Uncovering You 10: The Finale Page 15

  That innocent little phrase lights the fire in Jeremy’s eyes anew. “I warned you,” he growls. Then he pulls my panties aside and pushes into me.

  I gasp in the sudden rush of pleasure. My back arches. I moan. Jeremy’s arms are supporting him on either side of my head. He presses into me, in full, in deeply, all the way my body will let him. He searches my face for my reaction. “Still good?” he whispers.

  I nearly gnaw a hole in my lip. I screw my eyes shut, nod my head vigorously, and moan.

  He seals his mouth over mine. His lips form the perfect mold. He holds himself like that, deep inside me, for a long, precious moment. I can feel his body starting to quiver with passion, all the lust that he’s fighting to keep in check.

  I want him to let go. I need him to let go. But he was right: My body is not yet strong enough to handle him.

  But fuck it. I’ve been starved for him for so long that I need him to make me his. I ache for the feeling of his hot cum all over my skin. I yearn to hear his primal grunts and roars as he loses himself in me completely.

  “Jeremy,” I beg. “Just go. Please. Fuck me. Please. Don’t hold anything back.”

  He rises up and touches my cheek with his finger. “Slowly, at first,” he promises, and then he pulls back.

  He enters me again, so perfect, so caring. I gasp with each welcome intrusion. My hands grab his hips. I squeeze the hard muscles of his ass so tightly. I let him set the pace, and it feels wonderful.

  Despite all our time apart, he still knows my body. He knows when I’m holding back. He knows the difference between that and when I commit myself to him fully.

  The ebb has to be slow. Every time Jeremy pushes into me, I savor our connection. He builds into a steady rhythm that makes me moan against him. Rhythmic. Flowing. Gentle and compassionate.

  I still need him to lose control. Even if I’m not physically ready for it, mentally, I need the assurance that I still mean to him as much as I did before. I need it so I can stop feeling broken. I need it so I know I am his.

  The only way to do it? To give in completely.

  So my moans become gasps, becomes cries. I urge him on without a single word, letting the natural sounds rise from me unabashed. The little cries. The pleasure-filled moans. All of them, only for him.

  And in a single, glorious moment, I feel all my defenses strip away. My body opens itself for him.

  Jeremy senses it. He growls and picks up the intensity. Now his hands are tightening on my skin, his hips pulling in and out of me at breakneck speed. Now his grunts fill my ears, those amazing erotic, guttural noises.

  I cry out into the night. He pounds into me. Ecstasy consumes every fiber of my being. It’s laced with pain. But that pain is so minor, so utterly irrelevant compared to the heights Jeremy is spurring me toward. I pay it no mind.

  He drops his head and feasts on my breasts. I tangle my hands in his hair and pull him close. He redoubles his efforts, pounding into me with even greater urgency. I feel the climax coming. My legs start to shake, my body almost writhes as it builds from the distance and rushes toward me like a relentless landslide.

  And then it crashes into me. I scream. I scream out into Jeremy’s body. I scream because I’m his. I scream because the pleasure is mixed with pain. I scream because I’m free. My body is free. My mind is free. I am giving myself in full—completely—to Jeremy Stonehart.

  He roars and bursts into me. Hot, searing cum fills my insides. My body goes limp. I’m exhausted, but oh so satiated, and oh so very happy.

  Jeremy collapses on top of me. We both come down from our high. Our breathing slows, and he whispers in my ear:

  “I love you, Mrs. Stonehart.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The next day, I wake up feeling groggy and weak. I am paying the price for giving in last night. My reward for succumbing to the desire that Jeremy Stonehart evoked in me? Frailty. Thinness.

  I feel grainy, like I got too little sleep.

  I look at the clock on the wall of the bedroom. It shows 2:00 p. m.

  I do a double take. 2:00 p.m.? That means I’ve been out cold for almost fourteen hours! And still I feel so tired.

  I throw a pillow over my eyes. For a while, I consider going back to sleep. There isn’t a part of me that doesn’t hurt. Maybe I should have heeded to Dr. Telfair’s advice.

  I catch myself thinking those thoughts, and a sneaky smile fills my lips. It was worth it, I decide, because it was with Jeremy.

  Not wanting to spend another minute alone, unwilling to lose any amount of time being around the wonderful man, I gather my strength, get out of bed, and rise to find him.

  The first person I see in the hall is not Jeremy but his brother.

  A scowl, familiar to me from the time I knew Jeremy as Stonehart marks his face.

  “You did not heed my instructions,” he tells me.

  I bristle. “Excuse me?”

  “Last night. I know what you and Jeremy did.”

  I nearly gape at him. “Do you, now? And so what?”

  “I warned you against physical intimacy so soon,” he tells me. “Things like that can trigger a relapse.”

  “What?”

  “A relapse, Lilly. That is the crux of everything I am trying to prevent with you. To keep you safe, mentally…” He stresses the word. “…is my utmost concern. If you cannot or are unwilling to follow my instructions, if I do not have your trust, then this endeavor is an exercise in futility. I cannot help you recover if you do not listen to me.”

  Anger starts to build within me. Who is this man to speak to me like this?

  I open my mouth to say exactly that…and suddenly feel faint.

  Without warning, my knees give out.

  Dr. Telfair moves fast to catch me.

  I cling to him, blinking a few times to get to get through the unsteadiness. Then I try to push myself off.

  He does not let me.

  “I’m fine,” I mutter. “Let me go.”

  “You’re not fine, Lilly,” he stresses. “You’re weakened. Your body is not ready to handle more stress.” He starts walking me down the hall, back to my room.

  “You condition,” he says, after depositing me in bed, “is very fragile. You have to understand that. I have to know that—no matter how strong you feel, no matter how you think you are—you will not push past the pace I am setting. I can see things objectively, Lilly. I see that you love my brother. I see that he would do anything for you.

  “But,” he stresses, “I am the one you have to rely on, not my brother. I know what is happening to you. I can judge your recovery dispassionately. I truly believe that I can help you heal.”

  His eyes hone in on me in a way eerily similar to Jeremy’s gaze. “For that to happen, I need your absolute trust. And it’s not a one-way street, Lilly. I have to know that you trust me. That you believe in the regimen I’ve set up for you. That you do not deviate from what we agreed upon…”

  He trails off and rubs his eyes. “Lilly. It’s imperative that you listen to me. Absolutely imperative. If you do not…” He shakes his head. “…Then, I cannot help you.”

  “If you’re trying to guilt me into it, you’ve done a mighty fine job,” I mumble. “Fine, Dr. Telfair. I accept your conditions. And I apologize for giving you reason to doubt me. It won’t…” I sigh. “…it won’t happen again. Not ever.”

  “Good,” he says. He starts to rise. “I’m glad we got that settled.”

  “Wait,” I say, before he can leave. “Where’s Jeremy? Where did he go?”

  “Jeremy left to grant me the space I needed to speak with you,” the doctor says. “I spoke to him, as well. He agreed to the conditions that I laid out.”

  “What conditions?” I ask.

  “No sex. No physical intimacy for at least another week,” he says calmly. “Your body needs rest, Lilly. You cannot give it that if he keeps you up all night.”

  My cheeks flush red. “You heard?” I ask abashed.


  He gives a small smile. “Just be glad I’m the only one on the property,” he answers with a wink.

  “Wait,” I say. “Dr. Telfair you said, ‘relapse’. What did you mean?”

  “The drugs…” he says heavily, “…that were administered to you in captivity were very, very powerful. The injection serum I developed wards off the worst, so long as it remains in your system. But it is not complete. It is not guaranteed; nor is it bulletproof. It relies on your power of mind, your strength of will, to exert its full effects. You, in fact, play the largest role in fending off the illusions. You’ll always have to fight them. As a result?” He frowns. “A relapse is a distinct possibility—especially right now, in the immediate aftermath. It is not the time to test your limits. We need to establish a baseline, Lilly. A baseline for your health. Once we have that, I can grant you more leeway in your allowed activities. But before?” He shakes his head. “I have to monitor you closely. Do you understand why? You’re not home free yet, Lilly. We have a long and potentially arduous journey ahead of us. The only thing I can promise—and on this, you have my word—is that I will do everything in my power to see you safely to the other side. For that to happen, I must—absolutely must—have your unwavering trust.”

  It’s freaky just how much, in moments of intensity like this, Dr. Telfair reminds me of his brother.

  “I understand,” I say softly. I hang my head. “And I appreciate what you are doing. How much you’ve given up to work with me.” I feel my resolve building once more. I look up, meet his eyes, and adopt the tone I used to use when addressing Stonehart. “I will not disappoint you again. Last night was a lapse. A poor judgment call. If you need my trust, you have it. I will do a better job of showing it to you in the future.”

  “Good,” he says. His face softens, and he smiles. “But don’t beat yourself up over it, kid. Yesterday was a momentous occasion. I understand congratulations are in order, Mrs. Stonehart?”

  With that, he nods, and leaves me alone.

  Jeremy comes up a few minutes later carrying a tray of food.

  “How did it go?” he asks me solemnly.

  I frown at him. “How did what go?”

  “The talk, with my brother?” Jeremy asks. “He was not happy with me when he found me this morning.”

  “We sorted it out,” I say, a little smugly.

  “Did he yell at you?” Jeremy asks. His jaw tightens. “You know what my attitude is toward men who raise their voices—especially around women.”

  “No.” I say. “He was very cordial.”

  Jeremy exhales a deep breath. “Thank God,” he tells me. “I had no way of predicting what he might do. We grew up in different homes. He does not share the same distastes as I.” Then Jeremy confesses, almost the way a schoolboy would admit to wrongdoing before the principal. “He yelled at me.”

  I burst out laughing.

  “Hey!” Jeremy protests, all mock indignation now. “The only person I fear more than you is my brother.”

  “You fear me?” I scooch forward, eager now. “Oh! This I have to hear.”

  “Of course I fear you,” Jeremy says, sitting on the bed and feeding me peeled grapes. “I fear what you think of me. I fear that I do not deserve your love, having failed you so absolutely. I fear doing something inadvertently, unintentionally, and spooking you away. I fear the return of the monster in your eyes.”

  “Jeremy! Stop!” I tell him firmly. I press my lips tight against the grape he tries to feed me. “You can never revert to that. I love you completely. You’ve consumed me fully. There is no one else who is or ever will be the equal to you.” I flash my engagement ring. “And I’ve already committed to you. Or have you forgotten.”

  “Never.” Jeremy says. He moves in to kiss me with such passion in his eyes…

  But then he stops. He pulls back, just millimeters from my face. He closes his eyes, sighs, and leans his forehead against mine. “Right,” he breathes, then briefly touches my lips with his, and pulls away.

  I am struck by such monstrous yearning for him that I do not know what to do with myself.

  Jeremy stands up, feeding me my meal forgotten. His hands tighten into fists. “I’m sorry, Lilly,” he says. “I know I’m testing you. But I cannot resist. I’ll exert better self-control from now on. I swear.”

  I don’t want you to, I want to say. Instead, I bite my lip and nod my head.

  “But I can’t stay,” Jeremy tells me. “I need some time alone. To train, maybe. Work out. Clear my mind.” He smiles at me. “You rest. I’ll be back soon.”

  With that, he leaves me alone.

  I spend the rest of the day drifting in and out of sleep.

  Dr. Telfair visits me before Jeremy returns. He brings a heavy laptop with him. He attaches a set of electrode tabs to my forehead, plugs the other end into his computer, and tells me to relax as he studies my brainwaves.

  Then we go through a series of exercises. He asks me questions that he knows will trigger an emotional response. I answer however I want. He instructs me to lie in response to certain ones, and to tell the truth for others. All the while, he monitors my galvanic skin response, my brain activity, and my vitals.

  When he’s done, he folds up the laptop and stands up.

  “Wait,” I tell him. “Aren’t you going to explain what all that was about?”

  “Do I need to?” he asks. “Not yet. You will see later. In essence, all I’m doing is establishing baselines, seeing how they deviate from expected values, trying to understand the full extent of your injuries.”

  “And your verdict?”

  He chuckles. “That, you definitely have to wait for. Data collection has just begun. It will take weeks, months perhaps, to form a clear picture.” He smiles. “Lucky for us, we have that time.”

  My eyebrows go up. “So, you’re staying?”

  “Of course. Even with last night’s transgression, you’ve convinced me. I can work with you. I will work with you, Lilly. I will see you better. If for nothing more,” He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. “Than to make up for the sins of my biological father.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The remainder of the week proceeds in a similar fashion.

  Jeremy and I are still barred from physical intimacy. It’s rough. But I promised Dr. Telfair I would listen to him. And Jeremy is true to his word, as well.

  After the immense high of my rescue, and the morning of Jeremy’s proposal, my energy levels plummet. I spend more than twelve hours each day in a deep and completely undisturbed sleep. But when I wake, I feel like I’ve been up for days.

  The sun makes things a little better. After being held underground for so long, its rays are invigorating.

  It’s unfortunate that I’m allowed to soak it up for no longer than five minutes at a time.

  “The injections make you extremely photosensitive,” Dr. Telfair tells me. “It’s a restriction that will be with you for the rest of your life. Stay out in the midday sun longer than ten minutes and you’ll burn to a crisp.”

  So, to keep me safe, we cap it at five.

  The second day after my promise to Dr. Telfair, I finally learn what Jeremy meant when he said that he left Stonehart Industries behind.

  “In the days after you went missing, Lilly, I lost it. I poured everything I had, all my energy, and all my resources into finding you. Every potential trail we hit turned up dry. Your capture was perfectly executed. It could only have been so with inside information. Well, Rose provided that. Hugh provided that. It was the perfect storm of events that had been brewing. Rose knew my habits—and yours—at home. Hugh knew everything there was to know about Stonehart Industries and what it’s like at work. Together with Esteban’s relative wealth, and his crazed zeal to see justice done, it was possible. My glaring omission of oversight notwithstanding, there could not have been a more perfect trifecta of opportunity.

  “All three had been done wrong by me. All three had long-standing issues with transg
ression that I’d committed. I thought Hugh cowered. I thought Rose had moved past who she was in the past. I did not think—I never expected—that their hatred for me would be so intense and long-standing.”

  “You said you sent me away, to Maine, that one time, because you were shielding me from danger. What danger? What was that about?” I ask.

  Jeremy exhales. “I did it on a whim, Lilly. I felt something brewing. I could not put my finger on exactly what it was. Call it a gut feeling. It frightened me. I dislike uncertainties. I loathe things I cannot control. I sent you away, and blocked your cell phone because of a suspicion I had.”

  “What sort of suspicion?” I pry. “About what?”

  “Alas,” Jeremy sighs, “I do not know. I just knew, at the moment, that I had to get you away. Get you out of California lest something manifest itself. While you were gone, I committed myself to discovering what it was. I found nothing. But still that feeling nagged at me. I had a faint warning that something dire could happen to you. It never went away…not until you returned. Not even after Fey and Robin found you in San Jose.”

  “That’s why you blocked her calls?” I ask. “I don’t really care now, Jeremy. All that is so long past that it seems like it happened in a different lifetime, to another person. But I’m still curious, even if somewhat…detached.”

  Jeremy smiles. “An interesting perspective. Yes, in answer to your question. That is why I blocked her calls. I did not know what the source of the danger was. I thought, if I could keep you as close to me as possible, if I could keep you securely guarded, I was minimizing risk.”

  I feel a spontaneous smile coming on. An empowering sort of joy blooms in my chest.

  “You know what?” I ask. “That is probably what I love most about you.”

  “Oh?” Jeremy raises an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

  “How much you want to protect me… in your own misguided way.”

  Jeremy chuckles. “You do force me into bad decision, at times,” he admits.