Jet-Set Billionaire: The Complete Series

by Jenna Chase

  "How do you feel?" he asked, gazing into my eyes.

  I didn't want to tell him that I actually was feeling a little dizzy, but it wasn't because I had hit my head. It was because every time he came near me my entire body felt like it had some kind of magical, tingly breeze swirling around it that gave me the sensation that I was floating.

  Not to mention how the entire world fell away when I looked into his eyes.

  "I'm fine," was all I could choke out with his hands touching my waist and his eyes looking down into mine.

  "Do you think you can get back up that hill? I'll be right behind you," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly.

  "Yeah, I can make it up there."

  I turned and grabbed a vine and pulled myself up the grassy slope and I could feel Malcolm right behind me. I felt like I was doing a pretty good job getting up the hill, given the fact that I was barefoot and in a pencil-straight skirt, but Malcolm seemed to think otherwise.

  "This skirt is ridiculous," I heard him say behind me.

  The next thing I knew my skirt was being yanked on and I heard a loud tear. I looked down in shock as I saw my entire thigh exposed under the two flaps of the front and back sections of my skirt.

  "Malcolm! What did you do that for?"

  "Sorry, Erica. I didn't mean to tear it that much. You were struggling to take even the smallest steps. This will make it much easier, I promise. It's more practical."

  I looked back at him in shock and my eyes were met by what appeared to be a look of amusement on his face.

  "Really, Erica. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tear it so much. Just enough so you had more room to move. Now let's get out of here and back to that cave. I want you to rest."

  "I don't need to rest."

  "I think it's a good idea. You've been through quite a bit."

  "I'll be the judge of whether or not I need to rest, thank you very much," I said as I continued to pull myself up the side of the hill.

  Chapter 8

  Malcolm

  When we reached the top of the slope I used both hands to push Erica's ass up a little to help her get over the edge and I could tell it got her kind of riled up. I didn't know why but that feisty side of her really excited me.

  "I don't know if that was necessary," she said in a low voice as I joined her on the flat ground above the ravine.

  "Erica, are you okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I feel like all I've been doing for the last couple days is falling into things."

  Erica's eyes met mine when she said that and I knew that she was thinking about falling into my lap on the plane and what happened after that. Suddenly I had a clear picture of her as she came, her body twisting and gyrating and her mouth open. She looked like a goddess.

  Lainey put her arms around Erica and while they were embracing I glanced at that asshole pilot and noticed him sneering at me. I couldn't believe it, he was actually sneering. I really wanted to know more about what went on between him and Erica but it seemed like the only place I was going to be able to get that information was from her friend.

  When I looked back at Erica I noticed that she wavered around a little after Lainey let her go. I lurched forward and grabbed her before she lost her balance or that schmuck pilot could get his hands on her.

  "Whoa, are you okay?" I asked.

  "Yeah, I'm fine." Erica put her hand to her head and smiled but I could tell she was still a little shaky.

  "That's it, I'm carrying you back to the cave. And I don't want to hear any arguments," I said as I bent down and lifted her up over one shoulder. I knew what was coming next but I didn't care. I had already made up my mind about this woman and she would find out soon enough that I usually got exactly what I wanted. And what I wanted was her. I was going to make her mine whether she realized it or not.

  "Put me down! What in the hell do you think you doing, Malcolm! I can walk just fine!"

  Erica beat her fists on my back and made a cute little back-and-forth kick with her feet like that was going to help get her down somehow. All it really succeeded in doing was make her ass wiggle right next to my head and forced me to grip her luscious thighs even tighter.

  "Hey now, just calm down. You don't have any shoes and you just hit your head. I'm not taking any chances with you falling over again. We'll be back in the cave before you know it. Now will you quit squirming around?"

  I felt Erica's body go limp as she resigned herself to being carried back to the cave. I really wished I could see the look on her face. But what totally made up for it was the view I had of Brad's face turning ten shades of red, then an unattractive shade of purple. I could tell he was furious that I had stepped in and taken over, but he wasn't doing a goddamned thing. He obviously wasn't a man of action.

  "I just want you to know that this is completely uncalled for and totally humiliating," I heard Erica say through gritted teeth.

  "He really does have a point, Erica. You should just relax and let this big strong man carry you back to the cave. I know I'd be thrilled," Lainey said with a giggle.

  "It's really not that far at all," Brad said, the irritation in his voice so thick you could cut it with a knife.

  When we finally got back to the cave I sat Erica down on a patch of grass that was growing inside the cave. The holes in some sections to the roof let sunlight and water in and had created a terrarium style enclosure with plants and patches of grass growing all over. A trickle of water came out of one of the openings and ran down a wall then into a small pool right next to where Erica was sitting.

  We both scooped some water up in our hands and drank it, then started to wash up a little.

  "I don't know if it's a good idea to drink that. It might have some sort of parasite living in it," Brad said as he stood and watched us. Lainey had come over to the stream of water as well but it appeared that Brad wasn't going to join in. He could die of thirst for all I cared.

  "If I keel over you'll be the first to know. Why don't you and Lainey go see if you can find some dry wood and we'll get a fire going."

  "I think we should go and find the plane. It's not too far from here, maybe an hour, tops," Brad said with a bit more authority in his voice than I had expected. It's not that I wanted to fight the guy necessarily, in any other situation I would appreciate the fact that he was taking a little bit of control. But I just couldn't get that image of him about to kiss Erica out of my head. And the feelings that came up overrode any other rational thought.

  "I don't think we should risk moving Erica around too much right now," I said as I stood up and took a step toward him.

  I was the one with the authority and I was going to make sure he understood that.

  "The sun is going to be setting in about an hour and what we really need is warmth," I said, challenging that bit of attitude he was throwing my way. "We don't have any blankets or warm clothes and it's probably going to get pretty cold once the sun goes down."

  "You're kidding. You want all of us to sleep in here? In this cave? If we find the plane we'll have food and shelter—"

  "We don't even know where the plane is and what kind of condition it's in. We have shelter here and fresh water. If we get a fire going we'll be able to keep warm for the night. If you want to risk getting lost trying to find the plane in the dark be my guest. But I'm not going to drag Erica around the jungle and her condition."

  "Malcolm, I'm fine, really," Erica said, resting her head against the cave wall.

  "You look exhausted. What you need to do right now is rest."

  "As much as I hate to admit it, because I'd really rather be on the plane right now too, I think Malcolm is right. I honestly don't know if I could find the plane that easily, especially once it gets dark out there. Everything — in every direction — looks exactly the same out there. It seems like it would be incredibly easy to get lost. Maybe it would be best to start out in the morning, together," Lainey said as she wrapped her hair up in a bun and put a stick through it to hold
it in place.

  "Fine," Brad said as he turned and stalked out of the cave. Lainey gave Erica a funny look and a shrug, then ran out after him.

  "Are you really that concerned about my safety or were you just trying to get me alone?"

  Erica's eyes followed me as I crossed the cave and sat down next to her, never once taking mine off of hers.

  "A lot of the first and some of the second," I said with a smile.

  "I don't know if I buy that."

  "Okay, you got me. I wanted to get you alone, but can you blame me? Captain America over there keeps giving me the side eye."

  "If I remember correctly you were both giving each other some pretty nasty looks earlier."

  "Yeah, but I showed him who's boss," I said, grinning at Erica's beautiful face.

  I was relieved to see that it was starting to show signs of a smile.

  "But honestly, I don't think it's a good idea to be running around in the jungle so close to nightfall. We have no idea what's out there or how far we are from the plane. And I really don't want anything to happen to you," I said as I moved my hand onto hers.

  I suddenly felt nervous as hell and completely unsure of myself. I didn't understand the effect this woman had on me. I was usually the one that was in control. I always had women falling at my feet. But somehow it felt like she was the one that was calling all the shots.

  This woman was bringing feelings out in me that I never even knew I had. I wanted to take care of her and protect her. I wanted to make her mine but suddenly I didn't know how. I had never had to work this hard at seducing a woman in my life.

  "Why don't you lay your head down in my lap for a little while. You really do look exhausted."

  Erica smiled, then leaned over and rested her head on my legs. She made the most incredibly cute snuggling movement with her head and then let out a sigh of contentment that made me feel like I had just conquered the Vikings.

  I ran my hand over her head and through her hair and listened to her breathe. Every once in a while, she let out another content sigh and I almost thought she had fallen asleep when she turned over in my lap and looked up at me.

  "What do you do, Malcolm?"

  "Do you mean for a job? Or what do I like to do?" I asked, continuing to smooth Erica's hair.

  "Both. I guess I meant your job since that's what people are usually wanting to know when they ask that question, but I'm interested in both."

  "Well, I'm being groomed to take over my father's business. It's a multi-billion dollar corporation that oversees hundreds of businesses around the world. Basically, it's a management company."

  "That doesn't sound very interesting. I'm sorry, that wasn't very nice—"

  "No, you're right. It's not very interesting at all. If I hadn't been prepped to take over for most of my life I wouldn't want to have anything to do with the business at all."

  "What would you have wanted to do?"

  I was touched by her questions and by the genuinely curious look on her face. Most women didn't seem to care whether or not I liked doing the job that brought me all my money. They just wanted to know about the money.

  "I've always been drawn to the wilderness. I loved to camp and hike when I was a kid."

  "Did you go camping with your father?"

  "No, my dad never took me camping. He was too busy in meetings most of the time. But he did take me with him when he flew around the world on business and sometimes I would take off and go exploring on my own. Peru, Switzerland, Russia, Mexico, I've wandered through the wilderness in some amazing places. I hiked the Himalayas when I was sixteen."

  "By yourself?"

  "No, I had a guide. Sometimes it's nice to have someone with you," I said as I looked into Erica's crystal blue eyes. I would love to see the world reflected in those beautiful eyes of hers.

  "It sounds wonderful. I've flown around the world quite a bit, but I haven't done that kind of sightseeing yet."

  "If it's something you're interested in you shouldn't put it off. Do the things you want to do now. You never know what the future holds."

  "But why work a job you're not interested in. Why don't you do what you really want to do?"

  "Family commitment mostly. I guess I feel like I'd be letting my father down if I didn't take over for him. His father started the business. It's the classic immigrant story. He came to the U.S. with no money and scrimped and saved and started his own business that eventually became a Fortune 500 company. My father worked at the company until he took over when his father retired at 81. And I'm expected to do the same thing."

  "Can't he hire someone to do the job?"

  "Yeah, I suppose," I said with a laugh. I'd thought the same thing a few times myself but I always came back to the same conclusion that I couldn't let my father down.

  "I can still travel while I'm working, though. Maybe not as much as I'd like to, but I do get around."

  "Tokyo for the weekend," Erica said with a smile.

  "That was for my sister. It's her birthday and I wanted to make sure she had a good one. Our parents are usually too busy to do anything special so I've always made sure she had whatever she wanted."

  "I'm sure she had a wonderful time. You sound like a great brother."

  "I don't know if that's always been the case, but family is important to me. I like being able to take care of her."

  Right when the words came out of my mouth I realized that I felt the same way about Erica. I wanted to do things for her that would make her smile. I wanted to fly her across the globe for dinner if there was something that she wanted. I wanted to watch her experience the world with me. I just wanted to be with her.

  "If you could do anything in the world what would it be?"

  I laughed out loud at the question, considering what I had just been thinking. But I didn't want to spring my crazy desire to whisk her away for a dinner in Morocco just yet. Her face was glowing as she waited for me to answer and I was flattered that she was really that interested in my secret dreams.

  "Well, to be honest, since I've been walking around this jungle I've thought about how great it would be to lead my own hikes and walking tours in a place like this. Or even snorkeling and scuba diving excursions. I'd love to show a group of city kids all of the amazingly colorful fish in tropical waters like these."

  "That sounds wonderful, Malcolm. I think you should do it. You should follow your dreams."

  I couldn't believe how amazing this woman was. She was so sensitive and thoughtful and just plain real. She was like no woman I had ever encountered in my life and I didn't want to spend another moment without her. I was overcome with desire for her again, but it wasn't exactly sexual. It was a desire to touch her and be close to her and to just feel her near me.

  I traced her lips with my thumb then lifted her head up to meet mine. She immediately slid her hand around the back of my neck and pulled herself into me. I held her head in both of my hands as my tongue found its way to hers.

  The kiss started out soft and tentative but becoming passionate and desperate with each passing second. Her body curled up against mine and just as I was about to move on top of her I heard a loud crash not far from my head.

  Erica and I both jumped and turned toward the noise and there was Brad, standing there with his hands in fists at his side. He had just thrown down a pile of wood to make sure we were very aware of his presence.

  "You've got some nerve, buddy."

  "I've got some nerve? Who the hell do you think you are?" I said as I stood up. "You just about scared Erica to death—"

  "Malcolm, I'm fine—"

  "Not to mention the fact that you are acting like a complete asshole when she has clearly made a choice here—"

  "Malcolm, please—"

  "Made a choice? You've got to be kidding! You haven't let her make a choice about anything! You're just ordering her and everyone else around like a self-absorbed ass—"

  "Brad! This is not very helpful, come on you guys—"
<
br />   "Oh, I'm ordering everyone around, am I? Since when is taking charge and getting things done ordering everyone around? I guess maybe to whiners and crybabies who can't fly across the Pacific without breaking the plane in half—"

  "Enough! You guys just stop it! This bickering is insane! Brad, where's Lainey?!"

  All three of us looked around the cave and walked toward the entrance but she wasn't there.

  "She was right behind me while I was picking up wood. She was right there …"

  "You mean you lost her? You don't know where she is?" I asked.

  "She was right behind me! I don't know what happened to her. Lainey!" Brad yelled as he walked a few yards away from the cave entrance. "Lainey!"

  I had lost all track of time and the sun had gone down past the tree line already. It would be completely dark in no time at all.

  "Lainey! We have to go find her!" Erica yelled to no one in particular, then looked at me with pleading eyes.

  "What we have to do right now is get the fire started. We're losing light fast. Do either of you have a lighter?"

  "I have an emergency tool with a flint. I'll get it started."

  I couldn't help but imagine that Brad took his fire making ability as some kind of superiority over me. I wanted to let him know that I could build a fire without a flint if I had more time and I wasn't worried about the welfare of someone else. But I knew that would make me sound just as petty as some of the things he'd said earlier.

  Besides, I was glad he had brought an emergency kit with him. He wasn't such a bad guy. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time holding the wrong damned woman, and he was gonna have to build a hell of a lot of fires to make up for that.

  "We have to go look for Lainey. She must be lost out there."

  "Erica, we don't even know where to look. We could head off in three different directions and still pass right by her in the darkness."

  "She said she thought she knew where the plane was while we were out gathering wood. Maybe she's there right now?" Brad said as he stoked small branches so that the flame engulfed them.