by Kira Archer
Chris was watching her, and when their eyes met, his smile grew even wider.
“Isn’t this amazing?” he called out.
She laughed. “Yes!”
“Woohoo!” His voice rang out over the landscape. He opened his arms wide and tilted his head back, obviously loving the feeling of flying along in midair.
It was far more exhilarating than Charley had ever dreamed possible. She could almost understand why people went skydiving, if it was anything like ziplining. If zooming through the air on a rope created the kind of adrenaline-pumped sensations she was experiencing, then flying through the air after jumping from a plane must be an out-of-this-world experience.
The adrenaline rush was addicting. There she was, not even through with one rush and another already beckoned. And it could keep on beckoning. There was no way she was jumping from a perfectly good plane. But ziplining…that one she might try again.
The end of the line neared, and the excited euphoria of the whole flying experience changed to a sudden dread of crashing into the landing platform. It didn’t help when they jerked her to a stop several feet from the pad. She knew it was going to happen since they had to slow their arrival or they really would crash right into the pad. But the jolt when she was still dangling hundreds of feet in the air was a stomach-dropping experience.
She renewed her grip on her cables, though the death grip she already had going on was going to leave permanent half-moon circles in her palms. Chris, on the other hand, was completely chillaxing. Legs dangling in the breeze. He ran a hand over his face and held his arms out again, looking at her with a grin that melted her heart.
“Didn’t I tell you that would be amazing?”
She laughed, his happiness and enthusiasm contagious.
“I admit, it was pretty cool.”
They towed her in first, and while she actually had enjoyed herself, in an omg-that-was-awesome-glad-I-didn’t-die kind of way, having her feet back on solid ground was heavenly. Well, solid platform anyway. The ground was still much too far away, but better.
There seemed to be an issue with Chris’s line, though. The two guys who were running this end of the platform stood near where the line was towed in, a flurry of Spanish going between them too quickly for her to follow.
Chris didn’t look overly concerned, merely curious as he watched them trying to work out whatever kink was leaving him dangling in midair. His line jerked several times, rocking him to and fro. And every time a sudden jolt sent him swinging, Charley’s heart would lodge in her throat.
They finally got things fixed and towed him the rest of the way in. Once they got all his gear off him, he came toward her with open arms and huge grin.
She flung herself around his neck. “Okay, that freaked me out.”
He pulled back, his smile dimmed a bit. “I thought you had fun. It looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
“I did. The actual ziplining was amazing. Oh my God, you could see for miles, and the view was incredible.”
“And the flying?”
“The flying I liked slightly less,” she said, holding up a finger to ward off whatever smart-ass remark he was about to make. “But it was kind of fun.”
“Only kind of, huh?”
“Fun in the way that a roller coaster or haunted house is fun.”
“Right!”
She snorted. “I think maybe fun is the wrong word. Exhilarating. It was definitely exhilarating.”
“Hmm,” he said, leaning in for a kiss. “You weren’t too scared, were you?”
“You’d have to define too scared.”
He laughed again. “You just seem a little…clingy, that’s all.”
“Oh, really?”
She tried to pull away, but he kept her locked in his arms. “I didn’t say I minded clingy.”
Before she could argue with him further, he captured her mouth in a kiss that did more to wreck her equilibrium than the whole ziplining experience. Normally, she’d want to move somewhere a little more private instead of making out in front of two total strangers. But at that moment, she didn’t care who was watching them. She’d make out in front of the Pope himself as long as Chris’s lips stayed on hers.
“Come on,” he said, breaking away from her and taking her hand.
“Where are we going?”
He pulled her along behind him down the winding steps of the platform and marched straight to where their car was parked.
“Chris,” she said, laughing, having to run to keep up with him. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere I can get you alone so I can rip those little shorts off you and show you some real fun.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and she gripped his hand, her blood roaring through her for a whole different reason now.
They made it back to the car and jumped inside, Chris starting it and backing out of there like the cops were on his tail.
“Where are we going?” she asked again, leaning over to kiss his neck.
He groaned and punched the gas. She gasped, though she was half laughing as well, residual excitement from the zipline and sheer, hard lust pulsing through her so hard her head swam.
“There’s a small beach up the road. It’s quiet, private. And close.”
“A beach?”
Beaches, despite how they were depicted in romance novels and films, were not the sexiest place to get it on. Beaches had sand. Sand was abrasive and sticky. And got everywhere.
He chuckled, obviously reading her thoughts. “No worries. I’ve got a few ideas. I know sand isn’t ideal, but the beach is secluded, and I figured you’d prefer not to have an audience while I make you scream my name.”
Her cheeks flamed hot, but his blunt language sent a bolt of electricity straight to her core. She bit her lip, her breath already coming out in short pants, and he hadn’t even touched her yet.
The road to the beach was more of a windy, unmarked path barely cleared of vegetation. If they hadn’t been in a tough Jeep that had obviously seen its fair share of off-roading, they’d never have made it down to the shore. And he was right when he said it was small and secluded. It was barely more than a small strip of sand surrounded by jungle vegetation on all sides. It was perfect.
Chris threw the car into park and moved his seat back as far as it could go.
“Come here,” he said, unbuttoning his shorts.
She grabbed her purse and threw him a condom she’d stashed in there. He grinned at her and rolled it on while she shimmied out of her shorts and panties. Then he pulled her onto his lap. She straddled him, laughing when her legs bumped against the doors and console.
Her laugh cut off abruptly when he angled himself against her and plunged inside. She curled around him, bracing her hands on the back of his seat. She tried moving with him and banged against the steering wheel.
They laughed again until he grasped her hips and helped guide her as he thrust deeper.
It didn’t take long, only a few more thrusts before she was shuddering around him. He was right behind her, pressing his face into her neck as he moaned his release.
They held each other for a few more moments while the aftershocks wore off. Then she laughed and leaned down for a kiss.
“That was a first for me.”
“Hmm,” he said, giving her butt a soft slap and a squeeze. “Well, you’re a total natural. I’ll have to buy a few more cars just so we can christen them.”
“Ha! You do that,” she said, though she belatedly realized he could, and probably would, do exactly that.
“Let’s go for a swim,” he said, giving her a quick kiss as she climbed off his lap.
“But we didn’t bring suits.”
He laughed. “There’s no one here but you and me.”
Her mouth dropped open, and he winked at her. “If you’re uncomfortable with that, your bra and panties should suffice. They cover you more than most bikinis.”
This was true. And she would feel more comfortable
with something on.
Chris, however, had no such hang ups. He strode proud and butt naked right into the surf. Charley just shook her head, though she smiled, admiring the spectacular view.
How was she ever going to make herself walk away from him when all this was done?
Chapter Fifteen
Charley snuggled closer to Chris, listening to his heartbeat beneath her ear. She’d been awake for a while, but she didn’t want to disturb him if she got up. Though the bathroom was calling her name so she might have to see if she could wiggle out.
She finally managed to skootch out and pulled on the T-shirt he’d ripped off last night, then tiptoed across the floor, happy she hadn’t woken him.
“Hurry back,” he said with that still-asleep gravel in his voice.
She laughed and hurried into the bathroom. Once in there, though, her amusement faded. The guilt over her lie about her job had been eating at her from the start. But since they had…hooked up or gotten together or whatever they hell they were doing, it had been growing—to the point she couldn’t ignore it anymore. She had to tell him.
He might not care. Truly, he didn’t seem the type to worry overly much about company names or big corporations. In fact, he might prefer she was on her own, a new, small company.
Or at least he might have been good with it had she been upfront in the first place. Instead, she’d lied. Well, not lied exactly. But she hadn’t been honest about her parting ways with her company. And while it might not matter to Chris, it probably would matter to his board, and the insurance company, who were the ones she really had to answer to anyway. She didn’t think Chris would be the brunt of any fallout if it were a big issue. But what if he was? What if she was screwing up everything for him because of her deception?
Which led to another problem. He said he’d never have thought she was sleeping with him to get ahead. But that might change when he found out she wasn’t some well-respected member of a large company but an imposter who’d been fired from her company and was now trying to make a name for herself, something she could do if she landed Chris’s account and did well. Would he still believe her interest in him was purely personal and not professional? Because it sounded shady even to her, and she knew the truth.
She propped her elbows on her knees and put her head in her hands. How did she go from fledgling risk assessor on a business trip to a sort of girlfriend of her billionaire client hiding out in his bathroom?
She didn’t know how she’d reached this point, but she’d have to get off the toilet and face it at some point. And she’d rather fess up now and let him hear it from her rather than hearing it from someone else. The thought of destroying the perfect little bubble of happiness they’d created for themselves ripped a hole in her heart. But it would be so much worse if she waited.
She sighed and went to wash her hands. Some cold water on her face and a quick hair fluff helped, too. Might as well try and look halfway decent before she went out and ruined what could have been the best thing to ever happen to her.
The moment she opened the door, she knew it was too late.
Chris sat on the edge of the bed, the sheet barely covering his lap. But she couldn’t enjoy the mouthwatering view he presented, because he had his phone to his ear. And whoever was on the other side was giving him bad news about her, judging by the betrayed and angry look he gave her.
Charley sighed, swallowing past the sudden lump in her throat. She went into the closet and pulled on a pair of jeans. She didn’t want to be sitting there half naked when the fight that was about to happen went down. Not that it would be much of a fight, really. She was in the wrong.
Then she went back out and sat on the chair by the window and waited for him to hang up. She didn’t have to wait long.
He dropped his phone on the bed beside him and looked over at her. “That was my assistant. She had an interesting conversation with Phosphorus Assessments. Any guesses as to what they said?”
His voice was hard, cold. She’d never heard it like that before. Even when he’d been displeased about something. There was always something…kind, amused about his voice. But not this time. He was truly angry, and he had every right to be.
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I assume she was informing you I no longer work for their company.”
He looked at her for a minute, saying nothing, long enough that she wanted to squirm. But she kept it together, barely. She forced herself to meet his gaze, not look away. He seemed to be struggling with how to respond. She didn’t blame him. She didn’t know how to respond, and she was the one who caused the whole mess.
Finally, he closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face. “Why would you lie? Are you even a risk assessor? Was this whole thing some weird, cruel prank that Izzy or my friends set up? I mean, I know they like their practical jokes, but I didn’t think they’d ever take it this far,” he said, waving his hand to encompass the bed.
She shook her head and sat forward in her chair. “No, I’d never be part of something like that.”
“No? Just some elaborate lie that’s about to tank my career?”
White-hot guilt stabbed her through the chest, and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. But she couldn’t let him think what he was obviously thinking.
“Chris, I never meant to do any harm, I swear. I am a risk assessor. When Phosphorus unfairly let me go, I started my own company. Izzy had already talked to you about me, so we thought…”
“You thought you’d lie so you could keep the job and make a name for yourself with a big name like mine.”
She shook her head again, though he wasn’t wrong. “I didn’t lie. I just…didn’t tell you the whole truth.”
“Oh, because that’s so much better.”
He stood up and jammed his fingers through his hair again. He grabbed his pants from the floor and pulled them on. “Why didn’t you just tell me? Like you said, Izzy had already talked to me about you. She’d already secured the job for you. So why the lie?”
“I don’t know,” Charley said, wishing she could sink into the chair and somehow be magically back home before she’d made the stupid decision to follow through with any of this. “We weren’t sure the board would go for it, and since you’d already approved me, it shouldn’t have mattered because it was still me doing the job for you. I know I don’t have the big company behind me, but I’m still really good at my job.”
“You don’t get it, Charley. I’m not upset because you don’t have a company behind you. I’m upset because you weren’t honest with me. Because you let things get this far without saying a word,” he said, gesturing at the bed.
Anger started to burn away the guilt that had been eating at her. “I told you why I wasn’t upfront with you, and yeah, it might have been a dumb decision, but we really didn’t think it mattered in the long run. And I wanted to tell you. I just could never seem to find the right time. I was actually coming out here to tell you right now, but you were already on the phone.”
“Oh, sure, you were going to tell me now. That’s convenient, seeing as how I already know.” He paced toward the door then turned and paced back. “You know, I’m used to other people pulling this shit. But you I thought I could trust. I’ll talk to Izzy later. But…what you and I had…or what I thought we had, anyway…you say that wasn’t a part of it all, but how am I ever going to know that for sure?”
Charley stood, anger and indignation flowing through her. “Because I told you so, that’s how. Do you really think I’d sleep with you for a job? What kind of person do you think I am?”
Chris shrugged. “It seems I don’t know what kind of person you are. I thought I knew, but obviously I was wrong.”
“That’s bullshit. Nothing about me has changed. Nothing about us or how we are together or what happened between us has anything to do with either of our jobs. I would never use you like that. You know that. You know me.”
He just looked at her, the sadness in h
is eyes twisting like a knife in her gut. “How can I ever trust you now?”
“Well, if I’m able to trust that you weren’t with me just to get approved and keep your company—something that’s much more likely, by the way—then you should be able to trust that I’m not using you.”
He stared at her so long she didn’t think he’d ever answer. Finally, he sighed.
“I don’t know that I can.”
“Right. Fine,” Charley said, her heart breaking in a million pieces. She marched for the closet. She had to get out of there. She grabbed her bag from the floor and shoved in whatever clothes she could find that were fast and easy to grab. Her passport was still safely in its hidden pocket inside the bag. She shoved her feet into some sandals and marched back out into the room and straight out the door.
She didn’t stop to look at Chris. If she looked at him now, she’d lose it. She kept going until she was out the front door.
He didn’t stop her.
Luckily, Lucas was outside cleaning out the car with one of those rolling vacuums.
“Lucas, can you take me to the airport, please?”
He looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise. And then he glanced over her shoulder. Charley looked, too, unable to stop herself from doing so. Her gaze met Chris’s, locked with it. He gave a subtle nod of his head, and the last piece of her heart crumbled.
He wasn’t going to fight for her. Not even a word.
Lucas put the vacuum to the side and took her bag before opening the car door. She got inside and tried to focus on breathing. Chris hadn’t gone back in the house. She could see him out of her peripheral vision, watching the car until they pulled away. Only then did she let her tears fall.
“Are you okay, miss?” Lucas asked.
“Yes. Fine,” she said, yanking her phone out of her bag. “I just need to go to the airport please.”
He nodded and didn’t say another word, for which she was eternally grateful.
She punched in Izzy’s contact info and waited for her cousin to pick up. The second she did, Charley unleashed the torrent. The only mostly coherent thing she managed to get out was that she was in Fiji and wanted to go home.