Dangerous Surrender (3 page)

“Where is this house of yours?” I asked and swatted a mosquito on my arm. Good thing I brought enough bug spray to last a year.

“Just here. I wanted something set back for a bit of privacy,” he said and pulled the boat up to a little dock.

Once he unloaded the luggage and hauled me out of the boat, I glanced up the pathway toward the house. Orchids of all different shapes and colors clung to the trees, like some kind of tropical fairy tale. Pinks, purples, oranges and yellows – their strange designs sparking costume ideas in my mind as we walked past.

“Do you like them?” he asked and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Yes. Do they just grow wild like this?”

“With a little help. The house is just through here,” he said and pushed back some crowding palm leaves.

If I’d been carrying a bag, I would have dropped it. As it was, I stared and my mouth fell agape. The huge wooden structure spread before us, more like it was carved from the jungle around it than truly built. The wrap around porch, walls and roof were all made of the same dark, polished wood. Instead of glass, the windows had finely carved shutters and mosquito netting over them. The roof came to a sharp point and flared out at the ends similar to many of the temples we passed on the way.

“This is your house?” I asked and glanced at Jack. As far as I knew he wasn’t swimming in money—but that place told a different story.

“Yeah, home sweet home. Come on in. I’m sure dinner’s ready by now.”

“Dinner? You have a cook?” I asked and followed him into the foyer.

Instead of answering, he only smirked.

Just like the outside, the inside of the home was all beautifully carved wood with a dearth of furniture. Most of the downstairs stood open, including the kitchen. A dining table, chairs and a low couch were the only things in the spacious area.

“I’ll take the bags to our room and you can wash up,” Jack said and started up the stairs.

“Right,” I said and followed. “Wait.
Our
room?”

Infuriatingly, he didn’t answer. When I reached the top of the stairs I understood what he meant. Like the first story the only thing portioned off with anything more than a wisp of white curtain was the bathroom – and that only had a toilet and shower in it.

A bed graced the center of the room, overlooking the jungle and canal below. Well, it probably beat the view at the Four Seasons, but I didn’t want to admit it to Jack just yet.

“You going to freshen up, love?” he asked and patted my bottom.

I jumped at the touch and spun around, scowling at his handsome smirk. “Yes. Why do you keep touching me like that?”

“You’re my wife,” he said and slipped a stray piece of hair behind my ear, his fingers brushing my cheek delicately. “You need to get used to my touch, Mattie. You might even like it.”

What woman wouldn’t like it?
I thought, but stepped back from his overwhelming presence all the same.

“I’m going to be your
fake
wife. You don’t have to touch me when no one’s around to see,” I said, my cheeks flushed, and I headed toward the bathroom.

His eyes burned into my back, but I didn’t know what else to say. As I shut the door, I leaned against it and sighed heavily. How the hell was I supposed to get through the next month with Jack? Cheryl probably put him up to this in order to make me feel better, help me regain some semblance of self-confidence. Didn’t she realize his intentions, however noble, just made the whole situation worse?

After washing up, I was still tired but at least I didn’t look like a zombie anymore. I’d only scrubbed my face for the moment – the real shower would come after dinner. The smells emanating from the kitchen were too mouthwatering for me to wait.

As I trotted down the stairs a middle-aged woman greeted me. She grinned and took my hand in hers. “Oh, Jack said his wife came with him. I’m so happy to meet you,” she cried and wrapped her arms around me.

I froze and only just remembered to pat her back before she pulled away. “Wife? Oh, y-yes. Of course. I’m Tilda,” I said.

The smile on her face made it hard to tell the truth.

“Tilda. He talks so much about you. Come. Sit down and eat,” she said and pulled out a chair for me.

Glancing around for Jack, I sat. The table was lined with six different dishes. Each one enticed me with the aroma of coconut and spices. My stomach grumbled and my mouth watered just looking at it. Then the woman grabbed my plate and starting dishing it up for me.

“I can do that,” I said and reached for it.

Jack seemed to appear from nowhere and plopped in the chair next to me. “Oh, I see you met Lamai.”

Once my plate was full, Lamai pushed it toward me and took Jack’s plate.

“Yes, we met,
dear
,” I said and eyed him.
Why would he tell his cook he was married? Things just didn’t add up!

Like usual, Jack flashed me a gorgeous smile and handed me a flower. “I picked this for you, love.”

Now he was going out to pick me flowers? This was really getting out of hand. I’d had my heart broken – I wasn’t dying! “Thanks,
darling
.”

“Aren’t you going to eat? Lamai’s an excellent cook and this’ll be better than anything you had in New York.”

It smelled better; the gentle scents tickled my nose and my stomach growled. Slowly, I took a bite of a noddle dish and my taste buds burst to life. The spices danced across my tongue, exciting me more than I thought possible.

“It’s delicious,” I said and took a second bite.

Lamai smiled. “Good. Good. Jack said this would be your favorite.”

I glanced at Jack, who dug into his own plate without abandon.

“How did you know this would be my favorite?” I asked and took another delicate bite.
Don’t eat your whole plate like a pig, fattie Mattie
. I told myself.

“We’ve been out to Thai food before,” he said and pushed an open bottle of beer toward me.

He remembered eating Thai with Cheryl and me? That was at least three or four years ago!
I licked my lips and shook my head. Steven always had to remind me how many extra calories were in alcoholic drinks. “I’ll just have water.”

“Have a sip. I promise you’ll like it,” he said, grinning dangerously.

The smile ate through all my resolve, and I took one long gulp. The crisp flavor clung to my tongue, mixing perfectly with the spices in the food. Aussies and their beer.

“Well?” he asked.

“It’s great, Jack. I just don’t need it.”

He laughed. “I’m fairly certain you do. This is your vacation. Time to relax, love. Have a drink and enjoy dinner.”

My cheeks flushed, and I took another bite. “I don’t need you telling me what to do, thanks. If I say I don’t need it then I don’t
need
it.”

Suddenly, Jack leaned across the table, his face mere inches from my own. The rough edge of his cheek begged to be touched – his sharp eyes shining in the dim light.

“
Want
and
need
are two different things. We humans don’t need much, but we want it all. Might as well live while we have the chance.”

Sighing, I pushed the plate away. “Fine. Maybe I don’t
want
it then, since you have to put such a fine point on it.”

He eyed me for a moment, his look smoldering through my clothes to the flesh beneath. What the hell was he thinking about?

“Fair enough. You won’t even finish your dinner?”

I scowled and took another bite of the orgasmic food. Yes. I definitely wanted to finish dinner. We ate the rest of the meal in silence, and I glanced at the pretty tropical flower he’d picked for me. Then I realized the house was quiet and still.

“Where’s Lamai?” I asked and looked around.

“Home, I suppose. She’s not a live-in maid. She’s got a family of her own to look after,” he said and watched me with his questioning gaze.

I returned the look with a pout. “Why did you tell
her
you were married? Or do you have some secret wife no one else knows about?”

His eyes softened and he grinned. Good thing I was already sitting. His stupid smile weakened my knees.

“You’re my only wife, secret or otherwise.”

His words sent shivers over my skin, burrowing into my veins until my entire body tingled with sick desire. Why did he have to say things like that? It just made this whole situation that much worse.

First, your fiancé breaks up with you, now you have to spend the month with a former crush. A gorgeous Aussie hell bent on making you feel even worse. I must be some kind of masochist.

“Dessert?” he asked suddenly and shook me from my thoughts.

I stared at the little circular cakes he pushed toward me. They weren’t any bigger than silver-dollar pancakes and they smelled of rich coconut. Chewing my bottom lip, I frowned. The last time I had dessert was when Steven broke my heart.

“No. I’m stuffed.”

“Just one. Lamai will be disappointed if you don’t try them,” he offered.

Was he trying to make me fatter? But I didn’t want to upset Lamai, so I ate one. Or five. Why did I choose Thailand again?

After dinner, Jack offered to clean up so I could take a shower. Unlike American bathrooms, the shower wasn’t in a stall. The toilet sat in one corner of the tiled room and the showerhead protruded from the other with no curtain to partition it off. At least there was a second bathroom downstairs.

Even in the warm air the hot water soothed my skin and eased my muscles, sore from the long plane ride. My soapy hands flitted over the peaks of my breasts and down the curve of my hips. Jack’s fingers wound a similar path, and the thought of him flushed my skin and wet my sex with lust.

Well, he wouldn’t barge in on me in the bathroom, right?

Slowly, my hand traversed lower, rubbing my eager clit in gentle circles. His fingers, thick and calloused, felt so much different against my flesh than my own.

Letting out a low moan, I stroked the length of my pussy. My mind focused on his titillating body and that sinful smirk. Dammit. How could he still get to me after all these years?

Suddenly, the door burst open and Jack stood staring at me.  

“What are you doing?" I screamed and covered my breasts and aching mound as best I could.

Great. Seeing me naked in the unflattering fluorescent lights was not helping my cause in the least!

Jack licked his lips and glanced around the room. “Just wanted to check on you, love. Got a towel, I see.”

My whole body burned from more than the heat of the shower. “Get out!”

His eyes traveled up and down my figure for long seconds before he finally nodded and left. My heart pounded, my breathing shallow. All my worst nightmares coming to life at once. Not only had Jack caught me masturbating – he’d seen me naked!

How was I ever going to live this down?

I finished my shower and dried off. Fury tickled the edges of my mind.
He
walked in on
me
. I was a grown woman with every right to do whatever I wanted. Lord knows he probably jerked off often enough.

No, I wasn’t embarrassed about that. But Jack and his perfect hard body caught a glimpse of fattie Mattie.

Taunts from the high school locker rooms filled my mind. Those skinny athletic girls criticizing my bulging thighs and stomach. Steven’s eyes when I undressed in front of him rich with that gaze of disapproval.

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I wiped them away with the corner of the towel. Now Jack saw me in all my unsexy glory. Things just kept getting worse!

At least I had my nightgown in the bathroom with me. I slipped it on, put on the lacy panites Cheryl insisted on packing, and walked out to face him.

Jack smiled, a towel draped over his arm and his golden chest bare. “There she is. The bed’s ready, if you want to get some sleep.”

“Maybe I’ll just sleep on the couch,” I said and headed toward the stairs.

How could he look at me without disgust? I know he didn’t like what he saw. Steven sure hadn’t.

“Mattie, sleep in the bed. It’s more comfortable and the sheets are clean. Go on. I expect you’ll be there when I come out.” He shut the bathroom door with finality.

Damn, the bed enticed me with the cushy mattress and the smooth, cotton sheets. Sighing, I lay down and pulled the covers over me. My first day in Thailand hadn’t gone according to my plans at all – and it had nothing to do with the lack of a real husband.

Tomorrow, I’d have a talk with Jack about my itinerary and work out a schedule with him.

Just as I shut my eyes, the bathroom door opened and he stood bathed in the dim golden light. His chest, covered with the lightest layer of hair, shifted as he walked toward the bed. He wore only a towel tied low around his slender hips and the heavy scent of soap clung to him.

My breath caught in my throat, and I chewed on my bottom lip. That last time I’d seen him without a shirt was years before – and he looked even better now that he had then. Without a glance in my direction, he tossed the towel over a railing and opened his dresser.

His round ass flexed as he bent forward, and I looked away before I caught sight of anything else. Just because he saw me naked didn’t mean I should gawk at him!

A few minutes later, he climbed into the bed. The mattress shifted under his weight, and I rolled toward him without warning.

“Oh, I hoped you’d join me, love,” he whispered and wrapped his strong arms around my stomach, his chest flush against my back.

“Jack,” I said and struggled in his grasp. The more I wiggled, the tighter he clung to me. Hot breath tickled my neck, smothering me into a useless wreck in his powerful arms.

Lips brushed my eager skin, his hands easing my nightgown up. “Looked like you were having fun in the shower. Any chance you want a repeat performance?”

“What? No,” I breathed and grabbed at his wandering fingers.

Flesh sizzled against flesh.
Why touch me like this even after he knew what I looked like?

He kissed my neck again, my body all but melting into his touch. Strong hands groped under my nightgown, one wandering high the other low. I gasped as a calloused palm smoothed over the mound of my breast, my chest heaving into his sultry touch.