If only he could stick to architecture. Building plans didn’t get disappointed. Building plans’ eyes didn’t fill with sadness when he stuck his finger out at them and told them off. And building plans didn’t avoid him when he pissed them off. Aaron couldn’t remember ever feeling this lonely. It was a sobering thought.
Reya filled his mind and a wistful smile touched his lips. The woman was smart as a whip. Conversation wasn’t something he’d often engaged in with a female, but he could sit and talk to Reya for hours. In fact, that’s exactly what they’d done when he’d been able to stay awake long enough. Now that the bruised ribs and kidney were healing nicely, they usually talked about any and everything from the time she came in from scuba expeditions in the early afternoon until she left for patrol at midnight.
A laundry list of everything he needed to do scrolled behind his eyes. The project on Ambergris Caye for his customer in Belize wouldn’t wait forever. Thankfully, the blueprints and plans were saved from the wreck and could be delivered. The budget had to be reworked and the deeds on the land secured in his client’s name. He didn’t even want to think about how much the project plan would need to be reworked, pushing back the grand opening of the posh luxury fitness resort. He absolutely did not want his brothers to handle it. They’d taken care of him all his life. Now he made his own way, was his own man. He had work to do and another million to make for their company. Then again, he’d rather stay here and…
When was the last time he’d had a hard time making a decision between getting work done and hanging out with a woman? Hell, he couldn’t think of a single instance. Until now. The woman had him so wide open, Aaron couldn’t decide if he wanted to go or stay. Nevertheless, he was still pissed off that Dr. Matons wouldn’t clear him to get out of bed and travel to Belize City yet.
Unbidden, the conversation from when they’d awakened in her bed early this morning jumped back into his head.
"I assured them you were fine. They’ll be here as soon as they can arrange for emergency visas. Next week, perhaps."
"Damn it, Reya!" he’d fumed, "don’t get me wrong, I appreciate your not wanting my brothers to be concerned, but the last fucking thing I need is the James clan prowling around Belize, dogging my heels."
Well, at least he hadn’t shouted at her, but he’d been so angry and annoyed his face and ears felt hotter than hell. When Reya’s eyes narrowed and she barged from the bed, he’d known his "charging bull" face was in full force.
And he didn’t even want to think about her patrolling the jungle alone at night. He knew he’d been a royal pain in the ass about it, but it simply didn’t matter that she’d done it for years, long before he crash-landed in her bed. In her bed…damn, that had a nice ring to it.
Now he wished he’d kept his big mouth shut. The woman had avoided him all day. His chest tightened and it had nothing to do with sore ribs. It wasn’t an easy thing to admit, but he was man enough to do so.
Plain and simple, he missed Reya and doing right by her was important.
Brooding would get him nowhere. He had a ton of things to do and what better way to get your mind off a woman than do something else? Besides, he’d decided that this was one woman he wanted to keep, whether she was mad at him or not.
Chapter Five
Finally! It was all he could do to keep himself from yelling his thanks to the rafters! Dr. Matons had given him a clean bill of health. While the older man cautioned him to take it easy, he could run, jump, do anything he pleased. Including woo Reya.
As soon as the doctor left Reya’s apartments with his big medical bag of tape, butterfly stitches, antibacterial ointments and pharmaceutical goodies in tow, Aaron moved all of his things out of Reya’s bedroom into her office. He’d had enough of trying to keep himself from wanting her. But he would do this right. First, since he could get up now, he had no right to keep her from her bed. Second, he had no right to join her there without a true commitment. He was beyond ready, and he would seduce her until she felt the same. If he had his way, soon she’d be banging on the office room door to jump his bones.
Reya’s office was perfect for what he needed to do. The woman had everything—state-of-the-art laptop and full-sized desktop computers with all the bells and whistles, including both satellite high-speed internet, phones and, thankfully, a very comfortable futon. It was a bit short for his six-foot-four frame, but he’d make do.
While he worked on getting her agreement to either join him in Colorado or be his woman here in Belize, he could catch up on work. And earn his keep.
Quickly showered and dressed, Aaron put on his own clothes for the first time in almost two weeks. After spending so much time in nothing but a pair of shorts and Reya’s sheets, he was thankful she’d had the foresight to have someone wash every article of clothing packed in the black duffel she’d rescued from the plane.
In a form-fitting black tee shirt, comfortable black jeans and a pair of comfortable all-terrain half boots, he made his way down the stairs and into the dining hall.
He almost burst out laughing as Reya looked up from her table where she sat with Dr. Matons and Bethsaida. The woman’s mouth had fallen open, and even with Bethsaida poking her in the ribs, it took her awhile to finally manage to close it. He walked past her, winked and headed straight into the kitchen.
When he emerged with a crisp white apron tied around his waist and a tray of beverages, one of the young men was showing him which patrons waited for their breakfast drinks. Aaron felt Reya’s eyes on him as he delivered a large tray of goodies to a table full of guests across the room.
He was tiring quickly, but damn it, he had a woman to chase and he didn’t have time to waste on getting back up to his full strength. That would come with hard work and nothing less. So he may as well get to it, and now was as good a time as any.
* * *
Lazing in the limbs of a broad tree near the perimeter of the woman’s home, he watched through the window. A low growl escaped his throat as his future mate ogled the weak human who’d crashed in their jungle not long ago. He should have finished the man then, but couldn’t without harming Reya. And he wanted her to come to him wild and unbroken of spirit…so he could enjoy breaking her.
Baring his teeth, he watched the human male move through the food area. Reya’s eyes were plastered on the human male as he moved around the room serving other humans. He would have to do something about the man’s attempt to insinuate himself into Reya’s daily life. It would ruin his plans to ensure she wanted no one but him. And even if she did, she would have no one but him. The woman was a jaguar shifter, and she would mate a jaguar shifter. Period.
Reya belonged to him whether she realized it or not. And if she didn’t fall in line soon, he would simply take her by force and make her feel the wrath of his bite.
* * *
Aaron leaned against the wall in what he hoped was a casual stance. Sweat poured down his back as he tried to make himself useful, running all over the dining room, helping the staff and serving Reya’s guests and fellow rangers. How the hell did Reya and Bethsaida run this place by themselves? There was never an idle moment and always something to do. After sitting in bed for a week, he suddenly wished he was back there, at least long enough to get a second wind. A coal black brow rose in question when a short, bulky young man dressed like a ranger strode through the dining area and headed straight for Reya.
As Aaron’s eyes followed the bulky man, another one, young, thin but athletic, walked up to him, placed an ice cold pineapple juice in his hands and joined him against the wall, eyes on Reya and Mr. Bulky. Both of them pushed away from the wall and stood at the ready when Reya’s back went ramrod straight and her lips tightened.
"So you’re the man who crashed in our jungle, eh?" his companion said easily.
Aaron turned and looked at the man in the eye. Something about the guy struck him as odd, but he detected no malice. In fact, he looked like an overgrown kid.
"Yep, that’s
me," Aaron said, holding his hand out in a friendly gesture. "I’m Aaron James. Nice to meet you."
"I’m Marc, one of the rangers. I do patrol with Reya sometimes."
The two moved to a nearby table, sipping cold juice, watching Reya deal with her obviously unwanted company.
"Who’s the guy talking to Reya?" Aaron questioned, forcing his voice to sound calm and unconcerned. If he’d been a dog, his ears would be pointing straight up and his hackles showing.
"Name’s Trefor, the new director of the sanctuary. She doesn’t like him very much," Marc said quietly.
"You don’t say," Aaron said distractedly, his irritation rising by the second when the Trefor person sat down next to Reya and wrapped his fingers around her arms, causing her to yank away. Noting the contrast between the other man’s golden skin and Reya’s darker tones, one side of Aaron’s lip curled up, not wanting any other skin against hers but his, damn it. Aaron didn’t care if he was the director. Hell, he could be king for all he cared. If Trefor touched his woman one more time, he was going to get pounded into the floor, right here and now.
"So how long you gonna be here?" Marc queried, pulling Aaron’s mind from his murderous thoughts. Setting his cup down, he turned and cocked a brow at the smiling young man. He looked just out of college. Probably had a crush on Reya. What young man in his right mind wouldn’t want such a beautiful, self-sufficient woman on his arm? Too bad, this one was taken. Time to make it clear.
"How long? As long as the lady will have me. Clear enough?"
The smile remained on Marc’s face, but a chill seeped into it as he nodded and said, "Just make sure you’re worthy of her."
With that and a final sip of juice, Marc strode away and made a beeline to Reya’s table. One of his hands landed lightly on her shoulder and Aaron’s frown was instant as she looked up at Marc and appeared to immediately relax. With a smart-looking smile on his face, Marc said something to Trefor. Two seconds later Mr. Bulky stomped out of the room. As Aaron watched him barrel toward the front door, he couldn’t help but notice everyone was talking to someone, whether guest or ranger. He was the only one sitting alone. He felt very much the outsider, and the conspiratorial smile shared between Reya and Marc made him grind his back teeth.
Reya should be looking at him like that, not Marc or any other man. He was, after all, her new best friend, whether she realized it or not.
Chapter Six
Reya slipped out of the kitchen’s back door and strode purposefully into the jungle. Moving at a good clip, and thankful for well-worn trails and her unusual strength and speed, she figured to make her half-mile trek to the Sittee River in less than ten minutes.
Her stomach danced and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end from the moment she stepped into the dense fauna of deep jungle. A couple of times she’d actually stopped to look around, allowing her eyes to shift to enhance her vision. Everything appeared normal but didn’t feel normal.
"Goddamn it, Trefor," she yelled when the idiot jumped out at her from somewhere to the right of the path she’d been traveling. He knew she had a diving appointment today and must have come out to head her off after she’d told him to kiss her ass earlier at the breakfast table.
"This seems to be the only way I can get you alone, Reya," he said cockily with a too-confident smile.
"Look, how many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want to be alone with you. Not now. Not ever. Not for any reason. Now go away!"
Turning her back on him, she took two steps before his meaty hand landed on her shoulder and spun her around. That hand moved down to her biceps and squeezed brutally. Her shifter senses might be muted in her human form, but they weren’t non-existent. If he didn’t watch it, she’d have to give him a jaguar ass whipping and see how he liked that. Idiot.
"You’re interested in that black-haired giant staying at your place, aren’t you?" he snarled into her face. "Everyone is talking about the two of you!"
Snatching her arm away, she snarled right back. "It’s none of your goddamned business, Trefor!"
Grabbing her arm again, he pulled her roughly against his chest. She almost giggled at how much shorter he was. Even if she’d wanted to kiss him—and the thought was too disgusting to imagine—she’d have to bend her head to do it. Not like kissing Aaron. Her mind drifted to how it felt to raise her head for his kisses, and how he liked to grab her by her hair and pull her head back so he could nibble on the sweet spot just under her jaw line, and…
"Damn it, Reya, I’ll wipe him from your mind if it’s the last thing I do!" Trefor yelled as he grabbed at the front of her camo shirt, ripping the first two buttons off. Now that pissed her off.
The change pressed and pushed at Reya, urging her to allow the cat to come out and play. And Trefor would be the toy to her cat as she swatted him between her massive paws. But he didn’t deserve to see the majesty of her shifted form. The numbskull wasn’t good enough to lay eyes on such beauty. So she shoved him away from her with enough force to make him leave his feet and land hard against the trunk of the nearest tree.
Up quickly, he ran at her and right into a hard balled fist. Her right hook landed high on his cheekbone and he went down in a heap. But the idiot just didn’t have enough sense to stay down.
Shaking his head against what she was sure was blinding pain, he hefted to his feet again. Eyes tight with anger and his lips pulled back in a nasty snarl, he yelled like a male banshee.
"You bitch! You hit me. Me! Trefor Dionisio!"
Reya rolled her eyes and looked up at the glorious sky. God, why did she have to deal with all the goofballs? A raging scream erupted from Trefor’s throat as he ran at her. Oh this was definitely not good. He outweighed her by a good fifty pounds and if he pummeled into her, she’d end up on her back and might have to shift after all just to get him off.
The world came to a slow roll as one of Trefor’s thick arms cocked back and let fly. Reya knew she was more than strong enough to deflect the blow and raised her arm to do just that. She could clearly make out the size and shape of the knuckles headed for her face. The blow never landed.
When time sped up again, she spied a larger hand attached to an even larger body, holding Trefor’s fist in a palm just inches from her right eye.
Aaron!
Reya gasped in surprise as he insinuated himself between her and Trefor and smacked the shorter guy in the exact spot Reya had tagged him. Boy, his cheek would be good and sore tomorrow. And probably a few choice colors. God, she sure hoped so. Trefor yelped, lifting a hand to his face while backing away quickly. She giggled when he slammed into the same tree she’d introduced him to earlier before stumbling down the trail back toward the ranger station.
Maybe she and Aaron made a great team after all, both in and out of bed. And the man was sexy as hell even while he was beating the shit out of someone.
"You all right?" he asked gently, taking her face in his powerful, slightly calloused hands.
"Oh yeah. My hero," she sighed as his mouth came down on hers, sweet, searching. Delicious. He tasted like pineapple and hunger. She broke the kiss and looked up into his sinfully handsome face. The gentleness was a thing of the past. Oh he was hungry all right. For hot, wet woman. Judging by the way her womb reacted to that bare and open expression, she’d be both hot and wet shortly.
Instead, she pushed away. She couldn’t do this now. She had a boat to catch and had to hurry or it would leave without her. Besides, he still hadn’t apologized for his little temper tantrum over her calling his brothers.
"Aaron, I have to…" was as far as she got. He reached down, picked up the duffel filled with her scuba gear and tossed it over one shoulder before reaching beneath her knees and tossing her over the other shoulder.
"Aaron, do you know where you’re going?" she asked, noting the path he took through the thick trees. A smack on her backside was his answer, followed by the magical traipse of his fingers over her ass. It sent tingles down the back of her legs.
She squirmed against the sensation, earning another smack. Oh god, that felt so good she wished he’d put her down so she could strip out of her pants, lean over and bare her ass to his strong but gently questing fingers.
But it wasn’t to be. Sigh. Back to business.
"Aaron, I’m going to miss the boat. You’re going the wrong way." When he didn’t’ reply, she started to struggle. "Will you put me down? I’ve got to go."
Smack! Followed by a soothing rub of his hands all over her butt cheeks.
She stiffened against his shoulder as a pleasure-pain zing dove straight for her pussy. Oh yum! When he dipped down into the cleft of her cheeks and played with the little spot between her slit and her little anal hole, a deep shivering started at the base of her spine and spread outward. Oh lord, he was making her dizzy, and not from carrying her pitched over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
He didn’t say a word, just kept trudging with her out into the wilds. Reya’s keen senses picked up other jaguars in the area. A female resting in the shade not fifty paces from where they strode through the jungle. Another female sounded less than a mile east of them. And they were excited, agitated, yet not in a fearful way. If she weren’t mistaken, they wished her well with her love play.
Now this was ridiculous. The man had already won over Dr. Matons and Bethsaida. Now the jaguars liked him too?
Finally, he slowed his stride as they came out of the canopy and into a clearing. Raising a low-hanging thorny branch, Aaron ducked underneath and chuckled at her yelp when it made contact with her backside as they passed. A few branches and thick vines later, he put her feet on the ground in the middle of a beautiful, though small, secluded meadow.
Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart Page 29
