His hands curve the edge of my jaw, and he stares into my eyes as he painfully whispers, "Remember me."
The pain crippling my heart triples when his lips kiss away my tears. The sorrow in his eyes as he battles to clear away the evidence of my disappointment in him causes more tears to well in mine. These tears are sentimental ones, not anguished.
The reasoning behind my sudden change of heart becomes apparent when Rico drops his lips to the shell of my ear and mutters, “Remember, it's the darkness, Kitten, not me,” ever so quietly.
Just hearing the repentance in his voice tells me what he is saying is true. It doesn’t ease the sting my ego copped, nor soothe the ache tingling in the middle of my chest, but it silences the screaming protests of my brain telling me to run away from him before I lose all my scruples.
After his thumbs ensure his lips didn’t miss a tear, he pulls back and glances into my eyes. I return his benevolent stare in utter shock. I'm not surprised by his sudden shift in demeanor—he can switch from night to day in an instant—I’m surprised at myself. How is it possible I’ve gone from steaming with anger to riddled with guilt from just one glance into his dark and dangerous, yet innocent eyes?
“Trust me, Blaire. I was trying to protect you,” he says with his sorrow-filled eyes boring into mine. “If they discovered you were my weakness, they would have used it to their advantage, which would have put you in harm’s way. By them believing you were nothing more than a drunken mistake, I could have protected you better.” The darkness in his eyes deepens. “But it's too late now; our cards have been shown."
"They're your family, Rico; why would they want to hurt either of us?"
His eyes grow wider. “They’re not my family. This may be the life I was born into, but that does not make them my family.”
He runs the back of his hand down the side of my face, removing a rogue tear that spilled from his statement. My heart is pained, hating that Rico had to grow up in such an unloved environment. The children in my class are so young—they are only babies. Rico was younger than them when his mother died, leaving him no other choice than to be raised by a monster in a house of horrors.
“I couldn’t promise you a life of sunshine, Blaire, but I promised to always protect you.” He quotes part of the vows we recited to each other two weeks ago. "That was what I was trying to do today. I wanted to protect you."
I stare into his forthright eyes, seeking any untruth in them. I fail to find any.
My lips quiver when I begin to speak. “I understand, but just like you promised to protect me, I promised toalwaysbe your light in a life full of darkness. I can’t do that if you shut me out.”
The muscles in my cheeks twitch when he runs his thumbs over them. “I know, Kitten.” His tone is less distressed. “I’m not purposely trying to shut you out. There are just…aspectsof my life I can’t disclose to you.”
My brow arches. “Can’t or don’t want to?”
He takes his time configuring a response before he mutters, “Both.”
Not letting me reply, he presses his lips against mine and slides his tongue along the ridge of my gaped mouth. I stand muted for several seconds, knowing he is exploiting my sexual attraction to him, but unable to fight it. I’ll never be strong enough to deny his advances.
I’m not the only one helpless in this relationship, though. From the memories I’ve unearthed, and the past five days we’ve spent together, I know Rico is just as smitten as I am in this tumultuous relationship we’ve created. I’ve never used to believe in love at first sight, but truly, when you look deeply, we are surrounded by it every day. You fall instantly in love with a child when he is born; who's to say the same thing can't happen with a stranger? It may seem instant and extreme, but ultimately, it could be a long-lasting attraction that spans a lifetime. Should I ignore what could be the greatest love of my life just because it’s happening in the blink of an eye?
Giving in to my heart’s desire, I return Rico’s kiss with just as much passion as he's bestowing. I rake my fingers through his hair and stroke my tongue into his decadent mouth. His kiss sparks a carnal desire in me I’ve never felt before. A desire I’m willing to do anything to unleash. Heart, body, and soul.
My hands are all over him: stroking the girth growing in his trousers, running along the bumps of his six pack, and fiddling with the buttons of his shirt. Rico’s hands are just as adventurous. One of his hands cups my breast, squeezing it until they’re both aching with desire, while the other one places feathery touches to numerous erogenous zones in my body.
In no time at all, I'm panting, wet and more than eager. When my hands wander down to the belt of his trousers, Rico abruptly pulls away. I stare at him, wide-eyed and confused. It's only when I see a black cloud filter over his shimmering eyes do I realize why he has reacted so fiercely.
We’re not alone.
Vladimir is standing in the doorway of our room with his evil eyes fixed on me and a mean, unapproachable demeanor. A sick feeling twists into my stomach, like something awful is about to happen. It intensifies when Rico snatches my wrists and pulls me behind his big, protective body. He must also feel the change in the air. A callous smile carves onto Vladimir’s face as the evil gleam in his eyes brightens, thrilled he forced Rico to respond.
While Rico and Vladimir speak to each other in Russian, I send a prayer to God, praying that the consequences of my actions during brunch aren’t too severe. Rico only warned me hours ago about the inequality of women in this compound, and I went and stupidly struck him in front of the very man who sanctions the formidable rules.
Any hope I'm holding for a reduced penalty vanishes when Vladimir leaves the room, and Rico drops his dark gaze to me. His eyes are crammed with uncertainty, and his normal confidence is subdued.
"I need to go and sort some things out.”
Unable to speak for fear of sobbing, I shake my head and tighten my grip on his hand. My eyes plead with him, expressing all the things my mouth can't.
“I don’t have a choice,” he murmurs, his voice growing raspier.
Acting like he can’t smell the fear permeating from my pores, he loosens my grip on his hand and ambles to the walk-in closet. I hold my breath for several terrifying seconds when he emerges not even two seconds later with a suit bag in one hand and a semi-automatic pistol in the other. Fear consumes me, adding to the swirling of my stomach. Not trusting my legs to keep me upright, I sit on the edge of the bed and lower my eyes to the ground. I refuse to watch Rico’s evolution from day to night, especially since I'm the reason he's transitioning. I’ve told myself numerous times that Rico has a double-sided façade, so why did I foolishly forget about it during the most imperative moment?
Once he's dressed, he crouches down in front of me and lifts my downcast head. Fear holds me captive when I notice the darkness of his narrowed gaze. His eyes are as black as his tailored suit, and they relay his every intention. Bile swarms the back of my throat.Idid this. Icaused him to switch back to his cloak and dagger lifestyle.
“Lock the door behind me, Kitten, and don’t open it for anyone but Maya,” he commands, his low tone ensuring I understand this is not a request.
