Stormswept by Shannon Curtis

 

 
Brand new stories with the characters you love from THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

She's jinxed when it comes to relationships.

That's what Hope believes as she ends yet another engagement. She jumps at the chance to travel to Australia for a fashion shoot – even if that means getting up close and very personal with former flame, Oliver.

For Oliver, a sailing trip in a tropical paradise is the opportunity to convince the woman he's always loved to give him a second chance.

But when Hope and Oliver are caught in a storm and stranded on a desert island, they are soon battling the elements, and their passion for each other.  
Oh, that was bad. That was—that was torture. As soon as the words fell from her mouth she knew he’d be hurt by them. She didn’t want to hurt Ollie—he was her friend. She’d known he still had a thing for her, but had tried not to encourage it. What woman in her right mind would turn down Oliver Jones? Argh. Could she feel any more awkward than she did in this very moment? She collapsed back on her bed, groaning with frustration. Why couldn’t he just keep things casual? Why did he have to go and ruin it by kissing her proverbial socks off and making her want more? And what did that say about her? She’d left two guys fighting over her back in LA, and now she had rebuffed Oliver, too. She was behaving just like her mother. She squeezed her eyes shut. Anything but that. She’d had to live down her mother’s many indiscretions, had tried to set a new standard, determined to break the mold. She wasn’t a femme fatale. She rolled her eyes. Not even close. She shuddered. The feel of his lips against hers, his arms around her—it was as though she was seventeen again, feeling wild exuberance over a mere kiss. She shook her head. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it might be like to make love with Oliver Jones. They had kissed many times, but had never made that final commitment. She was still attracted to him. Images of Oliver, half-naked and wet, half-naked and aroused—by her—flooded her brain. Her nipples peaked in her bra, as though craving his touch, and she hugged herself. This attraction to Oliver had to stop. She’d found him appealing from the moment they’d met, but had become supremely aware of him during this trip. This business trip. She had to remind herself of that. They were business associates and friends—although she wasn’t sure if the latter still applied. Fear and dismay flared within her. She hoped they were still friends. Oliver was—well, he was special. He’d been her first love. She remembered those lazy days when they’d hung out over summer, when her biggest problem was deciding which college to attend. She sighed as she rolled over and drew her knees up. They were friends. Friends didn’t go around kissing each other like—well, like he’d kissed her. Sure, she’d enjoyed it—way too much, if she was honest with herself. But as she’d told him, there could never be anything more between them. He’d hurt her, deeply. The pain, the humiliation, the horror—her life had become a circus. She sighed. Okay, so being Brooke Logan’s daughter was a circus all on its own, but Oliver’s mistaken tryst with her mother was her first real experience of being at the center of a media storm. It had been hell. And now he wanted to try and resuscitate that dead horse? She just wanted a contented life with a one-woman man—was that seriously too much to ask for? Oliver had been unfaithful, albeit unknowingly. And she’d had to share Liam with another woman for far too long, and Wyatt? Well, Wyatt definitely had a single-minded focus, but she wasn’t sure if his intense attention was because he wanted to be with her, or because he was trying to prove something to his father and half-brother. She was jinxed when it came to relationships. She’d proven that over and over again. She didn’t trust her heart, or her head, when it came to men. But she didn’t want to lose Oliver. She bit her lip as she glanced at the wall of her cabin. She’d pretty much told him to move on. Oh, gosh. What if he did? She squeezed her eyes shut as an unfamiliar feeling of dread gripped her gut. He was an attractive guy. Smart, with a great sense of humor. Despite their past, she really did want him to be happy. She couldn’t deny, though, that on some level she still wanted his attention, his affection. His desire. But he needed more than she was prepared to give. If he did find happiness with another woman, what then? After tonight, she wasn’t sure what she wanted. He could still arouse her with one kiss, one heated look. But he could still hurt her, too. She hoped, prayed, that tomorrow everything would be back to normal. Oliver would joke around with her, make her laugh, be that strong shoulder to cry on when she needed it. Be the man she wanted, just without the emotional entanglement. She took a deep breath. Tomorrow they’d act like nothing had happened.