‘I’ve seen you here before,’ she said, smiling as he led her to the bathrooms. I was wondering when I’d see you again.’
‘Shh.’
He lifted her up and thrust into her. She winced, not ready for him but stayed silent, enjoying his brutality, his clinical sexuality. She tried to kiss him but he turned his head away. Afterwards, after they dressed, they walked out of the club towards his car. She slipped her hand into his. He dropped it almost immediately. She had trouble keeping up with his stride.
‘Wait.’ She said finally. He stopped and when he turned to look at her, it was with a blank stare, as if he’d only just noticed she was there.
‘Can I come back to your place?’
He laughed in her face. ‘Why the fuck would I want that?’
She baulked and he realised that under that slutty façade, she was just a kid. It made no difference to him.
Amateur. He turned on his heel with a disgusted look on his face and got into his car.
Professor Gerry Land noticed Jess’s pale face and exhausted eyes but discreetly said nothing. For a change, he swept all of the usual paperwork from her desk and told her to concentrate on the ‘Luna Soleil’. Jess was grateful for his kindness.
She was glad to be away from her desk. Every time she looked over at that side of the room, she saw Jules – felt Jules – with his hands on her. She’d thrown her paperknife away, dumping it in one of the cafeteria’s bins. It didn’t make sense but it made her feel better to know it was gone, that it couldn’t be used on her.
Theo had called her every hour, on the hour, just to check in and as soon as she heard his voice, she felt warmth flood through her. How could she give this up? Give him up?
As she worked on the painting, she lost track of all time, lost in what she was doing, lost in dreaming about Theo. She put all thoughts of Jules out of her mind.
The light was already fading by the time she walked out in the cool evening air. She knew Theo had a late meeting so she was surprised when his Mercedes pulled up beside her. Max leaned over and grinned at her.
‘I’m your ride tonight, lady.’
She giggled and got in the car. Max pulled the car around and drove out of the campus. Jess studied him as he drove.
‘It’s nice to see you again, Max,’ she began, ‘but you really didn’t need to do this.’
Max shrugged good-naturedly. ‘Did Theo mention I came over last night?’
She shook her head and he sighed. ‘Okay, well, he told me what happened with your step-brother – or rather that you and he had an argument. Both he and I don’t believe that’s all, by the way,’ – and he grinned over at her to soften his words. ‘Let Theo help you, whatever it is. You won’t betray the sisterhood, I promise.’
His tone was light and she smiled at his words but she could sense his seriousness.
She sighed. ‘Max. It’s not fair to Theo or you. My history with Jules is complicated.’
They drove in silence for a while then Max pulled the car over to the side of the road.
Jess took a deep breath in. ‘Max…’
‘Do you love Theo?’ The question took her by surprise and she realised then that to her and Theo, in their little bubble, their love was overwhelming but to others looking in – especially a concerned best friend, it must seem…
‘Max, I love him more than anyone else in this world. I know you must be concerned, especially given Theo’s position, his wealth. If I were you, I’d be looking at me thinking ‘is she looking for a white knight? Is she here just for his money, his influence? But I don’t care about all of that. I love Theo for him. Nothing more. I just don’t want past horrors to affect our life together.’
Max was studying her intently, listening to every word carefully. There was a long silence then he leaned over and kissed her cheek.
‘I’m sorry, I had to ask. I just don’t like secrets. For the record, I’ve never seen Theo like this. He’s fallen hard.’
Joy rushed through Jess. She poked Max’s shoulder, grinning wickedly. ‘What a sap.’
‘Complete wuss.’ He joined in with her joke and they both laughed. Max shook his head.
‘Man, when you think this all started with a dumb bet…’
Jess smiled, confused. ‘A bet?’
Max laughed. ‘He bet me he would find the love of his life within three months. That was less than a month ago. Quick work even for him.’
Jess’s chest felt tight. ‘A bet?’
Max sensed the change in her tone and looked over at her, a frown on his face. ‘Hey wait, I…’
‘Could you take me home, please, Max?’
‘No, Jess, I didn’t mean… god, it was a stupid joke, I didn’t mean. He…’
‘Please, Max, take me home.’
Theo looked up at Max, as his best friend burst into the room, and his heart began to thud unpleasantly at Max’s expression.
‘Where’s Jess?’
But looking at Max’s stricken face, suddenly Theo didn’t think he wanted the answer…
Sleep With Me Part Three
Jess opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. How many times in her life had she woken up in this bed, sick to her stomach with nausea and fear? Crippled by guilt. Waiting to face her tormentor over the breakfast table as their parents ate and chatted obliviously.
And yet, last night, she’d come here after Max had dropped her off, wanting to be somewhere familiar. Camilla, the housekeeper, told her Jules was away for the night and the relief she felt was overwhelming. She’d sat with Camilla, shared a supper with her old friend, not wanting to talk or think about Theo Storm.
She was a winning bet. A winning bet, for Christ's sake. She wondered how long Theo would have to pretend that he loved her before Max would concede defeat. She should have known better than to trust a rich man – after all, didn’t she know that they always got what they wanted? Damn you, Theodore Storm. But the pain in her stomach ripped through her when she thought of him. She’d turned her cell phone off so he couldn’t reach her couldn’t talk or kiss his way out of it.
Jess sighed. She needed to get her life back on track which meant getting up, getting showered and getting to work. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and hoisted herself into a standing position. Grabbing her robe, she opened the door and froze. She could hear Jules’ low accented drawl from the end of the hallway.
Shit.
Jess closed her door quietly and scooted back to bed. She rolled onto her side, curling herself up into the foetal position. She tugged the sheet over her shoulders and, closing her eyes, made her breathing steady, regular. She tensed as she heard the door open.
For a few minutes, she stayed still. He must have gone by now, she thought and she let her body relax.
‘I know you’re awake.’
Shock drilled through her at the sound of his voice. She felt her body jerk and silently cursed herself again. She kept up the pretence of being asleep. She heard him laugh softly and she gritted her teeth. Bastard. She felt his body heat then as he leaned over her, she heard him breathing, an inch from her skin. She trembled and he laughed again, soft, intimate. She abandoned the pretence of sleep and looked at him, her eyes hard.
‘Leave me alone.’
Jules smiled and leaned into kiss her. ‘Never.’ His voice was a whisper but it sent blank terror through her body.
He reached down and cupped her breast.
‘So pretty, pretty.’
She hit his hand away and he grabbed her wrist. For a moment, she could see nothing but murder in his eyes. Then he smiled, turned her hand over and kissed it. He dropped her hand and walked out.
Trembling, Jess got up and threw her clothes on, grabbing her purse, skittering down the grand staircase and out to her ancient Gremlin. What the hell had she been thinking? She had to get out of here.
Now.
Theo had slept in his car outside her apartment when it became clear she wasn’t in. He’d left a thousand
messages on her voicemail. Her silence was the loudest thing in his life. He woke now, stiff and aching. He opened the door and almost rolled his huge frame out of the car. He stretched and rubbed his hands through his short dark curls. His chest hurt with the fear that he’d lost Jess and for what? A stupid misunderstanding. He didn’t blame Max, it had been a ‘funny story’ to tell, he would have had no way of knowing she would react the way she did. Theo could not get it straight in his head. Why the hell would she think that he had been lying to her all this time? He gave a short bark of laughter. All of this time. What was it, a month?
He sighed and turned, leaning against the car, was about to call her again when a movement caught his eye. He turned his head and saw her, at the end of the street getting out of her car. She looked exhausted. She saw him and froze, her eyes wide and wary. He hesitated for a brief second then walked towards her, afraid she was would skitter away from him.
‘Please. Please, Jess, wait...’
Jess wavered but stayed still and as he reached her, he was shocked by the distress in her eyes, the thick violet circles under her eyes. He reached out to touch her face. She ducked away at first but when he caught her face in his hands, she stiffened and relaxed, seeming to slump into his touch. He tipped her chin up so he could look into those beautiful eyes.
‘Jess… what Max told you, it was a joke. A coincidence. A drunken bet which has nothing, nothing to do with us. Nothing. I love you. I could lose every penny I have, every home or ridiculous extravagance I surround myself with and I’ll still be the richest man on the planet because I had you.’
He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. ‘You are my world, Jessica Wood. I would die for you.’
That got her. She exhaled shakily and leaned against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly for a second then she pulled away. He bent his head to kiss her but she shook her head.
Stung, he drew back but she smiled then. ‘I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.’
He laughed, relieved, and she took his hand and led him into her apartment.
Jess brushed her teeth the minute she got the apartment, with Theo stripping her even as she brushed. She rinsed, reaching in to crank the shower on as Theo shed his own clothes then pulled him under the spray with her. He kissed her finally, his mouth fierce against hers, his fingers tangled in her hair. She pressed her body against his, feeling the hard chest against her nipples, his already stiffening cock against her thigh. God, this is all she wanted, his skin on hers, his mouth against her lips. Theo swept his hands under her buttock and lifted her so he could plunge his cock deep into her and she cried out as the force of his thrust slammed her back against the wall.
‘I’m sorry…’
But she shook her head. ‘No… harder… Theo… please…’
They fucked almost violently, clawing at each other, biting, scratching, wanting consume the other. Theo manoeuvred her so they lay on the bathroom floor, her legs hitched high around his waist, his hips ramming against hers as he drove deeper into her, his lips against her throat, kissing and murmuring his love for her over and over. Jess squeezed her thighs, locking him inside her and Theo trapped her hands under his, forcing them above her head.
Jess felt totally naked and open and vulnerable and she loved every minute, delicious delirium screaming through her brain, through her body. She tilted her hips so he could slam into her as deep as he could and cried out her excitement as he bit down on her shoulder. Her orgasm made her almost demented with passion.
Afterwards, they lay, their limbs entangled, breathless and sated. Theo smoothed the damp hair from her forehead and smiled down at her.
‘Don’t ever run from me again, my Jessie.’
She brushed her lips against his. ‘I promise. I’m sorry that I didn’t give you the chance to explain. I just…I don’t find it easy to trust, especially…’ – and she grinned ruefully – ‘very rich and handsome young men. I’m sorry if that offends you.’
She saw the hurt in his eyes but he nodded. ‘Understood. Then it’s up to me to prove you can trust this one.’
She stroked his cheek. ‘We have time to work this all out. Unless – ‘ and she stuck her tongue into her cheek and grinned, ‘-of course, you need to get married by Christmas, save yourself some money.’
Theo rolled his eyes. ‘Neither Max or I were serious when we made that bet. He just thought I was working too hard.’
‘Were you?’
Theo considered. ‘Maybe – although I’ve certainly made up for that this last month.’ He moved his body on top of hers and she revelled in the weight of him, chest to chest, belly to belly. Her legs, with a mind of their own, twined around his hips. Theo looked down at her, his eyes suddenly serious.
‘Jess…you’re not the only one who’s overwhelmed. I’ve never felt like this before, I didn’t even know it could be like this. We fit so perfectly, it seems, but yeah, we’re gonna find some obstacles, have some misunderstanding, going to disagree on stuff. If you’re not ready to share certain things yet, that’s fine. Let’s just promise to be open, honest. Please just don’t run away without giving me the opportunity to make it right.’
Jess nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. He always seemed to know exactly what to say, she thought and as he kissed her, she found herself with an undefinable ache in the centre of her chest. She wanted to tell him about Jules, what he had done to her, what he still might do to her, feel the protection of Theo’s arms, know it was over forever and she was safe.
But not today. Today she wanted to forget that last night ever happened. She knitted her fingers into Theo’s hair and kissed him back, wanting to taste every part of him. Theo shifted his weight and she drew in a deep, shaky breath as his cock, diamond hard and huge, pushed into her slowly.
Theo’s green eyes burned into hers as he began to move and in and out of her, thrusting harder each time. She lost herself in his gaze, every nerve ending on her skin on fire.
‘Is there something – oh god, that’s good – is there something you want me to do?’ Her voice was low but steady, ‘or something you want to try with me? To me?’
He smiled knowing exactly what she meant. ‘You liked being bound, didn’t you?’
She nodded.
‘Would you like to go further?’
She smiled up at him. ‘I would do anything for you, with you.’
Theo thrust harder and she moaned, heard his low chuckle. ‘You might regret saying that, Jessie…I’m going to fuck you in so many different ways, you’ll beg for more…’
And from him, in this moment, it didn’t sound like a threat.
Despite the warm, safe feeling that lingered after he’d dropped her off at work and gone to his office, Jess felt on edge as she walked into her department. She was the first in and she moved around the room, flicking lights on as she went, illuminating ever dark corner. Jules had tainted this place for her now as he’d tainted the family home for so many years. She still remembered the excitement she’d felt when her mother had brought her to the big house when she was nine, that first couple of years when it was just Ma, Erich – her affectionate but stern step-father - and the friendly staff, especially Camilla, housekeeper, nanny and playmate all in one. Camilla was the only reason she ever went back there now, that one last link to her mother.
She’d been twelve when Julien, Erich’s only son had come home from Oxford University. She’d been wary of him straight away, the way that his dark eyes had run all over her fledgling curves, the small buds of her breasts which as yet didn’t need a bra. It was a look of ownership, of possession and it hadn’t been long before Jules started to ‘visit’ her at night. At first, she fought but Jules, with his immense strength honed by racing crew at Oxford, overpowered her easily.
Jess swallowed and pushed the thought away. She knew where this brooding would take her – the first time Jules had raped her.
Jess closed her eyes and started to sing loudly, anything, to distract he
r mind. It was a technique she’d perfected.
‘Bon Jovi?’
Jess’s eyes flew open and she saw Gerry standing in the doorway, grinning at her. ‘That’s a new one,’ he said, shuffling an arm full of papers down onto her desk. ‘Morning.’
Jess relaxed. Gerry was used to her tuneless singing by now – although he had no idea why she would suddenly burst into song. ‘Heard it on the radio on the way in,’ she said now.
Gerry snickered. ‘Crazy girl. I thought you were warning me I was ‘living on a prayer’ if I gave you this paperwork.’
Jess punched his shoulder lightly. ‘Well, that too.’ She squinted at the stack and quelled a little. ‘Is that all for me?’
Gerry had the grace to look sheepish. ‘Sorry. But seeing as I’m letting you have Luna Soleil all to yourself…’
‘God, okay, okay.’ But she grinned and took the paperwork from him.
It was late morning before her cell phone beeped and she took a moment to re-orientate herself after concentrating on her work before she took the call. She didn’t bother glancing at the caller i.d. then swore silently as Jules’ clipped French accent greeted her. Her stomach dropped and she gritted her teeth.
‘What do you want?’ She didn’t bother to return his faux-friendly greeting. It made her skin crawl.
Jules laughed. ‘Always such civility. As it happens it isn’t something I want, rather, William has asked us to meet him to discuss the estate. You’ll be twenty-five this year.’
‘I’m aware, thank you.’
‘Then you’ll remember the logistics of our arrangement will change. Your allowance will increase - along with your family duties, of course.’
Jess rolled her shoulders, tension and irritation making the muscle cramp painfully. ‘What if I don’t want your money?’
Under Her Skin Page 52