Bound by Lies: Bound #1 (Adult Romantic Suspence) (16 page)

Five years ago

“Bounce up and down on me. Come on baby.”

I bite my lip but continue to move slowly over Jacob. I need
to get used to him. I have had sex only once before, so to be naked with
someone still feels strange and uncomfortable. He watches me from below with a
smirk to his lips. My face heats. Can he see the inexperience in me? Is he
laughing at me?

“Look at you, little princess.” He reaches out and pinches
my clit, hard. I flinch. Too hard. “All fresh and new just for me.”

Then from where he pinched, a heat bursts out like a small
bottle rocket. I start to rock a little faster.

“That’s it. Come on.”

And faster.

I hear a loud slap and a hot sting on my ass. I cry out. And
glance down in time to see his hand come down on me again. Crack. I flinch as
the fire spreads across my skin.

“Jacob, that hurts.” I look back to him with pleading eyes.
But there is no sympathy in his. The smirk is still on his face.

“It’s pain, baby. It’s part of life. But pain can feel good.
So good.” He digs the fingers of one hand into my hip, pinches my nipple with
the other and starts to thrust up into me.

After this first time together, Jacob convinces me to cut my
classes for tomorrow and Tuesday and keeps me in bed for the whole time. He
loves me, can’t get enough of me, wants me all to himself. By early Wednesday
morning I’m sore from the amount of sex we’ve had. But it feels good that he
needs me so much.

A weird awareness sits under my skin like an itch. I need to
escape this bubble and pay some attention to the rest of my life – school,
study, work, friends. Shit, and I haven’t called my grandparents in days.
They’ll be worried. I slip out of bed and dress while he dozes.

I hear him grunt behind me as I gather my things. “I’m not
letting you leave.”

When I spin around he’s sitting on the edge of the bed,
covered only by a slip of sheet across his lap. His face is adorably crinkled
from sleep and his hair is mussed. I laugh and walk over to him, slipping
between his knees. I kiss his nose. “I need to go to class.”

“But I have some business to take care of tonight and
tomorrow. If you leave now I won’t see you again until Friday.”

“I have to keep up my classes if I want to graduate.”

“I told you, you don’t need to work. I can look after you.”

I pout. “Then I’ll be no better than those gold diggers you
so despise.”

He grunts again. But I can see the slip of acceptance on his
face. I bend down and kiss him thoroughly on the mouth and curl my fingers
through his hair. His hands slip up my legs, into my skirt. I feel him
twitching beneath the sheet. I untangle myself from him before we get carried
away. Again. I walk across the room to shove the last of my stuff in my bag.

“I’m sending Snake with you. He can look after you until
Friday.”

I spin around. “What?”

Jacob is leaning back on the bed with a satisfied look on
his face. “Yeah. Snake can look after you while you’re not with me. Just until
I find someone I trust to do it full-time.”

My mouth drops open. A chill begins to grip me. “No.”

Jacob pouts again. “This way I can make sure you’re safe.”

“You mean to tell me that you want Snake come to class with
me, hang around while I eat lunch, study at the library, go to sleep?” This is
absurd. I can’t even begin to describe how friggin’ absurd it is. I can’t
believe Jacob is even suggesting this. “What about the bathroom? Is he going to
stand and watch while I have a shower, too?”

Jacob growls. “No, he can fucking wait outside.”

“No. No way, Jacob.”

“I just want to protect what’s mine, princess.”

“I’m not having Snake follow me around all day.”

“Then I’ll send Garfield.”

I stare at him. He’s serious. He is so serious. What the
hell is this really about? “Don’t you trust me?”

“You, I trust. It’s all those assholes who want a piece of
you that I don’t. I love you, do you understand? I fucking love you.”

My heart clenches. He looks so desperate and pained. I make
my voice softer. “Jacob, I love you too. But I won’t have anyone follow me
around, okay? Not Garfield, not anyone and definitely not Snake.” I sigh.
“Please, I don’t want to fight, baby. I’m going to class – alone. I’ll see you
on Friday, okay?”

He says nothing. But as we kiss goodbye I can’t help the
oddest feeling that curls uncomfortably in my stomach. Something doesn’t feel
right.

All day and all the next day this feeling grips me. Finally,
I decide I need to take a step away from Jacob. I need some space. Not to break
up, just some space. I’m not sure what I’m going to say to him to make him
understand, but I have to say something. As Friday approaches this feeling of
dread grows.

“I have a surprise for you, princess.” Jacob greets me with
a grin when I arrive at his apartment on Friday afternoon after my last class
for the week.

“Oh?” I say. Then I feel a small stab of guilt. He has a
surprise for me? And I’m about to tell him I need some space.

Jacob’s smile twists into a scowl. “I thought you’d be
happy. I have a surprise for you. I thought long and hard over the last two
days about what my princess would like most.”

I’m being such a brat. God, I was raised better than this. I
send a smile to my face and reach for him. “I am happy, baby. Sorry, I was just
distracted. Study stuff.”

He frowns. “You shouldn’t be distracted when you’re with me.
Maybe you should cut back on school if it’s too much.”

Oh my God, I’m not going there. I ignore this comment and
force as much lightness as I can to my voice. “So what’s this amazing surprise
you have for me?”

A grin creeps across his handsome face. “I paid off your student
loan.”

I laugh and pat him lightly on his chest. “Aw, Jacob.
Seriously.”

“Seriously.”

“I paid off your student loan.”
This single sentence
circles around my head like a vulture looking for somewhere to land. Then it
sinks in. And I am left still and stricken as its claws grip around my bones.

“Oh my God, Jacob. You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“Why?” Why would he do that?

The grin on his face starts to tighten. “Because I love you.
I know you stress about making your loan payments, so I’ve taken away the
problem. You’re mine and I take care of what’s mine, princess.” He scowls. “Now
you don’t have to work at that shitty bar job.”

“I need my job, Jacob. I still need to eat.” Fuck. I have to
pay him back.

Yeah? With what fucking money? I can’t pay him back. How the
hell am I supposed to pay him back?

“You shouldn’t have.” God. I sound so ungrateful, like one
of those gold diggers that he hates. I’m as bad as one of them. What’s wrong
with me that I can’t be happy about this? I can see on his face that he is
thinking this, too.

I’m a terrible girlfriend. I should be happy that he did
this wonderful thing for me. So why aren’t I?

Because now, I owe him.

And I know there is only one way I can pay him back. Only
one way he expects me to pay him back. I can see it in the expectant smirk on
his face. “Aren’t you going to thank me?”

“Thank you, baby.” I lean forward to kiss him.

His fingers twist into my hair and he pulls my head back.
“Do you love me, princess?”

I nod as best I can while he continues to grip my hair.

“Say it.”

“I love you.”

“I fucking love you too.” His hungry mouth devours mine and
his erection pushes insistently against me. His grip tightens around me so I
can barely breathe. In my mind I hear the clang of a gilded cage closing around
me.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. Fuck. I know it’s Jacob.
Again. I ignore it and continue to give my attention to the table of four guys
who are ordering a round of drinks. It’s a Saturday night and I’m at work. I
managed to avoid seeing Jacob last night and today because I told him I was too
busy. I love him, I do. And he’s so good to me. But I just… I need to breathe.
I just need some space.

Since he paid off my loan several weeks ago he has become
even more desperate for my time.

“I told Sal and Dee I’d hang out with them tonight,
Jacob.”

He folds his arms across his chest. “If you love me, I
should be all you need.”

I shake this thought off and turn to the last guy at the
table. “And for you?” He’s sitting directly to my right. I could feel his eyes
on me as I was taking down his friends’ orders. Now that I am looking at him I
can see that he’s stunning. Exotic. His olive skin is smooth across his wide
jaw and taut cheekbones. His light brown eyes are almond shaped and turn up at
the corners.

“An Ashahi, please.” His lush lips form a smile. “And your name.”

“I, um,” I grab at my nametag and hold it towards him.

His eyes scan my tag. “Well, I’m Adrian.”

I quickly scribble his order down as I try not to blush. I
can feel his eyes on me as I walk away to get their order and when I return. I
continue to feel his eyes on me as I stop at a table nearby to take more
orders.

I hear a deep voice yelling over the background rock song
and boozy buzz. “What the fuck are you doing? Get your God damn perverted eyes
off my girl.”

What the…? I spin around. Jacob? I can’t believe my eyes.
Jacob is standing over Adrian. He is practically vibrating with rage. His goons
are holding Adrian’s friends back.

Adrian has his hands lifted in surrender. “Cool it, man. I
wasn’t doing anything.”

“The fuck you weren’t,” Jacob’s hands fist in Adrian’s shirt
and yank him to his feet. “You fucking look at her again, you even fucking
breathe in her direction and I will kick your fucking ass. Now get the fuck out
of here and never come back.” Jacob pushes Adrian hard and he goes flying back
into another table with a crash. Jacob stalks towards him looking like he’s
ready to take another shot.

“Jacob, stop!” I drop my pad and pen as I run towards him
and grab his arm. “What the hell are you doing?”

Jacob turns his furious eyes at me. “It’s for you, princess.
I’m fucking protecting
you
.”

“I’m so sorry, princess. I’m so fucking sorry.” Jacob
stands, eyes pained and glossy, at my dorm room door after I open it. I
wouldn’t have opened it if he hadn’t kept banging and pleading for me to come
out.

“I lost my job, Jacob.” I wrap my arms across my chest. I
feel my skin break out in pins and needles to see him again. “Your sorry isn’t
going to get it back.”

He falls to his knees and clutches at my legs. “Just tell me
you forgive me, princess. I’ll fucking die if you don’t forgive me. I’ll die.”
He looks up at me with red-rimmed eyes. I feel a flood of pity tug deep inside
me. “Please, princess. Let me make it better. I’ll fucking die without you.”

Like an idiot I let him pull me down to my knees to him. His
arms go around me. I sigh deeply and melt into him. Even though I am angry and
confused, it still feels so good to be held by him. This is so wrong. Our love
is turbulent and frantic and crazy and stupid and desperate. The energy buzzes
deep under my skin. Highest of highs, lowest of lows. This is a roller coaster
I’m not sure how to get off. But worse, I’m not sure if deep down I really want
to.

“I have something for you,” he says. “A gift, to say I’m
sorry.”

I pull back and stare at him. His eyes are wild and roam my
face frantically. This crazy lost human being just loves me so much. He just
doesn’t know what he’s doing or how to show it properly. But he needs my love.
He needs me.

I brush a lock of hair from his forehead. “You don’t have to
buy me things.”

“I just need you to know how sorry I am.” He takes out a box
from his pocket and places it in my hand.

It’s a jewelry box about the size of my palm. I gasp. Aw,
what has he done for me? He grins at me in encouragement. I open the lid.

Sitting among the silk lining is a silver credit card. With
my name marked across it.

The present

The credit card was just the start.

Jewelry, a new laptop, a new phone, clothes, shoes, trips
away to luxury hotels. They came like clockwork after he became angry because I
didn’t spend enough time with him, my studying made me tired, I didn’t call him
back quick enough, the dress I was wearing was too short. He even tried to buy
me a car, which I flatly refused.

At the time I believed it was because he loved me so much that
it made him that way. I was so stupid.

Without a job I became more and more reliant on Jacob. I was
hesitant to use the credit card at all. It was just supposed to be until I got
another job. But for some reason no one would hire me.

“You barely spent anything on the card this month,” Jacob
says.

“I got food and paid my bills. It’s enough.”

“My money not good enough for you?”

“No! I just−”

“Then go shopping, buy something pretty or something sexy…”

God, but when Jacob was lovely, he was so, so lovely. He
looked after me like I was something special. Precious. Like a princess. His
princess. I loved the way he would grab me by the back of my neck when we
walked out in public. Like he wanted the world to know that I belonged to him.

He was intense and loving and wanted me with a fiery passion,
and he would take me wherever I would let him. I used to love the way he
devoured me with those dark eyes when he had his tongue buried between my legs.
He was burying himself deeper and deeper into my life. Like roots of a large
tree into the sides of a cliff. Deeper and deeper until taking that tree away
would cause a landslide.

I remember the day when it all started to crumble.