The Island, page 5
I shook my head as I capped the bottle of water and put it back in my bag, noticing Dai was shifting restlessly and clearly ready to hit the trail again. He’d have no reason to repeat that offer, because he would catch me. I didn’t doubt he could subdue me if he put his mind to it, and if he did, he wasn’t going to offer another million for something he’d ready paid half a million for the right to claim—the right I had given him by signing the contract and agreeing to play this game.
It was a missed opportunity, and that was probably for the best for my sense of self-worth, but the logical side of me was still annoyed that I passed it up. It would have been far easier than running through the jungle and trying to evade eighteen men who wanted to do things to me that I might or might not enjoy.
I shrugged it off as Dai and I started running again, but skidded to a halt when a dark-haired man broke through the line of trees and crossed in front of us. At first glance, I thought he was the one I’d met last night, but when he got closer, I realized his hair was too light to be the right one, and he was smidge shorter too. Otherwise, there was a startling similarity, and I didn’t doubt he was related to the man who’d propositioned me the night before.
Dai lifted her branch, and I firmed my shoulders as I stood beside her, though the timid mouse inside wanted to cower behind her instead.
Surprisingly, he didn’t advance. He just waved at both of us and tipped his head in either a mockery of a respectable fashion, or as a genuine sign of respect. “Don’t worry, ladies. You aren’t who I’m looking for. Have you seen the short blonde anywhere?”
Dai didn’t lower her branch.
He licked his lips and eyed Dai uneasily. “Seriously, it’s not a trick. You’re both quite beautiful, but you’re not the one I want to catch. I think her name is Kelly?”
I shrugged, and Dai still held her weapon aloft.
She took a step forward threateningly. “I wouldn’t help you find her if I knew where she was. You can just fuck off.”
I wanted to echo her sentiment, but before I could, a hand clamped over my mouth, and an arm around my waist, dragging me backward.
We disappeared through the foliage, and he continued half-carrying, half-dragging me for at least five minutes. I struggled the whole way, but had the strangest sense that I was safe even under the circumstances. I wasn’t really afraid when he finally let go of me, pushing me against a tree as he turned me to face him.
“You,” I said in an accusing fashion, a hint of the anger I felt last night lingering.
“Me,” he said with a crooked grin. “Spencer.”
He was the one who’d promised to catch me, and now that he had me, I was having a tough time finding the downside. His hold on me was firm, keeping me pinned to the tree, but he wasn’t hurting me. I was frozen again, staring helplessly up at him as his head descended. I made no move to turn my head or avoid the kiss when his lips settled on mine a second later.
The kiss put a burst of color into my life. It was like I’d been living in dreary gray before, and could now see all the vibrant colors. There was no better way to describe it as my head spun, my heart raced, and my body flooded with desire while he kissed me with firm intensity. He seemed to be setting out to brand me, and his hard kiss allowed no quarter or escape.
I wasn’t really looking for one though. Instead, I sank against him, allowing the sensations coursing through me to sweep me away. I silenced all the annoying voices in my head, and the one clamoring at the back of my mind trying to tell me something I didn’t want to hear.
Instead, I wrapped my arms around him and threaded my fingers through his hair in an attempt to anchor him against me. He was at least a foot taller than me, so to accommodate the difference in our height, he cupped my buttocks in his hands and lifted me higher, supporting me between the tree and himself. It felt natural to wind my thighs around his waist, and I surrendered to his embrace.
At some point, his mouth drifted from my lips to my neck, and I clutched his shoulders. I’d released my death grip on his hair and just held onto him now, enjoying the solid weight of him pressing me against the tree. The bark was a little uncomfortable through my T-shirt, not terribly so.
One of his hands moved to my breast, cupping and squeezing lightly while his fingers teased my taut nipple. I threw back my head and moaned, blown away by the sensation. It wasn’t the first time a guy felt me up, but it was the first time it ever felt like this—like something I actually enjoyed and wanted more of, rather than something to surrender to in order to please a grabby-handed boyfriend.
His lips tickled my ear as he started whispering against it. “You have no idea how hot it makes to know no one else has ever had you. I’m going to be your first, which soothes the caveman inside me.”
“I’m thrilled for you,” I said in a snarky tone even as I clenched my thighs tighter around him.
“I see the appeal of that side this weekend.” He slid his lips down the column of my throat to nip at the bend of my neck where it met the shoulder before speaking again, this time just a touch louder. “I definitely see the appeal of just taking what I want.”
He was probably whispering so the cameras couldn’t pick up every word, but I thought that was too optimistic of him. They had cameras everywhere and probably a sophisticated sound system that could detect a mouse scurrying a thousand yards away.
I tried to turn my head to look at him, couldn’t quite manage it with the way he held me held against the tree while his mouth played with my collarbone. “What is it that you want exactly, Spencer?”
“Everything you have to give me.” With those words, his hand moved from my breast to my hip, and the other one went lower, moving to the front of my jeans. He cupped my mound, and I pressed against him though I knew I shouldn’t encourage him. “I want this.”
“You haven’t claimed it yet,” I said in a taunting fashion. It was almost like I was challenging him to officially stake his claim. The only way to do that was if he could subdue me long enough to get me to a cottage.
“I think I’d like a taste beforehand.”
My heart skipped a beat at the words, and then it started racing even faster when he unsnapped my jeans and pulled down the zipper to slip his fingers inside. He petted my folds through the cotton underwear for a moment before slipping one finger and then another inside, wiggling his digits under the elastic to finesse his way into the hot skin beneath it.
I was wet and ready for him and couldn’t hold back a small moan when his fingers glided up the length of my slit to circle around my clit. I was trembling against him, and my cream had to be saturating his fingers as he lightly stroked me. I shouldn’t be enjoying it, but I definitely was. I wanted more than anything for him to dispense with teasing touches and just take me.
His fingers gradually increased the intensity, at first alternating between my opening and clit as he slid up and down me in a teasing fashion before finally focusing on the little bundle of nerves that made my thighs clench every time he touched it. He stroked me there, and my orgasm was building. I wanted to come, and even more than that, I wanted him inside me.
It was the realization that I was about to surrender to him, thus losing all chance at the million dollars, that made me stiffen as much as the orgasm. While the waves of pleasure were still rolling over me, my mind was suddenly working again. I knew I couldn’t surrender to him without continuing to fight. He was the only one I wanted to claim me, but it would be better if I could avoid all of them. I certainly shouldn’t surrender to him just yet.
With that in mind, seeing his heavy-lidded look as he withdrew his fingers from my pulsing pussy to bring to his mouth to the clean, I made myself move despite the difficulty of fighting the languorous effect that seemed to weigh down my limbs. I scooted away from him as I brought up my knee and thrust it firmly into his groin.
With a shocked look and a sound a bit like a deflating balloon, he reeled back and collapsed his knees, cradling his balls as he stared up at me in shock.
I was kind of shocked myself, but didn’t freeze that time. I just grabbed the bag that had fallen off at some point, slung the backpack over one shoulder, and started running as I held my pants together. I didn’t stop to zip or snap them for at least five minutes as I ran blindly once more.
Chapter Six
I literally crashed into the short blonde who the other man had identified as Kelly. The name sounded familiar, but I hadn’t been formally introduced to her, since I’d missed the first part of the meet-and-greet party. She hadn’t been in the group that came with me from Bali on the yacht either, though I had deliberately avoided most of those people, because all had been hunters except me. I hadn’t seen her at all since she split off with that other woman at the start of the hunt.
“I’m sorry.” She had a deep, throaty voice.
“I think it was my fault.” I took a moment to make sure my zip and snap were secure, somehow having managed to get them back in place even though I had been rattled a few minutes before.
“Do you want to stick together for a while?”
I nodded eagerly at the question, knowing I’d appreciate having someone at my side. As we started moving, it quickly became obvious she was more proficient at moving through the jungle than I was, but not nearly at Dai’s level. “Do you spend much time outdoors?”
She shrugged. “My daughter likes to go camping, and I used to hunt with my husband before he passed…” She trailed off, and there was a sad look in her eyes for a moment before her expression became more neutral again. “But I’m not really familiar with this kind of terrain. It’s a lot harder than I expected.”
I nodded. “Sure is. It’s almost enough to make me tempted to be caught.” But when I had the chance, I’d reacted instinctively and fled, even though a big part of me wanted to stay with Spencer.
She arched a brow. “I haven’t had that feeling yet. I’m nowhere near ready to let one of these perverts catch me.”
That reminded me, and I put a hand on her arm to get her attention for a moment, so she would stop and turned to me. “One of the guys was specifically hunting you. He’s tall and has light-brown hair and these amazing blue eyes that look like falling into a crystal lake.” I was describing Spencer’s eyes, but his relative shared them. I was certain they had to be brothers or cousins due to the resemblance.
She looked surprised for a moment, and then flushed slightly. “I think I know who’re talking about. He chatted me up a bit last night, but I don’t trust him. I don’t trust any of them.”
“Me neither, which made it hard to come on the show.” That wasn’t entirely true though. When Spencer held me earlier, even as I fought him, I hadn’t been all that afraid before realizing it was him. On the other hand, the first guy who’d attacked me, the one Dai had saved me from, had terrified me and left me with a sick feeling to know that he touched me at all.
“I can say this is the craziest damn thing I’ve ever done, but if I win, it’ll be worth it.”
I nodded. “Same here, though I don’t really think I’m going to make it to the end of the weekend without being claimed.”
Kelly let out a long sigh. “Yeah, me too. Even a hundred thousand dollars is welcome though.” There was a haunted expression on her face as she looked at me for a moment. “It’ll do a lot of good for my daughter.”
I wouldn’t have asked, but she seemed to want to talk about it. “What does your daughter need?”
“I want to take her to China for experimental stem cell therapy.” She didn’t specify for what, but her fear and anguish were obvious. “Insurance doesn’t pay for it, of course, and I just don’t have that kind of money.”
I nodded again. “Mine’s not like that, but it feels kinda life-or-death if I don’t get this money.”
We ran in silence together after that, though I wasn’t sure if it was because we were out of words or out of breath.
We were coming to a creek cutting through the forest, and I paused for a moment to eye the path. We had to jump across some stones, and Kelly stood beside me. We were evaluating it when she let out a sharp cry, and I turned just in time to see someone dragging Kelly away.
I started to run after her, but quickly had problems of my own. A pair of heavy arms locked around me, and I struggled against him. I couldn’t see his face, but could hear his raspy breathing, and it seemed like the hunt had taken a toll on him physically. He was a big, solid guy, but I had some hope that maybe I could wriggle away and outrun him if he was having difficulty keeping up physically.
He paused for a moment, burying his face in my hair to inhale the scent and letting out a sound like a purr of satisfaction. I shuddered at the creepiness as I managed to tear myself away from him.
Tear was the right word. I lost my shirt in the process. The lion’s share remained with him, though I had one sleeve and part of the scraps of fabric flapping around me as I continued running.
I looked for Kelly as I ran, while also trying to scan the area for more men. For the first quarter-mile, I heard the other guy running behind me, because his heavy breathing and the crash of his body through the woods were impossible to miss. At some point, he must’ve lost the stamina to keep chasing, and I moved farther away from him.
I ran until I was exhausted, and the stitch in my side was a constant ache. I had no idea where I was again, and the compass on my wrist didn’t tell me much besides I was in a southeast direction from the point where I put on the compass in the beginning.
I collapsed to the spongy ground, grimacing at the slimy feel of the leaves underneath me. It started to rain lightly, and I shivered as it touched my skin, though the temperature was on the warm side.
Remembering I was half-naked, I discarded the rest of the shirt and reached for the windbreaker I’d tied around my waist earlier. I cursed when my fingers didn’t find it. I must’ve lost it some point at some point today, either while running or fighting to escape one of the men who’d held me. I didn’t remember if I still had it when Spencer pinned me to the tree, but it didn’t matter. Wherever I lost it, it was gone.
I looked in the bag, though I knew there wasn’t anything there that would be useful besides the emergency blanket that I unwrapped and huddled under for a few minutes. I wanted a fire and looked around to see if I could find enough twigs and small branches to get one started, though I’d never started a fire in my life.
I had to put down the blanket to make it work, so I folded it carefully beside me, wanting to be able to snatch it up at a moment’s notice if I had to flee. It took a couple of attempts, but I finally had a modest fire burning a few minutes later.
There was a metal cup and two packs of instant coffee inside the mess kit, so I filled the cup with water from one of the bottles and set it near the fire until it was warm enough to dissolve the coffee. It wasn’t really that cold, but feeling exposed without a shirt, knowing it was raining overhead, and I was in the shade of the rainforest made it seem like it should be colder.
The raindrops were having a tough time penetrating the canopy, so I was barely getting wet where I wasn’t covered by the blanket, but I still felt chilled to the bone. Maybe some of that was shock at having escaped what was probably a pretty horrible fate at the hands of the man who’d briefly captured me.
I wished I had stayed with Spencer. He was by far the best choice of the hunters that I’d seen and interacted with last night at the party. It wasn’t just physical either. There were some handsome men competing, but I hadn’t felt anything for them. And then there were the others. Some of them were downright repulsive or scary, and not just because of their appearance. Their mannerisms gave me a chill too. In contrast, he was not only handsome, but seemed kinder than many others as well. After all, he’d seen to my pleasure before his own when I was at his mercy earlier.
As though my thoughts had summoned him, I looked up at the snap of a twig on the floor the jungle, and my mouth dropped open. Spencer loomed over me.
A moment later, he knelt down beside me before sitting on his butt and taking out his own supplies to make coffee. I stared at him warily as I sipped my cup, holding it as I contemplated throwing it at him. The idea of scalding him on the face made me cringe, and I didn’t think I could bring myself to do it.
“Are you cold?”
I nodded slowly, tensing when he reached for his backpack. He could pull out anything, and I didn’t know whether to try to run or to just stay still. Not even a second before he appeared, I’d been wishing I’d allowed him to catch me, yet here I was poised to run again.
Slowly, he withdrew a folded garment and passed it to me. It proved to be a flannel shirt, and I took it hesitantly, expecting him to reach out and grab me as I did so.
Instead, his hands moved quickly back to his task of making coffee. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to pounce on you. You look like you need some rest.”
I was still distrustful as I dropped the blanket and slid on the shirt. I couldn’t help noticing it smelled like him, and I inhaled his scent, which made my stomach quiver. I quickly folded the blanket and stored it back in my backpack before reaching for my coffee again. “How are your balls?” It was an indelicate question and a reminder of what I’d done to him. Maybe I was testing him to see if he was going to get angry or leap on me? I didn’t know.
He grinned at me as he winced. “They’re fine now, but that was an intense amount of pain for a short duration.”
“I’d like to say I’m sorry.…” I trailed off. Truthfully, I was kind of sorry that I’d hurt him like that, especially since I was considering just surrendering to him right then. On the other hand, part of the challenge was to evade as long as I could, and he seemed to be here for the hunt as much as for capturing me. Right?
