A J. S. Cooper Box Set: Three Standalone Romances

by J. S. Cooper

  I nodded, feeling ashamed at having read her private words. “I read your letters.”

  “I wanted you to read them. I knew you’d read them.” She nodded, a small smile on her face. “You didn’t read my journal though?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I didn’t see a journal.”

  “I knew you’d read the letters though. He must have hidden the journal.” She chewed on her lower lip, and I gazed at her beautiful face, still not believing it was her in front of me.

  “Why are you here, and how did you know I would read your letters?” I was beginning to feel even more confused. “What’s going on here?”

  “He knows you, you know.”

  “What?” My heart stopped beating. “Who knows me?”

  “He knows you...” Her voice trailed off. “We all knew you.” She played with her hair again and smiled sweetly.

  “What do you mean?” My face felt cold.

  “He has your photo up on the wall.”

  “What?” Blood drained from my face, and I looked into her eyes, searching for the truth. It wasn’t possible that either Tyler or Grant knew me. How could they know me? Why would either of them have my photo up on the wall? And which one of them was she talking about?

  “Your meeting wasn’t an accident. Just like my meeting with him wasn’t an accident.” Her voice dropped. “He won’t let you leave.”

  “Why?” I stepped back. “Why did he bring us here, and which one is he? Are you talking about Grant then? Grant is bad news?”

  “One is good and one is bad.” She repeated in a monotone and looked down. “The good doesn’t know the bad.”

  “Who is good and who is bad?” My voice rose, and I stepped forward and grasped her arms. “Tell me, I need to know.”

  “It’s a pity...” She said slowly and stopped and shook her head. “I can’t say anything else.”

  “You have to tell me.”

  “No.” She shook her head stiffly.

  “Why do they say you’re dead, Eugenie?” I muttered, thinking about the conversations I’d had about the girl in front of me. “Why?”

  “Betrayal.”

  “What?” I was growing annoyed at her answers. “What are you talking about?”

  “I was betrayed.” She blinked.

  “By who?”

  “The same someone who will betray you.” Her eyes were wide. “When one is good, one is bad...” she muttered again, and I stepped back. I knew she was going to be of no help. I peeked out through the door and saw Tyler and Grant standing there again, two powerful wolves decked against each other, each man’s chest rising and falling fast as they squared off against each other. I could see the electricity sparking between the two of them as they gazed at each other obstinately. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rising, as the cool air danced off my skin. I held my breath as I gazed at them both. Both men had an animal magnetism unlike any I’d known.

  And then he turned and looked directly in my direction. Our eyes made contact, and I froze. He’d seen me. I didn’t know what to do. What was going to happen next? Was this it for me? He shook his head slightly and turned his face back to the front. He wasn’t going to out me. Why not?

  I looked to the right and stared into Eugenie’s frightened face. I knew my own face reflected the shock and fear which covered hers.

  “He saw me.” I whispered to her.

  “One is good and one is bad.” She said again. “You have to go.”

  “Go where?” I frowned. “Where are we going?”

  “We’re not going anywhere.” She shook her head. “You haven’t played the game yet.”

  “What game?” I breathed out, and she shook her head quickly.

  “This is just the beginning for you, Evie. This is just the beginning.” And then she pushed me out of the closet and closed the door shut behind her.

  I stood in the bedroom awkwardly, not wanting to be seen, but knowing it was unavoidable. Tyler looked at me with dark and impenetrable eyes as I walked towards the door. He stared at me for a few seconds and then turned back to Grant.

  “Leave.” His tone changed, the anger gone and replaced by a superiority I hadn’t heard before.

  “What?” Grant frowned, looking taken aback. I could only see his side profile, but I could tell he was annoyed. I scratched my arm, and he turned towards me. “You.” His lips curled up. “Been looking for me?”

  I shook my head wordlessly and tried to avoid his gaze. I wanted to ask them if they knew Eugenie was still alive and hiding in their house, but something told me to keep my mouth shut. She’d said one was good and one was bad, and I wasn’t sure which was which.

  “Leave.” Tyler’s voice rose and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Grant. “Now.”

  “She was mine first,” Grant muttered bitterly. “We haven’t finished with the—”

  “Enough.” Tyler’s voice was loud, and he gestured to me. “Come.”

  I walked over to him slowly, worried about what was going to happen next. My mind felt fuzzy and slightly heavy. All of a sudden my body felt extremely tired and weary. There was a slight buzz of electricity in the air as I stood next to the two men, my body on high alert.

  “Why did you lie to me?” I stared at Tyler, my eyes blazing. “If you’re a billionaire, why do you pretend to be a driver? And why won’t you let me leave? What’s going on here?” My voice rose, and even though it was shaking slightly, it was strong and forceful. The two men looked at each other for a second before turning back to me. The air suddenly changed, and it felt a good ten degrees cooler within seconds.

  “Evie, Evie, Evie,” Grant’s blue eyes pierced into mine intently, warm and teasing and I was taken back to the night in the club where he had been my savior. “Why have you betrayed me? What have you done?”

  “I didn’t do—”

  “Stop.” Tyler’s voice was dark and distant, his blue eyes surveyed me coldly. “You’ve said and done enough, Evie.”

  “I didn’t say anything. I just want some answers.” I snapped at him, all of a sudden regaining my energy and strength again. I wasn’t a little pussycat. I wasn’t just going to sit here and wait for something to happen to me. Not now. That wasn’t who I was. “I want to know what’s going on here. Are you a billionaire?” I looked at Tyler and waited for him to respond.

  “Does money matter to you?” He cocked his head and stared at me, his eyes never leaving my face.

  “She slept with me for five grand, what do you think?” Grant laughed, but the sound wasn’t humorous. He sounded dark and bitter and mean. My stomach flared at his comment, but I couldn’t even say anything. What could I say in response to that? I had slept with him, though technically it hadn’t been for money. It had been for lust, for fun. It had been for the feeling of being alive and wanted. It had been to prolong the feeling of electricity that had come when Grant had touched me. But now that I’d slept with Tyler as well, it was all confusing. The sparks between Tyler and I held a hint of danger that I couldn’t stop myself from being intrigued by. Something my brain was trying to chase me away from, but I just didn’t know how to distance myself from him now that his forces were drawing me in to him.

  “You think you’re hot stuff?” I turned to face Grant. “You think pretending to have money is cool?”

  “You have no idea who I am.” Grant grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him. “You need to trust me, Evie,” he whispered in my ear so softly I thought I imagined it.

  “Step back.” Tyler’s voice was quiet, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I knew what deathly quiet meant now. I looked over at him, my heart beating wildly, and his eyes were narrowed.

  Grant seemed to understand that Tyler meant business, because he dropped my arm and retreated down the corridor. I stood there watching Grant walk away for a few seconds before Tyler grabbed my arm and pulled me into a room.

  “Close the door.” He commanded me as we entered.

  “Why?�
�

  “There’s something you don’t know.”

  “What don’t I know? That you’re a liar?”

  “Evie, why do you play these games?”

  “What games am I playing? You’re the one playing the games.” I stared at him with a confused expression. My head felt like it was going to fall off.

  “Just answer me. I’m here, Evie. I’m ready and waiting.”

  “Waiting for what?”

  “What do you think?” He pushed me back into the wall, his arm above my shoulder, and his hardness pressed into my stomach.

  “I don’t know.” I swallowed hard as his lips came dangerously close to mine. “I don’t know anymore.”

  “Then you’re a fool.”

  I stared up at him, searching his eyes to find out what he was thinking. I wanted some answers. I needed to know what was going on, but all I could think about was what Eugenie had told me. I was about to ask him a question about how Eugenie had died when I stopped myself. I didn’t want him to know I knew too much. My body froze as he kissed me, his tongue sliding into my mouth easily and roughly taking possession of me. My head was pounding, and my heart felt like I’d just run a marathon as I kissed him back. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise and jumped.

  “What’s wrong?” He pulled away from me, his eyes gazing into mine intently.

  “What’s that?” I pointed to the corner of the room where I’d heard the noise coming from and blinked as I realized there was nothing there. It was completely empty, and there was nothing that could have made a noise.

  “What’s what?” He frowned and followed my arm.

  “I thought I heard someone or something hitting the floor.” I bit my lower lip. I had been absolutely positive I’d heard something loud.

  “Maybe it was foreshadowing.”

  “Foreshadowing?”

  “Yeah, maybe you were imagining the sound we would make as we fell to the floor together, you pulling my pants off furiously so you could get my hard cock inside you.”

  “That’s not the noise I heard.” I shook my head and attempted to take a step back, but his grip on me was too tight.

  “Well then maybe it was you imagining us falling to the floor and me ripping your panties off before I took over your body.” He smirked, as his fingers ran down my neck. “I like the sound of both of those ideas.”

  “You didn’t answer my question earlier.” I asserted myself, not wanting to succumb to him without getting any answers.

  “So?” He smirked again, his fingers running to my right breast.

  “I want answers.”

  “I want you.”

  “Tell me what’s going on?” I whispered. “Why did you guys bring me here?”

  “Do you really want to know the answer, Evie?” He leaned forward and sucked on my lower lip, his eyes never leaving mine as his teeth nibbled and claimed me.

  “Yes, I want to know.” I nodded and swallowed. “I need to know.”

  “I don’t want you to know.” He shook his head and pulled my arms above my head. “Once you know the truth, that’ll be it.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “That’ll mean you know my secrets.” He pushed me back against the wall and positioned himself up against me. “And once you know my secrets....” His voice trailed off as he kissed my neck. I could feel his breathing was rough and hard as he kissed me feverishly. My own breathing was labored as well and my arms were starting to feel tired in their position above my head.

  “And once I know your secrets, what?” I whispered and moaned as he bit down on my neck.

  “Once you know my secrets, you’re mine forever.” He growled. “Once you know everything, you cannot leave.”

  “Ever?” I swallowed hard, but he didn’t answer me. Instead he moved closer to me and ran his fingers down my arms, his fingernails digging into my skin. “Ever?” I whispered again, my brain scrambling, but I was too caught up in his spell to know or care what he meant by saying I could never leave.

  Chapter 45

  He continued to kiss and suck on my neck for a few minutes and then his mouth moved lower, sucking on my breasts through my top, making me ache for him.

  “Tyler, we need to—” I groaned as he sucked on my nipple through the fine material of my shirt.

  “We need to nothing.” He groaned and pulled away, licking his lips. “There’s only one thing that could make this moment more perfect.”

  “What’s that?” I asked breathlessly, my panties wet, anticipating our mating.

  “You on your knees in front of me. Your ass sticking up in the air. My hands grabbing your hips. My boxers coming off. Your panties to the side. My—”

  “No, that wouldn’t make this moment better. Not until you tell me why you said you were the chauffeur when you’re really a billionaire.”

  “You’re obsessed with the fact that I have money, aren’t you?”

  “No.” I was hurt he would think that. “I’m not obsessed with money at all.”

  “What’s your story, Evie Johnson?” He cocked his head and smiled at me. “What’s got you here with me?”

  “My roommate needed me to work for her and I said yes.” I said simply.

  “It was that easy for you, was it?”

  “Of course it wasn’t.”

  “I know you have questions, Evie, but right now there are no answers.”

  “There are always answers.”

  “There are no answers I can give you.” His hands squeezed my breasts before pulling my top up. He ripped my bra down the middle, and I gasped at the sound of the material being torn apart.

  “Hey, I really liked that bra.” I moaned as his lips fell to my right nipple and sucked, his teeth gently tugging and sending ripples of pleasure through my body.

  “I liked it too.” He looked up at me, his eyes dancing. “But I like your breasts even more.”

  “Tyler.” I pulled his hand back. “This isn’t the right time.”

  “It’s always the right time.” He groaned, but stepped back. “I love touching you, your skin is so silky, so soft, and so ready to be touched by me.”

  “Why do your words turn me on so much?” I groaned and felt my face growing red as I realized I’d spoken the words out loud.

  “Dance for me.” He licked his lips. “Show me your best dance, Evie.”

  “My best dance?”

  “Show me your best lap dance.” He licked his lips lightly again, and I stared at the tip of his tongue, remembering the feel of it on my lips and inside of me. “And I’ll decide what tip I want to give you.”

  “I’m not giving you a lap dance,” I said indignantly, feeling quite insulted. “And what do you mean what tip you’ll give me? How rude you are!”

  “You wouldn’t give me a lap dance, even if said the lap dance was worth one million dollars?”

  “No lap dance is worth a million dollars.” I shook my head.

  “What if I said it was?” His fingers reached forward and pinched my nipples as he stared at me. “What if I said I thought a lap dance from you could be worth up to two million dollars?”

  “I’d say you were crazy.” My heart was racing. Was he serious?

  “No one ever said I was sane.” He grinned.

  “You’re going to give me two million dollars to give you a lap dance?” I searched his face. I guess now I knew he was the billionaire - he wasn’t being shy about money.

  “I’m going to give you two million dollars if you give me the best lap dance of your life...” He paused and stretched before looking back at me. “And you have to do it in front of Grant.”

  “What do you mean, do it in front of Grant?” I frowned, my stomach dropping. Was this when he was going to say he wanted me to give Grant a lap dance as well?

  “Grant is going to watch you dance for me.” His eyes blazed. “He’s going to watch you doing everything you can to please me. And that way he will know you are mine.”

  “I’m not yours.” I swal
lowed.

  “You’re not his.”

  “I’m neither of yours.”

  “Why are you fighting this, Evie?” He sounded angry, and I bit my lower lip anxiously.

  “I don’t understand what’s going on here,” I spoke up, not liking the way I was feeling. Why was I the one feeling as if I’d done something wrong? Tyler and Grant were the crazy ones.

  “Why must anything be going on? Didn’t you come home with Grant because you wanted a little spice? You wanted a change?” His voice dropped as his eyes issued me a challenge.

  “I don’t know why I came,” I mumbled, and I looked down, trying to forget all the Friday and Saturday nights I’d sat at home feeling sorry for myself. I’d tried so hard for my entire life to be different from my mother. I’d never wanted to be so dependent on a man that I let myself down. I never wanted to need a man so bad I couldn’t function. I’d never wanted sex to control me. I’d tried so hard to make sure it never happened that I’d ended up with no life. And every week had rolled into the same thing. I’d always been slightly envious of Hailey going off every weekend on adventures of sin. I’d always wondered what it would be like to be desired and wanted. I’d always wondered what it would be like to just give my body and myself without thinking of the consequences. And it had happened. It had already happened, and I wasn’t sure if I’d made the right decision or not.

  “You came because your life was mundane. You came because you were ready for a thrill. You came because you like to take risks. There’s nothing wrong with that.” He grinned. “Nothing at all.”

  “How did you know?” I asked, surprised that he knew exactly what my life had been like.

  “I feel like I know you, Evie. I feel like you’re the one girl I’ve always been waiting for.”

  “Why did you warn me off the first night then?” I asked softly, wanting him to say he couldn’t stand the thought of me being with Grant. It was irrational and stupid to want him to admit feelings of jealousy. He didn’t even know me. There were no emotions between us. There was no reason for him to be jealous. In fact, if he was jealous, it might be a sign of obsession or possessiveness, but I knew deep inside I didn’t care.