Page 86 of Twisted Bonds
"I did CPR as soon as I carried you onto the shore. Once I got you spitting up water and got your heart beating again, I carried you inside Castor's cabin, only to lose you again. It took me another three and a half minutes to get your heart pumping and beating again." His last sentence comes out in a whisper as he places his hand over my heart.
He closes his eyes as if savoring the feel of my heart's beat. After a moment, his eyes snap open and land directly on me. "Don't ever do anything so stupid again. Do you understand me, poppet?"
I just stare at him.
"Answer. Me," Sergio grinds out.
Finally, I shake my head no. Something tells me that I no longer need to be afraid of him. "No, Sergio. You don't get to tell me what to do anymore. I'm not your poppet. I'm Ryan Hendricks."
His eyes burn into mine briefly, then his tongue darts out and he runs it over his bottom lip before sucking said lip in. I've seen this look before, but then—he turns his body slightly and rests his elbows on his knees. He hangs his head momentarily, the wet strands falling forward as he contemplates something.
I don't dare say a word or even move an inch. I've never seen this Sergio before. It definitely isn't the Sergio who was behind that two-way mirror at the prison. This is all new and disconcerting to me because I don't know what it means.
Sergio lifts his head and stares straight ahead. "I think it's time we talk,poppet."
"Don't—"
He cuts me off. "You willalwaysbe my poppet, Ryan." When I don't say anything else, he continues, saying, "I'm not who you think I am."
"What do you mean?"
"It's—complicated."
Cocking my brow at him, I wait, indicating that he can start explaining at any time. He's fast as he turns and cups my face in his big hands. Hands that know every inch of my body and have hurt me in the most delicious ways, but that's not what they are doing now. No, they tenderly hold my face as he gazes into my eyes.
"You have changed me in so many ways, poppet. You showed me how to love, and although our time was cut short, I still loved you from afar…"
"Sergio…"
"Please, let me finish." His words shut me up and I find myself waiting once again. "I knew our time was coming to an end that last night we were together, and so I cherished every moment with you. Letting you walk away without telling you everything was the hardest fucking thing I've done, but I knew you needed to get back to your life, and I knew you had Beau in your heart. Now…"
"I have Beau and Bain…" I finish for him.
He nods, but a soft smile touches his lips, and I swear it transforms his whole face. "Yes, you have them, and once again—because of you—I've found love."
My brow furrows. "Okay, you lost me," I tell him.
"I've finally found my reason, poppet. I've changed from the man I used to be and I'm starting over—with a new love, and a new life." Sergio presses his forehead to mine. "You've given me that reason."
"What reason are you talking about, Sergio?" I don't think I've ever been so utterly confused in my entire life.
"Xavier—Xavier Monroe. Say it, poppet. Just let me hear it come from your lips one time." His voice is nothing but a whisper at this point.
"Xavier…"
He smiles, then presses his lips against my forehead. "I knew it would sound blissful coming from them, but it sounds like heaven when it comes from hers."
I pull back and demand, "Who is Xavier Monroe, and who isher?"
Sergio chuckles. "Calm yourself, poppet. I am.Iam Xavier Monroe, and theherI speak of is Liv…my sweet, sweet charge, or protectee as some would call it."
Forty-Eight
Bain
Twenty-two
Swish
