Page 204 of Under Her Skin

Her step-brother put his hands on her shoulders. A warning. ‘You know how you can get, Jessica. It’s just better thisway.’

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘Are you insane? That money is legallymine…’

‘If –‘ Jules smiled widely, ‘you remain under the conservatorship of the Trust. Father was very clear. After your mother’s suicide, he made sure that if you were to suffer a breakdown like her, then you would be caredfor.’

He had her. With a few simple lies to the police all those years ago, her ‘hysteria’ was on record and if she tried to run, everything she cared about would be gone. The art department would close, a women’sshelter…

Jess felt if she would scream. She stood, unsteadily. ‘I need to use thebathroom.’

In the restroom, she sank to the floor, dragging deep breaths into her lungs. She would never be free of him. He owned her. Jess muffled the sobs that forced themselves out of herthroat.

She had to get out of here. Too late, she realised she had left her cell phone in her bag in the drawingroom.

She clambered to her feet. She would ask William to drop her home but when she got back to the drawing room, Jules was alone. He smiled without warmth, offering her a glass of scotch. She shook herhead.

‘William had to leave suddenly,’ Jules explained and Jess knew he had asked the older man to go so they could bealone.

There was a long silence then Jules smirked. ‘So it just leaves us, Jessica.’ His meaning was revolting clear and Jess lost hertemper.

‘There is no ‘us’ Jules!’ Anger rippled through her, overwhelming the fear. ‘Why don’t you get that? Stop trying to tell me what to do with mylife.’

She gotup but he was beside her immediately, gripping her arms and pulling him to her. ‘Fucking ungrateful littlewhore.’

She wrenched her arm from his grip. ‘I’m sick of people trying to tell me what they think I should do with my life, especiallyyou.’

‘If I was Theo Storm, it would be a different story. You let him climb all over that beautiful body of yours, fuck you senseless. Do you think I can’t see it on you? Smell him on you?’ Jules’s voice was bitter but underneath that there was something else, something that made her blood pump. A menace. She turned to face him, warynow.

‘I love him. He loves me. He knows me, Jules, he wants to know me. He doesn’t just take and take. We’re not even blood, me and you. Who do you think youare?’

Jules’s eyesnarrowed and he stepped towards her. ‘I’m your family, Jessica. Your only family. Don’t you have anyloyalty?’

‘Loyalty to whom?’ Jess laughed without humour. ‘You? The man who molested me constantly before I was able to get away? When I was a child? The man who continues to threaten and control mylife.’

Jules put his head on the side, a small smile playing around his mouth. ‘Did I threaten you, Jess? Or was it just your imagination? Or yourdesire?’

Jess sighed. ‘I’m not playing these games anymore, Jules. I’mtired.’

‘I’m the only family you have now,Jessica.’

Jess’s chin lifted. ‘It doesn’t give you the right to lay claim to me. Let me just go home, Jules. Please. I have to getback.’

‘What if Iwon’t?’

Her gaze was cold. ‘Won’twhat?’

‘Let you go home.’The terror came screeching back. His smile was humourless, his eyes fixed on hers. Jess’s hands flexed, she took a deep breath, trying to stop the fear from overwhelming her. In its place was a fire, something burning inside of her, something that overpowered everything else. Anger. Suddenly, she wanted to goad him, pick a fight. Adrenaline surge through her, she could taste metal in her mouth. Reckless. She ignored that thought and returned his coldsmile.

‘What do you imagine will happen if you don’t? What do you have planned, Jules? More knife games? More threats?’ She got into his face, ignoring the fear that spiked in her gut. ‘More rape?’ Her voice was a whisper but she hissed the word athim.

He moved too quickly then,slamming her back against the wall. She yelped in pain and he covered her mouth with his hand. ‘If you like, Jessica,’ he hissed, his mouth an inch from her face. He tugged up her skirt and desperate, she struggled with him. She managed to drive her knee into his groin and as hr groaned, she darted away. He grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground, spread-eagling himself overher.

The knife in his hand seemed to come from nowhere. Jess felt him press the tip against the thin cotton of her dress and for once, she was furious rather than scared. She looked him straight in the eye, a grim smile on herface.

‘Do it,’ she said, challenging him, ‘Kill me. Run me through. Stab me to death. I’d rather that a million times over than your revolting prick inside me everagain.’

The pressure increasedand she felt the nick of steel in her skin. Jules was breathing heavily, his eyes crazed, sweat pouring down his contorted face. Time stopped for a long moment then with a roar, Jules cast the knife aside and started to push her dress up past her hips, tugging at her panties. Jess screamed – no, no, no, no – but Jules wasunrelenting.

Then someone else screamed. Jules stopped and Jess, sobbing, pushed him away and clambered over to the shell-shocked, deathly pale Camilla, who stood in the doorway. The older woman enveloped Jess in her arms, staring at Jules as if he was thedevil.