Through The Lens (Creative Hearts Book 1) (10 page)

He looked out over the balcony toward the beach, then around toward the mountains. She could tell he was studying the light against the gorgeous untouched terrain. She knew she had him. Nothing came between Ale and the perfect photo.
 

He turned back to her. “Sure. But eat quickly. Lots to do today, can’t lose the light.”

After breakfast, Mika pulled out her laptop and popped in the mobile Internet connection she’d brought with her. She looked up toward the bright blue sky and silently prayed for it to work. Thankfully it did, so she sent a message to Brian, the rigger, letting him know about all the changes and listing the additional equipment they’d need to make Alejandro’s Birds of Paradise vision come to life. Of course, thoughts of the Birds of Paradise shoot brought her mind right back to making love under the tree. She felt her skin flush hot. When she looked up Alejandro’s dark eyes were on her. Did he know what she was thinking? His lips quirked. Of course he did. Damned men.
 

His gaze was dark and wanting, his eyes practically caressing her. She felt her lips grow full, and she swallowed the lump in her throat.
 

“Uh, do you mind?”
 

“Not at all. Please continue.” He folded his arms and leaned back on the balcony railing, continuing to watch her.
 

She turned back to her computer, straightening her back, very aware of the beads of perspiration forming between her shoulder blades. “I’m sure the view the other way is much better,” she murmured while typing.

“That would be your opinion, not mine,” he countered.

She narrowed her eyes, trying hard to focus on her list and the screen. How was she supposed to concentrate with him looking at her like that? Crap, she’d just typed to bring extra
LIPS
instead of
CLIPS
for the models’ dresses.
 

She sighed. “While I finish these last messages, do you mind pulling out the equipment bags? We should get started early if we’re going to scout more locations.”

“You’re right. We have a lot to cover today. I want to ask Tong the way to that waterfall.”

At that, Mika groaned. “The waterfall? Why am I not surprised?”

“Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

This time she raised a brow, and he burst into an easy laugh. Adventure? With this island hop, she’d turned into a right daredevil, she thought. Making love in the jungle under the cover of trees. Just then, Ale came around and kissed the sweet spot right behind her ear, bringing those jungle feelings right back to the surface and making her sigh with pleasure. Her fingers stilled over the laptop keyboard.
 

“Please, Ale, the bags. If you start that, your waterfall is history.”
 

*

Tong didn’t have a hut on stilts but as it turned out, he and his family lived in a small village of bamboo and whitewashed clay structures. The island wasn’t nearly as deserted as she and Alejandro had originally thought. Ten to fifteen families lived just a short walk from where they were staying, which was still close to the beach but hidden just a bit deeper into the jungle, away from prying eyes.
 

Looking at the native island dwellings, Mika concluded that their huts were obviously considered four-star accommodations for the island. Possibly the beginning of a bustling tourist business. The children ran around in clothes that were worn at best and in most cases, worn out. But despite their conditions they all seemed happy in their surroundings, brown-skinned and beautiful, with dark eyes, glossy hair and easy open smiles. They also were excited about the foreign diversion to their normal day. A cute little girl, who looked about two years old, came running from the front of a tiny house long hair bouncing behind her. When she got to Mika, she wrapped her arms around her legs.

“She likes you.” Mika heard Alejandro say from behind her, camera already in hand.
 

“It’s a first.” Mika looked down at the small child, not quite sure what to do. She reached out and tentatively patted her head. The child looked up with what to Mika seemed to be the largest eyes in the world and smiled. It spread across her entire face.

“A pat on the head? Can’t say that you’re a natural.”
 

“No I’m not. Obviously this little darling has a poor sense of judgment or will run to anyone,” Mika said with a frown.

Ale cocked his head to the side and looked from Mika to the girl. “I doubt that. Kids rarely do.”
 

Mika stared at Alejandro for a moment, their eyes connecting. Suddenly something deeper was going on that she didn’t want to approach. She felt a moment of panic and turned away. “Well, her mother must be somewhere,” she said, looking around.

Just then, Tai came from the back of the hut, looking a little harried. “Sunee! There you are. Why are you bothering the Miss?” she asked, startling Sunee and pulling her from Mika’s leg. “That is a very naughty girl.”

Sunee’s lip quivered, and Mika couldn’t stop herself from putting a protective arm around her.

“It’s no problem, Tai. She didn’t bother me at all.”

Tai’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
 

“Of course I’m sure. Is she yours? She’s beautiful.”

Tai grinned wide. Showing all her teeth. “You think she’s mine.” She gave a hearty laugh at that. “I do look good, yes?” She said preening, showing off her robust figure. She looked down at the child with obvious pride. The child was now dislodged from Mika and holding on to Tai’s leg. “No, she’s not mine, but a lot like me, yes? She’s my son’s daughter. I’m sorry she runs to you like that. She does that with all ladies.” Mika gave Ale an I-told-you-so-look.

He shrugged.

“I think it’s because she has no mother. She died.”

“I’m very sorry.” Mika reached out and touched the girl’s soft, round cheek.

Tai shrugged. “Nothing to be done. She got very sick, and the doctor too far off on mainland drinking it up. Sunee is for us now. She will be okay.”

Mika couldn’t hide her feelings of horror. Could this child’s mother have been saved if there was a local doctor? Her mind was whirling. She looked around at the other children laughing and playing. Suddenly she wanted to know so much but didn’t want to insult the woman with her questions.
 

But it seemed Ale was one step ahead of her, “Tai, do the children go to school on the island?”

Tai smiled, not insulted at all by the line of questioning. “Sir, why don’t you both come in and have some tea? I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
 

Mika and Alejandro gave each other sideways glances, both thinking for a moment about the time, but in the end, curiosity won out and they did as they were told. They followed Tai into her home, which was a small wooden structure with a large front room and a couple of back rooms. It was painted white inside, bright and airy. Jam-packed and colorful, it seemed to hold years of family memories from ten different eras.
 

Tai instructed them to sit on a large couch with a colorful throw on the back. She placed Sunee between then and marched off to the kitchen to put a kettle on.
 

They looked at each other with the child between them. “This is not awkward at all,” Mika joked.
 

Alejandro smiled wide as he snapped of a picture of Sunee, then flicked a switch to show it back to her, making her giggle. “Nope, not one bit.”

After a long moment, Mika grew impatient. “Where is this woman?”

Alejandro raised an eyebrow. “Ever stop to think I’m paying her off? Give us some time alone here.”

Mika looked down at Sunee’s sweet face and then scowled back up at him. “Then it’s your money wasted because I’m so not that girl and you are not that guy. Two days. Don’t go getting a family kind of look in your eye. It doesn’t become you.”
 

“Why not? Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do. Besides you know I can pull off just about any style.” He gave her a quick wink.

Sunee was between them, watching the back and forth like a tennis match. But at the shadow of clear displeasure that clouded Mika’s eyes, it was Ale’s turn to scowl, just as Tai, who either had an impeccable sense of timing or had been eavesdropping, came back in to pick up the little girl, taking her through a curtain to a back room.

There was a long and awkward silence.

“What are you talking about, Ale?” Mika hissed. “You’re making light of things that aren’t funny, and I don’t like it.”
 

Alejandro narrowed his eyes on her. “Who says I’m making light? Why couldn’t we be those people?” he ground out, coming closer to her as she inched away. “Look, I’m not talking kids and all that. And I understand this is new and a different for us, but you don’t need to run away from what we have here. I’m just trying to make you see we can be something more. Can have something more in time.”

Time.
It was as if cold fingers squeezed at her heart. Time was the last thing they had. She shook her head.

“What we have here is work to do. Not pretending like we’re some sort of cute happy family in the making. Why are you trying to make it more than what it is?”
 

His eyes hardened and he pulled back. Shields up. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have tried to make it any more than whatever it was.”
 

The words rumbled from low in his chest from.
Was.
Ouch. The cold fingers squeezed harder. Damn, she’d gone too far. Again. He was only being nice, trying to make this day perfect, and she was constantly screwing it up. Ruining their precious last moments together.

“Ale, I’m—”

“There. She was so tired. Went right out. Such a good girl she is.” Tai said, bustling into the room. “I’ll just be a moment and back with some tea.”

“We really should be going, Tai,” Ale said. “We need to catch the light. Do you mind just getting Tong for us?” His voice left no room for argument.

“Sorry, but he’s not here. He’s fishing but will be back very soon,” Tai said apologetically. Then she really took in Ale’s dark expression. “Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll send someone for him, and while we wait, I’ll get that tea.”

Alejandro eased against the back of the couch and rubbed his hands across his shorts flexing his fingers. Mika fought to gain her composure. Her whole plan was turned upside down. She looked over at Alejandro and knew two things. One: she wanted him again. So badly it practically hurt. And two: She had to get away from him. Fast. Otherwise he would end up tearing her heart apart.

The tea with Tai was tense although the woman did her best to keep the chatter light. She told them that some of the children of the island attended the mainland boarding school for part of the year when they were about six. It was a hardship, and no, not many families could afford it, so those who stayed home made do with the subsidized partial schooling supplied by the government. To help pay for the schooling, the children helped out in government-run factories or the mainland hotel. Her other granddaughter, Malee, was being educated for part of the year, she added proudly. Mika saw Alejandro’s jaw harden when he heard about the young girl working at the hotel.
 

“Oh, don’t look so stern, Sir. It’s fine. She a good girl. She will do school and do well. She will be a teacher. Not hotel worker all the time. She will come back and help with the other children of the village.” Tai smiled with pride.

Alejandro softened. “Of course she is. You must be very proud.”

Just then, Tong came to the door of the little hut, smiling and smelling of fish.

“Good to see you. We need those directions to the waterfall,” Alejandro said.
 

“No problem. Let’s go to my office.” Tong replied.

Mika turned to Tai. “Thanks for the tea.”

“No problem, Miss. I will have lunch packed for you and have dinner in your huts later.”

They followed Tong to his office, finding a surprisingly modern setup. There were generators, two computer terminals, and Tong definitely had phone and Internet service. Mika spied one of his sons chatting it up on a cell while surfing the Net.

“You get cell service here?” Mika asked.

“Sure, we get good service,” Tong said. Then he paused, nodding his head side to side. “Though it not always work all the time.” He pointed to the sky as if saying it was all up to the gods.

Mika gave Ale a look that said “thanks for bringing me to paradise,” and he just shook his head.
 

“Don’t worry, you’ll live.”

“You think?” she said, not able to keep the sarcasm from her voice. He knew how much she hated living without her cell. At least her laptop worked with her portable Net connection.

Tong offered to take them to the waterfall, but Alejandro declined, saying he’d rather find his own way there. Mika had her reservations but kept them to herself. And judging by Tong’s face, so did he. He handed a walkie-talkie to Alejandro. “Just in case,” he said with concerned eyes.

“If we’re lost, we can’t very well tell you where we are, now can we?”

Tong shuffled some papers on his desk and pulled out a dusty old compass. He tapped it a few times before handing it to Ale. “Just remember the beach is this way. You head that way for home. You lost, you get on the radio and describe where you are. I know this island. I will find you. No worries,” he said without fanfare and a wave of his hand.