The minutes tick by, and I have no idea how long I’ve been down here alone. It’s felt both interminable and far too quick when I hear the door open, then see him step through. If he’s going to end this, then I’m in no rush. But if he’ll listen to my explanation, then I want to be able to tell him my reasoning.
He’s still not speaking to me as he cuts the bindings from my wrists and ankles. He helps me to my feet. I don’t open my mouth, but he still shoots me a warning glare that keeps me silent. As we head outside, I realize there aren’t any bodies in the house or in the yard like there were earlier. I look around, but I don’t spot Elle anywhere. I don’t know if she’s upstairs or if she already left. I do wonder what they did with Drew. I watched her take out Timmy just as I came upstairs. So much for him beinga rising star. He didn’t make it through the first ten minutes of this mission.
We continue in silence as Javi takes me to his car. I wonder where we’re headed. I figure it must be back to Enrique and Elle’s house, which is only five minutes away without any detours or high-speed chases. I get in the car after he opens the door for me. His silence is nerve-wracking, and I want to demand he stop sulking and speak to me. But if he’s not talking, then he’s not breaking up with me.
I dart glances at him from the corner of my eye, and I can tell he’s far calmer than he was earlier. I don’t know if he’s remaining quiet because he doesn’t trust himself to speak, or if the silent treatment is part of my punishment. It’s not so much him refusing to give me attention but knowing my imagination must be running wild.
It surprises me when we go past the turn for Enrique and Elle’s neighborhood and get on the road to head back into Manhattan. We must be headed to his place. It’s a solid forty-five minutes of silence. Once I know for certain he isn’t going to talk to me, I rest back in my seat with my eyes closed as I let him drive us into the city.
We pull into his underground parking garage, and I look over at him. I assume even though he’s pissed at me, the same rules apply. I don’t get out of the car until he comes around to let me out. We enter the elevator with another couple. He maneuvers us so our backs are against the rear wall. He’s positioned to step in front of me and shield me if needed. I don’t think he’s doing that purely out of a romantic sentiment for me. He would do that regardless for any woman.
His fingers brush against mine. I don’t pull away, but I expect him to. Instead, his hand slips into mine, and he entwines our fingers. We ride up to the other couple’s floor in silence. They must not know who he is because we stop at a floor we’re notgetting off at. He had to hit something on the panel, but now he enters his biometric pass code.
We continue up to the penthouse. The moment we’re in his place, he doesn’t quite slam his door, but it certainly doesn’t close quietly. He grabs my upper right arm and yanks me back against him. He spins me until he can box me in against the door. Then his mouth is on mine.
His kiss is demanding.
It’s overwhelming.
It fills every bit of my senses.
The way our noses press against each other, there’s no finesse to this. I can barely breathe, but it continues on without any mercy. His hands roam over me touching as much of me as he can. His right hand yanks at the waistband of my pants. His hand drops beneath the material, and he thrusts his fingers into my pussy. His other hand goes up my shirt and yanks down my bra. He pinches my nipples hard enough to make me whimper.
He doesn’t ease up even though he knows how much it hurts. He won’t harm me. He would never harm me, but he definitely commands me. He doesn’t stop me from running my hands over him as well. I want to touch every bit of him that I can. I have no idea what he was doing while I was locked in the basement. I assume organizing his men to clean up the mess left behind.
I know his fingers are toying with me. He has no intention of letting me come, but it still makes me whimper again. When he pulls them free, I clutch his shirt, hoping I can keep him near me, but he steps back. He still isn’t talking when he leads me to the sofa. I squeak as he pulls me onto his lap.
I’m unprepared for the tender kisses he places across my cheeks and the tip of my nose. I remain quiet, letting him take the lead because I can tell he’s still sorting through his thoughts. I won’t rush him.
“Chiquita, I’ve been in a lot of situations over the course of my life that have terrified me. Times when I thought my mom would die. Times when I thought my brothers would die. My cousins, my uncles, and definitely times when I thought I was going to die. There has only been one other moment in my life that was worse than seeing you run toward Drew, knowing he was more likely to kill you than you were to succeed. It was the moment I watched a man murder my father.”
That’s more than just a gut punch. It steals my breath. I knew someone killed his father while they still lived in Bogotá. I had no idea he witnessed it. He must have been pretty young when it happened. Tears fill my eyes as I watch him. I can only imagine the pain he must have felt that day, so to think I caused him even a fraction of that is horrifying. But to know he ranks what I did up there with that experience crushes me. My lip trembles as the tears stream down my cheeks. That’s not something I would ever want. I never meant to put him in a position where he would feel that way again.
“Maddy, I’m certain you have your reasons for what you did, and I’ve had to remind myself repeatedly that you’ve been in other dangerous situations. Hell, you were nearly killed today, more than once. But this felt completely different because you ran toward the danger rather than away. I’ll listen to your explanation. I doubt you’ll lie, so I’ll believe it. But I can guarantee I won’t agree with it, and I promise you I won’t ignore the only consequences that can come from this.”
I suck in a whistling breath as I freeze. My ears ring, and I don’t feel like I can exhale or draw another breath. My chest feels like an elephant sat on it. I grasp his shirt and hold on as though I’m a helium balloon about to drift away.
“Maddy. Maddy.”
I hear Javi call my name, but it feels like we’re not even in the same room. His hands are on my shoulders as he gives me a little shake.
“Maddy, I’m not breaking up with you.”
The words permeate the fog. He knew exactly what I most feared.
“Chiquita, I will punish you, but I’m not leaving you. I told you before I’m in this for good and that there are plenty of storms we’ll have to weather together. I’m still upset with you, and I’m angry, but I’m no longer furious. But even if I were, that’s still not enough to make me leave you. Neither of us is always going to agree with each other’s decisions, but you told me you wanted domestic discipline, and I agreed to it. I warned you that endangering yourself was the surest way to wind up with a punishment. I can’t think of a more dangerous set of choices than what you made today, so it’s inevitable I will punish you.”
“I—I—” I struggle to catch my breath and form the words to match my thoughts. “I figured you’d punish me, but I wasn’t certain you’d stay with me.”
“Maddy, I’ve been in love with you in one way or another since we were teens. If it didn’t go away in all the time we’ve been apart, then it won’t go away in the course of two hours.”
“Yeah, but that was before I did what I did today.”
“True, but I know you’ve been in other dangerous situations. I told you that. That wasn’t enough to push me away. Neither is this, but it’s something I can’t and won’t overlook.”
The best I can do is nod.
“We’re going to go in the guest bedroom. You will strip, and we’ll start with a spanking and go from there.”
