Jill's worried expression eased and she laughed. "Of course it does," she said warmly. "I think I owe you a few, to be frank. How do you like it?"
"Well, my regular barista back on the corner of Madison Avenue and East 32nd Street used to make me an amazing cinnamon-vanilla macchiato," Olivia said and couldn't hold in her laughter at Jill's horrified expression. "Milk and no sugar will be perfect."
Jill giggled too as she went to put the kettle on. "For a moment there I thought I was getting belted in the face with that olive branch!"
Olivia quickly discovered that she liked Jill a lot. The other girl was sharply witty and great fun to be around when her jealousy wasn't eating her alive. Jill shyly asked if Olivia would like some company as she didn't have anywhere to be that morning. Later she mentioned she was working late that day, as she was taking the boat into Airlie Beach to collect a large group that was arriving at the mainland airport in the early evening.
"I want to go." Olivia desperately needed to go clothes shopping, and to replace the electronics that had been drowned in her fall off the boat.
"Cory said you should stay here..."
"Are you serious? Cory is definitely not the boss of me. I'll be fine. I'll cover every inch of skin, I promise... and I'll stick to you like glue so I don't get lost."
Jill snickered. "I suppose I could show you the good shops. Some of them are a bit too touristy and expensive. The boat goes in earlier to deliver the departing tourists to the airport, so we could have a good couple hours before we need to collect the new arrivals."
"Sounds like a plan. What time do we have to leave?"
Jill still took a bit of persuading, but Olivia eventually convinced her that she would go mad if she had to stay in bed all day. She found a button-down denim shirt in the things Rosie had loaned her and put it on without a bra—the straps would have been too painful on her sore skin. Fortunately she wasn't so well-endowed that she'd bounce. A pair of long linen trousers from her own wardrobe, a large sunhat and sunglasses, and Jill pronounced her safe to go outside.
Several hours later, tired but content, Olivia was half drowsing when Jill nudged her.
"Think you might have a small problem."
"Hm?" She jolted out of her doze, looked where Jill was pointing as the boat came in to dock. "Oh dear." Cory's height and blond hair were unmistakable, as was the way he paced up and down the dock. "Do you think he's gonna be a grump because I didn't obey his orders to stay in bed?"
"Not once he sees that you're perfectly fine, no." Jill grinned at her. "I highly recommend grabbing him and sticking your tongue down his throat to cut off any tirade before he gets started, though."
"Good idea, because I'll probably smack his face if he tries to boss me around!" The two girls were fast friends after spending the afternoon together. Jill had kept her word to show Olivia the shops, and helped to carry the bags full of her purchases back to the boat before they headed for the airport, and in turn Olivia had helped Jill corral the arriving guests and get them all organized.
Cory seemed to be struggling with himself as he watched Olivia disembark laden with shopping bags. She walked towards him a little hesitantly, offered up a small smile.
"Shopping? Really?" he said resignedly.
"You did witness all my electronics getting drowned." She waved the bag containing her new laptop, tablet, and mobile phone at him. "Plus, I really need some Sunfish-appropriate clothing. Can't be wearing Rosie's stuff all the time."
He sighed, and to his credit said not one word about her promise to stay in her room. Which technically, she hadn't actually given, Olivia thought virtuously. Instead, he just held out his hands. "Can I carry those for you?"
Olivia beamed at him and unloaded the heavier bags from her haul. "You earn lots of brownie points for that, you realize."
"I was hoping. Is there a reward?" Cory smiled at last.
"There could be." She gave him a coquettish look. "But it'll have to be delivered in private."
Cory walked very quickly, long legs eating up the ground as he headed purposefully back to the staff accommodation area. Laughing her ass off, Olivia followed. By the time she caught up, he was unpacking her electronics purchases on her desk.
"Figured I'd save you some time. Now, about that reward?"
"Well"—she deposited her own bags on the chair—"you get to put your hands all over me again."
"How's that back?" He came over to gently ease her shirt off her shoulders as she unfastened the buttons, hissing softly between his teeth as he saw her back. "Still red as hell, but it does look a bit better, I think."
"I want a shower. Want to come in and wash my back?" She cast him a coquettish look over her shoulder. Catching her waist in his hands, Cory pressed a kiss to her shoulder before seeking her lips.
"Definitely," he said, voice dropping to a low husk. "I'll wash any body part you like. All of them."
"Sounds good to me." Dropping her shorts and panties, she darted ahead of him into the bathroom. Cory didn’t hesitate in giving chase, though he drew the line at hopping under the shower as she stepped straight under it, hissing with pleasure as the cool water rained down on her back.
"You are one hardcore ballsy babe," he said admiringly, stopping to shuck his own clothes.
Olivia peered at him from underneath the spray. "What does that even mean?"
"It means I'm crazy about you, you beautiful, crazy, impulsive woman." His eyes moved to her breasts, where her nipples had peaked hard in the cold water. It was starting to warm up, though, so he stepped in with her and closed the shower screen, sliding his arms around her and bending his head to kiss her as she tilted her face up to smile at him.
Olivia moved into Cory's arms confidently as the water warmed. She'd set the mixer tap only to lukewarm, but it was a hot day and any warmer than that would feel unpleasant on her burned back anyway. His lips were soft on hers at first, then more demanding as she parted them and flicked her tongue against his. Her hands landed on his arms and gripped the thick muscles of his biceps, fingertips exploring the way his skin felt beneath her touch.
His hands avoided the tender skin of her back by going straight down to grasp her ass and pull her flush against his body. His cock was hard, pressing against her belly, and the hair on his chest rubbed against her breasts, stimulating her nipples. She closed her eyes, melting against him; her whole body felt sensitive, every touch magnified. Heat gathered between her thighs, but there was no rush, no hurry. She reached for her shower gel and squirted some into her hand, reaching up to rub it into Cory's chest.
"Let's get you all clean," Olivia said, her voice coming out low and husky.
"Before we get really, really dirty?" Cory said hopefully, taking the bottle from her.
"Works for me." She turned as he tugged on her hip, letting him soap her back gently and remove the residue of sticky aloe there. He nuzzled his cheek against her hair and nibbled lightly on the tip of her ear. Olivia's mouth opened in a soft gasp as she leaned back against him.
Cory's hands moved slow but sure as they glided from her hips over her stomach, slick with soap suds, and curved under her breasts to cup them gently before his thumbs flicked over her nipples.
Olivia hummed with pleasure, rocking her head sideways against Cory's shoulder so she could reach up to kiss him. He had to lean down for their lips to meet, not that she minded in the slightest. They kissed slow and sensual, tongues dancing with each other as Cory caressed her breasts, squeezing and rolling her nipples between fingers and thumbs until she moaned and ground her ass back against the heavy erection he pressed against her.
He lifted his head to look down at her, his blue eyes dark with passion. "Olivia." His voice was deeper, a husky note in it.
"Yes." He hadn't asked a question, but the answer was still inevitable. There was no soap on them now, and she turned the shower off, took his hand, and led him back to the bedroom, both of them still dripping water. She paused only to grab one of her
bags from her shopping haul and fish out the large box of condoms.
Cory grinned at the sight. "Good plan."
"Yup, and here's another. Lie down."
"Want to be on top, huh? I can live with that." He eased onto the bed and reclined comfortably, gazing up at her with appreciation as she tore into the plastic wrapper on the condom box. "Probably easier on your back too."
"That had entered into my thinking," she admitted, extracting a single foil packet and tossing the box onto the nightstand.
Cory's cock stood stiff and proud from a nest of dark golden curls. Olivia stroked it a few times, enjoying the way he gasped and shifted at her touch and how his blue eyes darkened before he caught her wrist and pulled her towards him. "Come here," he requested, reaching down and stroking lightly up her thigh. "Come sit on my face."
"Oh... it's okay, I..."
"I want to taste you," Cory admitted, looking up at her. "Come here, Olivia."
A flush rose to her cheeks, but she nodded, climbing onto the bed and moving to straddle his face. He curled his arms around her thighs, shifting down slightly on the pillows, humming with appreciation as he positioned himself just right.
"So pretty," he murmured before his tongue flicked out, lapping gently over her folds, forming into a point to nudge back the hood of her clit.
"Oh my God." The bed had no headboard, so Olivia had to place her hands on the wall to try to steady herself. Cory knew exactly what he was doing with his tongue, and he lost no time in driving her absolutely crazy, to the point where she ended up shoving one of her own hands in her mouth to try to muffle her shrieks of pleasure.
"You're delightfully noisy," Cory murmured, easily shifting her down his body until she straddled his hips, though he was careful to make sure his cock went between them, pressing against her stomach. Olivia could only gasp and shudder before collapsing to lie on his broad chest.
"Okay there?" Cory kept his hands away from her sore back, stroking his fingertips in slow, rhythmic circles on the outsides of her thighs instead as her breathing gradually slowed.
"No," Olivia said.
"No?" There was laughter in his voice as he kissed her hair.
"Too good," she sighed, shifting languorously against him. "That mouth of yours is absolutely wicked."
Pleased with himself, Cory was quite happy to just hold her for a while, though his cock ached to plunge deep into her. At length she stilled her small movements and lifted her head to look at him. Her smile was absolutely glorious, and he gazed at her, spellbound by her beauty. At least until she wriggled back, reaching for the condoms, and tore one of the packets open.
"Aahh, so good." Cords stood out in Cory's neck as he flung his head back, gritting his teeth. Olivia laughed softly as she rolled the condom on, stroking both hands down firmly, pausing to caress over his tightly swollen balls.
"Something you need?"
"Damn right there is!" His hands closed on her hips and he lifted her, shifting to push up against her. She kept one hand wrapped around the base of his cock until she'd guided the head right where she wanted it.
Cory groaned as Olivia sank slowly down onto him, his cock sliding deep into her tight, wet channel. She hummed with pleasure, pushing down hard to take him fully inside and rocking her hips, setting up a rhythm that was going to get him off pretty damn quickly.
"Jeez, Olivia, slow down," he gasped, sliding a hand between them to find her clit and slide a finger over it. She moaned but didn't obey his request, her curls bouncing as she rode him rapidly to a mutual climax as satisfying as either of them could possibly have wanted.
Afterwards, Olivia lay on Cory's chest, listening to the thump of his heartbeat below her ear as it steadied back to a normal rhythm. His hands lay loosely on her upper thighs; even in the throes of orgasm, he hadn't touched her sore back, and her heart swelled with affection for him, for his consideration and his gentleness.
When she'd fled New York with her tail metaphorically between her legs, she'd hoped for merely somewhere safe and quiet to lick her wounds, far from the glare of the spotlight and the tattered remains of her career. She'd never thought for a moment that she might be lucky enough to find friends like Rosie, Suzannah, and Jill; never dared to dream she might find a man like Cory, who was willing to take a chance on a relationship with her even knowing everything about her past.
Lying there listening to Cory's breathing slow as he drifted towards sleep, Olivia knew a contentment she'd never before experienced. Here on the far side of the world, on a tropical island far removed from where she'd ever expected she might end up, she'd finally found home.
Letting her eyes close, Olivia let herself drift off to sleep, held securely in Cory's arms. Whatever the future might hold for the two of them—and she hoped that it held a great deal—she knew that no matter what, she would always have a place with her friends on Sunfish Island.
Now turn the page to read a sample chapter from The Reluctant Billionaire, the next book in the Island Escapes series!
The Reluctant Billionaire
Chapter One
The warm wind blowing in Jace Hunter’s face tasted of salt. Licking it off his lips, he closed his eyes and tilted his face up to soak in the sunlight beaming down on him. The heat felt good on his skin; he almost felt as though he was able to directly absorb the energy, like a plant. A small smile crossed his face at the whimsical thought.
“We’re pulling in to the dock now,” a voice announced through a speaker right above his head. Startled, his eyes snapped open and he glared at the offending machine. Not that it stopped the voice from continuing, “Welcome to Sunfish Island, folks!”
There were about a dozen other guests on the boat. Jace let them all depart first before pushing himself to his feet and shouldering his duffel bag. A deckhand was unloading suitcases onto the dock; Jace snagged his in passing and handed the young man a five dollar bill.
“Thanks, sir.” The deckhand looked surprised to be given a tip. “American, are you?”
Jace shook his head. “No, but I’ve been living there for a while. Got in the habit of tipping. You’ve earned it, those cases look heavy.” He nodded to the stack with his chin. “Have yourself a cold beer on me.”
At the end of the dock, the guests were being greeted by resort staff, then directed to the main reception to check in and get their rooms assigned. A tall man looked in Jace’s direction, started toward him, paused, and looked him up and down with a puzzled frown.
“Luke?” Jace offered a smile.
“It is you!” Puzzlement gave way to a wide grin. “I didn’t recognize you!” Luke Collyer was Sunfish Island’s general manager, an extremely competent, likable man. Jace had been involved in hiring him two years ago and the two men had taken to each other at once.
Jace shrugged wearily, shaking Luke’s offered hand. “It’s been a rough few weeks.” That was an understatement. He’d been laid low by a nasty bout of the flu, but had tried to work through it, refusing to accept his own physical weakness. It wasn’t until he’d collapsed in the middle of an important meeting, waking up in the hospital on oxygen, that he’d accepted he might not be at peak fitness.
The doctors had diagnosed pneumonia, kept him in hospital for a solid week, and finally let him go with a stern admonition to take a break. He’d fully intended to ignore them and go right back to work… except when Jace had walked in the door of his office on the top floor of Hunter Enterprises’ New York skyscraper, his father had been sitting behind his desk.
John Hunter had built Hunter Enterprises from nothing to a multi-billion-dollar, diversified business empire. His devoted wife Maryann had been at his side the whole way, until her death from cancer five years earlier. Jace was their only son, the heir to everything. Living up to his father’s expectations was something he’d spent his whole life doing, and John Hunter was a workaholic.
So it had come as quite a shock when John had stood up and said, “Get your ass out of this office, and don
’t you dare set foot in here again until you have your health back!”
Jace had laughed, but his father was deadly serious. “Your mother ignored her symptoms for too long. I won’t see you sacrifice your health to this business, Jace. Get out of here. Go and smell the roses for a while.”
His father had bulldozed over every argument Jace had tried to make, and truth to tell, Jace hadn’t really tried all that hard. The Hunter Enterprises private jet had been on standby to take him anywhere he’d wanted to go. He hadn’t been able to think of anywhere until his father had suggested the family’s private villa on Sunfish Island, the resort island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which Hunter Enterprises had bought out and redeveloped a few years earlier. Jace had actually designed the villa as his graduation project for his architecture degree, but he’d never had the time to go and see the completed work.
“Your father said you’d been ill, but you look terrible,” Luke said, jerking Jace from his reverie.
“Thanks,” Jace said wryly, but he knew it was true. He’d lost a lot of weight during his illness. The tailored suits he customarily wore hung loosely on his frame; he’d left them behind in New York and brought shorts and T-shirts for his vacation. The dark blond hair he normally kept neatly trimmed had grown out long and shaggy, and he had several days’ growth of beard on his face. He was unrecognizable from the high-powered businessman he’d been just a few weeks ago.
Which gave him an idea.
“Luke,” he asked as they came to a parked golf cart and Luke hefted his case into the back, “who knows I’m here?”
Luke shot him a knowing look. “Only me. Your father called and asked me to have the villa opened up for you, but my staff don’t know who’s expected. You want me to keep it quiet?”
Finding Cory (Island Escapes Book 1) Page 7