Without Protest

Elise hadn't realized how exhausting it could be to organize a protest until now. In fact, she hadn't even felt the overwhelming need for sleep during their 76-hour vigil until now, when the event had ended, the protesters breaking up and celebrating the success of their venture. They'd managed to hold back a corporation hellbent on tearing down a forested area that housed a number of bird species on the verge of endangerment, and it was a huge victory, especially now that an injunction had been filed and no one could touch those trees until the need to label it a nature preserve was evaluated.

But as the rest of the crowd dispersed, returning home to shower and sleep, her presence had been requested, and she stayed. The mogul behind the housing development planned to replace the natural beauty, Liam Fraser, had demanded she come to his office, since he'd ever so kindly not run them down with bulldozers. She'd countered the offer, saying she was more than happy to speak with him, but only here, in these woods. She wanted to have the upper hand, and she thought she might be able to do that if she could point to the living, breathing environment she was determined to protect.

But she'd been waiting for over an hour, and he still hadn't arrived. That was probably to be expected, since someone that high up the chain could literally buy time and not miss the bills in his wallet. On her end of things, Elise needed rest. She needed to get back to work tomorrow or she might lose her day job, and she couldn't afford that. The only way she was going to make it was if she could get home, shower, and be in bed within the next couple of hours.

And Liam Fraser apparently felt she didn't matter any more than the land surrounding her.

She gathered herself to traipse back to her car, parked a half a mile away, and stopped as she heard the crunch of gravel, the sound of tires coming to rest on the edge of the road as they cracked twigs and broke sharp rocks. She'd imagined a Town Car with a uniformed driver, or maybe a Rolls Royce, so when a nondescript BMW sedan came into view, Elise thought she'd been put off, Fraser having sent some lackey to do his business. But the car door opened, and out stepped the man himself.

Had he been anyone else, the sight of him would have left her breathless especially since Liam Fraser wasn't in his standard tailored suit and power tie. He'd replaced the starched look with something far more casual -- a polo shirt and jeans with a pair of hiking boots. Rather than slicked back for the media, his dark blond locks fell to the sides and over his forehead, and he looked more like the lead singer of some insanely popular rock band than the CEO of a commercial real estate investment company.

Who did he think he was fooling, though? As he approached her, Elise scoffed. "If you thought the cameras would like a shot of you dressed for a hike, you're wrong. All the reporters left an hour ago."

He nodded at her somberly. "Hello to you, too." Elise glared at him, and he hooked his thumbs in his back pockets, as if posing for the cover of a rugged version of GQ. "I apologize for keeping you waiting, but I was trying to avoid the cameras, actually. I'm glad I succeeded."

Elise narrowed her eyes at him. "You love attention. Why would you want to avoid it now? Are you terrified to be seen with me?" Her image had been printed a number of times, with quotes on land development bills and in relation to organizing petitions or speaking out against politicians who didn't think twice about a carbon footprint.

He chuckled, and the skin around his soft green eyes crinkled. "No, although you are quite the opponent. I just wanted to talk to you privately before I go public with a statement. I don't want you to think I'm just blowing smoke, so I thought I might run it by you first." He drew a few steps closer, and Elise realized just how tall and fit he was. "Besides, we've never actually met face to face. I thought it was time."

Liam Fraser and his company had been a problem for over a year, constantly threatening the environment in one way or another. This was simply the first time the process got beyond basic planning and was going to actually destroy precious resources. Elise and her organization had fought many times to keep those plans from being set into action.

"Okay, tell me. What is this grand statement you're going to make that I'm not going to believe unless you say it to my face?"

He took a deep breath and locked gazed with her. Elise tried not to let her heart race. It didn't matter that the man's eyes were piercing and hypnotizing. He was a jackass who valued money over health and wellness of society and nature. "Elise..." He paused, a twinkle in his eyes and a half smile taunting her. "Can I call you Elise?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Liam. Let's get on with this already. I want to get some sleep."

"Well, then, Elise, you've probably noticed that this is the first time my company hasn't backed down since you first started plaguing us with your tree hugging morals. Do you know why that is?"

Elise shrugged. "I assumed you finally just decided to show you weren't going to be pushed around and would take what you wanted, regardless of how it affected others." Why else would things have changed? The company -- and apparently Liam himself -- had been easily swayed in the past and had always moved on.

"I like you, Elise." His words were blunt, said with little emotion and a great deal of sincerity. It took her aback, and she nearly laughed at the outrageousness of it.

"Honestly, I really like you. And even though we haven't met before, I've watched you and studied you enough to know that I like you. And the only reason this particular project moved forward is because I've been out of town and couldn't veto my board of directors."

She shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

He clenched his jaw, and a muscle in his cheek twitched as he stepped closer to her, nearly invading her personal space. His cologne wasn't overbearing, just a hint of citrus on top of something more masculine, almost like suede, and Elise considered stepping away. But she wanted to stand her ground and not appear weak, even if her knees wobbled slightly with this corporate giant less than arm's length from her.

"You're courageous, and you live up to your own morals. You don't hesitate to speak your mind, and you're brutally honest. And Elise, even now, when you haven't slept or had a decent meal in three days, you're absolutely gorgeous. Ever since I first saw your picture,

I've wanted you. And every time you stand up to my firm, I get a hard on for you that nothing else can satisfy. I've started these ventures to get your attention ever since the first time, and I've shut them down because it's not worth the fight. And it's all led to this point, when I finally get to see you in person."

He'd been advancing on her as he spoke, and Elise had started a retreat, but now she stumbled over uneven ground, and he reached out, catching her and holding her against his hard body. In fact, every part of him was hard, every last savory inch. "Liam, this is inappropriate. I—"

"Your pupils are dilated," he cut her off, his voice gruff. So were his, for that matter. "I know you want me just as bad as I want you, Elise. I can smell it on you, and it is deliciously sweet. Come on, don't try to deny it. Why else would you fight so hard, chase my firm so hard, when there are literally hundreds of other companies committing the same crimes against nature? Or worse?"

She didn't have an answer, and that bothered her. Grasping for straws, she ventured, "We're trying to focus on local efforts first."

But Liam shook his head slowly, a grin spreading over his lips, which she hadn't realized were so full and inviting until that moment. "You came after us for a California property, as well as a swamp in Louisiana. That excuse is not going to fly."

Elise opened her mouth, ready to admit to whatever he wanted if he would just let go of her so she could think clearly, but the space was suddenly filled with hot breath and a sweet, stroking tongue that elicited a sigh from her as her muscles melted into pudding. If he let go now, she would slide to the ground, a puddle that he'd have to mop up and squeeze into a bucket to carry to the car.

Her arms tingled, her fingertips twitching with need, and before she could stop herself, she thrust her hands into his hair, pulling him closer against her as she tangled her tongue with his in a wicked dance. Pure lust overrode any conscious thought, any rational decision she could have made, and she fisted her hands around the hem of his shirt, tugging it up and over his head. they were mostly hidden in the trees, and she honestly didn't care in anyone on the road spotted them. They'd be obscured enough from view that no one would know who they were.

Liam's hands dropped to her ass, squeezing her round cheeks and pushing her hips forward so his erection grinded into her stomach, making the ache low in her abdomen intensify until moisture leaked between her thighs. She gasped throwing her head back, and his mouth found that tender spot at the back of her jaw, just below her ear, toying with her. It was maddening and delicious, and she wanted more. She wanted his mouth and hands everywhere, and she wanted that hard cock buried deep inside.

She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist so his length pressed against her folds through the dual layers of denim. The force of her motion threw him off balance, and he fell back into a pile of debris with a grunt, her weight landing on top of him. He chuckled, and Elise laughed with him as he rolled her to her back, leaning over her as he unbuttoned her shirt and fondled her breasts. She arched her back, aching and yearning, and his lips took one nipple, teasing and rolling it with his teeth. She writhed, and Liam took that as encouragement, letting his free hand wander to the waist of her jeans and work the button fly until she could wriggle out of the tight pants and the panties beneath.

When his fingertips ran a line up her slit, over her bare flesh, and settled on her clit, she bucked and screamed, and Liam grunted with satisfaction. She was growing short on patience, her arousal ready to peak, and she needed more, so she shoved at his jeans until he sat up and yanked off his boots, followed by the tight jeans. Every inch of his body was firm and muscled, like an underwear model, and he certainly had the package for it, his cock standing tall and thick against his stomach. She reached out, curling her fingers around his base, and he moaned, his eyes fluttering closed.

That she could hold such sway over a man like Liam, have such power over his reaction, was intoxicating to Elise, and she ran her palm up and down his shaft until it twitched in her hand. He shoved her away, his fingers still toying with her pussy and making her insanely wet. And as he settled between her legs, his mouth came down on hers with bruising force. "I've waited far too long for this," he growled against her lips, and she nearly vibrated with the need to come, and to have him inside her. Rocking his hips, he let his head tease her clit while his fingers still taunted her core, tickling around her opening and raising her anticipation to a boiling point.

Just as she was ready to cry out and beg for mercy, Liam shifted, bracing himself on his hands and thrusting deep inside in one long, delicious stroke. Wrapping her legs around his waist for leverage, she lifted her hips, pulling him deeper inside and shuddering as pleasure ripped through her. Enormous pressure built as he settled and didn't move for several heartbeats, and she shattered when he started moving, his rhythm slow and methodical, dragging the orgasm out of her and enticing it to a sharper, more thorough release.

She met him with each shove, each roll of his hips, matching him with her own strength and absolute need. "Come again for me," he hissed through clenched teeth, and Elise cried out as he nibbled her ear, her shoulder.

"Almost there," she told him in a strangled tone. It was all she could do to get the words out of her mouth, the sensation so hot and fiery that her throat ran dry. She grasped at him, squeezing his shoulders, pulling his hair, and scoring his back with her nails, wanting more of him and silently begging him to go deeper, harder.

Liam didn't need much convincing, and he shoved an arm under the small of her back, changing the angle so he hit that sweet spot inside and dug deeper, until she was sure he was pounding her cervix. And she went limp, letting him take what he wanted, giving her what she'd demanded without words. It was phenomenal, and it was freeing, not having to work for that bliss that came with the abandonment of inhibitions. She lay there, splayed on the ground in all her glory, and he took her like he'd never seen anything so lovely, never tasted such succulent fruit.

The thought pushed her over the edge again, and the sharp knives of pleasure stabbed through her pulsating core and then sliced through the rest of her, burning and aching and delighting as it seemed to take the same path through her blood vessels over and over without dampening. She barely noticed when Liam faltered in his motion, but when he came, she felt it. She felt the hot seed rush into her, felt his body go rigid, felt him quake. She even felt his heartbeat, her own just as erratic.

He collapsed half on top of her, obviously trying to land to the side and not crush her, but she wouldn't have cared. Elise was in a state of absolute euphoria, unimaginable bliss, her body covered in goosebumps and her mind filled with nothing but joy. As they calmed, Liam's thumb found her cheek, caressing it gently. He lifted his head and propped on his other elbow, a satiated smile playing on his lips. "That was incredible."

She nodded, letting him touch her, letting him look at her. So what if they were enemies outside of this moment? Magic happened with attraction, and the sex had been the best she'd ever experienced. "I wouldn't mind doing it again," she admitted. Hell, she'd had sexual partners she'd hated far more than she hated Liam.

He searched her face, as if looking for a lie in her expression, but she was being completely honest. She couldn't have lied if she wanted to, drunk on the afterglow. Sitting up, Liam reached for her, pulling her so she sat next to him, facing the other direction with their thighs touching. There were leaves and debris in all sorts of unmentionable places, and she was sure her hair was rutted with them. But she didn't care. She waited for what he wanted to say, his expression unreadable.

Finally, he sighed. "I'm going to release a statement tomorrow that this wasn't my choice, and had I been in town, it would never have happened. This, with the land," he added with a vague gesture around him, as if he had to clarify. Elise supposed he could have meant their little tryst, but that was laughable, since no one knew about it. He continued, "I'm also going to have the trustees on the board replaced, another part of the announcement."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Because you feel they've made bad decisions?"

"Yes. And they've made those decisions purposely when I was unavailable now." He shook his head. "Also because I value your opinion. So much that I'd like you to take a position on the board going forward."

Elise nearly choked. Was he serious? "I have a job, Liam. And if all of this," she waved her hand back and forth between them, "was to butter me up to take the position, then we have a problem."

He held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "The two topics are mutually exclusive. I want you to be one of my board members to help keep the others in check. I don't intend to invest anymore money in undeveloped land. But I also want you in my bed at night because I'm not done fucking you." He gave her a salacious smile. "I wouldn't mind, you know, dinner and a drink, getting to know the girl behind the fierce front, either."

"You're offering me a job, asking me out, and proposing that we be lovers," she surmised quickly, trying to wrap her head around what just happened. "And none of this is so I don't ruin you."

"Not a bit."

It was her turn to search his expression for deceit, but she found none, and when he ducked down to kiss her again, she was putty in his hands. She might not have imagined any of this happening, but she certainly wasn't going to turn it down now. It just felt right.

With a shrug, she said, "I think we can arrange something. But first, I need to shower and sleep. Then, we'll figure out the rest."

"Fair enough," he said, helping her to her feet and handing her the discarded clothes. A gentleman. Who would have thought?