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He turns those piercing eyes on me a moment, his expression more neutral than Switzerland, and then swings the door wide for me to step inside. My eyes shift away from him to what lies beyond the metal door.
A large wall of water greets me on one side while on the other I see pits with a few large sea turtles and local wildlife. Above us, large skylights are wide open letting in the fresh sea breeze and sunlight.
The second we step through my whole view of Lucas Bellamy changes. I move past him and into a large room big enough to fit two of his yachts. I twirl in the middle trying to take it all in.
“I can’t believe this. You have an animal sanctuary?”
He nods, his expression morphing from blank to unabashed joy. “And an aquarium, too.”
He gestures behind me and I follow his line of sight to see the largest fish tank I’ve ever seen. On an island in what could be the middle of the Atlantic for all I know. My jaw drops.
I cross to see so many colorful species of fish I don’t know where to focus first.
“These are all rescues. Animals who need help for one reason or another. Some are damaged in some way that prevents them from surviving on their own in the wild. But others will be released back once they are strong enough.”
“How far off the mainland are we? How do you get qualified people out here to tend to them I mean?”
“About two hundred miles. I have a full staff who comes out once a week and other full-time staff.” He puts the materials he brought with him beside a half-finished enclosure for some kind of bird from the looks of it.
I look around expecting someone to be hanging out in a corner or something, but see no one.
Warm lips press to my temple. “They’ve been given a couple of hours off, beautiful. It’s just you and me here right now.”
His words rumble through my palms where I have them pressed over his chest. None of this makes any sense. I try to wrap my brain around all the details I know about Lucas, but nothing is adding up.
“My father has always painted the Bellamys as animals. Wild cutthroats with no real power willing to do anything to get the upper hand. Brutes who are thirsty for power by any means necessary.”
And here Lucas is using his billionaire to save the freaking ocean.
Lucas’ eyes sweep over me possessively. All the way down my body and don’t stop until they are back on my gaze. “A man has to do what is necessary to provide and protect what is his. Lying, killing...it’s all part of the game. Our game. Because of that fact, do yourself a favor and believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear.”
I consider that for a moment. The plastic, the bucket, and bricks. What I considered were my instruments of death were really tools to help protect these pretty creatures.Believe half of what you see… makes sense.
He wraps an arm around me, his hand moving over my ass. He pulls me in and he kisses me like a man with a message. And I fear the message because deep down in my soul, I can feel it resonate with my own.
“I guess this means you’re not going to kill me.”
“You see this pretty beast?” He pulls me to another room with another gate. This one is more fit for jungle animals. A large enclosure means large animals.
Open enclosure, I might add.
I stiffen and tumble back but Lucas steadies me. “As long as you are with me. You have nothing to fear.” He steps in front of me when a sleek, black cat pounces from a high limb only to fall into Lucas’s arms like an oversized pussy cat. Did I mention how large it is? Huge!
“This is Jinga. A jaguar that lost her mate to a hunter wanting nothing but a trophy for his library. She ripped the hunter’s jugular out but not before taking a bullet to the hindquarters. When she was brought to me she was almost dead. My doctors nearly lost the fight to save her life.” As he speaks, he rubs the animal from head to tail and I swear I’ve never heard a cat purr louder.
“She wanted blood for blood.”
He nods. “And got it. It is the law of their world as it is for ours.”
Lucas holds my gaze and the longer we stay like this the more I feel the pain he’s lived with every day for the past three years.
“What do you see when you look at me? I must represent your worst nightmare.” I keep my voice low. I don’t know if I am scared of spooking Jinga or of his answer more. Either way, I can’t seem to find it in me to speak higher than a whisper.
With Jinga asleep after her petting, Lucas takes my hand. “There’s no way you could ever be anyone’s nightmare. I meant it when I said you are an unexpected dilemma. But never a nightmare.”
He ushers us out of Jinga’s enclosure and back to the main room where the large aquarium is. I’m in awe not only by its size but how this place could be a large attraction. Guests would pay to come out here to see this. But I have a feeling this is a sanctuary for him as much as it is for the animals.
I walk up to the huge glass wall and he takes up the space behind me, wrapping his arms around me. I lay my head back and moan when his hands come up to tease over my nipples, but nothing more. As if he just needs to touch me.
