by Kim Linwood
Liz
“Hunter!” I barely manage to croak it out before his mouth closes over my clit and a finger slides into me.
No fantasy could’ve prepared me for this.
His broad tongue slicks against my swollen flesh, and his fingers grip my thighs, forcing me to spread for him. I look down and he glances up, his beautiful blue eyes laughing at my shock. Heat pulses into every inch of my body. Wrapping my fingers into his wind tousled hair, I pull him closer.
“Oh, God. Don’t stop. Whatever you do, don’t stop.” My words come out breathlessly, barely formed. When he replies, I can’t even make it out. The vibrations just add to the amazing sensations he’s already giving me and his breath rushing past my clit fires off little electric shocks.
Deep inside, a tidal wave of pleasure pulses through me. It rises and falls, coming back bigger and stronger each time until it fills me to completion.
“Please.” I pull him against me harder, my nails digging into his scalp, but he doesn’t budge. “Hunter!”
Pleasure so sharp it hurts has my muscles tight and my back arched. The hot, wet tip of his tongue flicks over my clit and he drives deep with his fingers.
It’s enough.
I cry out as my thighs lock around his head and I explode into a million pieces with Hunter at the very center of the beautiful destruction.
Noises I barely recognize come out of my throat. The tree digs into my back, but I don’t care. He doesn’t stop, licking, kissing and sucking until I scream out a second time.
As I come down, his attention is so overwhelming it’s almost painful. My hands slowly untangle from his hair. He pulls back, making a show of licking his fingers that makes my cheeks burn, even after all that we’ve already done.
“Stop it.” I push him away playfully.
He falls back with a giant, wet grin on his face. “Do you really mean that?”
I can’t help but grin back. “For now.”
“Just saying. I could go again.”
I try to imagine. “I’m pretty sure that would kill me. What, do you do pushups on that tongue or something?”
He shrugs. “Got to keep it in shape somehow.”
Hunter tugs his shorts back on and stretches out on the grass, an arm crossed over his eyes. I pull my clothes on quickly, wrinkling my nose at the bra and shoving it into my pocket. There’s an ache between my legs that I’m going to be feeling all day, and I love it.
He’s beautiful. Honest-to-God beautiful.
I kneel beside him, gently tracing one of the designs, an intricate pattern of jagged edges and arcing lines that stretches across his side. He’s such a contradiction. Smart but silly. Tough but cultured. He doesn’t fit neatly into any of the boxes I try to put him in. He’s just Hunter. My one time stepbrother, and sometimes friend.
Now my lover.
“The first one I got to piss off my mother’s family.” His arm still covers his face.
“Hm?” My fingers stop, and I put a palm over the tattoo.
“When Dad sent me to England for boarding school, it was only because they demanded it or they’d cut off the money until I was old enough to handle it on my own. Growing up in the States, and then here with an American stepmother, they wanted me to get a proper education. Not my mother—she didn’t care—but her parents. They’re still holding out hope that I’ll be a proper grandson.”
“You can’t be a proper grandson with a tattoo?”
He smirks. “The joke was on me. They didn’t really mind. It didn’t show under a suit, and their posh friends’ daughters were quite impressed. I suppose I could’ve gotten an American flag tattooed on my forehead, but that seemed like overkill.”
“And the rest?” I stroke his colorful shoulder. This was more than a single act of rebellion.
“Vanity, mostly. If I looked tough, I felt tough. Working out and getting the ink was part of my screw-’em-all phase.”
“Did you?” I chew my lip, annoyed that I’m nervous about asking. “Screw them all?”
He lowers his arm. “All would be a logistical nightmare, but enough. Is that a problem? It’s been a while, and I’m tested regularly.”
The practical, straightforward words are a shock even though they shouldn’t be. I knew he hadn’t been some angsty virgin, pining for my love, but thinking of him out there just... fucking other girls. It hurts. “No.”
Hunter props himself up on his elbows. “No, seriously. Don’t lie to me. You can’t tell me you’ve been saving yourself for me all these years. I think I’d have noticed.”
“I said no, okay? Drop it.” I might be lying, but I need time to process what’s happened.
He doesn’t give it to me. “Whatever’s going on with us now has nothing to do with who we’ve fucked.”
“I know that! I’m not seventeen anymore.” I stand up and wipe my hands off on my shorts, turning away.
“Seventeen...” His voice trails off. “New York City?”
My silence is enough to convince him he’s on the right track.
Hunter jumps up and grabs my arm, spinning me around. “Don’t just throw shit like that at me and walk away. Ten years is a long fucking time. If we can’t talk about it, we might as well say ‘thanks for the fuck’ now and call it a day.”
“You think I don’t know that? My ten have been really fucking long,” I yell. “I know you’re super-hot and crazy rich. I know you didn’t save yourself for me and it would be idiotic not to realize women probably throw themselves at you all the time. That doesn’t mean I like to hear about it. Or that it was fun to watch, because I did.” His eyebrows scrunch up in confusion. “I was seventeen, and my life was turning to shit, and remembering you and this place was all I had to hold onto. You didn’t wait for me, but I waited for you.”
“Liz—”
“No, you asked for it. You get to hear it. I know it wasn’t smart. I’m not a kid anymore. I even knew back then, but in my dreams you would walk back into my life, and it would be good again. You’d make it all better, and we’d... gah,” I throw up my arms. “I don’t even know. It was supposed to be romantic and perfect and a million things it was never going to be. But then you showed up with her.”
Hunter snorts. I can see he’s trying not to laugh, but he is. “Nina?”
“Nina,” I growl.
“Nina is Danny’s cousin. We dated for like, thirty seconds.”
“Yeah, well. Too bad I was there for a couple of them.”
He tugs me over to Giant Bob and crouches down. Brushing away dirt and leaves, some old scratches come into view. “Liz, I was barely nineteen and an idiot. That was probably a month before I got my first tattoo. The last thing I wanted was to look like a loser in front of you.”
I blink my burning eyes and sniff. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” He lets go of my arm, and smooths a hand over my cheek. “Do you remember carving these?”
It’s our initials, after all these years. The tree didn’t forget, and neither did I. “Of course.”
“I would’ve loved to be your first. Fuck, just thinking about it makes me want to go kick whoever’s ass it was, but honestly? It would’ve been a giant fucking mess. You probably would’ve hated me after a week and I would’ve screwed it up royally. At least now we might stand a chance.”
Clear blue eyes meet my own fake green ones. He’s an open book, and I’m still an imposter. I know I can’t go through with anything that would hurt him, but I don’t know how to get out of this mess without that happening.
My heart never stood a chance.
Hunter
Leis? I’m supposed to give them fucking leis?
They are aware this isn’t Hawaii, right?
The remaining six women stand on the beach in a half circle, with Blaze and me opposite them. Surrounding us are large tiki torches planted in the sand, holding the tropical night at a distance. At least they skipped the hula dancers.
I pull at the collar of my neatly pressed, white
dress shirt, uncomfortable. Both because of the over-starched collar and because this is the last big elimination, the choice is entirely up to me.
Blaze steps forward. “Ladies, our weeks together have been decadent, exciting and romantic. You’ve all had your chance to make an impression on our bachelor. Some more than others,” he adds with a wink. “But this isn’t about rowing, or wrestling, or diving. It’s about love. Tonight we’ll find out who has managed to catch Hunter’s eye, and who will be leaving us.”
Yeah, for the first time, I’m going to be the bad guy.
Elena glares at me, making no attempt to hide her animosity. She’s been a camera favorite, but I’ve avoided her like the plague. I don’t think anybody expects me to choose her. Even Elena.
Liz is staying. Obviously.
The others I’m less sure about. Amanda and Megan are fun and harmless. It won’t hurt to keep them around. That leaves Bianca and Meredith. Neither have stood out, but Bianca was the only other contestant that dared the dive. I guess that gets her a point.
“Before we get started, there’s one more chance for a lucky lady to stay with us.” Blaze smiles at the assistant that comes out with a glass bowl full of tags. She holds it up for him. “Each one of these has the name of one of our contestants written on it. The name I draw tonight will receive the first lei from Hunter. So if you’re unsure about your chances, you’d better pray your name comes up.”
The low, steady sound of drums plays from a recording in the background. It’s a close call, but I manage to not roll my eyes. This is just getting hokier and hokier.
Blaze makes a big show of closing his eyes and twirling around twice, as if that’s going to do anything. His assistant points him in the right direction while all the girls watch nervously. Megan grabs Amanda’s hand and squeezes it. Bianca and Liz exchange glances and small smiles.
It doesn’t really matter who wins the immunity. I have my preferences, but Liz stays either way. This setup still feels pretty shitty, though.
Blaze plucks a tag out between his thumb and forefinger. He palms it, looking at each girl in turn. “One of you will be breathing easy in a moment. Can you read the name, Hunter?” Holding up the tag, he rotates it so I can see the name.
I pluck it from his fingers, eager to get this over with as fast as fucking possible. “Amanda.” My fingers trace the rough edge of the paper as I slip it into my pocket.
She puts a hand to her chest and her eyes go wide, like she’s winning a beauty pageant. Giving Megan a little hug, she leaves the other women behind and floats forward until she’s right in front of me, looking up expectantly. I do my duty, picking a lei up from the table and draping it over her head.
Unexpectedly, she throws her arms around me and kisses my cheek. “Oh, thank God. I was more nervous than a cat judging a dog show!”
She clings to me while I pat her back awkwardly.
“Well, it looks like someone is excited to stay! Save it for later, sweetie. You’ll get your chance.” Blaze says to a giggling Amanda. Turning to me, he claps me on the shoulder. “I know this isn’t an easy decision, but let your heart lead the way and you’ll never go wrong.”
I grimace. “Thanks, Hallmark... I mean Blaze.”
He laughs, but his eyes shoot daggers.
First Bianca. She looks shocked to be chosen, but recovers quickly, her face splitting into a pretty smile as she joins Amanda by the table. Megan too seems surprised when I offer her one of the remaining two leis.
Liz watches me closely. Her fingers play with her skirt, nervously working at a seam. She’s going to take it apart if she doesn’t stop worrying at it, and while the idea of her skirt coming off isn’t an unpleasant one, her timing could be better.
Is she worried? She shouldn’t be. She has to know I’m not letting her slip through my fingers yet. As tempting as it is to tease her a bit, I let her off the hook.
“And Sarah,” I announce.
From the sound of it, she’s been holding her breath. Her beautiful eyes connect with mine, and her face opens in a relieved smile. She steps forward, leaving Meredith and Elena behind, looking dejected and disdainful, respectively. Neither looks shocked, or surprised, but the reality of being rejected still sucks. The eliminations are my least favorite part of this circus.
Other than Blaze.
I place the flowers carefully around Liz’s neck, leaning down to kiss her cheek. Her skin is hot against my lips, and I want to take it to the next level, but while I’m sure the cameramen would be more than happy to film us fucking on the beach, that’s not going to happen. I didn’t kiss Bianca or Megan, but I’m not letting Amanda steal the whole show.
“I just got lei’ed on national TV,” Liz whispers.
A laugh bursts out before I can stop it. “Was it a good lei?”
“You’ve done better.”
Liz
“Someone’s going to catch us one of these nights.” I’m stretched out on the blanket Hunter brought, staring up at the stars. It’s the third night this week we’ve met on the roof like teenagers sneaking away from their parents.
“If you keep screaming like that, yeah.”
He rolls over on top of me, blotting out the sky. My lips part, and for a while I get lost in my study of his amazing body. Hardly any of us are left, and the next big challenge is coming up. I hate to think about it, but I don’t have forever to spend here. I don’t want to waste a single second.
Hunter groans. “Fuck, we’ve gotta stop or I won’t get any sleep tonight.”
“Again,” I point out with a laugh. “And I wouldn’t scream so much if you weren’t so good at it.”
“Is that a complaint?”
“Hell no. Totally worth it.”
“Even if they find out and send you home?” He leans on his side, propped up on one elbow. The moon is behind him, illuminating his skin but casting his face in shadow.
I think about it. “Even if.”
I put so much at risk coming here, and nothing has changed, but even if I went home tomorrow, I can’t make myself regret anything but the wasted days before I told Hunter who I am.
“I’m tempted to go to Dad and tell him to pack everything up and fuck off. You could stay here and we wouldn’t have to screw on the roof.”
“But we still would, right?”
He kisses me, hard and fast. “Yeah, but not only the roof.”
“I can’t stay,” I whisper. “I have a life to get back to. A job that won’t wait forever.”
“A good one?”
“Not really...”
“Then why not? If you feel that strongly about dental hygiene there are dentists here, you know.” Hunter flashes a quick grin.
I roll my eyes and start putting my clothes back on. “It’s not just the job. Mom needs help, and we can’t all live on perpetual vacation.”
“Is that what you think I do?” There’s an undertone of hurt to his annoyed question. “For fuck’s sake, Liz.”
“Isn’t it?” I hold up my hands as he glares at me. “Sorry, but if I had tons of money and a tropical island it’s what I’d do.”
“Because that’s what your mother did?”
His nasty barb slices right through the cozy bubble I’ve been living in since our skydive. He always hated my mother. It shouldn’t surprise me he still does. I can’t even blame him. She’s never been the motherly type. She loves me, but she’s too self-centered to look beyond herself most of the time.
With Hunter she never bothered at all.
Time to change the subject. “So why don’t you just send everyone home?”
He licks his lips and pulls his shorts back on. They hang low over his narrow hips, well-defined muscles dipping below his belt. “You’ve been gone too long. What do you think people do around here? Not everyone is a millionaire.”
“Uh...”
“This show isn’t just about me. There’s a lot riding on this. Jobs at Dad’s network and having a whole TV crew to take care of
, plus putting up all the girls who get voted off is a big deal if you aren’t one of the big name resorts. I know this isn’t exactly a war-torn wasteland, but it’s full of haves and have-nots. I do what I can to lend a hand to those who need it. Hell, half the people I hire I don’t really need, but for some people, what seems like a small thing can be a big deal. I’m not going to pull the plug on the show just because it’s annoying.” He shrugs. “Besides, it’s almost over.”
I stand there, stunned. “Is that what Amanda meant about your charity work?”
“I don’t know. Maybe? It’s not like I run around shouting about it, but I do a lot of work sponsoring young people to get their taxi licenses or whatever they want to do.” Hunter runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Why are we arguing, again?”
Stepping forward, I slide my arms around his waist and rest my head against his chest. His scent, now familiar, fills me up, and I close my eyes. “Because I’m a bitch?”
“No, you’re not.” His voice softens, and he nuzzles my ear. “You were fifteen when you left. Why would you have thought about any of this?”
“I’m not like my mother.”
“I know.”
Hunter walks me carefully back to my window. I think I see a flash of light in Amanda’s window, but it’s dark and quiet when we sneak by. Probably just a reflection from outside.
He kisses me again before I go in. There are still things I haven’t explained, and things I’ll hopefully never have to.
The thought of going home is like a punch to the gut.
I stare out the window, listening to his footsteps fade as he crosses the roof back to his room. Palms sway in the breeze, so dark they’re almost black. A stretch of beach shines along the coast, nearly white.
Hunter and I are finally able to be honest with each other.
But not completely.
Hunter
Fucking hell, I need to get some sleep.
I groan and roll away from the cruel rays of the sun that burn through my eyelids after another short night. I know I closed the curtains last night. This is the last time I let a morning person bunk in my room.
