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“Let’s just enjoy the day. Agreed?”
“Fine. Agreed.”
The truth was that it wasn’t about me trusting her but about not destroying her life because of who and what I was. That was the second greatest challenge, the first being the way I felt about her.
Somehow, I knew the temptation was too great. If I succumbed to the hunger, I had a feeling the two of us would be damned.
CHAPTER 14
Zoe
Darkness.
Maybe that was exactly what I craved as much as I did the man I couldn’t seem to stop staring at. He was everything I’d ever dreamed of and more yet doing his best to remain closed off. After he’d spanked me like some bad little girl, I’d really believed I could easily hate him.
That wasn’t the case.
I’d remained wet almost the entire time he’d taken the strap to me, which continued to shock the woman inside. Now here we were acting like there was no danger surrounding us, no need to worry about other types of boogeymen. I’d walked by his impressive computer and security room more than once, marveling in the amount of equipment he had, technology that appeared straight out of the future. I’d even dared venture inside the space, doing my best to keep from touching anything.
He was anticipating an attack. I could feel it in my bones. Here? In paradise? A cold shiver drifted down my spine at the thought. The fantasies about him had continued, even though I’d done everything I could to get him out of my mind.
Maddox stood in boating shoes and colorful swim trunks, the shirt he’d initially worn shed moments after he’d set sail. He was a feast for the eyes. His colorful tattoos and the way that the sunlight had already kissed his skin with a golden tan were keeping my pussy throbbing. I was reminded of a quote I’d heard years before and only just realized how well it applied to the description he’d given himself.
“The more we deny that we have a dark side, the more power it has over us.”Sheryl Lee had made the phrase memorable, the words lingering in my mind long after I’d heard them for the first time. Maybe I’d captured the essence, locking it into the darkest reaches of my mind for a simple reason.
The darkness fed off my soul as well.
My father had even warned me that because I was so much like him, there was a hint of evil festering inside. I’d laughed because I only saw the good side to my father.
Just like I’d done with Maddox.
But in truth, we all had the kind of lingering turmoil, an unknown part of us that if we didn’t embrace it, it stood the chance of eating us alive. While I was being far too philosophical on such a gorgeous day, I sensed I was trying to process the concept of just being his friend. What I couldn’t tell him was that as of the moment he’d kissed me, there would never be another man who could rank even close to him.
He was also arrogant and annoying, but that was part of his charm, a curmudgeon with a heart of gold. I doubted I would get away with calling him that.
I removed my sunglasses, rubbing my eyes. Here I was in paradise, but nothing was real.
Crystal clear water, shades of aquamarine and cobalt blue were shimmering from the crystalline effects of the bright sun, highlighting the various vivid corals and fish.
Yellows.
Pinks.
Purples.
Reds.
It seemed every color was represented in the warm, shallow water the Caribbean Ocean had to offer. Maddox had ignored my comment on the woman that I sensed he’d been in love with, the one that had forced a shutdown of his system, instead educating me on the beautiful island of Saint Barthelemy located in the French Indies. I was fascinated that he knew so much about the history as well as the culture of those living year-round on what would be considered a postage stamp of only nine point seven square miles.
I glanced over my shoulder, catching him watching me. His expression was entirely different than before, so unnerving that I found it difficult to swallow. Even though it was almost a cloudless day, I could swear thunderclouds were churning in ugly swirls around his head. Whew. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he had x-ray vision. There was a shocking moment as the electricity we couldn’t avoid between us fissured, crackling as ifhe’d managed to create a violent storm himself. The air around us became supercharged and suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
Wow. I rubbed my sweaty fingers down the side of my neck, the heat radiating off my body capable of keeping an entire city warm through a horrific winter. A laugh finally bubbled to the surface of my mouth from my ridiculous thoughts.
Get a grip, girl. He was very clear that there’s nothing between you. Friends. Nothing more. Don’t make this any worse than it is.
Oh, yeah. There was that. I continued studying the water, eager to dive in and hunt for treasures just like he’d promised were in crevices and the deeper water. I wanted to go exploring with him, to try to forget that my family was a thousand miles away, fending for themselves in sea of barracudas.
I almost laughed given our location.
