Illusion

by J. S. Cooper

“Someone wants us to disappear.” His voice was low. “We both know that we’ve been keeping secrets from each other.” He paused and looked at me. “There’s obviously some sort of deeper connection between us. If we want to figure it out and get off of this island, we need to explore our connections. Maybe we’ll find that we’ll be able to help each other.”

  “Help each other how? I don’t have any secrets.” I looked down at the ground and walked out of the shack feeling apprehensive. I stared up at the dark sky and shivered at the ominous gray clouds that taunted me.

  “So it’s a mistake that you’re here?” He followed me out with the bag in his hands.

  “I don’t know how we can help each other.” I sighed. “And I’m not keeping any secrets. What secrets are you keeping? What secrets are you keeping that I can help you with?”

  “I’m not.” He licked his lips, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching the pink tip of his tongue as it slid along his lips. My stomach flipped as I thought about kissing him. “Let’s go and find Steve, and then we can talk again soon.”

  His words made me thirsty, and I walked faster ahead of him. “Thanks for once again providing me with a satisfying answer.” I made a face at the jungle in front of me as my brain screamed out for water. Take that, monkeys and wild animals in the trees, I thought as I glared into the unknown.

  “I’m not here to make you feel better.” His voice was short.

  “I don’t need you to make me feel better. I need you to answer my questions. I need you to be honest with me. We’ve been here for several days, and you only now decide to tell me that you have a connection to the Bradleys? The same people I tell you I think are after me!”

  “I’m not just going to reveal everything because you have, Bianca. I don’t know you from Adam. Let’s be fair, I don’t know if your story is true or not.”

  “That didn’t stop you from kissing me.”

  “My attraction to you has nothing to do with my confiding in you.”

  “You’re really cold, aren’t you.” I turned around and stared into his eyes searchingly. “Who hurt you so badly?”

  “My mother always used to tell me, ‘Don’t give anyone the power to make you cry.’ ” He reached out and touched my cheek. “No one has the ability to hurt me. You shouldn’t worry so much about others and what they do to you. Ultimately, you have the power in your life.”

  “I don’t worry about others.” I sighed. “I’m just saying that someone must have hurt you because you’re so hot and cold. I never know if you’re going to be nice to me or not.”

  “Life and love and even sex are what you make of them.” He looked to the sky and frowned. “It’s going to rain. We need to make some sort of shelter—or we should go back to the shack?”

  “What about Steve?”

  “There’s no point in our getting soaked looking for him. Let’s go back to the shack, it’s closer.”

  “I’m not going back to that shack.” I shook my head and started walking again. “Let’s figure out something else.”

  “We’re going to get wet.”

  “I don’t care.” I frowned. “How did it get so gray already? The sun was bright and hot just minutes ago.”

  “That’s the tropics for you.”

  “Weird,” I muttered, happy when I saw the white sand of the beach in the distance. I didn’t like being in the jungle.

  “Bianca.” Jakob grabbed my shoulders and stopped me. “I wanted to apologize to you. I should have told you about my connection to the Bradleys in the beginning. I don’t want you to think that I don’t want to find out the truth. I want all the answers I can get. This is more complicated because I’m attracted to you. I don’t want you to think that my attraction to you is false. In a different situation, who knows what could have happened?”

  “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m still freaked out by the letters and Steve’s disappearance. And yes, I’m annoyed that you kept things from me, but I suppose I understand why.”

  “We could make love right now, and I could make you forget all your worries.” His voice was low and seductive, and I felt my face growing warmer.

  “You know, I was thinking about something.” A thought suddenly hit me. “There is one person who hates me. Someone who could have set up a kidnapping as well.” I changed the subject. “Though, I don’t know if she would go to these lengths.”

  “Who is that?”

  “My ex-boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend.” I sighed. “She hated me.”

  “Because you stole him from her?”

  “No!” I exclaimed, and then paused. “Well, not really.”

  “What does not really mean?”

  “It means not really.” I looked into his eyes before I spoke again. He looked back at me with an intense expression. “I didn’t know he was dating someone when we met.”

  “Didn’t know or didn’t care?”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well he was handsome, rich. You felt like you won the lottery, right?”

  “No!” I glared at him again. “You really think I’m some sort of gold digger, don’t you.”

  “Like I said, you wouldn’t be the first I’ve met.” He shrugged.

  “Money isn’t everything.”

  “Tell me about this girl who hates you.”

  “Her name is Bridgette.”

  “Bridgette?” He frowned and leaned forward. “Do you know her last name?”

  “Moore,” I answered. “Her name is Bridgette Moore, and she hates me because she thinks I stole David from her. But I didn’t know that they were dating.”

  “You really liked David, it seems.”

  “He was very handsome and sweet to me.” I circumvented his unasked question. My dating David had nothing to do with how much I liked him.

  “Typical woman.” He rolled his eyes.

  “What’s typical?”

  “The number one trait you list is handsome.”

  “What’s wrong with that? At least I didn’t say rich.”

  “When he kissed you, did you feel as if your soul was on fire?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “When I kiss you, do you feel like your soul is on fire?”

  “Well, you’re from hell, so it would feel that way,” I retorted quickly.

  “Yet you feel comfortable enough with the devil to let him touch you?” His fingers trailed across my collarbone and then to my cheek.

  “I never said you could touch me,” I whispered softly, not wanting him to stop.

  “Sometimes an assent doesn’t come from the mouth, it comes from the eyes.”

  “My eyes told you it was all right to touch me?”

  “Your eyes told me it was all right to fuck you.” His face moved toward mine, and I could feel his breath on my lips. “Your eyes are begging me to kiss you.” This time, as he spoke, his lips trembled against mine.

  I closed my eyes and waited to feel the firmness of his lips against mine as he kissed me, yet nothing happened. I slowly opened my eyes again, but I was disappointed. My breath caught as I realized that he was gazing intently into my eyes.

  “I think . . .” he began with a small smile. “I think we have a connection.”

  “Oh?” My heart started beating fast at his words. I didn’t know how much I liked him, but I was definitely attracted to him. “I agree.” I nodded, my face flushing. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but I was excited to find out.

  “I think I know Bridgette as well.”

  “What?” I blinked at him, not comprehending what was going on. I had been expecting him to take me in his arms, not to keep talking.

  “I said, I think I know Bridgette as well.” He smiled at me slightly, and his eyes appeared to mock me. “I think that’s a second connection that we have. There was a Bridgette Moore who used to work for me.”

  “There was?” I mumbled as my brain started racing. He knew Bridgette? Bridgette Moore had hated me with a passion. The la
st time I saw her she was screaming at me and threatening to ruin my life. I hadn’t taken her seriously. I’d figured her words were those of a heartbroken ex. David had told me that he was about to dump her before he met me. I hadn’t thought she was seriously going to come after me, but now I wasn’t so sure. Could this have been set up by Bridgette and not by Mattias?

  “Yes, but I fired her.” His fingers trailed up my neck and circled it. For a moment, I thought he was going to strangle me as his fingers pressed in deeper and his expression changed. “I’m not the sort of man anyone should mess with.” His voice was hoarse, and I swallowed hard. “Do you understand that, Bianca?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, my heart thudding with fear.

  “Good.” He smiled and he leaned down to kiss me. “Bridgette didn’t seem to get that memo,” he whispered against my lips before he kissed me.

  I held on to his shoulders and softly kissed him back. There was a buzzing in my ears as we kissed, and my brain was screaming at me. The kiss lit something up in me, and I ran my hands through his hair, but all the while, I was thinking to myself, Did I made a mistake in trusting Jakob? Is this man going to kill me?

  I pulled away from him and breathed a deep sigh of relief as his fingers left my throat. I took a step back and my fingers found the spots where he had been gripping me and rubbed gently. It struck me that maybe Jakob was hiding more than I’d even suspected. If Bridgette had been his assistant and Bridgette had dated David, wouldn’t he have known David, or at least heard of David? And if he knew who David was, why hadn’t he said anything?

  seven

  There’s something about sexual attraction that makes your brain turn to jelly. Factually, I knew that it’s the process of what happens when chemicals are released in your brain that affects your mood. The chemicals are the reason why, when you see someone you’re attracted to you, you lose all sense. However, I still didn’t understand why I always seemed to lose my mind around Jakob. I knew he was the sort of man most women would fall for. I’d just never expected to find myself lusting after a man who was handsome but also potentially dangerous. I wanted to ask him more about Bridgette, but I knew that I had to time it well. I didn’t want him to think that I was making too many connections. Not yet. There had to be a reason why he wasn’t being straightforward with everything. I just didn’t know why.

  I stared at his bulging biceps as he gathered coconut palms and tried not to lust after him too obviously. I watched the muscles in his back flexing and swallowed hard. The hot sun was already deepening his tan, and I could see sweat glistening on his skin. Hard work had never made a man look so sexy before. After Jakob had kissed me, we’d noticed piles of fallen coconut branches and stopped to pick them up to take back with us to the sand. I had no idea how we were going to put them together to make a shelter, but I’d leave that up to him to figure out.

  “You okay?” He looked back and caught me staring at him.

  “Uh, yeah. I was just looking for the ass,” I mumbled as I stared at his butt.

  “You’re what?” He grinned and turned toward me.

  “I was just . . .” I stopped talking as I realized what I’d said. “I’m gathering stuff for the house.” I looked down at the ground with a red face. Damn you, jelly brain.

  “What house?” He walked toward me.

  “You know what I mean. The shelter.”

  “I see. I thought you were gathering keepsakes for when you get back home.”

  “Not quite.” I rolled my eyes and then swallowed as I looked up and saw his crotch right in front of my face. “What are you doing?” I sputtered, and jumped up.

  “I came to make sure you were okay.”

  “I already told you, I’m fine.”

  “I wanted to make sure.” He gave me a small smile. “You’ve been gathering branches for a while now, but you have only one in your stack.” He looked pointedly at the pathetic coconut limb beside me, and I frowned.

  “Why don’t you pay attention to your own pile before worrying about mine?”

  “I’m concerned about both of our needs, Bianca.” His tone dropped, and his eyes moved to my heaving chest. “You should put your shirt back on when we return to the beach.”

  “It’s too hot.” I shook my head and straightened my shoulders. I was no longer self-conscious that I was only in my bra and panties.

  “Or you can take them off.” He grinned and licked his lips. “I wouldn’t tell you that’s a bad idea.”

  “It’s not your place to tell me anything,” I snapped back, annoyed.

  “I’m just concerned about you.” He took a step toward me and ran a finger along my shoulder. “I don’t want you to get sunburned.”

  “And being naked will help prevent that how?”

  “My body will shield you from the sun. I can make sure that all you have is a healthy glow.”

  “That sounds really comfortable.”

  “I don’t think you’ll be complaining.” He took another step toward me, and I could feel his chest brushing against my breasts. “In fact, you might even find that you like it.”

  “I don’t think so.” My words were barely a whisper as I stared up at him. My fingers were aching to reach out to touch his taut stomach. His abs were mocking me with their perfection.

  “I can take your mind off your worries.” His eyes crinkled as he stared at the top of my breasts. “You have so little on, yet still I feel you are teasing me with your modesty.”

  “My modesty?” I laughed. “I’m in a bra and panties.”

  “A full-coverage bra and panties.” He sighed.

  “Sorry I didn’t wear my thong and half-cut bra in anticipation of getting kidnapped and meeting you.”

  “That’s okay.” He smiled at me. “The anticipation is what makes it sweeter.”

  “The anticipation of what?”

  “Seeing your body.” His tone was gruff. “When I finally see all of you, it will—”

  I cut him off. “You’re not going to see all of me!”

  “No?” He laughed as his arm reached around my waist and pulled me toward him. This time, my breasts were crushed against his chest and I could feel his growing manhood pressed against my belly. “You’re so hot,” he whispered against my ear as his hands fell to my ass and pulled me to him.

  “Thank you.” I gazed up at him, barely able to hide my lust.

  “Why did you have to be so hot?” His voice deepened as his fingers massaged my behind. “I like a girl with a big butt.” His lips whispered against mine as he squeezed.

  “I don’t have a big butt,” I muttered back indignantly.

  “It makes doggie style so much more enjoyable.” He winked down at me as his fingers moved up my hips and held on to my waist. “Don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know.” I was starting to feel feverish by his closeness. I wanted him to make a move, but I didn’t want him to know how badly I wanted him to touch me. “Wait, what?” I glanced up at him. “Did you say ‘doggie style’?”

  “Don’t you like it?” He cocked his head and grinned.

  “You’re disgusting. Do you really think I’m just going to sleep with you? Do you think that I—”

  “I like it when you’re feisty.” He took a step back. “Now that you’ve gotten your energy back, it’s time to work.”

  “Excuse me? I was working, I was just—”

  “Try not to stare at my ass too much this time.” He walked away, laughing, and I turned away with a red face before starting to gather more branches.

  “Ass,” I muttered to the ground, and tried to ignore the rumbling of my stomach. I was starving, but sick of bananas, too. “It’s starting to rain.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the shack for protection?” He walked over to me. “Though, I don’t think it’ll rain that long.”

  “I’m positive. Why do you think it won’t rain long?”

  “Rain comes in short bursts in the tropics.”

  �
��Okay.” I nodded. “And no, I don’t want to go back to the shack ever again. That place is spooky.”

  “You think it’s haunted?”

  “I don’t think it’s haunted, but I also don’t want to come face-to-face with some crazy person.”

  “Like Casper the ghost?”

  “Very funny—not. Casper was a friendly ghost. I’m talking about Freddy Krueger or the Sandman. If I saw either of them, we’d be rescued pretty quickly, trust me.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because if I saw them, my screams would be so loud that they’d hear me in outer space.”

  “I wonder if I can make you scream that loudly.”

  “When? During Halloween?” I asked stupidly, only realizing my idiocy after I spoke.

  “When I take you and make you orgasm.” He took a step toward me. “Maybe we should see right now? Feel free to scream as loudly as you want as I enter you.”

  “No, thank you.” I blushed.

  “Maybe after we find Steve?”

  “Yeah, that’ll happen.”

  “If we go back to the shack, we might catch Steve there, then we’d know that he left the notes for us.”

  “Not right now, thanks. You can go if you want.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know why Steve is here?”

  “Not right now. Maybe after some food and when I have my clothes back on.” I gave him an arch look. “I need energy to do my kung fu moves. If I want to take Steve down, I’ll need to be fully prepared.”

  “You know kung fu?”

  “Well, not technically kung fu. More like karate.”

  “Karate?” He looked impressed. “What belt are you?”

  “You mean like black belt?”

  “You have a black belt in karate? Wow.” He bowed down to me. “I guess you can take care of me, then.”

  I blushed as I realized he’d misunderstood what I was saying. “I don’t have a black belt in karate.”

  “Tae kwon do?”

  “I don’t have a black belt in anything.” I shook my head. “Well, I do own several black leather belts. Some aren’t real leather, but you can’t really tell.”

  “Sorry. What?” His eyes narrowed, and his expression became confused.