After Jules is dead.
That thought came unbidden now but it obsessed him. What was he turning into? But he knew, he knew, Jess was thinking the same thing. There was a new fierceness to her, a resilience that he loved. She kept surprising him.
‘What are you thinking, big guy? Your face has gone all…Wookie.’
Theo bust out laughing. ‘Wookie?’
She giggled. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t think of the right word.’
He was still laughing. ‘So you went with Wookie?’
She snuggled deeper into his arms. ‘Tell me.’
‘I was thinking that I would anything to keep you safe. Forever safe, not just right now safe. Safe.’
‘Wookie Safe.’
He chuckled. ‘Wookie Safe.’
She kissed his jaw. ‘I trust you completely, Theo. I trust in you, in us. Just know I’m in this too. I would do anything to keep you safe. Wookie safe.’
He looked down at her lovely face, so earnest, so strong. ‘Always.’
‘Always.’
Amelia had told the security guard that ‘Clem’ would be going in out of the property to deliver the wine and champagne for the wedding and to expect him. She couldn’t have made it easier for him. The mini-cameras and microphones had been in their bedroom for good forty-eight hours now. Trouble was…Theo and Jessica hadn’t been. He’d taken Amelia to lunch earlier and discover they were away at a conference until tomorrow night.
Patience. Patience. This is the long game. But he was getting antsy. He needed blood on his hands.
The girl had given the tiniest squeak before his hand went over her mouth. He dragged her into the trees, away from the tourist trails of the Gazzam Lake Preserve on Bainbridge Island. There were signs everywhere telling people not come here at night – clearly these kids took no notice. He’d watched her separate from her friends, lag behind them as she checked her phone. Her black hair swung to her shoulders, her face sweet and plump. She was young, this one. She reminded him of the girl at the private school he’d been sent away to. Hannah. His first. He smiled at the memory. She’d complained about him to the faculty, asked them to make him stay away. He had stayed away, respected her wishes. Right up to the moment he’d plunged his knife into her.
‘Please don’t…..don’t…’
The girl he’d taken had now fainted. He pushed up her shirt and waited. She stirred and opened her eyes. She looked at the knife in terror, disbelief. His hand was still clamped on her face and she shook her head wildly to free her mouth, to scream, to beg him.
Jessica hadn’t begged. He wanted her to plead with him to spare her. He needed her to do that.
Hannah had begged him just as he had shown her the blade and smiled tenderly at her.
And then she, like this girl, had bled for him.
Max was waiting for them in Jess’s office as they arrived back, hand-in-hand, in the Seattle office. He hugged them both and shut the door behind them, chatting easily about their conference. He grinned at Jess.
‘You, lady, are a star.’
She looked at Theo, who was equally confused. Max handed her a magazine, one of the top glossies. She saw her name on the cover and looked up in amazement. Max nodded.
‘They’ve done a feature. A good one, Jess, before you make that face.’
‘But I didn’t give an interview or even have pictures taken…’
He took the magazine back and flipped to the centrefold. He held it up. The full page photo of Jess was of her laughing with Theo at some event they’d attended; the smaller photo was taken from her previous life at the college, working with Gerry. The headline read ‘Fighting Back: The woman who tamed Theo Storm and survived a psychopath’
Jess took the magazine from Max and read the article, Theo leaning over her shoulder to read it. It was a puff-piece but a well-written one and very positive about Jess and the Stormfront Foundation. Still, Jess looked uncomfortable and Max leaned forward.
‘I know you don’t like this sort of thing, Jess, but in this case…I think it’s a good thing. Your name is out there anyway, it has been since you and Theo met and with the attempted murder…it’s time you controlled the narrative. You’re the head of one of the largest arts foundations in the world. Yeah, okay, some are going to say it’s because of Theo but no-one can argue you haven’t made it a success. If it hadn’t been for the…well, your leave of absence, then we would be even bigger. This time next year, under your direction, we will be.’
Max’s words brought tears to her eyes and, embarrassed, she looked at Theo who nodded. He moved to sit next to her, picked up her hand. ‘Max’s right. And from a security point of view, your visibility will make it even hard for anyone who wishes you harm to get near you.’
Jess nodded slowly. ‘Okay. Okay then, well, what…?’
‘We’ve been getting requests, interviews – print media and t.v., photoshoots.’
‘Oh god.’
Both Theo and Max chuckled at her expression. ‘Listen, my idea is this. A press junket. One big t.v. interview. One photo shoot and interview with one top magazine. That’s it.’
Jess sighed. ‘All they want to know will be how it felt to be stabbed by my rapey step-brother.’
Theo nodded. ‘Because that’s all they know. You give them a glimpse of you, Jess Wood, I promise it’ll change the story.’
‘I feel like you’re both biased. I’m not that interesting.’
She couldn’t help but giggle at the synchronized eye-rolling of the two men. ‘Fine, fine, but you have to help me prepare.’
Max grinned and Theo kissed her cheek. ‘I think a charity event would be appropriate to make the most of the publicity.’
‘Now you’re talking.’ Jess leaned into Theo’s big body. ‘You sure the exposure will be okay? Security wise?’
Theo slid his arms around her waist and kissed her temple. ‘Wookie safe, I promise.’
Max looked askance at them and Jess grinned. ‘Long story.’
Max was collecting up his papers. ‘Okay, I’ll go start the ball rolling. See you two later.’ He headed for the door then stopped, and turned back. ‘And by the way, stop screwing in your office. You’re corrupting the security staff.’
With a wide grin, he waved and disappeared while Jess buried her head in her hands and Theo started laughing. ‘So much for your latent exhibitionism. To be fair, the security team are probably all in love with you anyways.’ He pulled her, still blushing furiously, to her feet and kissed her softly.
She rubbed the tip of her nose against his. ‘You’re presuming they’re straight, Mr. Storm, they could just as easy be enjoying your perfect body.’ She pulled his shirt out of his pants and ran her hands underneath it. Theo grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corner, obviously enjoying the feel of her hands on his chest.
‘I’m not sure this is quite what Max meant, but I’m okay with it,’ he said, then pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back then pulled away, closing his office door and locking it.
‘Technically,’ she said with a grin, ‘This is my office….and he didn’t say anything about not screwing in here.’ She closed the blinds, then in one easy fluid movement, peeled her dress off, over her head, shaking out her long dark hair. The dark red burgundy underwear she wore was glorious against her honey-colored skin.
Theo was at her side in two long strides, scooping her up into his arms and laying her on the desk. He freed his already ramrod hard cock as she wriggled out of her panties and reached for him. He hitched her legs around his waist and thrust into her hard as she gasped. She was already so wet for him that they moved together easily and he held her hands above her head as he fucked her, urged on her cries of pleasure. It was a quick, hard fuck and soon they were coming, and laughing and kissing, dressing quickly as they heard other people moving around in the hallway outside. Theo kissed her deeply then disappeared to his own office.
Jess sat at her desk, catching her breath, grinning to herself. She opene
d her laptop and logged onto her email system, glancing through the subject lines to see if anything was urgent. She might have missed it if she hadn’t accidently clicked on the spam email above it. She deleted the spam and the next email showed up automatically. Her heart froze.
You look so beautiful when he’s fucking you. Make the most of the time you have left, Jessica.
I’m coming for you.
They were back. Jules grinned to himself as he watched the footage taken from their bedroom. He wasn’t disappointed, they screwed each other long into the night – not that he paid any attention to Theo Storm. All his attention was on Jessica as she fucked and was fucked, her beautiful, golden body all fluid limbs and soft curves. The camera he had installed was high definition and he enjoyed the fact he could still the see the vivid scars on her belly, the marks of his weapon. I did that. He closed his eyes, reliving the feeling of tearing through that tender flesh.
It was the way they were with each other after they’d made love that got him. Angered him. They were tender, intimate, fun-loving, best friends. Julien Gachet hadn’t had any friends to share that kind of closeness with - certainly not women, to him, they were just something to fuck. But not Jessica. He found himself enraged by the obvious closeness, the trust between Jessica and Theo Storm. Why couldn’t that have been him?
Because you raped and terrorized her. All that mattered to you was possession.
He shook himself. Jessica was his, despite what he could see was between her and Storm. She would die by his, Jules’ hand, and soon. She would never become Mrs. Storm, he was determined.
He shut off the video and sat back in his chair. Going incognito was frustrating; he wanted Jessica to feel that fear of him every day, be cowed and cornered by him. To live in terror. Happiness ruined. He smiled to himself. He would have a little fun. Jules Gachet may not be a good businessman but he did know about computers.
Time to let Jessica know he was still waiting, still watching. Let he know he was still coming to kill her.
Amelia Storm looked over her glasses at her future daughter-in-law and frowned. Jess was quiet, staring blankly at the menu of the seafood place Amelia had chosen for lunch. Amelia could tell she was zoned out, her dark eyes sad and tired. The waiter arrived to take their order and Amelia put her hand over Jess’ and the younger woman started then smiled ruefully.
‘Sorry, I’m Ms. Space-cakes today.’ Jess shifted in her chair and blinked. ‘I’ll just have a club sandwich, I think, please.’
Amelia ordered the same and the waiter, casting an admitting glance in Jess’s direction, disappeared.
‘What’s up, Jessie?’ Amelia kept her tone light, knowing that if something was worrying Jess, it probably had to do with her asshole of a step-brother. Jess sighed and rubbed her eyes.
‘Jules. He’s been sending me messages. Threats. Nothing I haven’t heard before but, stupidly, I was beginning to think he’d made his escape and was staying away. God, I’m so stupid.’
Her whole body slumped. Amelia studied her. ‘Have you told Theo?’
Jess nodded. ‘We have no secrets, not anymore. He’s mad, of course, but Jules used an untraceable I.P. address to send the emails so…’
Amelia sipped her water. ‘Have you ever talked about the night you were stabbed? To anyone? Theo, or a psychologist?’
Jess shook her head. ‘No. I thought it would be better not to. I don’t want Theo to see me like that, broken and dying. I mean, I know he found me but I want him to focus on the fact I survived. And no, I’m afraid I’ve gone for the head-in-the-sand method of coping.’
Amelia nodded. ‘Understandable but I wonder, if you talked about it, if you named it, it would become less of a terror for you. You could talk to me, you know that.’
Jess chewed on her lip. ‘Possibly. But would I say? Jules stabbed me, it was painful and terrifying and I thought I was dead. He was brutal, merciless. All I could do was lay there and take it, I was so concussed from the mirror hitting me. He used a piece of the mirror to stab me, I assume, because he knew it would be more painful….see, that,’ she broke off and pointed at Amelia’s face, which had paled and turned green so sickened was she, ‘That right there is why I don’t talk about it, Amelia. It just horrible and sickening and it won’t ever leave me. It might even happen again and I…’
‘Stop. Stop.’ Amelia held her hands up. ‘It will not happen again, Jessie. I won’t permit it. Nor Theo nor any of us. You are loved, you are protected.’ She cut her eyes at the huge bodyguard sitting a few chairs away. ‘If he steps foot on the island, or even in Seattle, we will know.’
The waiter brought their food then and they thanked him, the strain in both of their voices obviously. They ate in silence for a time then Jess put her sandwich down.
‘I’m sorry, Amelia, I shouldn’t have told you all of that.’
‘I think you needed to. I think you’ve been keeping it all in for too long to protect the rest of us. You are my daughter, Jess, and I love you. Let me carry some of the weight.’
Jess had tears in her eyes and she dashed them away impatiently. ‘I love you too. And I’d love to change the subject now. What’s happening with you?’
Amelia smiled. ‘I think I’m seeing someone.’
Jess gaped at her. ‘What? You kept that quiet. Who is it?’
Amelia grinned her wicked smile. ‘He’s a younger man…yes, I’m a cougar or whatever they call it.’
Jess looked impressed, grinning at her friend. ‘Have you…’
‘Jessica Wood, you are a nymphomaniac. No, we haven’t, we’re just dating for now.’
‘Will he be your plus one?’
‘To the wedding?’
‘No to the circus. Of course to the wedding.’
She rolled her eyes at Jess’s wide grin. ‘You are a pain in the butt, girl. I don’t know. I mean, I enjoy Clem’s company but…’
‘His name is Clem?’ There was a catch in Jess’s voice and Amelia’s eyebrows shot up.
‘Problem?’
Jess shook her head. ‘Sorry, it’s just, it reminded me, Clement is Jules’ middle name.’
Amelia patted her hand. ‘And about a million other men’s first name. Anyway, Clem is a blue-eyed blonde.’
‘Does he live on the island?’
Amelia nodded. ‘I actually ran into him a few weeks ago, the day we went to the farmer’s market. I had hoped to introduce you but he said he had to go.’
‘Next time.’
Amelia dropped Jess off at home and she walked through the house, looking for Theo. He was in the garden playing with the dogs. Jess stood at the French windows watching them, smiling. Dressed in a simple vintage tee and jeans, Theo looked like a catalog model but acted like a kid, teasing the two barking dogs, throwing their toys for them to fetch.
Oh, you are my love, she thought, watching his athletic body as he twisted and ran with the animals. He looked up and saw her and the biggest smile stretched across his face, it made her weak. He jogged over to her and kissed her hello.
‘So much for spending the morning working,’ she grinned at him. He shrugged good-naturedly.
‘What’s the use of being the big boss unless you can blow off work once in a while?’
He followed her inside, watched as she grabbed a pitcher of cold lemonade from the chiller. She smiled at him, pulling an errant leaf from his hair.
‘Big kid. Talking of which, your mom has a new boyfriend.’
Theo nodded. ‘She told me.’
‘And you didn’t mention him?’
Theo shrugged, pulling her to him. ‘Seen it all before. I wouldn’t say my mom’s mercenary about her love life but she’s not interested in candy and flowers. Very few people make the cut after the third date.’
‘She seems pretty keen. Even mentioned double dating.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘God, please no.’ Jess laughed.
‘I thinks she was kidding. Anyway…’
‘Anyway?’
She slipped her arms around his waist and relaxed against his hard body. ‘I’m actually really tired.’
‘You sick?’ His hand went automatically to her forehead but she shook her head.
‘Nope, just tired. I think everything is catching up with me.’
He stroked his big hands down her back. ‘Wanna go nap?’
Upstairs, she changed into her sweats and curled up on the bed. It wasn’t more than a few minutes later when Theo and the dogs were snuggled up with her and she smiled to herself. This right here is all that matters. Their family.
She fell asleep smiling but the nightmares still returned. Ever since the messages had started to arrive, she’d had at least one a week and it was always the same.
You look so beautiful when he’s fucking you.
Jules forcing his way into her bed, into her body.
Make the most of the time you have left, Jessica.
Knives. Cutting. Hurting. Killing.
I’m going to kill you, baby girl.
Blood. So much blood.
I’m going to stab you until the light in your eyes goes out. You won’t survive the next time, Jessica.
I’m coming for you.
She’d learned how to wake herself from these nightmares without the screaming, without scaring Theo. Stan whimpered a little as she slid quietly out of bed and padded quickly to the bathroom down the hallway.
She just about made it before she threw up.
Sunday morning, Max came over from the mainland. Since Josh’s death, he’d been more or less a homebody but seeing Theo, Jess and Amelia more than made up for it. He and Theo – already like brothers – had grown even closer and he loved Jess like a sister. There was not one part of him that blamed either Theo or Jess for what had happened – lord knows they’d been through enough themselves.
The Billionaire Bad Boy Club: A Bad Boy BDSM Holiday Romance Page 51