thecutedara

Kidnapped, Taken to a private island. I never thought this could happen to me. I never imagined one chance meeting on the eve of my eighteenth birthday could change my life so completely.

Now I belong to him. To Julian. To a man who is as ruthless as he is beautiful - a man whose touch makes me burn. A man whose tenderness I find more devastating than his cruelty.

My captor is an enigma. I don't know who he is or why he took me. There is a darkness inside him - a darkness that scares me even as it draws me in.

My name is Nora Leston, and this is my story.

Two Heart

"And at my graduation," I agree, my heart hammering in my chest. "But I thought you might've been there for someone else. Like a younger brother or sister . . ."


He takes a deep breath, and I can see that he's much more calm now. "It doesn't matter now, Nora. I wanted you here, with me, not out there. It's much safer for you—and for that boy."


Julian nods. "If you had gone out with him again, I would've killed him. It's best for everyone that you're here, away from him and others who might want you."


He's completely serious about killing Jake. It's not an idle threat. I can see it on his face.


My lips feel dry, so I lick them. His eyes follow my tongue, and I can see his breathing changing. My simple action clearly turned him on.


Suddenly, a crazy and desperate idea occurs to me. He obviously wants me. He's even willing to do things to make me happy—like letting my family know I'm alive. What if I use that fact to my advantage? I'm inexperienced, but I'm not completely naive. I know how to flirt with guys. Could I do this? Could I somehow seduce Julian into letting me go?


I'm going to have to be careful about it. I can't have a sudden about-face. I can't act like I despise him one minute and love him the next. He needs to believe that he can take me off the island and that I would willingly remain with him for as long as he wants me. That I would never look at Jake or another man again.


I'm going to have to take my time and convince Julian of my devotion.


For the rest of the dinner, I continue acting scared and intimidated. It's not really an act because I do feel that way. I'm in the presence of a man who casually talks about killing innocent people. How else am I supposed to feel?


However, I also try to be seductive. It's small things, like the way I brush my hair back while looking at him. The way I bite into a piece of papaya that Beth cut up for our dessert and lick the juice off my lips.


I know my eyes are pretty, so I look at him shyly, through half-closed eyelids. I've practiced that look in front of the mirror, and I know my eyelashes look impossibly long when I tilt my head at exactly the right angle.


I don't go overboard because he wouldn't find that believable. I just do little things that he might find arousing and appealing.


I also try to avoid any other confrontational topics. Instead, I ask him about the island and how he came to own it.


"I came across this island five years ago," Julian explains, his lips curving into a charming smile. "My Cessna was having a mechanical problem, and I needed a place to land. Luckily, there's a flat, grassy area right on the other side, near the beach. I was able to bring down the plane without crashing it completely and make the necessary repairs. It took me a couple of days, so I got a chance to explore the island. By the time I was able to fly away, I knew this place was exactly what I wanted. So I purchased it."


I widen my eyes and look impressed. "Just like that? Isn't that expensive?"


Chapter 17