Temptation Island (22 page)

The anger didn’t sway Marek, but the underlying fear did.  They gazed at each other for a moment in a silent battle of wills before Marek gave a terse nod.  “Fine, we’ll go back to my place.  Let’s pray Carmen is asleep so we don’t have to explain all this to her.  I don’t even know what the hell just happened.”

“Neither do I man, but I have my suspicions.”  Landon said between gritted teeth. 

Marek flipped the pick-up around and sped toward the main road.  Stopping abruptly at the stop sign, he floored it and whipped out into the light traffic and headed for home.

“
Oui
, I have my suspicions too.  How bad is your leg, mon?”

“It’s fine, I told you.  I don’t think you should say anything to Carmen until you have more facts, Marek.  No need to worry her until you know exactly what you’re dealing with.”

Marek glanced at Landon’s pinched face.  His friend was right.  “Agreed.  When we get to my place we’ll fix your leg up.  You’ll sleep in the spare room.  Tomorrow if you’re up to it I want to fly down to St. Kitts and see if my suspicions pan out.”

Landon scoffed and attempted a grin, but it came out lopsided.  “I’ve handled much worse than this, Bro.  I’ll be ready to leave at first light.  It’ll take more than some prick with a gun to stop me.”

Speeding down the narrow dark road Marek slowed when he came to his drive and whipped the Ranger between the stone posts.  Landon muttered when he noticed they missed the stone fence by mere inches, “Dude, watch the paint job,” then added, “What are you going to do after we patch my leg up?”

Marek snorted, “Not what I’d like to, that’s for damn sure.  Actually, I’ve got to catch up on some paperwork, mon.  Since Carm came crashing into my life I haven’t done shit.  I’ve been consumed with her and nothing else.  I need to spend a few hours working if I want to keep Blue Mist running smooth.”

“It’s funny how a woman can so quickly overwhelm everything else in your life until they
are
your life, isn’t it Bro?”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

She still looked like a goddess, even while sound asleep.  Marek gazed down at Carm as the first rays of daylight hinted at the sky outside.  In the dusky light her pale hair shimmered with threads of silver as it fanned out over the blue pillow.  She was sprawled out on her stomach, her head turned toward him and her hand tucked sweetly under her chin.

As he watched her sleep a deep contentment settled in him.  Marek hated to leave her this morning—knew she’d be pissed when she discovered him gone—but knew he had to do this without her.  Not only to keep her safe, but because he planned on being gone all day with business as well. 

His Arabica plants were a new species hybrid he’d cultivated and needed a little babying while they were establishing good root systems. He planned on spending the day working organic fertilizers into the ground and inspecting the new crops.  Which meant he’d be down on his hands and knees in the mud half the time.  No doubt Carm could handle it—might even enjoy it—but he had other plans for her today.

There was also the fact of the stalker up on Mt. Liamuiga.  Marek planned on taking a stroll into the jungle to see what he could find and knew Carm didn’t have the right clothes for that since all over hers had been destroyed.  No, she’d been through more than enough the past few days and deserved a day of rest and relaxation; a day of sleeping late and sunbathing by his pool.

Hoping to put that plan into action and distract her from his absence, Marek tiptoed barefoot silently across the cool wood boards to the other side of the bed.  Bending over slowly, Marek eased the load in his arms onto the empty pillow.  Taking a moment to arrange the articles to his satisfaction, Marek jerked his head up when he heard her murmur.

Carm had rolled her head toward him and rested it on her bare arm.  She still had her eyes closed and Marek realized she was mumbling in her sleep.  Tenderness for her swept over him, squeezing his heart and lifting his lips in a soft smile.

Shaking out of his trance, Marek double-checked the arrangement and crept around the bed back toward the open door.  He’d spent a lot of time thinking about her last night while he’d caught up on the company finances and expenditures.  He’d concluded in the early hours of the morning that one of the things Carmen wanted most was security.  Security in the form of knowledge about her partner.  Everything from his favorite color to his worst fear.  She needed to be confident in her choice of mate and know what skeletons hid in his closet.

Marek wasn’t as concerned with semantics—he didn’t need to know who her best friend was in high school to know he wanted to be with her.  But, he knew she did, and in an attempt to meet her halfway he’d spent an hour composing a letter for her to read and composed a collection of relevant facts and whatnot about his life growing up. 

It was done as a means to an end.  Marek needed Carm, wanted her to know he was more than willing to try to meet her needs and understand her.  He knew she was intelligent enough to see it for what it was and fervently hoped it would give her more confidence in them—in the fact that she’d made the right choice in him.

Marek’s feet stopped of their own volition by her side of the bed.  Like a magnet he’d been pulled to her without being aware.  Chiding himself mentally for his lack of self-control where Carm’s concerned he leaned down.  He couldn’t help but brush the tangle of glossy strands back from her face to expose the exquisite skin of her neck.  Lowering his head Marek placed a light kiss just below her ear and grinned foolishly when she mumbled in her sleep and arched her neck for more.  He tried to leave then but couldn’t until he’d given her one last kiss.

Shaking his head over his pathetic behavior Marek slipped out of the room and headed down the hall.  No doubt Landon was waiting in the kitchen downing a pot of coffee and ibuprofen and would be impatient to get going.

Since he had no wish to be dragging wet hair out of his eyes all day up in his fields from the rain that would undoubtedly fall, he’d pulled his springy curls back with a black sport band.  Marek refused to call it a headband—to bloody feminine—and the sretchy cotton wrapped all the way around his head.  When a person had unruly hair like he did that sprung up in a halo of tight curls when dry and fell almost to his mouth over his face when wet, they had to do something.

Hell, it was just practical, Marek growled to himself.  He was secure enough in his masculinity he didn’t give a flying fig what anyone thought.  But, he swore if Landon so much as cracked a smile he’d end up with a bloody lip to go with his injured thigh. 

Marek swung into his kitchen as dawn crept steadily along the horizon outside the open windows.  A soft, warm, fragrant breeze stirred the air and he watched the silhouette of palm and banana trees sway gently.  The quiet rustling of leaves sounded soothing to his ears.  Inhaling in appreciation, enjoying the familiar heady aromas, Marek nodded to Landon stretched out in a chair at the farm style table.

  The frayed ends of his worn jeans caught under his foot and he muttered an oath.  Reaching for the socks and rugged boots he’d set by the door when he’d come in earlier to make coffee, Marek bent over and quickly pulled them on.

Straightening again he paused to pull down his favorite old t-shirt.  The paper thin cotton had once been deep blue but had faded over time to a heathery pale shade.  It had shrunk a bit too and now fit snug over his defined chest and arms.  Marek knew he should probably throw the thing away but didn’t have the heart.  He’d wear it till it fell apart.

Making his way over to the state-of-the-art coffee machine Marek growled when saw Landon smirk out of the corner of his eye, “Don’t you dare say a word.”

He saw Landon struggle to hide a smile before he replied, “What?  I didn’t say a word, Bro.  I like the look.  In fact, I think it accentuates your eyes and shows off your bone structure.”

This coming from a white man with dreadlocks.  Go figure. 

“You’re an ass, Landon, you know that white boy?”

Landon raised his coffee mug in salute and grinned.  “Another part of my charm, Nancy.”

The two men grinned at each other in a moment of male bonding through good natured ribbing.  Landon had become a brother to Marek, by heart if not by blood.  It was the only reason he let him get away with the smart-ass remarks.  Well that, and for a beach bum Landon was a wiry bastard.  Marek had the size and skill to take him but not without a struggle.  And they needed to get going.

“Down your cup, mon, and let’s go.  We’ll take your pick-up and I’ll drive.  I want to leave my jeep for Carm in case she wants to go into town for anything.”

“Do you think that’s wise after what happened last night?”

Marek down his coffee, scalded his tongue and swore, “
Merde
.  I hate when I do that.  To answer your question, I think she’ll be fine.  Right now they’re focused on me and they have no idea that I’m on to them and who they are.  They’re still in the petty-ant threat stage.”

Landon set his cup down with a thud and stood up.  “Let’s get to it then.  Time’s wastin’ and I’ve got that date tonight.  I plan to get laid so it’d be a shame to be late and give her the impression I don’t care about her.”

Marek snorted as he made his way toward the front door.  “You
don’t
care, mon.  Do you even remember her name?”

When silence greeted him then a muttered, “Hell, what is her name?”  Marek tossed back his head and laughed.  Only Landon would get away with something like that.  And the hell of it was he probably would get laid, without ever having to remember her name.

Carm stared at the pile on the bed as she gazed at the note Marek had left her and rotated the rainbow colored Plumeria flower between her fingers.  The lush scent filled the entire room.  Carm admired the velvety petals of various shades of pink, orange and yellow and stroked one long, smooth petal with her fingertip.  It had gone unnoticed when she’d first woke up but she’d spotted it and the other objects as soon as she’d come back from taking a shower.  Carm stood there staring at it all wrinkling her brow in confusion.  Annoyance at being left alone warred with girlish giddy joy of discovering a flower on her pillow. 

At first she’d been ticked when she’d found out Marek was gone and had disappeared somewhere.  Carm had discovered that fact by plodding down to the kitchen for her ritual morning coffee only to discover the room empty.  She’d searched the whole house and come up empty.  He was gone.

Marek had come home last night, she was sure of it.  Soul searching had kept her awake for hours after he’d left and Carm had still been up when she heard the front door open and Landon and Marek arguing.  Flipping off the lights and diving in bed, she’d clutched the sheets to her chin and waited for him to open her door.  When he hadn’t she’d sighed with relief and quickly fell asleep.

All the mental ping pong had wore her out.  Hours after debating her situation, after berating herself and then reassuring, Carm had come to a few conclusions. 

The first one being the most obvious: she wanted Marek Stokes in her bed.  It was a first for her on many levels.  He was the first man who’d made her feel so aroused, the first man to tug at her heartstrings, and the first man to bed her.  He also happened to be her first husband—chosen by her or not.

The second fact she’d concluded was that it obviously didn’t matter how much or how little she knew about him, her heart strings were tugging away.  Pulling at her emotions and it was only a matter of time before she fell flat on her face in love.

The third conclusion she’d deduced was that Marek felt strongly for her.  His remarks while they’d been rolling around on the bed had proven that.  Carm was smart enough to know that men will say just about anything in the heat of the moment—especially if they knew they had a good chance of scoring.  But Marek meant what he’d said.  And it sent a thrill straight down to her toes.

In a roundabout way she was grateful for Landon’s interruption last night.  The chemistry between her and Marek had clouded her head and shut off all function.  After he’d stalked out it had given her time to clear her mind and take a step back to survey the terrain.

There were men in this world who thought “I love you” were disposable words, empty of all meaning, using them to their advantage to get a girl in bed.  Then as soon as they’d had their fill they up and left the poor girl with a broken heart and the horrible feeling of being used.

Of course Carm wanted to hear those words.  Have them whispered in her ear on a moonlit night.  But she knew words were cheap.  Actions talked.  If a woman was watching with open eyes she’d see how a man felt about her through the way he treated her, the way he looked at her, and through the things he
didn’t
say.