Shattered Hearts: A Dark Romance (Bad Blood Book 1) Page 12

  He smiled at me apologetically as he placed the plastic cup in front of me, and I noted the dimple in his right cheek. He kept hold of his own cup, and I realized what he expected me to do. Feeling like I’d entered an alternative universe, I picked up my plastic cup, the sides dipping in with the pressure of my fingers, and then bumped the lip against Hayden’s.

  “Sante,” he said.

  I frowned. “Sante?”

  “Yes, it’s French. I thought with your name, you may know a little.”

  “Oh, I see. No, my mother had some French Canadian in her ancestry. I think I was named after a great grandmother, or something like that. That’s as close to France as I’ve ever got.”

  I was tempted to add that it didn’t look as though I was likely to ever get there either, considering my current situation, but I managed to stay quiet and take a sip of the wine instead.

  The wine coated my tongue and palate, and I had to stop myself groaning and my eyes rolling in my head in pleasure. I didn’t know much about wine, but even I was able to tell this was from an expensive bottle.

  He was watching me. “What do you think?”

  “It’s delicious.”

  “What fruits can you smell?”

  I lifted my eyebrows. “Are you going to quiz me on the wine?”

  He shrugged. “Just asking.”

  I raised the cup into the air between us. “I don’t think wine tasting is supposed to be done in these.” He didn’t reply. I twisted my lips and stuck my nose in the plastic cup before inhaling. “Hmm, I can smell blackberry and cherries, I think.”

  Hayden nodded slowly, a hint of a smile on his lips, as though I had pleased him. “Good. Now drink some and tell me what you can taste.”

  I took a sip, and something spicier ran over my tongue. It took me a minute to place the flavor. “Cloves!” I exclaimed. “And black pepper.”

  Hayden grinned, and the expression transformed his face. He’d gone from menacing and creepy, to stunningly beautiful and full of life. “Very good. You’ve got an excellent palate.”

  “I like wine,” I offered.

  He chuckled. “So do I.”

  I thought the two of us had probably been drinking some very different wine during our lifetimes, but I wasn’t going to say so. He was starting to relax around me, and that was a good thing. If he was relaxed, I would take him by surprise. My gaze flicked back down to the keycard attached to his belt, and my heartbeat raced. I would need to stab him and then grab it.

  I remembered what I’d told myself I would do. My stomach flipped at the thought, but it would work. I would be able to get my hands on the keycard, and he’d be both distracted and incapacitated.

  I took another swig of the wine, needing the Dutch courage. My cheeks burned, but I didn’t know if it was the result of the wine or the thought of what I was about to attempt.

  Finishing the final mouthfuls of food and washing it down with the wine, I forced a smile and batted my eyelashes. This son-of-a-bitch had kidnapped me and held me hostage. He was a dangerous person, but I needed to try to forget that for a moment. I needed to pretend we were out on a date and he was someone I lusted for. How did I flirt? I’d practically forgotten the art already.

  “That was incredible, thank you,” I said, offering him a coy smile, as though he’d invited me to his home and cooked dinner instead of kidnapping me and forcing me to communicate with my murderous father. “You’re obviously a man of many talents.”

  He shrugged, but I could see my words pleased him. “I like good things in life. We never quite know how long we’re going to get on this planet, so we should enjoy it.”

  By kidnapping women and locking them away ...

  “I totally agree.” I looked up at him from under my eyelashes. “I’ve always believed in taking what pleasures we can from life.”

  His green eyes darkened, and a flush of color rose across his high cheekbones.

  “I’m not used to being locked away like this,” I continued. “Away from male company.”

  His voice lowered to a growl. “I hadn’t realized you were... like that.”

  “What else am I supposed to think about? Down here, alone, with only movies and books for company. I’m a young woman, Hayden, I still have needs.”

  I reached out and pushed the coffee table out of the way. My heart pounded as I slid off the edge of the chair and dropped to my knees. There was still a couple of feet of space between us, so I went to all fours and slowly crawled toward him. He pressed himself back in his seat, watching me with a combination of suspicion and desire. Would he push me away? The wine had helped fortifying my nerves, and I hoped would also have gone someway to weakening his will.

  Stopping at his feet, I rose to my haunches. I slid my hands across his knees and to his thighs. His muscles were taut at my touch, rigid beneath my palms, and he inhaled a short, sharp breath. And his muscles weren’t the only thing that was rigid. With my face only a foot or so away, the long line of his cock across the front of his pants was easily visible.

  Yes, he wanted me, even if his head might be telling him this was all wrong.

  “Fuck, Jolie. What are you doing?”

  I gazed up at him. “You’re here, I’m here. Just a man and a woman together. No one ever has to know.”

  He didn’t push me away, so I moved my right hand higher until I reached the bulge in his pants. He was so hard and big, and I ran my fingers up and down the length, feeling him grow harder still.

  He reached out, but instead of pushing at my shoulders, his fingers laced in my hair. “So soft,” he groaned as he knotted his fingers through the strands. “Like silk.”

  “And you’re so hard.”

  I worked at the button of his pants then pulled down the zipper. I snatched a breath as he sprang out toward me. This man clearly didn’t believe in wearing underwear. The musky, masculine scent of him filled my nostrils and, against my better judgement, a slow coil of desire tightened in my belly and slipped down to tingle between my thighs. It had been a while since I’d last been with a man, but my needs weren’t what was important here.

  “More,” I said, pulling at the sides of his pants, indicating I wanted them off.

  He complied and lifted his ass off the chair, allowing me to pull the pants the rest of the way down to his ankles. The keycard came down with the item of clothing, and I tried not to let my gaze drop down to it. He needed to think I was only focusing on him.

  I had to admit, so far, he had a beautiful body. Long, muscular thighs with a spattering of dark hair, a large, perfectly shaped cock which curved up toward me. For a moment I wondered what he would look like with his shirt off, but I pushed the thought out of my mind. That wasn’t going to help me.

  My nipples crinkled and hardened to buds.

  Taking hold of his cock, the skin silky and hot, I pressed my thumb along the base of him and ran right up to the dome-shaped head before sliding back down with the same amount of pressure. I wanted to get the keycard first, to have it in my other hand without him noticing what I was doing, and I needed to use my whole torso to hide my actions. I also needed to have my other hand free eventually.

  “What are you doing, Jolie?” he gasped.

  I held his gaze. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  I didn’t have any other choice.

  I masturbated him a couple of times, staring up into his eyes, and then stopped at his base to hold him in place. Taking a deep breath, I leaned forward and poked out my tongue, swiping my tongue across the slit at the top of his cock. His salty precum coated my tongue and, above me, Hayden groaned. He was still watching me, his gaze fixed on my mouth. I needed for him to close his eyes, but I suspected he wouldn’t do so until he was close to climax.

  I had to admit that he was incredibly sexy. His full lower lip grew slack as I circled the tip of his erection with my tongue and then covered him with my mouth and bobbed lower.

  Deep at my core, my pussy throbbed. Wetness s
licked my folds, preparing my body for something that wouldn’t be happening. I’d make sure I stopped this before I went that far. But I was definitely giving him mixed messages. If he suddenly had the idea that he’d had enough of me sucking his cock, he could easily throw me back onto the bed, tear off my jeans, and push himself inside me. I would be ready for him, too, my pussy already plump with the extra blood that had rushed there upon catching the masculine scent of him.

  I bobbed lower, sinking down until he hit the back of my throat, and then I pulled back up again.

  He leaned forward, his hand in my hair, the other one reaching down to cup my breast through my shirt. My hard nipple pressed into his palm, and he pinched it through the material of the shirt, twisting just enough to send electricity shooting directly to my clit.

  I grew heady, and knew it was with desire, even though that wasn’t what I wanted. Could I blame the wine as well? If he did throw me back on the bed right now, I wasn’t sure I’d even tell him no. His cock was long and thick, and I knew it would feel incredible pushed deep inside me.

  But I shook the thought from my head. I needed to stay focused.

  He wore the keycard on his right-hand side, so I needed to use my left hand to work it free. The pencil dug into my hip, even as I sucked him deeper and harder, tasting his salt as a dryness at the back of my throat.

  He swelled in my mouth, and I knew it was almost time.

  Chapter Nineteen

  This was fucking insane.

  Yet hadn’t it been exactly what I’d been hoping for this entire time? The very first moment I’d seen her in the flesh, my cock had reacted. I’d assumed it was a definite no-go, however, considering I was her kidnapper, and I also hated her.

  Yes, I hated her. At least, I hated what she’d done.

  I should push her off and tell her no, but the feel of her hot, wet mouth around my cock was driving me insane. Literally. I had to be insane to be letting this happen.

  But I knew there was zero chance of me telling her I didn’t want this, because I did. Right now, even with everything else going on, there was nothing else I wanted more than to lose myself in this woman’s body and forget who I was. Forget who she was.

  My hips bucked to meet her mouth with every perfect suck she gave me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the way my cock vanished between those beautiful lips. My fingers knotted in the silky strands of her hair, and I wanted to use those strands to push her head down farther, to see how much of me she could take.

  She kept her eyes locked on my face, and tears sprang from the corners, even while she took me deeper. My balls contracted, pulling up tight into my body, my arousal building. What had brought all this on? Had it been the wine? I guessed she hadn’t drunk anything in over a week, so maybe the single glass had gone straight to her head and lowered her inhibitions. Maybe she’d picked up on the sexual tension between us, and it had been brewing all this time, and the wine had given her the confidence to act on it.

  Not that I cared. What she was doing to me felt incredible.

  Her movements increased speed, and she swirled her tongue around my girth. Her hand crept beneath my body, her fingers cupping my balls and gently stroking before giving them a slight tug to slow me down. I wanted to tell her that I wanted her, that I wanted to taste her in the same way she was tasting me, and then cover her body with mine. I wanted to feel her thighs wrap around my hips and her heels dig into my ass. But I also worried that if I pushed her too far, I’d break the moment and end up with a serious case of blue balls as my reward.

  My breathing grew ragged, and I knew I’d lose control soon.

  My eyes slipped shut ...

  Searing pain exploded through my inner thigh and I burst from the moment, lurching back in my chair, and almost tipping it. What the fuck?

  My eyes shot open. Cool air hit my cock, still wet from her saliva, but Jolie was no longer kneeling between my thighs. I’d had my fingers wrapped in Jolie’s hair when the pain started, and I’d yanked my hand away. Strands of her hair dangled from my fingers. I let out a roar of disgust and flicked the hair away.

  The pain didn’t abate, and I glanced down to see a goddamned pencil sticking out from between my legs.

  “Fucking bitch.” With a roar, I grabbed hold of the end and yanked it back out again. Fresh pain exploded through me, and I doubled over, muscles bunched, teeth clenched as the waves powered through me. My erection, almost comically, hadn’t even abated yet. Perhaps I had liked the pain.

  Frantic, I glanced around for Jolie, only to see the elevator doors closing behind her. What the hell? How had she managed to get the elevator to work? The truth dawned on me, and I dragged up my pants to see the keycard missing from my waistband.

  “Bitch!” I spat again.

  I had to be a little impressed. She’d planned this for sure, and she’d made her escape. Not only that, I was now trapped down here, or so she would think. I knew the override to the elevator, however, and though it would take me longer than using the keycard, I was going to be coming after her.

  Where the hell did she think she was going, anyway? I’d told her time and time again that she couldn’t escape from the island. Now there was also a storm coming. It would be suicide if she tried.

  A fresh wave of fear went through me, but not fear of her escaping or me being found out. No, my fear came at the thought of her death. Getting off the island was dangerous at the best of times, but with a storm coming, it was nothing short of deadly.

  Would she risk dying rather than stay here with me? Stupidly, the idea stung. I had to remind myself that we hardly had a regular relationship. She was my captive, not my girlfriend, and she was also the daughter of the man I hated the most in the world.

  I yanked my pants back up—struggling to do them up over my erection—and went to the elevator. The small stab wound between my thighs stung, and I winced with every step. Anger solidified inside me. I wouldn’t let her get away with this. I’d bring her back here, alive, and then our relationship would take a whole new turn.

  I hooked my blunt nails into the corners of the silver panel for the elevator and pulled it down. There was an emergency panel for use if there was a power shortage, or the elevator broke down. With no stairs to the room, this was the only access, and I couldn’t risk either myself or someone else being trapped down here during an emergency. Of course, I was aware that Jolie might have used it to try to escape, but she’d never thought to take off the panel, and she wouldn’t have known the override code even if she had.

  I keyed it in. Seven, four, nine, one, eight, two. Something buzzed internally, and the doors slid open. If the electricity had gone out, I would be able to open the hatch at the top of the elevator and climb the shaft to safety, but as we still had power, I just used the button on the inside of the elevator to get it working.

  The elevator rose and spilled me out into the entrance hall of my house. I paused, glancing left and right, trying to figure out which way she would have gone. Would she try to find a phone or computer and contact someone for help? Maybe, but there was no landline here, and the computer was password protected, so neither would do her any good.

  No, she’d know I’d be angry, especially after she’d used sex to manipulate me into allowing her to get close enough to stab me with a goddamned pencil, so she’d want to put as much distance between us as possible.

  The main doors to the house were unlocked. Would she have gone that way? Or would she have gone through the back of the property, perhaps thinking she’d trick me into thinking she’d taken the easiest option.

  With another growl, I turned from the front doors and ran into the back of the house instead. Something banged, making me jump. Sure enough, the door leading out to the pool and pool house was open and swinging in the wind.

  Noting that the wind had picked up turned my attention to the weather. The rain hadn’t started yet, but it wouldn’t be far off. The dark bank of clouds I’d witnessed on the horizon were on top of
us now, and though it shouldn’t be dark yet, a gloom hung over the island. The wind lashed through the surrounding palm trees, sending fronds skittering across the ground, landing in the pool.

  She shouldn’t even be out in this, never mind trying to figure out a way off the island. If she tried to swim to safety, she’d die.

  Beyond the pool, cliffs dropped down into the ocean, giving an infinity effect. I was pretty sure she wasn’t stupid enough to throw herself off the edge of the cliff, only to be battered to death on the rocks below. The sea had already responded to the approaching storm, the waves lifting higher and hitting the rock face with a crash.

  No, she’d find her way down to one of the beaches, or perhaps would try to hide in the middle of the island. I didn’t think she’d stay hidden, though. With her personality, she’d be more likely to take action than sit waiting to be rescued.

  “Jolie!” I yelled into the wind.

  No response came—not that I’d been expecting one.

  Sucking in a breath, I took after her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Fronds of palm trees whipped against my face as I ran. My breath whistled in and out of my lungs, my thighs already burning, but I focused on putting distance between myself and the house. I wanted to think that I’d trapped him down there, just as he’d trapped me, but I wasn’t so naïve to think he wouldn’t come up with some kind of escape plan should he accidentally get locked down there.

  I should have stabbed him in the balls. I’d meant to. That had been my plan all along, and yet, when the moment came, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It had been close, though. I’d left the pencil sticking out of his inner thigh, only millimeters away from where his balls connected to his perineum. His reaction had been what I’d been hoping for, despite the pencil not quite hitting the mark. I had done what I needed to make my escape.

  The wind was scarily high, and I was able to hear the waves crashing against the cliff face to my right. I’d made it out of my room, but fresh nerves flipped inside me at the idea of striking out into the sea. Even if the weather had been calm, it would have been terrifying and dangerous. Right now, I was thinking that trying to swim off the island would be nothing short of suicide.