Tropical Heat Read online

  That was the pretty part of the river.

  On the bank a crocodile—at least seven feet long, lazed in the sun, and four submerged hippos, small ears twitching, lay like enormous boulders several hundred yards upstream in the center of the river where the water was deep. Both species moved like greased lightning in the water.

  And there were birds. Everywhere. Big and small. They swooped, they dove, they fluttered and they perched. They squawked and chirped and tweeted and generally freaked Beth out.

  Here the sunlight wasn’t being filtered through the trees, and buttery early morning light sparkled on the murky green surface, while the diaphanous dragonflies danced between the long reeds and grasses lining the muddy bank. If one didn’t know that the jungle pressing against its serpentine shoreline was filled with birds and creepy crawlies, it would be an idyllic picture.

  She stared at the pod of almost submerged hippos. One lifted its head, its ridiculous small ears pivoting as it called a guttural ba-ho-ho-ho in a low bass. Hippos were said to be the deadliest animal in Africa, but it was hard to imagine, watching them clustered together like giant rocks in the slow-moving water, that they could actually run faster than a human on land. It was unlikely they’d attack without provocation, but Elizabeth moved closer to Sam and his nice big gun.

  “Shit.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, dry-mouthed, waving away a dragonfly as it dive-bombed her hair.

  “Desi isn’t here with the Zodiac.”

  Elizabeth looked out across the murky surface. The whole expanse of the river looked emptier and more dangerous without rescue close at hand. “Maybe he went up or downriver.”

  “This is the extraction point. We’re about fifteen minutes late—but he should be here waiting.”

  “Are you sure he’s coming? I told you we should have gone back and stolen a Jeep.”

  “He must’ve gotten delayed. He’ll be here.”

  “How long do you think we’ll have to wait?”

  Sam glanced around, clearly assessing the area. “Until he gets here.”

  Well, duh. “What are we supposed to do in the meantime?”

  “Sun’s up. The animals will be down to drink any time now. We need to get out of their way.”

  “Do we dodge them and say excuse me? Do we walk, or do we have to figure out how to levitate?”

  “We’re going to climb that tree over there and stay out of their way. It’s a good lookout point, and you probably could use a rest ’round about now.”

  “And a shower, and a thick juicy steak.”

  “Sorry. No shower, no room service. How are your tree-climbing skills?”

  “On a scale of one to ten, one being the least? Zero. I’ve never climbed a tree in my life. Not since I watched Kess being hauled away in an ambulance after falling on her head. It looked like too much trouble for that amount of pain.”

  “I won’t let you fall, I promise. Come on, this looks like a good tree hotel.”

  The enormous tree was relatively easy to climb with Sam’s help. The branches were as thick as her entire body, and vines made convenient toe- and handholds. She moved as fast as she could to prevent critters from taking a toe hold on her. Sam found a fork about ten feet off the ground that hung almost directly over the water and eased the pack off his back onto one of the wide branches. Opening it he removed a circle of a similar fabric to their suits, but instead of black, this was a camouflage pattern that blended well with the surrounding vegetation.

  “A Frisbee?” she teased, leaning against the trunk as she watched Sam work.

  “When we play, sweetheart, it won’t be with a toy.” With a flick of his wrist the circle flipped and writhed into a small dome-shaped tent. “Voilà! Your room is ready.” Placing the small tent to rest on the V of the branches, he quickly pounded a few pegs into the branch to support the little structure, then unzipped the entrance. “Take your boots off, drink some water and try to nap.”

  “Where are you going to be?”

  “Backtracking to be sure we won’t have any surprise guests. Stay inside the tent and zip the door closed. You’ll be able to see out pretty well, and it’ll keep critters out. Our ride should be here shortly. Even if you see Desi and the Zodiac, stay put. I won’t be long. Oh, yeah. One more thing.”

  Sam gave her a quick, hard kiss.

  “I really enjoy your one more things,” she told him when they broke apart. She wanted to keep him safely by her side. “Come back and say it again.”

  “I have more than one ‘one more thing,’ sweetheart. Climb in, I’ll be back in an hour.”

  Sam returned two hours later. He’d managed to contact Desi on the SAT phone he’d retrieved from the large pack he’d hidden the day before near their rendezvous point. The other man had been detained in a village some twenty clicks down river. “Detained” meant Desi had encountered a young woman whose father was off fighting on the border. Desi was Mallaruzi and he was, apparently, usually pretty dependable. Unless he ran across a pretty girl. Sam warned him away from any other pretty girls and set up a new extraction time for 1200 hours. He then jogged almost halfway back to the compound without seeing evidence that there were more soldiers following them.

  They’d come. Eventually.

  But for now there was nothing more pressing than being with Beth and convincing her that she liked being with him, too.

  After checking the perimeter for any sign of men, he rapidly climbed the tree and unzipped the front flap of the small tent. Inside was dim and relatively cool. Beth was asleep, her head resting on her outstretched arm. How the hell had he managed to keep his hands off her for a year and a half? Just looking at her made his heart beat faster, and not even his intense training could control the speed of his pulse. It was like she was the one specifically made for him, and his body recognized its mate. Sam removed his boots before he crawled in beside her. It was a tight fit, which he didn’t mind at all.

  He lay like she was, one arm outstretched to support his head as he faced her. Merging his fingers with hers, Sam enjoyed the simple act of holding her hand. Hers was so small, and soft, and incredibly femaleclasped in his large rough palm.

  She was perfectly relaxed, her slender body conforming to the thick branches supporting the floor of the tent. He scanned her face, so perfect in repose and just inches from his. She was prettier when she was awake and her features animated; asleep her beauty was more subtle, but just as heart-twisting. Her beauty was deceiving. She looked delicate with her pale, freckled skin and amber-colored hair. But she was as tensile as steel. Sam touched a finger to the dark sweep of her lashes, dyed, she’d told him once unselfconsciously.

  He trailed his finger over her cheek, then brushed it gently over the sweet curve of her lower lip. She smiled without opening her eyes. “What’s the scoop?” she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

  “Desi’s been held up. He’ll be here in a few hours.”

  She opened slumberous sherry-colored eyes. “What will we do with ourselves for two hours?”

  “More like three or four.”

  “That long? Just the two of us in this little tent?” She brushed his hair off his forehead, then stroked his forehead with the pads of her fingers. Her touch traveled like wildfire through Sam’s blood. She shifted so that her hips aligned with his. Nothing between them but two thin layers of LockOut and an erection that had started eighteen months ago.

  “I hate being bored, don’t you?” she whispered, tracing the creases beside his eyes, then the shape of his nose, then trailed down to Braille his mouth, her touch soft as air.

  Sam tugged at the zipper at the base of her throat and started easing it down inch by slow inch. Her pupils dilated. “Intolerable,” he told her, his voice thick.

  “Any cards in that pack of yours?” she asked, her hand tangling with his as she started pulling the zipper down on his suit. The backs of their hands brushed as their movements mirrored one anothe
r. Each zipper parted, one tooth at a time.

  “Nope.” He bent his head the few inches separating them and skimmed his mouth over hers. Her lips parted and she welcomed him inside. She tasted…like heaven. Everything Sam had ever wanted was right here in his arms.

  Beth touched his lower lip with the damp tip of her tongue, making Sam’s breath snag in his chest. He pressed his advantage and licked back, tasting the sweetness of her mouth as if he’d never kissed her before. After waiting so long for this, he didn’t want to rush it. Tamping down the primitive urge to take her without fanfare, he kissed her tenderly, with all the pent-up longing he’d been suppressing for a year and a half.

  He kissed her lingeringly, succulently, enjoying the hell out of the tastes and textures of her mouth and the increasingly urgent sound of her breathing. Beth reciprocated, her cool fingers stroking his face, ratcheting up his need for her even more.

  She broke away, panting slightly, a flush riding her cheekbones. “I suppose teaching me to fire one of your guns will draw a crowd?”

  “The four- and two-legged variety.” He used his thumb and pinky to spread the two halves of the deep V apart to expose the velvety roundness of her breasts. Small and plump and absolutely perfect. Her nipples were the same pale coral as her lips, and already hard and responsive, just waiting for him to taste them.

  She spread her fingers on his chest, kneading the muscles, then slid her hand across his pecs to his nipple. “Swimming is probably out of the question?” she asked as she rubbed a thumb over the sensitive peak.

  He pinched her nipple, making her moan low in her throat, then she reciprocated, doing the same to him. Sam gritted his teeth at the sweet sensation and used his wrist to push her zipper down another few inches. “Leeches.”

  “Nasty.” Above their heads her fingers tightened in his, as her free hand wandered randomly over his chest, combing through his chest hair, making him crazy. She licked the seam of his lips, then whispered in a sultry voice, “Wanna play doctor?”

  Seven

  “God, yes.” His voice was husky, his eyes dark with desire. Elizabeth thought his hand shook a little as he gently touched her cheek. “You be the patient first. I’ve waited too damn long to see you naked. And if you put your hands on me now I’ll go off like a rocket.”

  “How long?”

  “Eight inches?”

  Elizabeth laughed. “How long have you wanted to see me naked?”

  “Eighteen months, six days, and nineteen hours.”

  “That’s almost as long as we’ve known one another.”

  “It’s exactly as long as we’ve known one another.”

  Her nipples pebbled and ached. She wanted him to touch her so badly. She’d imagined his touch on her breasts, dreamed erotic dreams where Sam kissed her body everywhere. She wanted that. She wanted him. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked, pressing her hand over his where it curved around her breast to show him how she wanted him to touch her. He didn’t need instruction. The pressure, the pull and caress, were perfect. He kneaded and stroked until her breath caught.

  “You were married.” He bent his head to take one eager nipple in his mouth, then sucked hard enough to make her moan. She speared her fingers into his hair to hold his head there.

  “Then,” he said huskily, trailing his tongue across the upper curve of her left breast. “You were talking divorce.” His teeth surrounded the nipple, teasing and tasting until Elizabeth’s hips came up off the floor. It was hard to draw in a breath.

  “Then you got the divorce.” Sam pulled the zipper down on her suit as far it would go, then skimmed his hand down her belly. His fingers slid beneath her skimpy blue cotton pan ties to touch her. “Then.” His voice was thick as she shifted to allow him access to her wet heat. He slipped two fingers inside her, and Elizabeth’s breath snagged. “Because I’m such a far-thinking guy, I waited a full, interminable, year to be sure I wasn’t going to be your transitional lover.”

  She reached down and urged him to exert pressure where she needed it. “Rob and I had a very amicable divorce.” It was hard to think, let alone try to talk. “I—I—Deeper. Yes, like that…Ahhh—I didn’t need a t-transitional guy. But, oh, God, Sam, I wanted you too. From the moment I saw you.” He withdrew his hand, and for a moment Elizabeth lay there stunned. “Don’t stop!”

  “Gotta get naked. Now.” He finished unzipping, then pulled the tight-fitting fabric off his shoulders and down his body.

  After a shaky start, Elizabeth struggled out of hers too. And the only way she managed that was taking her eyes off Sam’s cut abs and the swirls of crisp dark hair on his tanned chest. She wanted to lick him all over.

  “I must admit,” she said, sitting up to yank down the legs—pretending that they were having a normal conversation only so that they didn’t jump each other’s bones instantly—“that—” God, they were so ready for each other that she wondered if they might jettison off the branches supporting the tent. She was in such a hurry to get naked, her hands shook.

  “When my husband told me he’d met someone else I was hurt.” She kicked the entire black suit off and turned to see him watching her, his dark eyes gleaming in the false dusk inside the tent. Elizabeth placed both hands on his chest and pushed him onto his back. She followed him down. Using him like a very hard, not particularly comfortable, mattress. It was sheer bliss feeling his skin against hers.

  “Not a gaping-wound hurt,” she told him, nibbling a path from his throat to his chin, while his large hands skimmed down her back. “Because,” she licked the curve of his lower lip, “we didn’t have that kind of passion. But hurt that after I’d worked so hard to make our marriage work, he’d gone off and found someone else.” She opened her mouth over his and found his tongue. She felt as though sparklers fired off in her blood.

  While she kissed her way to his ear, he scooped her hair off her neck and started tasting the tendons there, making her shudder. “Then you walked into the clinic that day in the middle of all my personal drama and I forgot everything.”

  Elizabeth’s mind went blank as his tongue traced an erotic path up the side of her throat and then swirled inside her ear.

  “A-all that testosterone, a black eye, your arm bleeding. And even though I thought you’d been in some skanky bar fight…” She smiled at his growl of mock outrage.

  “I thought you were the hottest, sexiest man I’d ever seen.”

  “Yeah?” he whispered directly into her ear.

  She shuddered. “Oh, yeah.” It had been lust at first sight. “I thought you weren’t interested.” Struggling to make sense of her failing marriage, building a new practice, and paying off monumental med school loans, Elizabeth had been broadsided by her visceral and blatantly sexual attraction to a stranger when her life was already in an upheaval. She’d put Sam away to think about late at night. And think about him she had. With the way her life was going at the time, she was almost relieved that he hadn’t felt the same immediate attraction that she had. If both them had felt the same way, she imagined that it would have been impossible not to act on it. By his apparent disinterest, Elizabeth had managed to stay true to her marriage vows, however tenuous they’d been.

  Her brain was fogging. Sam flipped her over. It wasn’t easy; the tent was barely big enough for the two of them. He leaned over her, his fingers tangled in her hair, his gaze hot, his thumb making lazy circles at her temple. “That kiss I planted on you six months ago didn’t give you a heads-up?”

  “It gave me pheromones and blood pressure up,” she assured him, tracing the curve of his smile. Even though her body pulsed and throbbed, and she was wet for him, their lazy, we-have-all-the-time-in-the-world conversation was drawing out the finish unbearably. “But that was the only indication that you even knew I existed.”

  His fingers skimmed up to cup her breast where it plumped against his chest. Elizabeth shifted to grant him access to her nipple. He squeezed it this si
de of exquisite pain, then stroked his thumb over the erect peak. The sensation shot directly to every nerve center in her body.

  “You didn’t notice I was practically stalking you?” he demanded, kneeing her thighs apart.

  “I did notice that you were pretty much everywhere I was, yes. But you never came over and talked to me. Never asked me out. You kissed me once and then I didn’t hear from you again. You disappeared for a mon—”

  He slipped inside her. Hot and hard. “Ah. You noticed.”

  “Wait. Don’t move,” she begged, the sensation too strong, too sweet. She wanted him so much her heart ached with the need. Here he was, this man who had set her pulse racing for what seemed like forever. Here he was, Sam Pelton, with his hips spreading her thighs wide and his warrior eyes gleaming as he looked down into hers. YesYesYES!

  “Of course I noticed.” She tried to speak around a pant as she started to rock her hips against his. “One minute everywhere I looked there—ah—there you were, then you kissed me like there was no tomorrow anddisappeared for a month. It was enough to…give…a girl a freaking…complex.”

  His penis flexed inside her, and Elizabeth moaned, then bit him on the shoulder. The pleasure he was giving her was indescribable, both sharp and sweet. Her body tightened unbearably around him as he threw back his head, the tendons in his neck showing in sharp relief.

  “I was out of the country on an—op.” Sam pumped his hips and Elizabeth made a soft appreciative sound in the back of her throat, stroking her hand down his back, then digging her nails into his hard butt cheek as he hit his stride. “And I was waiting—I’m trying to draw this out, sweetheart. But I’m going to go off like Vesuvius in about a second if you don’t stop moving under me like that. Lie real still—I was waiting the year out.”

  She couldn’t keep still, everything they did pushed her higher and higher, until Elizabeth didn’t know where she stopped and Sam began. Her internal muscles contracted around his penis buried deep inside her. His hands were gentle as he stroked her back and her behind in strokes that he maybe thought were soothing, but were instead making her crazy with lust, love, and need all jumbled together.