Surrender The Booty (8 page)

She nodded. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was too wired for sleep. Trevor hadn’t come back until after she and Jose had gone to bed. Something had happened between them, something he didn’t want any part of and something she hadn’t ever felt before.

On top of the confusion, a heavy dose of guilt had settled into her chest. How many times had she lost herself in Trevor and Jose’s arms? How many times had she been in such awe of the island that she completely forgot about the life that waited for her back home?

She couldn’t help but worry about J.P. even though she knew he was well cared for, but hours had passed when he hadn’t even crossed her mind. He deserved more than that from her.

Jose scooted to the edge of the bed and turned back, extending his hand to her. She took it and let him help her off the bed. He pulled his clothes off a peg on the wall and held his shirt open for her to slip her arms inside. While she buttoned it up, he tugged his jeans on.

Minutes later they were outside. Clouds hid all but a soft glow from the moon. Jose led the way toward the trail between the dunes.

His touch was gentle, but his posture was stiff. Something heavy
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weighed on his mind too. Even with all its magic, there were some things this island couldn’t remedy.

She guessed his tension centered around the pending real estate transaction. He wanted this island as much as Trevor did, maybe more. One island and two men. One of them wasn’t going to get what he wanted.

Jose stopped between the dunes and let out a heavy breath. “I guess the air’s fresher at night.”

Bella took a deep breath. He was right. There was no sign of the aphrodisiac that had been driving them all wild. “Maybe the heat from the sun makes it worse.”

Jose didn’t answer. Instead he gripped her hand harder and started for the beach.

She walked quickly to keep up, but the thick sand grabbed at her ankles and each of his long strides required two of hers.

He mumbled an apology and slowed his pace. Closer to the shore the wind whipped and the roar of the waves became deafening. The sea was dark as steel and the caps of waves gathered the soft moonlight and reflected it back in bright flashes of white.

“You okay?” Bella asked.

Jose stopped and speared his hands into her hair. His lips touched hers with a devastating softness and a restrained hunger that pulled her stomach tight and made her heart race. His tongue caressed hers.

He owned the kiss and in the real world a man who twisted her insides the way he did would own her heart. But this island had a way of distorting the truth.

He continued his tender assault until every ounce of tension in her body melted away and she clung to his shoulders to keep from sinking into the sand at his feet. When he finally broke the kiss they were both breathless. He held her, his forehead resting against hers, until she forced him to look her in the eye.

“You kiss all the girls like that?”

“I can’t get enough of you.” His voice was filled with regret.

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“And that’s a bad thing?”

He stroked her shoulders with his warm hands. “It shouldn’t be.”

“But it is?” Tension crept into the muscles between her shoulder blades and her heart braced itself for another letdown. First Trevor and now Jose, two men whose bodies promised more than their hearts were able to deliver.

“No. It’s not a bad thing.” He pushed her hair back and the cresting waves flickered in his dark eyes. “But …”

“But what?”

“You don’t want to get mixed up with me. Trevor’s got it bad for you. He seems like a decent guy.”

“He is. And so are you.”

“I’m not who you think I am.”

“I don’t read the tabloids. And I don’t believe the headlines either.”

His jaw tightened and he started to say something, but she cut him off with a kiss. Right here, right now, the real world didn’t exist and whatever he thought she wouldn’t like about him was too far away to matter.

A flood of want and warmth surged from her tongue to her belly and exited her clit with a jolt that nearly buckled her knees. He reached beneath the shirttails and stroked her swollen slit. Juices ran toward his touch, her body ready for him, but he held back. He twisted one hand in her hair, pulling her head back. He licked and sucked at her neck while the rough pad of his finger stroked a wide circle around her heated nether lips. Each pass, he moved closer to her throbbing little clit. Her body trembled with anticipation. His slick fingers teased until her inner walls tightened, begging for the relief only his big cock could bring.

She pumped her hips toward his hand.

“Bella.” He pulled away from her. “There’s something about me you have to know.”

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She stepped closer, pressing her stomach against his hard cock.

“I’ll listen to every word after you make love to me.”

“I can’t do that, love.” He gripped her wrists in his hands. “First I have a confession to make.”

“You know more about the treasure map than you told us, don’t you?” Trevor said.

They both turned. Trevor had crossed the dunes and was steadily making his way toward them.

Jose stiffened and released his grip on Bella. “What makes you think that?”

He pointed toward Jose’s chest. “I took another peek at the map while you two were asleep. That medallion you wear is on the map.”

Jose’s fingers went to the necklace around his neck and he gave a slow nod. “It is.”

“Did you know about the treasure before we found the map?”

Bella asked.

“I knew.” His jaw tensed. “And it’s better to leave the treasure alone. Finding it will only bring trouble.”

“Trouble for you if I buy this island?” Trevor asked. The challenge was clear in his voice.

“No. I already live with the curse. If we find Delgado’s treasure, we’ll all share his wrath.”

“I’m willing to take the chance.” Trevor gave Bella a quick glance. “I’m willing to bet the lady is too.”

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The waterfall hit the shallow water below with a low roar. Trevor sat on the edge of the shower pool with his legs dangling in the water.

The rocks were so warm beneath him, it was a wonder the island python hadn’t made another appearance here. Not that he was in a hurry to come across that beast again.

Bella had settled into the crook of his arm, her soft body and the tender touch of her hand on his bare thigh were doing more for him than the island air. If he had half a brain, he’d keep his distance from her, but running out last night hadn’t helped any. Running away today wouldn’t either. He couldn’t get her off his mind and he didn’t want to get her off his body.

On the other side of Bella, Jose worked shampoo into his hair.

“We’ve got better things to do than look for treasure that’s long gone.”

“What makes you so sure it’s gone?” If Bella weren’t in his arms, Trevor would slug the dense jackass. Couldn’t he see they all needed a distraction, something to pass the time? Something other than sex.

Bella picked her head up off his chest and turned toward Jose.

“Yeah, how do you know?”

Jose jumped into the pool and headed for the waterfall. “People lived on this island for nearly half a century. Don’t you think if the treasure was here they would’ve found it?”

He dipped his head beneath the water and rinsed the suds from his hair.

Bella pulled away from Trevor and stepped into the pool. “They hardly ever left here. Even if they did find it, what makes you think
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they didn’t leave it here? Maybe even hide it somewhere themselves.”

She motioned toward the cabin. “They definitely didn’t build a mansion with it.”

Jose’s forehead creased in a frown and he dipped his head back again, letting the water stream down his face. Bella crossed the distance between them and put her hands flat on his chest.

“Why don’t you want to look for the treasure?”

A long minute passed before he lifted his head and faced her. “I never said I didn’t want to look for it.”

“You’ve been dragging your feet since we found the map. No.

Wait. You were excited about the map. You just didn’t want to look for the treasure. Are you allergic to work, pretty boy? Or maybe you just want to wait until you own the island to find the treasure.” She gave him a little shove. “Are you afraid you’d have to share?”

He shook the excess water from his hair and took her by the shoulders. “Fine. We’ll look for your treasure. We’ll find it. And then we’ll see if it was worth the effort.”

“Can you read the map?” Bella asked.

Jose blew a heavy sigh. “Most of it.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Trevor asked.

Jose jerked his head up and stared him down, man to man. “The treasure’s here. And we can find it. But it’s not as simple as you think.

Delgado never intended for anyone to take what was his.”

“What do you mean?” Bella asked.

“I mean he didn’t like to share. He was a ruthless pirate and an even more ruthless lover. This island wasn’t just a rest stop between pillages. This was a prison paradise. A place to keep his most treasured possessions.”

“What kind of treasure are we talking about?” Trevor asked.

“Not just gold and jewels.” He stepped out of the waterfall and seated himself on the smooth rock surrounding the pool. “Have either of you ever heard of Delgado?”

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“The Pirate Lover, right?” Bella asked. “He had a reputation for being a ladies man. A senorita in every port.”

Jose nodded. “Yes, but he was more than that. He was a smart man. A greedy man. More lustful than any you’ll meet. And, he was the patriarch of my family.”

“Thought your last name was Marco,” Trevor said.

Jose nodded. “It is. Jose Marco Delgado dropped his last name when his parents disowned him. His mother swore she’d have no pirate for a son, and his father swore if he ever came face to face with him again, one of them would die. The history books never erased his surname, but Delgado did. Probably not long after he drew up that map and moved to this island for good.”

“You still call him Delgado,” Bella said.

“There’s been a Jose in every generation. Delgado is the easiest way to speak of him without confusion.”

“So you carry his name?” Bella’s voice softened. “And if there is any treasure here, it’s rightfully yours.”

Trevor sized the other man up. Either he had a legitimate right to the riches or he’d spun a hell of a tale. Impossible to know which.

People were fools for money.

Jose slid into the water and sat on the sandy bottom, his head back against the rocks. “It’s Delgado’s treasure. He doesn’t share. Not even with family.”

“What in the hell are you talking about?” Trevor asked.

Jose leveled his gaze on Trevor’s. “The treasure’s cursed. If we do find it, we will be too.”

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Jose stoked the fire he’d built in the small barbeque pit close to the porch. Eggs Trevor had collected from the hens roosting in the garden sizzled on a flat griddle above the flames. Trevor had gathered breakfast, but he’d been keeping to himself since the three had showered.

“Smells great,” Bella said.

Jose sprinkled some fresh cilantro on the eggs. “Where’s Cowboy? Off milking the goats?” Something had happened between the two of them. Something that had rattled Cowboy’s cage.

Trevor rounded the side of the house and headed straight for the ladle hanging next to the waterfall. From the stiffness of his gait, it was easy to see he’d made another trip to the garden. He clutched an armload of fruit and poured water from the ladle into his mouth.

He kept his back to them until his shoulders relaxed and his head fell forward. He turned around slowly and grinned at Jose. “After that handjob you gave me, milking goats is your job.” He dropped a bunch of bananas, papayas and a pineapple onto the table in front of Bella, but didn’t look her in the eye or take the stool across from her. Instead he walked over to the porch and stretched out in a hammock. “Let’s hear more about Delgado.”

Jose spooned the eggs onto plates and took the seat Trevor left vacant. Bella offered him a slice of papaya. He ate the sweet fruit from her fingers and his cock stirred. She enamored him and the old pirate tale brought pride to his heart. His chest swelled. Not every family could boast such a legacy of love and lore. And not every man could spend time on this island with a woman who took his breath
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away. He still needed to talk to her. There was still hell to pay. But he needed to tell her privately.

Trevor came over to carve the pineapple and fix himself a plate while Jose began.

“Jose Marco Delgado loved ladies almost as much as he loved gold. He was said to have plenty of both stashed on islands throughout the Caribbean, but there was one island he guarded like no other.” Jose spread his arms. “This one. Isla de Amantes.

“He had a reputation for carousing in every port he entered, but Delgado was madly in love with his wife, Carmella Delgado.

Carmella had ancestors from the magical islands of Haiti and Aruba and she dabbled in some of the old family recipes and potions. Some swore she had cast a spell over Delgado. A spell that made him mad with desire for her.”

Trevor grunted and went back to his hammock.

“Others say Carmella could put that spell on any man with nothing more than a smile. She was a beauty. Plenty of swords were drawn defending her honor, and finally Delgado decided it was no longer safe to leave her at home while he was at sea. But in his mind, a pirate ship was no place for a lady, especially a looker like Carmella.

“So for years he prepared Isla de Amantes, transforming it from a wild, deserted island to an oasis. He brought flowers and fruit trees from all over the Caribbean and created a garden for his love.”