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Why did I walk away from her? I could have tried a different approach. I should have tried a different approach because now she owes me nothing but her hatred.
We are sitting on a black boat with the engine cut, just off Madeira Island and pray the searchlights don’t pick us up.
Apollo says roughly, “When do we move?”
I glance at my watch. “Thirty minutes.”
“Fuck!” He runs his fingers through his hair, which he always does when he’s antsy and then he says roughly, “What’s the story with Melissa?”
“Who said there was one?”
He turns and growls, “Cut the crap, Adonis and admit you like her. The world won’t explode if you confess you’re human, like the rest of us.”
I say nothing and he says harshly, “Why haven’t you asked me about my involvement with her?”
“I have.”
He stands and gets in my face. “About how I rejected her when she was on her knees, about to receive my cock down her throat. How I pushed her away as if I wasn’t interested and made her dress and go home as if she wasn’t good enough.”
My blood is boiling. I recognize the signs, and he laughs softly. “I could have had her anytime I wanted to, but I didn’t because I know when to walk away. She is a lady, not a whore, and apparently you disagree with that.”
I shove him hard and the boat rocks as I growl, “Don’t you lecture me about chivalry, Apollo. You’ve fucked more women than me since Phoebe was taken. If you loved her enough, you wouldn’t have touched one of them, let alone the hundreds who had the misfortune to fall on your dick.”
He pushes me back and says tightly, “I didn’t lead them on and promise them something I couldn’t deliver. I didn’t do it twice and certainly never brought them to my home to seduce them and then leave.”
To his surprise, I sit on the seat on the boat and place my head in my hands.
“I walked away because she wanted to come here.”
Apollo crouches before me and holds onto my hands, pulling them from my face and hisses, “Admit you like her and hold strong feelings for the girl. It doesn’t make you weak. If anything, it makes you stronger.”
“And break when some bastard rapes and then murders her and never recover because I wasn’t there to protect her. How can I live with the pain that love brings as excess baggage? It’s better not to love at all than to lose it because of who I am and the life I lead.”
“Fuck, Adonis, stop blaming yourself for this shit. Don’t you think dad asks himself every day if he would have done things differently? Me too. We went to work! Millions of other people do that every day, and some don’t make it home. A car wreck, a victim of a freak accident, or murdered by some psycho off his head on crack cocaine. We all live with death knocking on our door with no control of when it opens. Would you prefer to live with no memory of mum?”
His words hit home as his voice breaks. “My memories are the only things that get me through the day. To give me the strength to keep searching because I understand how worth it love is. I will never stop searching for Phoebe and you owe it to yourself to give your heart a break sometimes because you are denying yourself living.”
I accept he is right, but I’m a stubborn bastard who can’t see beyond the pain and I inhale sharply and peer at the island looming out of the sea.
“Both our fates lie on there tonight, brother. It’s up to us to make sure our hearts aren’t broken.”
“And Melissa?” He raises his eyes and then says softly, “For your information, I was attracted to her. Of course I was, but there was something holding me back. I knew she wasn’t for me, but when I saw the way you looked at her, I understood why fate delivered her to our door. She is the one, Adonis. The other half of your soul and you already know that. Don’t let her down and be there for her. This is something she must do for her own reasons, not yours. Don’t punish her for her freedom of choice. Celebrate it because it’s what makes her the woman you fell in love with.”
He stops and glances at his watch and sighs. “Fifteen more minutes. I fucking hope Mikhail is as good as they say he is because we handed him both our hearts and from what I’ve heard, he hasn’t got one of his own.
We sit in silence for the remainder of the time, and there is a lot to think about. I know Apollo’s right. I do feel more for Melissa than anyone I’ve ever met, and it hit me the moment I saw her. Love, or lust at first sight. I’ve dealt with the lust several times, but it’s still there. The infatuation I can’t seem to shake and the thought of her alone on that island with a monster in pursuit has me sharpening my own claws and baring my teeth. She is about to learn that this life doesn’t give a fuck about who your family is, or how much money you bank. It’s all about sin and how far you can fall.
The clock moves to the allotted time, and I note the text flash up on the screen.
Showtime.
CHAPTER 54
MELISSA
This is the most surreal experience of my life. If anything, I feel like a princess.
I have never felt so desirable. The makeover, courtesy of Katerina, has transported me to billionaire’s row and I am a walking heist due to the amount of gold I’m wearing.
