Page 19 of Sins of the Father
“I—”
Luc caught her mouth with his, devouring her in a kiss that stole her breath. He groaned as her sweet, hot taste crashed into him like a shot of whiskey—heady, burning, impossible to stop.
CHAPTER FIVE
Luc’s tongue demanded, took, and teased until Mia’s resistance blurred into trembling awareness. God. Was this a kiss… or was this what it meant to be kissed byhim?
Heat swept through her, hazing her rational mind with an unknown, compelling sensation that drove her to clutch his shoulders, desperate to answer him with the little knowledge she had. Her mouth moved beneath his, awkward at first, then bolder as she tried to mimic the sweep of his tongue. It felt as though fire had dropped into her belly and rushed down low, curling hot between her thighs.
Then his hand slid lower, anchoring her as his knee forced its way between her legs, sliding her dress up her thighs. He pushed upward, the pressure against her most secret place making her gasp into his mouth. Pleasure struck sharp and bright, like fireworks exploding deep in her belly. Her body betrayed her, arching, pressing closer, needing more.
The kiss shifted—still hard, still claiming, but softening too, coaxing instead of just taking. His lips brushed, lingered, explored as if tasting every breath she had. The tendernessunraveled her even more than his roughness had, leaving her reeling, dizzy with sensations she’d never imagined.
A desperate sound tore from Mia’s throat, and before she could stop herself, she bit down on his lip. And then, with a cruel edge of restraint, his teeth closed on her lower lip, biting hard before he tore himself away.
Mia pressed trembling fingers to her mouth, heart hammering, lips throbbing where his had claimed hers.
“Now I know you won’t fuck me like a nun,” he said, his gaze holding something unfathomable.
Heat seared Mia’s cheeks, but she only jutted her chin, at a loss for any comeback.
“We’re leaving. Now. Take what you want or nothing at all.”
It took a lot to defy him when he looked so dangerous, but Mia said, “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Luc ignored her, retrieved his phone and dialed a number. It picked up on the second ring. “Boss.”
The other person on the end of the line’s voice came over clearly.
“Sal, you’re at the airstrip?”
“Ten minutes early,” the man replied. “Jet’s fueled. Crew’s in position.”
Luc hung up without another word, then closed his fingers around Mia’s hand. His grip was iron, dragging her toward the door. It felt like being tethered to a mountain—unyielding, inescapable.
“Wait,please!” she cried, digging in her heels.
He stopped, turning to her with a look that promised no patience. “What?”
Her heart thudded painfully. “At least let me pack… something. Please.”
Luc studied her for a long, cold moment. Then his jaw tightened. “Five minutes.”
Relief and panic warred in her chest as he released her hand. She rushed back to her small room, surrounded by the meager belongings of her life. Clothes, shoes, trinkets—none of it mattered. He would provide those things. What she chose instead were her books. Dog-eared paperbacks, the crime dramas she devoured late at night, the romances that whispered of impossible love. They were the only things that felt truly hers. Her mother’s necklace rested against her throat, and her father’s watch lay hidden in the pocket of her skirt. She never parted with them; they were always on her, always carried close.
As she slid the worn spines into a bag, defeat pressed down on her chest. Yet along with it came a fragile thread of relief—no more running, no more glancing over her shoulder, no more wondering if every shadow meant he had caught up to her. The inevitability of him was terrifying, but at least it was final.
When her time was up, Luc was waiting. He took her hand again, his grip firm as chains, and led her from the apartment. Outside, a tinted SUV idled, its engine humming low. The night air struck her face, sharp and cool, but it couldn’t cut through the weight in her chest. With every step toward the vehicle, Mia clutched her books tighter, knowing she wasn’t just leaving perceived safety behind. She was walking into his cage.
A man opened the door, and Mia entered the car. Luc slid into the back seat beside her just as the door shut, sealing the two of them off from the rest of the world. The car eased into motion, the small town bleeding away in streaks of streetlight and blurred glass. Mia didn’t look at Luc. Her body was wound tight, hands clenched in her lap like she could hold herself together by force alone. The watch burned inside her pocket, and she wondered if it could be the key to her freedom.
She turned to him slowly. “You don’t have to do this.” Her voice was quiet but clear. “I just want to go back to my normallife. Whatever arrangement my father made, I didn’t agree to it. This isn’t a marriage. It’s kidnapping.”
“You don’t know what your father did,” he said. “What you’re worth to the wrong men.”
Mia lifted her chin. “I’m not worth anything to people who do not know me.”
Luc’s smile was cold. “Every girl says that until someone sells her.”
