“Because, Valencia,” I said as I towered over her, my hunger off the charts. “You’re going to become my wife, preventing your father from doing one. Damn. Thing. Then no one can take you away from me or I will have no problem killing them.”
Valencia
Wife.
The man was either insane or far too self-centered.
Or both.
I’d been right before; this whole abduction thing was a scheme to be wed into my family? Maybe the money was more important, or the clout? I thought about the reasons and knew his decision had more to do with further ostracizing my father as well as thwarting his power. Did I really care? Hell, I wasn’t certain about anything any longer.
However, if he thought for even a minute that I was going to marry him, he would have a rude awakening. I could barely think straight, had difficulty accepting what he’d said, but the expression on his face screamed that he was determined keep his promise. “You’re out of your mind. I would never marry you.” I managed to get out of his grasp, taking several steps backward.
“It’s the only way I can attempt to keep you safe,” Miguel said after a few seconds.
“From my father or from your enemies?”
I could tell he was debating his answer. “I wasn’t lying to you. Your father is a ruthless man, Valencia. I have no doubt he plans on some level of retaliation against me and my family. As you can well imagine, I’m not going to allow that to happen.”
“And I’m your pawn at keeping him quiet. You’re going to force me to suffer for whatever sins you believe my father has committed.” I studied the scratches I’d inflicted, the slight trickle of blood and almost felt guilty.
Almost.
He opened his mouth, his brow furrowing then he looked away. “I’m not going to have you suffer in any regard. All I’ve asked is that you follow my rules. There are reasons for them, including security. I will do everything I can to make your life as happy as possible, all your desires fulfilled.”
“I desire to do what I want.”
The thunderous velvet tone of his voice was far too powerful, especially tonight. I’d dreamt of the man; his hard body and dark eyes, the way his full lips moved when issuing a command, and the feel of his cock buried deep inside. I shook off the continuing sensations, reminding myself that I was nothing but a possession, a tool to use against my father. Miguel would never love me. He’d never treat me as an equal. I could never tolerate that kind of a relationship. I almost laughed at the thought. He had no idea how to handle a true relationship of any kind.
“Sure. Whatever you say.” I wanted to lash out at him, to take vengeance for what I’d suspected in my heart for years. The words he’d said about my father were horrible, yet somewhere deep inside I knew the man was capable of anything. I’d heard enough, seen enough, witnessed enough to know that my father was cruel in almost every manner. For some reason, the weight of carrying such a burden crushed in on me, tears slipping past my lashes. I’d never have a normal life. That was gone, stripped away.
I placed the blame for shattering my protected glass world squarely on the shoulders of one sexy man. God, my stomach ached, the ugly tantrum I’d thrown reminiscent of my behavior around my father when I was a child. Only when I was misbehaving did I get any real attention.
Why in the hell I was resorting to such ridiculous behavior was beyond me. Maybe I was doing nothing more than pushing Miguel to the breaking point. I needed to see the real man, the one hidden behind that damn mask he always worse. Or maybe I needed to see if he was as violent and angry as my father. Either way, this wasn’t any kind of life to live.
Although I doubted I could make wishes come true. I’d never be free of the monstrous life I’d been born into, no matter the circumstances. And I’d never be able to play my beloved cello again.
“Valencia. I don’t want to argue.”
“Then leave me alone. How about that?” I attempted to skirt around him, determined to hide under the covers.
He snapped his hand around my wrist, yanking me against the heat of his body. “Don’t you ever walk away from me again. Ever.” He was shaking from the very anger I’d feared, but almost as soon as his reaction snapped, it shifted once again, his features and demeanor softening. “I can never leave you alone, Valencia. Don’t you know that? Don’t you understand that you’ve done something to me? Your innocence and purity placed a stain on my skin that I never want to remove.”
“I’m not innocent,” I managed, fighting the various urges furrowing to the surface. Everything about him was so demanding, a man whose thirst would never be quenched, whose hunger could never be abated.
He was my kryptonite, my guilty pleasure, and I was sickened in my mind at the thought even as my body yearned desperately for him.
Miguel gathered me into his arms and I had no strength left to fight him. I was broken inside, uncertain of anything any longer. “Don’t, Miguel. Please.”
“Please what, Valencia? Please don’t care about you? Please pretend that you don’t matter to me?” He pressed his lips against my forehead, his hand holding my head in a cradled position. “I can’t and won’t do that.”
The heat of his body was extreme, the burn deep inside searing every nerve ending. I gathered his shirt into my hands, crunching my fist as I drank in his essence. Even his musky cologne was enough to pull my nipples into aching hardened buds, my pussy quivering as if his fingers had slipped into my wetness. I wanted this man. I craved this man.
I needed the beautiful yet damning bastard in a way that didn’t make any sense. He was like my life’s blood, the urge to open myself up more than I could take. My breathing ragged, I closed my eyes as he brushed his lips across my nose to my cheek, the touch feather light. I was lost in a moment of raw need, trying to rationalize how I could feel this way. Drawn to him.
Longing for him.
Everything was a blur as he shifted his lips to my jaw before dragging his tongue across the seam of my mouth. When he slid the pads of his fingers down the back of my neck, tickling the skin on my back, a moan pushed up from the very depths of my being.
“Tell me what you want, Valencia.”
“I don’t… know.”
“I think you do,” he whispered, the tone full of lust and innuendo. “I know you do. Tell me everything your body requires.”
I swallowed, allowing the words to filter in my mind, trying desperately to turn off the intense yearning. But I couldn’t. Every part of me had betrayed the woman inside, peeling away at the mask I’d worn for so long. I was reeling, unable to think clearly as he continued trailing his fingers down my spine, shifting them under the hem of the beautiful nightgown. I’d never felt so sexy or desired, my mouth suddenly dry.
When he kissed me again, his lips exploring mine, the touch so gentle, I rose onto my tiptoes. The slight hint of his tongue in my mouth was enough to send a vibrant shower of electricity into every cell and muscle, further fueling a combustible fire.
“I will make your wildest fantasies come true. I will give you everything you need in your life,” he whispered before biting down on the base of my ear. “And I will make you beg for what you want.”
As he fisted my hair, yanking back my head, I fell into a sublime state. The feel of his teeth skating along my pulse of life gave me a series of shudders, my legs trembling. I was suddenly free, flying high as he growled like the true savage he was. I could no longer fight him, my body refusing to push the brutal beast away.
The feel of his massive hand caressing my bottom was more intimate than any act of sex. When he rolled the tip of a single finger up and down the crack of my ass, I leaned into him, grinding my hips. The way his cock throbbed, pushing against my belly drove me wild, a reminder that he was all male.
“You’re very disobedient.”
“Um…” What could I say?