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He balls his fists, which makes me stop speaking entirely. I’m terrified again, thinking back to when he pressed the gun against Anabel’s head. He could snap at any moment.
The tension lingers… until he loosens his fists.
“I thought about what you said to me. That you’re an intermission.”
My eyes flick to his, where I see a whirlwind of pain behind them.
“I wonder whether that’s true, or whether a soul as fractured as mine can have a new beginning.”
I’m unintentionally holding my breath. His words are poetic… sadly so.
“I don’t know the answer, Sia. But I do know one thing, you are not her. You’re something different stepping into my life.” He puts his hand on my shirt, where he expects my scar to be. “Show me your pain.”
I clam up and shake my head.
“No one can hurt you anymore,” he says.
Yes, but I can still hurt you.
“I can’t, Leandro.” My arms cross my belly. I just wanted to have sex with my hot captor, I don’t want to start falling for him…
He respects my privacy by getting off the bed and lumbering back toward his rifle. Why is he letting me in, and why am I pulling back? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
“Why don’t you go take a stroll,” he says, and I’m not sure I heard him right.
“Excuse me?”
He motions to the door. “Take a walk. Gather yourself. It’s not often you get to be alone in your thoughts. And… for the record, I didn’t mean to pry. Perhaps this closeness we feel is only sexual, and I’m overreaching for more.”
There’s no drama in his voice. Everything is a direct rumbling that confuses the shit out of me. It’s like he has no filter. Or better yet, he doesn’t know how to hold back his thoughts. Each one is like a brick hurled at my head.
“Go ahead. There are no working cameras that could identify you, and if you call the cops, there will be more blood on your hands than you’d know what to do with. So do yourself a favor, get a snack.”
“Is it me who needs the alone time, or you, Leandro?” I push myself off the bed and pace up to him. His skin is tempting. I run my finger down his black-inked sleeve, and squeeze his forearm gingerly. “I’m not rejecting you,” I say, taking his hand and putting it on my belly. “I’m just embarrassed of what I am.”
“And what’s that?”
“A fool.” I kiss his cheek and walk slowly toward my pants sprawled over the floor. I was in such a stint of heat I barely remember them coming off.
I peer back at Leandro – God he’s gorgeous. The way he looks at me with a slightly tilted head, the scar on his eyebrow speaking to danger, his deep hazel eyes boring into me. Mph.
It’s odd that he’s letting me leave. Another test?
Or is he actually just being a decent person right now?
I grab the room key, throw on my sweater, and slip into my flats before heading to the door. “You sure you’re okay with this?”
He nods while peering through the scope.
I open the door slightly to squeeze out, and let it shut behind me. As soon as I hear the click, a giddy tingle runs up my back. Freedom. I can go down to the lobby and have a cup of coffee. What if I slipped someone a note? Did he think of that?
I swallow past a lump in my throat. He’d kill the others and make me watch. He’s more dangerous than them – the cops. I bite my inner cheek. Instead of trying to break free, I decide to enjoy a harmless stroll to the shop in the lobby.
The stairwell is empty on the way down from the fourth floor. I think of my room number before I forget – 428 – while running my hand across the fraying wallpaper on the way down. A smile forms on my face as I recall our hot passionate stint. Being away from him makes me realize I want it again, so bad.
Why not—
“Ah.” A hand claps over my mouth and I flail, until I see Arnold holding a finger over his lips.
