Fine. I don’t know if you love me, but I love you, I say in my head, and even admitting it to myself is enough to push me over. I cry out, coming hard, but I can hear Hannah moaning too. She’s coming again, her ass clamping tightly around my cock and drawing out the feeling until it almost aches, and I explode. I’ve never felt anything like this, filling her ass with blast after blast of my hot come. My fingers are clamped on her waist and my eyes stare at the sky, I’ve thrown my head back, and all I can see is the last of the meteor shower as the last of me pours into her.
After it’s over, we lie there, curled on the grass. I wrap my arms around her, troubled. Falling for her? Hell, I head over heels, already fallen in deep. But she lives a couple of hours away by plane. I remember that much. And she’s got a life, a career. I doubt this could have ever been more than just a fling in paradise. But . . .
I care for her. More than any other woman I’ve ever had in my life, I care for her. She can drive me nuts and she’s motivated me to dig through a huge pile of shit, regardless of what I told Caleb. Right now, though, I’d do it all again just to see her smile or to kiss her lips. I’ve never felt like this before. I’m not sure I’d know what to do even if there weren’t all these conflicting issues. But there are issues. Tonight may be perfect, she may be perfect…
But tomorrow . . . it all ends.
“We should go back,” Hannah says, fidgeting.
We get dressed, and I let Hannah use my shirt to clean herself before I wipe myself down and pull on my shorts. I don’t need a shirt. I reach out, taking her hand, and Hannah clasps it to her chest, kissing my knuckles. “Listen . . . I know tomorrow, we have to fight . . . but tonight is something I’ll never forget. Thank you.”
“Thank you,” I reply softly as we walk back toward the house. We get back, not saying much, even though I want to say more. Instead, I give her a kiss as we enter the house and watch as she goes down the hallway toward her room, my heart and my mind still churning with questions to which I have no answers.
Chapter 20
Hannah
“You sure do have a glow about you,” Cassie says from the bathroom when I get back to the room. Crackling with energy, she looks like she’s down to party another few hours.
I definitely don’t blame her. Tonight’s been magical. I’m still drowning in the afterglow of being with Tony. Every moment with him was incredible. And I didn’t want it to end.
If tomorrow never came, I’d be a happy woman.
“What the hell happened to you?” I ask as my eyes focus on Cassie’s face. She looks like a cave woman, with wildly disheveled hair and a torn dress. If not for the grin on her face, I’d be worried.
“Caleb had his way with me,” she says, slipping out of her ruined dress and into pajamas.
“No way!” I exclaim in disbelief. I was beginning to think their flirting and taunting was playful, not sexual. Was my radar that far off on them?
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Cassie says as she grabs a brush and starts trying to tame her wild mane. “I mean, he about tickled me to death when I tried to jump kick him in his ass for throwing that water balloon at me. Don’t worry, I gave as much as I got. You should see him!”
“Oh.” I laugh.
“Yeah. Can you believe it? He’s jealous I have more swag than him.” She makes a face. “The bastard made me beg him to stop, and I had to because I was laughing so hard I thought I was gonna pee.”
Just imagining Cassie screaming at Caleb while he tickles her mercilessly only makes me laugh harder.
Cassie pauses her brushing to fix a murderous scowl on me. “Oh, that’s funny to you?”
I only laugh harder. “No,” I say anyway, clutching my sides. “Sorry.”
“What happened with you? Did you two . . .?” Her voice trails off into silence, and I swear the only sound is my heartbeat.
I could lie. Tell her that nothing happened, and we just enjoyed each other’s company. But I don’t want to anymore. Nothing that feels that good should be kept secret. Besides, she knows. She just doesn’t know any details.
Slowly, I nod my head.
Cassie looks worried as she sets down her brush, staring at me for a long time before replying. “Han, listen . . . I’m glad that you and Tony are into each other. Really, I am. You guys actually make a cute couple.” She looks down at the floor, fidgeting with her pajamas before looking back up at me. “But be careful. Someone could get really hurt here. You know that, right?”
The worry in Cassie’s eyes is touching. In my heart, I don’t know if I’m lying to her or not as I answer, “I appreciate that. But we agreed that we’re both going to just go and give it our all tomorrow. Only one of us can win, and I accept that.”
“Okay,” Cassie says, swallowing but giving me a smile. “See you in the morning.”
If only getting to sleep were that easy. It’s hours before I can even close my eyes.
The sun greets me the next morning as I wake up, anxiety tearing at my stomach. I look over at Cassie, who’s also up, and we exchange silent glances. There’s no need for words. Shit or get off the pot, as my grandpa used to say.
“Ready?” I ask Cassie, and my phone rings. Myra. “Fuck, I can’t talk to her right now,” I say, shutting it off. “You ready?”
Cassie comes up and hugs me, and I hug her back. “Now I’m ready.”
Breakfast is like a library. Everybody’s quiet. The stakes are too high for us to disguise it with normal chit chat, and if they’re at all like me, they’re regretful that this is ending. Tony gives me a smile, but it’s not enough to tame my nerves. When we’re finished, Alani leads us toward the bath house, turning toward the ocean just before we reach the mountain. We emerge to see . . . “Oh, shit.”
“Good morning, teams,” Wes says. “Today, we're doing a challenge that is going to be so much fun, admittedly maybe more so for me to watch, but nonetheless. And also, I’ve decided there will be one more challenge after this. Though that one will only be for Hannah and Tony.”
“Just when we think we have the answers, he changes the questions,” Caleb mutters, but Wes ignores him, continuing.
“The staff and I have constructed a bit of an obstacle course, and both members of the team have to cross to win. You will start, run to the slide, up the stairs to the top, down the next slide, then run the tires, where you must step at least one foot in each.”
I look at the zigzag of tires worriedly, but Tony chuckles. “I remember those. Guess those two-a-days for football were useful.”
“Continuing to over/under bars,” Wes says, walking us through the course. “You can over or under but you have to alternate, so start strategically. You next belly crawl under the rope netting, and yes, the mud’s sort of clean. Next, you have to hop post to post. If you touch down, start over. And then run for the finish line.”
It’s intimidating. Some of the post jumps look insane, but the guys look confident. “Hey, Cassie,” Caleb jokes, “I think that post might just be big enough to satisfy you.”
“You mean big enough to shut that mouth of yours,” Cassie says, and I have to smile. It helps break the tension. Still, I need this win. I need to get the edge going into whatever this final game is.
“Hey, Hannah?” Tony says, and when I look over, I see him smiling. “You sure your big booty can fit through those bars?”
“Big booty ho!” Mo Mo squawks, and Tony can’t help it, he starts snickering. I have to laugh too. I know exactly why Tony chose the words he did, and I shake my head.
“Just make sure to get on your knees when you have to kiss it after we win!” I tease, blushing as I think of what happened just last night. We get ready, lining up at the start line, and with a clap of Wes’s hands, we start.
The first few obstacles are no problem, although the guys are so much more aggressive it’s hard to watch. Tony, in particular, nearly breaks the slide as he takes a flying leap from the top, his ass and lower back cracking into the slid
e about three quarters of the way down, making me wince a little. The guys gain ground on the tires too. They’ve done this before in football and such, while Cassie and I have to make sure we don’t get caught in the rims.
We don’t stand a chance. I know it, and they know it. But we continue on anyway. I’m not just going to give up.
“Come on, we need this!” I yell to Cassie, helping her up and over the last bar. Tony stops and looks back, and I see something in his eyes before he dives under the net. When he gets up, he slips and falls, allowing us to close the gap a little.
“Push!” Cassie grunts as we get out, seeing the final obstacle, the jumping posts. Tony and Caleb are more than halfway across, and Caleb takes another big hop, landing on one foot before stretching out and jumping again, clearing the last two logs in the air to land surefooted and make a last dash for the finish line.
“Tony, go!” Caleb yells, but his timing is just a fraction off. Tony stumbles and falls off the log he’s aiming for. He walks back to the beginning of the obstacle, and his eyes meet mine again. He starts up the logs while Cassie and I start our own, working together to balance each other as we step from log to log. Tony is jumping, skipping logs, and is nearly at the end when he falls again, having to start over. Caleb screams in frustration, but Tony seems calm as he starts back, and as Cassie and I finish, he’s actually behind us.
“Go, go, GO!” I yell to Cassie, who takes off as hard as she can. It’s close, and I’ve never run harder in my life, but we cross the finish line just ahead of Tony, who doesn’t look as dejected as he should be for losing.
Caleb, on the other hand, doesn’t look pleased. “What the hell, man? You’re a former athlete. Coordination is supposed to be your thing.”
“I fucked up. I was too winded,” Tony says, clapping Caleb on the shoulder. Wesley gives Tony a sly look and Tony looks away. Cassie jumps up and down, hugging me, not believing we pulled it off. Her joy is infectious and I find myself smiling back at her when the guys give us a high-five, Tony saying, and Caleb grumbling, their congratulations.
“Hmmm, it was fun to watch. Perhaps not in the ways I expected, but you all showed great heart today. I’ll see you in the main room at three o’clock,” he says quietly. “Congratulations.”
He leaves, and I look at Tony, who’s still red-faced. He gives me a small, chagrined smile, and I shake my head. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Shouldn’t have done what?” Tony asks.
I cross my arms, raising an eyebrow. “Winning is good, but sometimes, you lose when you win. I guess some of Wesley’s voodoo shit is soaking in.” I step closer, looking in his eyes. “I don’t want to win like that. Got it?”
Tony smiles, nodding. “Got it.”
Chapter 21
Tony
“Now for the final challenge,” Wesley announces as the four of us gather. “I want you to complete it by tonight and turn it in to me before the night's end.”
Regardless of the victory in the obstacle course, I know that if I take this, then I’ll win. Wesley says it’s the most important of all the ‘challenges’.
I don’t really know what the hell I was thinking, letting her win the last one. Caleb’s still a little annoyed since it was one he knows we should’ve won. And I think he at least suspects I didn’t give it my all.
I look over at Hannah, who’s biting her lip and trying to hide her nervousness.
She knew I boned it on purpose. I guess it was the look I had in my eyes. Wesley looks between the both of us, his expression grave. He suspects what I did too, I can tell, but so far, he hasn't said anything. I guess he figures if I want to give up, that’s my prerogative.
“The final challenge . . . is an essay. You have both been here for quite a few days and have learned a lot. I want you to tell me what you have learned during your stay and why you should be the winner. You can say anything you want, as long as it's from the heart and honest. Don't share it with anyone, seal it in the envelope, and I'll announce the winner tomorrow.”
“An essay?” Cassie gawks.
Wesley nods. “This is for Tony and Hannah only. I want their thoughts and their feelings. If you would please give them their privacy.”
“Come on, Cassie,” Caleb mutters, walking away. “Let’s go.”
Cassie lingers for a moment before walking over and giving Hannah a hug, whispering something in her ear. They kiss each other on the cheek and my heart warms at their friendship as she slips away. I don’t miss the fear in her eyes at what's to come, and I feel the weight on my shoulders increase. Cassie’s under the same guillotine that Hannah is, I’m sure of it. And I like the petite firecracker too, even if she is a pain in the ass.
Wesley sighs when everyone’s gone. “You can use the desks over by the windows to write. You’ll find pens, papers . . . everything you need. But you absolutely can’t communicate with each other. Your words will be yours and yours alone.” He gives us a stern look to drive his point home. Now if you’ll excuse me, Mo Mo and I will give you some space.”
Wesley crosses the room, settling down on one of the mats, crossing his legs in a lotus position before picking up a book. I have no doubt I don’t even want to know what it is.
Hannah looks at me, her eyes filled with anxiety. “Are you ready?”
I look across the room, where there are two sets of writing tablets, and nod. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
We walk over, but neither of us can sit down yet. I look out the window and see the mango trees, and my mind fills with the images of last night. I keep looking, and I can see the beach through the trees, and the rock where I first kissed her, and the path that leads to the village, and the clearing where I took her last night. I look, and I think . . .
It’s a long time before I look down at the blank piece of paper. My thoughts are like dust on the wind. Every time I try to focus, they scatter, fleeting and swirling so that I can’t concentrate. I glance back over my shoulder at Hannah. Surprisingly, she’s already writing furiously.
I stare at her for a while, seeing the intense concentration on her face. Finally, I sigh and sit down. I know what I’m about to do would infuriate a few people. They’re depending on me. And I’ve worked hard to come to this spot. But I place pen to paper and begin to write my first line.
Dear Wes, this might not be what you thought . . .
Hannah
I scribble on the piece of paper, biting on a strand of my hair. My hand aches, the barrel of the pen biting into the inside of my finger, but I seem taken over by a demon that’s animating my hand.
. . . so when I came to your estate, I thought you were more or less mental. More than mental, I thought you were batshit insane. But over these days, I’ve learned something during all your madness. So I guess you’re not totally crazy, or if you are, you’re crazy like a fox.
The simple fact is that I love it here. There is a tranquility, even amongst the chaos of events. I poured myself into each and every one, and yet I found myself also letting go of the anger and angst in between. I found that a man whom I once threw a glass of punch on at my best friend’s wedding and thought he was just an arrogant, immature player . . . he’s much more than that.
I will walk away from here tomorrow with two wishes in my heart. The first is that I could come back here again some day. This place is magical, and I have never felt happier than I did last night with Tony.
My other wish is that I never, ever see this property again. Because I need to win, my job, and more importantly, Cassie’s job, depends on it. But if you declare me the winner, that could break Tony’s heart. My winning means that I have to take from him. And that means that no matter what . . . this place would be a place of pain and hurt to me. I don’t know how I could come back to that.
Maybe that’s the wisdom of all this competition that you’ve been trying to have us learn. That with every win comes a price, and with every loss a price as well. I don’t know. What I do know is that tomorrow
, I’m going to cry, regardless of what happens. So I take back what I said above. I would come back here. Maybe there is magic in these islands, or at least magic in this specific place. If there is, then there’s hope that the feelings I have for Tony will lead us to happiness and that I can live here for the rest of my life, protecting and caring for this land, for the wonderful people who live here, and loving them as much as they’ve opened their hearts and loved me.
I’m sure you’re interested in what my company would do if we get this contract. I can tell you that my bosses have promised me that they will respect and care for the land as best they can, to do their best to give as much back to the people as they will give to us . . .
I write my heart out. I even tell him that I both like and hate his fucking parrot. When it’s all done, I have to use my left hand to unclench my right from the pen, and the moon is high in the sky.
I turn, looking around, and see Tony sitting in the doorway, just looking at me. He has his envelope in his hand, and when he sees that I’m done, he stands up, walking across the room and squatting down. “All done?”
“I think so,” I answer, taking the sheets and folding them before sliding them into the envelope. “I’d better be. I’m not sure I can fit another piece of paper in here.”
Tony chuckles, watching as I fold over the flap and sign the front with a flourish. “So what do you think?” he asks.
I’m shaking as I look at him, trying to form my answer. I don’t know why. I’m sure he said the reasons he deserved the place too. He said so himself. I can’t kill myself over it. Finally, I swallow the lump in my throat and answer. “It's all been such a crazy whirlwind. I wish we could both win.”
We stand up, handing the envelopes to Wesley, who gives us a small nod, saying nothing as we leave. We walk back down to the beach, where the moon is reflected on the water, and Tony reaches out, taking my hand.
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