Disillusioned (Swept Away, #2)(22)

“You mean your brother?” I snapped.

“Bianca, it’s a long story.”

“Isn’t it always?”

“Stop being so . . .”

“So what?”

“Obstinate. Annoying. Childish.” He glared. “And sexy.”

“I’m afraid I can’t stop that part.” I winked at him.

He groaned, smiling at me for the first time. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered, and sighed.

“I haven’t missed you.”

“Oh, Bianca, you always were a poor liar.” He laughed as he held my face in his hands. “We need to talk.”

“No, you need to tell me what you’re doing here and how you got in.”

“Like I said, we need to talk.”

“I don’t need to talk. I need you to talk and then leave.”

“I’m not leaving.” He glared at me.

“You’re not staying.”

“I want you.”

“Is that meant to make me feel good?” I ignored the soft glow in my stomach that said if that was his intent, it had worked.

“It’s not meant to make you feel any way. It’s just a statement of fact.”

“Okay, so you want me. And?”

“You want me too.” He grinned as he looked down at my breasts, where I knew my nipples were poking out of my top.

“No, I don’t.” I glared at him, stopping myself from crossing my arms over my chest. “You have two minutes to talk and then I’m calling the cops.”

“What did David say to you over dinner?”

“What?” I sighed, confused. “At what point? The point you were texting me or . . . ?”

“Bianca, this is important.” He pursed his lips into a thin line; a nerve throbbing in his forehead told me he was serious.

“I don’t get the two of you.” I glared at him. “Why do you want to know what he said? Why did he want to know if I’d heard from you? If you guys are in on this together, why do you both act as if you don’t trust each other? Is this all part of the game?”

“What did you say?” Jakob’s eyes narrowed into slits as he gazed at me. He looked like a predator deciding whether he should eat his prey or wait for later.

“I said, why did he want to know if—”

“No, no, no—what did you say when he asked if you’d heard from me?”

“I said no.” I frowned. “I’m not sure why, though. Why did he ask me that, and why do you care? Aren’t the two of you in on this together?”

“Bianca, there’s so much you need to know.” He sighed. “But not now, not yet.”

“Why won’t you just tell me what’s going on? You’re killing me, Jakob!”

“Why do you still call me Jakob if you think I’m Mattias?” He smiled at me as his fingers ran down the side of my face.

“I don’t know.” I nibbled on my lower lip as his lips moved toward mine. “It would feel weird to call you Mattias.”

“What do you know about Mattias, Bianca?”

“You mean, what do I know about you?” I made a face.

“Yes.” He nodded and sighed. “Aside from what I told you on the island, what do you know?”

“I know that you’re David’s brother. I know that you’re the CEO of Bradley Inc. I know you respect your privacy. I know that you never wanted to meet me for dinner when I was dating David. I know that you don’t like to attend shareholders’ meetings. I know that you have a great security team because there’s nothing about you on the Web, not even a photo.” I gazed at his handsome face. “Let me guess: You’re scared that if people knew how rich you are and saw how hot you are, you’d have even more gold diggers than you have now?”

“And what you know about Mattias, you think that adds up to me? To who I am as a person? To the man you knew on the island? The man you made love to? The man who opened up to you? All of that adds up?”

“I don’t know you, period.” I shrugged. “I don’t really know who you are. Everything you did and said was a lie.”

“I want to take you in my arms and hold you and just stare at you until you realize that you do know me,” he said with an intensity that I found both frightening and thrilling.

“We’re strangers, Jakob. And I don’t trust you. You don’t know me either. If you did, you would know that—”

“It doesn’t feel like we just met,” he muttered against my lips. “It doesn’t feel like I barely know you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve missed you.” He kissed me softly, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’ve missed your taste.”

“You can’t just come into my apartment and . . .” I stepped back at his words, my face burning in shame. That was the second time tonight a Bradley brother had told me that he missed my taste. It made me feel slightly powerful, but, if I was honest with myself, a little cheap as well. I stared at his face and my stomach flipped as I studied his handsome features. I wanted to be with him. In fact, part of me believed that it would be helpful to give myself to him in every way. I’d have to be smart about it. I’d have to think with my head and not let my heart get in the way. At the end of the day, sex was just sex. Yes, I wanted him. Yes, there was a chemistry between us that took my breath away. However, I needed to control it. By sleeping with him, I would be telling him I trusted him again. If he thought I trusted him, he might let his guard down a bit more. And the more his guard was down, the more helpful he would be to me. I just had to make sure that I didn’t let the sex take over everything. I had to make sure that I didn’t let my body win. I knew that it would be hard to sleep with him without feeling like a bit of a slut, but I knew that I had to try and hide my disbelief as much as possible and make him believe that I still trusted him in a way. He’d played me, I had no problems or qualms in playing him now.