Page 45 of Corrupt Idol

She placed her hand on his chest. “We can’t keep doing this.”

He sat up. She moaned as he withdrew from her. He knelt between her spread thighs. She wasn’t surprised when his hand slid inside her.

“I want to be a good man. In every aspect of my life I’m a model citizen.” His eyes flicked up to hers. “Except when it comes to you.”

She tried to scoot away, but he gripped her hip, warning her to stay still.

“I’ve broken laws, vows, and my own code to have you. I thought I had it under control, that I would see you after all this time and feel nothing.” He shook his head as he looked down at his fingers sunk inside her. “One look at you and I knew nothing would stop me. I had to touch, taste. I’d pay any price to possess you.” He pressed his face against her belly. “Ineed, Violet.”

His fingers stroked and her toes curled.

“Mom’s days are numbered and all I can think about is losing myself in you.” His voice was so low, she could barely understand him. “Love me back, Vi.”

An invisible pick pierced her chest and sank deep. “What?”

He lifted his head, blue eyes spearing hers. “I’ve been in love with you since I was fourteen.”

Her body reacted before her mind could process his words. Her foot landed on his shoulder and with one kick, sent him reeling back. She rolled off the bed and faced him with her hands clenched into fists.

“How dare you say that to me? You don’t know the meaning of that word!”

“I know exactly what it means.”

“You don’t love me! If you did, you wouldn’t have done all this!” She jabbed her finger at the bed. “This is sex, not love. It’s lust, greed, sinful…”

“You see it the way you want to.”

She stomped her foot. “I see it the way itis! You took what you had no right to take! And you’restilltaking! You stole everything from me and have the nerve to say you loved me?”

He shrugged. “Love can make monsters out of men when it’s not returned.”

Her mind went completely blank. There was no sound in the room aside from her ragged breathing, but inside, she was in the eye of an emotional storm. Before her mind could bolt, she held up a hand. “No.”

“No?”

He was a master manipulator and pathological liar. She wasn’t going to play into his hands. He was messing with heragain. He wasn’t satisfied with owning her body, he wanted her mind too. Fuck that.

“I’m going to shower,” she announced. “And then we’re leaving.”

She averted her face as she headed to the bathroom. She locked the door, climbed into the shower, and stared at the yellowed walls as water beat down on her head.

After everything he had done to her, hedaredutter that word? He thought that word absolved him of his crimes? Justified his actions? No. Love had no place in their relationship and she’d be damned if she trusted anything that came out of his mouth.

She stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her hair and then her body. She glanced at the door. She didn’t want to go out there. He was such a fucker. He was making an already bad situation even worse. They had five hours left until they reached Austin, but even ten more minutes in his presence was too long. She had dreaded facing him and convinced herself that it couldn’t be as bad as she imagined. It was worse. He was determined to bring up a past she buried long ago. Her jaw ached from clenching her teeth. He thought she was stupid enough to believe he had feelings for her. She wasn’t naive. He stole her innocence years ago.

She took a deep breath and put her shoulders back. Five more hours. She could do this. She had to. She got through the worst of the trip yesterday. They were so close to home. Lynne and Dad were waiting on them. She could withstand anything he wanted to throw at her and then it would be over.

She yanked open the door with a defiant scowl, but her bravado was for nothing. He was sitting on the bed talking to Lynne on his cell phone.

“We needed some rest so we got a room for the night,” he said.

His voice was lighthearted and back to its normal cadence—further proof that he was toying with her. No man who truly meant the things Jesse claimed would be able to play this off. He was a class act. She wasn’t going to fall for it.

“I’m glad you two are being so responsible and doing this trip safely,” Lynne said while on speaker.

“Safe is my middle name.”

She cast him a disgusted look as she knelt beside her duffel. He pulled on jeans, but didn’t bother to button them. She couldn’t resist giving his body a once over. Yes, she’d fucked him numerous times since she picked him up from the airport, but she had always been focused more on fighting him than taking in his body. He was ripped. He’d always had a nice body since he was a natural athlete and liked to run in the mornings and afternoons. Before he’d been broad and lean and now he was just… huge. He had defined abs and the veins stood out on his arms. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. He could be Captain America’s double.

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