Blooming in the Wild Read Online Free Page A

looked doubtful. “I’ll have to stay out of the sun as much as I can. Wrinkles.” She shuddered, and the guy patted her pale, perfect leg.
    Joel gazed at her, forgetting his irritation. Why the hell had DelRay hired a sun-phobic for a tropical, backcountry gig? His gaze flicked to Bella Moran in time to see her tilt her head again, as if this were just one more distressing detail she must deal with. Man, she was uptight. She’d never last in the business world if she didn’t relax. End up chewing antacids all day, or hitting the booze, like his show’s last producer.
    Well, she’d figure it out, or not. Not his problem. Meanwhile they were passing Kealakekua Bay, one of his favorite spots. Captain Cook’s memorial spire gleamed white against the lush vegetation that surrounded the pristine little bay. Great snorkeling—Joel had spent a memorable afternoon there with a pretty local wahine, no one else around. Nearly drowned going at it between their kayaks like a couple of dolphins. Damn, that had been a day.
    Now, here he was with this odd bunch. Ah, well, he was used to dealing with whatever camera and support crew his network patched together. He’d learned to get along with anyone and everyone. His crew could jolly along suspicious locals and nervous officials, soothe them into doing what they needed to do while he did his thing, explaining outdoor survival in some of the world’s most exotic locales to an audience that would, for the most part, only explore the wilds vicariously.
    Joel was also used to his share of feminine admiration and curiosity. The blonde model was watching him closely, and he had an idea what was coming next.
    “You have a television show, don’t you?” the blonde asked. “You’re that guy.” She had a clear, slightly nasal voice, giving her speech a childish tone.
    “What guy?” The redhead cocked her head, sliding her sunglasses up into her hair. Her green gaze assessed him avidly.
    Joel grinned at them.
    “What guy?” The male model gave Joel a blank look.
    “You know,” the blonde said as if the guy were dense. “Joel, from The Wild Zone . The new outdoor adventure show, where he sleeps in trees, and parachutes off of waterfalls, and stuff.”
    “That’s me,” Joel agreed.
    “It’s so cool to meet you. I’m Cassie,” the blonde said. “This is Matt and Tanah.”
    “Nice to meet you too.”
    “Hey, Joel.” Matt smiled. Obviously not threatened by his girlfriend’s interest, but then, with his looks, he probably didn’t have a jealous bone. Maybe he’d ordered that face the way the blonde had ordered her breasts: give me a handsome one.
    “Very nice to meet you, Joel,” the redhead said, smiling. She whipped her phone up and snapped a picture of him. Used to it, he ignored the gesture.
    “I watched you eat a bug once.” Cassie wrinkled her perfect nose. “How’d you do that? I’d throw up .”
    Joel had, on more than one occasion, but that was a professional secret. “You do what you have to do in a survival situation.”
    Tanah tossed her auburn curls in the breeze. “Maybe you could show me how,” she offered, not specifying what she wanted to be shown. He assumed she didn’t mean eat bugs. The tip of her tongue traced her parted lips as she looked at him.
    “Maybe I could.” He grinned at her, appreciating the sheer pleasure of a come-on from a pretty woman, even if he didn’t intend to take her up on it.
    Bella Moran’s soft mouth twisted with distaste. He considered describing in detail what it felt like to chew up a big, juicy grub pulled from the core of a plant and decided regretfully against it. He didn’t want to gross everyone out, just Ms. Hawaii.
    Jesus, he was reverting to junior high school here. Next he’d be putting gum in her hair. He moved restlessly, straightening from his slouch against the railing. Too bad that stellar ass was wasted on such an uptight wahine.
    He’d wait ’til they were off the boat, and chat up the