Page 682 of One More Kiss
“Gorgeous,” he repeats the word with a raspy chuckle, “And big boobs. Which means I have a big what exactly?” he teases.
“Head,” I counter, feeling my naivety mount.
His smile fades, taking the humor with it. “As for being my type, you have no idea what that is, sweet little liar.”
My glower glues to his handsome face. The idea of digging deeper into his mind is a luxury I’d love to have, if only to learn what he has planned for me.
“Let me guess,” I begin, foolishly deflecting his questions. “Tall, but not taller than you, so you can dominate her. Blonde hair and blue eyes to balance your darkness. Long lean legs… absolutely flawless.”
“Wrong,” he grinds out between gritted teeth. “This isn’t a speed date. I spared your life to find out who wants my father dead, not to share my dating profile. Do not assume you know anything about me,” his voice hisses, saturated with venom, stripping any friendliness to the bone.
Fear grips my heart, squeezing it tight in a vice created by his harshness.
“Her plan for me was purely sexual. A virginal gift, I assume. A young woman to sweeten up your father in her favor. There was never any talk of killing him. I wouldn’t do that, anyway. I’m not a savage like he is.”
“Perhaps you are, little liar. And you just don’t realize it.”
My brows snap together. “Why would you say that?” I gasp, shocked he'd suggest such an odd thing. “I don't belong in your violent world. I’d never murder a man in cold blood.”
The truck slows to a halt and Shane appears to the right of us. Through the window, I watch him unhook a metal gate, swinging it inwards before he salutes at Tomás to proceed.
“I saw that raw glimmer of fascination in your eyes when you studied Flavio's dead body. You didn’t cry or throw yourself at my feet to beg for your life. There wasn’t even the slightest bit of hesitation when I told you to clean up the mess. It was done efficiently, and, if I may pay you a rare compliment, it was completed to the highest standard. You understand violence more than you think.”
I fall deadly silent, the truth of his fierce judgment gripping the floundering ventricles of my heart.
“We’re here.” The tires roll over a rattling cattle guard, allowing access through a six-foot steel fence at either side. We leave a worn track and drive to the brow of a gradual slope leading to the earthy mouth of a jungle. Tomás pulls down hard on the wheel, turning the truck three hundred and sixty degrees so the hood faces the exit. “Let’s go.” He pulls up the handbrake, leaving the engine running. “Do as you're told. Understood? If I’m not happy with the outcome of your challenge, this will be the last time we see each other.”
“What do you mean?” I gulp, feeling icky and nauseous.
“Obedience and honesty. Those are my rules. Break them and you’ll pay with your life.”
I nod helplessly, my hands sweating and my head light. “Just so you know, Tomás Souza, I didn’t know your family existed until earlier today. You crashed into my life as much as I unwillingly dropped into yours. I have no reason to lie to you. You’ve seen more of me than anyone ever has.”
Tomás moves slightly, debating something. Terrible words or punishing force, both an option, yet neither occurs. Instead, I notice his wicked tongue sweeping the contour of his lips and the quiet breath he controls.
“Out here, I’m the man in charge. If there’s a threat, and that danger happens to be a striking woman like you, then I still won’t take any chances. My family comes first. Always. And traitors, they die… Unconditionally,” he says thickly, his gorgeous face contorts to rest in an ugly, heartless expression.
My mouth goes dry like I’ve ironically swallowed every grain of sand on the prettiest beach and now I’m choking on it. In a thrumming heartbeat, he exits the pickup truck, marches angrily in full view of the windshield, opens my door and offers me his large hand. The beautiful beast has manners.
Both knees go soft when I slot my hand into his and land on a blanket of leaves, my lightheaded sway magnified by his solid chest right there for support.
His fingers slowly curl around my palm as he towers over me, a skyscraper of red-blooded supremacy. Before I inhale, the delicate tingle of his touch brushes the thin scar above my lip. Air rushes into my lungs at the onset of his feather light exploration.
“So many secrets, little liar.” I look up into his eyes and find something unreal. It throws me for a second, but then it fades and he speaks again. “I’ll learn every single one of them.”
Shane wallops the truck's hood with two consecutive slaps, his timing perfect. “Ready when you are, Tommy,” he announces.
Tomás growls low and annoyed, the disturbance zapping our haywire connection. He can damn well see it smoldering under the surface as much as I can. And what’s more shameful than feeling such an illicit attraction, he senses my nerves.
He’s using the power of his authority to goad me. To make the process of weeding out answers easier. Except he doesn’t know me, or understand what I’m truly capable of.
I release a breath and round my shoulders, hitching my chin higher. “Some secrets are best left in the past where they belong.”
Long fingers secure the hair at my nape. His wicked mouth swoops to the side of my face, his hot breath an aphrodisiac. “We’ll see about that.” He tugs my head backward, only a fraction, but enough to expose the crazy vein throbbing in my throat. “I’ll be the judge of what stays hidden.”
For a single dark and dirty second, I think he’s going to kiss me. I wrongfully pray his lips would land on mine to occupy the hollowness within me. That this man’s poisonous mouth could give me a taste of the unexplored.
The therapist el Fantasma generously paid for had assured me the trauma of my past was entombed in my psyche. Apparently, I erect walls so high people can't get over them. Clearly, she didn’t expect a man of this caliber to lure me out of my shell.
