Hunger (Seductors #2) (28 page)

Now that I was working for him, it would only be a matter of time before I found out if the power core existed or not, and the location if it did. I was more or less convinced it was Dr. Reynolds making this power core, simply by Oliver’s body language right now. He had the world in his hands and didn’t know which way to turn. Time was ticking faster than I wanted it to, and a part of me worried about our future.

Georgie had gotten inside my head more than I realized. Could I lie to Oliver for the rest of my life, knowing I was the reason his power core had fallen into the wrong hands? Miles wasn’t even sure our client was trustworthy. If it
was
Imogen Windom, he had reason to be worried.

Did I even want to complete this mission for her? If I wanted to keep Oliver and me alive, I had no choice. I was trapped with nowhere to turn. Either way, I was going to hurt the one person I loved more than my own life.

Chapter Sixteen

Oliver made everything effortless. I’d been working for him for almost six weeks already. We’d even been inseparable in the evenings, too. I was practically living at his luxury apartment, which didn’t bother me in the slightest. My past was catching up with me this month through vivid dreams and memories, and I’d never needed him more. If anyone could chase my nightmares away, it was him.  

“So?” I asked, trying to gage his reaction. His office was
finally
complete, and I had no idea what he thought of it. “Oliver,” I stressed. “Tell me if you hate it. I can redesign it!”

Slowly, he turned around and smirked at me. “Jade, I love it! It’s so light and calming. It’s just what I needed.”
Thank Christ for that!
I’d gone for relaxing pale blues, remembering how much he loved harbors, and added texture with the paintings he’d purchased when he visited me in St. Petersburg.

“Don’t do that to me,” I scolded, slapping his arm. “I thought you hated it!”

He chuckled, pulling me into his arms and running his hands down my back. “Jade,
you
designed it. How could I
not
love it?” I forced a blush before he crashed his lips against mine. It might have been against work policy, but right then, I’d never needed his lips so badly. I was overjoyed that I could give him this—a part of me that wouldn’t ever leave him.

Working closely with Oliver these last few weeks had confirmed my suspicions about Dr. Reynolds and Macy. Oliver was at breaking point with the whole situation. There had been countless secret telephone conversations, meetings, and code names when I passed messages back and forth between Dr. Reynolds and Oliver. It would only be a matter of weeks until he confided in me, I was sure of it. I could feel the stress and tension when we made love. He was trying to lose himself in me, and often did, but when he came back down to earth, I could see it in his eyes. Everything was on his shoulders, and he had nowhere to turn. I wanted him to turn to me, and not just for the sake of the mission.

“I thought this was against the rules,” he purred against my mouth, kissing down my jaw.

“We’re celebrating you liking your office—I’ll make an exception,” I giggled, feeling his hands go straight for my butt. “Mr. Kirkham, are you molesting a member of your staff?”  

“No,” he purred, pulling at my bottom lip with his teeth. “I’m molesting my girlfriend.” Why did I love that word so much? I gripped his hair, deepening the kiss before a male throat being cleared interrupted us.

“I need to speak with you
alone
, Oliver,” Richard glared as we broke apart. I still wasn’t in his good graces, and making out with Oliver in his office wasn’t going to help.  

“I’ll get back to those emails,” I muttered, dropping my hand from Oliver’s concerned face. I didn’t want him to start another argument with his uncle because of me, but I could already see it in his dark eyes.

“You need to let this go, Uncle!” I heard Oliver snarl before I closed his door.

“I don’t want to argue. You know that was unprofessional,” Richard sighed.

“What is your goddamn issue with Jade and me?”

“I feel as if you confide in her more than me. Oliver, I know you’re keeping things from me. I’m being kept out of secret meetings, denied access to secure files, and you still haven’t explained what project you are funding for Dr. Reynolds!” I shouldn’t have been listening, but I couldn’t move. “I thought we made big decisions together.”

“That was before you held a secret meeting with Imogen Windom behind my back!” Richard did what? How could he be so stupid?

“I only wanted to see what Imogen was offering. Do you have any idea how much power you’d have if you joined forces with her?”

“You are talking complete madness. Do you have any idea what effect that would have on the world’s warfare? Imogen Windom isn’t the kind of person you’d give
any
control to. You know this! My father warned you so many times!”

“Your father could have been wrong. He wasn’t as perfect as you think. He was only human, Oliver. He wasn’t infallible.”

“Your insecurities toward my father have nothing to do with me. I’m the owner of this company, you are my advisor. You’d do well to remember that, Uncle! You advise! You don’t dictate.”  

“Well, Oliver, you certainly are your father’s son. He was always quick to put me in my place, too,” Richard sneered. I could hear Oliver yelling back, but I knew I needed to take a step away. This conversation was private between the two of them. I’d often wondered why Richard only had a small claim to Kirkham Industries. I’d recently learned that he was Oliver’s father’s half brother. Oliver’s grandmother had had an affair, and to be honest, Oliver’s grandfather had been more than lenient with her and the illegitimate child. Richard grew up thinking he was a full-blooded Kirkham until he was sixteen. I did wonder when or if Oliver would bring it all up, though.    

“What do you want, Beautiful?” Oliver cooed, licking down my rib cage. My skin was clammy from the relentless lovemaking. He was really trying to lose himself tonight, which meant the argument with Richard earlier must have gotten even worse after I stopped listening. They’d been in his office for hours.

“You—I just want you!” I yearned, arching up to him.

“You have me. You know that, right?” he whispered, moving up my body, his nose skimming my hardened nipple. I nodded, running my fingers through his hair.

“I do.”

“I need to ask you something, but I’m worried it might scare you away.” I was taken aback at his statement. What did he want to ask? Oh, God! Was he going to ask me how I felt about him? Was I ready for that? Yes I loved him, but I would also be leaving him for a few years in the near future. We had so much to overcome first.

“Just ask me,” I breathed, swallowing hard.
Go with your heart, Jade. Oliver has a right to know how you feel about him.
Deep down, I knew I was ready.

“Who is Mina?”
What the fuck!?
How did he know about Mina? I could feel the blood drain from my face. He knew! Oliver knew everything! Had Richard discovered who I really was? Was that why they’d been in Oliver’s office for so long today? “Jade? Baby, you’re trembling,” he stressed, caressing my face. “I’m sorry. Forget I asked. Just breathe,” he cooed while I tried to control myself. I moved onto my side and then sat up, hugging my knees to my chest while feeling my world begin to fall apart around me.

“H…how do you know that name?” I whispered, fear shooting through me. If I failed this mission, we were both as good as dead.

“You’ve been saying it in your sleep this week. I’m worried about you,” he sighed, stroking my back. I relaxed instantly. It wasn’t what I thought. We were safe for the time being. “You said her name when you had your nightmare the other night, too.”
Shit!
I’d been having frequent flashbacks. I always did when it was close to the anniversary of her death. This month was never easy for me because the memories crept into my dreams often. I could fight them back sometimes, but Oliver’s arms had felt like heaven the other night, keeping me safe, making me feel loved after so long.

“She was my older sister,” I mumbled, still hugging my knees tight against my body. I couldn’t afford to break—not now, not ever.

“You have a sister?”

“I
had
a sister.” I swallowed, quickly getting out of bed to grab my robe and put it on.

“Are you running again?” Oliver winced, still sitting on the bed, looking down at his hands.
Run?
Was that what was worrying him?

“No, I was going to make us both some coffee so we can talk,” I sighed with a small smile. Was I being serious? Was I going to tell Oliver about Mina?

“You’re really ready for that?” he asked worriedly. “If you’re not, it can wait. I just want you, Jade. I’m sorry I brought it up. It’s just that I’ve been worried about you.”

“I want to tell you parts. I
need
to do this. I’ve kept this shit inside me for too long. You wanted to know why I run, well, it’s because of Mina,” I admitted with a shy smile before making my way down his grand staircase. I was being so honest with him, though I wasn’t even sure how much I
could
tell him. Georgie was the only person who knew the whole story, but I wanted to confide in Oliver as much as I could. He had a way of making me feel safe, and I knew that was because I loved him. The truth was I had been thinking about confiding in him for weeks. That’s what you did with the person you loved, right?

I didn’t hear Oliver join me in his kitchen until he wrapped his arms around me from behind. “I know I shouldn’t be freaking out, but I’m so worried you’ll run after you’ve told me about your sister.” I turned and was greeted by his troubled, dark eyes.

“I’m not running. I can’t anymore,” I whispered, running my hands down his bare chest and stopping at his heart. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I fought them back. Telling Oliver I loved him would have to wait. I didn’t want to taint it with what I was about to reveal about my past.  

“You know I want to believe you—it’s habit, ignore me.”

“I don’t want it to be habit. You mean everything to me. Why else do you think I came back?”

“Jade, I have to guard my heart—you’ve already broken it once. You’re here, yet part of me still feels as if you’re untouchable…a dream in so many ways. It’s been almost a year and still I know nothing about you, but I keep falling.” This wasn’t how I envisioned the conversation, but I didn’t want to change the direction, either. Not yet.

“You’re not the only one falling,” I whispered, hanging my head. He could be so distracting. I wasn’t confessing my love right now; it wasn’t the right time. He wouldn’t let me look away from him, though. His fingertips tilted my chin, lifting my eyes back to his.

“You want to talk—let’s talk,” he sighed, taking my hand and leading me into his grand living room. He was about to take a seat on the couch next to me when he suddenly remembered the coffee I had started.

My heart was racing. Mina wasn’t an easy topic for me. I was about to bare part of my soul to him—show him a side of me that he might not like. Oliver was going to see my last layer, and the weak, selfish Jade that was trapped deep inside me.

“You’re still shaking. Are you sure you don’t want something stronger?” he asked, handing me a mug of coffee. I shook my head, taking a deep breath and trying to calm myself. “Take your time, Beautiful. I’m not going anywhere,” he soothed, sitting next to me.

We sat in silence for a few minutes because I wasn’t sure where to start. I had to be careful not to give actual true events away. The fake family names on my Jade Gibb’s record were still the same I’d had in real life, and just like every other mission I’d ever undertaken in The Seductors, my sister was deceased. It was like losing her all over again with each mission.  I shook the thoughts away. They weren’t getting me anywhere. Oliver was still sitting next to me, waiting patiently.
Just go with it, Jade.

“M…Mina was killed over ten years ago,” I muttered, staring into my coffee mug. I heard Oliver’s sharp intake of breath and continued. “She was my older sister and I adored her. I was a reckless teenager, always getting into trouble with my dad and stepmom. Mina understood me. She was the only person I ever listened to. I…I never meant…” I began choking on my words as the sobs erupted deep in my chest.