Tropical Heat Read online

  ****

  Towel and sunscreen in hand, Sydney headed for the beach. Jesse had already left the room when she awoke, but his twisted sheets showed evidence of a restless night. She’d done her own share of tossing and turning. She was thankful he’d thought to leave the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and she’d slept far later than she intended.

  Last night, she’d vowed to start today as if yesterday had never happened. With that goal in mind, she’d grabbed a quick shower and bravely shrugged into her new bikini.

  Her white cover-up fell to mid-thigh, but the closer she got to the beach, the more naked she began to feel beneath the lace.

  The brightly patterned bikini had seemed like a great idea back home, but now it seemed overly skimpy. Its tropical colors promised sun and fun, everything that had vanished in the drab winter scenery.

  It was the only bathing suit she’d brought. She’d wanted adventure. She wasn’t exactly sure how the bikini would help, but she was certain it didn’t come by hiding behind a non-descript black one-piece.

  Okay, adventure, here I come, she thought as she snagged a lounge chair by the water and cautiously removed her cover-up. A couple of guys strolling along the water’s edge cast appreciative glances in her direction. So far so good. After slathering herself with sunscreen, she donned her sunglasses, popped in her ear buds, and stretched out to catch some rays.

  Music soothed her. She could still hear the rush of the ocean above the music. Under the sun’s warmth, she felt tense muscles relaxing. The sleep she’d missed the night before beckoned seductively. A little nap wouldn’t hurt…

  She jerked awake some time later. A vague prickling sensation became outright pain. Sydney sat up, finding the sun considerably lower on the horizon than it had been when she’d drifted off. Oh, no.

  Grabbing her cover-up, she headed back to her room. The chilled air from the air conditioner soothed her skin. It couldn’t be that bad. She’d worn sunscreen. She risked a cautious glance in the mirror.

  And shrieked.

  A crimson version of herself stared back at her.

  Well, she’d wanted a little color. Instead of a touch of gold to bring out the highlights in her hair, her skin had turned lobster red.

  The bathroom door swung open and Jesse shot out. “What’s wrong? I heard you scream.”

  Sydney turned slowly to face him, gathering her wits. This time he’d thought to take a pair of shorts into the bathroom with him. They covered him from his waist to his knees, but the hard planes of his chest were bare. She yanked her eyes upward in time to notice his mouth twisting into a smile. A smile he swiftly smothered.

  “Ouch. That looks like a nasty sunburn.”

  “Nothing a little aloe vera won’t fix.” She tried to keep her tone light without giving away the pain she was in.

  He was doing his own staring, she realized, as his gaze roved over her scantily clad form before darting back to her eyes. She read the blatant interest there. That heat hadn’t been in his eyes when he’d first come running out of the bathroom.

  “Maybe a lot of aloe vera,” he murmured, turning away and rummaging in his suitcase. The chambermaid had cleaned the room, Sydney noticed. Her bed was made, complete with a flower on her pillow. The clothes Jesse had left scattered everywhere were piled neatly on the edge of the pullout sofa. She watched the play of muscles across his back as Jesse pulled another of a seemingly endless supply of white t-shirts over his head. “You going to the beach party tonight?”

  Spending the evening coated with aloe and rolled in a towel with the AC on high sounded like a better plan. But last night she’d blatantly challenged Jesse to a contest over who would need privacy in the room first. Mummifying herself in towels wouldn’t get her that victory. “Sure.” The word escaped before she could call it back.

  “See you there then.” Jesse headed for the door. It swung shut behind him. Doubtlessly, he was on his way to the beach bar to meet up with his buddies and see if he could beat Sydney at their romantic quest.

  Well, she wouldn’t let him. With a sigh, she turned away from the mirror and went in search of the sunburn lotion she’d packed.

  Despite her vow, she did spend the next hour coated in aloe and wrapped in a towel while the air conditioning did its best to take the heat out of her skin. A cool shower helped a little more. By the time she emerged, she felt less lobster-like and more human. Standing in the closet, she surveyed the clothes she’d hung there last night.

  She’d spent the past year shrouded in baggy clothes, trying to hide the ever-present pain. She’d brought only one fancy dress with her. She took the hanger from the closet and studied it. The short white dress with its large purple flowers screamed happy. Of course she’d been happy when she bought it, but now it seemed overly loud. Then again, anyone seeing her in it might assume she was happy. The deception just might work. She held the dress up and gazed at herself in the mirror. A little makeup would take the crimson hue from her skin and bring out the green in her eyes. It would be dark soon. No one at the party would notice her sunburn. She’d have a couple of fruity drinks and flirt shamelessly. All they’d see would be a cheerful woman, having a good time.

  Fake it ’til you make it.

  ****

  Jesse noticed as soon as Sydney stepped onto the beach. Not that he’d been waiting for her or anything. He had the undivided attention of a brunette from Fairbanks and a redhead from Glasgow.

  Yet there was Sydney, standing inside the roped-off area, a drink of rum punch already in hand. Which meant he had no excuse to go over there and offer to get her one.

  He didn’t want to be rude to—what were their names? Still, he couldn’t take his eyes off Sydney. Dimly, he was aware of the brunette from Fairbanks bemoaning the cold weather they were having in Alaska. The redhead from Glasgow commiserated. He should add a word of two about the weather back home, too, simply to show he’d been listening. But Sydney absorbed all his thoughts.

  She wore a form-fitting sundress that hugged every one of her curves. The large purple flowers brought out the green in her eyes. Well, the sunburn contrasted nicely with her sea-foam eyes, if he wanted to be honest. In the fading light from the crimson sunset, though, she looked tanned, curvaceous, and really hot! His crotch tightened with interest.

  He suddenly realized his two companions were watching him intently. Oh no, perhaps they’d asked him something. He hadn’t been listening and didn’t know what it was.

  “Um, yeah,” he said noncommittally.

  By the sullen frowns they gave him, he could tell he’d given them the wrong answer. And not only that, Sydney seemed to have attracted her own circle of male admirers. Some tanned, blond beach bum in ratty shorts had gotten her another glass of punch. He should have gone over there. Even, his ego piped up, if it was to throw off the competition and stop her from winning the challenge of who was going to need privacy in the room.

  “Hey, is this an awesome party, or what?”

  Jesse jerked around to find Ethan standing behind him. Normally, he’d be annoyed to find his friend cutting in on his action. Especially after he’d run off with his ex-girlfriend. This time he was relieved.

  “Hey ladies,” Ethan said. Jesse watched as they turned eagerly toward his friend. Ethan usually had that effect.

  “Meet my buddy Ethan,” he said by way of an introduction. Which was kind of awkward since he couldn’t remember their names.

  The brunette glared at Jesse. Then realizing no further intro was forthcoming, she held out her hand to Ethan. “Jenn.”

  “From Fairbanks,” Jesse added. That seemed to mollify her.

  “Fiona.” The redhead didn’t bother waiting for Jesse. Both women seemed far more interested in Ethan. Soon-to-be-married, girlfriend-stealing Ethan.

  “From Glasgow,” he said. But no one was listening. He cast a glance over the party and sighed. Judging by the trio of guys around her, it looked like he’d be waiting at the beach bar until dawn while Sydney
claimed the room.

  Jesse headed for the bar to snag another beer. Neither Ethan nor the ladies seemed to notice his absence. Being at the bar put him close enough to Sydney to overhear some of her conversation. He ordered his beer and stood there, his back to the party listening.

  He wouldn’t have recognized this Sydney as the same woman. Her shrill laughter and her attempts at witty jokes didn’t match the Sydney he’d met yesterday. It was as if she tried to sound funny, interesting, brilliant even. And nothing like herself.

  It was obvious she was trying too hard. As if when she’d put on that dress, she’d put on a disguise and a new personality with it.

  Eventually, one of the male admirers drifted away. Jesse nodded as he joined him at the bar. Still listening intently, he winced when another of the guys wandered off to join another group.

  He ordered another beer so he could stay a little longer and eavesdrop on the rest of the conversation. He turned in time to watch the last of the men make his excuse and leave.

  Sydney’s shoulders slumped. She put down her drink on one of the nearby tables. He watched her eyes scan the party, visibly debating whether to leave. Guilt nagged at him. He should go over there, make conversation, escort her at the party. But that would mean giving up the challenge.

  Still, he thought, there were five more nights left. Giving up one wouldn’t hurt…

  ****

  Something I said? Sydney wondered as Rob from Saskatoon headed off to join some friends he’d suddenly spied through the crowd.

  She’d done her best to seem interesting. She’d made an attempt at small talk, something she totally sucked at, to be honest. She’d laughed at their jokes. And yet, here she was standing alone, as usual.

  If only Marcia had been able to join her. Marcia aced small talk and she was genuinely funny. Guys loved her. Which left Sydney to coast along on her coattails.

  She scanned the party. Everyone seemed to have broken off into little groups, making it difficult to break into a conversation. Her stomach growled loudly. Well, there was always food. The barbecue looked good. Putting down her drink, she headed toward it.

  And ran into a solid wall of muscle.

  “Oomph, sorry.” She’d been dealt a full-body smack, but all Sydney felt was hard muscle beneath soft cotton as his chest pressed against hers. She glanced up to find Jesse looking down at her.

  “Hey there.” He gave her that melt-your-knees smile.

  “Hey yourself.” She put out her hands to steady herself. He didn’t seem to mind her touch. At least he hadn’t stepped back out of range. Still, she couldn’t keep them there forever, so reluctantly, she dropped them to her sides.

  “Fancy bumping in to you here.” Inwardly, she winced at her clunker of a comment. Of course he was there. He said he’d see her at the beach party. “Awesome party.” And that sounded almost as stupid. The party was good, but awesome hardly described it.

  But Jesse merely nodded. “Having a good time?”

  She almost said, “Yeah.” But that wouldn’t really have been true. Sure, she’d talked to a few people in an awkward kind of way. Truth was, she hadn’t enjoyed it much. She’d worn herself out trying to impress, trying to be something she wasn’t. “Not really. Parties aren’t really my thing.”

  Something flickered in his dark eyes, as if he knew something she didn’t. “How can you not like parties? Parties are fun.”

  “I suck at making conversation.” There she’d said it. He might as well know. It would be quite obvious when she didn’t bring anyone back to the room tonight that she’d struck out.

  “Nah, it’s easy. You just need to be yourself. Say whatever comes to mind.”

  Be herself. Like that had worked. Ever. She almost called it a night right there and headed back to the room pleading a headache. Then she thought of Jesse’s effortless grace. The memory of him nude knifed through her mind. He seemed totally at home in his own skin, at ease with his own sexuality. Maybe he could help her. Dare she ask? Ask, her rum punch-fueled brain ordered. She squelched the thought, but the rum seemed to have stolen her tongue.

  “Well, why don’t you show me how then?”

  He appeared truly baffled, so she continued blatantly, “Why don’t you give me lessons on how to charm the unsuspecting male?”

  Chapter Three

  “Lessons?” There was a gleam in Jesse eye that hadn’t been there before. His mouth twisted into a smirk, then broadened into a smile.

  Oh no, why had she said that? The rum had obviously affected her better sense. Though Sydney liked to think she was cool enough to slam back hard liquor, it never worked. She simply ended up looking like a fool. She tried to cover it up with, “What I meant was—”

  Jesse cut her off. “Love lessons it is then.” He seemed highly amused at that thought.

  “No, really, I should probably just go to bed.” Damn. That sounded even more suggestive. What she should really do was shut her mouth, leave mutely, and head for the room.

  “Bed?” He put a world of suggestion into that one word. “But it’s early. The party’s only getting started. And I believe you asked for my help.”

  “It’s okay, I don’t—”

  “Sure you do.” He took her gently by the arm and led her toward the buffet table. The guy seemed intent on feeding her. But after another threatening growl from her stomach, she decided she needed food to absorb all the rum and clear her head.

  She filled her plate with salad and paella. She watched as Jesse heaped a steak on his. Finding her studying him, he put a forkful of salad on the side.

  Realizing she was hungrier than she thought, Sydney took a mouthful of paella.

  “So, what brings you here to Singles Week?” Jesse asked.

  She swallowed hard. Rice stuck in her throat. “What?”

  “You said you sucked at small talk,” Jesse said. “So, I thought we’d start our love lessons with that.”

  She attempted another painful swallow.

  “Here.” Jesse handed her his beer. Gratefully, she washed the rice down with it. More alcohol was the last thing she needed, but the liquid helped.

  “So?” he asked again.

  She settled for a simple, “Holiday.”

  “And what do you do that you need a holiday from?”

  She didn’t need to tell him the truth, now did she? Not that there was anything wrong with her real life or her real job. Except from the needing a holiday from it part. She’d come to this tropical paradise to pretend. To live a little of the fantasy that never leaked into her day-to-day routine. She put a hint of mystery into her smile. “I’m a rocket scientist. It’s terribly stressful. I so needed a break.”

  He took a sip of his beer. “Rocket scientist,” he repeated, playing along. “That does sound stressful. It’s lucky they could spare you at all this time of year with all the activity at the International Space Station.”

  “Actually, I’m working on the mission to Mars.” If only, she thought, if only her real life were this interesting. “What do you do?” she countered before he could insist they be truthful.

  That gleam was back in his eye. “This is such a coincidence, but I’m an astronaut. Who knows, I might end up going on your top-secret mission to Mars.”

  The thought of him going on any top-secret mission of hers was truly tempting. She could think of one such mission that involved them both naked entwined in the king-size bed she’d spent the night alone in. Why had she told him she was rocket scientist? Why hadn’t she told him she was a dominatrix? Maybe then he’d let her tie him up. Visions of him tied nude to the bed in their room brought a smile to her face. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to start the game over.

  She debated calling time out and requesting a do-over, but before she could, Jesse said, “See that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “No,” she admitted. “But I’m not really a rocket scientist, either.”

  He feigned a wounded expression. “No? And we would have been so perfect
together, me being an astronaut and all.”

  Perfect together. His words rang in her ears. If only.

  “Now it’s time to try your technique out.”

  “What?” She’d barely gotten used to this little game they were playing. Now he wanted her to try it for real?

  “Well, we can’t just stand here making conversation together. We’re in a competition, after all.”

  His words brought her back to reality with a thud. They had a bet about who would need the room first. She didn’t want to lose. But for a few minutes, it had been fun. It had felt so easy, so natural to be with him when they were merely pretending.

  “Why are you helping me, then?”

  “Because you asked. I’m trying to level the playing field. It wouldn’t be very sportsman-like, otherwise.”

  “Sportsman-like,” she echoed. Which meant he thought she was pathetic. That realization brought back the pain beneath her ribs. Oblivious, Jesse continued. “I’ll be your wingman.”

  “You’re going to help me score?”

  A dark look crossed his face, then swiftly vanished. “No, I’m only going to help you get started.”

  His blatant dismissal hurt. Still, they were only strangers, she mused. Strangers forced to spend time together by a clerical twist of fate. There was no reason he should be interested in her personally. She didn’t look anything like the brunette he’d been entertaining when she’d arrived. Still, it stung that he thought he needed to level the playing field, as he’d put it. She started to tell him she’d do perfectly fine on her own resources and then stopped. Maybe she could learn from him. “All right then, Mr. Astronaut, be my wingman.”

  “Okay. Well, see that guy there?” He nodded discreetly at a sandy-haired guy standing by the bar. He’d recently gotten off the plane, judging by the long black pants and white long-sleeved shirt he was wearing.

  She nodded.

  “He’s been checking you out.”

  She cast a glance in his direction. “He was?”

  “Yeah. And I bet right now he thinks I’m either your boyfriend, or someone you’re chatting up at the party.”