Persuasion, p.9
Persuasion, page 9
Nikko looked up after jotting down everything I’d just relayed to him. “Then we start there. We’ve got three months.”
“Three months?” Lachlan gave him a quizzical look.
“Until he strikes again,” Ethan interjected, tossing a folder onto the table, October Thirteenth written in big, bold letters. “Although chances are he’s already on the hunt.”
Twelve
Lachlan
I hung back as Nikko and Ethan said their goodbyes to Julia, both giving her comforting hugs, as if they were old friends. Not the relative strangers they were. That was what tragedy did to people. Brought them together. Gave them something in common to fight for.
“Walk me out, bruh?” Nikko looked my way.
I knew precisely what he wanted to discuss. It was the last conversation I wanted to have, especially after tonight. But Nikko wasn’t going to let me avoid having it forever.
So, instead of wrapping Julia in my arms and trying to pretend my world hadn’t been rocked to its core, I made my way toward him, kissing Julia on the temple and promising to be back soon. Then I followed Nikko out of the house.
At nearly ten at night, the quaint, beach community was peaceful. I had difficulty wrapping my head around just how much had transpired over the last few hours. From Ethan’s surprise appearance. To learning what Claire had been looking into. To finding out who Julia was. To the truth that she may be the key to uncovering the identity of a serial killer.
From the moment I met Julia, I couldn’t shake the feeling she was different. That our paths crossing wasn’t simply a happy coincidence.
I never expected one jellyfish sting could have led to this.
“What’s up, cousin?” I asked once we reached Nikko’s truck and he turned to face me.
He briefly glanced over my shoulder at the house before returning his attention to me, his voice no louder than a whisper. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Between you and Julia.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his biceps stretching the traditional tattoos covering his arms. “What’s the deal?”
“You were the one who practically pushed me to talk to her the other night.” I shrugged. “So I did. When I learned who she was, I was just as surprised as you are. Probably more so.”
“I understand all that, but what’s the deal with you two?” He stepped toward me, seeming to choose his next words carefully. “It was one thing when she was just some ha’ole from the mainland here for a good time. But this—”
“She’s not just some ha’ole,” I gritted out through a clenched jaw.
He raised a brow. “Really?”
“I…” I shook my head, unable to explain my reaction.
I couldn’t quite understand it myself.
“Do you have feelings for her?”
“It’s not like that,” I replied dismissively. “We made an agreement before either one of us knew who the other was. One week. No expectations. Then we walk away.”
“And now?”
I shoved my hands into the pockets of my shorts. “Nothing’s changed.”
“Nothing’s changed?” he hissed out in disbelief. “From where I’m standing, it seems everything’s changed.”
“No, it hasn’t. I—”
“Listen, bruh.” He placed his hands on my shoulders. “I’m happy for you. I’ve been trying to get you to meet a girl for years now.”
“I’ve been with plenty of girls,” I reminded him. A twinge of guilt settled in my stomach over the notion of talking to Piper’s older brother about another woman.
When I first started hooking up again after her death, I did everything I could to hide them from him. The last thing I wanted was to lose him as a friend. As ohana. But he eventually called me out, claimed he wanted me to move on. That it wasn’t healthy for me to continue to hold onto a ghost.
“You were never really with them,” he argued. “Not emotionally. Since losing Piper, you’ve kept everyone at arm’s length… Until now.”
I rolled my eyes, stepping away from him. “What are you going on about?”
“You know exactly what I’m going on about,” he mimicked. “I saw the way you looked at Julia. It wasn’t the look of someone who’s not interested. Hell, I don’t even think I ever saw you look at Piper that way.”
“We’re just having some fun. She made it perfectly clear from the beginning that nothing could ever come of this. Now that I know who she is, I am in complete agreement.”
“And if it could?”
“It won’t.”
He laughed under his breath. “So you’re going to spend the week together and then… What? Walk away in the hopes of never seeing each other again? Hate to break it to you, but with all this shit going on, I don’t exactly see how that’s even remotely realistic.
“If this theory pans out, and it looks like that’s a damn good probability, you’re both involved, like it or not. Her ex-husband inspired the person who attacked Piper. Who took Claire from you. Hell, her ex could still be somehow involved.”
“I know that, all right? That’s been in the forefront of my mind all night. I can’t not think about it. But, like I said, it doesn’t matter. We agreed. One week. Nothing more. No matter what. Nothing more,” I repeated for emphasis, unsure if it were for his benefit or mine.
Nikko studied me for a beat, his analytical gaze seeming to comb through every inch of me, as if looking for a clue. Some piece of evidence that would crack the case wide open. But I wasn’t a case to be solved.
At least I didn’t think I was.
A smug expression slowly formed on his face. “Are you sure about that? Are you sure that’s really what you want?”
“I—”
“I know you.” He leaned toward me. “Knew who you were before Piper died. Know who you’ve been since then. Since you turned into this closed-off ass who’s done everything in his power to put up walls. To keep people out. Including your own family. Your own ohana.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Nikko held up a hand. He knew I didn’t have a leg to stand on in my defense. Worse, I did, too.
“But tonight, I saw a glimpse of the Lachlan I used to know before anger consumed him. Before guilt controlled him. And I get the feeling it’s because of that woman in there.” He pointed to the house. “I’m happy to see the man I used to know. The Lachlan who smiled more. Laughed more. And, dare I say it, loved more.”
I whipped my gaze to his, eyes wide and panicked. “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. But I know what I saw. This isn’t a passing fling. There are feelings involved. Hers and yours.”
“That doesn’t matter,” I insisted yet again, although my words became increasingly unconvincing with each breath. “That’s not our deal.”
“Maybe not right now. But what if she changes her mind about your arrangement? What if she tells you she doesn’t want to walk away?”
I vehemently shook my head, heart squeezing. I wasn’t sure if it were over the idea of her changing her mind and me hurting her, or her not changing her mind and her hurting me.
“You were in there. You know who she is. Who her ex-husband is. That fucker still petrifies her. Has her watching her every move. Has her held captive. Even from behind prison walls, he’s still controlling her.”
With every word I spoke, my anger and frustration increased. The only thing preventing me from doing everything in my power to make that bastard suffer was the miles separating us. But I doubted even that would always prove to be a sufficient barrier. Not when it came to Julia. I’d never felt so damn protective. So out of sorts. And it drove me crazy.
“Well then…” Nikko smirked. “I think you just proved my point.”
“What point is that?”
“You care about her. A lot. Probably more than you wish you did.”
“I don’t—”
“That’s a good thing, Lachlan.” He squeezed my shoulder, his gesture reassuring. “You deserve this. Especially after everything you went through. After everything you lost. The same goes for her. Maybe you can help her realize that.”
I opened my mouth, struggling to come up with a valid response. I would have been lying if I said I hadn’t considered what it would be like to have something real with Julia, especially when I made dinner tonight. Or when we baked that cake last night. In those moments, I’d allowed myself to consider the possibility.
But that was all it was… A possibility. A dream. A fantasy.
Not real.
“It will never happen.” I pushed away from him, storming back toward the house. “It can’t.”
I wasn’t sure who I was more upset with. Nikko for suggesting the possibility of something real with Julia. Or myself for considering it.
“You have to stop beating yourself up over what happened to Piper, Lachlan.”
His words gave me pause. I stopped in my tracks, squeezing my eyes shut as the guilt over that night returned to the surface.
“It wasn’t your fault. You’re not to blame. You—”
“Yes, it was!” I whirled around, eyes on fire, heat scalding my veins. “How can you stand there and say it wasn’t!” I bellowed, voice strained and choked with rage and frustration. “It was. I’m to blame. I failed her. I shot her. Me.” I pounded a fist against my chest with every word, heart constricting under the weight of the guilt I’d been living with for too long.
“To protect her,” Nikko insisted. “You didn’t—”
“But I didn’t protect her!” I roared. “I aimed that gun and fired, knowing full well I could barely see straight after being hit in the head. So you’re wrong, Nikko. I am to blame. I’m the reason your sister’s dead. Not the bastard who broke into our house and raped her. Me. And I’m going to have to live with that for the rest of my life. I deserve to live with that for the rest of my life. So while I appreciate your little pep talk, this thing with Julia won’t go anywhere. It can’t. I won’t allow it. She deserves better than someone like me.”
I spun around, my entire body vibrating with anger and regret as I hurried back up to the house, wanting nothing more than to return to Julia and the bubble we created for ourselves where none of our past trauma or guilt could find us, even if for just a brief moment.
“You deserve better than someone like you, too, ya know,” Nikko called out when I was halfway up the stone path.
I paused, but didn’t look back at him.
“At least better than this person you’ve turned into. What’s it going to take for you to finally realize that?”
I blinked, opening my mouth to formulate some sort of response. But none came.
Instead, I waved him off and continued walking, not wanting to admit that maybe he was right.
Thirteen
Julia
I stared, eyes wide, unable to move, to breathe, to so much as think as Lachlan’s confession echoed around me.
I shouldn’t have come out here. Should have stayed inside. But when I heard raised voices, I wanted to make sure everything was okay.
But nothing could have prepared me for the conversation I’d stumbled upon.
Lachlan shot Piper.
It wasn’t her attacker.
It was Lachlan.
The anguish in his voice as he insisted he didn’t deserve to be happy because of his actions that night nearly broke my heart. It was one thing to lose someone you loved. But to live with the guilt you had something to do with it, regardless that you did it in the hopes of protecting her, saving her… I couldn’t imagine how that must have messed with his mind.
How it still messed with his mind.
The blame I’d carried since I learned the truth about Nick still affected me. The “what ifs” still tortured me.
What if I hadn’t allowed my fear to control me?
What if I hadn’t allowed Nick to manipulate me?
What if I’d raised my suspicions earlier?
How many women would still be alive right now?
I couldn’t imagine what Lachlan still endured for his role in Piper’s death, knowing the part he played in it.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, my heart ricocheted into my throat. I quickly snapped back to the present, about to hurry into the house, but before I could, Lachlan appeared around the corner, coming to an abrupt stop when he saw me standing there.
He studied me, lips parting as he remained momentarily dumbstruck, unsure of what to say. I had no idea what to say, either.
“You heard.” He finally cut through the silence, his words more of a statement than a question.
I simply nodded in response.
“Julia, I…” He shook his head. “I don’t know what—”
Before he could finish, I strode to him, pressing my mouth to his, trying to show him that his past didn’t matter. That it wasn’t his fault.
That, despite the guilt burdening him, he still deserved happiness.
Even if it wasn’t with me.
He stiffened, obviously confused as to why I’d want to be with him after overhearing how much of a monster he was. At least in his mind. But I didn’t see him that way. I saw his darkness and embraced it.
Because it mirrored my own.
“Kiss me,” I begged.
He yanked my body against his and pressed his mouth harder against mine, coaxing my lips open. His hand went to my head, fingers burrowing into my hair, locking me in place.
Desperation and fury dripped from him as he kissed me with hunger. With fervor. With grief. The grief I felt nearly tore me apart to the point I couldn’t help but fall into him. To succumb to him.
To surrender to him.
“I’m yours,” I murmured, sensing he needed to feel some sort of power or control.
“Mine,” he growled, tightening his hold, as if worried I’d disappear.
“Yours.”
“Mine.”
He kissed me, bruising and biting, stealing my breath and chipping away at my heart.
Hand on my hip, he walked me back into the house, kicking the door closed behind him. Neither one of us came up for air, wanting to drown in each other until we had nothing left to give. When the back of my legs hit the dining room table, he lifted me up, setting me onto the surface.
He ran his fingers up my leg, his frenzied and needy motions a stark contrast to the practiced ministrations from last night.
But I didn’t care.
Tonight, I’d happily give him whatever he sought.
Whatever he craved.
Whatever he needed to extinguish the heartache, even if for only a moment.
“Feel me,” I whispered, spreading my legs. “Take me.” I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling him toward me, his unshaven jawline scratching the sensitive skin of my neck. “Use me.”
He groaned, the sound a combination of riotous need and gut-wrenching anguish. Then he brought his eyes to mine, a silent question passing between us, asking if I was sure about this. I simply spread my legs wider, lifting my skirt to my waist, giving him permission to take me any way he desired.
His lips collided with mine, desperate and demanding. I succumbed to his kiss, moaning when his finger ghosted against my center. But it was a tease of a touch. I needed more.
With frantic hands, I reached for his belt, making quick work of removing it. As I was about to unbutton his shorts, he grabbed my wrists, stopping me. He tore his lips away, eyes searching mine.
In one swift move, he hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me to my feet, spinning me around. When he forced my stomach flush with the table, lust coiled within, my heart hammering a thunderous rhythm as I remained in this position, completely exposed and at his mercy.
But I liked it.
More than I thought I would.
He ran a lithe, delicate finger up my inner thigh. My anticipation grew with every drawn-out second. When he toyed with my clit, inserting a finger inside me, I closed my eyes, basking in the euphoria only this man could give me.
His body hovered over mine, teeth tugging on my earlobe, breath scalding my neck as he continued teasing me.
“Is this okay? This position?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good.” He straightened, the familiar sound of a zipper cutting through the silence. “Because I really need you like this.”
When he brought his thick erection up to me, I moaned, an urgent desperation in my voice and movement.
“Do you need me, love?”
“Yes,” I whimpered, circling against him, craving him like an addict yearning for her next hit. And that was what Lachlan was. A potent drug I was happily addicted to.
His breath was on my neck again, flaming the inferno growing inside me. “Tell me,” he growled.
“I need you, Lachlan. Need to feel you. Need your darkness. And your pain. Give it all to me.”
Releasing an animalistic growl, he thrust into me. The sudden invasion made me to scream out in surprise and relief at the same time.
“Okay?” he asked, concerned.
I took a moment to acclimate myself to his size. Then I nodded, glancing over my shoulder, gaze unwavering. “Harder.”
His grip on my hip tightened, jaw hardening, pupils dilating as my response hung heavy in the air between us.
As if the sexual tension in the room hadn’t been thick and tumultuous before, it was now even more so. More turbulent. More violent.
“Face forward.”
His demand sent a chill through me, stomach clenching, heart pounding.
I followed his command, turning my eyes ahead, my breaths coming quickly as I waited for his next move. He drove into me again, this time more savage and unforgiving than before, fingers digging into my skin. I screamed, chest heaving, soul singing.
“Too much?” he asked, peppering kisses along my shoulder blades, the tenderness of his mouth a complete change from the brutality and viciousness with which he just drove into me.
