Hope

by Tia Wylder

  Just then, a loud clap of thunder sounded overhead, and I jumped again, squeaking in fear. I thought the man would laugh at me, but instead, he stepped closer and I felt a delightful shiver run down my spine.

  “You know, we could die,” the man said, gesturing outside. I winced as I saw angry waves crashing down on the shore. It was hard to believe that I’d just gone swimming yesterday.

  “I suppose we could,” I said. My heart was thumping, and my mouth was dry.

  The man raised an eyebrow and stepped closer. He was so close that I could have reached out and touched him.

  “So, what do you wanna do?” The man asked.

  I flushed hotly. His implication wasn’t lost on me.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I lied.

  The man grinned. He reached out and took my hand. When our skin touched for the first time, I felt a spark leap from his flesh to my own. I shivered again – I’d never felt like this, especially not with a stranger!

  “I think you know,” he said in a husky voice. When he leaned in closer and pressed his forehead against mine, I didn’t push back.

  “Are you trying to get in my pants?” I asked softly.

  The man leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. They were warm and dry, and he smelled so good that I almost swooned as his tongue slipped into my mouth. Without even thinking about it, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close.

  “Yeah,” the man whispered, breaking the kiss. “After all, we could die.”

  Suddenly, his words struck me as both profound and powerful. Why not, I thought as I reached out and pressed my body against his, enjoying the feel of his muscular bulk against my own body. He’s right. I might not make it out of here – I may as well have sex with this gorgeous Greek god!

  When we kissed again, it was more intense. I moaned softly as the man nibbled my lip, sucking the flesh gently until I felt a flood of arousal in my lower belly. My tongue danced with his, and I cocked my head to the side, deepening the kiss until my jaw ached. It didn’t matter. A torrent of ecstasy and anticipation was flooding my body, and I moaned into the man’s mouth as I felt his hands on my body. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close, pressing his hard muscular body against mine.

  “You taste so good,” the man whispered, breaking the kiss and nuzzling me. He slipped his hands under my shirt, and I purred when I felt him stroking my bare stomach. He moved his hands higher and higher, cupping my breasts through my lacy bra and rubbing his thumb over my stiff nipples until I bit my lip and groaned with pleasure. I was so aroused that I felt like I was going to explode if the man didn’t take me right here and now. When he reached around my back and expertly unclasped my bra, I shivered with arousal. I crossed my arms over my chest and grabbed the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head as the man pulled my bra away from my body. The air in the restaurant was chill, and my nipples were so stiff that they almost ached.

  The man dropped to his knees and put his hands on my hips, pulling me closer. He nuzzled my belly as he fumbled with the zipper of my jeans. Sliding the stiff material down my hips, I shivered again. There was something strangely sensual about being almost naked while my partner was still fully dressed. The crotch of my cotton panties was soaked with my arousal. The man nuzzled me between the legs, sending swirls of pleasure through my lower belly. I felt weak in the knees as he slid a finger inside my panties, gently fondling my sensitive skin.

  “You taste good, too,” the man purred, licking his finger and locking eyes with me. I shuddered. I’d never had someone act so brazenly sexual with me, or treat me like I was some kind of exotic goddess. Most men ignored me or treated me like their long-lost sister. Even when I’d had boyfriends and one night stands in college, it had never been particularly passionate. But this was incredible, this was different. This man was making me feel like I held sexual power in my hands, the kind of sexual power that brings men to their knees.

  The man slipped my panties down, and I stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. He ran his hands down my bare thighs, scratching the skin with his nails until I shivered with pleasure. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around the man’s neck, kissing him deeply. My nipples rubbed against the soft cotton of his shirt, and I moaned with pleasure – it felt so good that I could hardly stand it. I could feel my clit was pulsing with arousal, hard and stiff between my legs, and I shivered as I thought about how good it would feel when the man slid inside of me for the first time.

  With clumsy fingers, I unbuttoned the man’s shirt and pulled it away from his body. His torso was muscular and lean, shiny and hairless. He smelled spicy and musky, and I leaned in close and kissed his chest breathlessly, licking his skin until he growled with pleasure. His cock was hard – there was a bulge at the fork of his trousers – and I ran my hand over it until he groaned. The man grabbed my hand and began thrusting against his in a lewd gesture that made me flush. Then he unzipped his pants and wriggled out of them. I gasped when his cock popped free – he hadn’t been wearing any boxers!

  Naked, the man was even more handsome. He was sturdy and lean, with narrow hips and a neat waist that made me think he spent every day alone in the gym. He kissed me again, pinching my nipples with his fingers until a flood of pleasure crashed over my head. His hard cock poked me in the lower belly, and I blushed at the girth of it – he was huge, much bigger than anyone else that I’d ever been with.

  “I want you,” I groaned softly. “I can’t take it anymore.”

  The man grinned. He wrapped an arm around me and laid me down on the soft carpeted floor. Then he slid a hand between my thighs and stroked my wetness before pushing my legs apart and crawling in between them. When I felt the head of his cock pressing against me, I arched my back and lifted my hips high into the air.

  The man’s cock slid inside of me, penetrating me to the hilt. He groaned and grabbed my hips, staying frozen for a moment before beginning to thrust back and forth. I moaned loudly as the man grabbed my ankles and hauled my legs over his shoulders. His cock was sliding in so deep that I felt completely filled. The man smirked at me and reached between my legs where his thumb found my clit and began to rub. It felt so good that I closed my eyes and shivered, moaning happily as pleasure filled my body.

  In that moment, I forgot about everything. My grad school work, my plan to keep the two billionaires from building huge hotels, even the hurricane. I was transported to a world of pleasure and lust.

  The man groaned. He arched his back and thrust in deeper and deeper. We were both covered in sweat and beads of perspiration were dripping down from the man’s forehead to my chest. I bit my lip, trying to suppress a loud shriek of pleasure. The man was rubbing my clit harder and faster, and I was gasping for air. I knew that I was about to come, and I held my breath until I couldn’t hold it in any longer. When my orgasm hit, it was like a tidal wave crashing over my body. I gasped and shuddered and screamed with intense pleasure as my body quivered and shook.

  My own pleasure seemed to set off my lover’s – he groaned, grabbing my hips and sliding in deep. With a loud grunt and gasp, he shuddered. I felt his cock pulsing inside of me, and I groaned loudly, pushing my body against his.

  When it was over, I lay back, exhausted and breathing hard. The pleasure was still coursing through my body, and I shivered happily.

  The man pulled out of me and flopped down on the carpet, pulling me into his arms. I rested my head on his chest.

  “It’s crazy,” I said in a soft, dreamy voice. “I don’t even know your name. And I’ve never done anything like that!”

  “Neither have I,” the man said. His voice was dark and low, like velvet. “My name is Jack, by the way.”

  “Mmn,” I purred. “That’s a nice name. I’m Adele. Adele Parker.”

  The man shifted and grinned, holding his hand out for me to shake. “Jack Nathan,” he said. The cocky gleam had come back into his dark eyes. “Nice to meet you.”

  For a
moment, I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I couldn’t breathe, and my heart skidded to a frantic stop in my chest. Then I swallowed hard and pushed Jack away from me.

  Jack frowned. “What’s wrong?” He asked, narrowing his eyes. He reached for his trousers and stood up, pulling them on over his muscular body.

  “I know who you are,” I said quietly, glaring as hatred filled my body, replacing the calm sensuality with a raw, angry power.

  Jack shrugged. “Yeah, you and half the world,” he said. He reached for his shirt and slipped it on, buttoning it up and pushing his messy hair out of his eyes.

  “No,” I said quietly. “I mean, I know who you are.” I took a deep breath, my nostrils flaring with anger. I couldn’t believe myself – I’d slept with the enemy, the man I’d sworn to destroy. I suddenly hated myself almost as much as I hated Jack. If I hadn’t fallen prey to his charms, I wouldn’t be in this horrible position.

  Jack laughed. “Yeah, Adele, you said that,” he replied. “What’s wrong?”

  “I…” I trailed off and shook my head, filled with a potent, hot rage that made it almost impossible to talk. I can’t do this right now, I thought, yanking on my jeans so quickly that I nearly tripped over my own feet. I grabbed my bra and stuffed it in one of my pockets, pulling my shirt over my head. I didn’t care – I just knew I needed to get away from Jack as quickly as possible. Turning around, I broke into a run and jogged out of the restaurant.

  The skies outside were darker than ever, and I could hear the howling of the wind as it whipped from side to side.

  “Adele, wait!” Jack yelled. “What the fuck happened?”

  I didn’t answer him. I kept running through the lobby. When I felt Jack’s hand on my shoulder, I whirled around and slapped him in the face. The sound was as loud as a crack of thunder. Jack stared at me with wild eyes, clearly in shock.

  “Have you lost your mind?” Jack demanded. He narrowed his dark eyes into tiny slits. “Adele, come on – what did I do?”

  “Well,” I said hotly, stepping back and crossing my arms over my chest in a defiant pose. “For one thing, you ruin the ecosystem of nearly every place you choose to build! And for another, I’m here to threaten you out of building in Nassau! You and Louis Franchot are going to destroy the wildlife and threaten everything!”

  Jack snickered. “Wait, you were planning to threaten me? That’s adorable!”

  My heart sank, and I swallowed hard. For the first time, it occurred to me that my plan had been idiotic and foolish. How the hell was I – a poor graduate student with practically no resources – going to convince one of the world’s richest men to abandon a project that would make him even more money?

  “I was,” I said angrily, tossing my head and trying to look like I knew what I was doing. “That’s why I stayed. I came down here originally to finish my dissertation – which just happens to be on the same land you’re planning to build a hotel on! And then I found out about your disgusting plan, and I decided to change my focus.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow.

  “And I didn’t know about the hurricane, and I thought it would get me a lot of publicity if I stayed,” I continued, feeling stupider by the minute. “And I thought a lot of environment publications would write a story about me.”

  “And you’d use the attention and money from that to talk me out of the building?” Jack snorted. “Well, honey, I hate to break it to you - ¬you're too late.”

  My heart sank.

  “Louis Franchot bought the land already,” Jack said. “And I’m trying to buy it back from him.”

  My nostrils flared with anger, and for a moment, I thought I was going to be sick. I didn’t know how I’d ever managed to find this cocky asshole attractive – he was a snake!

  “So, since it looks like we’re in this together, why don’t we look for something to eat?” Jack suggested, raising an eyebrow at me and cocking his head to the side.

  The hatred and anger I felt was so pure, so hot, that it could have melted the entire Antarctic ice shelf.

  “Fuck you,” I spat, turning on my heel and running away.

  The sound of Jack’s laughter filled my ears. “Go ahead, honey,” Jack called. “Go on being a spoiled little college brat and see how far that takes you!”

  I wanted to turn around and attack him, throw my fists at his stupid handsome face until he collapsed to the ground.

  But I knew I couldn’t. It would ruin everything.

  I was going to have to play a different kind of game if I wanted to win against evil Jack Nathan.

  Chapter Four

  Jack

  I stood there, chuckling and shaking my head as Adele ran off. So what if she was cute – she also happened to be the worst kind of social justice warrior, and I hoped she’d realize exactly how stupid she was being.

  When she was gone, I felt a twinge of regret. Maybe I shouldn’t have lashed out like that – maybe I should’ve been kinder. But I was so fucking sick of people trying to act like I was some arch-villain just because I own a luxury property development company. It’s not my fault that wealthy people like to travel in style – so why the fuck should I hold back?

  Still, I couldn’t deny that Adele had been incredible in bed. And she was more than cute, too, if I had to be honest. She had tanned skin and freckles sprinkled all over her nose, with long brown hair that I could tell had never been dyed or lightened. She looked like the kind of girl who doesn’t really care about her appearance but still manages to be hot…which, to me, is hotter than a glamazon in heels and bright lipstick.

  But I couldn’t believe her attitude. As I left the lobby and walked up the stairs to my room, I rolled my eyes. She’s just scared because of the storm, I thought as I let myself into my room and shut the door. As much as I wanted to knock her for staying, I knew I couldn’t do that. She was brave – even if I completely disagreed with why she’d decided to stay – and she obviously had bigger balls than most of the men I’d met. Besides, I loved the way she’d just jumped into bed with me. It showed that she had a sense of spunk and adventure.

  Too bad she was such a brat.

  I pulled out my laptop and groaned – I’d forgotten to charge it the night before, and the battery was almost dead. Still, I was able to use my phone as a wi-fi hub and connect to the internet. I emailed Barnes, as well as a few other people in my arsenal, and asked for private transportation out of Nassau as soon as possible.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. Barnes emailed me back an hour later, with details about a helicopter that would be arriving later that day. With a grin, I closed my laptop and threw my clothes into a bag. Even if this visit had been a wash, I wasn’t going to give up. There was no way Louis Franchot would win this fight…and there was no way that Adele Parker would be able to stop me, either.

  I frowned. As much as I disagreed with what she was doing, I didn’t think Adele deserved to be left behind in Nassau. I went downstairs and took a peek into the guest book to find her room number. As soon as I knew, I jogged back up the stairs and knocked on her door.

  Adele answered at once. She didn’t look angry anymore – she was white in the face with fear, and by the way, her curtains were pulled tight, I knew she had to be terrified.

  “I’m surprised you answered the door,” I joked.

  Adele didn’t say anything. She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes. “What do you want,” she asked after a long pause.

  “There’s a helicopter coming today,” I said. “And I thought you might want off the island. You know, the hurricane is supposed to get worse. It’s a category four now.”

  Adele’s eyes went wide with fear. “I didn’t know that,” she said softly.

  “Yeah,” I said casually, leaning against the door frame and smirking. “Besides, I thought…”

  “What?” Adele asked sharply. She’d gone back to looking angry and disapproving. “You thought you could fuck me again because we might die? Because that is
not going to happen,” she added in the same harsh tone. “In fact, I can’t believe I slept with you in the first place.”

  “Well, yeah,” I said, grinning. “But don’t hate yourself, honey. It was good, wasn’t it?”

  Adele rolled her eyes. “I should slam this door in your face,” she grumbled. “But…are you sure about the helicopter?”

  “Yep,” I smirked. “Be in the lobby in two hours with your things, and we’ll get you back to Boston.”

  Adele blinked. “I…I don’t understand why you’re helping me,” she said softly. I sensed all of the anger had deflated away.

  I shrugged. “I’m a nice guy,” I said. “And besides – I couldn’t leave you here.”

  Adele closed her eyes and sighed with relief. “Thank you,” she said. “

  I grinned. “Don’t worry,” I said. “It’s not entirely from the bottom of my heart – if you stay here through the hurricane and you make it out alive, you’d get so much publicity about ruining my hotel.”