To Trap A Temptress (Southern Sanctuary - Book 2) (7 page)

“So
Doc what do you want to do first?”

“Ummm,
well I thought I might grab a drink then maybe take a swim but you don’t have…”

“Excellent
I’ll get the drinks and grab some towels.  You find a spot on the beach
for our stuff.”

She
watched him stride away.  Stuff?  What stuff?   The man was
wearing bathers and a sarong that was now so soaked with sea water it clung to
those narrow hips of his like it was painted on.  Shaking herself she
wandered along the shallows until a good spot caught her eye, filtered sun and
just far enough away from the group that she wouldn’t have to listen to all the
silly rumours and gossip.  Halting she put down her bag before toeing off
her soaked sneakers.  Finding a spot for them to dry in the sun she turned
to find Drum behind her.

“Oh
thanks.”  She took the large cold glass of lime juice he handed over and
took several large gulps.  “Is here okay?”

“Here’s
fine.”   He snapped out two large towels placing them side by
side.   “So Doc you want to tell me what’s going on?”

Oh
Goddess, had he seen her scoping out his sarong, wondering when he would be
getting rid of the darn thing?  No of course he hadn’t, she was wearing
sunglasses.   Hoping to distract both him and herself she dragged off
her hat throwing it carelessly onto the nearest towel. 

“Going
on?  What do you mean?”

“All
the looks?”

“What
looks?”  Oh Goddess he did know she’d been studying his anatomy as if she
were about to be tested on the subject?

“You
tell me.  It’s not just my imagination that some of those women keep looking
at me funny.  Something weird is going on and I think you know what it
is.”

“Oh
that?”  Nell laughed, dropping her empty glass on the towel before yanking
off her damp t-shirt and spreading it out on the towel so it would dry.

“Doc?” 

Had
did he draw one syllable out so it sounded like ten?

 Straightening
she plastered a smile on her face.  “It’s a really funny story.”  She
fumbled with the wet drawstring of her shorts before she managed to undo the
knot.  “Well maybe not funny… but at the very least amusing.”  She
yanked down the shorts and threw them on the towel before reaching up to grab
the tie of her ponytail.  “You see there’s this silly rumour doing the
rounds at the reunion that you’re a…”   Shaking her hair free she
forced her smile even wider, tossing her sunglasses on top of the pile. 
“That you’re a Gigolo and I hired you to come to the reunion as my date. 
Time for a swim!”  She spun and dashed across the sand into the water,
splashing in just deep enough so she could execute a dive and make a clean get
away.  She didn’t stop swimming until she hit the pontoon, grabbing the
smooth edge, trying to calm her breathing.  Jumping as Drum’s face loomed
over the side, water clinging to his black hair and the tips of his
ridiculously long eyelashes.

“You
want to run that by me again Doc?”

He
grabbed her by the wrist and with no discernible effort pulled her cleanly from
the water onto the sun warmed pitted wood of the old pontoon. 

“How
did you get in front of me like that?”  She was so impressed with his
speed and stealth it took precedence over the fact he was wearing nothing but
snug black hipster bathers that clung to finely chiselled muscles. 

Pulling
her down to sit on the edge of the pontoon Drum just shook his head. 
“Doc?”

“Sorry…” 
She was caught between embarrassment and laughter; it really was quite funny if
you thought about it.  “You might prefer being referred to as a male
escort.  Me, I think gigolo sounds more glamorous.”

“The
people at the reunion think I’m some sort of prostitute?”  Drum shook his
head in puzzlement not sure if he processing what she was telling him
correctly.

“Oh
it’s not a reflection on you.”  Nell reached over to squeeze his warm
solid arm in consolation.  “It’s me the dig is really aimed at.  That
the only reason someone who looks like...”  She waved a hand in the air,
gesturing at the magnificence that was him.  “Well... you… would be with
someone like me is if I had to stoop to pay for your company.”

He
stared at her for a moment, those black eyes twinkling, then he started to
chuckle and then he started to laugh so hard he couldn’t seem to stop. 
Collapsing back he lay down flat on the pontoon, staring at the blue sky above
as laughter racked his body.  That was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever
heard.  In what universe would a gorgeous smart successful sexy woman like
Nell Montgomery need to pay for a sex companion?  Didn’t these blind fools
recognise what a priceless gem this woman was?  Gasping for breath at the
demented logic out there in the world he tried to stop laughing. 

“You’re
not upset?”  Nell loomed over him, blue eyes wide with confusion, water
dripping onto his chest from her slicked back hair. 

Maat
he loved the way she looked in that red bikini, it wasn’t ultra-brief but it
complimented both her creamy skin and the soft curves of her delicious
body.  Without pausing to think he reached up grabbing the long water
darkened strands of her hair, winding the thick length around his wrist,
hypnotically slowly drawing her down to him, closer… and closer still. 

“What
are you doing?”  She arched her neck trying to break his hold but he
continued to pull her down using her hair, until those oh so tempting lips of
his hovered mere inches beneath her own.

“Making
sure you get your money’s worth.”

Maat
he loved kissing her, feeling those soft plump lips move under his, listening
to the small sighs and moans she instinctively made in the back of her throat.
 She tasted like vanilla and heat, a strangely erotic combination.  A
nearby splash, a reminder that they were in a public place had him pulling
back, his grip on her hair keeping her in close. 

“Ah
Nell you’re killing me here.”  He whispered softly, for her ears.

“You’re
not angry?”  Blue eyes narrowed with puzzlement.

“I’d
only be mad if you were Doc, and you seem to be taking the news well.”

She
strained away from him until he was forced to let go of her hair or he’d end up
hurting her.  Kneeling beside him she looked gorgeous as hell, wet and
desirable. 

“So
you’re not going to do anything stupid?  Exact some misguided revenge for
my honour?”

“Hey
I’m the one who they’re saying takes money for sex. Maybe it’s you who should
be defending my honour. Besides...”  He placed an arm behind his head,
better leverage to gaze up at her. “I have much more important things to focus
my time and energy on.” 

“Okay…” 
She bit into her bottom lip, staring at him closely trying to read his
emotions.  “You promise?”

Sitting
up suddenly he leaned over, placing a lightning swift kiss on those lips of
hers, anything to stop her biting into that soft pillowy lower lip.  

“Trust
me Doc.  Come on let’s go swimming.”

Chapter
Seven

What
a beautiful lazy afternoon.  Nell lay face down on her towel enjoying the
serenity of the cove.  Lunch had been a simple but satisfying picnic,
immediately after which the resort catamaran departed along with several
sunburnt sweaty unhappy ladies who couldn’t face the idea of paddling back to
the resort.  That left only ten or so people behind including herself and
Drum. 

Opening
one eye she cast a discreet look at him, asleep on his stomach on a towel right
next to her own. Most people looked angelic or peaceful when they slept. 
Not Drum.  He looked like any moment his eyes would blink open and he’d go
after whoever disturbed him with a knife, or perhaps his lips or those large
warm capable hands of his. 

Fighting
the urge to squirm she allowed her gaze to travel over the hard rippling
muscles of his shoulders down to his trim waist and sculpted buttocks. 
Honestly if this man were a paid sex professional who could afford all that
perfection?  It had to be the sun making her feel all fidgety and hot.
Whew!  The heat of the day suddenly seemed to have escalated
exponentially.  Holding her breath so as not to wake him, she got silently
to her feet heading for the water.  Maybe a nice cool distracting swim
would quench her libido. 

Ten
minutes later with the aid of a borrowed mask, snorkel and flippers she was
making her way slowly along beside one of the cliff faces, studying the plants
trailing into the water.  The shadows were deepest here, making it an
interesting but frustrating exercise as she perused several specimens trying to
pinpoint their species and medicinal properties in the dim light available. 
Marvelling at the strength and survival instincts of one particular deceptively
feathery looking vine, its roots dug deep high into the cliff face, the long
trailing vines floating like seaweed spread out over the water’s surface. 

Idly
tracing the lengths of the vines she wondered if the tide ever got so high that
the root system would be fully immersed by sea water.   If so that
would be interesting.   Floating idly she came to the end of an
extensive branch of the vine which drifted in the deepest shadows of the cliff
face.  Brrr, what was it about the dark shadows under the water that
suddenly had her creeped out? 

She
jerked abruptly as a shadow appeared to zip along the sand below.  It had
looked too large to be a fish, too fast to be human.  Trying her best to
untangle herself from the floating vine she decided to head into the middle of
the cove, where the filtered sunlight was brighter.  She’d no more managed
to turn herself in the right direction when something grabbed her ankle and
yanked hard.  What the….? 

No
time to think just react as she tried to kick her way free.  But the grip
on her ankle remained tight, painful and relentless, intent upon pulling her
downwards.
 
Desperately she tried to claw
her way back to the surface her arms becoming entangled in the feathery
vine.
 
Doing her best not to panic or
waste energy struggling she wound the vine around her forearm hoping that the
root system was anchored as securely as she had surmised. 

The
dark sandy bottom was only feet away now.
 
Whatever had a hold of her shifted in the shadows below like smoke in
the night sky.
 
She’d lost her mask and
snorkel in the struggle, the salt water burning her eyes as she tried to make
out what had hold of her.
 
Visible but
with no clear definition of shape or species, whatever it was it certainly
didn’t seem to be a mundane human.  Abruptly the vine pulled taut, sending
screaming agony through both her captured ankle and forearm.  The person…
weight… creature below tried frantically to resume its passage to the bottom of
the ocean with its prize.  Nell was a like a string in a bow, pulled tight
and inflexible, unable to move either up or down.  Water swished and
bubbled around her.  Her lungs were fit to bursting and the urge to cough
almost unbearable.  Yet all she could think about was how angry Drum was
going to be with her for going off on her own when she’d promised him that she
wouldn’t.

Next
she knew a large shape was cutting through the water towards her, scary fast
and pinpointed right on her location. Everything was going dark, had the sun
disappeared behind a cloud?  Goddess she needed to cough, droplets of
seawater burning the back of her throat.  Her eyes fluttered closed as her
body began to relax.  Suddenly Drum was there grabbing her shoulders
bringing her in close to... Goddess the man wanted to kiss her at a moment like
this?  Smashing his lips to hers and releasing heavenly oxygen into her
mouth.  The lassitude retreated as pain roared back into her
consciousness. 

Ouch
her arm, at least the weight on her ankle was gone.    Drum
scooped her up, breaking the surface with a dramatic splash, unmindful they
were tangled in the vine that had undoubtedly saved her life.  Nell clung
to him taking harsh gasping gulps of air that made her dizzy at first.  As
her senses returned she tried to push him away, worried she might be dragging
him under.  He ignored her weak efforts hugging her in even closer,
resting her head on his shoulder as he trod water. 

“Ssshh
Doc, steady, I’ve got you.”  He kept repeating those last three words -
I’ve got you - as if to reassure himself as much as her.

*                     
*         
            *

Drum’s
heart was pounding so hard he thought it would burst.  Even now that she
was safe in his arms he couldn’t seem to convince himself that the threat
against her wasn’t still circling.  Every instinct he had screamed for him
to hunt.  He wanted justice, thirsted to crush, kill and destroy anyone
who had dared harm what was his.  Yet as Nell’s gasps turned into quiet
sobs his insides froze, cooling the mindless rage. 

Maat
the sound of her tears was heart rending.  He hated that she’d been hurt,
almost drowned and now was in pain and shock.  As she began to calm down
so did he.  Finally he pulled back to look at her.  “You okay
Doc?” 

“Yes…
fine.  I’m dragging you down, you should let me go.”  Once more she
tried to push him away.

“You’re
not going anywhere.” 

He
snuggled her in under his arm, his expression thunderous daring her to mention
moving away from him once more.  With his spare hand he began untangling
the vine, damning himself thrice over for leaving his knife back at the
cottage.  A job that should have taken mere seconds seemed to take
forever, Nell gasping with pain and relief as he unwound the last strands
clinging to her arm. 

With
care and ease he kicked his legs, powering them into shore, noting with an
alert eye just who else had been in the water during the time of the
attack.  Wannabe boyfriend Case, Devon and her two hangers on, whose names
he couldn’t remember and several others whose faces he committed to
memory.  Nearing the shallows he lifted her into his arms, cradling her
gently, noting her wince as pain settled into her suddenly gravity heavy limbs.

“I
have a first aid kit in my bag if you could fetch it for me.”

“Course
you do Doc.” 
 
He laid her
gently on the hard packed sand at the shore line, giving several approaching
people a sharp threatening glance before venturing up the beach.

“Who
knew you could play the damsel in distress so effectively?”  Devon loomed
over Nell, her black hair slicked back with water, her barely there bikini
clinging provocatively.

“Does
this look like play-acting to you?”  Nell held up her bruised and bloodied
ankle for inspection.

“Nell
are you okay?”  Case dropped to his knees at her side.

“Honestly.” 
Devon’s voice dripped with exasperation.  “She got tangled in some seaweed
and gave herself a little scare.” 

“It’s
a bit more than that Devon, look at her arm and her ankle for pity sake.” 
Case eased her injured foot up onto his lap, his fingers gentle but still Nell
hissed with pain, glancing down to find five perfect puncture wounds bleeding
freely, slashes of purple and black bruises streaking across the skin over her
ankle bone.

“Move.” 
Drum was back scowling black murderous looks at everyone surrounding Nell but
especially at Case bent over her damaged ankle assessing the damage. “I’ve got
it.”

“I’ll...”
Whatever Case was about to reply froze in his throat as he looked up, blanching
at the sight of Drum staring down at him with obsidian black eyes filled with
the promise of pain and death.

“Move.” 
Drum rumbled the word once more. 

Case
eased Nell’s foot down to the sand, rising quickly to follow the others who
were backing away quickly. 

Devon’s
husky voice drifting back on the warm soft breeze.  “Who knew little Nell
had it in her to have so many men buzzing around her like bees to a honey pot.
Personally I just don’t see the attraction.”

Drum
dropped to his knees next to Nell.  “We start with the ankle, what do you
need?”

“There
should be a small jar with bluish green ointment.”

While
she cleaned the puncture wounds with salt water, hissing softly through
clenched teeth Drum found the jar, gently he brushed away her hands to pick up
her foot placing it in his lap, running warm slightly roughened but ultimately
soothing hands up and down her calf.   

“I
can do it.”  She attempted to retrieve her ankle.

“Lean
back.  Rest.  I’ve got it.” 

The
scowl never left his face as with hooded eyes he began applying the ointment to
her ankle with the same type of concentration she’d witnessed surgeons perform
heart operations.  It wasn’t like she could yank her foot out of his
grasp, so instead she leant back on her good arm and watched him work. 
Beads of water glistened in his brutally short hair as he bent over to work the
ointment in with surprising gentleness.  Silence continued to stretch
between them, beginning to border on awkward.
 
Warily she eyed the scowl furrowing his forehead.

“Are
you angry with me… that I went off alone?”

Drum
gave no indication he’d heard her question.  Nell rolled her eyes, was he
really giving her the silent treatment because she’d gone back on her
promise?  There had been others in the water when she’d entered so
technically she hadn’t really gone off alone.  Studying him she hoped the
wind wouldn’t change, if he continued to look that angry he’d scare small
children. 

“Are
you angry… that I got hurt?”

That
particular question got his attention, his eyes snapping up to meet hers for a
split second, flashing inky black.  “Died Doc.  You almost died.”

She
bit back a sigh of relief as her homemade ointment began to work, the tingle of
healing magic sending a small shudder through her.  Okay she might need to
rework the mixture if it had a sexual component to it.  Either that or the
way Drum’s thumb was caressing the back of her calf was beginning to affect her
now that the pain had receded.

“So
you’re angry with me because I almost died?”

With
exquisite care Drum placed her foot back in his lap, picking through the first
aid box he chose a waterproof bandage.  “I’m not sure if what I feel would
be described as anger exactly.”  He focused solely on her ankle as he began
to strap it with brusque efficiency that spoke of years of experience with
battlefield dressing.  “I think I’m looking back on anger in the rear view
mirror right about now and tailgating hot blistering rage.”

“Is
that why you won’t look at me?”

“I’m
tending your wounds here Doc… priorities.”

“I
appreciate the attention to detail don’t get me wrong but your bedside manner
could use a little work.”

“Fuck
Doc.  Give me a break would you.  I’m hanging by a thread here.”

“They
say confession is good for the soul soldier.  Admit that you’re angry with
me, yell at me, scold me.  Keeping all your emotions bottled up like this,
it really can’t be good for you.”

“I’m
warning you now Doc, you of all people really don’t want me to give in to what
I’m feeling right at this moment.” 

He
propped her canvas bag under her foot to keep it elevated and then held out his
hand.  Nell stared at that large calloused hand in confusion for a split
second before she realised he wanted to check out her bruised forearm. 
Sitting up she reluctantly held it out for his inspection. 

“Why
me... of all people?”  She enquired curiously, nodding when he held up the
ointment.

“For
a sane rational ‘good girl’ Doctor you sure do like to poke the bear a lot
don’t you?”

“In
this scenario you’re the bear?”  She enquired all too sweetly.

He
choked back a gruff rumbling laugh, the furrow in his brow slowly starting to
lessen.  “Yes little girl, in this scenario I’m the bear.”  He
finished with her arm; twisting the lid back on the ointment jar he placed it
back in the first aid kit.  Resting back on his ankles he contemplated her
sitting there on the white sand in that red bikini, her blue eyes wide as she
studied him intently in turn, her hair glinting gold as it rapidly dried in the
filtered sunlight.  Dropping a warm possessive hand onto her upper thigh
he gave it a small squeeze, feeling her jump slightly under his touch but
refusing to let go.  “Yeah because you know what happened to Goldilocks
right?  The big…” He leaned in closer.  “Bad….”  Closer
still.  “Bear ate her all up.”  His face once more had that neutral
assessing expression he habitually wore, except for his eyes that roiled with
heated intent.