Cora stared at him. She patiently listened but was utterly at a loss as to why Julian was so set on talking about his father.
Julian gave her a meaningful look that nearly brought Cora to tears from just looking at him.
“But before I became Julian Benedict,” he said slowly, “I was Julian Denton.”
He paused, carefully watching her. Cora wondered what he was expecting. She understood name changes. Of all people, she most certainly understood. It didn’t change anything about how she felt about him.
“I was Julian Denton and my father was Patrick Denton,” Julian continued, giving her the same expectant meaningful look.
A memory stirred in the furthest reaches of her mind. Cora remembered screaming. But there had always been screaming in her life. It was hard to separate the vast sea of screaming and abusive memories.
But looking up at Julian, she suddenly also remembered a roof. She remembered sitting under a night sky with a canopy of tree branches while a sixteen year old boy tried to comfort her.
She remembered the boy sitting with her at night when she was too scared or battered to fall asleep. She remembered him making sure to stop by her elementary school to give her lunch money. She remembered him sheltering her just as Gloria’s fist fell down, thudding him hard on the back.
Cora’s face felt numb and her fingers tingled with coldness. She had tried so hard to forget everything from her childhood. Even as a child, she would routinely try to forget the previous six months or year of her life. It was a sheer defensive mechanism. The less she remembered all the hurts and pains of her life, the more likely she’d find strength to carry on.
But she suddenly remembered how hard she had cried that night when she had woken up in Gloria’s station wagon, hundreds of miles away from the only kind of family she had ever known and the only boy she had ever trusted.
“You…you said you’d…always be there for me,” Cora whispered, her voice broken and ragged. She had cried so hard she had thrown up inside the car, which had angered Gloria into another rage fit.
Julian face roughened at her words, shadowed with harsh regret and guilt. He pressed his forehead against hers. “I know I did,” he said, just as brokenly. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…Karen.”
Nine
It was as she had been electrocuted. As soon as she heard the name, Cora wrenched herself away and jumped off the bed.
Karen.
She hadn’t heard that name in years. Even Gloria didn’t call her that anymore. Standing by the bed, breathing hard as wave after wave of memories crashed against her, Cora stared at Julian who had slowly risen from the bed.
How had she not seen it? She remembered that long nose, those wide lips. She remembered that squinted expression when he was concentrating or that cold steely gaze when he was angry.
Oh god. This was Julian. The man she had grown to love and want was the same boy who had sheltered and protected her those many long years ago. How many months as a child had she wept over him and cried out his name? And how many hidden drives, aliases, and drunken beatings had it taken before Cora had buried the memory of him?
“Julian,” she whispered, wanting to say the name aloud. Even with the bed between them, Cora felt like there was hardly any breathing room. She had thought it would be complicated to get involved with a multi-millionaire CEO. That was a cakewalk compared to getting involved with her former stepbrother turned multi-millionaire CEO.
Cora remembered how Gloria would scream at her every time she even dared to mention Julian’s name.
Gloria!
Cora gasped, a hand to her mouth.
“What is it?” Julian asked concerned. “Are you okay?” He took a step towards her but Cora immediately took a step back. Julian paused but studied her carefully. “Karen?”
There was no way she could get involved with Julian now. He had been the first person in her life to show her kindness and love. And even as an adult, he had shown her similar qualities. Cora remembered Paris and the Musée d’Orsay. She couldn’t possibly repay such a person by letting him into her mess of a life. He couldn’t get involved. The Model Millionaire involved in petty Mexican drug cartel scandal? God, she could only imagine the press and scandal.
“I-I need to go,” Cora said, tears of bitter regret and surprise running down her cheeks. She turned and headed for the bedroom doorway. But just as she wrenched it open, a large hand above her shoved it back shut.
“Karen,” Julian started, his breath tickling her neck. “Cora. Talk to me. Please.”
Cora heard the ragged plea in the word ‘please.’ Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned around and looked up.
Face twisted with pain and hope and regret, Julian looked at her with the most honest eyes she had ever seen. “I’ve thought about you for years,” he said, his voice harsh with emotion. “I’ve worried about you. I’ve dreamt about you. I’ve been looking for you for years.” He closed his eyes, clearly overwhelmed. “It was my fault. I should’ve been there for you. I…I should’ve protected you.”
Opening his eyes, a tear rolled down his cheek. “Can you forgive me, Cora?”
He had been looking for her? Cora felt the dam of emotion she had been holding back break. She gasped as her first sob hit her. Someone had cared about her all these years. Someone had wanted her.
There was nothing a sixteen year old could’ve done for her and Cora held no resentment towards Julian. She only felt gratitude at knowing he had cared so much about her. It somehow made all those lonely, painful years seem less empty and awful.
Cora fell into his arms. “I’ve missed you too,” she said thickly, tears drenching his shirt.
Julian’s arms immediately wrapped around her, squeezing her and holding her tight. They held each other as they tried to absorb the years of separation they had endured.
Pulling her up into his arms, Julian carried her to his bed. This time, his entire demeanor was completely different. Capturing her lips, he molded her mouth to his. Holding her tightly, he let his tongue probe her, enter her, know her. Cora could feel the urgency within him to have her as close to him as possible, to melt his body against hers and hers against his.
And Cora’s body couldn’t agree more. She arched her spine, ran her nails down his back, clawing him towards her. The overwhelming warmth and love and gratitude made her feel as if she was drowning. She gripped Julian tighter. He was her only anchor in this chaotic sea of emotion. He had always been her anchor.
Before she thought herself ready, Julian plunged his full length into her wetness. They groaned together as his cock stretched and filled her completely. Holding her face within his hands, he looked down at her with infinite tenderness. “I love you, Cora,” he said.
Cora’s heart nearly stopped. He loved her. He loved her. Tears sprang to her lashes as she thought about Mexico, Carlos, her mother, her shadowy past. This man knew who she was and he loved her.
“I—” Emotions choked her voice, making her only able to give him a look of helpless, hopeless love and tears.
It was clear Julian understood her. He could see the struggle she was having in accepting this truthful offer of his heart. Taking her lips in another bruising kiss, he shifted his hips and pulled out before thrusting back in hard. Cora jerked forward from the power of his thrust. She moaned and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
“I love you, Cora,” he whispered hotly against her lips as he rode her hard and deep. “I’ll never let you go again. You have me now. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll always keep you safe.”
Hot tears ran down her cheeks as Cora let each of Julian’s words burn across her heart. So many nights had she been alone, scared, beaten, and bruised. And yet, here was the one man who had ever cared about her now reaching for her, trying to bring her to safety.
Julian’s cock plunged in again, so deep it brushed against her womb. Cora could feel herself rising higher than she’d ever risen before. Pressing her forehead against his, she f
inally found her voice and whispered, “Together.”
Understanding her meaning, Julian immediately sped up his rhythm. They writhed against each other, trying to crawl into each other’s bodies. And then in a moment of pure singular sensation, Julian and Cora cried out into the night as their bodies exploded in unison. Body-shaking ripples of pleasure crossed from Cora to Julian. Her pussy clenched and pulsed from her quaking orgasm which only wrung a deep groan of exhausted pleasure from Julian.
They leaned their foreheads together, exchanging their very breaths. Finally, Julian raised his head a few inches.
Cora slowly opened her eyes and looked up.
Shining in his gaze was all the love in the world.
Oh god. She was doomed.
Ten
As the unnamed driver carefully steered his rattling car through the dirt streets, Cora breathed in the thick, humid air of Mexico.
Men sat at old corner shops that held dirty plastic tables with foldaway chairs. Street vendors peddled their wares on wheelbarrows. Countless stray dogs roamed the streets.
Cora leaned back on the hot leather seat and felt a wrenching sadness stab her chest.
She couldn’t believe she was actually back in Mexico.
She couldn’t believe she was actually heading back to Carlos.
She couldn't believe she had actually left Julian.
It had been hard to sneak away but Cora had managed. Julian had an afternoon meeting the next day that couldn’t be missed. Cora promised to go home, change, and then meet him at the office so they could have dinner again afterwards.
Julian had held her face and kissed her as she stood on the doorway, ready to leave. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said, smiling. “There’s still so much to talk about.” Cora had never seen a more devastating smile on a man which made her only feel more guilty as she nodded and left.
She wasn’t sure she could meet him tonight. Learning Julian Benedict’s true identity only confirmed for Cora the need to keep him as far away from her problems as possible. The danger and scandal alone were enough reason to push Julian away. But Cora couldn’t deny the embarrassment either. He probably never thought that the little girl from fifteen years ago would have grown up into the daughter of a drug lord’s girlfriend.
As she took the subway to her apartment, Cora wondered what she should do. Selfishly, she wondered if there really was something Julian could do. It would be a relief to have someone for once come to her rescue, for someone to right all the wrongs. But Cora refused to be selfish with the only man she loved. She would not let her moment of weakness fall on Julian’s shoulders.
Cora would figure some way out to help her mom escape while keeping Julian safely away from her problems. And that was the ideal she was maintaining in her head as she walked into her apartment. But as soon as she opened the door, she heard the tinny buzzing of her old beat up phone.
Cora flipped open the phone with a certain amount of dread but before she could answer, Gloria cried out, “Cora! Cora! You need to help me!”
Cora was shocked at Gloria’s plea. She could tell her mom was crying. And she sounded oddly nasally…like her nose was broken. Feeling ice run down her spine, Cora said, “Mom? What’s wrong? Where are you?”
“Cora! I can’t wait. I need to get out of here now! He’s just gone out of his mind, Cora. He keeps accusing everyone of betrayal. He’s accusing me for things I never did! You need to help me!”
After years of moving around and absconding in the night, Cora had become an expert at uprooting herself and leaving in a moment’s notice. She knew now the only thing she could do was go and find her mom herself. There was no more money to send and Gloria, being as loud and needy as she was, would not be able to find her way across the border without help.
Folding her papers into an old purse, Cora changed into an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She couldn’t buy a plane ticket. First off, she didn’t have enough money but secondly, it would be too easy for Julian to find her trail that way.
Cora was determined to return from Mexico safely with her mother in tow. And she hoped Julian would be in New York, waiting for her. But until then, he must not find her. She had to manage her way back into Mexico without interference.
And she had. It had taken two days to reach Mexico’s border and another day and a half to drive all the way down to the southern end. Cora’s heart pounded as she crept closer and closer to her old home of nightmares.
The driver turned around in his seat. “This is the end of the town,” he said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “Outside of here is Carlos Vilas’s compound and you don’t want to be going into a place like that. Where in town should I take you?”
Cora slowly breathed out. “Here is good. Gracias.”
Stepping out of the car, she looked out towards the dirt roads. She couldn’t see Carlos’s new mansion but she new it was out there. She knew she was only miles away from her fate.
Eleven
“I’m flying down and should be there within five hours. You keep me posted on anything you find!” Julian snapped the phone shut. Thank god he hadn’t pulled Paulson out of Mexico.
He should’ve known. He should’ve fucking known to keep her by his side. Julian closed his eyes as his jet prepared for takeoff.
“She had to have come back to Mexico,” Paulson had said. Julian had called him last night as soon as he realized Cora was missing. He had searched her apartment and had found nothing missing except Cora. She hadn’t even packed a bag. For a slim second, he had thought she had somehow been mugged or kidnapped but then, from the periphery of his eye, he saw a drawer slightly ajar.
Pulling it open, he found something rectangular wrapped in paper. Peeling it open, he found an old US passport. Inside, a small picture of a blonde haired, green-eyed girl was laminated to the cover. Karen Judson.
So this is where she had kept her documents. Julian rifled through the drawer but only found her old passport. She had taken everything else. That was when Julian immediately called Paulson.
“The warrant is out for her. Carlos wants her. He’s looking for her. I don’t know how far she’ll make it in Mexico before she ends up in his hands. God, I hope she’s armed somehow,” Paulson had said grimly. “I’ll hit the road right now, chief. Keep your phone handy.”
Julian gripped his phone in his fist so tightly he heard a small crack. He consciously relaxed his grip, not wanting to break the only link he had to more information on Cora’s whereabouts.
Damn you, Cora, Julian raged. You should’ve come to me. You should’ve trusted me.
He could feel the steady whir of the plane engines. He had made sure to tell the captain how urgently he needed to arrive in Mexico.
When I get my hands on you, Cora Karen Rámon Denton, Julian thought, he would squeeze her close to him, kiss her till she couldn’t breathe and then, you will be very, very sorry.
Twelve
Knock. Knock. Pause. Knock.
After a moment of silence, the tin door opened. Cora quietly slipped in and pushed the door closed behind her. There was only one dim light bulb blinking above them but even through the darkness, Cora could see the purple mottled face of Gloria.
“Mom!” she whispered in shock. She made a motion towards her but Gloria took a step back, shaking her head.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said stiffly, her lips cut and bruised. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”
Cora looked around. It was the same tin shack she had grown up and lived in. But it had changed quite a bit since she had been there last.
Someone had tried to expand the place by knocking out some of the walls and joining them with extra plywood and sheet metal to make a more spacious room. Cora suspected it had been a large family that had squatted in the shack before moving on. Cora had lived in a room almost the size of a closet but now it was a more spacious 10’x10’ room. She was slightly amazed the room had enough structural integrity to stay up.
“Don�
��t worry, mom,” Cora said. “I have a driver back in town who’ll drive us for the entire night to get us as far north as we can. From there we’re hopping the train.”
Gloria moved stiffly towards the door. She had an odd limp where her left leg seemed unable to bend. “I don’t know how I can hop on anything at the moment,” Gloria said grimly.
“Mom,” Cora said, taking in Gloria’s battered face, “what happened? What did he do?”
Gloria grimaced as she moved towards the wall to lay a supporting hand against the sheet metal. Cora watched warily, unsure the structure could take any kind of pressure. But the wall held and Gloria’s face eased a bit at having something to lean against.
“For awhile now, Carlos has been losing his mind. Business hasn’t been so good and I think that’s turned him crazy. He fired half of his men last June. And the ones that are remaining, he questions them constantly, thinking they’re stealing from him.” Gloria sighed, running a tongue across her cut lips. “I got robbed a couple times while making deliveries. People have been hearing about Carlos and his decline and they’ve been taking advantage of it. But of course, he won’t believe me when I tell him I was robbed. He thinks I stole the goods and have been selling them myself.”
Cora was confused. “How? How could he think you would be selling his drugs while you still lived with him in the same house? That makes no sense.”
Gloria’s eyes darted evasively around the room. “Right….” she mumbled noncommittally.
Shaking her head, she moved on, “I don’t know how far we have to go but I can’t walk too good. I hope the car is close.”
Cora moved forward to help her mom stand straight. “Well, it is but—”
The Billionaire's Step - Complete Series (Forbidden Billionaire Stepbrother Romance) Page 8
