Captivated By You (Twisted Love #1) (9 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

As soon as Julian walked through the door, I shoved the solicitor’s letter right in his face. “What is the meaning of this?”

“You’ve been going through my stuff?” Julian snatched the letter from my hand and turned away.

“No, I have not been going through your stuff. But this… I found this by accident, and you better tell me what the hell is going on here.”

Muttering under his breath that he should have kept those documents in a more secured place, Julian turned away from me again.

Oh no. You are not getting away from me this time, Julian.

I dragged him to face me again.

“I heard that. And even if you hide them, I can still find them. Now tell me why you are hiding these documents.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.” Julian turned again.

“Not again, Julian. Stop acting like a jerk. This is serious business. If you want to have a relationship with me, you better speak up. I can’t tolerate you acting like this any longer.”

“You’re digging into secrets, Kimberly. And I would prefer it if you don’t. You’ll only get hurt.”

“Tell me what secret it is that would hurt me so deeply. Because right now, the only secret that will hurt me is if you betray me and sleep with another woman. And if it’s not that, then nothing will hurt me.”

Julian didn’t speak. Instead, he continued to stare out to the sea. After a minute of silence, I grew angrier.

“Ahhh, Julian, you frustrate me,” I shouted, marching to his alcohol cabinet and dumping a glassful of Pinot Noir, choking the whole thing down in one gulp. Then I poured another and gulped that one too. And then another and—

Julian took my glass away. I snarled at him.

“You don’t want to talk about whatever it is in that letter, and now you’re depriving me of alcohol too. How sweet, Julian. How sweet,” I sarcastically lashed out.

Somehow I found I wanted to hurt him too for the way he was always hiding things from me. Did he even care about me? What about last night? All those words about wanting to have a real relationship with me? Were they all lies?

“I can’t let you drink alcohol without food.”

“Oh, so you do care about me, then. Then why don’t you care to explain what the fuck is with that letter, then?”

“If I explain it, it will only hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Stop saying the same things. The only thing hurting me is you. You’re hurting me right now, Julian. By not explaining what the hell is going on. You’ve been transferring your own money into the Devereux’s company account. Why? And why is Josh withdrawing money for his personal usage without consent?”

“What’s the point? Even if I explained it, nothing’s going to change.” He spat through gritted teeth.

“What’s the point?” I asked, my temper in the red. I couldn’t believe this. What a stupid question. I picked up my wine glass and stalked towards him. I just wanted to strangle his neck right there. I shouted back at him, frustrated, “The point is, Julian, that I am interested in where this money has disappeared to and whose bank account it disappeared into. My father will be owning half the shares in your father’s business in the future, and whatever is going on, he will need to know. If Josh continues to withdraw money without consent, there’s no point in merging our companies. And you have all the evidence. And from what I can see, you’re hiding it from the shareholders. So tell me why you’re doing this.”

“Because Josh is my brother.”

“For goodness sake, Julian. We’ve had this conversation already. I don’t care if he’s your brother. What I want to know is why you’re hiding it from the shareholders. If they find out you’re protecting Josh, you’ll be in big trouble. You are more than capable of handling this business. Why are you so adamant to put yourself down and let Josh gain all the recognition when in fact he’s the fraud? Just tell me that much.”

“Because there’s no point,” Julian said in exasperation, as if he’d already given up on this conversation, clamming himself shut from me. But I wasn’t going to let him off that easily.

I pushed him on. “There’s always a point to everything, Julian. Tell me.”

“For this particular point, it’s not worth discussing.”

“Julian!” God he frustrated me. I gripped my wine glasses until my knuckles turned white. I was so frustrated with him I ended up pacing back and forth around the room just to calm myself.

“You tell me right now or our relationship will end right here. Because from what I can see, this so-called secret of yours, which you implied will hurt me, has already hurt me because you bloody clammed your mouth shut. So just say the word.”

“Kimberly, you can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I’m serious all right, Julian. Whatever secret you’re hiding, it’s putting a wedge in our relationship. And unless it’s out in the open, our relationship can’t move on.” I didn’t want to threaten him, but in a relationship a couple needed to trust each other, and Julian, right now, was hiding something from me. And because he didn’t trust me, he wouldn’t tell me.

“Kimberly, don’t you get it? No matter what I do, I will not be recognized for my true worth. Even if I tell them, who would believe me?”

I gritted my teeth and shouted at him. “That’s because you don’t show them. This bloody evidence and your true worth.”

“No, it’s because I’m a bloody bastard, that’s why.”

My glass dropped. Red wine seeped into the grey carpeting like blood. Tension hung thick in the air. I looked up at Julian and blinked. “A bastard?”

Julian gritted his teeth, his eyes betraying the hurt he tried to hide. He suddenly lacked the energy to fight me. He slumped into his chair, shoving his fingers through his hair. “Yes, a bastard. The son of a mistress. The son who’s been kicked to the curb. This is the secret I’m trying to keep.”

“Julian.” I couldn’t make sense of this. “Julian,” I said again.

“You don’t have to look at me like that,” he said, his jaws clenching, fire piercing me through his stare.

What did I look like? What kind of expression did I show on my face? Pity? Like those shareholders who looked at Julian like he wasn’t capable of doing anything even though he was the elder brother?

“Julian, I don’t know what to say.” I was at a loss. I didn’t expect him to tell me he’s the bastard son of Beau. God, I didn’t even know Beau had a mistress.

“You don’t have to say anything, Kimberly.” Walking towards the door, Julian opened it. “If you want to leave, you can. Now that you know the truth.”

“Are you asking me to go?” I stormed towards him, my fury back in action.

“It’s up to you. You’re the one who said this secret of mine is putting a wedge in our relationship. And if you think my love for you isn’t strong enough, then you can leave. I can’t control you.”

I was simmering inside. How dare he ask me such a stupid question? My eyes bore into him, fire blazing from within.

“If you think I would leave you because of that one lousy reason, then I should definitely leave you because you’re a stupid fucking idiot. I let you have sex with me. I let you into my heart like no other man, and this is how you treat me. If I cared about where you come from, then I wouldn’t be here in the first place. Listen, Julian. I’m the kind of woman who loves a man for what he is, not his birthright. But it looks like you’re like all the other men. Thinking I’m just one of those rich bitchy heiresses who only want a rich guy for a hubby. Well, fuck you. I’m not. My love is stronger than that. Good-bye, Mr. Fucking Jul—”

I was dragged from the doorframe and pinned to the wall. Julian crowded my space, his nose just inches from mine. With haggard breath, he panted to me, “I’m not a fucking idiot. I want you. Goddamn, I want you more than my last fucking breath. I want to fuck you and take your heart out so it will only belong to me.”

“Then what are you waiting for? I’ve been yours from the beginning anyway,” I screamed back, bringing all my pent-up energy to the surface, my hurt and frustration.

There was silence between us then, like the silence before a storm. And then—

Julian ripped my dress, exposing my breasts. And before I knew it, we were both tearing at each other’s clothes as fast as we could manage. It was a primal need. Each of us needed to be near each other, touch each other, to make sure we could survive this secret together. I wasn’t afraid to show him my imperfection. I wasn’t afraid to show him my secrets. He was all mine and I was all his. There was nothing to hide between us anymore.

Once we were both naked, we stumbled and fell into a heap on the bed, arms and legs entwined. I opened my legs wide, allowing him to enter me. He thrust into me just as ferocious. I panted, he panted, and together we came, Julian’s essence exploding into me.

I hoped what I’d given him would be enough for him to not feel ashamed about exposing his dark secret to me, because to me, Julian would always be my dark knight in shining armor, not the bastard he claimed to be.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I woke in the same position as I drifted off to sleep last night, with Julian still inside me. I smiled, loving this feeling. But my body ached. I adjusted myself, his cock slipping out of me. Once comfortable, I lay back, my cheek pressed against his naked chest.

Outside, Gold Coast was still asleep, as were the rest of the building’s residents. Dawn had not yet arrived. I glanced at Julian. He was still asleep. His long black lashes were beautiful. They would make any girl jealous. I was pleased, though, because this man belonged to me. I drew lazy circles on his skin, then found his nipples before giving them a pinch too.

“Kimberly, you should stop. You’re making me hard again.”

I lifted my head to see Julian staring at me with his lusty gaze.

“So you are awake. Here I thought I would have to do something drastic.” I continued to draw lazy circles around his nipple, ignoring his warning. Julian gripped my hand, stopping me.

“Please stop. You’re seriously making me hard.”

“But that’s good. I want to make you hard so we can make love again.” I gave him little kisses on his chest to show I wanted him.

“Not yet, Kimberly.”

I reluctantly nodded, but in turn settled myself on his chest, relishing the feel of his hard muscles protecting me. Julian played with my hair as I listened to him breathing. Right then, everything felt so blissful. I wished time would just stop, just for me to enjoy this moment longer.

“Call me Kimmy, Julian,” I said randomly.

“Why?”

I looked up to see him giving me a quizzical gaze.

“Because you’re my boyfriend now.” I tweaked his nose, like that wasn’t obvious enough. “My close friends call me Kimmy. Papa calls me Kimmy-berry. Everyone else uses Kimberly.”

“I like your three-syllable name. So I’ll continue to call you Kimberly.”

My heart swelled with happiness. I lifted myself off his chest and gave him another mouthwatering kiss. “Only you know how to make a girl happy.” Then I resumed my attention to his chest and drew lazy circles again. “Now talk.”

“What about?” His deep baritone vibrated through his chest.

“About you. About you calling yourself a bastard.”

“There’s really nothing to explain.” Julian sighed deeply. I could sense the slight resistance in his answer.

“Please,” I begged. “I want to know you more. You’re very important to me. You and your other secret self.”

Julian sighed again. Then slowly he explained his past. “Dad had an affair, and I’m the product of that affair.”

“So your mother had you first before Fiona had Josh.”

“Yes.”

“Is that why Josh treats you like shit? And Fiona eyes you like an insect?”

“Yes.”

“Then why do you tolerate their behavior? If it were me, I would go away and live with my mother. I wouldn’t need to see their faces, especially Josh’s and Fiona’s.”

“My mother passed away when I was a little boy. Dad took me in. And because he’s been so kind to me, I didn’t want to disappoint him in leaving him. He only has me.”

“Mmmm.” I listened. “Tell me more. About those bank statements and your solicitor’s letter.”

After a long sigh, Julian started again. “Josh has been taking funds out of our company account. Dad knows about this. He came to me for help. I had to help. I had Barry, my private solicitor, put in my own money to cover it up so the board wouldn’t know it went missing. ”

“I know he’s embezzling money from the company, but to have you cover it up, Julian, that’s not right. You can’t go on being his enabler.”

“I know. When the time comes, I’m going to leave. Go far away from here. Leave everything behind. Then you and I, we can grow old together.”

“I would like that too. To grow old with you. But what are you referring to… leave when the time comes?”

“When Dad dies and Josh becomes the heir.”

I sucked in my breath and shot my head up to stare at Julian in shock. “Julian, if Josh becomes the heir to Devereux Enterprise, then he’ll run the company into the ground. I can’t invest in your company if Josh becomes heir. I won’t allow it. Papa won’t allow it either.”

Julian placated me and settled me back against his chest, then resumed with his gentle hand stroking my hair. “In the end, it’s all up to you. I can’t control your decision.”

“This isn’t right, Julian. Not right at all.”

“Can we not talk about this?”

“Okay, I won’t. But you should never feel ashamed of yourself. You’re a good man. I’m glad your mother gave birth to you. Otherwise, what would I do? I wouldn’t have met you. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you.”

“You really love me, Kimberly?” he asked as if unsure of the answer. What could I do to show him, to convey to him my love for him was stronger than the blood bond he had with Beau?

Julian caressed my cheek. I purred at his touch and closed my eyes, feeling that rough hand moving gently against my skin. I opened my eyes again and gazed at him.

“Why do you have to ask? I love you. I’ve loved you since I saw you three years ago.”

“You’re not ashamed to date a bastard? What happens if the media finds out?”

“I don’t care about the media. What I care about is how you feel about this.”

“I feel I’m not equal with you. You’re so beautiful and rich. And I’m—”

“A man worth more than a billionaire. Julian, don’t you get it? Even without your father’s company, you’re already capable. You’re a self-made man. And that’s why I like you. You thrive to be the best in everything. The only downfall is you love Josh too much. Even when he’s a bastard, no pun intended.”

Julian chuckled, then grew serious again. “I can’t help myself, Kimberly. He’s my brother.”

I sighed too. What could I say about Julian? He was a very humble man. He reminded me of a turtle who felt sorry for the rabbit even when the rabbit tried to outsmart him to win the race. And that was what Julian did, always thinking about his brother before himself. And for that, I had to teach him a lesson. I mounted him and straddled my legs on either side of his body.

“Fuck, Kimberly, what are you doing?” he asked in surprise when I started rubbing myself against him.

“Riding you. Showing you how much you mean to me. I need this, Julian. I need you to trust that I want you. I want you to feel me. I want you to know you being the bastard son of Beau doesn’t mean a thing to me.”

“Fuck… shit… Kimberly.” He panted, heavy breaths kicking in as soon as I positioned myself at the tip of his cock. My entrance was already slick and throbbing for him to be inside me. Julian held on to my hips, easing me in slowly. I slid down his whole length and caught my breath.

Oh God, he was so big. He filled me up and then some.

“Fuck, Kimberly, you’re driving me crazy.”

“Shush.” I closed my eyes and started moving, slowly at first, and then it was like the bullet train of Japan, the ride went faster and faster until I lost track of who was riding who. Julian held on to my waist as he lifted his butt off the bed and pulled me slamming down again, making his tip run all the way to the end of my passage.

“Julian,” I screamed. Again and again we rode like this until I couldn’t take it anymore and came and collapsed on top of his sweat-sheened body.

Julian’s black hair was matted to his temples. I slipped it back behind his ear and whispered, “You’re not a bastard, Julian. You’re my man.”

Julian turned to face me, a sated look on his face. He kissed me on the lips and with just one sentence, he made me the happiest woman. “And you’re my woman, Kimberly. Remember that.”