He kissed her forehead. "How do you do that?"

She shrugged. "What?"

"I've never met anyone who works so hard to make the people around her feel better about themselves."

She gave him a very unladylike snort. "That's because you don't hang out with the right people."

d.a.m.n, she'd hit that one right. Everyone he knew was out for themselves. There wasn't a single person he could trust, and there was certainly no one who would lift him up the way she did. This time with her was more precious than even he had realized, and he intended to make the most of it.

"Hey-" She touched his cheek. "Whatever you're thinking. Stop it. This afternoon is for frolic." She batted her eyelashes at him and he couldn't help but laugh.

"So, how does one commence this frolicking?" He twisted a strand of her wet hair gently around his finger. "Would it start like this?" He leaned down and kissed her neck. "Or maybe like this?" Cupping her right breast, he thumbed her nipple to attention.

"Mmm." She groaned and shoved her pelvis into his erection, grinding her hips against him. "Yes. I'd say you catch on quick." She pushed him toward the opening of the tent. "I think it's time to make use of this sheikh and princess setup you have going here."

"Sheikh?" He nipped at her neck again, and then let her push him toward the mouth of the tent.

"Yes. You are the handsome and mysterious sheikh. You've plied me with wine-" she held up the can of soda "-and now you're going to have your way with me." She shoved him down on the bed, set the c.o.ke on a nearby table and then crawled on top of him.

"I'm going to have my way with you?" His voice was hoa.r.s.e as she moved her p.u.s.s.y against his erection. The warmth of her nearly made him come right then, but he forced himself to breathe and relax.

"Or vice versa. Does it really matter?" She gave him a wicked grin as she tugged off her bikini top, her pert b.r.e.a.s.t.s bouncing as she bent down to untie the string on his board shorts.

"No, it doesn't matter at all," he said as he leaned up so he could take one of those b.r.e.a.s.t.s into his mouth, suckling the nipple until it was a hard peak.

She gasped and pushed herself farther into his mouth. As he suckled the other breast, he slid a finger into her bikini bottoms and into her p.u.s.s.y, pumping in and out, until he felt her shudder with release. Lifting her off of him, he put her gently onto the bed and pulled the bottoms off.

Expecting to see pleasure when he looked up, he was surprised by the worried look in her eyes. "What is it?" He was instantly beside her, drawing her to him.

"Are you sure, um, that it's private?" she whispered. "I'm not so sure I can be quiet. I tend to lose any sense at all when you're around."

He chuckled and kissed her hard on the lips. "It's private, baby. I promise. You are free to do whatever you want." Moving down her naked body, he tongued her nub until she writhed and was shoving her wetness into his face. She was sweet as always, mixed with the salt of the sea. Nothing short of intoxicating, better than a full-bodied wine on a warm night.

"Oh, G.o.d, Jackson, please." Her hands fisted the sheets and he slid two fingers in her p.u.s.s.y as he continued to nibble and lick. She bucked against him and her body shuddered again.

Jackson could wait no longer. He slid off his shorts and reached for one of the condoms he'd put under a pillow. Then he reached for her and slid her to the edge of the bed; wrapping her legs around his shoulders he lifted her hips and plunged into her. She met his pace, thrusting herself against him.

It was fast and furious and he didn't care. From the moans he gathered she didn't, either. Everything he felt for her went into those thrusts. She watched him with such intensity, and he her, as if they both knew this was something else. Something special. His c.o.c.k exploded inside her as she screamed her own release. Jackson had promised her privacy, but there was a good chance people on the other side of the island had heard her.

He couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?" She scooted back on the pillows as he disposed of the condom.

Jackson moved beside her, kissing her neck. He wouldn't dare call attention to her scream. He was certain she wasn't aware that she even did it. It gave him such pleasure to know he could drive her to such extremes. "I tend to lose myself when I'm around you. That went a little faster than I'd planned."

Snuggling against him, her chin under his chest felt so perfect. "That was a two-way street, buddy," she playfully chided. "I wanted it hard and fast, and that's what you gave me."

"I aim to please, ma'am." He gave her his best Southern drawl.

She snorted again. He loved it when she did that.

"Well, I'd say that aim of yours is dead-on. I don't think I've ever-" She stopped herself.

"What is it?" He pulled away so he could see her face.

Rolling her eyes, she tried to duck her head again, but he held on to her chin.

"You can tell me, Mar. Anything. I'm the last person to judge."

She smiled at him. "I get that from you. You have a way of sizing up people and situations, but you're probably the least judgmental man I've ever met. Even with Gladstone. You gave him some tough love, but you didn't make him feel small, which is what most people would do."

Jackson sighed. "You're changing the subject. This isn't about me. It's about you. What were you going to say?"

"Darn, and I thought I was doing so good with the deflecting."

He pushed her still-damp hair behind her ears. "Say it, Mar. Whatever it is."

"I've never had o.r.g.a.s.ms like this." She said it as a whisper. "I mean, I've had decent s.e.x, I guess. But never the mind-blowing stuff people talk about. Until now."

Part of him was proud that he'd been able to bring her such joy. But the other part was angry when he thought of her with another man. Hold it. You're no saint. She'd told him that no other man had made her feel the way he did. He'd focus on that for now. But he understood what she'd meant. There was something between them that he'd never experienced before, either.

"See, now I'm totally embarra.s.sed. I can see it on your face, you think I'm ridiculous." She started to sit up, and he grabbed her arm.

"You are many things. Beautiful," he said as he kissed her lips. "Smart," he said as he kissed her forehead. "And s.e.xy as h.e.l.l," he said as he nibbled her earlobe. "But never ridiculous."

She shook her head. "You're saying that to make me feel better."

"No. If it makes you feel any better, it's not always been like this for me, either."

That made her frown.

"What's wrong now?"

She screwed up her face. "See, it kills me to think you've been with another woman. That's what I'm talking about. I've only known you a couple of days. I swear to you I'm not some stalker chick. There's a connection with you. I don't know why. Maybe because you seem to know exactly how to push the right b.u.t.tons with me."

"I wouldn't mind it." Jackson waggled an eyebrow at her.

She frowned again. "What the h.e.l.l are you talking about now?"

"You, as a stalker. That might be kind of fun. You could follow me around in that bikini you were wearing earlier and hide behind bushes. Maybe show up on my doorstop naked. I'm seeing some real possibilities here."

She snorted again, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You really should do that more often." She touched his cheek again, this time her eyes tender with something he didn't quite understand. "Your laugh makes me warm from my head to my toes."

Jackson had done more laughing with her in the last few days than he had in years. "Hmm. Are you warmer here?" He slid his hand across her flat belly. Then lower. "Or here?"

She pulled him into a kiss. "You ask too many questions, Jackson."

It had been almost ten minutes since her last mind-blowing o.r.g.a.s.m. Jackson decided it was time to make her scream with pleasure again.

THEIR AFTERNOON OF LOVEMAKING had worn them both out. Jackson had managed a few hours of sleep. Mar was sleepy when they'd returned to the villa, and she had asked for a couple of hours to rest some more, and to freshen up before their dinner date.

Jackson had spent the last half hour arranging for them to eat on the rooftop of the hotel, in a private area where they would be close to the moon and stars. He was stepping out onto the path when he saw Scoggins heading his way. It was too late for him to turn around without being rude, so he smiled. "Good evening," he said as the man stopped in front of him. Jackson wanted to push past, but he paused.

Jackson could feel the tension rolling off the other man, whose earlier smile had turned into a grim expression. Something was up.

Expecting the worst, Jackson readied for action by shifting his weight to his back foot, and reaching for the knife he'd tucked into his waist.

Scoggins held up two hands in a stop motion. "Stand down, man. I mean you know harm. I thought you might like to know about an interesting telephone conversation I had with one of my a.s.sociates."

Jackson shrugged nonchalantly but kept his hand on the hilt of the knife. "Really? Someone I might know?" He knew the charade was up, but Jackson wasn't quite ready to give in.

Scoggins gave him a hard look. "Oh, I'd say we know a few of the same people. One of them in particular seems quite set on finding a man fitting your description."

d.a.m.n. It was done. He had to get the h.e.l.l out of here. h.e.l.l, he had to get Mar to a plane, and then lose himself somewhere else in Thailand. Find a way to Langley.

"I suppose you mentioned that you'd seen me?" Jackson could kill the man, he was that p.i.s.sed off, but Scoggins's death would serve no purpose.

Scoggins shook his head. "No, actually, I didn't. Whoever you are, and whatever you are mixed up in with those devils in Bangkok is no concern of mine. They still owe me millions, and don't seem in a hurry to pay. And I seem to remember that man matching your description, the twin I was telling you about? Well, he saved my life back in London, and arranged it so that I could continue to do business without worrying about the authorities. I promised that man loyalty, and I never go back on my word."

Jackson breathed for the first time in what seemed like several minutes. "How can I trust you?"

"As I recall, you don't trust anyone. Can't say I blame you. But I mean what I say. It serves me no purpose to turn you in, you can look at it that way if it makes you feel better. But the truth is, I never welsh on my debts. And I owe you my life. I'd be in prison for life, or dead, if it weren't for you. We'll leave it at that." Scoggins moved past, but Jackson caught his arm. "How long?"

Scoggins c.o.c.ked his head to the side. "They think you're still in the city. You have a couple of days at least. But you need to get out of this country. Vlad has people everywhere and it won't be long before they find you." He waved a hand toward the ocean. "Even here."

"Thanks."

"You would have done the same for me. And besides, I'm still working in London. Perhaps we'll do business again some day."

Jackson nodded. Scoggins walked into the hotel, leaving him on the sidewalk. Staring out into the ocean a myriad of thoughts ran through his head. Where should he go next? Could he get Mar to a major airport? They might be watching, and her safety was the priority. He needed to get a look at that laptop again.

Guilt a.s.sailed him. He couldn't stand that he was being so deceitful with her, but there was no way around it. That laptop was the only way he could communicate with the outside world.

In his mind he promised himself that he would do whatever it took to protect her. Unfortunately, that didn't make him feel any less guilty.

14.

SOMETHING TUGGED MARISKA from a deep sleep. Pulling her toward consciousness when all she wanted was to stay in her dreams with Jackson.

"Wake up. Come on, sleepyhead. Open those eyes." Jackson's s.e.xy voice coaxed her back to reality. "Please, baby. I have a surprise for you."

Slipping farther down in the warmth of the bed seemed a much better idea. She'd spent a little too much time surfing and in the sun, and now she was paying for it. It didn't help that she and Jackson had made love for hours. Her mind and body were exhausted. A dull ache had formed in her head, and her skin felt tight, even though she'd showered and applied lotions before crawling between the cool sheets. But he sounded excited and she couldn't stand disappointing him.

She opened a sliver of an eye. "Happy now?" she said grumpily as she pulled the sheet back over her face. The dim light in the room was enough to make her blink.

Jackson wore a dress shirt, dark slacks and one of his devastating smiles. "You look gorgeous," he said as he moved in for a kiss.

She held a hand over her mouth. "Stop. I have sandpaper mouth. You can't kiss me right now."

"Hmm." He tugged her hand away. "I'll decide if I can kiss you or not. And can't say I've ever heard of sandpaper mouth. Is that some tropical disease I should be worried about?"

"I refuse to kiss you until I've brushed my teeth. And if a cat has ever licked you, then you know exactly what sandpaper mouth is." She pushed the sheet off her and stood naked before him. A few days ago she would have been self-conscious about her body, but now she was only worried about her breath.

Jackson refused to let her pa.s.s, and planted a big kiss on her lips. "I say you taste perfect, sandy mouth and all." His hands slipped down her bottom and pulled her to him. "And you feel perfect." His hands slipped around her hips and settled there.

"I thought you said you had a surprise for me?" She wiggled away from him, determined to brush the grime from her tongue before he could kiss her again.

He looked confused for a moment, then he smiled. "Seeing you naked sent the past hour straight out of my head. I do have a big surprise for you."

She turned her head and smiled up at him. "Um, I think I've seen that surprise already. Over, and over, and over again. Not that I'm complaining." She boldly cupped him and could feel his c.o.c.k growing in her hand.

"Talk about a one-track mind." He gently removed her hand and pushed her toward the bathroom. "You need to get ready. Your surprise is waiting at the hotel."

She clapped her hands together. "Normally, I'm not a big fan of surprises, but now I can't wait. I'll be fast." She turned back at the door and caught him frowning at the floor, his chin in his hand. "Jackson?"

He glanced up and smiled at her. But she knew she'd seen genuine worry on his face. "Yes? No more stalling. Do your womanly things, hurry, hurry." He shooed her into the bathroom before she could ask what was wrong.

"I only wanted to know what to wear."

"Doesn't matter," he said, "you look beautiful in everything."

That made her laugh as she stared in the mirror. It was crazy that her hair could be a frizzy mess on top of her head and overly pink cheeks, and he thought she was beautiful. She wouldn't dwell on that look on his face. The one that made her worry that perhaps this fantasy was going to end sometime soon.

She turned on the faucets. Her stomach tightened at the thought of him leaving.

"No," she whispered. "The deal is, I enjoy whatever time I have with him. I knew that going in. No regrets."

JACKSON'S SURPRISE HAD BEEN incredible. As they stood on the rooftop of the hotel looking out on to the ocean she felt like she could touch the moon and the stars.

"I don't think I would ever tire of this view," she said softly as she snuggled against his chest. They'd had a elegant candlelit dinner by the rooftop pool, and Jackson had even arranged for music to stream in through the speakers. She'd learned it came from his iPod, which was connected to the sound system. It was an array of everything from big band to indie rock, and all points in between. It was as eclectic and diverse as the man holding her.

He sighed against her. They had two bottles of wine, and an a.s.sortment of local delicacies. She'd eaten more than she'd intended, but she felt more relaxed than she had in years. Jackson had been so attentive, as if he wanted her to remember this night forever. She would.

But there was a small part of her that couldn't let go of that moment back at the villa. She'd seen the look on his face. He was worried about something, but he wanted her to have this night. She couldn't take that away from him.

"Mmm. This has been just about the most perfect date a woman could ever imagine." She took a deep breath. "Jackson, you can surprise me anytime you want. In fact I may have to change the way I look at surprises from here on out."

When she glanced up at him there was a strange expression on his face. Why couldn't the man take a compliment? "Seriously, I'll be spoiled from now on. No man is ever going to live up to the measure of the Jackson standard." She gave him a grin, but his brows drew together and he wore a deep frown. "What's wrong?"