by Wylde, Tara
“I’m with Atlas, ma’am,” I say. It always sparks a thrill of pride .
“God bless you,” she says as we head for the door .
Here’s hoping .
Outside, Chance is herding the girls into the back of the chopper and trying to make them comfortable. He’s kept the rotors running .
“Last ones,” I say with a nod .
He nods back and gets the rest of them seated. As the teacher boards, she turns to face me .
“I cannot thank you enough – ”
Suddenly her eyes are saucers. I turn to see what she’s looking at .
Behind us are three young men in camouflage fatigues and red berets, pointing assault rifles in our direction .
Chance sweeps me behind him, shielding me with his body .
“Get inside!” he barks .
“You get inside! I’ll deal with these guys .”
He goggles at me. “Are you insane? No way !”
“You’re the only one who can fly this monster! I sure as hell can’t !”
He shakes his head. “There has to be another way !”
“Not that I can see !”
He scowls at me for a full ten seconds before he finally nods .
“Be careful!” he shouts, locking his eyes on mine. “If you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you !”
I give him the thumbs-up. “Roger that .”
We stare at each other for a moment, communicating telepathically. It’s not the first time we’ve faced danger together. Each time could be the last time. It makes us appreciate our time together even more .
I break eye contact and trot toward the soldiers, who flinch and level their guns .
“Bring them back!” the one in the center hollers. “Now! No fucking Americans !”
Now that I’m closer, I can see just how young they are. Probably recent rebel recruits who had nowhere else to go. At least, I hope that’s the case .
“We’re taking them,” I say. “That’s a fact. If I have to fight you, I will, but those girls are coming with us .”
The one on the left points his barrel in the air and fires off a dozen automatic rounds. Somehow, I manage not to flinch. I can practically feel Chance having a conniption behind me .
I look the kid square in the eye .
“I’m still here,” I say. “Those girls have never done anything to you. They’re trying to make something of themselves at this school. They want to make things better for your country. Can you care for them until help arrives ?”
The three exchange confused glances .
“Do you have enough food and water for all of them ?”
Still no response. I fix the middle one with a glare that I hope looks motherly. It’s my only hope .
“What if they were your sisters?” I ask. “What would you do ?”
They stare at me for a long moment. The middle one lowers his gun and barks at the other two to do the same. The one on the left keeps his up for a few more seconds before the middle one shoves the barrel down himself .
I nod to him. “Thank you .”
“Don’t come back,” he says .
“Roger that,” I say and jog toward the helicopter .
* * *
“A re you fucking crazy?!” Grace blurts .
I cover Ava’s ears, but it’s too late .
“Fuck,” she says absently, playing with her doll. “Fuck fuck fuck .”
I glare at my sister before leaning down to my daughter’s ear .
“That’s a silly word,” I say. “You should forget it. Auntie makes up words sometimes .”
Grace’s cheeks are rosy with embarrassment and frustration .
“Mommy’s right, sweetie,” she says. “That’s a silly word. I’ve already forgotten it .”
“Fuck!” Ava says brightly .
Tre gives me a sheepish look and plucks Ava out of my lap .
“How about you come with Uncle Tre and we play a game?” he says .
She brightens and wraps her arms around his neck. “Yay !”
Grace composes herself as I watch the two of them go into the adjoining room of our suite. She runs a hand down her face, inadvertently showing off the glittering diamonds embedded in the platinum band on her left third finger .
“I’m sorry,” she says. “But seriously?! That was incredibly irresponsible .”
Chance takes a seat beside me and sips his scotch .
“I felt the same way,” he says. “At first. But Sara made a good point: I had to fly the chopper .”
Grace looks at us like we’ve each grown another head .
“Yeah, or you could have left them there .”
“That wasn’t an option,” I say. “You know that as well as I do .”
She looks at the floor, blood still in her cheeks .
“Yeah,” she mutters. “I know. But still …”
“Still nothing. Each of those girls has a future because of Atlas .”
Chance lays a hand on top of mine .
“Correction,” he says. “Each of them has a future because of you .”
Suddenly Grace’s arm is around my neck and she’s hugging me fiercely. When she whispers in my ear, there are tears in her voice .
“I can’t lose you,” she says. “From now on, don’t tell me when you do stuff like that, okay ?”
“Deal,” I say, wiping away a tear of my own .
* * *
“W hat’s the all-fired hurry?” I ask as Chance closes the bedroom door behind him .
Ava is with Tre and Grace at the resort pool, working off their dinner in the blazing late-afternoon heat. I was planning to join them when Chance pulled me in here .
He turns the deadbolt in the door and draws the curtains closed .
“What are you doing ?”
Next thing I know his lips are pressing hard against mine, forcing my mouth open to accept his probing tongue. His fingers fumble my bikini top open, releasing my breasts into his waiting hands .
“Chance,” I gasp, breaking lip contact. “What – ”
His mouth is back on mine before I can finish. I wrap my arms around his neck as his lips begin to move south, until they land on my throat. My motor has gone from idle to overdrive in the space of five seconds .
I match his passion, pulling his t-shirt over his head and running my fingers along his chest, tracing the scar tissue there. It’s a ritual I have, to always remind myself of how precious – and fragile – our lives really are .
His lips find my breasts as his hands work my bikini bottoms off of my ass and send them dropping to the bedroom floor. I return the favor with his cargo shorts as I release his ramrod cock and grab it tightly. It’s hot and throbs at my touch .
“Unh,” he groans in my ear .
He grabs my ass and lifts me off the floor, carrying me to the big four-poster bed. When he drops me onto it, I actually bounce .
His body covers me a second later, grabbing my hands in his and pulling them up over my head. Rock-hard muscle presses down against my breasts and belly as the tip of his shaft presses against my wet slit .
“Oh, Chance,” I moan as I lift my wide-open legs and wrap them around his hips .
There’s no foreplay here, only animal lust. An instant later and he’s fully inside me, prompting my first quivering orgasm .
He holds me tightly as I tremble through it, nibbling on his shoulder, floating on a cloud of desire .
“I can’t wait,” he pants in my ear. His hips start to move, thrusting deeply, quickly, until I have to prop my hands against the headboard to keep from being driven right into it .
It’s never been like this. We’ve gotten really good at fucking over the last few years, but this is something else. As if the future of the human race depends on us both coming as fast and as hard as we can .
He picks me up and turns me so that I’m straddling him, his hands pulling my legs apart as far as they’ll go. My breathing turns into animal grunts as he li
fts his hips, driving as fast and as deep as he can go .
The normal pooling of pleasure is a tidal wave now, breaking the dams and overflowing the levees until my entire body becomes a conduit for it. As it overtakes me, I collapse on top of him holding on for dear life until his cannon finally goes off inside me, making my toes curl up until they hurt .
The waves keep on breaking against me, over and over, forcing my whole body to spasm with delight. I can’t catch my breath, and suddenly I fear I might actually somehow come myself into a stupor .
Finally the ecstasy begins to ebb, slowly, setting off a few aftershocks that make me grip Chance’s shoulders until they pass. My breath huffs in his face, blowing his hair back from his forehead in great, heaving gusts .
“My God,” I finally gasp. All my strength is gone. “What… what the hell… was that ?”
His chest is heaving underneath me. His effort was so much more than mine; I can’t imagine how he’s still able to speak .
“I had to feel you,” he pants. “Had to know… you were still here. Not just a dream .”
I use the last of my strength to cover his mouth with mine and give him a long, deep, wet kiss, until I have to stop to catch my breath .
“I’m here,” I whisper. “I’m here .”
“Don’t ever fucking do that again,” he breathes .
I snuggle against him and lay my head next to his, my grinning lips against his ear .
“You’re not the boss of me,” I whisper .
* * *
“A re you okay?” Grace asks as Chance and I descend the steps into the pool. “You look a little tired .”
I bite my tongue to keep from grinning like a fool. Chance gives me a look that says he’s doing the same .
“It’s been a long day,” I say, dipping below the surface up to my chin .
“Mommy!” Ava hoots. She’s paddling toward me with her inflatable water wings and splashing up a storm .
“Is that a fish?” Chance says, scooping her up. “Look! I caught a fish !”
“No!” she shrieks, but she’s giggling like a maniac. “Imma girl !”
Tre glides over beside Grace and slides an arm around her .
“Everything okay?” he asks .
“Couldn’t be better,” Chance says .
“Good. We had something we wanted to talk to you about .”
“Go ahead,” I say, wrapping my arm around Chance’s neck so that he’s flanked by his two girls .
“We were wondering – ”
“If you would stand up for us at our wedding!” Grace finishes .
Chance and I exchange a glance .
“I don’t know,” he says, frowning. “Do I have to wear a tie ?”
Tre chuckles as Grace and I roll our eyes. “Ah ah ha ha ha,” we mock laugh .
Ava seems to sense that we’re ganging up on him, so she gives him a peck on the cheek .
“Daddy,” she says, as if summing up her argument .
Chance responds with a raspberry against her neck, sending her into a fit of giggles .
“Of course we will,” I say as Ava splashes off into the pool .
“You know what this means, right?” Tre says to Chance. “We’re going to be brothers-in-law .”
Chance sighs. “Well, I guess you can’t choose your family,” Then he brightens. “Oh, wait a minute! Yes, you can !”
“And you chose well,” I say .
Grace looks me in the eye. “You have to promise me that you’re not going to pull another stunt like you did today. I don’t want to have to find another matron of honor .”
“Sorry, sis, I can’t promise that. What I can promise is that I’ll always be careful. Just like Chance .”
She frowns. “I guess that’s all I can ask for .”
The sun finally dips below the tower building of the resort, offering us some very welcome shade .
With the glare gone, I can see Tre and Grace tossing Ava back and forth, to her utter delight .
“It’s interesting that we saw an elephant family today,” I muse .
Chance’s arm is around my waist under the water. He pulls me tight and puts his lips next to my ear, prompting a delicious shiver as I flashback to our afternoon delight .
“Yeah?” he whispers. “Why’s that ?”
“They’re matriarchal animals,” I say. “I read once that all of the females in the herd will help raise the babies and protect them from danger, regardless of blood ties .”
I turn to face him. “Sound familiar ?”
He smiles and pulls me close. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I see a tear in the corner of his eye .
Part IV
The Chase
One virgin .
Two weeks .
Twenty billionaires .
She can run, but she can't hide ...
The Chase. It takes place every year. If you're not invited, you'll never even know it exists .
It's a game - a Chase - entered only by the world's richest and most powerful men .
And one, lone, solitary woman .
A virgin .
Winner takes all. Literally .
But our prey isn't as innocent as she seems - she's CIA trained, and kick-ass strong .
And she gets paid $250,000 for every day she evades capture .
Sounds simple, right ?
If only it was .
When I entered, it was because I was bored of easy lays and easier women .
But suddenly Cassie is back .
She's the girl who stood me up at prom - who I've spent my entire life proving wrong .
And the girl I never heard from again .
But Cassie's not a girl anymore. She's most definitely a woman .
And maybe she's not just the one who got away ...
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Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Nine
1 . CARSON
I’m standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the 1,500-foot drop just beyond my toes and thinking very hard about jumping off .
Under other circumstances, it would be breathtaking: the Italian Alps positioned against a clear azure sky, the dappled surface of Lake Garda in the distance, the red tile roofs of the villas in the town. If I had binoculars, I’d be able to make out the jagged fingers of granite pointing up from the valley floor below me. As it is, I have to imagine them. I’ll be seeing them up close soon enough .
It’s not a situation your average thirty-year-old billionaire playboy finds himself in, I’ll admit. One might well ask why a guy with more money than he could ever spend, more women than he could ever sleep with, and less body fat than most men could ever hope for, is standing here, of all places, contemplating what I’m contemplating .
The answer is simple: I’m bored out of my fucking mind .
The wind caresses my cheeks and I turn my face up to the diamond-hard summer sun. I’m starting to sweat under this outfit, which is kind of gross. No point in putting this off any longer .
I fill my lungs with clear mountain air and leap off the cliff. I have to make sure I clear the outcropping right below me—wouldn’t want to clip it and end up going ass-over-teakettle all the way down. That would make for an incredibly ugly corpse .
As I fall, my body naturally tilts forward into a dive position. I travel about forty feet in an instant, then I spread my arms and legs wide. Time to embrace the inevitable .
The motion allows the billowing fabric under my arms and between my legs to catch the ambient air, slowing my descent velocity by about eighty percent and pushing me forward, away from the mountainside and toward the lake. The so-called “wingsuit” carries me on natural air currents at a 2.5:1 angle of descent.
That means that for every meter I drop, I gain two and a half meters moving forward. That’s important math, because I’m going to attempt something ridiculously dangerous, and I’d really prefer to live through it .
As I glide over the rooftops of Sirmione, the town on the south shore of Garda, I lower my arms several inches to reduce my angle. Easy? Hell no – it’s tougher than it sounds when you have several thousand pounds of air rushing up at you .
In the distance I can see Isola del Garda, the island where St. Francis of Assisi founded a monastery in the thirteenth century. I doubt old Frankie would approve of my current lifestyle, but I’ve got more important things to worry about .
The surface of the lake is rapidly filling my field of vision, but my goggles are polarized to keep the reflected light from blinding me. I need every sense on high alert right now to make sure that I don’t come in at the wrong angle. Too steep and I risk smashing head-first into the immense stopping power of the water. Too shallow and I’ll come in too hot, which means I might not be able to slow myself down before I hit the side of the boat like a bug on a windshield .
Timing here is everything .
Still, it would be a hell of a way to go, wouldn’t it ?
The coolness of the water kisses my face as I draw parallel with the surface of the lake. Raising my arms again lowers me closer to the skin of the lake. If it wouldn’t completely fuck up my trajectory, I’d reach down and run my fingers through the cool wetness .
I feel like Superman .
In the distance, my target comes into view: a catamaran anchored about a mile off shore. As I draw closer, and lower to the lake, I finally make out silhouettes of people on the deck – still tiny, like ants .
According to the incredibly detailed math that went into my computer simulation, that’s my cue to drop one last time. I silently thank every crunch and sit-up as my abs strafe the surface of the water, providing the friction I need to slow my forward momentum and begin my long stop .
After several seconds, I lower my legs and arms, and the water pulling against the fabric yanks me backwards, hard .