Provocative Paradise: A Secret Stranger Romance Read online

  I ordered a tall glass of the strong rum punch and set my phone and glass on a small table next to a padded lounge chair, and then lay down to look at the stars. The night was very dark, and the moon was low in the sky. The moon was just a sliver and would be full by our last night here. Even with the lights, the sky looked like the inside of a planetarium, and the ocean waves lulled me into relaxation. The air smelled like flowers, and the rum was relaxing me. I was really, really glad I’d come.

  Unfortunately, my mind couldn’t help it and started wandering. What was I going to do about the job? I loved advertising, and was damn good at it. Well, until recently. I could maybe see if Sandra would take me back after the trip. Or, even call Neil Dasani at Apex Advertising and see if maybe he was looking for an account exec.

  No matter what, I knew I had saleable skills. Maybe I could go freelance. Some of those online websites pay very well for advertising copy. But, could I make enough to live on?

  My money wouldn’t last forever, and I knew I’d have to hit the ground running when I got back home. Despite my intent to stay calm about the whole thing, I couldn’t help feeling nervous. It was insane to think I’d quit my job and then gone off to the Bahamas for three weeks.

  Unfortunately, or fortunately, my thoughts were interrupted by the two blondes from the bar. They were walking by the pool, and were so drunk that I was half afraid one of them might fall in. They were cackling in laughter about something, and I didn’t care enough to listen. I did, however, look to see if Angry Hot Guy was with them. He was not, and for some reason that made me glad.

  “Oh my god, Kayla. Look at that girl over there on the chair.”

  Are they talking about me?

  “Is she, like, passed out? Alone on a chair at a party?” The one named Kayla wasn’t even trying to whisper or make it so that I couldn’t hear her.

  “Girls like her are always alone, Kayla. She probably came on this retreat with a big fat romance novel so she could lose some weight and get a hot guy.” They then both laughed as they turned the corner and walked away.

  Despite my confidence, that stung. I had been terribly overweight as a child and teenager. My kickboxing classes helped me drop the weight. But once you’re bullied for your weight, it never really goes away.

  I’m not even overweight. Sure, there were an extra 7 or 8 pounds from stress eating, but I was still within the range for my height. Some girls are just bitches. Everyone at the office said they loved my curves.

  I took a long sip of the rum drink and tried to recapture my mental peace, but it was gone. Might as well just go back up to the room and get some sleep. Julie and I were scheduled to go on a cave hike tomorrow and I wanted to be rested. I bet those Mean Girls won’t be there. They’ll be too hungover.

  I grabbed my phone and what was left of the drink and stood up from the chair. The next thing I knew, I was smacking right into someone. The force was so hard that it knocked me back down on the chair, and the drink sloshed on me.

  “Oh my god, are you alright?” It was Angry Hot Guy.

  “I’m fine.” Actually, you’re fine. How could he be even hotter up close?

  Trying to help me up, he said, “You’re fine?”

  “Yes.” I got to my feet and realized two things. One, the rum drink was really strong and had gone to my head. And two, I was dangerously close to him. He smelled like alcohol and... was that pumpkin pie spice? “See? I’m fine.”

  “Okay. If you’re fine, then.” He stumbled off a bit, and then turned back to me and said, “Just so you know, I think you’re fine too.” He then walked back into the Main House, toward the bar.

  I felt a rush of pleasure hearing that. Well, well, well. Angry Hot Guy was flirting with me. Take that, Mean Girls.

  ***

  The whole interaction with Angry Hot Guy made me feel a little rebellious and I decided not to go back up to the room. Instead, one rum punch had turned into three. The punch was good. And strong! The food was good, too. There were these kale wrap things that were like egg rolls but healthy, and I had like six of them. There had been a few other kinds of foods, but everyone seemed to pounce on the servers as soon as they came out from the kitchen.

  An overly enthusiastic woman named Lauren had been giving away raffle prizes all evening. I already had a pass at the spa, though, because it was “my birthday.”

  “Hey everyone. It’s me again. Lauren. We are getting ready to give away our last raffle prize of the night. It’s a big one, too. It’s a helicopter ride for two around Paradise Island. A $350 dollar value from our friends at Island Time Flights. Get out the tickets we handed you earlier, okay?”

  I pulled out the blue ticket, and tried to read the numbers through my blurred eyes.

  “The winning ticket number is.... 450...667...3...8!”

  I looked at my ticket and let out a little scream. “It’s me!” Waving the tiny ticket in the air, I wobbled up to Lauren to collect my prize. “I can’t believe I won. I never win anything!”

  This was really cool. My feet were killing me and so I looked around for somewhere to sit and take the cursed heels off, but there was no seating. My lounge chair had been taken and every other seat in the place was occupied.

  Maybe I can find a seat in the bar area.

  I grabbed another kale wrap on my way inside, and rounded the corner to the entrance to the bar. Who did I see over at the far end but Angry Hot Guy?

  Should I go in? Why not? I’ll just go sit down.

  The bar was crowded with partygoers, and the only seat available in the whole place was next to Angry Hot Guy. Taking a deep breath for courage, I walked over and said, “Hey.”

  He turned to answer me, and I felt that same electric shock I’d felt earlier when he bumped into me.

  “Hey.”

  I slid onto the stool, and immediately kicked off the offending shoes. Freedom for my toes!

  He was drinking the same rum punch drink we were all drinking. I really didn’t know what to say to this gorgeous hunk of a man, so I said, “That’s a really good drink.”

  He just looked at me and said, “Yeah.”

  That was lame, Jenny.

  The bartender came over and slid a coaster toward me. “What can I get ya?”

  “I’ll have him.”

  The bartender raised his eyebrows.

  “I mean, I’ll have what he’s having.” Oh my god, Jenny.

  I was afraid to look and see if he’d heard. Slowly turning my head toward him, I could tell by the look on his face that he had, indeed heard.

  He was grinning. “You’ll have me, will you?”

  Chapter Eight Liam: The Cure for Insomnia

  I sure as hell hadn’t expected to see her in the bar. That hot chick from the pool was sitting right next to me, and I was a little embarrassed by my comments to her. It had been a very long time since I’d flirted with anyone, and I had obviously lost my touch.

  As soon as I took a good look at her I realized she was the same girl I’d locked eyes with in the lobby. I was blown away at how different she looked with makeup on. Earlier, when I’d seen her checking in, she looked wholesome and fresh, like the kind of girl you would bring home to meet your parents. But now, she looked more like a model. Or, the hot sexy girl you’d take to bed, and keep her there for three days.

  Helen would say to go for it. What the hell, you’re on vacation... you need to relieve some stress, and this pretty thing might just be the way to do it.

  I’d had enough to drink that I didn’t need to think about it much. “How long have you been here?“ It was a lame question, but it would get her talking.

  “I got in today. My sister Julie and I are here on holiday.” She extended her arm a tiny bit to shake hands, like you do when you’re sitting side by side someone. “I’m Jenny. Jenny Wilson.”

  “Nice to meet you. Liam. Liam Kelley.”

  “Oh, I have a cousin named Liam. We always tease him that he’s going to find us.” She grinned at her
Liam Neeson joke. “What are you doing here?”

  “Trying to stay drunk. What about you?”

  She smiled, revealing perfect white teeth and dimples at the side of her mouth. Picking up her drink she toasted me before saying, “I’m already there, I think.” She then took a big sip and said, “We saw you in the lobby earlier. You were pretty... mad.”

  Oh God. What? “Yeah, there was some trouble with my reservation.“

  “I figured. Did you get it worked out?“

  “I did. They put me in a bungalow far away from everyone else. I guess that’s what happens when you make a scene checking in.” I smiled at her, and she laughed.

  Her laugh was throaty and sexy and I could feel passion rising in my jeans. It was a passion I hadn’t felt in a very, very long time.

  “It must be pretty quiet out there, good for sleeping,” she said as she sipped her rum punch. “I’m hoping these drinks will help me sleep.”

  “Well, to be honest, I haven’t been sleeping well lately, but ever since I got here I’ve been sleeping like a baby. Must be the fresh ocean air. Or the bed.”

  That made me think of what it would be like to be in bed with her, and unless I stopped with those thoughts, I wasn’t going to be able to walk out of the bar. Taking a sip of my drink, I wished it were something a lot stronger than this damn rum drink.

  As if reading my mind, Jimmy walked over and handed me a scotch, just the way I liked it and then flashed his eyebrows at me and smiled before walking away.

  I was feeling kind of bold and so I leaned over to Jenny and said, “You know what always helps me get a good night’s sleep?”

  “What?”

  “Orgasms.” I said, expecting to shock her.

  It worked, a little. But she recovered quickly and said, “Well, only if you do it right.”

  That was all the invitation I needed. I reached my hand over and under the bar grabbed her thigh. Almost imperceptibly she spread her legs a little as if to say it was all right. My body was already beginning to respond, and I was getting really hard.

  She looked straight at me, and the chemistry between us was electric. I hadn’t been expecting this, but I didn’t really care. I was drunk, I was on vacation, and I had my hand on a woman’s thigh for the first time in a longass time.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” My voice sounded husky and weird.

  “I do.”

  We both finished off our drinks quickly and stood to go. Jimmy walked over to clear the glasses and winked at me. “You be good, now.”

  We made our way through the crowded bar, and as soon as we stepped into the fresh air of the hallway, faced each other.

  “My place or yours?”

  “Mine is closer. My sister is sleeping, but we have a suite and I have my own room. Plus, she sleeps like a log.”

  Considering that my bungalow was a ten minute golf cart ride away, her room sounded better.

  “Which way?”

  I followed her up the stairs, and couldn’t help but admire her ass as she walked up. Long, shapely, muscular legs and bare feet, as she held her shoes in her hand. She looks like an athlete, with those legs and that ass.

  The hallway took forever to cross, but we finally got to her room. She was fumbling with the key and I couldn’t wait one more second.

  I touched her shoulder, and when she turned to look up at me, I descended upon her mouth with forceful vengeance. Pressing my body against hers, I backed her against the wall of the hallway next to the door.

  Her passion met mine, as she arched her back, pressing her chest into mine. I savagely explored her mouth, and her hands came up and gripped my hair, pulling me in more deeply. My erection was throbbing, and I had half a mind to pull her panties down and take her right there in the hallway.

  Some people started to come up the stairs, and so I tore myself away from her body. Her blue eyes were dark with passion, and when she turned to put the key in the lock, I faced my body away from the other guests so they couldn’t see my hard on.

  She opened the door, and then turned to face me, and I kissed her again and backed her in the door to her suite. I knew that once I broke the seal to my passion, it would be impossible to contain. But, I was ready. So very ready.

  Chapter Nine Jenny: Shock and Ahhhh

  She better be asleep. That was literally the only thought I had as Liam backed me into the suite. This whole thing was so out of character for me! I had never had a one night stand in my life. But, when he started talking about orgasms in the bar, a little voice inside my head had said, “What the fuck, Jenny. You’re on vacation and a gorgeous man is flirting with you. If you don’t go for it, you will regret this the rest of your life.”

  So, I decided to go for it.

  We were kissing as we came in through the front door of the suite. I couldn’t wait to see his chest. He surely had a six pack. I wonder if he has any tattoos? Oh god, I didn’t know if it was all those rum punches, but I was more turned on than I could ever remember being. His hair was so soft, and he had a few days’ growth of a reddish beard. I want to sit on that face and rub that beard all over me.

  Pulling his shirt off, we were all over each other as we walked backwards to my room. Whispering, I said, “Julie’s room is over there.” I was tugging at his pants button, and rubbing my hand on his sizable erection. Oh, this is going to be good.

  He stopped dead in his tracks, and looked stricken. “Condoms. I don’t have condoms. It’s been... I don’t have any.”

  Julie’s room!

  Whispering still, I said, “I can get some. You go in there. That’s my room. I’ll be right back.”

  After watching his beautiful self go into my room, I tiptoed over to the door of Julie’s room. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I quietly opened the door and could hear Julie snoring. Thank goodness she’d taken the Ambien and was probably wearing her earplugs, and her phone was playing a white noise soundtrack. She was out, and wouldn’t hear a thing.

  Padding softly over to the closet, I closed the door before I turned on the light. Finding the silver bag that Julie had said contained the condoms, I tugged open the zipper.

  To say I was shocked at what I found would be a complete understatement.

  “What the fuck?” I said this in full voice, out loud.

  It was full of prescription drug bottles. There had to be ten of them. There was Ambien, as I would have expected. But there were prescriptions for Vicodin, Percocet, and Oxycontin. Plus, amphetamines.

  “Jesus Christ, Julie. Are you trying to kill yourself?” Underneath all of these were the condoms. What on earth made Julie put them in with all her prescriptions? Maybe she wanted me to find them? Or maybe she never thought I would actually need a condom?

  I stood there for a moment, trying to decide what to do. I wasn’t exactly in the mood for sex anymore and was terrified at how bad Julie’s drug problem really was. On the other hand, I did still have a half naked man in my room, Julie was out for the rest of the night, and it wasn’t exactly like we were going to be staging an intervention tonight...

  A little smile curved to my lips as I grabbed a condom. And then grabbed a handful, just in case Liam was as good in bed as I suspected he was.

  Yeah. The heavy shit could wait until later. I was going for a ride.

  ***

  As my hand was on the door to my bedroom, I had a moment of doubt. It was practically a trope to hook up with a hot bad boy on vacation. Would I regret this later?

  Hell no.

  So, I opened the door to the room... and it was empty. Where was he? Did he change his mind? “Liam?” There was no answer. I checked the bathroom. Nothing. “Hello?”

  My heart sank. He must have left.

  “Out here.” His voice sounded husky as he called to me from the balcony. I was so relieved that he hadn’t left and all the passion I’d felt before came roaring back to life.

  I walked over to the French doors, and he was there. Naked. With a huge erectio
n greeting me at the door.

  Wordlessly, I crossed the patio, and melted into his arms. I was glad for the privacy of the corner suite, as he lifted my shirt over my head and kissed me.

  Expertly he unclasped my bra with one hand, never taking his mouth from mine. His hands pressed my breasts roughly as I kicked off my clothes. The only thing remaining were my panties.

  I was about to pull them off when he stopped me with one hand.

  Pulling the sopping wet garment aside, he plunged two fingers into my wet folds. Rubbing back and forth, the slippery friction felt so good that I threw my head back and moaned. It was so intense that I was afraid I was going to come too quickly. But there was nothing I could do to stop it. My hips were bucking into his hand and I was aware of my nakedness as he stood there fucking me with his fingers.

  The wave of climax started to build, and suddenly he stopped. Liam dropped to his knees, and with my panties still pulled to the side, began to lick me. He squeezed his hand into a fist, and the thin fabric of my panties pulled tight. It felt like a thong rubbing my ass, and the sensation was incredibly erotic.

  With his other hand, he explored me with his fingers, while licking my clit.

  It was too much, standing there in the open, on my balcony, my nipples erect in the breeze, with this man on his knees rubbing and licking me.

  My orgasm began to coil up deep from within. It snaked up, and erupted in a blinding, dizzying explosion of passion.

  My legs buckled, and I started to slide down. Before I could completely collapse, he picked me up and carried me to the bed. Now it was his turn.

  Laying me down gently at the end of the bed, he tugged the soaking wet panties off, and slid the condom on. Instinctively I raised my knees, opening myself for him. Positioning himself between my legs, the length of him slid right in. He was so big, and I felt so full that as he began to stroke back and forth, holding the underside of my thighs, I began to move with him.