step up and provide both food and protection for his mother and younger siblings.

  As a result, the tough little Peruvian had a flexible morality. He was fiercely loyal to his friends and family, but he wasn't above bending the law now and then.

  Jackson considered himself lucky to be included among the man's closest friends.

  “Aló?” Mateo answered after just one ring.

  “Buenas bróder, what did you learn?”

  Mateo kept the conversation brief. He’d tracked down a handful of resort tourist from New York and the surrounding American states, but none of the names stood out to Jackson in any way.

  There was not a single ‘Roger’ among them, but faking a passport wasn't exactly rocket science. A few guests had already left the resort and few were scheduled to arrive in the next few days. He had his work cut out for him.