Seduced by Love, Claimed by Passion~Summer Box Set

by Helen Conrad

  “Come on,” he urged her. “We need a third side to our triangle in order to catch this little beggar.”

  Smiling acquiescence, she started down off her perch. The two of them looked so silly, Jack with his white shirt and blue slacks, the little Samoan boy with his round belly pushing a gap between his short T-shirt and the bright red swimming trunks he wore, both chasing a little terrier blend dog who refused to try the water.

  The boy had been here when they arrived, and the dog had been on a rope lead at the time, though his reluctance to go into the water had been evident even then.

  “Why must the poor thing swim if he doesn’t have a taste for it?” she’d asked Jack at the time.

  “Joey says it is very important,” Jack told her, his dark eyes serious. “His grandmother told him to take the dog down to the lagoon to learn to swim. He must do as his grandmother orders.”

  So Summer climbed her rock, hardly giving the swimming lesson another thought, but things deteriorated below. Joey carried the little dog down to the edge of the water, but the frightened animal made a leap from the boy’s arms, landed with all four feet in dry sand, and headed for the cover of the inland brush. Jack had been trying to help Joey regain his pet ever since.

  “Oh look!” Summer cried as she slid down onto the warm sand. The dog was hiding behind a slender trunk of a coconut palm, his tail sticking out one side, his smiling face out the other. “He thinks he’s really well hidden,” she laughed. “Can’t you just see him saying ‘they’ll never find me now!’?”

  With Summer’s help they cornered the beast and Jack picked him up.

  “I’ll take him in for you,” he told Joey, holding the wriggling furry form under one arm while he pulled open the belt of his slacks with the other. Even though she knew he had on swimming briefs beneath his clothes, Summer turned her eyes away involuntarily and felt a slight flush begin to creep up her neck.

  This was certainly ridiculous. Just two days before, she’d braved him with her own nakedness. Now she was embarrassed when he showed a little skin. She fought back the emotion before he could see her reaction and turned deliberately back to stare at him levelly, her turquoise eyes wide and steady.

  He was slipping out of his shirt and laughing down at the struggling dog. Summer watched in wonder as he cradled the animal gently in his arms and carried it out into the water.

  “You’re going to love this swimming stuff, Dog,” he promised, settling him in the warm water and holding him until he stopped his panicked thrashing and began to swim for shore.

  This time, Joey was ready with the lead and soon had his animal under control, though not in time to keep him from shaking water all over Summer’s white beach coat.

  But she still had a smile for Jack as he walked toward her. “I don’t think that dog has quite got the Olympic spirit,” she noted archly.

  His dark eyes flashed with amusement. “No,” he admitted. “I don’t think he’ll even make the sportsman’s club. But at least he’s wet. And Joey has some proof he actually got him into the water.”

  They waved good-bye to the boy as he set off back toward the village. Then they turned to face one another again.

  “Come on in for a swim,” he suggested, but she hardly heard his words. She was watching the jeweled drops of water that hung on his thick, black lashes, and following the paths of the silver rivers the salty liquid was making down his neck and gorgeous chest. Something inside urged her to reach out and catch one of the running ribbons with her finger, to smooth away the wet sparkles on his lean, muscled arm, to press her palms flat against his water-cooled skin. Stifling the compulsion, she twisted her fingers into fists, nails digging into her own flesh.

  “Come on.” He stretched out one hand and released the clasp on her beach robe, letting the thick, terrycloth material fall in a pool about her feet, leaving her in the deep blue, halter-top bikini she had borrowed from Lia.

  There was a treacherous trembling starting in her legs and she clenched her jaw, willing it to stop. She wouldn’t show him how weak he made her. Never!

  “How do you like the suit?” she asked brightly, posing for him in a mood of false bravado meant to wipe away her nervousness.

  He stood back and gazed at it critically, his head to the side. “It’s alright,” he said grudgingly, “though I liked you better the other day with all your assets on display. Now that is the way all beautiful women should swim.” His eyes glinted his dark memories into hers.

  Be flip, she warned herself. Don’t start remembering. “You’d better cherish that picture,” she said saucily, starting to walk toward the water, “because you’ll never see the real thing again.”

  He had stepped in right beside her. “Oh, won’t I?” he said softly, and suddenly she felt his fingers snag the closure on the back of her swimming bra. “One quick pull and we’ll have instant replay.”

  She stopped, blue-green eyes wide and staring into his. It was on the tip of her tongue to dare him, to jeer at his purpose. But looking at him, she knew that would be folly. He was waiting for just that excuse to pull the top from her. And where would they go from there?

  “I thought you wanted to swim,” she whispered.

  His eyes were searching hers, looking for something, some sign, some secret. She wished she knew what it was. Then his hand tightened on her back, drawing her in close, and his warm, moist mouth was on hers, tasting, testing, spreading the trembling throughout her body.

  “Most of all, I want you,” he reminded her huskily as he pulled away.

  Was that it? Was this a new way to try to win her, this soft, delicate handling? A tiny flame of fear still flickered in her heart.

  His eyes were cloudy, too dark to read, and she wondered what he was thinking. Then his mouth twisted in a rueful grin. “But swimming comes second.” His hand slid down from her back and captured her hand. “Come on.”

  Pulling her along, he began to run. Soon she was laughing with him, running with as much energy as he had, until they were kicking water high in a rainbow spray around them and crashing into the velvet lagoon.

  “Oh!” she gasped as the water closed in on her. She went limp and let his strong hands pull her back up onto the surface. She didn’t really need his help, but she found herself looking for excuses to feel his touch. As he drew her up beside him, she reached out with both hands as though she needed to hold on to him to keep herself above water. Her fingers slid up his chest and then her arms were around his neck and he pulled her close, his hands covering her slender back.

  She was being a fool, and she knew it. He knew how well she could swim; he had watched her the day before. He knew this was all an act, a ploy to get his arms around her. What would he think of her for this kind of trick?

  Abruptly, she pulled away from his warmth and plunged down into the water again, like a mermaid forsaking her human lover. She dove down and away, kicking hard and pulling with her arms, but when she turned, he was there beside her, swimming just as deep. The tropical water was so clear, she could see his features plainly, see the intent in his eyes as he reached for her.

  His body slid along hers until he held her with its length, folding her in his arms and holding her to his hardness.

  She turned in his embrace, spinning to the music of the water, and he loosened his hold so that she could move freely. Then they were both reaching for the surface, bursting through the silver skin of the water to gasp for a long delayed breath, each laughing in the other’s water-streaked face.

  The alarm bell was ringing again. This man was not like any other she had ever known. This man would not be easy to maneuver or manipulate. He was danger, and she should be fighting with every muscle in her body to get as far from him as she could.

  “I’d better get to work on the shells,” she said abruptly, avoiding his laughing eyes and beginning the long walk back to shore. He didn’t say anything, but she could feel him walking along just behind her, his feet swishing through the soft water ju
st as hers were, and every nerve ending was tingling, wondering if he would touch her from behind.

  Stop it, she ordered her unruly system, gritting her teeth. This was getting to be like a hysterical reaction. She was letting all the flood gates open at once. Time to call in the reserves. Time to barricade the dikes.

  “If you’ll just point me toward the shells ...,” she began, turning toward him.

  She had meant to excuse him from any more hostly duties, but he’d read her intention and was ready with a counter move.

  “You’ll never find a thing without my expert guidance,” he assured her, his eyes glinting wickedly.

  “Oh, come on.” She tossed her soggy hair behind her and gestured toward the endless sand. “Just tell me where to find the little devils and I’ll get at them. I don’t think I’ll need you to . . .”

  He was laughing out loud. “What do you think they’re going to do, fall out of the skies into your cupped hands? Say the magic word and the cave opens to reveal chests full of them? Or maybe you want to invite them for a walk, Walrus and the Carpenter style?”

  She frowned. She wasn’t used to being made fun of and Jack seemed to do it all the time. And yet, she had to admit, it didn’t offend her quite as much anymore as it had at first. In fact—no, she couldn’t say she almost liked it. That would be ridiculous.

  She stopped. “Oh darn! I forgot to bring my camera.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry. We’ll just collect today. Maybe tomorrow we can take pictures of habitats.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly. “What do I do? Tell me how I go about this.”

  Now it was his turn to look a bit chagrined.

  “Tell you the truth, I don’t know a thing about it,” he admitted.

  She hooted. “And you’re trying to make me feel like an ignoramus!”

  He shrugged. “Around here most shelling is woman’s work.” He flashed her a grin. “Put that in quotes, please. Of course, as a liberated male, I don’t really refer to anything as ‘women’s work.’ “

  Summer arched an elegant eyebrow. “Of course not,” she drawled.

  “But it is traditionally a woman’s task to collect the little shells that go into the shellwork they do, the decorated purses, mats, and necklaces. The big shells, the conches and huge clams, are found by men diving off the reef.”

  He turned to scan the waves pounding on a long, black structure of coral. “I could take you out there tomorrow,” he suggested. “In the meantime, I’ll find out where to find the best big shells from some of the men in the village.”

  He turned to look at her again. “For now, I guess we’d better just pick up what we can find.”

  “With such expert assistance,” she answered with just the slightest trace of sarcasm, “how can I go wrong?”

  She went back up the beach to pick up the collecting bags she had brought along, then followed him down the shoreline.

  “Most of the shells seem to be deposited in these little piles of debris the waves leave behind as the tide recedes,” he noted.

  As Summer began noticing the little gifts left by the retreating sea, a spark of interest was stirred.

  “Look at this.” She held up a tiny, cone shaped shell with bands of orange and black stripes. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “How about this?” He handed her a lovely little conch with spiky spines radiating out from the lip.

  “Ooooh.” She held it up to the light. “I can’t believe how gorgeous these things are. Like jewels just lying around for anyone with the time to stretch out his hand.”

  They made their way down the warm sand and the sacks in Summer’s hands began to get heavy with the bounty they found. Summer became progressively more and more excited. Instead of a boring task, this work was turning out to be a lot of fun.

  “How are you going to identify all these?” Jack asked her as he took over the task of carrying one of the heavy bags.

  “I’ve got a couple of reference books with pictures and everything,” she said quickly. “In fact, I brought one little chart along.” She pulled it out of her pocket. “It has pictures so we should be able to find out what we have here.”

  She pulled a long, cone-like shell from the bag. “This is one of my favorites. Look at these leopard spots. I’ll make it a test case.”

  She searched through the pictures for a moment. “Here it is,” she cried, delighted. “But what a name it has. Are you ready for this?”

  Putting on her best pedantic tone, she read out, “Order Neogastropoda. Superfamily Muricacea. Family Terebridae. Common name, Spotted Augur.” She looked up with a grin.

  “You do realize that every one of these shells is going to have an identification just as complicated, don’t you?” he said with amusement. “Happy identifying.”

  But Summer was buoyed by her success. “Okay, let’s try another.” She took out a little gleaming white shell. “It looks like an enchanted fairy castle,” she mused. Then she scanned her book. “But is it a Fusinus Nicobaricus, or a Granulifusus Hayashi?”

  He frowned at the picture. “Good question.”

  She bit her lip. “I’m beginning to realize how difficult it’s going to be.” She looked up at him in helpless supplication. “How am I going to identify all these?”

  He smiled. “There’s a conchologist on the staff at the museum in Pago Pago. I’m sure he’ll give you a hand.” His gaze slipped down her cheek to the curve of her slim neck. “In a few days, when you’ve got enough specimens, we’ll take a sail over and talk to him.”

  She watched as his gaze continued along the line it had begun. A guilty part of her didn’t want to stop him. In fact, she knew that she wished his hand would take up the path his glance was following. And at that thought, she turned away.

  “This is enough for now,” she said abruptly. “I guess we might as well go back.”

  “Not yet.” His hand curled in to take her upper arm. “We’ve got a picnic lunch. Remember?”

  She remembered. Lia had packed it for them as they ate their breakfast. But she didn’t want to be alone with Jack any longer. She knew it was getting to be a bigger risk all the time.

  “I’m awfully tired,” she protested. “Maybe some other time ...”

  He could read her like a book. “Oh, no you don’t,” he growled, steering her up beyond the line of coconut trees that bordered the beach. “You’re not going to cheat me out of seeing you in the setting I’ve been picturing you in all morning.”

  Summer followed, curious to see what he was talking about. After all, there would be plenty of time to think about how she was going to handle Jack. For now, she might as well enjoy the time she had.

  The tiny grotto he led her to was lined with ferns that hung from black, volcanic rocks and was filled with the heady scent of flowers.

  “What is that heavenly smell?” Summer asked, wandering about the little enclave, reaching out a gentle finger to touch a yellow flower here, a purple blossom there.

  “Here’s the culprit.” Jack pointed out a small tree that came no higher than her shoulder. Sprinkled generously across the tips of its branches were blossoms as large and waxy as exotic butterflies. “Plumeria.”

  “Oh!” She nestled her face in a spray of the creamy white flowers. “I’ve never smelled anything like it.”

  The picnic basket came equipped with a red and white checkered cloth which they flattened on the red earth to make an eating surface. Then the contents of the surprise meal were revealed: crispy fried chicken, a salad of strawberries and melon balls, and crusty sourdough bread. A bottle of white wine completed the menu, but then Jack pulled out one last container.

  “What is that?” Summer asked curiously.

  He opened the cup and let her look at the creamy substance inside.

  “Palusami,”he explained. “Lia made it for you herself. She wanted you to know something about doing things fa’a Samoa.” He smiled at her interest. “That means the Samoan way.” He dipped a fin
ger in the palusami. “It’s a sort of pudding made from crushed taro root. And you eat it just like this.” He presented the dab to her and she laughingly took his finger into her mouth, licking off the pudding with her quick tongue.

  Tasting it, she frowned, then made a small face. “It’s very interesting,” she hedged. “I think I’m going to have to wait to make a judgment.”

  “Don’t wait too long.” He grinned, his white teeth flashing against the dark tan of his skin. “We’ll have to bring back an empty container or Lia’s feelings will be hurt.”

  She looked at him sharply. First the little boy with the dog, now the feelings of a servant. She was beginning to think he really did care about everyone around him. Everyone but Karl and Valima.

  They sat side by side to eat their meal. They were so close, only inches away from one another. Sometimes she could hear his breathing. A few times, when he reached forward to take another piece of chicken or to spear a bit of fruit, he brushed against her and she found herself waiting, holding her breath, hoping to feel him again.

  He was wearing only the white swimsuit, leaving the length of his dark, muscular legs exposed beside her. Her gaze was straying there, enjoying the clean lines of his body. She felt control slipping away.

  Throwing the remnants of her chicken wing down on her plate with determination, she silently scolded herself. She was jumping right out into the whirlpool again. It was time to return to land and reality. She had to do something to stop this dangerous eroding of her defenses.

  Pushing her plate away, she leaned back and looked at Jack with narrowed eyes. “Is this set up really as outdated as it looks?” she asked abruptly.

  He rewarded her with wide eyed surprise. “Just what set up are you referring to?”

  “All this.” She made a sweeping gesture that included the whole island. “You here as some sort of paternal king or something. All the people looking up to you, working for you. It’s positively medieval.”

  His smile was sardonic. “And don’t you wish you had it in Dallas. It would make running Davis Oil so very simple.”

  She stared at him. “Just what do you know about Davis Oil?” she asked, surprised. As far as she could remember, she hadn’t mentioned it to him before.