The deep timbre of his voice spurs goosebumps to prickle my forearms. He stares down at me as he did in my flashbacks, his hair falling into his chiseled face, his lips slightly parted, and his delicious scent filling every inch of my aching-with-desire core. He's breathtakingly beautiful, and thigh-shakingly dangerous at the same time.How is it possible for him to be two completely different people?
“Who are you?” I whisper before my brain can cite an objection.
The corners of his lips curl into a heart-fluttering smirk. “You already know. You just need to remember.”
He stares down at me with the same pair of eyes that stole my heart in less than a minute and demands, “Kiss me, Blaire.”
Ignoring the dangerous beat of my heart, I cup his jaw with my shaky hands and kiss him. For a man with a rough exterior, his kisses are nothing but gentle. I sigh and sink deeper into the mattress when he slides his tongue into my mouth in long, tempting strokes. He rocks his hips in a rhythm matching the pace of our kiss, allowing me to feel every inch of his stiffened shaft.
I weave my fingers through his hair and pull his head nearer to mine, not only deepening our kiss but strengthening our odd kinship. Rico growls at my assertiveness, then switches the intensity of our embrace, shifting it from soft and gentle to needy and urgent.
Just like every kiss we’ve shared, when he pulls away, I'm completely and utterly breathless. His eyes stole my heart in under a minute, but it's his kisses capturing my soul. I keep my fingers knitted through his hair, not willing to let go just yet. I’ve only just come to terms with the expeditious speed of our relationship, and I need a few more moments to bask in this beautiful surreality before I tiptoe back into the Amityville House of Horrors.
The reasoning behind his sudden withdrawal becomes clear when a loud knock bellows on our bedroom door. My bottom lip drops into a pout, disappointed my trip to Pleasantville didn’t last as long as I was hoping.
I won’t lie; when he rolls over—unpinning me from his heavenly warmth—my body screams in protest. But even though my every want, desire, and need was not fulfilled, one thing crystallized: I do know this man; I just need to remember him.
My heart continues swelling when Rico ensures I’m adequately covered before he paces to the door. I tuck the warm sheets under my chin when the door swings open, and I spot Erik, Rico's lawyer, standing on the other side. Erik is a handsome man, but just like Rico, I find his true intentions a little hard to read. Today, his facial expression looks both tort and passive.
After handing Rico a white sheet of paper, Erik shifts his gaze to me. I hesitantly smile. I'm sure I look like an utter wreck. I've always been an ugly crier, and I doubt even the brilliance of a mind-altering orgasm could hide the puffiness my eyes get after a good dose of crying.
My heartbeat kicks up a gear when the impenetrable mask Rico usually wears in front of his crew slips onto his face before my very eyes. My concern grows about his sudden shift in demeanor when the carefree glint his eyes were wearing mere minutes ago fades into the blackness of his dark and dangerous gaze. Just like the man I confronted in the gloomy room last week, the Rico standing in front of me has once again become a stranger.
After shaking hands with Erik, Rico closes the door and spins on his heels to face me. I freeze when I catch the quickest flare of emotion passing through his eyes as he paces back to bed. Like a man with two heads, his eyes are relaying two very contradicting emotions: tenderness and anger.
I throw off the sheets and crawl across the mattress when he sits on the edge and pats the bed beside him. Although I'm behaving like an obedient dog, it’s my desire to unravel the mystery standing before me that guides my decisions. It may make me seem submissive, but from the memories I’ve unearthed the past twenty-four hours, I know this hasn’t always been the case in our whirlwind relationship.
Remaining quiet, Rico passes the sheet of paper Erik handed him to me. After drifting my eyes between his effusive gaze, I drop them to the piece of paper. There are only six small words printed in plain black ink, but they still cause the greatest impact to my faltering heart: Timothy Jamison was arrested this morning.
I snap my eyes to Rico, searching his truth-bearing eyes for confirmation.“Someone slipped the local authorities the information I obtained on Timothy before the Popov crew couldattendto the matter. If the justice system prevails, I'll consider the matter closed.”
Blood surges into my heart as a smile stretches across my face.I knew there was more to this man than just darkness.
Rico runs the back of his fingers down my cheek, removing a sneaky tear tracking down there. “Don’t become complacent, Kitten; there's a long way to go before this is over. If I feel appropriate justice isn’t served, I'll have no other choice but to become re-involved in his case.”
"I understand," I reply with a concise nod of my head. "But that doesn't mean we can't celebrate the small victories. The victims' families will be so grateful you did this, Enrique. They will now have closure."
A spark of sentiment flickers through his eyes. “I didn’t do it for their families, Blaire. I did it for you. To prove I'm the man in your memories.”
I smile through my tears. “Thank you.”
Those two small words don’t seem enough to express the surge of emotions pumping through me, but they are all I have to offer, so they are all I can give.
My eyes lift from the trembling piece of paper in my hand to Rico when he says, “Now I need you to do me a favor, Kitten.”
I search his eyes, seeking an indication that he only did this for me for a favor in return. Failing to find any deceit in his eyes, I mutter. “Anything.”
“I need you to call off your friend before she stumbles into a lifestyle she doesn’t belong in.”
Chapter 19
Istare at Rico, utterly dumbfounded.
My lungs lose the ability to fill with air when he continues, “Lacey isn’t taking the news of your departure from Ravenshoe well. She's creating ripples. Ripples my family will soon discover. If you want your friend to stay safe, you need to force her to back away from her inquiries.”
Bile twists its way from my stomach to my throat. But even feeling sick, I nod, agreeing with his terms. Lacey is my best friend, so I’ll do everything in my power to protect her. I failed once before protecting Katie. I'll not let it happen again.
Pretending there aren't tears sloshing down my cheeks, I lock my eyes with Rico. "What do you need me to do?"
