Blooming in the Wild

by Cathryn Cade

  “Return to us soon, little sister.”

  “Mahalo,” she murmured. “I will be back.”

  A little while later, Bella stepped out of the forest into the camp area, reluctant to end her forest idyll. She paused for a moment in the shade. Even as she contemplated the tasks ahead, she felt loose and relaxed. She looked around. Joel was still gone, but the others were lounging in the shade, drinks in hand, while Frank worked aboard his boat.

  Out to sea, the dark clouds loomed, closer than when she’d looked at them from up on the mountain. She pulled out her phone and opened it to click the NOAA weather app.

  She frowned as she read the small screen. A weather alert had been issued for the north Kona coast; late afternoon thunderstorms, with possible heavy rain. A small craft advisory had been issued for the coastal waters.

  She tapped her phone against her chin. Frank was supposed to go back to Kona and return to get them the next day. But perhaps they should go back early, while the sea was calm enough to be safe. She walked down the shore to the boat. He looked over the side to nod at her.

  “What’s up?”

  “I just checked the weather report,” she said, raising a hand to shade her eyes against the intense glare of the sun. “Have you been watching that storm?”

  “Can’t miss it. It’s supposed to head off to the north, though. Shouldn’t be anything for us to worry about.”

  “Do you think it’s safe for us to stay here? Maybe we should get back before it gets rough.”

  “Nah,” he said easily. “Rainstorms go through the channel all the time, Nani.”

  “If you’re sure.” She wasn’t worried for herself, but she really didn’t want to be stuck here with this group if they couldn’t work.

  Bella went up to eat lunch, reassured that Frank knew the sea here as well as anyone. If he said the storm would pass by, then most likely it would.

  Camille and Li sat by in the shade near the lunch table, cold drinks in hand. Bella looked at the lunch table and then walked over to sit by Camille, her shoulders tightening in a familiar knot.

  “Do you mind if I look at the photos you’ve taken so far?” she asked. “I’ll check them against my list and see which shots we still have left.”

  The other woman took a drink and looked at Bella over her glass. “Certainly. Li, get the camera.”

  The Asian handed Bella the camera with his usual flat stare, bordering on rude, and popped his gum. She glanced away, resisting the urge to pull a branch down and swat him with it. She’d about had it with hostile males.

  She held the big camera carefully and clicked through several of the shots Camille had taken that morning. Joel smiled up at her from the small screen. He certainly photographed well.

  Of course, she’d known that from the blow-ups the ad department had shown them. The other women had stared at his image, their eyes dreamy. Bella’s face heated as she recalled she’d been smitten with that warm, brown gaze, herself. Now she knew the true power of his personality. The man should come with a warning label.

  She clicked hastily to the next photograph and frowned. It was out of focus, blurry. So were the next several. Leaning over, she held the camera out to Camille.

  “Do you need to redo this sequence, where they’re setting up the tents?” she asked. She watched Camille.

  The other woman laughed, that attractive low chuckle. “Oh, you really don’t know anything about photography, do you? Those are backgrounds. You know, soft shots for title pages and that kind of thing.”

  “Oh.” Bella nodded, not sure she got the concept. The other woman seemed very sure of herself. “I didn’t see a request for that in the list I was given, though.”

  Camille shrugged, still amused. “They’re on me. A gift.”

  Bella met the other woman’s confident gaze, bemused. Finally she nodded and went back to clicking through the sequence of photos. The next set, of Joel and Cassie eating lunch around the small fire-pit, were much better.

  “What about these?” Bella asked of a set of shots by the water that seemed off center.

  Camille sighed patiently. “They’re fine. It’s all about how we crop the shots.” She raised her carefully groomed brows at Bella. “You need to relax, dear.”

  Since Joel chose that moment to saunter out of the forest, wearing nothing but wet trunks and a smile, Bella decided it was time to follow Camille’s advice. She rose, handing the camera back to the photographer. “Thanks for your time. I’m sure you’re right.”

  Her stomach growled, and she realized that she was starving.

  She and Joel reached the food preparation table at the same time. Joel looked down at her, secret amusement gleaming in his brown eyes. Leftover from their kiss, or some new amusement at her expense. She eyed him uncertainly, feeling her cheeks heat in spite of her certainty that he couldn’t possibly have seen her at the pool—could he? She flushed more hotly at the thought of anyone, especially him, watching her touch herself.

  She jerked her gaze away from his, and then regretted it as her gaze landed on the bulge of his biceps and the crease of his underarm where it swelled into one broad pectoral. His skin was smooth, a hint of auburn hair visible in his armpit. He exuded the now familiar scent of warm, healthy, virile male. Au’e, she wanted to lean forward and press her face against him, breathe him in.

  His arm moved, and she realized he was holding out one hand, courteously indicating she should go first.

  Her stomach growled again, and she managed to nod her thanks. Food— that was what she wanted in her mouth, not him. She grabbed two plates, sliding one toward him without looking at him again.

  “Thanks. You want some of this?” He held up a plastic dish of potatomacaroni salad, an island favorite.

  Bella nodded, forcing her gaze away from that large, capable hand. “Are you—do you want a sandwich?”

  He leaned closer, peering into the container of Leilani’s pulled pork, laden with barbecue sauce, and giving her a whiff of his clean, spicy scent. “Oh yeah. Definitely some of that.”

  They worked together and in a short time had plates laden with salad, fresh vegetables and fruit, and sandwiches. Joel’s mound of food was twice the size of Bella’s, but then he outweighed her by at least fifty pounds of solid muscle.

  They turned toward the dining table at the same time, and a half smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he paused, waiting for her to go first.

  Bella smiled back at him, drawn by the pleasure in his gaze as it flicked down the fall of her hair and back to her face.

  “Helloo-o,” called a voice from the shore. “Aren’t you coming for a swim, Joel?”

  Tanah posed on the shore, wearing an emerald bikini and a smile. She was wet, her generous curves nearly bursting from their tiny wet covering. The sun glinted on her silky, tanned skin.

  Joel sat down beside Bella. “Already took one, thanks,” he called back. “Gotta eat.”

  “Okay, maybe later.” The redhead turned and sauntered back into the surf, and Bella choked on her iced tea. The green bikini bottom was a thong, leaving Tanah’s lush bottom completely bare.

  She peered at Joel from the corner of her eye. He was chewing a big mouthful of sandwich, but he was watching Tanah. Of course, so were the other men.

  Bella bit hard into her own sandwich, and the cluster of palms near the shore rustled. She took a calming breath. No, none of that. She was not jealous.

  Well, maybe a little. Oh, all right, a lot.

  She chomped down on another bite of sandwich, and the palm trees shivered harder. A coconut hit the sand where Tanah had been standing.

  Knee-deep in the water, the redhead whirled, her eyes wide. She teetered, threw her arms out for balance, and then fell back in the water with a big splash.

  Joel watched, a forkful of potatomac salad frozen halfway to his mouth. “Never really realized how dangerous coconut palms are,” he said.

  Bella slid her fork into her own salad, the creamy filling glis
tening as she lifted it to her lips. “Neither did I.”

  She chewed with relish.

  “You’d look better in that suit,” he added as he scooped up another bite. He looked at her, his gaze sweeping lazily down over her, full of heat.

  Bella froze and then swallowed with difficulty. She reached for her glass of iced tea and took a hasty drink. “Um—mahalo. I think.”

  She gave him an uncertain look, her face burning again and heat spiraling lower down. He’d imagined her in a thong? Oh, Pele.

  Chapter Seven

  To Do: The tour director must manage any problems with support staff without disturbing the comfort and well-being of the guests.

  The afternoon photo session began well, if Joel left out the heat and closeness of the air, and the way Camille had to remind him to smile on every shot. His attention span was shorter than the skirt of Ms. Hawaii’s little dress. And now that he knew exactly what lay beneath, he could no more help watching her than he could stop breathing for more than a moment.

  He still wasn’t sure what had made him pause on his way back down the mountain. He’d been running easily, relaxed from the hard run up to where the trees ended in a rough flow of lava. He’d enjoyed the view, drained the bottle of water stuffed in his waistband and headed back down.

  Down in the green tunnel of forest above the pool where he planned to wash and swim again, a branch had overhung the trail, its fronds brushing the path. At first, Joel thought it had fallen, but when he grasped the end to move it out of the way, it swayed back up along with the others on the tree. He shook his head at the oddity.

  He would have continued on, except for the sound he heard. A soft cry that riveted him in his tracks—the sound of a woman finding pleasure. Sure that he recognized that voice, he quietly left the trail, following the faint sign that someone else had passed this way.

  Peering through the foliage of a large tree, he saw the second, smaller grotto, with its pool and narrow waterfall. And standing before it, her sleek head tipped back, her lovely golden skin bared to the sun, was Bella.

  His heart froze and then thumped, hard, as every cell in his body leapt to urgent, lustful attention.

  Standing before the little waterfall, her eyes closed, one hand trailing in the hip-deep water and the other still cupped between her thighs, flowers dangling around her as if they vied to ornament her nude beauty, she was sensuality incarnate. Beyond a Hawaiian beauty contestant, now she looked like a photo from a men’s magazine. Her little breasts were as lovely as he’d suspected, round and plump, with small nipples like beige berries that made his hands twitch, his mouth water.

  Joel stared, riveted as she sank bonelessly into the water and then swam toward the bank, her dark eyes sleepy and soft. For one halcyon moment, in which his cock tried its best to leap out of his jock strap, he thought she was swimming to him, but then realized her destination was the small red pack sitting on the bank beside a pile of clothing.

  Two things happened. She rose from the shallow water, rivulets streaming down over her sleek curves, and just as he was about to get a world-class view of the sweet secrets that had been hidden in her hand, the branches in front of him suddenly sank down with a quiet swish.

  They’d been hung up somehow; otherwise, he wouldn’t have seen her. Joel had shaken his head, bemused and horny as hell. God above, she was the hottest wahine he’d ever seen in these islands. It was all he could do to keep his feet planted where they were and not moving forward to do what his cock demanded—claim her.

  He’d groaned silently, palming his erection through his shorts. Was he going completely crazy, or was something a little freaky going on? First the coconuts, then the vine that had practically waved at him, making him look up and spot her standing on that rock like a diminutive Hawaiian warrior maiden, and finally this—tree branches stopping him on the trail and giving him a peep of her, but no more.

  Well, nature might have conspired to point his way to her, but she sure as hell wouldn’t see the humor in that, and she wouldn’t thank him for spying on her either.

  He’d forced his feet into motion again, turning back to the trail. He’d been so aroused that the short walk to the lower pool was torture. In fact, when he’d slid into the pool, his cock jerked as if it were in the grasp of a lover’s hand. He’d looked down at himself ruefully, at his cock straining up, his balls drawn up tight, ready to give her everything he had. He sure as hell couldn’t go back to camp this way.

  Lying back in the water, letting it support him, Joel closed his hand around his cock, handling himself with long, firm strokes. His orgasm rocketed up out of his toes, and as he climaxed, clenching his jaw to hold back his hoarse shout of completion, her face was before him.

  He’d had her in his arms this morning, and she’d kissed him. He wanted more. He’d have her, if it meant spending the rest of this trip convincing her he was not just a cardboard cutout of a celebrity. Even if it meant staying on the island as long as she was here. Hell, he’d even fly back to Maui.

  It was at this point he’d shaken his head, spraying water around him like a dog. He tipped back his head and took a deep breath of the hot, still air. Down, boy. He was thinking crazy. No woman was worth chasing like that. He didn’t even really know her. They hadn’t had a real conversation, just sniping back and forth.

  He’d had a few crushes in his time, even thought himself in love once with a girl in college. They’d done all kinds of outdoor activities together—rockclimbing, white-water rafting, skiing in the winter. They’d had sex in some pretty crazy places, like the back of her Volkswagen van in a ski resort parking lot, and a hot springs right off a highway in North Idaho. But she’d gone off to graduate school, and he’d headed for California to work at a wilderness camp. She’d called and asked him to come and visit her back East at school, maybe move back there. But by then, time and distance had cooled his ardor, and he’d discovered that he had an endless thirst for exploration and adventure.

  At least in his twenties, his thirst had seemed endless. Lately, gigs like this looked more attractive. Put some solid money in the bank just by having his name on their product, and then kick back for a while. Now, with the uncertainty about his show’s longevity, this simple assignment had taken on new importance. DelRay’s sponsorship would make him attractive to other sporting goods companies. If it turned out he could sell tents and backpacks, he’d have an easier time selling The Zone.

  The show was on summer hiatus, so he needn’t report back for a month or more. He had plenty of time to hang around the islands while other sponsors looked at the DelRay ad campaign, if that was what he decided. He just hated to stay here because of an uptight city girl.

  However, his body didn’t know the difference. It was all he could do to keep his hands off of Bella while they worked together to make their lunch. He wanted to pull her back against him and bury his nose in her hair, get a big hit of her faint, flowery scent while he cupped her breasts with one hand and probed between her thighs with the other. They could talk later.

  When she asked him if he wanted some, he fought the urge to pretend she meant more than lunch.

  Having Tanah shake her bodacious booty in front of him had been fun but in a kind of abstract way. Just part of the pretty scenery. All he could think was that he’d so much rather have another, very close look at the woman seated beside him at the picnic table.

  He was aware of his Hawaiian princess all afternoon, as if she gave off little stringers like the feathery tendrils of a hibiscus blossom that brushed against his awareness no matter where she was, even when he wasn’t looking at her.

  At least she stayed back out of Camille’s way, clutching her computer in the shade of the palms instead of hovering behind the photographer as she had that morning.

  Bella looked fresh and relaxed, in a little red-and-white T-shirt dress that ended high above her knees. Under her big straw hat, her hair was loose down her back, drying in a swath that shone in the sun when sh
e bent her head.

  In fact, she looked really relaxed. Joel watched the smile hovering at the corners of her soft mouth and smiled to himself as he remembered how it had gotten there.

  He’d bet he could put a bigger one on her face. Despite his run and his own very relaxing swim, as the afternoon wore on he grew increasingly distracted and edgy. What the hell was it with this wahine? Despite her controlling ways, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her.

  “Joel? Joel. We’re ready for the next shot.”

  “What?” Joel pulled his attention back to the shoot. His already hot face reddened as he realized that the others were staring at him. Actually, Tanah was scowling, and Cassie was rolling her eyes while fanning herself with one of the leaf fans Frank had woven for the women.

  Matt just looked hot. “Hey, moke, stay with us. If I don’t get in the water pretty soon, I’m gonna melt.”

  “Sorry,” Joel said. “I’m ready for a swim, myself. Guess my head’s already out there.”

  “Oh, is that where it is?” Tanah shot him a dark look from under her huge straw hat. But she managed to thrust her breasts in his face as she fixed his makeup for the next shot, so he guessed that even catching him watching another woman hadn’t quelled her determination to get his name on a notch on her bedpost.

  This was borne out in startling detail when she leaned even closer to him, pressing her mons against his knee as she worked, dabbing pancake makeup on his chin. Speechless at her bold move, Joel sat very still. She smiled at him, her full lips parting to allow the tip of her tongue to peep out.

  “I can make you feel as good as you look, big guy,” she whispered. “Anything you want, any way you want it.”

  “Huh…,” he managed as her hot, damp thighs nestled around his bare knee. “I, uh—”

  “Tanah,” whined Cassie. “Come on! I’m melting over here.”