“Lo siento. No hablo Español,” I said with a sheepish smile.
“I’ve been thinking about you,” he murmured, the accent of his voice in English somehow just as attractive as when he’d spoken Spanish. I bit my bottom lip as he stepped closer, reaching down to take my hand in his. He ran calloused fingers over my palm, staring down at it as if he needed to memorize all the lines.
“That’s very sweet,” I said with an uncomfortable laugh. “Is it normal to be so forward in Ibiza?” I asked, pulling my hand back from his grip. He released it reluctantly.
“Yes,” Hugo laughed, inserting himself into the conversation and giving a warning look to the stranger who seemed intent on invading my space. “Spanish men are not known for subtlety.”
“Have some more liquid courage,” Chloe urged me, slipping my wine into my hand. I brought it to my lips, already feeling the effects. The stranger moved next to me, tapping his fingers on the bar once before the bartender raced to serve him. Chloe elbowed me in the side, making wide eyes at the service he commanded.
“Un chupito de whisky,” he said, watching as his drink was poured. He left it on the bar, turning his attention back to me and staring down at me.
Unnerving me with every second that passed.
“What are you so afraid of, mi princesa?” he asked, his eyes gleaming as his lips tipped up into a brilliant smile.
I huffed a quiet laugh, my own lips forming a hesitant smile to match his as an odd moment of intimacy passed between us. With his multicolored gaze bearing down on my own, it was impossible to deny that it felt like he saw me. That he saw everything that longed to break free from my carefully crafted persona of obedience and responsibility. “You,” I whispered. The admission echoed between us as my friends stilled at my side.
He tilted his head, something dark passing behind his eyes. Reaching down to take my hand in his, he tugged me away from the bar and toward the area where other people danced. "Baila conmigo a la luz de la luna," he said, his deep voice raising the hair on my arms as those sinful lips formed Spanish words so smoothly I nearly melted into a puddle at his feet.
"I don't understand," I said with an awkward smile, shaking my head as Chloe inserted herself and pried my wine glass from my hand while he guided me away.
My friends were traitors.
"Dance with me in the moonlight," he translated, pulling harder until I stumbled into his arms.
"I don't know how to dance like this," I admitted, glancing to the side at the women who rolled their hips and bodies to the smooth Spanish beat that pulsed through the air.
"I'll teach you, mi princesa," he said, dropping his voice low. His hands touched the back of my shoulders, giving me a little shake as he smiled. Rough fingertips trailed over the bare skin of my back to either side of my spine as his eyes held mine. I leaned into the touch, craving more despite myself, and he used the increase in the distance between us to move them to my hips. The pressure of his fingers guided them to the music, moving them in ways I'd have never considered possible.
My hands dug into his shoulders, clinging to him in the belief that I would fall on my face if not for his support. With a glance around, I worried what I must look like with him guiding me through the motions of dancing in a way the others did without hesitation. A few people around the space watched us in shock, only worsening the insecurity I felt. When I turned back to him, he touched his forehead to mine again. "Only me and the music," he whispered, winding my hips in a roll from side to side.
I moved as he guided, until the pressure of his fingers faded and I dared to try to move on my own. I might have looked like a monstrosity for all I knew, but he never let me feel it. Not with his skin beneath my hands, his eyes on mine, and his touch burning through me.
There was only him.
We continued to dance for a few songs, my body growing more comfortable with every song that passed, until sweat dripped down the back of my neck beneath the curtain of my hair. Tucking a strand behind my ear, he pulled away and drew me to the edge of the patio. Stairs at the edge led down to the beach, and I hesitated at the top.
Heels, even wedges, were new to me. Wearing them in sand didn't seem like a promising thought. I followed him down the steps anyway, pausing at the bottom to bend down and take them off so I didn't break my neck. He grinned, shaking his head before I could get the straps undone. He grabbed me around my thighs and lifted me off my feet to walk me to one of the daybeds set up in the sand. Squealing with nervous laughter, I stared down at him as he set me down gently.
"You're trouble," I teased, shaking my head at him.
He smiled that double edged sword of his as his face took on a dark glow that called to the worst parts of me. "Princesa, you have no idea."
My mother's warnings rang in my ears as I contemplated what she would have to say about the mystery man consuming my thoughts and tempting me to be reckless. "Does trouble have a name?"
"Rafe. What is mi princesa's name?" he asked, the smooth notes of his voice pulling me to smile.
"Will you call me it if I tell you?" I teased, laughing when he leaned in and touched a hand to my face.
"Would you want me to?" he returned quickly.
I bit my lip, shaking my head. I contemplated giving a fake name, anything to make it easier to walk away and never see him again when all this ended. "Isa," I said instead.
"Isa," he murmured, leaning in to run his nose up the side of mine. His lips touched mine briefly while he held my eyes, nothing but a delicate brush of his soft flesh on mine. "Eres mia."
He touched his mouth to mine again, more firmly, his mouth tormenting me with a delicate tease that I couldn’t get enough of. I wasn’t even aware of moving closer. Of leaning into the touch and needing more, until he curled a hand beneath the curtain of my hair and held me still as he teased the seam of my lips with his tongue.
All my defenses dropped with just the feeling of his mouth on mine, his tongue inside me sparking me to life as I sucked back a ragged breath that felt like my first true one since the accident.
I was lost.
6
Rafael
She shivered in my arms, her lungs expanding with air as she drew me deeper into her. There was a moment of satisfaction, of knowing that the wait had been worth it.
That she was worth every second.
Her tongue met mine hesitantly, her hand touching the side of my neck as she pressed her lips to mine more fully. I kissed her slowly, cautiously testing the boundaries of what she may have been comfortable with. My innocent Isa faded, spurred on by my touch as she curved her body into mine as the sense of rightness filled her.
She was mine, and I was hers. Inexperienced or not, her body wouldn't allow her to hesitate in the melding of our souls. I pulled her even closer, my fingers tangling in the hair at the back of her head in my urgency to feel her. Shifting her to her back, I rolled her beneath me and leaned over her as I pulled my lips away from hers just enough to sink my teeth into her bottom lip.
The gasp she gave me resonated through me, a recognition of everything I couldn't possibly know. Isa may have been innocent, but that didn't mean her desires had to be. I kissed her for real the next time, a deep conquering of her lips that spoke to all the impatience in my body. She moaned in response, lifting to meet me halfway as I bruised her lips in my determination to possess her. Gliding my hand from around the back of her neck, my fingers softened as they trailed delicately to the front of her throat. A single line from her chin and down the soft skin until my fingers touched her sternum.
Her lungs heaved in response to me, goosebumps rising on her skin as my touch trailed over her shoulders and down to take one of her hands in each of mine.
Lacing my fingers with hers, I guided her hands away from my body and pressed them to the daybed beneath us. Her face turned shocked for a moment as I raised our hands up the bed to rest beside her head, and gave her more of my weight. Trapping her beneath me, knowing that for just
that moment there was nowhere she could go, unleashed a bit of the monster within me as I smirked down at her with all the ferocity in me.
She tested the bonds of my grip on hers, pushing up while I leaned further into her. There was a moment of fear in her eyes that bled to excitement as I watched. Knowing that, beneath the obedient exterior, my princesa had a deviant side only showed me just how perfect she was for me.
My grip tightened on hers, lacing our fingers together as I watched her process what she wanted and try to reconcile it with who she believed herself to be. The darkness inside her called to me, and I wondered if she saw the nightmare staring down at her.
There was no doubt that was what I was, but I was her nightmare.
Whether she wanted me or not.
"Quiero ser tu dueño," I whispered, touching the tip of my nose to hers. Her back arched, pushing her breasts to my chest before she lifted her neck slightly to capture my lips with hers. The young woman I'd watched in Chicago never would have allowed herself to be in such a compromising position with other people around. She'd never want to risk people seeing her devoured by a stranger.
But my poor Isa was so lost to our bond and the inexplicable connection between us that those people ceased to exist. I didn't have such luxuries, given I had to force myself to control my impulses.
This wasn't one night with a stranger, but the start of our lives together.
I chuckled, touching my lips to her cheek. Her head rolled to the side, her body moving underneath me as I whispered against her skin. "Pasa la noche conmigo."
"I don't understand," she said with an uneasy laugh as I pulled away to grin at her. She knew damn well what I’d said, her body going tight suddenly as she considered the words and tried to buy time before she had to make her choice. But my Isa could talk herself out of winning the lottery if given the chance, and I'd never allow such a thing.
"Spend the night with me," I answered anyway, taking away the time she'd stalled for.
"I don't think that's such a good idea," she whispered, her head shaking lightly as she frowned and her demons crept back into her gaze. I touched my lips to hers once more, trailing down to her throat to nip the flesh there while she gasped.
"Trust me, mi princesa. It is a very good idea," I murmured, watching as she bit her own lip hard enough to draw blood in her confusion. "Let me show you what it is to burn."
She swallowed, determination settling in her eyes when she finally nodded her agreement.
"Okay," she whispered. I stood from her slowly, holding out a hand to help her to the edge of the daybed. She hesitated briefly, reconsidering as her eyes met mine and she sucked back deep breaths.
The moment she placed her smaller hand in mine willingly, she sealed whatever question had remained as to her fate.
I would never let her go.
I lifted her off the daybed, her body pliant in my arms as she gave me everything I needed to know there'd been no mistake.
Somehow, from across the street when she'd been a girl, I'd known the woman she'd grow to be would become my obsession. I wanted to devour her body, to know every inch of her physically, as I did about her life. Then I wanted to pry inside her head, to understand how she had come to be so guarded.
She stared down at me, nerves creeping back into her expression when I set her on the step to go back to the pool area. Touching my palm to the small of her back, I guided her up the steps and kept my hand on her as I hurried her through the party. Hugo and her friend danced with strangers, their eyes landing on us as we emerged from the beach.
I nodded to Hugo as Chloe gave Isa wide eyes. She mouthed something to her, a check in to ensure her friend was an entirely willing participant in going to bed with me. Isa swallowed at my side but nodded her head with a shy smile as her cheeks pinked when she looked up at me.
I turned my stare down to her, kissing her temple as we entered the lobby and made our way to the elevator that would take us to the Penthouse. Ten days to convince Isa to abandon everything she knew. Ten days to bring her to life and show her everything she never knew she needed.
I had to hope it would be enough. We stepped into the elevator as Isa looked around her surroundings, her nerves increasing as I pressed the button for the penthouse. She turned her eyes up to mine, nibbling at the corner of her mouth as her doubts crept back in. Curling her into me, I tipped her head up and licked the seam of her mouth until she parted for me and invited me inside.
I'd spend the entire time inside her if it kept her from over-analyzing our contrasting financial lives. They would be the least of her concerns.
She melted into me, her body like liquid in my arms as she let me maneuver her until her back touched the rear wall of the elevator. Firm strokes of my tongue against hers, and I took everything she gave. When the elevator doors opened, I pulled away so suddenly that she swayed with the loss of my touch and let me take her hand to guide her to the penthouse doors. I shoved them open as quickly as I could, dropping my keycard on the entryway table and guiding her through the living room of my suite to the master bedroom. The room glowed with the soft light of the moon filtering in through the massive sliding glass doors that offered stunning views of the ocean. I hated to leave her, but had to in order to rinse the sand from my feet in the bathroom. Her eyes lit as she walked over to the doors, watching the waves crash against the barely illuminated sand as she slid one of the doors open and stepped onto the private balcony.
I followed when I was able, stepping up behind her and pulling her chocolate hair over one of her shoulders to give me access to her neck. Trailing my lips over her skin and trailing them down to her shoulder, I bit the flesh there while she sucked in a breath. As soon as my teeth released her, she spun to me suddenly with her lips pursed in indecision. "If we're going to do this, then there's something you should know."
I touched the rope that held together the sides of her dress, slowly untying the knot as my hands brushed against her breasts with every movement. "What's that, mi princesa?"
"I've never..." She paused, swallowing as the tie released finally and the sides of fabric loosened to show more of her bikini-clad breasts. I touched the gauzy fabric on her shoulders, sliding it out on either side until it was only a second from slipping off her body. "I'm a virgin," she blurted, her eyes disappointed as she waited for the rejection she thought might come.
If she'd been anyone else, I wouldn't have had any interest in going further, so I couldn't say the fear was unwarranted. But with Isa, her virginity was far less complicated.
It meant I didn't need to hunt new victims and murder the men who'd touched what was mine.
With a secret smile, I brushed the fabric off her shoulders despite her words. The dress slipped from her body, gliding down her smooth skin like liquid torment. It puddled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but an emerald green string bikini that hugged her curves tightly. The color brought out her eyes, and there could be no denying that she'd somehow chosen to wear my favorite color. It shone in the moonlight against her fawn-like skin as I touched the first of her freckles on her chest.
I'd count them when she slept, just as I'd counted the freckles on her face when I stared at her photo over the past sixteen months.
Stepping out of her shoes, she dropped her hands to the waistband of my swim trunks and the laces that confined me, but I leaned forward and snagged her lip with my teeth. As much as Isa may put on a brave face, and as much as I needed the release after the necessity of my celibacy while I waited for her, Isa needed to know what pleasure was.
To lose her virginity to me was not a kindness, and I'd need to work to make it less painful for her. Taking her hands in mine, I placed them on my chest. They brushed the raised flesh of my marks. The seven tallies tingled under her fingers, unsurprising, given I'd never been able to tolerate being touched there in the past. As I walked backwards into the master bedroom and encouraged her to follow me with a firm grip on her waist, her gaze wandered to the marks b
eneath her hands.
"What are these?" she asked as I sat her on the edge of the bed next to me.
"Penitencia," I replied. "Penance. It is a family thing."
"Does it hurt?" she asked, leaning forward to brush her innocent mouth against the scars. The void inside me swelled, threatening to explode with the knowledge that she would offer such a touch so innocently. Isa didn't do physical affection easily, and the care in the movement seemed to shock even her as she pulled back.
"Not anymore," I murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and kissing her mouth.
I freed her from the confines of her cage, preparing to show her all the places she was too afraid to go on her own. As I laid her out beneath me, leaning over her and entwining my tongue with hers in a dance designed to drive her mad with lust, I slid a hand beneath her neck and untied the knot for her bikini. The one at her spine came next, and finally the flimsy fabric entrapping her breasts and hiding my woman from me came loose. I slid it off her slowly, baring her breasts to my view for the first time. I took my weight off her, letting her settle herself in the center of the bed and get comfortable.
Isa's nerves betrayed her as she squirmed when my eyes strayed down to take her in. Her body was an hourglass, soft and ripe for the taking. My rough hands looked so filthy against her smooth and lightly freckled skin. There wasn't a tan line in sight, and I loved knowing that she was entirely unmarked when she came to me.
It would mean that every tan line, every mark, every stain on her skin came from me.
I took one of her breasts in my hand, rubbing my thumb over the peak as she stared up at me. With nothing more than the thin scrap of material between her thighs to shield her from my view, I moved slowly out of fear that I would rush her.
That I'd take her too quickly in my urgency to possess her.
Until Tomorrow Comes: A Dark Mafia Romance (Beauty in Lies Book 1) Page 9
