Finding Her Way Read online

  Marin hesitates only for a moment, smoothing a hand over the pleats of her skirt, and nods her head. I watch the action with rapt interest.

  I realize I need to say something, like ask her some questions, and more importantly, explain the role and the requirements, but it’s difficult when all I can do is stare at her and imagine what’s under that buttoned-up blouse.

  Clearing my throat, I shake through of my thoughts. “Do you understand what this job entails?”

  I leave it open-ended to see what my cousin, Dolly, may have already told Marin about the job. I’m guessing not much.

  Marin tips her head, her eyes averted as if thinking, and then responds. “I know you’re a researcher and need an assistant and research coordinator. The job is temporary, but I don’t know how long. And there is travel involved.”

  I chuckle. “You could say that. This is as far from a typical office job as you can get. You understand you’ll need to get some inoculations.”

  When she gives me a skeptical look, I continue, “Malaria. Typhoid fever. The basics for traveling to a third world country.”

  And that’s when it happens. Her face goes sheet white.

  “That’s what I thought,” I muse, pushing the glass of water just in reach of her so she can take a sip. “My field research is in the jungle of Costa Rica. There’s risk involved, but not as much as, say, trying to cross the street in Manhattan during rush hour.”

  “I…I, um, thought it was just a road trip somewhere in this country. Like Florida. Or Alaska.”

  Removing my glasses, I rub the bridge of my nose and chuckle a humorless laugh. I pull out the employment contract from my messenger bag and slide it over to her to review.

  “Afraid not. I’m studying the greenhouse effects on the ecosystems and the damage that climate change has had on them. My research is based at a field center for scientific research in Costa Rica.”

  “Oh,” she whispers, her mouth forming a perfect circle.

  I nearly groan.

  “I’ll leave this with you to review and will email you some links to my research papers and other information related to Costa Rica. I understand the job may not be what you were expecting, but I need someone like yesterday. I’d like to hear back from you by tomorrow. Otherwise, I’ll need to move forward with someone else.”

  I’m hoping I haven’t scared her off because I don’t really have anyone else at the moment. She’s it and I’m worried we started off on the wrong foot. Marin blinks, her eyes narrowing in confusion before growing wide with surprise.

  “You mean, you’re offering me this job, just like that?” She snaps her fingers and the action does something to my stomach. And the part of my brain controlled by my dick.

  Standing, I push back the chair and offer my hand again. “Just like that, Marin. You’ve already proven to me that you have what it takes. The question is whether you can prove it to yourself. I look forward to hearing from you.”

  4

  Marin

  What the devil was that all about?

  I am literally still shaking from whatever it was that I just felt after meeting Nathaniel Leeds. My body and brain are still reeling from the jolt of unexpected lightning that hit me when I shook his hand.

  Who knew I could experience snow and a lightning strike all in one day?

  And he wants me to go to Costa Rica? Holy shit, I don’t even know what to think about that.

  The old me – prior to my resolution – would have declined the job on the spot. The old me would’ve left the adventure to someone more daring and less risk-adverse. But the new me, the one who is part daredevil and risktaker, is jumping up and down inside over the prospect of spending a month in Central America with the hottest man I’ve ever met in real life.

  Now I understand the warning Dolly issued before I met her cousin.

  Holy shit-on-a-shizzle-stick.

  That man could burn a building down with his looks alone.

  He’s got that hot professor vibe going on, with his dark-rimmed glasses framing his perfectly angular face and jawline. The jawline that is covered with at least a three-day old beard. I couldn’t stop staring between his eyes and his lips. The green of his eyes is more vibrant than what I envision the rainforest in Costa Rica looks like.

  And his lips – they looked generous and demanding. When he wasn’t scowling and offered up that sexy, crooked smile of his, he was both alluring and provocative. As if he held a secret that he wanted to share with only me. He’s tall. So very tall. His hair was in bad need of a trim, edging over the sides of his ears, dark and thick. But it looked so soft and in need of my fingers running through it.

  Hooboy.

  I really should decline the offer. I may have been able to work for an asshole boss in the past without a problem, but working for a sexy man like Nathaniel Leeds?

  That just might be my tipping point.

  While that’s what I should do, unfortunately, it’s not practical of me to look this gift horse in the mouth.

  Not only did Dolly go out of her way to set this up for me, but I’ve made my resolution to be bold. I am in no position to turn down this job. I need it to survive. Even if it means working for this ridiculously handsome, and might I add, seriously inflexible man, in the jungles of Central America.

  There’s no way I’ll be sleeping any time soon tonight, so I get out of bed and open up my laptop and email.

  Dear Mr. Leeds,

  I accept your offer of the role of Research Coordinator and can begin immediately. Thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to sleeping with you. Working with you.

  Sincerely,

  Marin Cooke

  I finish typing out my email and review it for any typos, realizing my error immediately. I laugh at my Freudian slip as I erase it and then hit Send.

  And then I pat myself on the back and nod at my courage for taking this step.

  Now maybe I can get some sleep and put the past behind me and wake to a future full of adventure.

  5

  Nathaniel

  “Nope, not this….and you definitely don’t need this…and good lord, what the hell is this?”

  We’re already running absurdly behind schedule, having supposed to have left my office at five a.m. this morning. Instead, I’m sorting through the multitude of suitcases and bags, as in plural, that Marin brought along for our trip. She obviously doesn’t know the meaning of packing light.

  I hold up a pair of baby-blue lace thongs, my gaze sliding from the undergarment to Marin’s face. She wears a look of horror and swipes it out of my hand.

  “Oh my God. Really? You have to humiliate me like this?”

  In the span of a week since our initial interview, I’ve learned that I have a way of pushing Marin’s buttons. And it rather turns me on. So, I continue to do it any chance I get.

  I guffaw. “Had you packed appropriately, I wouldn’t have to rifle through your unmentionables. Although, it is quite illuminating. I wouldn’t have pegged you as a thong-type girl.”

  Marin audibly screeches. “That is the most sexist and chauvinistic thing anyone has ever said to me!”

  Foot meet mouth. But come on. She dressed like little Pollyanna the first time I met her. I’d have expected cotton white briefs out of a girl like her. Not sexy lingerie meant to drive men crazy with lust.

  And let me tell you, there’s no way I’m ever going to unsee those lacy thongs and they will forever be etched in my spank bank, along with the vision of her wearing them for me. Or better yet, me slowly removing them to bare her slick pussy.

  I clear my throat and covertly adjust my dick, which has decided it really likes that idea.

  “Listen, I’m sorry. I’m a little stressed that we’re running late and I haven’t had my coffee yet this morning. It’s not my intention to start a war here. We just need to condense your bags into one travel bag and do it fast so we can get going. Can you do that?”

  She scoffs. “Fine. Just give me five min
utes and I’ll be ready.”

  I stand up and place my hands on my hips with a frustrated sigh, surveying the mess I’ve made of Marin’s things. But I must say, the view is rather nice. Marin sits back on her heels, kneeling over the suitcases with her backside to me, looking like a sexy submissive. Her jeans showcase her tight ass and trim waist. It takes every bit of restraint I own not to run my fingers down her spine and squeeze the shit out of her luscious curves.

  Her voice interrupts my lascivious thoughts. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

  My own voice sounds unusually deep and gravely as I stick my hands in my pockets. “What? I’m not staring. I’m contemplating firing you already.”

  She gives me a look of horror. “Really?” she says in a panic and I feel like a mofo for scaring her like that.

  “No, just hurry it along.”

  Marin stands and I can’t keep my eyes off her toned legs. Even though they’re covered by denim, they are long and sleek. Perfect for wrapping around my…

  “I’m ready. Let’s go then.” I force my gaze toward the door, grab my bag and head out to the awaiting Towne Car parked outside my office.

  We head to the airport in silence, my attention focused on my iPad and the notes that Jose sent me yesterday, mostly so I keep my eyes off of Marin. I’m eager to land in San Jose so I can concentrate on my research rather than the sweet, florally scent of Marin’s perfume that wafts through the backseat of the car. Or the way her chest rises and falls in the slow rhythm of her breaths. Or how my mind keeps wandering back to those blue thongs and whether she’s wearing similar panties right now.

  We arrive at the airport just in time, as I climb out of the car and adjust my stiff cock that’s been straining in my pants all morning and silently warn him to stand down.

  Otherwise, this trip will be one helluva long-ass month.

  The flight was long, but I endured it. As we complete the Customs process, we grab our bags and meet Jose out in the airport mezzanine. He greets me with a toothy-grin and arms wide open.

  “Amigo! So good to see you again. I’ve missed your grouchy disposition,” he exclaims, wrapping an arm around me for a hug and then stepping back to grab a bag from my hand.

  Marin makes a snarky snort noise as Jose peers around me, snapping his gaze between her and me.

  “Well, well, well. This must be Marin, our new research assistant. And she is muy bellos, non?”

  I peek over my shoulder at Marin, her smirk giving me the proverbial middle finger. She greets Jose with a hug, her back toward me, as Jose’s eyes light up. He’s gloating, the mother fucking prick.

  “Nice to meet you, Jose. And I agree with you about our boss’s disposition.” She raises an eyebrow and whispers conspiratorially. “He can be such a grouchy-grouch.”

  Jose wiggles his bushy dark eyebrows. “Si, si, si. Now come, come. Tell me all about yourself.”

  They walk off down the corridor as I stare after them, left to carry all my equipment and bags by myself. So much for so-called assistants. Jesus, are these two in cahoots already?

  Jose’s van is parked out front and I shove everything into the back, grumbling and cursing as I fold my body into the backseat, as Marin and Jose continue their introductory chatter oblivious to my plight. Jose is telling her something that has her laughing and for some foreign reason, I want to gouge his eyes out for doing something I haven’t been able to do yet.

  That’s because all you’ve been is a prick to her, asshole.

  It’s hotter than blazes right now, the complete opposite of what we left behind in New York eight hours ago. I shrug off my jacket, leaving me in my tight-fitting black T-shirt. Marin notices my movement and glances over her shoulder at me. I gain an ounce of satisfaction when I notice the way her pupils dilate, and her eyes grow heavy as she takes me in. When she notices that I’m staring at her staring at me, she quickly returns her attention to Jose, who is babbling about the landscape. But not before I see the blush creep across her cheeks.

  I can’t tell what she’s thinking, but by the way her face blooms a rosy-pink hue, and she moistens her lips with her tongue, I’d say she likes what she sees. And maybe feels the same level of attraction that I do.

  Which in a word is problematic.

  Because if she gives me the green light, it’s all systems go and I’m diving in.

  6

  Marin

  Oh, my word. It’s so hot here. Like beads of sweat dotting my temple and upper lip-hot. The kind you get when you bite into a tamale with the extra-hot jalapeño peppers that makes your eyes water.

  Sadly, I’m well aware my heat index hasn’t climbed solely from the change in climate based on my new latitude and longitudes.

  It’s because of the way Nathaniel looks in that damn T-shirt.

  When I turned in my seat to see him removing his jacket, I was mesmerized by the way his biceps strained against the tight cotton fabric of his shirt. It was then that I felt like a blazing inferno had just erupted inside my body. I’ve only seen him one other time before today and he’d been bundled up in a suit jacket, so I had no earthly idea that he was so freaking muscular under the shirt and tie. He’s been hiding those guns under his Professor Grumpy exterior.

  During the car ride, the three of us spoke about the schedule and the agenda for the next two weeks. Tonight, we’d be spending the night in a hotel in San Jose and tomorrow morning we’d head out to La Selva Biological Station, where we’d be spending most of our time during the trip when not doing fieldwork. According to Jose, Nathaniel had done some teaching in the past with the Organization of Tropical Studies and everyone there was all atwitter over his return. Since I am wholly unfamiliar with the who’s who in the field of scientific research, I have no idea who Nathaniel is, but it seems like he’s a pretty big deal.

  I can barely keep up over dinner as Jose and Nathaniel chat about various findings and new species they’ve discovered, and the mutations they are seeing in tropical ecology due to the effects of climate change. So, while they talk, I continue to drink the fabulous wine they keep ordering, nodding my head at their comments and joining in the laughter at their lame science jokes. By the end of dinner, I’m feeling more than a little tipsy and terribly jetlagged.

  So much so, that as we walk outside into the humid night sky toward the hotel next door, I weave a little bit, stumbling to keep my balance. Out of the clear blue, Nathaniel’s arm finds its way around my waist to hold me up, pulling me into his side. His warm, lean side.

  “You okay, Marin?” he asks, staring down at me with an expression I can’t quite read.

  “Mmm, yeah. Totally fine. I’m just really hot and turned on…I mean, tuned into what you were saying tonight.”

  A warmth coils low in my belly as I suck in a lungful of Nathaniel’s spicy, masculine scent. That heat spreads down my spine and then between my legs when his fingers splay across my low back, sensually and possessively.

  He chuckles, the low reverb of the sound sending flutters of butterfly wings inside my tummy.

  “Glad you found it so fascinating and such a turn on.”

  One moment I’m at his side and the next I’m standing in front of him, as he towers over me, both of his hands now at my waist, as my head falls back to look up at him. His mouth lowers, inch-by-inch, and I can feel his breath, warm and tropical, until our lips are so close only the night air can slip between us. My heart pounds loudly in my chest, my nipples hardening against his torso. And it’s not the only thing hard between us.

  I lick my lips and swallow.

  And then in an instant, Nathaniel’s mouth covers mine and he kisses me. I part my lips and open for him, his tongue raiding me with a claiming stroke. A wave of desire ripples through me and I feel breathless and weak, like I’m falling into the deepest ravine in the world. But with his hand lassoed around my waist to hold me, I’m not going anywhere without him.

  I lift my arms to sling around his neck, digging my fingers into his sca
lp and pulling him into me. The masculine rumble from inside his chest hits me straight in my womb and my belly clenches in response.

  I know I shouldn’t be kissing my boss. It’s wrong. But at the moment, I don’t care.

  Maybe it’s the wine. Or my jetlag. Or the fact that the tropical heat of Central America has confiscated my good sense, but I have the urge to jump him this second. To climb him like the tree monkeys I’ve seen on the side of the road.

  I’m needy, I’m horny and I’m wet for him. I don’t care that he’s my boss and this is my first night on the job. His kiss robs me of all rational thought.

  Just as I feel the nudge of his hard length against my center and I’m about to throw caution to the wind, and say, “Take me, I’m yours,” Nathaniel drops his hands from my waist and ends our kiss, leaving me to rock on my tiptoes to seek balance from my internal discord.

  Nathaniel clears his throat and he takes a gigantic step away with a pained look in his eyes.

  “If I don’t stop now, you’re going to end up naked in my bed and I’ll be balls deep inside you before your buzz even wears off.”

  I’m a little dazed right not, but Nathaniel’s egotistical statement makes him sound like he’s God’s gift to women and I can’t control myself over his sexual prowess.

  I’m suddenly a pissed off drunk girl who is embarrassed by being turned down and being treated like I don’t have a choice in this matter.

  Stepping a few inches closer to him, I shove him hard in the middle of the chest.

  “Well aren’t you all high and mighty with your extraordinary restraint, professor. How dare you insult me like that. As if I don’t know my own mind and am in need of your chivalry to know what’s good for me. As if I’d have no choice in this matter and would just fall into bed with you at the snap of your fingers.”