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Angel stared at me from where he lay on his stomach. “I’m —
“Donottell me that you’re fine again,” I said and sat up. Staring at him, I plucked at his tee shirt. “Take your shirt off.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it,” I commanded, earning me a glare as he shifted just enough to pull the shirt over his head. I bit back the gasp that tried to climb out of my throat: his back was a mottle of bruises. One looked to be the shape of a boot sole. “Stay right here, okay?”
I climbed out of bed and rushed to our bathroom. Under the sink, Angel had a bottle of arnica cream; I hated the implication that he got bruised enough to warrant a whole bottle, but I was glad to have it now.
I half-expected Angel to be asleep when I got back, but he was lying where I left him, now with his phone in his hands. I didn’t say a word as I climbed back onto the bed and threw my leg over his hips, settling myself on his backside. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Shh,” I said and pumped some of the arnica cream into my hands. Gently, I touched his back. He swore, but he didn’t move as I began to massage the cream into his bruises with gentle fingers. “This should help ease some of the tension in your back,” I told him.
Angel hummed sleepily. His head was resting on his arms now; his eyes were closed. “Gracias, mi esposa,” he mumbled.
Feeling overwhelmingly fond, I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “De nada,” I murmured to him. “I like when you let me take care of you. You have to be strong for everyone else; it’s nice to see the other side of you.”
He glanced back at me. “I don’t have another side, Emma.”
I rolled my eyes in an exaggerated fashion. “The Angel who threatened to drop my body in the Everglades wouldneverhave let me sit on his back like this.” I suddenly found myself on my back with Angel hovering over me. “Angel —”
He put his hand against my throat; he wasn’t pressing down, wasn’t cutting off my airway, but the threat was there. My pulse thudded in my veins and echoed in my ears. “If I thought for a second that you would betray my family,” he said, low and dangerous, “there wouldn’t be pieces big enough for anyone to find if they should even look.”
I swallowed hard. Fear and God help me,desireflooded through me. I shouldn’t be attracted to that sick, fierce look in his eyes. He looked like a damn psychopath, and I was sure that that wasn’t far from the truth. But there was something about that fierce look that made me weak in the knees. “You’re so fierce,” I said softly. “Would you be that fierce if it were me being threatened?”
I watched something pass over his face; his hand went from my throat to pinning down my wrists. “You’re mine,” he said and leaned down to kiss the pulse point in my neck. He followed the line of my throat, leaving me feeling branded by his lips. “I protect what’s mine.”
I shivered at his words. “Prove it,” I said, almost as if my brain had disconnected from my mouth. The man was hurt, and here I was, begging for it. Instead of telling me that he was in pain or making an excuse about getting ready for work, Angel smiled, and it wasdangerous.
* * *
I ran the shower as hot as it would go and stood beneath the spray, letting the water work out the aches in my body. I reached for the ridiculously fancy body wash; it had a label entirely in French and made my skin feel like Heaven. Angel seemed to like this smell too because after I used it for the first time — Lara obviously stocked the bathroom for me in preparation of our wedding — ten more bottles showed up under the sink.
Tipping the bottle into my hand, nothing came out. “Ugh,” I sighed. Now, I was going to have to get out and get more…though that was a lot less pleasant when you stepped out onto heated floors. Living in the compound was slowly but surely spoiling me; the thought of having to retrieve new soap or shampoo when I lived with my mother was the worst. Literally, it could throw off my entire day.
Now, I didn’t have to worry about being cold; I would just miss the intense heat of the rain showerhead.
Opening the cabinet under my sink, I grabbed one of the bottles of body wash, but my eyes caught on the unopened box of tampons that had appeared next to them. It wasn’t my normal brand, so Lara must have guessed what I used because I hadn’t needed them since I arrived.
The AC kicked on, and I sprinted back to the shower with my body wash, hissing when the hot water hit my skin again. The compound never ran out of hot water; it was one of the most luxurious things that I had discovered since moving in.
As I lathered up with a loofah, my brain went back to the tampons beneath my sink.Why haven’t I needed them?I should be coming up on that time of the month any day now, right? As the bubbles swirled down the drain, I realized two things at once: one, the date and two, that I was a week late. For most women, that timeframe would mean next to nothing, but I had been regular since the moment my period started in the seventh grade.
My hands shook a little as I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair.Am I pregnant?I thought. It wouldn’t be a surprise if I was; it wasn’t like Angel and I ever used protection. I couldn’t decide if I was happy or not…but there was no point in getting flustered before I took a test and found out for sure.
Turning off the shower, I grabbed one of the fluffy towels that hung nearby and wrapped it around myself. I got myself dried and managed to blow dry my hair instead of throwing it into a messy topknot.
I was lucky that Angel didn’t go to one of the clubs today: he was in his office. I found him at his desk, eyes on his computer. “Angel.”
His eyes flicked to me, and the corner of his mouth began to curl upwards. If he noticed that he was smiling, he didn’t let on. “What can I do for you,mi esposa?”
“Do you mind if I head to Midtown? I’d like to get some workout clothes for when Lili and I hit the gym.”
Angel nodded. “Sure,” he said and opened his desk drawer. He pulled out a black metal card with my name printed on it. Like he had been waiting for me to ask. “Take David with you.”
Well, at least getting a pregnancy test by him would be easy — the man was distracted by anything with a pretty smile and long legs. “Absolutely. I shouldn’t be gone for more than a few hours.”
As I turned for the door, Angel said, “Emma, you’re wearing the St. Christopher’s medallion that I gave you, right?”
