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  A is for Amazon - Love's Bloom

  Love’s Bloom

  by

  Janet Eckford

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Love’s Bloom Copyright© 2011 Janet Eckford

  Editor: Lacynda Hill

  Cover Artist: Shara Azod

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. eBooks are NOT transferable. Re-selling, sharing or giving eBooks is a copyright infringement.

  A is for Amazon - Love's Bloom

  Chapter One

  Stella was convinced her heart was going to explode. Ricochet through her rib cage and splatter into tiny little pieces on the foliage covered floor of the Amazon Jungle. If that didn’t happen, then it was going to seize up, failing to take another beat, and cause her body to shut down instantaneously, which would propel her to the foliage covered floor. Thus, allowing her to be eaten by giant ants, fully conscious because her brain, unlike her heart, would still be active those few seconds longer for torture. Hopefully, it would give her a couple of seconds of clarity to curse her now ex-best friend Betsy “I run millions of miles a week” George.

  “Milton, move your ass.” Former best friend screamed from up ahead.

  Bitch.

  Huffing, Stella tried to think of all the ways she was going to torture the she-demon once they got back to civilization. “Come to Brazil with me Stella,” she said. “It will be so relaxing,” she said, but at no time did she mention hacking through the Amazon while keeping an eye out for gargantuan spiders that wanted to fall from above and suck her brain from her skull. Okay, that was a bit melodramatic. They’d probably just bite her and shoot poisonous venom into her brain so they could drag her back to their lair and feed her to their hordes of baby spiders.

  These were the moments when she really questioned why she was friends with Outdoor Adventure Barbie. Stella glared at Betsy. Blonde haired, blue eyed, standing at five ten with the lean taut muscles of a runner, she was in her element. Huffing and clutching at her side as a sharp pain threaded through her body, Stella was not.

  Betsy was always trying and failing to get her to go on one of her crazy adventure vacations. A vacation for Stella was warm clean beaches and copious amounts of fruity alcoholic beverages with umbrellas in them. Brazil seemed like just the place where she could enjoy the sun and sand and basically veg out for an entire week. It also didn’t hurt that one of Betsy’s travel buddies, Cisco Marquez, owned a home in the country.

  She should have been wary when that particular carrot was dangled in front of her, the free accommodations, not Cisco. Getting excited about not having to pay for a hotel was definitely more realistic than getting excited by spending time with Cisco. The man was just too good looking to even bother trying to fantasize about. Not because she didn’t have a high opinion of her own looks, but mostly because being with a man like Cisco was just too much maintenance.

  Slowing down so she could take a drink of water from her canteen, she closed her eyes briefly at the blissful feeling of the cool water going down her throat. The heat and humidity were working her over, and if she didn’t lose those extra ten pounds that attached themselves to her body one night while she slept, she’d be a bit surprised. Humming with pleasure, she resisted the urge to keep drinking because she had no idea how long this hell hike was going to last. Being the only black woman in the group, she was not about to become a horror movie statistic.

  “Don’t drink too much Stella, you want to make sure you have enough for the way back,” Cisco whispered softly in her ear.

  She tried to suppress a shiver at the sound of her name coming off his lips. Dude worked the Latin lover angle to a T, and considering he’d been in the United States since he was ten, he still had a sexy way of rolling words off his tongue. Turning, she smiled at him and tried not to choke on the last bit of water that hadn’t made its way fully down her throat. Cisco was just too gorgeous to be real. Thick, wavy jet-black hair framed a face constructed of perfectly sculpted lines and angles that were strongly masculine but fine in detail. His almond shaped, moss green eyes may have looked dull in another face, but contrasted against his caramel skin browned by the sun, they dazzled. Taller than her five-eight, he stood about six feet, with a body that was comprised of sinewy muscle honed from outdoor activity such as this. Completely breath taking, and then he opened his mouth, started talking, and he became panty soaking.

  “Did it go down the wrong way?” He asked with concern, lightly tapping her on the back.

  “Fine, I’m fine,” she coughed and sputtered, waving her hand. Moving to put more space between them, Stella hooked her canteen back to her hip and tried to catch up with the group.

  “You might want to go a little slower,” Cisco called out walking up next to her.

  “The faster I get through this, the faster I get back to a tub and can soak for a few hours with a nice bottle of wine,” she sighed, thinking about how her poor muscles would appreciate the pampering.

  “I’m sorry you’re not enjoying yourself,” Cisco said softly.

  Shaking her head, Stella let out a sigh of frustration. She was not an outdoorsy type and the only reason she’d agreed to come along was because Betsy told her it would be a complete slap in the face of Cisco’s hospitality not to come. “The man is basically letting us stay for free in his gorgeous home, you can suck it up,” Betsy had growled at her earlier that morning, as she tried to pull the covers Stella was clutching tightly to her body.

  “Um…it’s not that, I just…um…I just…” Stella faltered on what to say as she looked into his eyes. Damn the man was just too fine.

  “It’s okay Stella. I really appreciate your trying something new. I hope that you will be open to other new experiences throughout your trip,” he replied, reaching out as if he was going to touch her but stopping before there was contact.

  Stella watched as he blushed and wondered what caused his embarrassment. Smiling, she tried to think of something to say but was distracted as she tripped for the hundredth time over God knows what on the floor of the jungle. Placing her hands out to break her fall, Stella was shocked when she was instead pulled into strong arms. She fumbled a little and looked into Cisco’s concerned eyes.

  “Careful querida, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt before the fun has started,” he whispered down at her.

  Giggling nervously at the term of endearment he often used for her, which she would later blame on heat exertion, Stella extracted herself from Cisco’s arms and scurried off like a little jungle mouse as the jungle cat watched her retreat, waiting to pounce.

  A is for Amazon - Love's Bloom

  Chapter Two

  Cisco groaned as he watched Stella walk away from him. For the last five years he’d done everything in his power to get her attention. Scrubbing his hand over his face he took a deep cleansing breath and looked up at the sky for guidance. He knew making her come on the trip he planned through one of the prettiest parts of the Amazon Basin wasn’t a smart idea, but Betsy only agreed to get Stella to his home country Brazil if there was an excursio
n into the rainforest. The woman was basically a mercenary and knew she possessed goods he would pay anything to obtain.

  “We don’t have all day Cisco, so you better get a move on it,” Betsy yelled from up ahead. She would have made the best drill sergeant proud with her brisk tone.

  Jogging a little to catch up to the two women and his cousin Tony, Cisco tried to think of ways he could turn what was quickly becoming a bad situation around. He sidled up next to Stella and shortened his longer strides to keep up with her. God, she was so beautiful he thought. Her khaki shorts hugged the lush curves of her butt and hips. Her white t-shirt was currently damp and plastered to all the right parts of her body, specifically her full, high breasts. She had the type of body a man who loved women’s bodies could appreciate. Yet, when he first saw her it was her freckles he noticed.

  Betsy had invited him to a beach party she was having at her Malibu home and Stella had come out of the kitchen holding a platter of food, laughing from a comment someone in the kitchen had made. Her tightly coiled sandy colored hair was fluffed around her head and framed her heart-shaped face perfectly. Bare of makeup, he could see she had a smattering of brown freckles on her copper colored skin that made his fingers itch with a need to trace them. With her brown eyes sparkling with mischief, she was so sweetly sexy and he was completely smitten. That night he’d done everything in his power to woo her to no avail.

  Every time he tried to use the charm he was so famous for she politely shot him down. Yes, she flirted back and teased him, but there was always an impermeable barrier between them that left him with the feeling talking was as far as they were going to get. Betsy also had been no help initially. Having met on safari in Africa that previous summer, they’d instantly clicked and he thought their friendship would have endeared him to her. Instead she’d been like a great momma bear protecting one of her cubs. The woman was fiercely protective of Stella and didn’t even give him an inch to work with.

  It wasn’t until recently when he’d practically begged on his knees for some help that she finally gave in a little. “I guess you’ve suffered enough, but if you hurt her I’ll feed your balls to a river full of piranhas, while they’re still attached to you,” she said in her usual blunt tone. Working really hard not to cup himself in protection he nodded and told her in his sincerest words that he only had honorable intentions when it came to her friend. Snorting, she gave him one of her steely eyed glares and agreed to help.

  Five years of watching from afar, as Stella paraded men in front of him. Five years of trying to transfer his feelings for her onto other women and failing miserably. Five years of wondering if her skin was as soft as it looked and if her sighs of contentment were the same for everything she enjoyed, and it was all crashing down around him. She was absolutely miserable and he didn’t really know what to do.

  “Ouch,” she spat out as she tripped again over some debris on the rainforest floor.

  “Would you like to take a break, Stella?” he asked, taking her arm to steady her.

  “I’m good,” she replied, but the look on her face told him she was far from it.

  “We’re almost there,” Betsy called over her shoulder.

  “Bets, wait.” Turning to look at Stella he could see that she was breathing really hard and holding a hand to her side. They’d only gone a couple of miles, but he was starting to worry it was one mile to many.

  “We got started early enough that we will have enough time to get to the spot and set up camp,” he stated, looking over at Betsy.

  “What do you mean set up camp?” Stella asked with a tremor in her voice.

  “Where we will sleep tonight,” he answered, looking at her with confusion.

  “We’re sleeping out here,” she squeaked.

  Looking helplessly at Betsy, he realized by the other woman’s expression that she hadn’t told Stella this part of the plan. He cursed softly under his breath, closed his eyes, and turned back to look at Stella. The look she was giving him was equal parts fear and anger. When she dropped his gaze to look around he could see that fear was winning out.

  “I’m sorry, but I thought Betsy explained that to you. This part of the rainforest has not been decimated by deforestation as much as others and I thought you would enjoy seeing it in its natural beauty,” he explained, looking between her and Betsy.

  The horrified look on Stella’s face was not making him feel any better. Looking over at his cousin Tony, he almost groaned at the smirk on the other man’s face. He’d warned him that dragging Stella out to the rainforest was a bad idea, something about not seducing a woman in the mud and dirt, but Cisco was desperate and desperate times called for desperate measures.

  “It is really beautiful here at night with the sounds of the jungle around you and the balmy night air,” he said, trying to make her feel more comfortable.

  “What kinds of sounds?” she asked, getting a bit wide-eyed.

  He chuckled, smiling at the look on her face. Stepping forward until he was a little more in her space, he whispered, “Don’t worry Stella, I would never do anything that would cause you danger.”

  Cisco blinked several times when he noticed her usual sarcastic manner had came back online. Looking him up and down, she snorted and rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, really, but what if that something dangerous is you?” He could tell that as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them. Blushing prettily, she stared at him in shock.

  Cisco couldn’t help the predatory smile he gave her full of teeth and promise. Now that the words had been spoken, he felt as if his day was looking up, hell, the last five years of his life were looking up. In the past, she’d made sarcastic little flirty comments to him but she’d never retracted one. He’d always believed it was because she didn’t really mean them beyond the witty banter she’d occasionally shared with him. No, when she spoke this time and immediately registered regret, it gave Cisco a little hope that she wasn’t so immune to him. That he might actually have the chance he’d always wished for.

  “Is this Hallmark moment over yet because I personally would like to get to the camp area before dark,” Betsy called out to them.

  Giving Stella a look full of heat and intent, he turned and smiled at Betsy. “I think I better just take Stella back to the house,” he smirked.

  “I don’t need to go back,” Stella said nervously, walking quickly past him to where Betsy was standing.

  “Well, then, lets’ get moving,” Betsy grunted, turning to continue walking along the trail they were following.

  Cisco could see his cousin Tony looking between him and Stella and shaking his head. Cisco didn’t care what the other man thought. Right now he was coasting and there was nothing that could make him feel down. Whistling a Sergio Mendes tune, he followed after the group, keeping his eyes on Stella and all the possibilities that had yet to unfold.

  A is for Amazon - Love's Bloom

  Chapter Three

  Stella had never seen so much water fall from the sky in her whole life. It wasn’t the neat little droplets that they showed in movies. No, this was like great sheets of water falling down directly upon her, and to make matters worse, it felt as if she was in a giant soggy sauna. Sitting inside her tent, she had no one to blame but herself. No, scratch that, it wasn’t her fault it was that treacherous pussy of hers that leapt at the idea of going back to that large empty house with just Cisco. The evil wench quickly moistened at all the wonderful things they could do, and Stella knew that way lay danger. The hussy, of course, chimed in with something about at least they would be getting laid, and she had no option but to agree to continue on with the trip through the jungle.

  Rifling in the backpack Betsy packed for her, she found a dry shirt and socks. As she dug toward the bottom she also found another pair of shorts. They were a little shorter than she would have worn but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She took off her wet top and placed it off to the side. Considering she was probably going to set the thing on f
ire before she ever wore it again, she just wanted to make sure it didn’t get in the way. After taking off her bra, she realized that Betsy didn’t pack another one for her. Sighing she put it off to the side across her boots, hoping it would at least be damp instead of the sodden mess it was now when she put it on in the morning. She pulled the dry shirt on, purring in contentment.

  Taking off the wet shorts, she contemplated what to do about her panties. The bottoms were soaked from when she fell in a puddle on their way to the camp, but Betsy didn’t pack an extra pair. Sighing in frustration, she thought about just taking them off, but then images of some Amazonian insect crawling into her vajayjay while she slept and laying little eggs inside of her, started to make her hyperventilate. And, so she opted for soggy panties.

  “Stella, can I come in?” The sound of Cisco’s muffled voice startled her.

  “Um, just a minute,” she shouted.

  She put her legs in the shorts and tried to pull them up, but the tiny confines of her single person tent hampered her endeavor. Falling over, she let out a loud grunt.

  “Stella, are you okay?” Cisco asked in a concerned voice, unzipping her tent flap and crawling inside.

  “I said just a minute,” she replied in a terse tone.

  Trying to get back up with her shorts around her ankles, she realized that Cisco had become very still and silent. It might have had something to do with her well-endowed ass being directly in his face. Doing a little flop wiggle move, she was able to get back into a sitting position and kick her shorts off in the process. However, it didn’t help that she kicked them right into Cisco’s face.

  “When I thought of you ripping clothes off around me I didn’t imagine being injured in the process,” he drawled in his sexy accent.