Page 1 of Carnal

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Mia

Mia? Did he just call me Mia?

Oh, fuck.

I trembled but remained speechless in Grant’s grasp. His fingers tightened around my jaw, bringing the realization that I was naked and in bed with a very angry SEAL who knew how to kill me three hundred different ways into sharp clarity.

He finally released me, and I let out a gasp. His brow scrunched, his face flushed red, and a vein bulged in his neck. The look on his face was pure disgust.

What the hell was I going to do now?

“Say something, dammit. And don’t you fucking lie to me again.”

I bit my lip. “How did you know?”

His eyes bugged out. “How did I know? That’s all you ask me? You’re fucking unbelievable. How about ‘I’m sorry I lied to you, Grant. I’m sorry I’ve been fucking with your mind. I’m sorry that you fell in love with a psychopath.’”

Yup. I was dead. Like actually dead. No one would ever find my body, and technically, I didn’t exist. Mia Cruz had vanished, and he could erase Ksenya Pavlova in an instant. I had to do something, and the only weapon I had was my body.

I attempted to touch him, but he shoved my hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch me, Mia.” Hearing him openly call me Mia was jarring. “Listen, I’m only going to say this once. You’re going to start answering my questions now. If you lie to me again, I’ll punish you. From now on, I’m in charge. Do you fucking hear me?”

I hopped off the bed, stood at attention, and saluted him, knowing full well that I was buck ass naked. “Yes, Instructor Carrion.” Of course he was pissed and had every right to be, but he was still being a jackass.

He flashed his teeth at me like a rabid dog. “Stop being a smartass. What the fuck were you thinking? Did you think you could fool me?”

I hesitated. I honestly thought I could. I wouldn’t have gone through everything I did if I didn’t think it would work, but I didn’t want to insult him any more than I already had. “No, of course not,” I lied. He gave me a disbelieving glare, so I explained, “Not forever. I mean, I hoped I could go undercover at the strip club and find out more about Tiffany and free Joaquín. But I knew that you would figure it out eventually.”

“And you just decided to use me in the process?”

“Come on, Grant. You were using me just as much.”

“No, I was using a stripper who threw herself at me.”

Ouch. That hurt more than I would admit, but I shook it off.

“Yeah? Is that what you’re telling yourself? How long have you known that I was me and not Ksenya?” He just glared at me, and I backpedaled. “When Joaquín was first arrested, I came to you and begged for help, but you shut me out. Then, one of the strippers told me that you were the one who had invited the girls to the party. So, yeah, I wanted to find out what you knew and if you were hiding anything from me. I wanted to get closer to the rest of the SEALs to learn more about that night. I suspected Mitch and Paul, but not you. Never you.”

“Whatever.”

He pulled on his boxers, and I took his cue and hastily put on my panties and one of his T-shirts. This was not how I wanted to spend the time after the most amazing sex of my life, but it was better than him offing me and disposing of my body, so I rolled with it.

“What kind of surgery did you get? Where did you get the money?”

I felt like I was a teenager confessing my dirty thoughts to my priest as pointed to each part as I listed them. “Breast implants, a nose job, a chin implant, lip and cheek fillers, lasers for my freckles, and Botox for my eyebrows. As for the money, I used what Joaquín left me before he was arrested.”

“You were beautiful, perfect. Why did you ruin your face? You’re insane, you realize that, right? This goes beyond you trying to free Joaquín.”

“No, I’m not insane. I love Joaquín. I would do anything to free him. He’s all I have.”

He paused for a second, and I hoped that maybe he would tell me what he told me earlier this evening.

“You’re wrong, baby—you have me.”

One look in his eyes as he sat down on the bed and I knew the truth. He’d only said that to get between my legs.