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Her lover gave him an encouraging smile. “Yes.”
Cautiously sniffing it, Mia’s dad took a sip. “This actually tastes good.” He sounded surprised.
“Most of our medicines do.”
Bringing the cup to his mouth, her dad drank the rest of the water. Almost immediately, Mia could see the tense muscles around his jawline relaxing. Smiling at him, she said, “It’s working, right? You can feel it right away.”
Her dad looked pleasantly surprised, and her mom’s face was shining with happiness. “Yes. It seems to be instant.” Turning to Korum, he said, “Thank you. That was very nice of you.”
“Of course,” Korum said softly. “I would do anything for Mia and the people she loves.”
Chapter 16
“I have to talk to my sister too,” Mia said as she got into the car and waved goodbye to her parents. Her mom was holding Mocha, who very nearly followed them out, having developed an inexplicable doggy crush on Korum. “I know mom is calling her right now, but I’d like her to hear it from me as well. I told her something earlier, and I would really like a chance to explain, so she doesn’t get the wrong idea about our relationship.”
“What did you tell her?” Korum asked, smoothly pulling out of the driveway. He drove like he did everything else – with skill and efficiency.
“I told her I had a lover who was from Dubai,” Mia admitted, blushing a little. “And I said that things wouldn’t work out between us because he had to leave soon.”
“I see,” Korum said, and there was a noticeable chill in his voice. “And when did you tell her this?”
Crap. She really shouldn’t have brought this up – but it was too late now. “When I thought you might be leaving for Krina,” she confessed. “Before, you know . . .”
“Before your betrayal?”
Mia sucked in her breath. “Are you still mad at me? You said you’d let it go . . .”
“I let it go as far as I’m not going to punish you for it. But I can’t quite forget it, my sweet. Not yet.”
Mia bit her lip, feeling upset. “I don’t understand you sometimes,” she said quietly. “One minute you’re so nice to me and my family, and the next you’re talking about punishing me for a situation that wasn’t exactly my fault – a situation that you manipulated to your advantage. What did you expect me to do? Just calmly accept the fact that I might end up as a sex slave?”
“You could’ve talked to me at any point and asked me whether it’s true.” He kept his eyes on the road, but Mia could see a tiny twitch in his tightly clenched jaw muscle.
“And if it were? What would I have done then? I would’ve endangered John and everyone in the Resistance and lost my only chance to help them and myself.”
“At what point did I ever treat you as a sex slave?” Korum asked, and his even tone made her shiver a little. He was still not looking at her. “I gave you everything, Mia, and you kept acting like I was a villain.”
Mia swallowed. “You knew I was afraid in the beginning, and you didn’t give me any choice,” she said, feeling old resentment rising up. “And besides, what is a charl, really? What rights do I have in your society? I know you don’t treat me poorly, but you could, right? If you wanted to keep me locked up in your house, would anyone stop you?”
He didn’t answer, and she could see his jaw tighten further.
They turned off Granada Boulevard onto A1A, and he drove for another few minutes before pulling into the winding driveway of a large beachfront mansion. At their approach, the wrought-iron gates swung open, letting them through.
“Where are we?” asked Mia, breaking the tense silence. She felt sick in her stomach. She hated arguing with Korum, and the last few days had been so nice, so peaceful. Why had she stupidly reminded him of what happened before?
The car came to a stop, and he put the clutch in “park” mode before turning to look at her. “Come here,” he said roughly, burying his hand in her hair and leaning over to give her a deep, penetrating kiss. By the time he let her come up for air, Mia was melting bonelessly into him, almost trembling with need.
Letting her go, he climbed out of the car and came around to open the passenger door. Mia climbed out on somewhat unsteady legs as he watched her with hungry gold-tinted eyes.
She looked up at him.
“We’re in a house I rented for the week,” he told her. “Let’s go inside.” And taking her hand, he led her up the steps and into the stately white building.
The interior of their “rental house” could’ve easily been featured in Architectural Digest magazine, with its sharply designed white furniture and open layout with gleaming hardwood floors. One wall – the one facing the ocean – was made entirely of glass and provided a breathtaking view.
Turning Mia toward him, Korum bent down and kissed her again, lightly. “Why don’t you go call your sister now?” he suggested, and his voice sounded a little hoarse. “When you come back, I have some plans for you.”
* * *
