HUNTER (The Caine Brothers Book 1) (11 page)

“When does the next shuttle leave? And after we’re done, can we catch a shuttle in town back here to the resort?”

“Next shuttle leaves in just a few minutes—it’s outside now—and yes, the shuttle arrives in town every fifteen minutes or so through the afternoon, so you can catch it back here.”

“Thanks, Josh,” Hunter said.

“Happy to help,” Josh said, continuing his goofy smile.

Hunter gave him a ‘wtf is wrong with you’ look, then turned and headed across the lobby toward the door.

“Just let me know if you need anything else, Mrs. McDowell,” Josh said.

Allison had been about to follow Hunter. “Um. Okay. Thanks.”

Hunter turned around at the door just in time to see Josh wink at Allison. She blushed furiously. Waving a vague hand at Josh, she hurried to meet Hunter.

“What the hell was that all about?”

“Nothing, really.”

“That wink and grin weren’t nothing.” His voice hinted that he didn’t like another man flirting with her, which caused a stupid flutter in her belly. She didn’t need Hunter to be possessive when they’d just go back to business as usual after this weekend.

“Fine. You know those condoms we’ve been going through like crazy?”

He made a face that said he didn’t understand the connection. “Yeah?”

“I got them from Josh.”

Hunter’s brows shot up. “You asked Josh for condoms?”

She made a sour face. “They’re not his personal stash. At least I don’t think so. God, I hope not. That would be weird.”

Hunter snorted. “I doubt that guy’s got that much game.”

They walked out to the portico where the shuttle was parked.

“Never say never,” Allison said. “Anyway, he said if we needed anything to ask the concierge. He was at the desk when I needed condoms. So I asked.”

“Well, it is a couple’s resort. I suppose it makes sense they’d have all the things couples would need.”

They climbed onto the shuttle and found seats. “They probably have a whole closet full of the things.” She giggled at the idea.

In town they hired a car and found the place to zipline. It was a long, bumpy ride down a rutted road, and halfway there Allison felt like they were in the middle of a thriller where the characters drive into the middle of a nest of drug runners in the deep, dark jungle.

But they finally pulled into a parking lot with a good number of cars in it, and a respectable looking business. Inside, the place was professional and organized. They chose the zipline-only tour, but could have picked and chosen between a 5k hike, a tram tour, a sky-bridge walk, and ziplining. After they paid the fee, they were given directions and instructions to follow.

The actual zipline location required another short shuttle ride, along with other excited people anticipating a fun tour through the jungle canopy.

Once they arrived, everyone piled out of the shuttle and were given a helmet and gloves, and directed by a guide as part of a small group into a cable tram that took them up to the zipline launch point.

The trip up was slow enough to watch the tropical birds flitting through the forest canopy, and catch peeks of the sun glinting off the ocean in the distance.

The tram dropped them at a large-ish wooden platform that circled an enormous tree. They were met by a guide who explained the seven-line tour through the canopy, described safety and stopping procedures, then started getting everyone into harnesses.

They were up really, really high. Allison wasn’t generally freaked out by heights, but standing on a wooden platform near the top of a huge-ass tree in a tropical jungle—one where she couldn’t even see the ground—was both intimidating, and amazing.

Hunter, of course, ate it up.

“This is such a rush,” he said. The excitement in his eyes was like a little kid about to ride his bike downhill and jump from a homemade ramp into who knew what. It was pure glee.

Once they were all ready to go, Hunter volunteered to go first. Allison was learning that despite his buttoned down CEO image, inside he was an adrenaline junkie. It made sense since he got a thrill from making business deals that he’d seek out that kind of thrill in his off time. Problem was, she didn’t think he took a lot of off time.

After Hunter launched off the platform into the jungle air, Allison stepped up next. No way she’d let him best her, and no way she’d let the rest of the people get between them. She may not need as much adrenaline as Hunter, but she was just as competitive.

Hunter’s hoots echoed through the jungle canopy as Allison stepped off the platform to follow him.

The speed and momentum, coupled with the wind whistling past her face, the jungle mist whipping by, and the sheer distance from the ground, ripped a long, high-pitched scream from her throat, too.

It had to be what birds felt like coasting on updrafts, or diving for prey.

She’d never skydived or bungee-jumped, but after this, she might have to try.

When she saw the platform approach at the other end of the line, she followed the directions she’d been given for slowing down and stopping and mostly succeeded, but ended up plowing into Hunter. He wrapped his arms around her as she fell into them, laughing the whole time.

“That was amazing,” she said.

“It was. And we have six more to go.”

He hugged her, then set her on her feet, and headed for the next line.

They spent the rest of the afternoon sailing through the forest like flying squirrels, from one cable to the next, crossing over a raging river, a cascading waterfall, and through a pack of squawking monkeys. It was easily the most fun she could ever remember having on a vacation.

Even though this was technically a business trip.

She pushed that thought away when it popped up.

She already knew she’d recommend Hunter purchase the resort. The potential was enormous. Although, she suspected from the giant grin on his face when they met at every platform, he’d already made up his mind, too.

By the time they got back to town, night was falling close on the heels of evening. Allison was exhausted and starving. They found a local cantina still open and ordered a simple dinner of tacos and beer. It was fabulous.

“I need to get out of the office more,” Hunter said as they headed for the shuttle after dinner.

Allison chuckled. “Yeah. You loosen up nicely.”

His brows came together. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not as uptight outside the office.”

“You think I’m uptight?”

Uh-oh. Apparently he took offense at being called uptight. Maybe she’d hit too close to the mark and hurt his feelings.

“I just meant everyone needs to relax every now and then, and you practically live and breathe your business. It makes sense you’d need some time to unwind every now and then.”

He gave her a sour look that implied she’d managed a partial save, but he knew she was trying to cover her gaffe. Too bad. He
was
uptight at work and needed to loosen up overall.

Back at the hotel, they piled out of the shuttle and into the lobby. Allison’s adrenaline buzz had mostly worn off and all she wanted to top off the day was a nice warm shower and cozy bed. Maybe some snuggling and slow, sweet sex with Hunter. It was their last night and she wanted one last taste of him before they had to go back to real life.

All the way back to the hotel, Hunter stewed about Allison had said. He’d never thought of himself as uptight. Driven? Determined? Focused? Yes. Uptight? Hell, no.

Aside from her comment, the day had been awesome. For the first time in a long time he didn’t want to go back to the office. He wanted to stay and explore, have more adventures.

That was enough to tell him he wanted to own the place, if for no other reason than he’d have an excuse to come back as often as he wanted to oversee renovations and overhauling the resort’s branding.

Both of them were tired and sated after dinner, and hadn’t talked much on the trip back. But it was a comfortable quiet. In the elevator they stood close. He felt her heat, smelled the sweat of the fun they’d had. He liked being with her more than he thought he would.

Maybe Allison had a point. He wouldn’t define his office behavior as uptight, but maybe he was wound pretty tight. After just a couple of days at the resort, he felt fresh and inspired to return to Houston and get more done.

They walked to their room and it occurred to Hunter that their time was almost done.

He wasn’t sure he wanted it to be over, though. They’d made a deal with a limited duration, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t make another deal. A rider to the last one.

He’d changed the terms of deals countless times before. Why not this one too?

Allison sauntered into the bedroom, kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto her back on the bed. He really liked her in that position. He could get used to having her flopped onto his bed.

“I might be too tired to even take a shower,” Allison said.

“Shower can wait,” he said, stretching out next to her.

Regardless of whether he managed to negotiate extended terms, he wanted to take full advantage of the existing agreement. He didn’t want to acknowledge that he wasn’t sure how they’d make something work back in Houston. He couldn’t very well date his personal assistant. Not only would that be a massive cliché, but he had a rule about not dating employees. It only made working relationships uncomfortable, at best. This weekend would make it difficult enough.

Still, he couldn’t get enough of her and didn’t want to let her go.

She was perfect laid out on the bed in her t-shirt and shorts, her hair in a messy braid, all dirty and exhausted. He brushed a wisp of hair from her face, and leaned in to kiss her.

She still tasted like the beer they’d had at dinner.

He deepened the kiss, and she wrapped her arm around his neck, pushing him over and climbing on top of him. His cock liked that idea a lot, and stood to attention.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice husky and sexy as hell. “Shower can wait.”

She sat up and peeled her shirt over her head, followed by unhooking and flinging her bra across the room.

“Fuck, yeah,” he said.

He reached up and hefted her breasts in his palms, loving the weight of them and the perfect fit. Rubbing the nipples with his thumbs made them hard, and drew a whimpering sigh from Allison. She ground her hips on him and his cock throbbed to be inside her.

She slid her hands up under his shirt, grabbing handfuls of it and tearing it over his head. As she took the time to look at him, her pupils dilated and she licked her lips.

“Jesus, Hunter. I can’t touch you enough.” She said it like an addict admitting they’d never heal, like being owned by the addiction.

He was forced to release her breasts when she stripped his shirt off, but when he reached for them again, she pushed his hands up onto the bed over his head.

“I want to touch you,” he growled.

“No. It’s my turn to touch you. Keep your hands up there.”

“What if I don’t?”

“Don’t make me tie you,” she said, waggling her brows.

His cock kicked into overdrive at the thought. God, the things they still had left to explore. No way he’d give her up tomorrow.

Her hands explored his skin, caressing his chest, flicking his nipples making him jerk and moan at her touch. She traced the trail of hair from his chest to the top of his shorts, then climbed off him long enough to slide his shorts off and drop them to the floor, followed deftly by his briefs. Now unconstrained, his cock stood up for her. He wanted her badly. So badly it hurt. He hadn’t been so fucking hard for a woman in ages. And he was under no illusions that he was hard for the sex. He was hard for Allison. Rock fucking hard for Allison.

“Get your fucking clothes off and get on me,” he said. His voice came out as a strained snarl. He tried to do as she said and keep still for her, so she could do as she pleased to him, but holy shit, he was on his last shred of self control.

On the other hand, the anticipation of forced waiting, just laying there paused, watching her, waiting for her to do something, anything; thinking about how fucking good it would feel when she did touch him, when she finally let him inside her, made his balls ache with pleasure. The longer he waited, the better the ache and the harder his cock became. He’d never come just from anticipation before, but the more she mind-fucked him with waiting, the closer he was to coming without even being touched.

“Be patient,” she said, echoing his command from this morning. Her voice was a sweet tease. Her gaze held his as she unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts, then let them slide down her long legs to the floor. She wore a tiny blue thong, hardly worth the effort to put on. It came off far too slowly. Watching it fall made his cock twitch.

“Can’t,” he said.

“You don’t have a choice.”

She sauntered—strolled really—over to the nightstand. Hunter watched her every step, the graceful way her body moved, the way her breasts bounced and her hips rolled. He ground his teeth to control his need.

When she bent to open the drawer, she showed him her ass, and her pussy—the exact place he wanted to bury himself.