Disillusioned (Swept Away 2)

“Get down.” My heart was in my throat as he balanced without moving. “You could fall.”

“So you still care.” He gave me a satisfied smile as he stepped back onto his balcony.

“Why didn’t you come over here?” I was confused. He could easily have grabbed me if he wanted to. All he had to do was make one small jump. Why hadn’t he?

“Have you ever seen The Talented Mr. Ripley, Bianca?”

“The movie with Matt Damon and Jude Law?” I frowned at his randomness. Why was he bringing up movies? That was my thing. “Yes, a long time ago. Why?”

“I want you to trust me, Bianca. Everything isn’t as it seems.”

“Yeah, you’re not as you seem, Jakob.” I paused. “Jakob Bradley, right?”

“My last name is Bradley.” He nodded solemnly. “It’s not a name I carry with pride.”

“I wonder why.” I glared at him. “I assume you hate it as much as you hate your first name.”

“Life is complicated, Bianca. Sometimes we have to make decisions we don’t want to make. It’s just what life brings us.”

“Like when Ripley kills Peter at the end of the movie?”

“Ripley loved Peter.” Jakob sighed. “But he had to do what he had to do.”

“Are you telling me you have to kill me?”

“I would never harm you.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want the same thing you want, Bianca.” His face changed and he looked away. “We’ve both come so far.”

“Do you want me to cede my father’s patents to Bradley Inc.? Is that what this is about?” I asked bitterly. “Is this what everything has been about? Your family screwed my father over and stole his inventions. Now that he’s passed away, you’re worried that I’ll take your family to court. If I win, you’ll have to give me a huge share in the company and that will give your family a bad name.”

“This is about more than that, Bianca. There are things you don’t know about those patents. I don’t care, but . . .” His voice trailed off as he stretched his arms up and I could hear the tiredness I felt reflected in his voice. “You haven’t been totally truthful with me either.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know about the other letters.”

“What?” I frowned as I stared at him in shock. “What do you mean?”

“I know the secrets you’re hiding. I know what your father did. I know the truth behind his guilt.”

“My father felt guilty because my mother died and he didn’t put the pieces together soon enough to get justice for her death.”

“Do you really think that’s the only reason he was upset, Bianca?” Jakob’s eyes searched mine. “Are you seriously trying to tell me you didn’t know about the affair?”

“What?” My jaw dropped as I gazed at him, my mind racing. With that one word, everything I thought I knew was called into question. I remembered the label on the box that had held my father’s papers. It had read “divorce papers.” I hadn’t thought much of it when I’d seen it. I figured it was a box from one of Larry’s old clients, but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was a box that had held divorce papers for my parents. Maybe they hadn’t been as happy as I’d thought they’d been. Had there really been an affair? My stomach dropped as a surge of pain ran through my veins. I didn’t want to believe that either of my parents could have stepped outside of the marriage.

All of a sudden Jakob was on my balcony, grabbing my hands and pulling me toward him. “Don’t run away again, Bianca.” His eyes looked dark as he gazed down on me. “It’s not safe here.”

“But aren’t you the one I should be afraid of?” I whispered up at him as he leaned down to kiss me roughly.

Chapter Two

His lips, though rough, felt like heaven against my lips as my body melted into him, momentarily forgetting how much I hated him. His fingers gripped my hips possessively as he pulled me into him and thrust his hardness into my stomach. My stomach churned as I pulled away from him, my mind battling with my heart.

“Don’t,” I said urgently as my hands pushed against his chest.

“Why, Bianca, why?” he growled as he bit down on my lips. “Why did you have to be her, Bianca? Why couldn’t it have been anyone but you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a good liar, aren’t you?” He stepped back and his arms fell away from me, leaving me feeling bereft. He eyes searched my face and I shivered. “Or did you really not know?”

“I’m not the liar.” I was taken aback and confused by his words. “Did I really not know what?”

“You nearly caught me in your trap, but I suppose that was your plan, wasn’t it?”

“What plan, Jak—Matt . . . ?” I sputtered in confusion, no longer sure what to call him. Jakob felt wrong, but Mattias felt too twisted—and too real.

“You’re just like your mother—beautiful, angelic, and calculating.” He shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed me in disgust. “Though I wonder if she was as good an actress as you are.”

“I’m not an actress.” I stared at him, wondering how he had turned this around on me. I was pretty sure that was the sign of a sociopath. Apparently he was a pretty talented one, because all I could think about was what he had said about my mother. Was she somehow involved in this? As more than an innocent bystander?