Illusion (Swept Away 1)

“Didn’t know or didn’t care?”

“What does that mean?”

“Well he was handsome, rich. You felt like you won the lottery, right?”

“No!” I glared at him again. “You really think I’m some sort of gold digger, don’t you.”

“Like I said, you wouldn’t be the first I’ve met.” He shrugged.

“Money isn’t everything.”

“Tell me about this girl who hates you.”

“Her name is Bridgette.”

“Bridgette?” He frowned and leaned forward. “Do you know her last name?”

“Moore,” I answered. “Her name is Bridgette Moore, and she hates me because she thinks I stole David from her. But I didn’t know that they were dating.”

“You really liked David, it seems.”

“He was very handsome and sweet to me.” I circumvented his unasked question. My dating David had nothing to do with how much I liked him.

“Typical woman.” He rolled his eyes.

“What’s typical?”

“The number one trait you list is handsome.”

“What’s wrong with that? At least I didn’t say rich.”

“When he kissed you, did you feel as if your soul was on fire?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“When I kiss you, do you feel like your soul is on fire?”

“Well, you’re from hell, so it would feel that way,” I retorted quickly.

“Yet you feel comfortable enough with the devil to let him touch you?” His fingers trailed across my collarbone and then to my cheek.

“I never said you could touch me,” I whispered softly, not wanting him to stop.

“Sometimes an assent doesn’t come from the mouth, it comes from the eyes.”

“My eyes told you it was all right to touch me?”

“Your eyes told me it was all right to fuck you.” His face moved toward mine, and I could feel his breath on my lips. “Your eyes are begging me to kiss you.” This time, as he spoke, his lips trembled against mine.

I closed my eyes and waited to feel the firmness of his lips against mine as he kissed me, yet nothing happened. I slowly opened my eyes again, but I was disappointed. My breath caught as I realized that he was gazing intently into my eyes.

“I think . . .” he began with a small smile. “I think we have a connection.”

“Oh?” My heart started beating fast at his words. I didn’t know how much I liked him, but I was definitely attracted to him. “I agree.” I nodded, my face flushing. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but I was excited to find out.

“I think I know Bridgette as well.”

“What?” I blinked at him, not comprehending what was going on. I had been expecting him to take me in his arms, not to keep talking.

“I said, I think I know Bridgette as well.” He smiled at me slightly, and his eyes appeared to mock me. “I think that’s a second connection that we have. There was a Bridgette Moore who used to work for me.”

“There was?” I mumbled as my brain started racing. He knew Bridgette? Bridgette Moore had hated me with a passion. The last time I saw her she was screaming at me and threatening to ruin my life. I hadn’t taken her seriously. I’d figured her words were those of a heartbroken ex. David had told me that he was about to dump her before he met me. I hadn’t thought she was seriously going to come after me, but now I wasn’t so sure. Could this have been set up by Bridgette and not by Mattias?

“Yes, but I fired her.” His fingers trailed up my neck and circled it. For a moment, I thought he was going to strangle me as his fingers pressed in deeper and his expression changed. “I’m not the sort of man anyone should mess with.” His voice was hoarse, and I swallowed hard. “Do you understand that, Bianca?”

“Yes,” I whispered, my heart thudding with fear.

“Good.” He smiled and he leaned down to kiss me. “Bridgette didn’t seem to get that memo,” he whispered against my lips before he kissed me.

I held on to his shoulders and softly kissed him back. There was a buzzing in my ears as we kissed, and my brain was screaming at me. The kiss lit something up in me, and I ran my hands through his hair, but all the while, I was thinking to myself, Did I made a mistake in trusting Jakob? Is this man going to kill me?

I pulled away from him and breathed a deep sigh of relief as his fingers left my throat. I took a step back and my fingers found the spots where he had been gripping me and rubbed gently. It struck me that maybe Jakob was hiding more than I’d even suspected. If Bridgette had been his assistant and Bridgette had dated David, wouldn’t he have known David, or at least heard of David? And if he knew who David was, why hadn’t he said anything?

Seven

There’s something about sexual attraction that makes your brain turn to jelly. Factually, I knew that it’s the process of what happens when chemicals are released in your brain that affects your mood. The chemicals are the reason why, when you see someone you’re attracted to you, you lose all sense. However, I still didn’t understand why I always seemed to lose my mind around Jakob. I knew he was the sort of man most women would fall for. I’d just never expected to find myself lusting after a man who was handsome but also potentially dangerous. I wanted to ask him more about Bridgette, but I knew that I had to time it well. I didn’t want him to think that I was making too many connections. Not yet. There had to be a reason why he wasn’t being straightforward with everything. I just didn’t know why.