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He’ll hunt you down. There won’t be a single place you can run or hide where he won’t find you.
The voice inside my head was right. However, that didn’t mean I couldn’t find out more about where he’d taken me. I carefully glanced over my shoulder before heading toward the screen door. The flimsy lock was easy to maneuver and as I stepped outside, I was surprised how bright it was, only shadowed by palm trees on both sides of the massive deck. There was a crystal clear view of the ocean, the turquoise waters a gorgeous contrast to the pearlescent white sand. From where I stood, I couldn’t see a single person. Just the vast display of nature at its finest.
As I walked down the few stairs, I was surprised how warm the sun felt against my skin. The scent of flowers and tropical foliage tickled my senses, but a cold chill remained imbedded in my spine. Beneath the stunning exterior of a tropical paradise was the surge of pure evil threatening to destroy everything in its path like molten lava feasting on the landscape. The mental picture continued to rile the tough woman inside, enough so I remained on high alert.
I held my arms, trying to ignore the slithering sensations as prickles danced across my skin. Just thinking about him brought a wave of nausea into my stomach. While there was an array of beautiful objects on the deck, including a hot tub, I kept my gaze locked on the water. Maybe I’d allow the waves to take me away. The Bahamas catered to reef sharks and other predators. Maybe they would enjoy a snack on such a beautiful day.
As insane as the thought was, I couldn’t wrap my mind around being forced to bear his child. At least the shock had worn off, providing a dull ache in my side, the need for vengeance in my soul. Maybe that alone would keep me alive.
I was surprised no one chased after me, a soldier or five ready to drag me to a cage that had been set up in case I remained a bad girl. When the first tickle of water splashed over my toes, I took a deep breath, holding it. What hadn’t dissipated was his scent. I doubted six hot showers would erase the filth covering my skin from our… fucking. I started shaking, so much so my teeth chattered. For all the bravado I’d shown him, I was sick from continued terror.
Constantine was the perfect devil in disguise, utilizing his good looks and charm to disarm his opponent, and a serrated blade to cut through their jugular.
After a few seconds, I closed my eyes, trying to remember what little my mother had mentioned about my father. My captor was so insistent on knowing more about him. Should I give him what he wanted, making up a story to feed his craving for revenge?
A sudden jolt coursed through my system and my eyes flew open. There was no mistaking his masculine scent or the crackle of electricity that singed every nerve ending.
“If you’re thinking about running away, I should warn you that there’s no one around for miles.”
I bristled as Constantine walked closer, uncertain of what to expect from the man. He moved beside me, studying the water as intently as I’d been. While I didn’t want to look at him, the surge of the same sickening desire pulled at all my senses. There was no way I could resist the temptation. I turned my head, realizing he’d changed clothes from the night before. I pressed my fingers across my lips to keep from making a single sound at the sight of him.
I thought he’d looked gorgeous before. Now he was stunning because he appeared more relaxed. Gone were the dark suit and stark white shirt. He’d selected white trousers and a matching casual long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. As I allowed my gaze to fall from the light breeze tousling his hair to his muscular chest then to the dark ink I hadn’t noticed on his forearm, I bit my lip in hope the pain would keep me quiet.
No man had any right to be so damn good looking, especially one so brutal and repulsive. He wore sunglasses, hiding his intoxicating eyes, and he hadn’t shaved. He wore the same ring as before, but his watch was entirely different, something that a man would wear to go sailing. I was downright nuts at this point for even taking a few seconds to think of him in any favorable light.
He slowly turned his head, likely given I hadn’t answered him as quickly as I was certain he’d start demanding.
“I’m no fool, Constantine. You certainly wouldn’t leave the door unlocked if you believed I was capable of running from you.”
“Yes, you’re right. It also helps that the security system notifies me of all comings and goings.” His upper lip curled, and I shook my head.
“A true prisoner even in a slice of paradise.”
“We’re all prisoners of something.”
“No, that’s not true,” I managed, although he was right. There wasn’t a single person who wasn’t hiding behind a fear or concern about an aspect of their lives. I’d felt that way for years, even though I hadn’t wanted to admit it to myself.
“Then you’ve obviously lived a charmed life.”
I confronted him without thinking, challenging his words as if he and I were friends. “Don’t do that. If you want to know the truth, the last few years have been fairly shitty. I worked three jobs for two years just trying to pay tuition. I did what I could to stay on the straight and narrow, but… times were tough.”
“Which is why you decided to break the law.”
He was thoroughly enjoying this. There were so many horrible things I wanted to say in retort, but what good would it do? It would seem he’d already split apart my resolve in his effort to break me completely. “I guess we all do things we find necessary in order to survive.” I turned away on purpose, attempting to walk away from him, but he grabbed me by the wrist, yanking me back and against him. When he fisted my hair, yanking my head at an awkward angle, I hissed.
“Don’t pretend you don’t want this, Jade.”
“Why would you think that?”
“I could read your desire all those years ago when you thought no one was looking. I sensed the yearning inside of you, the powerful vibes that stripped you of your innocence.”
“That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” He lowered his head, brushing his lips back and forth across mine. “You can lie to yourself all you want but you can never lie to me.” His heated breath made me dizzy, enough so my vision was foggy. He pressed his lips against mine, using enough pressure I found myself opening my mouth, yielding to him involuntarily.
As soon as he thrust his tongue inside, I stiffened, shutting down as much of my reaction as possible. After a few seconds, he backed away, shaking his head.
“Why didn’t you kill me eight years ago?”
