Fear Me (31 page)

“Great. I’m his favorite toy. I’m honored.”

Sheldon shook her head, exasperated. “You two are going to get caught in the worst way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Dash may be mad now but he isn’t letting you go and Keiran won’t let you run, Lake.”

“How are you so sure?” I asked.

“Because you let them in.”

Rumors were spreading hard and fast. To everyone at school, I was Keiran’s girlfriend and we were the topic of everyone’s conversation. What really threw me for a loop was the birdie, by the name of Angela, who said that Keiran started the rumor.

Willow had stopped her in the hallway one day to ask about where it came from. Angela’s exact words were “How could it be a rumor if it came straight from the horse’s mouth?” I knew then that it had to be Keiran because I didn’t say that shit.

When I confronted Keiran, he’d only shrugged and say,
“You’re mine. Now they know it.”

To make matters worse, Anya was doing everything in her power to tarnish my reputation, which was really a pathetic attempt after being bullied by Keiran for years. I was immune to anyone else.

Basketball season was coming, so I haven’t seen much of Keiran outside of school. He still used every opportunity to feel me up and violate me in school though. I was becoming pretty familiar with inappropriate places to do inappropriate acts.

Keiran’s possessiveness wasn’t the only contributor to my growing frustration. Time was ticking. My aunt was due back in a few weeks and I wasn’t any closer to finding answers about the girl in the picture. A few times I came close to just asking Keiran about it but knew that would be dangerous and stupid. We may be “friends” now but he could quickly become my enemy again if I wasn’t careful.

After many failed attempts to find anything on him, I gave in and called Jesse. He was a criminal mastermind with computers and finding things that weren't meant to be found. I even thought about asking him to find my parents but in the end decided I didn’t want to know. It would be too painful to learn they abandoned me. Maybe one day, I would have the courage to find the truth.

The doorbell rang and I rushed to answer it. We didn’t have much time before Keiran’s practice was over and I couldn’t risk Keiran finding Jesse here or worse and find out what we were doing.

I opened the door to find an annoyed Jesse on the other side. “Tell me what this is about and it better be good. I did ninety all the way here.”

“Well you said you wanted to help me. This is it. Help me.”

“So how and why does it involve my computer?” he asked as he set up his computer in the kitchen.

“I need you to find everything you know about Keiran, especially who and where his parents are.”

“Ok…why?”

“I can’t explain it to you…not now.”

“Here we go. Why not, Lake?”

“Jesse, we don’t have a lot of time. Are you going to help me or not?”

“Fine.” He mumbled something about bossy girls and harebrained schemes while he booted up his computer. I kissed his cheek in thanks but he batted me away.

“When did you get so grouchy?” I teased.

“Right around the time you started keeping secrets.”

“Whatever, I’m going to do homework.”

“Great, you can do mine too,” he said good-naturedly as if he had just offered to do my homework instead.

“What?”

“I brought Calc and Chemistry,” he said without taking his eyes off the computer.

“You can’t be serious…”

“I don’t joke about getting out of homework.” He took out his books and shoved them across the table.

“This will take me all night!”

“Thanks, babe,” he grinned at me cheekily.

“Gosh, you can be such a bitch.” I folded my arms and glared at him across the table.

“My, my. When did you grow claws?”

“Sorry, Jesse. I’m just stressed.”

“The bags under your eyes tells it all and is that a hickey?” When I got home I changed into a tank top that I was just now realizing was a little revealing. The hickey, Keiran placed at the top of my breasts, this morning, was partially peeking out of my top. The flush I couldn’t hide heated my skin and I jumped up from the table.

“I’ll be back, scrub.” I ran upstairs to grab my homework. When I picked up my books from my desk, I saw the picture lying underneath it.
Who are you?

I rejoined Jesse downstairs and settled in for a long night of homework. Jesse had his ear buds in so I knew he was in the zone. After what felt like hours I finally finished Jesse’s homework because he really wasn’t kidding about that.

“Lake?” he called my name with a sense of urgency even though we were sitting at the same table. “You might want to see this.” I jumped up from my seat and practically ran around the table.

“Did you find something?” I peered down over his shoulder at the headlines he had pulled up.

A New Heir for the Masters Fortune?

The Masters family celebrates a new addition but it’s not the arrival of a newborn baby. Sources say John Masters, oldest son to Charles and Victoria Masters, now has care of an eight-year boy, by the name of Keiran Masters. But where did he come from? Who fathered this mysterious child?

Is Mitch Masters the Father?

Sources reveal that the mysterious eight-year old child is rumored to be the son of the youngest Masters heir, Mitch Masters. Could little Keiran Masters be the result of a secret love affair?

The articles were spaced months apart, which mean there had to be more so where were they? The articles he found held little to no information…maybe that was why they weren’t buried with the others.

“These were all I found and I had to do some heavy digging. Someone paid a lot of money to keep this a secret with little questioning,” he said, voicing my thoughts. “I can’t even find any medical records on Keiran. Or any information about the mother.”

“What about a marriage certificate for his father?”

“Nada. He was never married. Mitch was only twenty-five when Keiran was born.”

“All this publicity and no hint or word of his mother?”

“I’d thought the same so I searched court records for any history of a paternity suit or child support hearing but there was nothing at all. Without so much as a birth certificate for Keiran, his mother would be pretty hard to trace.”

“What about school records? He was eight when he came into John’s care so he must have been in school.”

“Blank, babe.”

“So he just appeared out of thin air?”

“The only way you can keep someone a secret is if they want to be kept a secret or if they aren’t alive to tell you otherwise.”

“You think the mother’s dead?”

“Why not? Ten years and no trace of her?”

“So there would be record of her death.”

“Without a name, how would we find it?”

“Someone has to know something about who Mitch was dating.”

“Not necessarily…”

‘What do you mean?”

“Rich guys like that change women more than they change their underwear. She could have been just another notch on his belt – used and invisible.”

“The only person who would know is John but I’ve never even seen the guy. He’s never around,” I thought long and hard before a thought occurred to me. “Where are they from? If they were from a place like Six Forks it wouldn’t be nearly impossible to figure out. People gossip.”

“Beauty and brains. My hero,” he chuckled.

“Some days I don’t feel so smart…”

“That’s because you let your vagina do the talking, babe.” He quickly tapped his keyboards and only after a few minutes he came across something. “He’s from Camden. That’s only a two hour drive.”

“So it’s close.”

“You aren’t seriously thinking about going there are you?”

“Why not?”

“Maybe because this whole family seems shady as fuck? You can’t just show up on someone’s doorstep and starting asking questions about something they obviously kept so hard to bury. Think about it, beautiful…Keiran was a child when he was found…he didn’t hide all this himself.”

I thought hard about what he said but knew I didn’t have a choice. This was becoming more than just a need for revenge. I wanted answers. I
needed
answers. “What else can I do?”

Instead of replying he went back to typing. “It looks like he had a housekeeper.”

“How do you know that?”

“Her resume was uploaded on this social website for professionals who use it to make connections.” He studied the resume and then turned to look up at me. “What month is Keiran’s birthday?”

“February, I think.” I shrugged nonchalantly when he grinned at me with a cheeky expression.

“You think?”

“Ok, I know.”

“Well it looks like Mrs. Jenkins was dismissed.”

“When?”

“Nine months before he was born,” he answered dryly.

“Shit! Well maybe we can find out where his father disappeared? No one just leaves all that wealth behind.”

“On it. But I got to head back. My parents are going to kill me if I stay for much longer,” he said as he packed up his computer.

“Thanks, for everything, Jesse. I know you want to do more but I can’t let anyone fight my battle – not anymore.”

“Just promise, you’ll be careful.”

“I’m not so good with promises, Jesse.” Not after the two most important people in my life broke theirs…

“Right. Catch you later.” He gave me one last hug and was gone.

* * *

Thunder rolled and lighting flashed, lighting up my bedroom. The setting was so cliché and one straight out of a horror movie, especially when it illuminated the tall figure standing across the room. I came fully awake and jumped when I realized I wasn’t dreaming and someone was actually in my room. His back was turned and I guess I made a sound because he suddenly turned.

It was Keiran. He was standing there, drenched and soaking from the rain. His shirt was plastered to his skin outlining his chest and abs. His breathing was deep and uneven.

“What are you doing here?”

“Was it here?”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Did you fuck him on your bed?” he growled. His voice penetrated my senses making by body quake with awareness.

“What the hell are you talking about, Keiran? Get out of my house!”
He moved too fast. I was trapped between the mattress and his hard body and my trembling doubled.

“Why was Jesse here and think twice before you let a lie pass between those beautiful, pouty lips of yours? I’m not keen on being nice to you right now.” We stared at each other, letting his words and the meaning settle around us. The only sound that could be heard was our deep erratic breathing. “I’ll ask you again, Monroe. Did you fuck him?”

“I didn’t do anything with anybody and if I did, it’s none of your business. I don’t belong to you. I. Never. Did!”

His bright grey eyes blackened as the brewing storm finally broke and raged harsher than the one outside. “No. But you will.”

That was the only warning before his lips slammed onto mine. The sound of surprise I made opened me up to his passions as his tongue penetrated my lips. I couldn’t help but welcome the taste of him. I crave it more each time.

Before I could rethink it, I was wrapping my arms around his neck and surrendering to the need. My clothes were torn away until I was left naked under his dark gaze. His gaze remained locked with mine as he lowered his head between my shaking thighs. He finally looked away to stare at the wet heat between my legs. I shifted, fighting the urge to beg for his mouth on

me as his lips lifted in a predatory grin. Suddenly, I remembered the fear I’ve kept close all these years as it returned. I didn’t think I could handle him like this.

“Don’t look at me like that, baby. I’m not stopping. Now say you want it.”

Please don’t stop,
I thought. “I want you,” I uttered without hesitation. I immediately felt his hot mouth and tongue on me. I moaned and writhed as he devoured me. However, the buildup of desire was much more powerful than the pleasure I felt from his tongue. I needed more.

I gripped his hair in desperation, searching for what was missing until I was drowning in tears. Suddenly I was turning and then I was upright. I looked down at Keiran underneath me as I straddled his face.

“Ride my face, baby. Take what you need.”

So I did. Hard and fast. I felt his hands grip my ass and pull me deeper onto his tongue. It caressed me until I shattered. I was still shaking when I was flipped onto my back. I opened my eyes to find Keiran kneeling before me, watching me with an intense look in his eyes.

His hand reached for his shirt and then it was gone. I was staring at his chest and followed the thin line of hair that trailed from his belly button and disappeared into his shorts and I licked my lips in anticipation. He lowered his shorts slowly and my breath caught in my throat when his erection finally escaped. It strained toward me, begging for me to touch. He quickly slipped on protection while staring at me with a dark look in his eyes.

I reached out for him but his hardened gaze froze my movement. “Put your hand down,” he ordered then wrapped his hand around his length. “Give me what I want and all this is yours.”

“Maybe I don’t want it,” I teased.

“Maybe the fact that you just came all over my face says different.”

“I can always call someone else.”

I was eating the bed sheets with my ass in the air before I could blink. “Don’t fuck with me when my dick is out Monroe. Give me what I want.”

I felt him rest his pulsing cock against my entrance, teasing me with light thrusts that slid his hardness against my folds.

“I don’t know what you want!” I cried.

“You do.” He answered simply continuing his torture on my senses.

“Please…I can’t.”

“Not even for this?” He gripped my hips tighter and slid the head inside. My pussy immediately gripped and sucked in him.

“I want it,” I moaned hoping it would appease him.

“I know you want it,” he whispered seductively. “I want it too…I want all of it.” It was then that I knew what he was asking for.