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“What were you doing with him?” he asks, removing his hands from my body, but staying close.
“We weren’t doing anything. Leave him out of this.”
His jaw clenches. “You’re trying to protect him.”
“He’s innocent, Vicente. Just a neighbor I barely know. He went there for a date but she didn’t show up. We hung out for a little bit. That’s it.”
“What’s this neighbor’s name?”
I straighten my spine. “No. I’m not telling you. You asked for Theo’s name when you already knew it, so I’m sure you can find out on your own, but I’m not putting people at risk because you’re jealous.”
“Jealous?” he asks with a laugh that makes my cheeks heat in embarrassment. “I’m not jealous,princesa. He’s nobody, and I’m, well…me.”
I scoff. “Just leave him alone.” I take a couple steps away, needing space from him. “And why don’t you tell me the truth now? I’m sure it’s nothing quite as shocking as what I already know about you,” I say with a snarl. “You don’t think I deserve to know why you manipulated me? You tricked me into thinking you were helping me when you were the puppeteer the whole time, pulling the strings of my life.”
Vicente has a twinkle in his eye as he steps closer, his left hand pressing against my lower back to hold me in place while his right hand finds the space between the hem of my shirt and top of my pants. “My little kitten is mad,” he says, amusement in his tone. “You gonna show me those claws?”
“I definitely feel like scratching your eyes out. And stop referring to me asyouranything.”
“You just admitted you were mine.”
“Because I’m fucked up,” I exclaim. “I want you and I hate you. You’re sick and twisted and cruel, but my body reacts. I’m also slightly afraid of you.”
“Just slightly?” he questions with a smirk, his fingers dipping into my waistband.
“Why do you act like you want me, or at the very least don’t want me with anyone else, yet you throw me out of your house out of the blue? Nothing makes sense.”
He releases a sigh. “You don’t want to know, Mariella. Trust me.”
“I can’t.”
Vicente steps back, running his hands through his hair. My skin misses the feel of his already.
“Whether you want to believe it or not, I’m protecting you. I told you before I want the unattainable, and you are still that. I may have lied to you about a few things, Mariella, but not everything. Some of what I said was truthful and you have to know…” He pauses, staring at me with an expression I may have never seen before. It’s open and vulnerable. He takes a breath. “You have to know that I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but before you think I’m being romantic you have to understand I want you in the most unhealthy way possible.
“I want to possess you. I want you to be in my world even though it’s not safe for you. I want you at my side as my equal but I also want you on your knees at my feet, ready to do and say whatever I want. I need you to be okay with the criminal acts I commit. You can’t have a conscience in this life. Everything for you would have to change and I couldn’t have it any other way. I will never be a regular guy to date. You can’t tell your friends about what I do. You’d become a liar. Like me. You see what I’m saying?”
His words spin through my mind, and I’m trying to grasp them and make them make sense. I want to figure out how this could work, while knowing, like I’ve always known that it likely won’t. I’ll never get answers, but without him, I feel like I’ll never be fulfilled.
“But—”
“There is no but, Mariella,” he snaps. “This will never go anywhere. I’ve known this from the beginning. I didn’t expect to like you in the slightest. I use people. It’s what I do and what I’m familiar with. You were meant to be used and tossed away like many others, and when I started to feel differently, I was always aware I wouldn’t get what I wanted. And that was a first for me. You’re the only thing I’ve coveted that I couldn’t attain.”
“Vicente,” I start, stepping toward him.
He holds up a hand. “No. You served your purpose and knowing anything more will only harm you. I refuse to be the person responsible…” He pauses to swallow. “I will not be responsible for what happens to you.”
He starts toward the door and I follow, even more confused than ever.
“Please.”
Vincente spins, giving me a serious look. “Be careful out there. You’re too trusting, perhaps still a little naive. Your neighbor? Stay away from him.”
“What? Why?”
“He’s not just anybody, Mariella. He never had a date.”
“How would you know?”
