Page 676 of One More Kiss

Chapter4

We makeour way through the most impressive entrance hall I’ve ever seen. Pillars soar loftily to the high ceilings. A show-stopping staircase, complete with snaking gold leaf balustrade and fitted carpet treads, eventually splits both left and right from the middle.

Polished marble tiles radiate sunlight pouring in from the see-through frontage. I get the impression the sheets of glass are a precaution, doubling as a lookout to help them monitor unwanted attention on the horizon.

The entire space is bigger than my family home, times three. Echoing thuds from his shoes clip a rhythm of a somber funeral march. There’s no hint of warmth in the atmosphere of this colossal home. Just a vacant silence and a crosscurrent of impure threats.

I follow him out of the main entrance, doubling my strides for every casual one of his. When I cross over the threshold, my speed rapidly decreases to navigate the stones jabbing the soles of my feet.

As I concentrate, my lower lip slips between my teeth and I prance like an astronaut with my arms elevated on either side. He stops and angles his torso to watch. His chest puffs out and then deflates, but he doesn’t offer any help. When I’m several feet closer, he turns and continues toward a collection of stone outbuildings all connected by a single archway. “Brace yourself.”

My brow furrows, confused by his request. When he disappears beyond the curved entrance, I hesitate. Caught in limbo. A subtle balmy breeze with a coolness warns of a storm. Ahead of me lies a courtyard leading to a barn, and no sign of life. When I look back at the mansion, woody evergreens stretch as far as the eye can see.

I should run—steal a vehicle or hide in the bushes. Twitchy muscles buzz as the ideas churn inside me.

An ear-piercing whistle catches me off guard. I jerk to attention. “If you’re considering an escape, you should know all the land you see belongs to us.” Large hands slip into his pockets, his right hip dipping leisurely. “It would take a week by foot to reach the perimeter—if you even get there. The plantation workers will shoot you on sight for trespassing, and the wildlife circling the estate will attack.” Tomás’ impatience curls around his speech like choking vines.

An irritable brow rises, thick and curt, so his handsome face expresses nothing but infinite contempt.

I inhale deeply, aware my options to bolt are slipping through my fingers quicker than the sands of time. Putting one step in front of the other, I tentatively pad towards him.

The metallic odor of blood, clinical disinfectant, and sweat adds to my semblance of depravity. At least my hands were bathed in germ destroying chemicals. They appear clean even if the rest of me is a visual explosion of grime and limp sable locks.

The way his mouth tightens when I traverse the grit on tiptoes makes me think he’s not totally malevolent. Then again, I’m his prisoner living on borrowed time.

Embers of acrimony glow in my dying pyre of faith. “You can’t keep me here. It’s unethical,” I blurt out, anger getting the better of me.

A slight curve to his lips mocks my statement. In the movement of such a slight act, I swear a dimple dents his left cheek. It’s barely detectable under the shadow of short hair, but it was there, briefly. Fire races through my veins so my cheeks flame.

“I can. I will… and I am.” He speaks slowly, his refined accent dripping with disdain. “Prove to me you’re not here to stick a dagger in my father, and I’ll consider a merciful option.”

I take a daring step into him, even though my hands are trembling uncontrollably. “What’s the merciful option?”

The risk of closeness isn’t missed by him. I have to hitch my chin to maintain eye contact. Rogue nipples tingle like never before. It’s a flux of chemistry my body isn’t used to.

His brows lift and he takes one precise step backward, like the idea of being near me is repulsive. Embarrassment scalds my insides, the sensation buzzes through me with the heat of a thousand insect stings. I wouldn’t stand next to me either, given the state of my unkempt appearance.

“You assume this time together is a treaty. It’s not.” His words burn more caustically than acid. “To put it simply, you’re a triple threat. Uniquely beautiful, unfamiliar, and have undisclosed information behind that pretty mouth of yours.” My breath catches and I sway a little. “And I want to know all your dirty, dark secrets.”

My pulse betrays me. The bold thrum in my neck is inescapable to his scrutiny. I bare my teeth at him as a guise. It’s the only way to pretend I’m not affected by his overcast allure, or hide the fluttering emotions created by the mention of how pretty my scarred mouth is.

“I’m not a threat to you,” I say with as much conviction as a girl enamored by her captor could project.

He points a finger to the gable end of a stone dwelling. “Prove it to me. Face the wall. Put your hands up and spread your legs.”

My jaw drops and I shake my head repeatedly. “No… why?”

“It’s not a request. It’s an order.” I’m completely taken aback by his harsh command. It rattles my spine like a helpless creature in the jaws of an alligator. His dark gaze, so alarming like a totem from the underworld, fixes on me without bending. “If I’m forced to get my gun to ensure obedience, I’ll use it.”

Outrage and despair combust in my chest. The weaving whisper of blind faith creeps around my ribs and threatens to shatter the bony shelter safeguarding my heart.

In one calculated movement, he pulls a switchblade from his trouser pocket, swoops in like he’s dipping his fingers in scalding water and snips the plastic cable tie.

For a moment he stares at the self-inflicted scar tracking the inside of my right arm. His eyes narrow. And just like that, he retreats again.

“Hands up. Feet apart. No second chances.”

I do as he instructs. Both of my palms rest on the rough brickwork and I hesitantly part my feet a little, but not too wide. There’s a shrill squeak and then an explosion of ice-cold fluid strikes my ass, making me squeal. Natural instincts kick in and I spin around to face the enemy.

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