The Perfect Gift

by Jessa Kane

With Lincoln’s issues touching people, that definitely won’t happen, but showing him my island and teaching him how to relax will be even better.

  And that’s exactly what I plan to do.

  4

  Lincoln

  When I wake up the next morning, I’m positive there’s been a mistake.

  My ruthless business practices have surely earned me a place in hell, but I’ve been sent to heaven instead. There’s no other explanation for the angel beaming down at me, sunlight refracted around her in rainbow beams.

  Nova stands on my bed in nothing but a flimsy white bikini top and a scarf wrapped around her hips, whirling in merry circles, her blonde hair floating around her in a cloud.

  I’m instantly hard as a rock.

  “I’m taking you on an adventure, Lincoln.”

  Last night comes back to me in vivid images. Nova on the verge of tears because no one hugs her anymore, forcing me to acknowledge my heart isn’t dead after all. How could it be when her confession made it weigh a thousand pounds?

  All the money in the world and I couldn’t give her that.

  It shouldn’t bother me so much that I can’t hug this fairy, make her feel safe and wanted. The fact that it bothers me to the extreme is alarming, to say the least. Since when do I give a shit about anyone’s wants or needs? I see the world in black and white. Good investments and bad. There is no room for this beautiful ray of sunshine giggling and dancing around on my bed, joyful simply to be awake.

  Another moving image from last night consumes my mind, making precome leak out onto my thigh and I stifle a groan. Nova fucking the arm of the couch, her sweet ass cheeks flexing, hips writhing, back arched, tits bouncing, head thrown back. There are men in my position who pay millions of dollars seeking sexual thrills like the one she offered last night, but those men are never fulfilled. Never satisfied.

  Nova is the epitome of what those men hunt for, desperate for fulfilment. Some proof that pure innocence still exists in this world. I’ve got her here, all to myself.

  And I’m too fucking damaged to possess her the way she deserves.

  The way any man would do in my position.

  My fist curls in the bedclothes, twisting with enough force to rip the seams. The idea of another man even looking at Nova enrages me. What sense does that make when I know she can’t be mine? Not completely.

  I don’t have time for this.

  I am not built for this.

  Romance and me? I scoff out loud. What a ridiculous notion.

  “I have work to do, Nova,” I growl, climbing out of bed and performing my usual routine of putting on my watch, making sure it matches to the second with my phone. There are seventy-six emails, all demanding my attention and I plan to give it to them. Not her.

  So why can’t I bring myself to press the button to open my messages?

  Instead, my gaze is trained on the mirror behind my bed. Her angelic image fills it and my heart knocks against my ribcage, wishing I was free to pin her down beneath me and spend the morning fucking her brains out. Feeding her, bathing her, letting her doze. Then starting the process all over again. My dick is thick and heavy in my briefs, eager to be seated in her virgin pussy, but my stubborn mind deters me from acting on those urges.

  “Oh,” she says, shoulders slumping a little, before she brightens again. “Can I help?”

  I turn with a raised eyebrow. “Help me work?”

  Too late, I realize she can now see my raging hard-on. Her lips part, those incredible green eyes popping wide. She crosses her arms over her tits, but not before I watch her nipples go erect. “Um…yes. Yes, I can help you work. I’m an excellent negotiator, you know.”

  Amusement teases up the corner of my lips. “Are you?”

  She drops into a cross-legged position in the center of the bed, looking kind of smug over capturing my attention. Little does she know the effort was unnecessary. I can’t get my fucking eyes off her. “Mmhmm. It’s how I get out of working my shifts at the restaurant.”

  I’m shocked to realize a full two minutes has passed without me thinking of the emails on my phone. Normally I would already have ten of them answered. “Explain.”

  “I will.” She plops sideways, snuggling her cheek into the comforter and the scarf rides up around her hips, leaving her sexy, little buns awash in sunlight. “Like I told you last night, I know the most beautiful parts of the island. That’s because I like to sneak off and go visit them when I should be working.”

  “Rather irresponsible of you, little fairy.”

  “I like when you call me that,” she whispers, blushing.

  My pulse thickens, everywhere, beating all over my body. “Why?”

  “Because a nickname means we’re friends.” She turns over on her back, showing off her pussy, barely hidden by a white bikini bottom, her tits spilling out of the top—and her innocent expression tells me she’s completely unaware of her innate sensuality. “Are we friends, Lincoln?”

  A bead of sweat rolls down my spine. “What we did last night wasn’t exactly friend-like.”

  Her blush intensifies. “Maybe we’re special friends.”

  “Yes,” I say, my voice jagged. “Special friends.” The grateful smile she gives me is almost my undoing. “You still haven’t explained why you’re an excellent negotiator,” I say briskly, worried if we keep talking about the benefits of our friendship, I’m going to climb on top of her and attempt to discover more of them. That cannot happen, though. My affliction could lead to me hurting her feelings and I think—no, I know—that might kill me.

  “Oh yes,” Nova says, seeming to finally realize the scarf is hiked up and hurriedly tugging it down. “The places on the island where I go have the best coconuts. You can’t get them anywhere else. I use them to barter for time off.”

  “Clever.”

  “Yes,” she sighs, her smile dimming. “But I won’t be doing that anymore. I should have been pulling my weight more at the restaurant.” Her little chin firms. “I’m going to work harder like you, Lincoln.”

  “No,” I say abruptly, an odd pressure hitting me in the chest. “You will not work harder. You’ll stay exactly the same.”

  She pushes her wealth of blonde hair out of her face and climbs off the bed. “No, my sisters do a lot of work and I’m just…a silly dreamer. It’s not fair to them. Sneaking off just to see pretty places is a waste of time.”

  “It is not a waste—” I curse under my breath, confused by this urgency to validate Nova. Make her understand what an incredible gift she is that certainly does not need changing. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll let you show me these places. All right?”

  Her hands clasp together under her chin, hopefulness swimming in her eyes. “Really?”

  “Yes,” I mutter, alarmed to find myself smiling.

  She bounds toward me, obviously intending to throw herself into my arms—and something shatters inside me when she skids to a halt. “Oh, I’m—I forgot. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I say gruffly. “I’ll…meet your downstairs.”

  I watch her leave the room with what feels, rather suspiciously, like longing.

  What the hell am I going to do about this girl?

  Five mornings a week, I wake up extra early and spend two hours in the gym running and lifting weights, yet I still can barely keep up with Nova. And she’s barefoot.

  First, we walked along a path overlooking the rocky coastline, fragrant air blowing her hair in eight directions, her smile beaming at me amidst the blonde strands. Now I follow her closely in a hike up the side of the mountain on the south end of the island, wondering what the hell I’m going to do if she slips. Catch her, of course. No question. If she got hurt, I think I would rip the sky down the middle.

  The possibility of catching her, however, is unnerving when I haven’t touched another human being in well over a decade, but there’s also a confusing part of me…hoping she slips.

  So I can put my arms around her.
/>   She’d be worth every ounce of discomfort. The pleasure of her might even outweigh it.

  “We’re almost there,” she calls back to me cheerfully and I realize my eyes have been glued to her ass for a good twenty minutes. The white bikini bottom is wedged between her golden, sun-kissed cheeks and they lift and fall maddeningly, making my hands itch to squeeze them, separate them, get my tongue in between those taut mounds to learn the taste of her virgin asshole. “Just a little farther…”

  I reach down and adjust my engorged erection just as we crest the rise…

  And I’m speechless.

  We look down over the edge of a cliff. Beneath us, a rainbow cuts through rolling mist to reveal a waterfall plunging down a good two hundred feet into a cerulean lagoon. Besides the roar of falling water, there are faint sounds of monkeys playing in the trees around us. I’ve traveled all over the globe on business trips, seen landmarks and cities and the odd beach. But none of it compares to this. None of it compares to this paradise of having this angel perched on the cliff beside me, her lower lip caught between her teeth, obviously worried I won’t be impressed.

  “You were right, little fairy,” I say gruffly. “It’s beautiful.”

  Her body drains of tension. “Worth the trip?”

  “Worth a hundred trips.”

  Moisture swims into her eyes and she exhales a delighted laugh.

  Oh fuck. I’m in love with her.

  No, I fell in love with her last night in the kitchen when she fell on her ass.

  Either my ribcage is shrinking or my heart is growing and I’m not certain I like it.

  What I should do is return to the house, pack my shit and get the hell back to New York where I belong. Try and put the fairy out of my head. But it would be a useless endeavor. She’s already so deep under my skin, I can’t think straight.

  What am I going to do? Bring her home with me?

  Keep this wild, barefoot angel caged in an apartment when she needs freedom?

  I can’t even stand to be touched. This vibrant girl deserves better than that, yet the idea of another man giving it to her blinds me with rage.

  “Nova—”

  “I’m going to get us some coconuts!”

  In a split second, she’s dashed out of my sight. I turn just in time to watch the fairy take a flying leap onto the trunk of a palm tree, her thighs inching higher, higher. Feeling like I’m under hypnosis, I follow in her wake, standing at the base of the tree, my cock nearly bursting at the sight of her lithe thighs wrapped around the tree, her butt pumping and flexing as she climbs. Her arms pull her up, dragging that pussy roughly over the trunk and when she grunts from exertion, I finally, finally give in and fist my cock through my shorts.

  I don’t even like my own touch and it burns me now. Sometimes, my body judges I need relief and I wake up covered in my own spend, but I rarely take the time to masturbate. Physical needs are a weakness. Just like hugs or kissing. Aren’t they? That’s what I was told growing up, but I’m not so sure anymore. Hugging Nova last night would have made her feel better, made her happy and how can there be anything wrong with that?

  Breathing in and out, I try to withstand the burn of my own touch long enough to give myself some relief. But it’s no use. Self-disgust clogs my throat and I drop my hand away with a curse. Though I still cannot take my eyes off Nova. She tosses two coconuts to the ground and starts her descent, her mouthwatering backside getting closer, the sound of her thighs chafing the trunk filling my ears. I try to step back when she reaches the ground, but I can’t. I’m frozen in place, hunger wracking me in a way I’ve never experienced. Never knew was possible.

  My body surges forward and I pin her to the tree.

  “Put your hands on the trunk and leave them there,” I growl near her ear.

  Goosebumps lift on her neck, her breath coming in short spurts, but she does what she’s told. “Lincoln?”

  “Up on your toes.” I hook my fingers in the sides of her bikini bottoms, letting them slither down to her knees, marveling over the fact that when my skin brushes hers, I feel nothing but…arousal. Hunger. Heat. “Get that tight, young ass up into my lap.”

  “Lincoln, y-you’re touching me,” she whimpers. “You’re so warm and strong.”

  More than life itself, I want to put my arms around her, but I refuse to fuck up the progress I’ve made. Because she’s right, I am touching her and I never thought I’d touch another human being again. I never wanted to. Go slow. Don’t be greedy. It is so tempting to take out my cock and press it deep inside her pussy, to fuck her, maul her neck, massage her tits, but if that rush of self-disgust forces me to stop, I’ll hate myself more than ever. I’m walking a tightrope here and need this done right. For Nova.

  “If you like to dance so much, little fairy, dance around in my lap,” I grit out, rolling my hips upward, lifting her body off the ground and back down, up and down, up and down. “I want to feel your tiny pink asshole through my shorts.”

  She moans, her fingertips digging into the tree trunk. “Yes, Lincoln, sir.”

  Her smooth, tan back arches and she cinches her hips back, perching on my aching rod, working her lower body in light circles. My ragged groan fills the clearing, my eyes riveted by the sight of her sun-kissed buns pumping up and back, soaking the front of my shorts with precome. “That’s a good girl. Fuck me like a dirty little stripper,” I rasp. “You made it so hard, now make the pain stop. Don’t stop until you’ve made me all better.”

  Her hips move faster, her breath going more and more shallow. “H-how will I know when that happens?”

  “I’m going to drain my balls right between your busy little ass cheeks,” I say raggedly, reaching up with both hands and ripping off two strips of bark. “Grind harder. Daddy needs it so bad. Daddy’s needed your ass to play with his big dick for so long.”

  “Lincoln!” Nova jerks against me, her breath stuttering, her backside shaking in my lap. “Oh! Oh my goodness.”

  When I realize what’s happening, I’m nearly crushed by the weight of my lust. “You like when I call myself your Daddy, Nova?”

  “Y-yes.” Her hips are moving so fast now, they’re blurring and I’m seconds from a mind-blowing peak. I’m extra desperate for release now that I can feel her come seeping through my shorts. Knowing exactly how it got there. What exactly makes her hot. I’m not even sure where the word came from, only that it felt right. It was right because she needed it. “I want you to come so bad, Daddy,” she whines. “I want you to come so bad.”

  Baring my teeth, I drop my knees and thrust up hard between her cheeks, only a thin layer of nylon separating my dick from her asshole. I feel the sweet virgin ring of it. Feel the hot clench as she bears down and comes again. And my balls erupt, shooting a scalding geyser of come from the slit of my shaft. I lean back and bounce my little angel in my lap, the press of her supple ass wringing rope after rope of come from my cock. My strangled shouts of her name echo through the forest, joining with her excited whimpers, until I’m finally, fully drained, and we’re both upright again, panting, sweating, Nova’s hands slipping from the tree to dangle limply at her sides.

  My arms ache to wrap around her, but habit keeps them immobile. Still I inhale deeply of her scent, thankful to my maker for the miracle of her butt nestled into my lap without my system rebelling. The miracle of what we just did. What I was able to do after a decade of spurning human touch.

  It’s her. She’s the miracle. My fucking miracle.

  I open my mouth to tell Nova I’m never letting her go. That she’s coming back to New York with me and that’s final. That I’ll do whatever it takes to make myself whole so I can love her better. I’m about to say all of that, but she turns her head and gifts me with the grace of her smile—and then, she spins around with a giggle, swipes the coconuts up off the ground and dances to the edge of the cliff.

  And dives off.

  5

  Nova

  The cool water of the lagoon
swallows me up, bubbles spinning madly around me beneath the surface. Before I kick to the top, I do a little dance and squeal, hugging the coconuts to my chest. I wish I could go back in time and tell past Nova not to be scared of Lincoln. Not to spend a week worrying what kind of man he’ll be or if he’ll hurt me.

  Lincoln is the…oh, he’s everything.

  He reminds me of the coconuts in my hands. Hard on the outside, but sweet on the inside—even if he doesn’t know it yet. But I see how he looks at me. He might be a stoic man, but I’ve been given the gift of seeing beneath his surface.

  Plus, I don’t think he realizes he was speaking out loud when he called me his miracle, back at the top of the cliff.

  You like when I call myself your Daddy, Nova?

  Even in the midst of the cool water, heat slithers up the insides of my thighs. I’m surprised by the desire that was lurking inside of me, but I’m not scared of it. I’m not scared of anything when it comes to Lincoln…except one thing.

  I’m supposed to be duping him into getting me pregnant.

  I’m supposed to be securing the future of my family with a payoff from a billionaire.

  How could I ever have agreed to such a thing?

  What will I do now that I’ve fallen for the man behind the serious veneer?

  My instinct tells me I should come clean, but Lincoln isn’t a man that trusts easily. If I tell him about the plan hatched by my sisters, a plan I agreed to, he’ll hate me no doubt. But he’s given me no indication that he plans to stay on the island beyond a week. The man is a certified workaholic and he’s going to return to New York at some point, while I remain here. With my sisters. If I let them down, they will make my life a living hell.

  Conflict is winding its way into my gut when I hear a loud splash, a few feet away.

  I open my eyes under water and see Lincoln encapsulated in a cloud of bubbles.

  Shirtless.

  My womanhood squeezes tight like a fist and I almost drop the coconuts.