Illusion

by J. S. Cooper

  “Nothing.” He shook his head.

  “What are we going to do?” My words tripped out of my mouth, and I was no longer as excited about being rescued.

  “I think we should stick together. Not only because we need to figure this out, but also because I like you. I’d like to see how it goes between us.” His eyes searched mine. “This time on the island has been crazy, but it’s also been magical. I never thought I could feel this way about someone. I got you all wrong, Bianca.” He frowned, and his fingers brought my face toward his. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I know I want to keep you safe, and the only way I can do that is if you are close to me.”

  “So you like me, huh?” I grinned at him, and he ran his hands over my shoulders and down my back.

  “You have no idea.”

  “I think I like you too.”

  “I’d hope so.”

  “So who did you call to rescue us? Nine-one-one?”

  “I called my secretary. She called our IT department, and they tracked the GPS of the phone and dispatched my copter.”

  “You have your own helicopter?”

  “I’m a billionaire, Bianca.”

  “Oh yeah.” I answered quietly, wishing that he wasn’t quite so rich. It would have been easier to date him if he was poor. “So the police don’t know we’re here?”

  “I didn’t think we should call them.” He shook his head. “Sometimes the people who are supposed to help us are the ones who harm us.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense. How would we even explain it to them?” I nodded and melted against him as he kissed me. “I haven’t told them anything about what I’ve been doing. Maybe we can go to them if we find out my mother wasn’t really in a car accident.”

  “I’m glad you understand.” He nodded. “And we can do whatever you want, once we figure out the truth.”

  I heard the helicopter coming closer and pulled away from him. I looked around the sand frantically. “Where are my pants?”

  “Your pants?” His mouth twitched.

  “I’m not going on a helicopter wearing your shirt and my panties.” I made a face at him. “It’s bad enough that my hair is completely frizzed out, and I’ve probably got a face as red as an apple.”

  “I don’t care.” He took a step toward me and tried to kiss me.

  “I do.” I glared at him as I pulled away from him, and he laughed.

  “Okay, hold on.” He ran up to where we had been sleeping and brought both of our pants back with him.

  “Should we get Steve now?” I asked him hesitantly as I saw the helicopter coming even closer.

  “No, I don’t want you to see him.” He shook his head. “We’ll get you seated in the copter first, then the pilot and I will get him.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t argue with him, as I really didn’t want to see Steve’s body. I could only imagine how bad he looked. I didn’t want to see the reality of his pale white body covered in stab wounds.

  “Hold my hand.” He grabbed hold of my hand, and I rolled my eyes at him as he pulled me to him without warning.

  “Well, aren’t you charming.” I laughed at him as I fell back into him. All of a sudden I was feeling light-headed. The reality of our situation was finally hitting me. We were finally getting off the island. And even though we didn’t really know why we’d both been taken there, I was confident that we’d be able to figure it out together.

  I stood there in Jakob’s arms watching the helicopter approach us faster now. I really felt like we had something special, and I was glad that he had admitted that he felt the same way. I admired his strength, and part of me was thankful he had been on the island with me. I didn’t even want to think about what would have happened to me if I had been on the island with Steve by myself. Everything about him had been a deception. I shivered as I thought about how sinister the previous evening had been. I couldn’t believe he’d had a knife. I couldn’t believe that I had almost believed him and his lies. I thought about his warnings about Jakob, and I wanted to shake myself for almost doubting Jakob’s sincerity and motives.

  “You okay?” Jakob grabbed my hand again and pulled me farther back with him. “I don’t want you to worry. I’m going to take care of you, Bianca.”

  “I know.” I gazed into his deep blue eyes.

  “I think we’d better move even farther back so we can give the helicopter space to land.” We stood there in silence watching the helicopter descending.

  “I’m so glad I’m here with you,” I whispered as I waited to be rescued. “I never imagined I’d find someone I would trust like I do you in a circumstance like this.”

  Jakob looked at me then, and I saw a flash of worry in his eyes before he smiled. “I’m glad that you’re here with me too,” he whispered. “This is everything I could have hoped for.”

  At last the helicopter landed on the beach. I stared at the huge machine in front of us and thought how odd it looked in this idyllic environment. I got into the copter and buckled up, watching as Jakob and the pilot walked to go collect Steve and then decided to close my eyes. I didn’t want to see them as they brought his body back. I opened my eyes one last time to stare at the beach and the jungle behind it. It didn’t look so scary anymore, but maybe that was because I was now leaving it.

  thirteen

  I slept through the helicopter ride, and that disappointed me. I’d wanted to see the island from the air, but my body was so fatigued that it didn’t matter what my brain wanted.

  “We’re here.” Jakob nudged me awake.

  “Are we back in New York?”

  “Not yet.” He shook his head and pulled me into his arms. “We’re staying at one of my hotels on a different island.”

  “You have a hotel?” I yawned and smiled at him.

  “Several.” He grinned. “I have one of the most exclusive hotel chains in the Caribbean.”

  “Wow, that’s cool.” I stepped out of the helicopter, and my mouth dropped in awe. “This is so cool.” We were standing on the roof of the hotel, and I could see the resort and beach around me. There was a huge pool, and I could see some people swimming. “I never thought I’d be so happy to see other people.” I giggled.

  “Are you ready to go inside?” Jakob asked patiently, and I gave him a questioning look. “They’re waiting on us to leave before they pull Steve out.”

  “Oh.” My face blanched as I recalled Steve. “Yes, let’s go inside.”

  “So we’re staying here and then flying to New York?”

  “We can do whatever you want us to do.”

  “I want to find out why we were on the island.”

  “Let’s relax for a few days first.” Jakob guided me across the rooftop.

  “That sounds good. I’ll have to call Rosie to let her know I’m okay.”

  “All in due time.” He smiled at me and directed me into an elevator. It went down one floor and stopped at the penthouse suite.

  “They gave you the best suite?” My mouth dropped as we walked into the luxurious suite of rooms.

  “I do own the hotel.” He laughed and walked straight to the bar. “Would you like a drink? I think I need a stiff shot of whiskey.”

  “I’ll have some whiskey as well.” I nodded and looked around the room. There was a white linen couch in the center directly across from a huge flat-screen TV. I looked to the right and saw a door. I walked over to see what was behind the door and then gasped as I saw the king-size bed.

  “Yes!” I cried out gleefully as took a running leap onto the bed.

  “I see you’ve found my favorite spot already.” He walked into the bedroom as if he owned it . . . which I guess he did. I looked up at his dark, handsome face, and I felt my body purring. “Here’s a small shot. I don’t want to give you any more than this until you eat and have rest.”

  “I’ve just been sleeping for how many hours?” I protested, and drank back my shot quickly. It went down smoothly, and I felt the liquor heating up my stomach.

>   “Well, that’s good. That means you’ll have plenty of time for our activities tonight.”

  “What activities?”

  “The ones that involve me on top of you, me inside of you, me making you come.” He growled and collapsed into the bed beside me.

  “What about the activities that involve me on top of you, riding you and making you come?” I wrinkled my nose as I realized that my little snippet was nowhere near as smooth and sensual.

  “I’m happy to agree to any activities that include your riding me.” He paused. “Long and hard.”

  “You want me to canter?”

  “I want you to gallop.” He winked at me, and I licked my lips slowly as I waited for him to kiss me.

  “I don’t mind if you try to buck me off.”

  “I would never try to buck you off.” He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me toward him. “I want you to ride me for as long and as hard as you can.” His lips crushed down on mine, and we fell back in the bed. “It’s going to feel nice to make love to you on a bed.”

  “I know.” I wound my hands through his hair and wrapped my legs around him. He ripped the buttons of my shirt open eagerly and I sat up so that he could take it off easily. He pulled it down my arms and threw it to the floor before brushing some grains of sand off my breasts.

  “It feels weird being away from the island,” I murmured. “It was like our own private paradise in a way.”

  “Yes, it was a surreal experience.” He kissed down my neck to my breasts, and I closed my eyes in sweet anticipation. His teeth bit down on my nipple, and I froze as I remembered something.

  “Hey,” I whispered as he sent darts of pleasure through my body.

  “Yes?” His tongue flicked my nipple back and forth.

  “I thought you said you’d never been to the Caribbean before.” I frowned as I tried to remember the conversation we’d had on the island.

  “Why would I say that?” He looked up at me and looked confused.

  “I asked you, and you said you’d never been to the West Indies.”

  “I must have misunderstood your question.” He shrugged easily. “Maybe I thought you meant that particular island.”

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “Or maybe I’m thinking of Steve.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “I bet you’re thinking of a conversation you had with him. I should punish you for getting us confused like that.” He looked down at me with a wicked look in his eyes.

  “How are you going to punish me?” I gasped as his fingers worked their way into my panties. “Oh, Jakob,” I groaned as he rubbed me teasingly.

  “You’ll have to wait and see.” He stood up and pulled my panties down and then pulled his briefs off. “Turn over.”

  “Turn over?”

  “Are you questioning me, Bianca?”

  “No.” I lay on my back and stared up at him.

  “Then why are you still on your back and not on your front?”

  “Just because you say to do something doesn’t mean I’m going to do it.” I grinned up at him, and he fell back down into the bed and leaned on his arm.

  “I wondered where disagreeable Bianca went.” He licked his lips as he stared down at me and ran his fingers across my lips. He pushed his index finger into my mouth, and I sucked on it eagerly until his eyes started gleaming as if he had proved something. I promptly sunk my teeth down and nipped at his finger.

  “Feisty.” His eyes flashed at me in lust.

  “You like that, huh?” I stared up into his face and tried not to squirm as his fingers pinched my nipples.

  “You don’t know how much.” His lips fell to my forehead, and he kissed me softly. “I think I’ve met my match in you, Bianca. I think I’ve met my match, and I like it.”

  “What do you like?”

  “I don’t want to scare you away.” His fingers trailed down to my stomach and then farther below.

  “You think I’m easily scared?”

  “I don’t think you’re easily scared at all.” His lips followed the path his fingers had made, and he kissed down to my stomach. He stuck his tongue into my belly button, and I squirmed beneath him. His fingers reached up and grabbed my breasts as he lowered his mouth and went farther down my torso. I gasped as he spread my legs and I felt his tongue running straight down my slit.

  “Jakob,” I groaned as he alternated between lightly flicking my clit and sucking on it. I grabbed the top of his head and pushed him closer to me and squeezed my legs closer together.

  “You’re not so shy anymore, are you.” He laughed against my pussy, and his cool breath tickled me and turned me on even more.

  “Maybe you just bring out the wild side in me,” I whispered, and then moaned as he pushed his tongue inside of me. I could feel my body trembling and my walls closing in on his tongue as he thrust in and out of me. My juices started flowing, and I gripped the sheets tightly as I waited for my first orgasm of the night to hit me.

  “Oh no.” Jakob pulled his tongue out of me and kissed back up my chest. “It’s not going to be that easy.”

  “What?” I groaned, my eyes pleading with him. “Please, Jakob.”

  “Remember when I told you to turn over?” He kissed up to my lips.

  “I’ll turn over now,” I mumbled against his lips, my pussy still waiting for fulfillment. “Please.”

  “Too late.” He grinned and kissed me hard. His tongue entered my mouth and I sucked it hard, enjoying the taste of myself on his lips and tongue. I wrapped my legs around his waist again and shifted on the bed to try to guide his cock inside of me. “Oh, no, you don’t.” He laughed and pushed my arms down onto the bed and shifted his body so that he was straddling me. He sat there staring down at me, and I watched as the expression on his face changed from lust to something deeper. My breath caught as he brushed a lock of my hair away from my face, and his fingers brushed my eyebrows.

  “I bet I need to get them waxed,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

  “They’re perfect.” He shook his head.

  “Liar,” I whispered up at him.

  “Never a truer word has been spoken.” His eyes lost focus for a moment, and I wondered what he was thinking about. “I really think you’re someone special, Bianca London.” His voice was husky as he spoke. “If I was a different sort of man, I’d be telling you I wasn’t worthy of you right now.”

  “We don’t have to do this now.” I reached up and ran my hands down his chest.

  “I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone like you. I wasn’t expecting to feel like this.” He sighed. “And it doesn’t change anything.”

  “It’s okay, Jakob. I’m not asking for a declaration of love.” I leaned up and pulled him down and kissed him. “We can take it slow. See how it goes.”

  “You’re too perfect for me.” He groaned as my hands pulled his ass down toward me. “Or maybe you’re a devil, like me.” His hand reached down to my hips, and he lowered himself down on top of me. “You win.” He growled as he guided his cock to my opening. “I can’t resist you any longer.” He kissed me again, and I felt his tongue entering my mouth at the same time his cock thrust into me.

  “I could fuck you all day and night.” He grunted as he thrust in and out of me. “I swear your pussy was made for my cock.” His voice was hoarse as my pussy walls constricted on him. “You’re so wet,” he whispered in my ear.

  “And you’re so hard.” I moaned as he increased his pace.

  “That’s what you do to me.” He pulled out of me and then grabbed my legs and pulled them up to his shoulders. “Hold on tight.” He grinned before he slammed into me again. I cried out in pleasure as his thumb rubbed my clit as he thrust into me. I could tell that he was close to coming, because his breathing was heavy and his thrusts were becoming more and more urgent.

  “I’m going to come!” I screamed as I climaxed. My whole body shook as Jakob gripped my legs and orgasmed inside of me as well. He collapsed down on the
bed next to me and kissed my cheek before lying flat on his back. We lay there side by side trying to recover from our amazing experience, and I smiled to myself at how good my body felt when we made love.

  “I forgot about the condom.” He rolled over and gave me a serious look.

  “It’s okay, I forgot as well.” I turned toward him and bit my lip. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I’ll buy some condoms tomorrow.” He ran his fingers across my face. “And if you get pregnant I’ll be there for you.”

  “It’ll be fine.” I smiled at him and then yawned.

  “You’re tired.” He jumped off the bed and pulled the sheets down. “We should sleep.”

  “I should call Rosie.” I sat up, but he shook his head.

  “It can wait until tomorrow.” He picked me up as if I were as light as a feather and placed me on the clean sheets. “Tonight we sleep.” He got into the bed beside me and pulled me into his arms.

  “I think I can agree to that.” I snuggled up next to him and laid my head against his chest. “I need to shower in the morning as well.”

  “We’ll shower together.” He kissed the top of my forehead, and I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  I rubbed my eyes and stretched under the sheets. It felt weird to be lying in a proper bed now. Part of me missed the island, but I was happy to be gone. I looked over to the other side of the bed, disappointed to see that Jakob wasn’t next to me. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to me and frowned. It was only 4:00 a.m. I yawned and wondered where Jakob was, and I realized that the light in the living room was on. I got out of bed to go make sure everything was okay, but as I reached the door, I heard voices.

  I paused, since I didn’t want to interrupt him, but who was here at 4:00 a.m.? I bit my lower lip and pressed my ear to the door.

  “How’s Steve, sir?”

  “He’s alive.” Jakob’s voice was angry, and I shivered as I thought back to how the scariness of the day before. I’d been so frightened, but I’d known in my heart and soul that Jakob was the one I could trust. “He deviated from the plan,” Jakob continued, and I froze. What plan?