Chapter 12
Who did this?
Jade
My eyes were made of sandpaper. I peeked them open to bright sunlight, a soft bed, and the smell of coffee. It was odd, but then I remembered— he was here.
And then I remembered everything else that happened last night. The pasta, the coconut oil, the almost kiss. The zip ties.
My tears.
The video.
M-my name’s Jade Moretti. I’ve been kidnapped and I…I haven’t been harmed. Yet.
I sank further into the sheets and shut my eyes tight, drowning in my disjointed thoughts.
I promised myself I’d never get involved with a man again after the nightmare I’d lived through. I didn’t want to see, hear, or touch another man, and yet…
He was in my eyes, his voice in my head, his warm touch…still lingered around my wrists.
It was all so wrong. Forbidden. Weird, fucked up, illicit—
Unstoppable.
My mind floated out of me, replaced by a delirious haze of desire. God, what was wrong with me?!
I jumped out of bed and rushed into the ensuite bathroom, turning the shower to hot.
The coconut oil stained the bedsheets, and I was grimy, oily, with makeup still running down my cheeks.
Because after the video was filmed last night and Alex cut the zip ties, I sighed and told him he was sleeping on the couch.
And then I bolted into the bedroom and shut the door, almost barricading myself in.
I fell into bed and covered my head with a pillow and the pillow with the duvet.
Because all I wanted was to disappear. I wanted to wash my brain out, forget what I’d just done, forget what I’d said, forget the way Alex looked at me.
The way he held me.
The scorching water rained on the top of my head, but it wasn’t hot enough to burn through the pain and fear. The humiliation. And I had said so much last night; divulged intimate details that I promised myself I would forget and bury deep inside my brain.
But Alex stayed.
He held my gaze and my shaking body, letting me escape into him and into the fantasy that life could be different.
My hair dripping wet, I pulled on another summer dress, this one with tiny red flowers, and realized that…there wasn’t a timeline. No one was rushing me, expecting me, waiting for me with impatience.
It was never peaceful or calm for me in the past.
My father had a strict morning routine, and he would pick me up every day, sometimes before dawn, to take me to the gym. Controlling wasn't even the word.
But I was free now.
And I would never go back.
I stepped out of the bedroom to be greeted by the sight of Alex sitting at the kitchen island with his phone and a coffee cup in front of him and the TV playing the weather channel behind his shoulder.
My insides burst just at the sight of him. I was hoping he’d stay—for a few more days at least.
Or maybe just forever.
“Good afternoon,” he called out as soon as I appeared in front of him, and I latched onto the way he looked at me. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, what was the logical conclusion about me? That I was some poor little rich girl getting off on giving her father the finger. A rebellious brat?
Was he going to judge me for what I’d done? I’d willingly helped him. Why did I even care what he thought? Once he got what he wanted, he’d let me go, and this would be all over.
But his gaze held none of that. Instead, his eyes lit up and he smiled. It was that boyish smile I’d seen exactly one time when he dropped me off at this secluded beach house, post our dysfunctional shopping trip.
“Afternoon? What time is it? Also, hi.”
Alex nodded slowly, his gaze dropping to my legs and then away, like we were in high school and he was afraid to get a look. “Yeah. It’s almost lunch time.”
“Why’d you let me sleep for so long?” I stalked over to the coffee pot, pouring myself a cup.
“Why not? You have somewhere to be?” Alex sounded a tad confused, and I giggled, opening the fridge for the milk.
“Yes. I have many things planned. Tanning, swimming, nap, early bedtime.”
“You shouldn’t drink coffee on an empty stomach,” he interrupted when the cup was at my lips. “Is food somewhere on your list there? I was going to make lunch.”
Multiple thoughts ran through my head all at once. I was starving. This was wrong—to have him cook for me again. He was incredibly handsome with his dark hair and expressive eyes, and…
“Mmm. Okay. I’ll take my lunch on the beach, though,” I said it and pursed my lips, knowing I was toeing the line with this man. Would he do it? His eyes went wide and he crossed his arms, leaning back on the chair. But that smile.
“Wow, Malyshka. First, you make Maksim your bitch and now you’ve set your sights on your new target?”
I laughed lightly, eyeing the way his white T-shirt stretched over his biceps. “What language do you speak?” I’d thought about the word a few times, trying to piece together any information about him.
His mysterious smile was frying my brain, and my heart fluttered right out of me when he stood from the chair, taking long strides toward me. I craned my neck to look up at him, hoping my mouth wasn’t open in awe.
“Go to the beach,” he instructed, towering over me. “Swim. Nap.” His voice dropped lower, and my fingertips went numb. God, he was so broad. “Tan your little smart ass. I’ll make lunch. No more questions for today.”
Sand scraped against my skin, but it was pleasant. It was grounding and reminded me that I was safe. Alex was somewhere close by—just to the right of me, but it was all quiet. Peaceful. The sun was setting any minute now and the ocean waves came and went, but one thing stayed constant in my mind.
Him.
“Alex?” I cleared my throat, my voice hoarse from the beach nap. I turned toward him, his eyes already on me.
“Yes?”
Every time I called his name, he responded. And it was time to ask. “Why did you come to sleep here?”
A few seconds passed and my chest shook with anxiety.
“I couldn’t…I didn't have a chance to stay home, and for some reason I drove here. And now I don't want to leave,” he confessed, gluing his gaze to my collarbone.
"Why couldn't you stay home?" He’d pried so much information out of me, but I knew very little about him.
Reluctantly and with an uncomfortable chuckle, he revealed the details. "Unhinged ex."
Oh. Of course.
I turned on my stomach and propped myself up on my elbows, catching his eyes on me. He was fully dressed, sitting on the beach beside me like he was my bodyguard now, and fuck if that didn’t melt all of me.
"Mm. Those are dangerous for sure. So, you're hiding out here?" Slowly, I fixed my bikini to show off a little more of my butt cheeks.
Immediately, he noticed, staring right at my ass and forgetting to blink. A jolt of logic ran through me just like last night—what the fuck was I doing? If I didn’t stop this, it would all tumble into uncharted territory. He felt it, I felt it, there was no denying anything anymore.
But why did I have to follow some invisible rule?
"My eyes are up here, Alex."
It took him a few seconds to hear me, but as soon as he clued in, he squeezed his eyes shut and dragged his hands over his face, collapsing back onto the sand.
"You did that on purpose. Don't think I didn't notice." His words were muffled by his hands, but the laugh that escaped me filled my soul with a long-lost feeling of joy.
He laughed too, and it was just us—two almost strangers sharing a good time.
Just like that, we lay beside each other in complete silence, only the ocean waves gently whispering something in the background.
My gaze bounced from my towel to the sand, to his chest, lips...
until I finally peered into his eyes, already watching me.
The door to us being strangers was closing for good.
Powerless to look away, I rested my head on my arm and just enjoyed the moment with him. It was sucking me in like a black hole—this constant and all-consuming pull.
Like I’d been starved for a century without him.
I wanted to wrap my arms around his large body and finally breathe out. Finally succumb to the comfort I knew he could provide. I wanted to fall into oblivion and damn everything else.
We looked into each other’s eyes, both of us lost. Both of us knowing that this was a disaster waiting to burn our worlds down.
“Jade, I…” He searched my gaze, unable to fully finish his thought, but he stretched out his arm, slowly placing his open hand on the sand and creating a loud invitation.
This would be the first deliberate touch. The first wanted touch. We’d touched before.
He pulled my hair.
I bit him.
He yanked me out of his car.
He hugged me when we were high—pressed me to him, his strength and warmth and dominance melting my insides.
I walked him to the bed.
I gave him a head massage.
He held me when I cried.
But this seemed like a line in the sand.
Too scared. I was too frightened to allow this, but I also couldn’t deny myself any longer either.
Painstakingly slowly, I inched my hand forward, positive that I left a trail of ash on the sand beneath my fingers. I curled my index finger around his, not daring to take it any further.
I was hooked. Whatever this was…drugged me. I wanted more. I wanted everything.
"Fuck. Jade..." Alex whispered, never backing down. Could he see the goosebumps on my skin? The scars on my heart? The fear in my eyes?
He was so close. But this was so wrong.
"Ahem!" A loud noise came from somewhere near the house, making me gasp. I twisted my neck up, my eyes catching sight of the other guy in this whole clusterfuck that was now my life. Fuck me, I’d completely forgotten about him!
Instead of being startled like me, Alex closed his eyes and sighed, deflating into the sand. I pulled back quickly, reluctantly letting go of Alex’s finger.
“Hello!” the blond husband called out as he leisurely descended the steps, his hands in his pockets and his entire body relaxed. He stepped onto the sand, and as if I wasn’t there, he turned to Alex, exaggerating his next words. "May I have a word?"
Something was going on between them—they weren't a consolidated front like before.