Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38835 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38835 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
So instead of questioning him further, I boldly pressed my lips to his. I poured everything I couldn’t say into the kiss: that I cared for him, that I wanted to ease his pain. He’d suffered so much. I wanted to shield him from further hurt, just as he’d saved me so many times. I would never be as strong as he was, but I would protect his heart as best I could. My judgment would only cause him more pain, and I couldn’t bear to harm my savior in any way.
He kissed me like I was his oxygen, like he would die if he couldn’t share my every breath. I met him with equal fervor, losing myself in our fierce connection. He’d saved me, so I would do my best to save him from his own demons. The horror of his nightmare melted away beneath the heat of our fiery chemistry. There were no thoughts, no pain. Only lust and intimacy that was so intense it made my eyes sting with the depth of my feelings for this beautiful, damaged man.
His phone blared an alarm, jolting us both back to reality. He broke our kiss with a low curse and turned off the incessant noise.
“What was that for?” I asked, breathless and reeling from the sudden absence of his lips on mine.
His jaw ticked with irritation, and his eyes were molten. He clearly didn’t like that our kiss had ended either.
“We have to get ready,” he rumbled, almost a growl of frustration. “We’re having dinner with Stefano.”
My lust soured, and I dropped my eyes so that I didn’t have to meet his hungry stare. I didn’t want him to read the reluctance in my own eyes.
I didn’t want to go to dinner with a cartel kingpin, just as I hadn’t wanted to go to Colombia.
But Massimo was still raw from his nightmare, and he’d just confessed so many dark secrets of his past. He’d been vulnerable with me, and I didn’t want to needle our newfound intimacy with prickly words.
I couldn’t leave this building; George and his Zetas friends might get to me. I could argue with Massimo about joining him for dinner, but I knew him well enough now to understand that he wouldn’t relent. He wouldn’t want me out of his sight after what’d happened this morning, when I’d almost been taken from him.
And truthfully, I didn’t want to be parted from him either. Not even for a few hours.
For the time being, I would go wherever Massimo went, even if that meant sharing a meal with the most dangerous drug lord in Mexico.
Chapter 5
Massimo
“It seems you had an eventful morning,” Stefano drawled as Evelyn and I took our seats at the massive dining table. His black eyes raked over my face, studying me with intensity that might’ve made a weaker man squirm. He noted the small cut on my brow. “But you got out mostly unscathed.”
“Yes,” Carmen added with a bright smile. “We’re so relieved that our friends are all right.” She placed her hand on his arm, a subtle restraint.
Duarte was pissed that our trip had been delayed, and he was probably also angry that Crawford wasn’t dead yet. His wife was attempting to smooth his harsher edges.
They made a formidable team.
Carmen’s gaze slid to Evelyn, and her overly bright smile softened into something more genuine. “How are you doing, Evelyn? I’m sure it must have been a difficult situation.”
My delicate little butterfly lifted her chin and laced her fingers through mine beneath the table, squeezing in a pulse of reassurance.
“I’m okay,” she said, the promise meant for me more than for our hostess. “Massimo protected me.”
Carmen nodded her approval. “You see? I told you our big Italian friend would keep you safe.”
I blinked at the women. Was that what they’d talked about at Duarte’s party last night? I’d worried that Carmen was trying to take Evelyn away from me, but it seemed the cartel queen might be on my side.
“I never doubted it,” Evelyn asserted. She squeezed my hand again, a silent promise of sincerity.
I brushed my thumb over her palm, marveling at the delicate beauty who’d captured my full attention. She feared the cartels, and she’d made it clear that she was uncomfortable around Duarte. But here she was, pledging her confidence in me for all to hear.
My chest swelled with pride, and my cock stiffened. If I didn’t have an obligation to stay for dinner, I would’ve thrown her over my shoulder and carried her away like the precious prize she was. I wanted to bury myself inside her and hear her scream my name as she clenched down on my dick.
“You’ll take the helicopter to the airport in the morning and then the private jet to Colombia,” Carmen continued, satisfied that Evelyn wasn’t traumatized by what’d happened with Los Zetas. “No one will ambush you on the road again, and Stefano will be traveling with you. I’m staying home this time.”