Beck grunted. “A box with colored spots. Who drew this? A five-year-old?”
“It’s possible, but it was probably Anna or one of the girls. I think it’s a jewelry box.”
“Those red and blue spots are rubies and sapphires?”
“Maybe.”
“We passed a thick planting of red and blue flowers about two minutes ago.”
“I remember those blue orchids. They were gorgeous.”
“Let’s double back. It’s our only lead. There might be a box hiding in the leaves.”
In unison, they turned and tramped back the way they’d come. Beck adjusted the backpack with a grimace. “It’s too damn muggy to wear this thing.”
“I wish we were swimming instead of this stupid death march to find all this junk.” Jami glanced at the map. “I think we must be close.”
“I’ll check this patch of red flowers.” Beck pointed to a patch of blossoms about five feet away. “And you inspect those.” Beck indicated a clump at the edge of a “y” in the pathway.
Beck pushed back the foliage and poked around with his foot, but he couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. He kneeled down to get a better look.
Jami shrieked, and Beck leaped to his feet. Jami was sprawled on her butt and inching backward from a black and green striped, four-foot long lizard. The beast had orange spikes along its head, and all down its spine and its thick tail lashed from side to side. The large black pouch under its horny chin puffed up.
“Oh dear god. I don’t think I can move.”
“It’s not going to eat you. You’re much too big.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one at mouth level. He’s a monster.”
“Quit screwing around. We’ve got treasure to find.”
“I—I...”
Beck wanted to laugh, but the terror on her face was almost endearing. For the first time, she actually looked vulnerable. Beck waited with his hands on his hips.
“Come on. A big brave fighter like you?”
Jami glared at Beck, but then the creature took a scrabbly step toward Jami who clapped a hand over her mouth and muffled her squeal. Beck laughed out loud, and the lizard turned its glossy black eye at Beck and winked. The laughter died on his lips. Crap. That was one big stinking lizard. Did they eat people or were they just leaf eaters?
The lizard whipped his tail from side to side and lunged toward Jami. Gravel spit up into the air, and the creature grunted. Jami popped to her feet, and in a leg-stretching leap, sprang over the sprinting reptile. Jami hit the ground on one foot and bounded toward Beck.
In the next instant, Jami threw herself against Beck’s chest. Her arms and legs entwined around his torso and her head buried in his neck. Beck staggered back on impact but gripped Jami tightly to him. He eased back a few steps, hoping to avoid drawing the beast’s attention.
“Is it gone?” Jami whispered in his ear. Her voice was ragged.
“No.” The green lizard stopped and turned a baleful eye on Beck. Was this the moment where he should turn all alpha and charge it and scare it off? Or would that agitate it more? Was there a Jungle 101 guidebook topic on this?
The lizard huffed, and the orange tines along its back quivered.
“Get down, and we can run for it.”
“No way.”
“I’ll drop you, and it will eat you.”
Jami gripped him tighter. “Get moving, mister.”
Beck stood his ground and stared at the lizard. It huffed and swung its head and then snapped at a passing butterfly. The winged bug was gone with one swipe of the beast’s tongue.
“What was that?” Jami burrowed further into his neck.
A warm, delicious sensation spiraled through his chest and downward. He adjusted his grip under her bottom and squeezed it. Just a little. This wasn’t such a bad gig after all.
“Don’t ask. A butterfly just met a gruesome end.” The overgrown iguana shifted from foot to foot and then slipped through the leaves and shrubs. “It’s leaving.”
Jami trembled in his arms. “I can’t look.”
“It’s safe. You can’t even see it anymore.”
“Is it gone?” Jami’s arms loosened, and she raised her head.
“No sight of it.”
Beck eased his grip on her and Jami slithered to the ground, but Beck kept a protective arm encircling her.
“I can’t believe the resort hasn’t deported that horrible creature.”
Beck laughed, and Jami turned her face to his. She was oh-so close. Her mouth hovered inches from his. All he needed to do was bend his head, and he would taste her lips.
Jami blinked, and she seemed confused, but she didn’t move. Her body was soft, pliant. He waited another instant. Surely she would bolt or slap him or something.
He needed to know how her mouth would feel on his. It was the most important thing. Jami ran a hand up his chest and twisted a patch of his shirt into a knot in her hand. He slipped one hand behind her head and lowered his mouth.
The first touch was delicate, tender, tentative, but Jami leaned in. Their need collided. Heat flamed. It was slow and growing. Her lips were full and soft, but demanding. He caressed and sampled. Their tongues danced. The air in his lungs tumbled and froze in place.
Her mouth was so tempting and forbidden. Jami folded in closer still, and the firm tips of her breasts grazed his chest. He pressed a line of kisses down the column of her neck. Beck lifted his head, and Jami let out a slow breath.
He studied her brown eyes and the answering passion in them. She was all silk and luxury in his arms until she wasn’t.
With one blink, irritation flared in her gaze, and she pushed against Beck’s ribs and jumped back. With a flurry of fingers, Jami straightened her clothes and tightened her now floppy ponytail.
“Um. Thanks for the rescue.”
“No worries. I’m inclined to think leaping over that iguana in a single bound was more like Wonder Woman taking charge of the situation.”
“Yeah. Right. I was holding on to you like there was a mouse scurrying around.”
“That was a huge freaking lizard.”
“Seriously. How is that thing running loose on the island? It could eat one of the twins. Or at least a toddler.”
“They’re harmless according to the staff.”
“They probably keep them on the island simply to amuse themselves at the expense of the stupid tourists who lose their shit seeing them.” Jami shivered and tugged on her cover-up.
“We still have a treasure hunt to complete.”
“I hate to lose.”
“I know. That’s your defining feature.”
“Virtue.”
“Whatever.” Beck spotted a crumpled map near the edge of the path. As he picked it up, he willed the heat between his legs to dissipate. One kiss with Jami meant nothing. It had only been the adrenaline rush of a charging iguana.
“Nothing in those shrubs?” Jami sounded doubtful.
“Why don’t you take a peek?”
“Not going to happen.”
“Actually, I think I spotted some treasure back there.”
“Let’s get this over with.”
Beck handed the map to Jami and bent down to search for the small jewelry box he’d thought he’d spotted. There it was. A few inches behind the clump of red flowers and nestled next to a small striped plant with tiny white flowers.
“Got it!” Beck waved the toy jewelry box in the air, and Jami grabbed it.
As she opened it, tinkling, tinny music erupted, and a ballerina in a white tutu pirouetted in her never-ending circle. She picked out a pair of objects stored in the small chest “Here we go. Two stone hearts.”
“That doesn’t sound romantic or wedding-ish.”
“They are pink.” Jami held the pale pink stones up for Beck’s inspection.
“That’s rose quartz. It symbolizes love.”
“And a pair of them indicates Rob and Anna. I like it.” J
ami stared at the stones, and a distant, unfocused look glazed over her eyes. Beck cleared his throat, and Jami jumped. She flushed.
“We only have one more treasure to find.”
“What’s the clue?” Jami hung back and didn’t try to take the map from his hand like she usually did. Was she afraid to get too close?
“Go to where the island ends, find the resting place of love.” Beck read the line in a singsong voice.
“Nice clue.” Jami pulled the resort map out of her bag. “We have a south and a north end of the island.”
“We’ve got a fifty-fifty shot at guessing right the first time around. Do you feel lucky?”
Jami’s lashes fluttered, and she stared down at her toes before she glanced back up at Beck. She flipped her ponytail with a saucy toss. “I braved a dragon, so this should be a snap. Let’s go north.”
“North it is.”
Jami led the way via the right arm of the pathway, and Beck tucked in behind her. It was truly a superior view. Her ponytail swished, and she charged ahead like a tiger was chasing her.
And he was the predator about to pounce.
That was a helluva kiss they’d shared. The adrenaline rush had given it an energy and a yearning he’d never had before. He needed to taste her lips once more, and he wanted the curves of her flesh pressed up next to his.
Beck licked his lips and tasted her salt on his tongue, and his erection bounded to life again. She was a tantalizing bundle of complications and curves.
He was not done with her yet.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A BREEZE RIFFLED past, a shower of plumeria petals showered down on Jami and Beck as they walked along the pathway to her cottage. Jami laughed and caught a fragrant pink petal in her hand and sniffed at it. She stopped at the stairwell leading up to her room and glanced at Beck. A smile played at the corners of his mouth.
She was tempted to lean in and steal another kiss, but she resisted.
“Do you want the trophy?” Beck waved the treasure hunt’s grand prize and laughed.
“I think I can live without it. It’s all yours.”
“I should keep it as a memento of your wild iguana run.”
Jami blushed and remembered the feel of him holding her tight and the hot crush of his lips against hers.
Another couple strolled by, arm in arm, and Jami shifted from foot to foot. She didn’t want Beck to leave, but she couldn’t invite him up. She didn’t know what she wanted.
“You were really good with Daphne and Mae yesterday,” Jami blurted out.
“Was that a compliment?” Beck blinked, but smiled at her. “I didn’t know you knew how to give those.”
“Just shut up and say thank you.”
“I’m honored that the mighty Miss Barrett of Barrett Ridge noticed I’m a human being.”
“Don’t push your luck, mister. I still think you’re the devil trying to destroy my family’s business.”
“Seriously? Do you take every business deal so epically out of proportion? I’d never even heard of your family’s business until I found out there was competition on the bid. I have no vile intentions. Your family seems perfectly nice.”
“I hate to say it, but you might be right.”
Beck’s mouth fell open.
Jami held up her hand to keep him from speaking. “I don’t want to like you or trust you. We’re after the same piece of property, and I genuinely believe expanding Barrett Logistics will be better for the county.”
“We’ll be doubling the number of jobs Teddy can offer.”
“But we’re a trusted employer. We’re not going anywhere. And we have a sterling reputation. Much better than yours.”
“We’re an award-winning company.”
“I’ve heard stories that all is not right with BK Industries.”
“Like what?”
“A sister of one of my old college friends worked for you, and she left because of sexual harassment. She said you had been the asshole who violated her rights.”
“Stop right there.”
“Don’t bother trying to deny it. I totally believe her. You guys settled out of court with her.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s what they all say.”
“No. I mean I was not the one making her life unbearable. It was the old president.”
“Come again?”
“You are so quick to judge, but you don’t have all the facts. When I started BKI, I went into partnership with Oliver. He was the business and marketing expert, and I was the designer and engineer.”
Jami folded her arms and waited.
“Long story short, Oliver was way too old school and had no respect for women. Three different women filed complaints. We fired Oliver and settled all the lawsuits.”
“Is that when you filed for bankruptcy?”
“Filed, but never proceeded. I lost more than half my investors, but somehow, I managed to find two angel investors and one loan, and that tided us over until we launched our first product and finally generated revenue.”
“It wasn’t you?” Jami’s voice sounded small, even to her own ears.
Beck’s shoulders slumped. “No wonder you think I’m such a bad guy. It was a nightmare. I still can’t believe I trusted such a scumbag to run my company.”
“What happened to him?”
“During the whole deposition phase, he actually ran off with his old secretary and his wife sued for divorce. The last time I checked, he was living in Panama and managing a cement factory.”
Jami’s jaw dropped and then she barked with laughter before she covered her mouth. “That’s hilarious. I mean, that’s horrible.” Jami shook her head. “Is that true? Crap like that only happens on TV.”
“Matter of fact, this little story was featured on some cable news show right after it happened.”
“That’s out of control. I see why your investors abandoned your company.”
“It was a nightmare.”
“Dad’s business has been sued several times over the years. There was one case that took over three years to settle. It was a pretty dark time in our household. My dad was all alone. Austin was still in high school, and Mom had only recently died.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s life I suppose. We survived.”
“How old were you?”
Jami pressed her lips together. She almost hated the sympathy in his voice. As if she were defenseless and needed help. “I was nine.”
“My dad died when I was thirteen. It was horrible, wasn’t it?” Beck seemed lost in his own memories and his eyes focused on a moment long gone. “I’d lived with my father most of the time, and then I was shipped off to Fiona’s full time.”
“Why do you call her Fiona instead of Mother?”
“That’s her rules. I think it’s her way of denying that she has responsibilities and maintaining her own selfish identity.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. It was even better living through it.”
“I’ve got a Caitlynne now so I can feel some of your pain, but once upon a time, I was really lucky. My mom was practically perfect. Until breast cancer stole her from us.”
“A perfect mother. I’m jealous.”
“I know, right? She was a no-nonsense kind of woman. She didn’t let us cry too much or whine, but she knew right when to give you a hug or slip you a cookie to help mend hurt feelings or a wounded spirit.”
“My father was Irish and wasn’t too demonstrative with his emotions, but somehow I always knew he was proud of me. He went to all of my baseball games, and he even led my Scout troop for several years, despite knowing little about nature. He was a planetary scientist for NASA.”
“I guess that explains where you got your smarts.”
“Is that a dig at my mother?”
“Oh my gosh. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Got ya!”
“You’re a jerk.”
“You�
�re a sore loser.”
Jami stuck out her tongue, but she laughed. “Don’t think that you’re off the hook yet. You may be a normal human being after all, but in my opinion, you are still public enemy number one. I don’t fraternize with the enemy.”
“That’s a strong word. How about opponent?”
“Foe?”
“This isn’t war. I prefer adversary.”
“It is a battle. Maybe not to the death, but this is the life of my father’s business. It means the world to him.”
“And he means the world to you, doesn’t he?”
“He’s the only parent I have left.”
“Teddy makes it hard on you. All his attention is on his new wife and the twins.”
“It’s not that. I’m an adult, and I don’t live in his back pocket or anything, but Barrett Logistics means everything to him. He and my mom built it from scratch, and it’s been his anchor when everything else has been messed up or miserable.”
“If you don’t clinch this deal, then in your mind you’ve failed both your father and your mother.”
“That sounds really screwed up when you put it that way.”
“I’m no psychologist, but you need to ease up on yourself. Don’t frown at me. I’m right. I don’t often think about it, but I’m messed up about my parents, too. I’ve shut the door on most of it, and I rarely see any of my family. That’s my way of coping.”
“I see my family most days of the week. Either at dinners or around town. Barrett Ridge is small, and there are a lot of us. Anna and Austin are the only ones who moved away.”
“There are a lot of you.”
“I love it. There’s normally someone around to share a laugh with, or listen to you whine about a bad day.”
“You’ve conveniently skipped over the nosy part. Isn’t Caitlynne up in your business nine days out of ten? I can tell she delights in cutting you down.”
“I’m not special. She picks on all of us. Except Austin. She’s afraid of him, so she gives him a wide berth.”
“I’m not one to judge family dynamics.”
Elaine strolled along the pathway in front of the bungalows and called out to them both. “Have you seen Sam? We’re heading over to the spa for a seaweed wrap.”
Two Reckless Hearts (Barrett Ridge Book 1) Page 7