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The question slipped out before I could stop it, halting the playful mood between us. But I’d been so curious about the type of relationship they had. Did Zan love his father? Was he scared of him? Did Amaros look at his sons like family or like soldiers? I needed to know.
Rain started coming down hard, but neither of us moved, even as water began to seep through our clothes.
“I’m not scared of my father,” he finally responded, a hard edge to his voice. “But I know him and how he works.”
“What does that mean?”
Water dripped from his hair, running down his face. But his gaze didn’t leave mine as he scooted closer.
“I’m not scared of him,” he repeated, trailing his fingers down my cheek. “But I do fear what he can do to you. That’s why I have every intention to keep you far away from him.”
Ice crawled through my veins, and a lump grew in my throat. “How strong is he?”
“Stronger than me,” he forced out through clenched teeth. “He’s old, Kali. Powerful. And no matter how much you hate him, he’s still my father.”
“Does that mean you’d be angry if I tried to kill him again?”
He chuckled, dropping his hand from my face. “You’d be just as unsuccessful if you tried again to put a stake in his chest.”
“That’s not what I asked.” I wiped the water from my face. “Would you be mad at me if I tried?”
“You won’t have the chance to try again.” He grabbed my arm before standing up and pulling me to my feet. “I don’t want you seeing him.”
I brushed the wet sand off the back of my pants. “And you think that if I’m stuck here, he won’t see me again? Even I know that’s not true.”
I turned toward the stairs, but before I could move, Zan snagged my wrist. A jolt of heat hit me from his touch, and I instantly tried to pull out of his grasp. But he only tugged me closer until my chest hit his. Shock flared as I lifted my chin to stare at him. He hadn’t touched me like this in a couple of weeks.
The rain was coming down in sheets, and thunder cracked in the distance. But Zan clearly didn’t care that we were both soaked to the bone as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
“We’ve spent the last few weeks trading questions.” His arm stayed locked around me. “You don’t get to run away before I’ve asked mine.”
My heart pounded. “Then ask.”
“I think you’re scared of me.”
I scowled, my eyes growing cold. “That wasn’t a question. And I’m not scared of you, Zan. I thought that was obvious by now.”
His wicked smirk grew as he dropped his head until his lips were an inch from mine. My eyes tracked the water dripping off them until he reclaimed my attention again when he spoke.
“I think you’re scared of me because you can’t keep fighting how you feel,” he murmured.
My pulse thudded like crazy. “I know exactly how I feel.”
“Really?” This time he leaned forward until his lips brushed mine. “I think you’re lying. I think that every time I touch you, there’s a part of you that doesn’t want to keep up the ruse.”
“What ruse?” I choked out, his words barely registering when his wet lips brushed my jaw.
“Acting like you don’t want me doing this. Touching you. Pleasuring you.” He pulled back so he could meet my eyes. “You can’t lie to me about it. You already told me that one of the things that makes you happy is my tongue between your legs.”
It took everything to keep my face neutral as I stared at him. “I won’t have sex with you. I can’t. Not after what I learned.”
His eyes darkened. “You think I’d really try to get you pregnant?”
The anger was unmistakable in his voice, and I swallowed thickly. “I didn’t say that. I just…can’t. It would be all I think about. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it.”
This time he let me go when I pulled away from him. I ran my hands down my face, the rain making it hard to see. My body was ice cold, and a shiver ripped through me as I climbed up the steps to leave the beach.
I reached the top of the stairs, only for Zan to cut in front of me, blocking me from going any farther.
