Bound (Forbidden #1)(34)
Author: Melody Anne

Nope. He couldn’t think that even now, not even after nearly plummeting to the earth. It had been just too damn great.

“You can get dressed,” he said, making sure to keep his voice calm.

“I…I…uh…don’t know if I can move,” she replied, her voice barely more than a squeak.

“We’re fine, Jewell. Spins happen. Pilots are trained for them,” he said, not particularly shaken up by the near disaster.

“Well, I’m not trained for it,” she said, her voice stronger. Her anger came through loud and clear.

“Give me some time,” he said with a chuckle, but his laughter faded away. If there was one thing that he and Jewell did not have, it was time. They had only a few days left, and then he would never see her again.

Suddenly his joy of flying, his joy of making love in the sky, his joy of it all disappeared. Jewell Weston had gotten underneath his skin, and he had a feeling it would be a long time before he was able to purge her from his system.

“Put your clothes on, Jewell. Our flight is over.”

Blake’s fear of falling for her made him much crueler than he needed to be, but he had to protect himself. If she knew how vulnerable she made him, she would hold power over him, and that was unacceptable.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Even though the night before had ended on a rather sour note, Jewell still found herself locked in Blake’s arms, his hands rubbing along her naked back, as she woke up early the next morning. It was Wednesday. She had only four more nights left with this man, and though he didn’t deserve her affections, a piece of her would always belong to him.

That frightened her.

“So tell me, Jewell, why are you doing this? You’re clearly not stupid, and though it’s not easy to find jobs in this economy, you don’t seem the sort of woman to stoop so low, to sell your body.”

“We’ve discussed this before, you know.”

“And we’ll discuss it again. Tell me the real reason you’re doing this.”

“You wouldn’t believe me, Blake. And I don’t want this to get back to Ms. Beaumont. Let’s just say that I have my reasons and leave it at that.”

“If you have nothing to hide, then tell me. I might well believe you.”

She took a breath, fighting with whether to say anything. She so wanted to speak about Justin, to have someone understand, and for some reason, she wanted Blake to know she wasn’t some scarlet woman. But at the same time she feared he would quickly turn on her.

“Maybe I just like to fuck different men,” she said as cavalierly and as crudely as she could. His arms tensed around her and she knew her answer hadn’t pleased him.

“I don’t buy that, Jewell. You were a virgin. Women don’t just wake up one day and decide to turn tricks. There has to be something behind it. We’re you hoping to hook yourself a billionaire?” He asked the question as if the answer had to be a simple yes.

That sure as heck ignited her wrath. Why did he always have to go for the jugular, to say the meanest thing he could think of?

“Does it give you pleasure to be so rude? Maybe we’re a lot alike. Maybe I did want to hook a billionaire. Maybe I will indeed do just that,” she said, not believing she’d just been about ready to tell him about Justin. That could be a fatal mistake if his attitude was any indication.

Blake fastened on her question. “Yes, it usually does please me to be an ass. That way people know where they stand. They don’t have any expectations of me.”

The slight vulnerability in his tone made her want to open up a bit more to him. She thought back to her conversation with Bill and the pain Blake and his brothers had suffered. She really wanted to know that story, but she had a feeling today wasn’t going to be the day she learned what happened back then. She probably never would find out how his parents died. So she decided to tell him nothing.

“Well, since we’re only together for four more nights, Blake, you don’t have to worry about my intentions. We will go our separate ways and never have to bother each other again.” She really wasn’t sure how she was feeling about that.

He wasn’t the devil. She didn’t know exactly who or what he was, but she was certain that she could have been set up with someone much worse than he was. At least his company didn’t repulse her and at least the sex was beyond anything she could have ever imagined sex feeling like.

But sex wasn’t enough. Sure, it was wonderful in the moment, but when it was over, emptiness swamped her, even while lying in his arms, because she knew it wasn’t where she was supposed to be, knew that he would have another woman lying there with him before the bedsheets even grew cold.

“Do you think I like repeating myself, Jewell? But I will. Tell me why you are doing this.”

“You really don’t give up, do you?”

“No. You should know this by now.”

“Fine… I have a brother. A younger brother.”

He paused as if taken aback by her words. Whatever he’d expected to hear, it most certainly wasn’t that. She practically held her breath as she waited for him to comment.

“He must be very proud of his big sister,” he finally said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

“If he ever found out, I’d… Oh, I just can’t imagine what I’d do. But I have no other choice. I have to do what I’m doing now. There isn’t another option, any other way. I have looked and looked for work…” She trailed off when she saw his body grow increasingly tense. He wasn’t her friend. He didn’t want to hear her story. That was more than obvious.

He surprised her, though, when he spoke again. “No other way to what?”

Maybe he did care, if only the slightest bit. After all, he wasn’t a man who lacked any proper emotion. And it was clear how much he cared about his own two brothers, so why wouldn’t he understand her love for Justin?

“To get him back. He’s in foster care, and I need to get money fast so the judge will let me keep him. I couldn’t get a job anywhere else, so—”

Blake cut her off. “You were right, dammit. That’s the worst B.S. I’ve ever heard. I’m sure that every hooker on this wretched planet works up a little sob story like that.”

“But it’s not a—”

“Yes, Jewell, it is a sob story. You know I’m a wealthy man. You want a piece of that wealth. Did you really think I would be affected by this pack of lies and hand you a bunch of cash so you can go out and get your next fix, or whatever it is that’s driving you to work as a common…okay, an expensive prostitute? I thought maybe you would try honesty, but obviously you’re not capable of that.”