I roll my eye at the dumb cliché statement. Although the trepidation within my skin does dull slightly.
“Seriously,” he continues. “I won’t hurt you. I make it a point not to hurt women. It’s a principle of mine.”
So he does have a moral code. How the hell did Bryan know that?
“You threatened to roll me in a barrel and dump in the ocean,” I remind him.
“Technically, if I did that, I wouldn’t be hurting you per se. You would drown, sure but who would be responsible? The ocean.”
My jaw threatens to unhinge as I stare at him unwilling to believe he provided that fucked up argument.
He grins and it makes his eyes grow a little lighter. They’re still darker than hot coals but I get a brief glimpse at something underneath it all. Something, I suddenly want to see again with everything in me.
“I’m joking. I would never hurt you, Liliana. I can assure you of that,” he says, the sincerity in his voice reaching beneath my chest.
For some reason, I believe him. He leans closer, his voice just above a whisper.
“Look, I really, really want to ruin you, Liliana. And I know you want me to.”
In high school, my mother used to always complain that I was obsessed with chasing after things that weren’t good for me. She wondered if there was something fundamental within me that constantly drew me to darkness.
I thought I’d outgrown that. That maturity had brought with it some clarity and dispelled that impulsive need.
But I guess I was wrong. I haven’t outgrown it at all. It had simply been lying in wait and now he’s awoken it within me.
I could walk away. Lock that impulse forever. But I’d regret it. I’d constantly wonder where the night would have taken me and what it would have felt like.
So I steel myself and suck in a huge breath.
And then I get into the devil’s car.
CHAPTER FOUR
RAFAELLE
The minute I heard her voice, I knew I’d hear it over and over again in my dreams. In my nightmares. Penetrating through the darkness and terror. Through the haziness and confusion.
I didn’t think voices could do that.
Sirens are meant to be beautiful enough to ensnare sailors to their death. Liliana is exactly the legend come to life.
Long, luscious dark hair, eyes like molten lava and lips that are all too entrancing. As soon as she walked towards me from that stage, in her pretty little dress, hips swaying and her tan skin practically glistening in the low light of the bar, I knew I’d have her. It was only a matter of when.
As Liliana slides into the car before me, lust crackles within me at the sight of the smooth curve of her ass. I have no idea how I’m maintaining a calm, patient exterior. Inwardly I’m a mess of crackled tension that I need to let out somehow.
Yesterday was a slow day and when I’d noticed this bar on the way home, I’d decided perhaps a drink or two might lift my spirits. What I hadn’t been expecting was the sound of her voice drifting through the door. As soon as I cracked it open, my eyesimmediately zeroed in on her. And for some reason I hadn’t been able to look away.
She’d faltered once as she sang. The words dying in her throat at my appearance. Which led me to believe I had a similar effect on her. But then she’d continued, looking away. The break in eye contact had been unacceptable, angering me slightly. The type of anger that has me fighting for control. But I’d counted a couple of breaths and found some reason. There was no denying the interest in her eyes. I just had to find a way to cultivate it.
And now I have her in my car.
I slide in beside her, ignoring the sharp intake of breath as I do so. With a short nod, the guard in the driver’s seat starts the car and then we’re off. My arm brushes hers. The small contact has the effect of electricity fizzling within the small space between us.
My jaw clenches.
I’m not sure Liliana has taken a full breath in seconds. I hide my amusement, turning to look at her.
Even her side profile is beautiful. Clear skin apart from a beauty mark on the top of her lips that I’ve been trying to stop myself from touching. She’s wearing minimal makeup, something on her lips, and false eyelashes. I take in every inch of her face, slightly fascinated.
