Illusion (Swept Away Book 1) (15 page)

J
akob’s plan had worked, and we had water to drink. It was still slightly salty, but we had filtered it enough that it wasn’t unbearable, and it quenched our thirst.

“Another banana?” He handed one to me as we watched the sunset.

“Thanks.” I took it from him gratefully.

“Would you like one, Steve?”

“I’d like a big, fat, juicy steak with scalloped potatoes and mixed veggies.” Steve smiled at me. “And for dessert, a big slice of cherry cheesecake.”

“Don’t,” I groaned. “That sounds so good.”

“Doesn’t it though?” He grinned at me and took the banana from Jakob. “This doesn’t quite match up, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t.” I chewed on my banana and sat back. “But it’s so pretty here. Whoever kidnapped us all really chose a beautiful spot.”

“We should really talk and see what we can figure out.” Steve’s expression changed, and he looked at Jakob and me carefully. “I’d like to know if we have any connections.”

“I’d like to know that as well.” I nodded and thought back to Jakob’s earlier comments.

“Tomorrow.” Jakob stood up. “We’re all tired right now. We might miss something. Let’s talk tomorrow morning when we’re all fresh.”

“I’d rather talk—” I started, but Jakob grabbed my arms and pulled me up into his arms. I fell against him, and he grinned before his lips crushed down on mine. I melted against him, and my hands flew to his face as he kissed me hard.

“I’d rather make love,” he whispered against my lips as he pulled away slightly.

“Jakob!” I gasped, and looked down at Steve, who was staring at us with narrow eyes.

“Don’t worry, Steve. Bianca and I won’t shock you tonight. Though it will be hard for me to keep my hands off her. I won’t lie.”

“I don’t blame you.” Steve stood up. “I’m not sure I’d be able to resist, myself.” He looked to the ocean. “I’ll go farther down the beach and sleep there, give you both some privacy.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I called out after him as he started walking, but he didn’t stop.

“Let him go.” Jakob’s hand rubbed my back. “We have things to do tonight.”

“I don’t do casual sex,” I muttered, and tried not to stare at the front of his boxer briefs. Of course, my eyes couldn’t turn away as I stared at the huge bulge. I shifted my position and looked up to see him staring at me with an intense expression.

“I wasn’t talking about sex,” he said slowly and seductively, as his eyes dropped to my breasts.

It took everything in me not to place my hands over my skimpy bra. I’d almost forgotten that I was standing here in my underwear. I’d taken his shirt off after it had gotten wet in the ocean. Now I was once again fully aware of how close to naked I was and how close to naked he was as well. I swallowed hard as I felt an imperceptible change in the mood. It was no longer light but filled with sexual tension.

“I see.” I spoke, wanting to fill the air with something other than anticipation.

“What do you see?” He leaned back, and I watched as he stretched his arms out. The muscles in his chest rippled, and I swallowed hard, praising myself for not reaching over and running my fingers down his chest.

“Um, what?” I mumbled as he adjusted himself.

“Bianca, I think we should sleep side by side so that we can keep each other warm, and we need Steve to believe that we are together. Our clothes are still damp, so we can’t really put them back on tonight.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

I shivered at the thought of him pressed against me. It would feel different from when we had been in the back of the trunk and lying next to each other last night. In the trunk, I’d been scared and worried. I also hadn’t known yet how hot he was. And we’d been dressed. Last night, I’d been fearful for my life. I hadn’t trusted him, and we hadn’t been touching as we slept. Now, well . . . now it was a different story. I already felt slightly turned on.

I wanted to groan. How could I be in this situation? If David knew how turned on I was right now, he’d be furious. He’d always called me frigid and a prude, but that hadn’t been it. I’d just never really been that sexually attracted to him, even though he’d been very handsome. I shook my head slightly as I thought about David. It was over, and I was glad it was over. I didn’t want to waste any more time thinking about him.

“I can tell you’re cold.” He grinned, and I cocked my head to the side.

“How?”

“Your nipples look as hard as pebbles.”

“Oh!” I gasped, in shock at his words.

“Or are you just happy to see me?” His eyes fell to my
heaving breasts again, and he licked his lips slowly. “I won’t be upset if you say that’s why.”

“You’re disgusting.” I glared at him.

“And you’re wet.” He spoke softly and took a step toward me.

“I’m not wet.” I shook my hair and felt drops of water cascade down my back.

“Liar,” he whispered.

“What?” I gasped as he placed a hand on my stomach and allowed his fingers to slide down. “What are you doing?”

“I just wanted to show you how wet you were.” His fingers left my stomach and he wiggled them in my face. I could see drops of moisture on the tips. “See?” He grinned, and I watched as he licked the drops off his fingers.

W
e picked up our clothes and laid them out on the sand a bit farther away from the water, moving in silence. I was still slightly turned on from our interaction, yet I was also annoyed with myself and with him. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t slapped him for being so fresh. I so wanted to put him in his place, but a part of me really enjoyed the innuendos. When he flirted with me, it was easier for me to forget where we were and the circumstances we were in. I was still completely puzzled as to why we were here. It made absolutely no sense to me. And while it made no sense, I was going to go along with his facade that we were together.

“We should talk before Steve gets back.” Jakob’s voice was low. “I think we need to make sure that we only talk about personal stuff when he’s not around.”

“Makes sense. At least the police must be looking for us,” I muttered as we sat down on the sand.

“You think so?” He gave me a deep look.

“Of course.” I nodded. “Rosie’s probably freaking out right now. She knows I’m not the sort to just disappear. Plus, I left her some stuff in her bag. When she sees it, I hope she figures out that I was onto something.”

“Onto what?” He asked curiously. “Or are you not going to tell me?”

“I want to tell you.” I could feel my head pounding as I stared at him. “It’s just hard. You’d be the first person I tell. I haven’t even told Rosie yet, though, I wanted to tell her that night.” I froze as I remembered something. “Oh my God, I might have taken a photo of the guy that was following me as well.”

“Huh?” His eyes narrowed.

“I sent Rosie a photo of the bartender that night to get her to hurry up, as she was running late. I thought a handsome man might make her move faster.” I thought back to the night I was in the bar and tried to remember if anyone else had been in the frame of the picture.

“I see.” He frowned. “You seem a bit man-crazy.”

“What?” My voice rose, and I glared at him. “What does that mean?”

“Just that you seem to date around a lot.” He shrugged.

“You get that because I took a photo of a guy in a bar?” I cocked my head to the side as my annoyance showed through my rigid voice. “That’s how you respond to the fact that I might have sent a photo of someone who was involved in our kidnapping to my best friend.”

“I was just stating a fact, based on my observation of you. You dated that rich guy, and then you were online looking for someone, and now you’re picking up guys in bars.”

My jaw dropped as he spoke. He had a better memory than I did, but he was really twisting things. “I never said I was picking up any guys in the bar.” I shook my head. “You really like to jump to conclusions, don’t you.”

“I know I don’t let my women get around.” His eyes bored into mine. “When a woman is with me, she’s with me alone.”

“I don’t cheat on guys.” I stared back into his eyes. “If that’s what you’re implying.”

“When a woman is with me, she doesn’t even think of another man,” he continued, and sat back. I tried to ignore his muscles as they flexed.

“Good for you. I’m sure that’s hard for them.”

“I don’t do back talk either.”

“You sound like a real prince to date.” I rolled my eyes. “Are you a boyfriend or a teacher?”

“I’m both.” He grinned. “But, we digress. If you have a photo of that man it would be great. However, right now that doesn’t really help us, does it?”

“No, I guess it doesn’t.” I stared at his face for a few seconds, studying his eyes and then looking at his body language. I knew that I either was going to have to trust him or not, but I had to make a decision. I could feel the nerves in my stomach as I tried to make a decision; each one was more wound up than the other. “My father left me a letter when he died.” I said finally, the words sounding stilted as they came out of my mouth.

“Okay . . .”

“I think I was being followed because of the letter.” I gazed out at the ocean. “Actually, that’s not exactly right. I was being followed because of what I did after I read the letter.”

“What did the letter say, and what did you do?”

“You’ve got to understand that this isn’t me.” I looked back at him with a frown. “If you would have told me five years ago that I’d be acting like some older version of Nancy Drew, I would have told you you were lying.”

“Nancy Drew, huh?” He raised an eyebrow. “That must have been some letter.”

“It was.” I chewed on my lower lip for a few seconds before continuing. I needed to make sure I was making the right decision, but I knew that there was no way for me to be certain of that fact. I knew that between Jakob and Steve, I trusted Jakob the most.

“So, are you going to tell me anything else?”

“My father was poor when he died. He didn’t leave a will, he didn’t have anything to leave in his will. He had no money.
Though, he should have had millions. He invented the self-painting machine, the thirty-minute cooker, and the first prototype for the mini car.”

“Really?” He looked back at me with a blank expression that surprised me. Most people were shocked and amazed to find out my father had created so many products that had changed the way millions lived their lives.

“Yes, really.” I snapped, annoyed by his lack of reaction, not knowing why I felt so upset. I knew a part of it had to do with the fact that I was trusting him with something I’d never told anyone before, and he wasn’t reacting in the way I’d hoped he would. “So when he died, he basically left me a letter that told me that he didn’t trust his old business partners. He left me some papers that led me to believe that he should own the rights and be receiving the royalties for those products.”

“I see.” He pursed his lips. “So you’re trying to get the money you think is yours, is that it?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and looked away from him again. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t tell him about my mother’s car accident and the fact that my father had believed that she’d been killed. I didn’t tell him that the real reason I was investigating was to get justice for my mother. I wasn’t sure that he’d understand. I thought back to the letter my father had left me; the letter that had led to my kidnapping and being stuck on this island.

My Dearest Bianca,

My darling daughter, as I lie here writing this letter, there are so many things I wish I could go back and change.

First, let me apologize to you. I spent too many years carrying around my grief at your mother’s death that there are many times I didn’t fully appreciate how alive we both still were.

Your mother meant the world to me and I see her living on in you. She would be so proud of the historian you’ve become. Stay inquisitive and beautiful, my darling. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to leave you anything in my will. I wasted my life away and there are many things I wish I had told you before today.

There’s one thing I think you should know. One thing I’ve agonized over telling you. I don’t think your mother’s car crash was an accident. As I’ve gone through my papers and recalled various conversations from the days before her death, it has occurred to me that there may have been people that wanted to see me incapacitated. People that knew that your mother’s death would change everything in my life.

My darling, I may not be able to leave you riches in the bank, but go through the papers in the box and you might find the truth. The truth will provide for your children and bring justice for your mother’s death. Writing this letter and knowing how strong you are is giving me great solace in the sadness of my last days. All I ask is that you be careful
of who you trust. Friends can be foes and foes can be friends. Remember that I love you and I’m sorry.

Fight on like your beloved Mary, Queen of Scots.

All my love,

Papa

“Are you okay, Bianca?” Jakob moved closer to me. I could see the concern in his eyes. “You just spaced out for a long time.”