Illusion (Swept Away #1)(23)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“That’s good.”

“Do you find me attractive, Bianca?”

“I haven’t thought about it.”

“They say the devil dresses in leather and his mistresses dress in satin. . . .” His voice trailed off. “It’s a strange thing, the two of us being here.”

“It is indeed.” I sighed, my head spinning and my eyes drowsy. I wanted to sleep so badly, but I didn’t want to let my guard down around him. Not now that he was acting all funny.

Silence befell us again, and he stood and stretched. His stomach muscles rippled as he flexed, and I watched him carefully. I felt an odd thrill as I stared at him. Part of me was scared by his obvious strength, and another part of me was turned on by how hot he was. I was disappointed in myself for my base attraction to him. He was sexy, and my body was taking notice even though my brain was screaming out that it didn’t trust him. I wanted to feel the strength of his body holding me down as he kissed me all over. I wanted to feel the touch of his tongue on my already ultra-sensitive skin. My head felt hot with fever, at the memory of his body pressed against mine in the water. All he had to do was reach down and grab my arms, and I would be like putty in his hands.

“How limber are you, Bianca?” His voice was suddenly above me, and I blinked up at him and swallowed hard.

“Why?”

“I have an idea.”

“What’s your idea?”

“Do you trust me?” He kneeled down and looked me in the eyes. “It won’t work unless you trust me.”

“I don’t know.” I stared into his clear, open eyes, and I could feel a part of me weakening. “What’s the idea?”

“I need to know that you trust me first.” He spoke lightly, but his stare was intense.

“I trust you,” I whispered back, lying, and then yawned.

“You’re tired. You should sleep. We’ll talk again in the morning.”

“I’m okay.” I shook my head. “Tell me.”

“Your safety is my concern, Bianca. I want the truth as much as you do.”

My body stilled at his words. What did he know about the truth? What truth was he talking about? The truth of why we were on the island, or the truth of my mother’s death? I knew all my thoughts were rambling together incoherently and that I had no real reason to believe he knew anything about my mother. I closed my eyes for a second and tried to calm down. I didn’t want to say anything that would arouse any suspicion in him, if he was here for nefarious reasons. I had to remember that I was the only one who knew what my father suspected. Not even David knew the full truth. I had to be very careful with what I said.

“I want us both to remain safe,” I said as I opened my eyes and sat up. I attempted to brush my hair back as I looked at him,

“So you’re very rich, aren’t you?”

“I have money, yes.” He nodded, his eyes watching me like a hawk. “Why?”

“Just curious. I’m trying to figure out if you were kidnapped because of me or because they wanted you for another reason.”

“That would be helpful to know. At first, before I saw you and you reminded me of who you were, I assumed it was because I had money.”

“Yeah, it would make more sense for you to be kidnapped for money. I just don’t know why the same kidnapper would take both of us. I don’t have any money.”

“Unless it’s some sort of Kidnappers-R-Us sort of scenario. We’ll kidnap whoever you like, for a fee,” he said jokingly, and then gave me a wry smile. “Sorry, that wasn’t funny, was it.”

“Not really.” I gave him a short smile and then spoke again. “How important is your money to you?”

“Not as important as the truth.”

“What about life?”

“Do I think money is more important than life? Is that what you’re asking me?” He cocked his head and surveyed my face.

“Yes. What would you give up for money?”

“I wouldn’t give up my chance at true happiness.” His tone was tight. “I wouldn’t give up my life.”

“Would you give up love?”

“Would I give up love for money?” His face distorted. “What sort of questions are these?”

“I was just curious.” I shrugged. “I was just wondering how important money is to someone who’s rich.”

“I see. Isn’t money important to everyone? To me, it’s not more important than life. And I don’t know about love. Is it more important than love? I don’t think so. But then, what is the cost of love?” His tone changed. “How much is a broken heart worth?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged.

“Is it worth a life?”

“I don’t think—”

“How far would you go for revenge? Do you think we should be responsible for the sins of our fathers?” His voice held a hint of anger.

“I do.” I nodded, my voice earnest. “At this point in my life, I do.”

“I agree. Though, I don’t know that it’s really a black-and-white matter, is it?”

“I don’t know.” I swallowed hard as I realized that Jakob’s eyes had glazed over. Suddenly the night air felt very cool against my skin.

“But I’m getting too serious, aren’t I.” He gave me a short smile. “I should let you sleep.”

“It’s fine. I’m just confused. You were going to tell me something and then you just changed the subject. Why did you ask me if I trusted you?”

“I think you’re holding something back, and I’m confused myself. I don’t understand why someone was following you. I don’t understand why a man came up to me and questioned me after I sat at a table with you for a few seconds, and I don’t understand why we’re both here. I was asking you if you trusted me because I think that’s going to be the only way we figure this out.”

“I don’t know what to think.” I replied honestly. His words made sense logically. And maybe it would be helpful in other ways for me to tell him what was going on. I just didn’t know what to do. How could I tell him that I suspected my mother had been murdered by my father’s former business partner? How could I tell him that a billion-dollar business was possibly mine? How could I tell him that my ex-boyfriend was the son of the man I thought had murdered my mother? How could I tell him that I’d been investigating one of the top corporations in the world for fraud and murder? How could I tell him, when nobody else knew? I thought about the patents and incorporation papers I’d put in Rosie’s bag the night I’d been kidnapped. I knew that whoever was after me wanted those papers. They wanted to know what information I had. I’d made a mistake telling David that my father had worked for Bradley Corporation. I’d wanted more access into the company. I’d wanted a meeting with his brother, the elusive CEO, Mattias Bradley. All I’d gotten in return was a series of warnings to stay away. I’d been lucky and surprised when David had called me and told me Mattias’s plan. I’d gone along with it because I had no choice. I had to trust in David. However, I hadn’t expected this. I hadn’t expected Jakob.