Jade (Perfect Match Book 4)

by Rachelle Ayala

  “I’m familiar with the pressures my cousins have,” Jade said. “My mother’s Chinese in name only, so she’s not traditional. Fortunately, my eldest brother is a doctor, the way she would have wanted, and he’s married and has a baby girl, so there’s no pressure on me.”

  “My sister is married with a baby on the way, but it’s not the same as passing on the family name,” Aiden said. “No pressure.”

  “Ha, I’m not offering that!” Jade threw her head back and took a deep breath. “I want to know if there’s anything I can do for you, short of handing your mother a grandson.”

  “Would be fair, wouldn’t it? A life for a life? Wasn’t it said in ancient times that if you saved a man’s life, he became your slave?”

  “But if you save a woman’s life, she becomes your goddess,” Jade said, laughing and poking his chest. “Still, you drive a hard bargain, Mr. Lin.”

  He grasped her hand and brushed his lips over the top of her knuckles. “Everything about me is hard. But with you, I’ll be easy. You do whatever you want with me.”

  She nodded, somehow knowing he’d be honorable and not take advantage of her—especially not being sleazy about it.

  “Let me think about it,” Jade conceded. “When we get back to the villa, I’ll have your answer.”

  He scooped her from the bench and moved her onto his lap. “Beautiful girl, I’ll make you the same deal. Something for you. Something unforgettable.”

  ****

  Aiden and Jade arrived at the top of the Ferris wheel when the last pod was loaded. Unlike the London Eye, which only rotated once per ride while loading and unloading, The Grande Roue Rouge sped up once everyone was on board and did several heart-thrilling revolutions.

  On the first revolution, Aiden and Jade pointed to all the sights, noting and marking places they’d been and locations they planned to check out.

  On the second revolution, her eyes lifted and locked onto his. All he wanted to see was the tilt of her lashes, the flare of her cheek, and the deep, dark pools of her eyes.

  Her gaze held his, flitting between wonder and doubt, questioning, and radiating a longing that mirrored his—unsure, yet enticed.

  Could a trained killer partake of romance and stay strong and true to his mission?

  Or would it weaken him—make him vulnerable, prone to sentimentality and distract him during mission critical times?

  Would he willingly jump from a plane, or plunge into the ocean, worried that the life in her eyes would dim into the maw of grief?

  Would love turn him into a coward and blunt that fierce fighting edge of his? Would Cutthroat Lin become CuddleBear Lin?

  The third revolution, he banished all worries and let go of all doubt. He had an armful of woman—soft, silky, and hot, and his hands, heart, and lips matched perfectly with hers.

  Heat, shock, and awe erupted around them. Deep tremors of the universe shifting and the stars colliding charged the atmosphere inside the pod with an urgency both thrilling and frightening.

  Their kisses and caresses flowed together seamlessly, where neither he began nor she ended, drawn together by a magical and irresistible magnetism.

  She moaned, a raw yearning sound as he trailed his lips to lick and wound the slender column of her neck. Heat flared from his head to his toes, enveloping them with the same aching need, the same unbearable desire forged over the frightful fires of fear.

  Abruptly, their pod jolted to a stop, and the doors popped open with a hiss.

  “Please watch your step as you exit The Grande Roue Rouge,” a mechanical female voice said. “We bless you with love and hope you will return.”

  ****

  The night was far spent, and logically, Jade should be dog-tired. They’d dined at a seafood bar, danced on the sand, and closed out the night at one of the island’s mini-casinos.

  They’d gotten lucky at the roulette table, betting double zero and winning big, and Aiden wanted to spend their winnings buying her something memorable.

  Jade peered in the windows of the many stores selling leather goods, jewelry, perfumes, local arts and crafts, rum and scotch.

  “It’s only fair if we split our winnings fifty-fifty,” Jade said. “I want to buy you something memorable, too.”

  Something he’d wear close to his heart and think about her after their week in paradise.

  “You are my memorable gift.” Aiden winked. “Can’t wait to get back to the villa. But first, I’m not the kind of man who takes without giving.”

  He picked up an exquisite necklace with a blue opal pendant, pale blue and mint green like the jeweled tones of the Caribbean.

  “Is this to remind me of the light I saw at the bottom of the sea?” Jade fingered the iridescent pendant, loving the way the opal and the tiny diamond border shimmered and sparkled with movement.

  “More to remember me dragging you out of there.” He dotted a kiss on her lips. “You like it?”

  “I’ll never forget,” she said as he placed it around her neck. “But you’re not allowed to forget me either.”

  After dragging him to half a dozen more boutiques, Jade finally found what she wanted. A black jade pendant shaped like a dog tag. An S-shaped dragon was carved on one side, and the sterling silver encasing it was engravable on the other side.

  “I would like it to say, ‘Aiden and Jade, Perfect Match,’” Jade told the saleslady behind the counter.

  “We can have this engraved and delivered to where you’re staying by the end of the week,” the saleslady replied. “Would you need it faster?”

  “No, it’ll be perfect,” Jade said. “We have until then before our perfect match runs out.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Georges knocked on their door shortly after Jade and Aiden arrived back at their villa.

  “I’ve been meaning to catch you all day,” he said. “Dawson was concerned about your incident at the beach and wanted me to reassure him you are okay.”

  “Other than the cough and a few scratches and bruises, I’m doing great,” Jade said. “The doctor at the clinic gave me an ointment to rub on my mosquito bites, and Aiden wrapped my blisters.”

  “You don’t look too much worse for the wear,” the middle-aged man said. “Mr. Lin, how are you faring?”

  “I couldn’t be better.” Aiden shook the concierge’s hand. “Both Jade and I spoke to your camera crew today, and you’ll have enough material for several commercials.”

  “Good job,” Georges said. “I’m glad you two are enjoying your stay, however, Mr. Yates is curious about how the romance is going. Anything you two care to tell me?”

  Jade glanced at Aiden, feeling her cheeks warm up, and he gave her a not so reassuring smirk. She still owed him a favor, a big one.

  “Ah, I see you’re both shy about your feelings,” Georges said. “Very well, then, let me not be the third wheel here. We’ll go through all of the stills and videos we caught on camera. I say, it’s looking quite promising. Mr. Yates hopes to parlay your romantic adventure into selling a premium package deal.”

  He tipped his straw hat, bowing slightly, and made his way from the room.

  Jade let out the breath she was holding. Aiden hissed, his hands on his hips, shaking his head as if he regretted getting caught on camera acting like a Romeo.

  “We fooled him, didn’t we?” Aiden said, chuckling. “I must admit we’re photogenic together, and having you almost drown made a big splash for publicity.”

  “I’ll forever be remembered as the nitwit saved by the big Navy SEAL.” Jade crossed over to Aiden and reached for his hands. “I’ve decided what I’m going to do for you.”

  “Great. Hope it’s good.” Aiden’s face brightened, and he wet his lips as he took her tiny hands in his large warm ones.

  “I’ll be your writing coach while we’re here.”

  “Writing coach?” Aiden’s jaw went slack, and he blinked.

  “It is the reason you took vacation, isn’t it? You wanted to start your n
ovel, and fate brought you to me.” She eased toward him and tipped up on her toes, begging a kiss.

  He dipped toward her and kissed her. “I was hoping we’d share something more intimate.”

  “What could be more intimate than to delve into my writing mind?” Jade smacked his lips with hers. “Anyone can get together physically. I write about that all the time, but if there’s no mental and emotional connection …”

  “Which is expressed by showing, not telling.” He embraced her tightly, his lips moving expertly over hers.

  “Hmmm … This could be your gift to me.” Jade hummed as pleasure danced over her body. What brewed between them was deeper and more potent than mere words could express. Dangerous.

  Heat and passion ignited as Aiden deftly peeled off her gauzy shirt, then tumbled her onto the firm pillow-topped mattress.

  She let her hands roam and wander the planes of his muscles, committing them to memory, while he relieved her of every scrap of cloth covering her lithe and nubile body.

  “This is me wanting you,” she clarified. “Not in exchange for saving my life.”

  “No, this is off the books.” He rose up on his knees and stripped his body-fitting T-shirt.

  Jade caught her breath at the glorious muscular chest with a rack of abs, chiseled to perfection. By the way her nerves purred under his touch and the floods of bliss overcoming her, she was teetering at the edge of a devastating storm.

  Her last coherent thought as she let Aiden descend over her was that no other man or imaginary love scene would ever be as perfect a match as the one lighting her up on this island of love.

  ****

  Aiden woke early, as usual, but unlike other days, he didn’t jump out of bed. Why would he when the woman who held his heart hostage was asleep in his arms?

  On second thought, he should get dressed, hail a cab to the airport, and run far, far away from this bewitching island of love.

  Yet watching this exquisite creature sleep and replaying her fierce and surprising passion was a habit he could easily get addicted to.

  In the pale light of dawn, with her dark hair spread over the pillow and her eyelashes fluttering as she dreamed, she looked as innocent and vulnerable as a baby seal. A distinct contrast to the sensuous and bewitching woman who’d commandeered him almost the entire night.

  Insatiable and shy, she’d made love as if her entire being, body, mind, and soul, were melody, harmony, and rhythm, equally involved and fully given—to him.

  A man who’d leave her in less than a week.

  A love with no future.

  A romance without a point.

  Aiden groaned at the realization that perhaps he’d taken what wasn’t his to take. There had to be a reason why Jade refused romance.

  She wrote about it.

  Which meant she knew the difference between real life and romance.

  Still, he couldn’t regret what they’d done.

  Never. It was fate that brought them together.

  And it wasn’t merely a physical explosion of lust and passion. There was so much tenderness and care that it made his teeth ache.

  There was a real emotional connection, too.

  Not just in bed, no, but from that first meeting at the airport, to the sparring over the sleeping arrangements, the hike to the top of the volcano and the dive into the depths of the ocean.

  Walking hand in hand and talking from the heart. Kissing on the Ferris wheel, and sipping piña coladas on the beach.

  Was this not the stuff of romance—and love?

  Aiden watched while the sands of sleep shifted from Jade’s face. She inhaled sharply, and her eyes opened slowly, meeting his gaze. A faint smile touched her lips, and her cheeks pinked.

  They remained on the bed, neither speaking nor jumping out of it. No pangs of regret. No embarrassment over what had happened. No morning after awkwardness.

  “Hey, good morning, beautiful,” Aiden whispered, fingering a wispy strand of hair.

  “It is good, isn’t it?” Her voice was soft, and she sighed. “Way better than anything I could have written.”

  A wonderful sense of lightness and rightness buoyed Aiden, and his heart floated as if on a bright cloud.

  This was one dream he never wanted to wake up from. He closed the gap. Their lips joined and their bodies tangled together again, merging in a perfection so blissful that it would be hard to envision a life apart.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Okay, student, time for your first writing lesson.” Jade snapped Aiden awake early the next morning.

  True, they’d stayed up late the night before, exploring each other and succumbing to another torrid night of lovemaking—all part of the tropical love package they’d signed up to experience.

  But Jade meant what she’d said about giving Aiden a gift he’d hopefully treasure and remember her by after leaving their island of love.

  Aiden groaned and blinked his eyes open, brightening at the sight of her dressed in a pink hibiscus print sundress.

  “Isn’t it too early for work?” he moaned. “Unless it’s reenacting one of your love scenes.”

  Jade bounced on the edge of the king-sized bed and handed Aiden a spiral-bound notebook and a pen. “Think of this as a writing boot camp. Lessons first and then playtime.”

  “Okay, I’m all ears.” Aiden leaned back with his hands behind his head, bare-chested and so sexy, wearing nothing but a pair of navy boxers.

  “Tell me about your story,” she said. “What’s it about? In one sentence.”

  “One sentence?” Aiden’s mouth gaped open. “I mean, there are so many pieces to it.”

  Jade opened the notebook and pointed to the first page. “I want to know the elevator pitch. The concept. Why will your story be interesting? If you need time, jot down everything you can think of, and after I finish fixing breakfast, we can talk about it.”

  With that, she leaned over and gave him a hot, wet kiss across his lips and sauntered to the kitchen.

  If Aiden was like most people who fantasized about writing a novel, his thoughts were scattered all over the map. All good ideas, no doubt, but without a single core concept, he would not be able to focus enough to drive his story from start to finish.

  ****

  How was Aiden supposed to concentrate on the writing craft when only a whiff of Jade’s frangipani-scented perfume sent his body into full lust mode?

  He sat at the small teak kitchen table and followed her every alluring movement, barely comprehending her words.

  “Concept is that thing that makes your story worth telling. It has to grab you by the balls and compel you to work at it until you’re done,” Jade said, spearing a slice of mango from her smoothie. “Tell me again what your story’s about?”

  He could tell her that she grabbed him by the balls and that he’d do her and never be done with it.

  “I told you already,” he said out loud. “It’s a bunch of spies posing as beauty contestants on a tropical island.”

  A frown marred her face, and she bit her lower lip. “And? What’s the point? What’s at stake?”

  “They’re trying to trap a killer?”

  “Why beauty contestants? Is this a thriller or a romantic comedy?”

  “Spy thriller. As to why beauty pageant contestants, because it gives my hero, who’s a Navy SEAL on vacation, lots of hot bodies to go through,” Aiden said, giving her a long, suggestive wink.

  “Not good enough.” Jade slid a pencil over her ear. “Not to mention it’s been done before. High concept is kids forced to kill each other for the entertainment of an oppressive regime. High concept is a family of missionaries lost at sea on a boat forced into cannibalism to survive. High concept is a nun marooned on a desert island with an escaped murderer facing an even more terrifying enemy.”

  “Or beauty pageant contestants stuck on a desert island being picked off by a deranged killer.”

  Jade frowned and shook her head. “What’s the obsession with beau
ty pageant contestants?”

  “Other than the talent and swimsuit competition?” Aiden crossed his arms and leaned back, putting on a smug look. Was Jade jealous of his concept or did she truly think it ridiculous?

  “Beauty pageant contestants stuck on a desert island sounds like a farce or comedy. Change it to a crew of female prisoners fighting wildfires, and it might work better. The audience has to feel for the characters.”

  “Why not beauty pageant contestants?” Aiden argued. “I bet lots of men would feel for them.”

  “More like feel them up.” Jade rolled her eyes and huffed loudly. “The audience sympathizes with characters who have noble or lofty goals, or ones who are redeeming themselves. Take the convict firefighters. They’re prisoners, yes, and they’ve made mistakes. Perhaps one is six days from parole, and another one has reformed herself, taking college classes online. Some are single mothers who want to learn a skill so they can support their families.”

  “Beauty pageant contestants have aspirations too,” Aiden said.

  “Right, they do, but the drama isn’t there unless you’re into catfights. Let’s go back to why you want to write a spy thriller.”

  Up until now, Aiden had been enjoying pulling Jade’s leg, but he ought to kick himself. Here was a real-life author giving him master classes. He ought to take it seriously.

  He took a deep breath and dug deep into that lake of emotions he suppressed while on duty. Images of bodies blown to bits, injured and dying buddies, deafening explosions, and heart-ripping firefights flooded his inner eye.

  “To make things right at the end. In real life, the war never ends. One enemy goes down, and another one rears up. One mission accomplished, and five more hotspots flare up.”

  Jade’s hand was on his shoulder. “There you go. You’ve found your core motivation for writing. Now, express it with a super concept. Something big at stake that everyone can identify with.”