Tropical Heat

by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

  “Okay, maybe he does. So now what?”

  “Now, I’m going to pretend I struck out with you. In about two seconds, I’m going to get up and go talk to him.”

  “No!”

  Before she could finish uttering the word, Jesse disappeared into the crowd, heading for the unsuspecting guy at the bar.

  She watched in horror as Jesse and the guy in the black pants struck up a conversation. She couldn’t hear their conversation, but Jesse shook his head a couple of times and managed to give the impression he’d lost. A convincing act, and she wondered if in real life he was an actor. He sure had leading-man looks. Turned out he had talent as well.

  The guy in the black trousers cast a quick glance in her direction. Jesse shook his head again. He clapped the guy on the shoulder and strode off. Sydney glanced up in time to find the mystery man studying her.

  Oh, darn. Whatever Jesse had said to him, she was likely going to need another rum punch to deal with it. So much for her vow to take it easy. She felt like a total idiot standing there waiting to see what he’d do.

  “Thanks a bunch, wingman,” she muttered and headed off to the punchbowl by the buffet to get another drink.

  “Hey,” said a male voice behind her.

  She turned, startled to find the guy Jesse had been talking to suddenly standing behind her.

  “Hi.” She brandished her drink like a weapon.

  “I just flew in from Toronto. Looks like an amazing party down here tonight.”

  “It’s the Manager’s Welcome Party.” Mentally, she gave herself a pat on the back, this small-talk thing wasn’t going so bad. Until she followed it up with, “So … welcome.”

  Ugh. That was a clunker. But he didn’t seem to notice. He held out his hand. “I’m Haden.”

  His large warm hand enveloped hers. “Sydney.”

  Haden raised his glass. “Nice to meet you, Sydney.”

  She gave him her own Nice to meet you, but her eyes were scanning the crowd, searching for Jesse. Ah, there he was standing on the edge of the party talking to his friend, Ethan, who’d drawn the attentions of a couple of women in very short dresses. Sydney frowned. Well, he said he’d help her and he had. She turned her attention back to Haden, who was gazing at her expectantly.

  “Sorry, what?”

  “I said it’s really hot tonight.”

  “It is,” she agreed. “But that’s what we came for, right?”

  “Right. And I’d be enjoying it more if my airline hadn’t misplaced my suitcase with all my summer clothes in it.”

  “I always worry about that, so I pack my bathing suit in my carry-on.” Sydney winced. That made her sound borderline obsessive. And kind of like a know-it-all.

  Haden smiled. “I’ll remember that next time.” He had a nice smile. Not as nice as Jesse’s, though. When Jesse smiled, it was like the sun dawning. Haden brushed his bangs from his eyes. Hazel eyes, she noted. He had the physique of a guy who spent a lot of time outdoors instead of at the gym. “At least I should have taken a pair of shorts to change into on the plane, but I left from work and things got hectic…” He trailed off into silence. He gave her a sheepish look. “I don’t mean to bore you.”

  She smiled, doing her best to seem open and friendly. “Not at all. Hopefully, they’ll find your suitcase any moment now.”

  “So, what brings you here for Singles Week?”

  The same line Jesse had used. Maybe guys had a glossary of them. She nearly laughed. “Oh, just a holiday.”

  “But why Singles Week?”

  “Well, it’s a great opportunity to meet new people.” That sounded like she was reciting her résumé. Team player, loves to meet new people. Truth was she was neither. But she was determined to show Jesse she could play with the best of them. Her gaze drifted through the throngs on the beach. She couldn’t see Jesse anywhere this time.

  “I know what you mean,” Haden said. “It’s hard to meet people when everyone else at the resort is either part of a couple or traveling in a group.”

  “Yeah, it’s a bummer to be the only one sitting alone on the beach.” Not that she’d ever had the nerve or the time to take a solo holiday before. Even on this trip, she’d planned to be with Marcia.

  “Been there, done that.”

  “Must have been lonely.” Oops, she probably shouldn’t have said that. Loneliness didn’t seem like something guys openly admitted.

  Haden didn’t seem to mind. “It was for the first few days. Then I met this crazy gang from Philadelphia and we partied for the rest of the week.”

  Sydney raised her glass. “So, let’s party, then.” Jesse didn’t need to level the playing field. She could do fine all on her own.

  The buffet tables were being taken down and the D.J. was setting up. The borders of a makeshift dance floor were outlined in the sand with Tiki torches.

  Haden held out his hand. “Sounds like a plan.”

  He led her out into the sand. The music started with a well-known holiday tune. They were the only couple dancing. Normally, she would have felt conspicuous, but the rum punch dulled her inhibitions. Sydney tossed her sandals aside. The still-warm sand felt good between her toes. Cooling air swirled around her and beneath the hem of her dress. Above them, palm fronds rattled together like a drum beat. Surf added its own percussion on the nearby shore. Others joined and the dance floor became suddenly crowded. Haden reached out and pulled her close.

  His body heat penetrated the thin material of her dress. He had as fine a body as she’d imagined. Lean muscle pressed against her. Where their thighs touched, she felt his growing interest in her. She could do this, Sydney thought. She could win her bet with Jesse. He would be the one sleeping on the balcony tonight.

  As soon as the thought of Jesse entered her mind, she saw him there on the edge of the dance floor. He wasn’t dancing, merely surveying the action with a critical eye. Maybe he was unhappy he’d struck out. Perhaps he regretted helping her if it meant a night spent in one of porch recliners. Still, the sight of him made her falter in her step.

  “Something wrong?” Haden asked.

  “Stone,” she said, kicking away an imaginary rock. “That’s all.”

  “Good.” Haden swung her around and Jesse disappeared from view.

  ****

  Hidden in the shadows cast by a palm tree, Jesse watched Sydney dance. What was he thinking letting her go off with that guy? The sight of her in Haden’s embrace made him clench his fists. He ground his jaw at the way their bodies swayed to the music. He should go rejoin Ethan and his circle of female admirers and drink the night away. But he couldn’t tear his gaze from Sydney. He’d practically thrust her into Haden’s arms. The knowledge burned in his gut. He’d helped her find a guy, possibly to spend the night with, when all the while he wanted to be that guy. He wanted to feel her writhing beneath him, moaning his name as she came. The thought of Haden making love with Sydney while he slept in a pool lounger brought a keen rush of anger. He couldn’t let that happen.

  ****

  Haden turned out to be a very good dancer. He led Sydney through steps with expert grace. Every brush of his muscular thighs against hers, every warm touch of his hand against the small of her back made her body perk up with interest. Yet there was something restrained about him. As if he calculated every move, every touch to impress and seduce. He had none of Jesse’s raw passion. And though he had a decent enough body, one most women would like, it didn’t inspire the kind of liquid heat deep in her belly the way Jesse’s did. Her body was aroused, sure, most red-blooded women would be. Still, she was only interested, not set aflame the way her first nude glimpse of Jesse had made her.

  Images of his body beneath the sheet last night seeped unbidden into her mind. The strong line of his back, the curve of his muscular thighs as he tried to sleep on the small bed—those details were engraved in her consciousness. Even enshrouded in another man’s arms, she couldn’t stop visions of the vivid fantasies she’d had about Jesse. An
d he had a great sense of humor, too. Memories of their role-play, pretending to be astronauts and rocket scientists, made her suddenly laugh out loud.

  “What’s so funny?” Haden asked, stepping back a bit and gazing down at her. His eyes gleamed in the dim light from the torches. They didn’t have the mysterious dark depths Jesse’s did. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop making comparisons. She never should have let him walk away. She should have confessed she wanted to take him back to the king-size bed in their room. But what if he’d said no? She didn’t think she could deal with his rejection. That was why this holiday fling had so appealed to her. No strings, just an easy liaison to get her back in the dating game.

  Haden still gave her that baffled expression. She struggled for an excuse to cover her lapse. “I saw someone copping a really ridiculous move over there.” She nodded in the direction of the imaginary culprit. “But he’s gone now,” she added quickly.

  She tipped her head back and gazed up into Haden’s eyes. She had to get Jesse out of her mind one way or another.

  Haden had stopped moving and now he simply looked back at her, reading the invitation in her eyes. A light breeze heavy with the scent of tropical flowers blew between them. Haden closed the distance. His lips brushed hers.

  Just a light, feather-soft touch. Sydney waited for the tiny tingles of pleasure, but they didn’t come. Haden’s warm lips brushed hers again, then settled in for a more probing kiss. He had technique. Every movement of his mouth was designed to please her … and yet … it didn’t.

  Maybe it was her, she thought, panicked. Perhaps she really was out of practice. Then why did even the possibility of kissing Jesse send little licks of flame down her spine?

  “Mind if I cut in?” asked a voice behind her. A deep voice, as smooth as honey. Even the sound of it promised so much.

  Haden’s head jerked up. His eyes hardened. He pulled Sydney protectively closer. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be pressed against Haden’s body. Because she knew exactly to whom that voice belonged

  “Hey buddy. I thought you struck out.”

  Wiggling out of Haden’s over-tight embrace, Sydney turned to Jesse standing behind them. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his cargo shorts and it seemed he was doing his best to appear nonchalant. He gave a shrug to heighten the impression. “Yeah, I did, but I thought, hey a dude deserves another chance.”

  Haden cast a hopeful glance at Sydney. His expression hardened even further when he must have seen the interest in her eyes that she tried to hide.

  Anger as bright as the torches burned in his eyes. “No, you don’t get another chance.”

  Jesse pulled his hands from his pockets. His caught her gaze and held it, questioning.

  “Wait a minute,” she said quietly. She didn’t want to hurt Haden. He’d been a half-decent date so far. Jesse moved to stand behind her, so close she could feel his body heat. It raised the little hairs on the back of her neck as her body became instantly aware of him.

  The direction of Haden’s gaze darted from her face to Jesse and then back again. He sighed. Stepping away, he turned and strode through the thinning crowd.

  “Thanks for nothing, dude,” he called back over his shoulder.

  Sydney turned to Jesse. “Okay, wingman, what the heck?”

  His warm hands gripped her shoulders, pulling her close. One hand moved down to circle her waist, while the other cupped her chin and turned her face toward him. “I couldn’t watch you leave with him.”

  His breath was warm against her lips. Mere inches separated them. She couldn’t take her eyes off his full lips as he spoke.

  “You didn’t want to sleep on the balcony,” she said, shocked at how breathless she sounded.

  “No,” he admitted before his lips claimed hers. Not the gentle brush Haden had given her, but a deep probing kiss that stole her breath. His tongue slid between her lips, setting off those little landmines of pleasure she’d been waiting for. The gentle movement of his tongue promised all the scandalous things he wanted to do to her body. He pulled his mouth away. “I definitely don’t want to sleep on the balcony.”

  Chapter Four

  So, this was it then, no awkward declarations, no watching him entertain another woman in the room while she slept in a deck chair by the pool, no chance for rejection.

  “What about our competition?” The words snuck out before she could call them back. She should just go with it, she told herself. Still, she had to be sure this wasn’t merely another way for Jesse to win the game. “Are we calling a truce?”

  “Oh, no, I surrender.” He placed a hand over his heart and did a little bow. “I surrender to your charms.”

  His antiquated speech made her laugh. Until she’d met Jesse, she wasn’t certain she had any charms at all.

  He straightened and brushed her lips with a teasing kiss before pulling away. “And it won’t be much of a competition if we’re both using the room together.” Another of those feather-light kisses. “At the same time.”

  One of the groomsmen walked by on the nearby path and hooted. “Get a room!” Josh, Lucas maybe, she couldn’t tell. All her attention was absorbed by Jesse.

  She felt Jesse’s lips curve into a smile against hers. “Good idea.”

  Jesse straightened and circled her with his arm. Together, they began to walk toward their room.

  Small parties had broken off from the main attraction at the bar. Groups of men and women sat at the low tables. Sydney noticed Josh heading back to one of the tables occupied by Lucas and Ethan. So it had been Josh, then. But if Jesse noticed Ethan, he made no outward sign of it. And if Ethan noticed Jesse and Sydney heading back toward their room together, he made no sign of it, either. Then again, why would he? He’d already stolen Jesse’s girlfriend and was about to make her his bride.

  Still, she couldn’t help wondering … if the wedding was imminent, then where was the bride?

  Jesse seemed to become aware of the shift in her mood. “Second thoughts?”

  Sydney dragged her musing away from Ethan and shook her head. “No. None.”

  He smiled down at her as they turned a corner toward the path that led to their room.

  The first thing she noticed was Jesse’s smile fading to a frown. Sydney followed the path of his gaze. Someone was standing against their doorway. In the darkness, she couldn’t be certain who it was until Jesse asked, “Brittany?”

  Brittany stepped out of the shadows. As she moved into the light, Sydney could tell she’d been drinking. Her dark hair fell over her face, hiding her expression. She moved with extra care, pushing away from the wall and standing uncertainly on her feet, wavering slightly. In one hand she held the slushy remains of a blender drink. She shoved her hair off her face with her other hand and surveyed Sydney with disdain.

  “Your roommate,” she slurred. “Right.”

  Jesse removed his arm from Sydney’s shoulder. Immediately, she felt abandoned. He walked toward Brittany, stooping slightly to see into her eyes. “She is my roommate, Brit. The hotel made a mistake.”

  “The hotel. Right.”

  “Really. Sure they did.”

  Sydney eyed the doorway to their room. Should she excuse herself and go inside, wait for Jesse and hope Brittany hadn’t killed the mood? That would mean going around Brittany, who was standing in front of their door. And possibly asking her to move in the process. It also meant she was abandoning Jesse to Brittany’s care just when she felt the chemistry was right between her and Jesse. Leaving him in the care of the enemy, so to speak. Not that Brittany was the enemy exactly. She settled for trying to be reasonable. “He’s telling you the truth. The hotel did make an error. They assumed by my first name I was male.”

  Brittany looked her up and down and snorted.

  So much for trying to be nice.

  “You didn’t look much like roommates a minute ago.”

  Jesse took another step toward her. “Now, Brit. You left abruptly yesterday. You d
idn’t even give me a chance to explain. And things with Sydney…”

  “Things?” Her voice rose, becoming shrill. “Thing was, Jesse. I know I just met you, but I thought we had something.”

  Jesse appeared truly tortured. “You left,” he repeated. “I thought you, you know, weren’t interested.”

  “Well, maybe I was.”

  He spread his hands. “I—I don’t know what to say.”

  “Of course you don’t.” She tossed the remains of her drink at him and stumbled off.

  Jesse glanced down at his white t-shirt. Most of the drink had missed him, but a couple of splashes of pink were visible even in the dim light.

  With a sinking heart, Sydney watched Brittany leave. The mood was pretty much broken, she couldn’t help thinking. Jesse was studying her with an expression that was part anger, part anguish.

  Sydney tried to lighten the mood. “You sure know how to pick ’em.”

  He didn’t appear amused. His gaze followed Brittany as she floundered down the pathway. “I think someone should escort her back to her room.”

  “She threw a drink in your face.”

  The ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “Most of it missed my face. And it’s not safe for her to be out here in that condition. Who knows what kind of trouble she could get into?”

  What could she say? She had to admire a guy like Jesse who cared enough about people to treat them better than they’d treated him.

  “Go.” She moved toward the doorway to their room. “I’ll be right here.”

  Looking relieved, he leaned in for a brief kiss before heading off down the path after Brittany.

  Sydney opened the door to their room and stepped inside. The air conditioning brought a sudden chill after the humid air outside. A chill she was already feeling from Brittany’s interruption. With a sigh, she sat on the bed to wait.

  What now? The rum she’d imbibed was catching up to her. She felt her eyelids beginning to droop. I’ll just close them for a moment. Jesse will be back soon.

  She sincerely hoped he would be.

  ****