Runaways

by Lily Harlem

  Sighing, she tipped onto her side and stared at them, making a conscious effort not to work out what time it was in California. She’d been through so many time zones lately she guessed it didn’t matter. It was like being out at sea; she’d sleep when she was tired, and eat when hungry.

  The bedroom door opened, then was quietly clicked shut. In the mirror she could make out a tall figure moving toward the dresser and setting down a bag and something metallic. He then came to the bed and flicked back the cover, exposing the top half of her body to the cool air.

  He slid in next to her, blocking her view of the stars, and slowly roamed his palm over her waist and the curve of her hip.

  She smiled as she caught a whiff of Harry’s expensive cologne.

  “Hey,” he said, pulling her close. He, too, was naked.

  “Hey yourself.” Her breasts pushed onto his chest, and his body hair gently scratched her nipples.

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about how we’d missed joining the mile-high club.”

  “I’m sure there’ll be other chances.”

  “Yeah, even if I get the Lear just for that, go up and circle LA a few times.”

  She giggled. “That would be an expensive fuck.”

  He moved his face closer to hers. “I love how you say fuck in your sexy English accent.

  “Fuck.” She gripped his shoulder. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Fuck me now, Harry.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.”

  Suddenly he was over her and slotted between her legs. He supported some but not all of his weight on his elbows and stared down.

  She hooked her calves over the back of his thighs and ran her hands across his shoulders. The tip of his cock nudged her entrance.

  “If you weren’t so jetlagged,” he whispered, “I’d be ticking off some of my to-do list right now.”

  She smiled and tilted her hips, wanting him inside her. “I’m sure you would be.”

  He didn’t push in. “Want to know what exactly?”

  “Tell me.” She lifted higher.

  He moaned softly. “I’d have you tied to this bed, arms and legs spread wide and harnessed down. You’d be naked, apart from those stockings and this necklace.” He ducked his head to kiss it. “You’d be writhing with want and I’d be bringing you close with my fingers, tongue and cock, then backing away. You’d beg for it, cry out for it. Every time you thought you were going to come I’d leave you hanging.”

  The image grew in her mind, and she remembered how he’d teased her in the cave. “I want to come now.”

  “You will.” He eased into her, stretching her internal walls with his thick cock. “Very soon.”

  “Harry,” she gasped.

  “I’d come over and over,” he said, “as I aroused you. I’d come in your mouth, on your chest…high up inside you.” He pushed in deeper.

  “Why not me?” She curled her toes and dug her fingers into his shoulders. The sensation was dense and all-consuming, his cock so wide and hard. “Why couldn’t I come?”

  “Because if I deny you it, when you finally did come it would last so fucking long. I’d keep you coming not for seconds, but for minutes, whole minutes. You’d be delirious with pleasure, gripped by ecstasy.” He hit full depth and stilled. “And you’d look and sound and feel so fucking awesome like that.” His voice was hushed and deep, his breath washing over her cheek. “I’d let the others watch, a sexy show at the end of the evening. Our woman getting off so spectacularly.”

  “Harry,” she gasped as he rocked his body up against her clit. “You’re so damn kinky, you know that?”

  He kind of chuckled, but it was strained. “Of course, and you know it, too.”

  He began to work his hips, small rocking movements that soon built the pressure in her clit.

  She moaned and closed her eyes. “Yes.”

  “Come when you need to,” he whispered. “I’m not stopping this time, I want you to feel so good.”

  “I do, it does…you do.”

  He kissed her and kept up a steady pace.

  Within minutes her skin was tingling, her breaths were rapid, and her pulse thudding in her ears. “I’m going to…”

  “Yes,” he said. “Now.” He rested the tips of his fingers on the necklace and stared down at her face.

  Through the dim light, his eyes flashed and his mouth hung a little open, his lips shiny from their kisses.

  “Oh, God…” She groaned and gave in to her climax. It shot from her clit to her pussy, which spasmed around his shaft, then blasted over the rest of her body. She arched her spine and neck, held her breath, and reveled in having Harry buried so deep.

  He kept on staring at her and rode out his orgasm.

  She clasped his cheeks and didn’t blink as she fought for breath. She felt as if she were seeing into his soul—the real Harrington Vidal was a beautiful, giving, complex man, and she loved him so much.

  Eventually he stilled. A sheen of sweat sat on his forehead, and their chests slid together.

  “We’re gonna have so much fun,” he said.

  “Sounds like I’m going to be tormented.” She brushed his hair back from his brow.

  He grinned. “Yeah, that, too. But I mean when we get to Kaskum. It’ll be hard work for sure, but it will be the real Africa, not some sanitized tourist attraction. We’ll get to live and work with the people there.” He pulled out and rested on his side.

  She turned to face him.

  He took her hand and held it between them.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing Anya.”

  “Yes, she’s nice. It was good that we met her.” He paused. “It was good we all met each other.”

  “It was.” She sighed.

  “Go to sleep.”

  She closed her eyes. “I have to.”

  Pressed up against Harry, Olivia allowed the rest of the world to fade away. She soon fell into a deep sleep.

  When she woke, he, too, was stirring. Daylight shone through the gap in the curtain.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “I’ll go see.” He stood and wandered naked to the dresser.

  “That’s a nice view to start the day,” she said, grinning as she ogled his taut butt.

  “I’m glad you think so.” He picked up his watch. “It’s nearly eight.”

  “Ah, okay.”

  With his bag in his hand, and his hanging cock soft, he walked back to the bed and sat. He tipped forward, undid the zipper, then pulled out a black handgun.

  “What the bloody hell is that?” Olivia went from a languid, supine state to upright and shocked in a nano-second.

  “It’s a Glock twenty-six.” He checked the barrel.

  “Okay, I’ll re-fucking-phrase that. Why the bloody hell have you got a gun, Harry?”

  “It’s mine.” He studied a scratch on the handle.

  “That’s hardly answered my question.” She scooted up the bed and hugged her knees. She glanced at the door. “Fucking hell.”

  He looked at her. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “That’s what’s up. That damn gun.” She jerked her head at it.

  “It’s for protection, mine and yours. All of us.” His eyes narrowed.

  “Where did you get it?”

  “The store.” He appeared bemused by her reaction. “In LA, a while back.”

  “And you took it on the plane? Seriously, how can you be allowed to do that?”

  “It’s a private jet and it belongs to the Vidal’s.” He shrugged. “So I can do whatever the heck I want.”

  “But.” She pointed at it. “Harry, I’m really not comfortable with this?”

  “With what?”

  “You, having that thing.”

  “Why are you freaking out?” He held the gun toward her, flat on his palm. “You’re acting like you’ve never seen one before, Liv.”

  “I haven’t. Why the hell would I?” She paused. “Apart from police at airports—and that freaks me out—I’ve never had any need to c
ome into contact with guns.”

  “Really? Like you’ve never—”

  “Seen one, held one, shot one; no, I haven’t. I’m British, remember, they’re not part of our culture. You can’t just go and buy one in the damn supermarket.”

  He was quiet for a moment, then. “Hold it, but don’t pull the trigger.”

  “I don’t want to hold it. It scares the crap out of me.” She grabbed the duvet and pulled it up over herself, covering her hands as if that would mean she didn’t have to touch it.

  “It’s a good gun.”

  “Is that a thing? A good gun… From what I hear they just cause pain and misery.” She nodded at it. “I don’t want to see it, Harry.”

  He hesitated for a moment, as if assessing whether or not she was serious, then put it away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you felt so strongly about personal weapons.”

  Last night she’d felt so close to Harry. Now, the fact they’d grown up on different continents with different laws seemed to place a divide between them.

  “Hey.” He scooted closer and tucked a strand of hair over her ear. “Now I know how you feel I’ll keep it out of sight, okay? Does that make you feel better?”

  “But I’ll still know you have it.”

  His eyebrows drew together. “And just maybe, that gun, where we’re going will come in useful. Not against people but against attacking animals. What are you going to do if a big beast comes at one of us?”

  “Evan will handle it.” She pouted—she didn’t want to, but it happened.

  “And his knife will stop a hippo from ripping someone’s guts out? A blade will stop a big cat or a croc dragging one of us off to its lair?”

  “Okay, okay, I agree, it could be useful if one of us is attacked. But can I say, for the record, that killing is a last resort for any living creature. It’s best to try and scare it away.”

  “Of course.”

  She nodded at the bag. “And can you use it? Shoot?”

  “My father started taking me to the range when I was twelve, so yes, I can handle a gun.”

  She pulled in a deep breath then let it out.

  “It’s all cool,” he said gently, “don’t sweat it.”

  “I’ll try not to, it was just a shock, to see you sitting there on the side of the bed with it.”

  “I’m sorry, it was thoughtless of me. I just presumed…”

  “That because it was something you’d grown up with, we all had.”

  He raised his eyebrows.

  “I doubt it’s something the twins are familiar with,” she said, “but I can’t speak for Evan and Raul.”

  “I’ll discuss it with them all.” He brushed his lips over hers. “And unless it’s a life-or-death situation, you won’t see it again, I promise.”

  “I’d like that to be the case.” She managed a smile. “And I appreciate that you want to keep us all safe, really I do.” As she’d spoken, her stomach had growled. She giggled and was glad when some of the tension in her chest released with the laughter. “I guess it’s time for breakfast.”

  “Yeah, come on, before I get distracted and decide to tip you over my knee for a morning spank.” He winked and produced a cheeky grin.

  The skin on her buttocks tingled at the memory of his palm slapping down. “Paul would hear and come rushing to see what the noise was.”

  “Paul?” Harry frowned.

  “Yeah, he’d be curious, wouldn’t he?”

  “He can be as curious as he wants. What we do—and I speak for all five of us—when in private with you, is none of his business.”

  “I agree.” She hesitated. “But he does seem quite fascinated by our relationship, you can’t disagree with that.”

  “He’s just looking out for his brothers, understandably.” Harry stood, scooping up the bag with the gun. “I’m gonna take a shower in the room next door, where Evan is. I’ll leave you to use this en suite.”

  Half an hour later, Olivia was tucking into a bowl of cereal with chopped banana on the top. She’d had a cup of tea and was now starting on freshly squeezed orange juice.

  The doors from the living area had been flung open, and around her, all of her men sat on the balcony eating, drinking, and chatting. Below them was a pool which glistened in the sunlight. At the base, a mosaic of a dolphin shimmered.

  Paul had yet to appear from his room.

  “So you’re staying here, right?” Evan nodded at Lucas.

  “Aye, I’ll man the gates for the deliveries.”

  “Needs doing, but you could use some help.” Evan took a sip of coffee.

  “It could be me,” Olivia said. “My tools are on order, Harry can pick me up the welder.” She set her now-empty bowl aside. “Everyone else going out needs to be there, and I agree, we should have two people here for deliveries. What Josefa said about watching for people sneaking through the gate freaked me out a bit.” She glanced at Harry, knowing what he’d be thinking about the gun—that it was sensible to have one.

  “That’s settled then,” Mason said, standing. “I’ll go and chase my big brother along, then we’ll get going.”

  Harry checked his watch. “Yeah, we really should. Gonna need to hire a big truck as well, to get the heavy stuff to Kaskum.”

  “Yep, up and at it.” Evan stood and rubbed his hands together. He grinned, clearly keen to get on with the project.

  It was good to see him back to normal, though Olivia wasn’t sure if she’d ever get him on a plane again.

  Chapter Ten

  Within an hour of everyone leaving, deliveries began arriving at the villa.

  Lucas had a list and was checking things off as drivers unloaded beams for the frame of the hospital, boards, roof and flooring materials, plumbing gear, and the solar panels and wind turbine.

  “We must be nearly done,” Olivia said, dragging her hair up into a ponytail. The day was heating up as the sun climbed higher.

  “Aye,” he nodded. “I think we are.”

  She wandered from the control panel, where they’d just watched the gates shut securely, and gestured out of the window at the pool, which was lined with sun loungers. “Think anyone would mind if we took a dip?”

  “Hell no.” He grinned, his serious expression dropping. “In fact, it would be a wee bit rude not to.”

  “I agree. I’ll go put my bikini on.”

  “You really need it?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “What if the others come back?”

  “They’ve all seen you naked.” He held out his hands. “So does it matter?”

  “Paul hasn’t.”

  He bit on his bottom lip. “True. Best wear that bikini then.”

  Olivia pulled on the black bikini, approving of how it set off her tan, then wandered out to the pool. The water was beyond tempting, and after she’d tightened the bows on the sides of the bikini bottoms, she walked past the wide steps at the shallow end and dived in where it was dark and deep.

  The water gushed into her ears and enveloped her hot limbs. It seeped between her legs and tightened her nipples. She stayed beneath the surface, kicking out and swimming the length of the dolphin image on the base.

  When she surfaced and stood near the steps, Lucas was grinning down at her with his hands on his hips.

  She ran her hands over her hair. “You got sun cream on?”

  “Aye.” He held his nose then took a running leap and bombed in at the deep end.

  She laughed and turned to watch him come up for air.

  “Bugger, that’s cold,” he said.

  “Refreshing.” She kicked out and swam toward him.

  “Shall we do a few lengths, for fitness?”

  “Sure. I’ll race you.” She gripped the side.

  He laughed and also held on. “You can try.”

  “Ready, steady, go.” She pushed away from the edge, knowing her front crawl was faster than most peoples. She’d spent years perfecting it and being tested at all levels of her sailing qualifications.
>
  But Lucas kept up; she saw him in her peripheral vision gliding through the water.

  When they reached the far end, she ducked beneath and spun around, setting off back the way she’d just come.

  For a moment she thought she’d shaken him, but then he was at her side.

  When she reached the end, she touched it at the exact same time he did.

  “Wow, you’re fast,” he said.

  “So are you.”

  “Aye, but I’ve got these.” He slapped his palm on his thick left shoulder. “Big muscles.”

  “I’m not going to deny that.” She grinned. “Though I do have less weight on my body to drag through the water.”

  “And every inch of your body is perfect.” He moved in close and slipped his arms around her waist. It was clear he could stand up even in the deepest bit.

  The sensation of wet skin on wet skin was sexy, and she wrapped her arms about his neck and squeezed closer as he held her. “How do you think the others are getting on?”

  “No idea, and honestly, it’s the furthest thing from my mind right now.” He ducked his head, kissed her and ran his hands to her butt, slipping his fingers into the waistband of her bikini bottoms.

  She bobbed up in the water and folded her legs around his waist, pressing her pussy to his groin.

  “Mmm,” he said. “You feel so good.”

  “So do you.”

  He began to wade toward the steps, carrying her as if she weighed nothing and kissing her as though his life depended on it.

  The waterline slid down her body as they went shallower and the sun heated her skin. But it was nothing compared to the heat inside she felt for Lucas.

  “We should go upstairs,” she said against his lips when he stepped onto the grass.

  “Too far away,” he murmured, tipping her onto a soft lounger.

  She squinted up at him. “Lucas?”

  “Shh, I’ve been dreaming of this.” He kissed down her neck, over the necklace, and to her sternum. “Lie back and let me adore you.” He dropped to his knees so he was on the ground at her side, and slid his palm over her flat stomach.

  “Lucas,” she whispered, closing her eyes to protect them from the bright sunlight.

  The bow on her bikini bottoms, the side closest to Lucas, slackened.