Dangerous Surrender (7 page)

He smiled and squeezed my hand. “You’re kind, Mattie. That’s one of the things I love about you. Come on. We might be able to buy a new boat or something.”

A knot tightened in my stomach.
Love.
He didn’t mean it. It was just a saying. One of those things. But the butterflies fluttered inside me regardless.

Get it together! Now is not the time to think about love!

I followed him into the village, but hung back as he spoke to some men playing cards in a little garage. Did they have a moped for sale? Looking at the state of the road, I wasn’t sure how agreeable that’d be.

Jack motioned for me to join him a few minutes later.

“They’ll sell us some transportation, but we’ve got to wait until morning to get it.”

“Why? Is it not safe to travel at night?” I asked and swatted the millionth mosquito to land on me.

Jack rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. “Look. I don’t think they’ll track us in the night – not on these roads. We’ll sleep here and wait until tomorrow, deal?”

My feet weren’t going to argue with him. I wasn’t sure how far we walked, but the sandals didn’t do me any favors.

One of the men led us to a room in a little house and pointed at an old mattress. I swallowed the lump in my throat and fought not to think about the nice clean sheets at the Four Seasons. Hospitality was hospitality. I hoped the mattress didn’t have bed bugs.

Thankfully, exhaustion overcame me as soon as I collapsed on the bed. The more time I spent asleep, the less I had to worry about our predicament.

6

The smell of cooking awoke me the next morning. In the dim gray light, Jack leaned over a smartphone. His brow furrowed as he pressed buttons with his thumb.

Sitting up, I brushed the hair from my face. “Did you get in touch with anyone? Are they coming to rescue us?”

I knew the answer as soon as his eyes met mine. “No, love. That’s not what I’m doing. Sleep well?”

Blood rushed to my face, and I fisted my hands. “Yes, but only because I was too tired not to. Jack, why can’t you contact the CIA or whomever you work for? Aren’t they supposed to rescue--”

He clamped his hand over my mouth before I uttered another word. His sharp eyes narrowed and his usually carefree expression hardened.

“Don’t, Mattie. This isn’t like the movies. I’m trying to clean up this mess without turning it into an international incident. And you can’t go spouting off names like that. These people might seem rural, but they know more than you give them credit for.”

Pricks of tears threatened my eyes, but I bit my lip and urged them not to fall. It wasn’t Jack I was upset with.
How could I be so stupid? Of course I shouldn’t say anything about him being a spy in enemy territory – or whatever this was.

I pried his fingers from my lips, the heat of them burning my flesh. “Sorry, Jack. I need to get washed up before we get back to our
adventure
.”

He sighed and nodded. “I’ll show you.”

After breakfast, I no longer felt as generous toward him.

He stood next to a humped beast with a grayish white hide. It looked like a cow with huge horns, and it didn’t pay him any attention.

“Why do you have a cow, Jack?” I asked, my hands trembling.

We might be traveling incognito, but why did we need livestock?

“Actually it’s a water buffalo, and it’s our ride for now. Come along,” he said with his thick Australian accent and patted the beast’s side. “We should get going.”

Gapping at him, I shook my head. “No! I can’t ride a cow.”

The old familiar smirk slid across his lips, and he grabbed my by the wrists. “I didn’t say anything about riding it, love.”

The villagers glanced at us, their eyes wide and curious.

“Then what are we going to do with a cow?” I hissed.

“Tie it to a cart and move along to the next village,” he said and led the animal to a little wooden cart. The whole thing looked rickety and close to falling apart. I didn’t ask how much he paid for it.

“They don’t have any boats?” I asked and watched him tie a number of complicated knots around the cart and the cow’s harness.

“Not that they can afford to sell. Get on. We need to be gone before those men get here.”

I climbed into the cart piled with a plethora of exotic fruit. “Did you buy the food too?”

“Nope, just delivering it to market.”

“Oh, to the market. Of course!”

“Of course,” he repeated and planted a soft kiss on my temple.

Why did he have to do that?
My cheeks flushed. Then I pushed my hair behind my ears and gripped onto the side of the cart as he urged the cow into a slow walk.

“We aren’t going to outrun anyone like this,” I said as we rolled down the road.

He smiled, white teeth gleaming. “We don’t have to outrun them, love. We have to outsmart them.”

I didn’t see how a cow and a cart would do that, but Jack was the spy. I was only along for the ride.

***

Sitting in the back of the cart on a badly tended road was officially worse than riding in a boat. We arrived in town caked in brown red dust. I rinsed my mouth out with some bottled water and frowned for the millionth time at Jack.

Complaining got me nowhere, so I glanced around instead. It was larger than the village we came from, and a group of brightly dressed locals paraded down the street.

Some kind of festival?

"What's going on?" I asked.

Jack smiled. "Looks like a wedding, love."

Great. Just what I needed. Another reminder that this was supposed to be my honeymoon. I was supposed be married right now and instead – I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut.
Stop with the pity party Matilda. You have more important things to worry about now!

A strong hand patted my thigh, and I glanced at Jack. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief instead of pity. I'm not sure which I preferred.
What was he up to now?

An open market filled the town's square, and Jack pulled our cow to a halt before he climbed down. Like a gentleman, he offered his hand to me and I stumbled out of the cart, falling into his powerful chest.

His hands gripped my shoulders, palms rubbing my bare arms. "You all right?"

"Fine," I breathed and took in his rich, manly scent.
Even after hours traveling through this heat he smelled good!

For a moment his eyes burned into mine, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. Even though dangerous men tracked us, being with Jack made me forget how close they might be.

His thumb caressed my cheek and a smile lit his eyes. "Looks like we need a place to clean up, Mattie."

"You don't have to remind me how terrible I look," I muttered.

His eyes widened. "Not at all, love. You’re beautiful as always, if a little messier than usual."

Before I replied a man approached us and said something in Thai. Jack squeezed my shoulder as he responded, and I watched the wedding procession saunter passed us. Everyone looked so happy – faces beaming and bodies draped in fine embroidered silk. My wedding dress sat back at my apartment in Manhattan collecting dust.

I may never get to use it now.

Then Jack kissed my temple and the misery of my former life faded. "Come on. We've been invited to the wedding."

"What? Are we going to wash up first?"

"Might as well wait until tonight," he said. "Aren't you hungry?"

The rumble in my stomach answered for me. "We aren’t dressed for a wedding, “ I said and glanced down at my dirt-ridden outfit. Jack hadn't fared much better. "And what about – you know?"

Jack draped a strong arm around my shoulder. "For one, it'll look suspicious if we say no. Live a little, love."

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I nodded. Jack knew what he was doing. He was a spy. I had to trust him – there was no other choice. Without him, I'd be helpless, lost and most likely dead.

Joy radiated from the reception patio. Everything, tables and awning included, was draped in gold embroidered silk. Tables lined with delectable food sat on display and my mouth watered. How long had it been since breakfast? Too long, as far as my stomach was concerned.

We ate marvelous food, a collection of rice and noodle dishes, and watched the cheerful goings on. Even though I didn't understand the language, happiness is clear in every culture.

Jack leaned back in his chair, his arm resting casually on my thigh. For all the world he looked relaxed, but I noticed a tense wariness in his sharp eyes. He watched the crowd for signs of our attackers, his body poised to defend us.

Before I realized it, lamps sprung to life and the delightful discord of foreign music started. His grip on my thigh loosened, and he grabbed my hand instead.

"Dance with me, Mattie," he whispered and his breath tickled my ear.

Before I answered, he pulled me to my feet and onto the dance floor. Strong arms encompassed me in their protective hold, fingers digging into my sensitive flesh.

Is this what my first wedding dance would've been like? Well, not with Steven. He had two left feet!

Jack glided across the dance floor smoothly, and I smiled as my former theater training kicked in.

"Do you remember the last time we danced?" he asked and dipped me so low I grasped his shoulder to keep from falling.

My cheeks burned. "Senior prom. You remember?"

His lips slid into an easy smile. "How could I forget, love? You looked like an angel that night – just like you do now."

I shook my head, remembering the pale pink nightmare of a dress. "No, Jack. That frilly thing was awful. It was my first time making a ball gown, and it didn't work."

"It worked for me," he said and gripped me tighter.

My heart pounded against his powerful muscles, and I fought to ignore the heat pooling between my thighs. "Plus, Billy Sanders stood me up that night."

His lips burned against my forehead. "I know. Why do you think I went to your prom to begin with?"

Leaning back, I looked up at him. "You said you wanted to relive your senior year."

When I said it out loud I realized how stupid it sounded. He'd been a sophomore in college at the time, why would he want to come back to high school? College was much cooler than hanging out with a bunch of teenagers. Why did I believe it back then?

He laughed. "I only said that because I knew you wouldn't go with me if I asked. To be honest, I was happy Billy stood you up. Happy you were mine for the night."

The humid air caught in my throat, and I buried my head in his shoulder. How could I respond to that? A mixture of fury and desire surged through my veins at his confession.
It was over ten years ago Matilda, it doesn't mean anything now.

"It seems like I can't meet a man willing to stick around,” I mumbled.

A strong hand caught my chin and forced my head back. His lips were mere inches from mine, so close they nearly brushed. "I'm here, Mattie. I've always been here."

My stomach fluttered, and I pulled my chin out of his hand. Why did he have to say things like that when they weren't true?

"You haven't lived in New York for the past eight years,” I reminded him.

A muscle tensed in his jaw. "My work keeps me busy. But I always come back to see you and Cheryl."

Great. Now he put me in the same category as his sister!

"Look, it's getting late," I said and pulled out of his arms.

His fingers and palms trailed over my skin, but he relinquished his hold with a sigh.

"You're right. We should go to our room."

We walked through the town in silence, our feet kicking up clouds of dust in the twilight. Most of the wooden structures were raised on stilted legs for to avoid floods come monsoon season, their shuttered windows and thatched roofs simple and functional. We climbed the steps to our motel room, and Jack unlocked the door and flipped on the light. Then something fast and pale scurried across the wooden walls – several somethings.

Shrieking, I pointed a shaking finger. "What was that?"

Jack raised an eyebrow and chuckled at my reaction. "Geckos, love. They eat the bugs."

Okay. We were in the subtropics, and Thailand had different insects then New York. Hell, I grew up in a city famous for giant roaches – but we didn't have lizards crawling across our walls!

"What kind of bugs?" I asked and stepped tentatively into our room. It was small with a double bed and bathroom. At least it
had
a bathroom.

"All sorts. Mosquitoes, roaches and whatever else they can find. Not as scary as anything from my home country," he said with a wink.

The geckos weren't overly large, maybe four to five inches in length. I’d ignore them as long as they didn’t crawl on me.

"I'm going to take a shower," I said and hurried into the bathroom.

Good. Gecko free.

Like the bathroom at his place it was a tiled room with a showerhead and toilet. I stripped off my clothes and draped them over the railing. Cold water flowed from the faucet when I turned it on, so I waited. And waited. And waited, but it didn't get any warmer. Not only was I tired and naked. Now I had to take a cold shower.

But you're alive, Matilda. And Jack's there to help. Jack. Dammit.

I creaked open the bathroom door and peeked into our room. "The water doesn't heat up, does it?" I asked.

Jack sat in the only chair, his shirt discarded next to our meager pile of luggage. His golden skin taut over his powerful muscular form. Just looking at him assaulted my body with lust.

The secretive smirk spread across his lips. "In a moment, love."

Before I asked what he meant, someone knocked at our room. I pulled the bathroom door shut and took a deep breath.

A cold shower it is.

Right before I stepped under the icy stream, Jack burst into the room. I covered my breasts and mound as best I could, frowning under the flickering fluorescent lights.
Talk about unflattering!