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“Enrico,” I say sternly. “I think you're starting to get the wrong idea about what's happening here.”
He closes the distance between us and wraps his fingers around my tie, lightly tugging. “And what's that?”
My breath catches in my throat and as much as I should pull away, I plant my feet to the floor. “Nothing,” I say, my voice coming out sturdier than I feel. “Absolutely nothing.”
He licks his pink, plump lips, and they are so close to mine his heated breath tickles my skin. “If that's the case, then why are you sneaking into my apartment randomly, and why do you keep looking down my robe every chance you get?”
“I don't,” I say curtly. “You're imagining things.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, running his fingers down the center of my body. His hand stops as soon as it reaches the top of my belt. My head is spinning and my skin flushes. I have to get out of here before he touches more than he should. What happens when I lose the will to stop him?
Placing my hand between us, I push on his chest a little. “I'll see you later,pequeño.”
“As in tonight?” His golden eyes tug at mine and if I stay where I am, I'll drown in them. I suck in a sharp breath and press my lips to his forehead, breathing out slowly against his skin through my kiss.
Pulling back, I stroke his cheek with my thumb. His short stubble is rough on my skin and it's different, but not in a bad way. The uncertainty in his eyes has my throat tightening. “As in tomorrow. Take care of yourself.”
Chewing on his bottom lip, he moves his hand from my belt and to his hip, his robe opening again. I do my best to avert my eyes from his golden brown skin but it continues to call to me anyway. “When you come to count my pills in the morning, will you stay for breakfast?”
My heart pounds. He knows. Of course he does. He's a Herrera after all. Nothing gets past them.
“We'll see.”
The corners of his lips tilt and something sinister enters his eyes. I don't have to question what the kiss meant to him anymore. Enrico has a dark, possessive look about him whenever he sees something he wants. It's haunting, and I never realized how terrifying it could be until I became his next target.
“Okay,” he says, his sharp gaze holding on to me with a promise I'm not sure I want him to make.
I walk slowly toward the door and can feel his heavy stare on me the whole way there. It's nearly paralyzing. No one has this power over me. I occasionally have to remind myself who works for whom whenever I'm around Zacharias. He hired me because I challenge him, but with his son, it's the other way around. He holds all the power, and I don't know if my decisions around him even belong to me anymore.
Only Enrico has me constantly questioning my direction, and I can't decide if I want to runfromhim ortohim.
Three
Enrico
Slinkingmybodyoverthe toilet, my stomach lurches. The water changes from clear to red. The stress has taken its toll on me, along with all the worries remaining on a constant in my head. I can't keep any food down lately and all the energy drinks I've been consuming daily have done me no favors.
I've stopped taking my medicine again.
I don't know if it's only because of the awful side effects, the unnerving feeling of depending on something, or if it's also because I'm hoping Fernando will notice and come here to argue with me the way he usually does.
He hasn't paid attention to me in a little over a week. Not so much as a glance in my direction. We might as well be on different planets whenever he steps into the same room as me. How long will he play this game for? He can't avoid me forever. The first time it was me doing the dodging and he was the one begging with his eyes for me to come back to him. I’d rather not be the one on the other end.
For a brief moment, I imagine him discovering the extra pills in the bottles and shoving me against the fridge while spreading my lips apart to force my medication on my tongue. Tingles dance along the back of my neck. Yes, I enjoy his tenderness, but I want his roughness too.
Is he still checking up on me while I'm sleeping? I noticed two weeks ago that someone had been moving my medication bottles, and it didn't take me long to put two and two together.
He's not as sneaky as he thinks he is. Leaving the living room window open and restocking my favorite ginger tea didn't help keep his secret either. For a guy most men never see coming, he sure does leave behind a trail. Do I make him careless?
He makes me crazy so it would only be fair. If he's my weakness, I want to be his too. I slam my head against the wall, breathing in and out slowly. The nausea continues to take over and I swallow it down as best as I can. I have to get off this floor. I glance at the door, and I hate how far away it appears. Outside this room, customers are dancing, laughing, and drinking. I’m in the bathroom wasting away, fighting something I'll never win against.
Fernando is handling business matters at one of the other clubs across town. It's my job to make sure everything goes smoothly here. Someone's been stealing from us again, and I will catch the thief eventually. The closer I am to the problem, the easier it'll be. I need to be able to stay out of the bathroom for longer than a damn hour though. If only I could fucking peel myself off the floor. I do it all the time. Today should be no different.
The heaviness in my bones weighs me down and any energy I had before entering work today is long gone.
Fernando’s voice enters my head.“If anyone can do this, it's you.”
I clench my teeth.Shut up. Shut up.
