A silver glaze kisses her wrinkled nose, highlighting peachy pouty lips. Those tempting lips I desperately wish to claim. If that day ever comes, and I actually kiss her properly, without a lesson of authority, it will be the worst downfall of all. The moment I stop lying to myself. When I own up to this overwhelming need and consider the possibility of a future without her. I’m an idiot to pretend she’s merely an employee or an insignificant woman. A heartfelt kiss would be like a crash of thunder from afar—lightning preparing to befriend the darkness.
It will fucking destroy me.
We’ll never make it in this world as a couple.
Not with the sole purpose to terminate ingrained in my psyche—and wipe out anyone who stands in my way.
“I will never forgive you,” she spits out. “No matter what you’re trying to accomplish by being here this evening, I’ll always despise you.” Her shoulders hunch, and she stoops over. “I can’t do this . . . please . . . I’m begging you . . . set me free.” Swiveling to the pool, she scurries to the edge and dives straight in.
My hands curl.
Adrenaline surges to every nerve ending.
I feel alive.
Goddamn it.
Swaddled in a saturated nightdress, the scant translucent material reveals glorious breasts and dark nipples. Awry tendrils splay the lustrous surface like lost blood as she floats on her back with an oval of water lapping her face. Her body stills, and my lungs scream for oxygen. I’m instantly hard at the sight of her peaceful protest. The same method I’ve used for years to calm the turmoil wrestling within me.
I storm to the water's edge, scowling down at the motionless starfish glittering under trillions of stars. “Get out of the fucking pool, beija flor,” I bite out, angry that she’s affecting me with this mania.
My chest tightens, and my fists work as the starlit queen of my jungle ignores me.
Fuck, this woman.
Her lashes flutter open, and she studies the tiny pinpricks scattering an indigo canvas. I should punish her. Throttle her tender neck. Warn her of all the reasons not to turn a deaf ear on her master.
We aren’t soulmates.
Or star-crossed lovers.
We’ll always be on opposite sides.
Jailor versus prisoner.
This evening's objective was a discreet adieu. An informal dismissal. A parting of ways. So, unzipping my shorts and sliding into her tepid sanctuary is wholly unjustified.
Curbing my inner wish for a brutal approach, I swim to her side. Plunging backward into the fluid arms of the water, I kick my legs up. It holds my form the second all the anger tensing my muscles is forgotten. Buoyancy pulls us closer. Our fingertips skim, then part. We connect. We separate. We breathe. We keep quiet.
Lying beneath the universe, under the weight of an overcrowded heaven, never fails to bring me closer to Gabriela. However, not tonight. Instead, my awareness is with the Scottish woman who’s sharing a private experience with me.
“Why do you despise me so much?” she asks, breaking our momentary peace treaty. Feet sink to the bottom, and her head elevates from the aqua tranquility. Saturated spirals spill over her breasts, weighing down damp curls to waves. “I don’t understand. I haven’t given you any reason to be so unfriendly,” she says with a curious glance.
“I don’t trust you. There’s a difference. As for being friendly to someone who isn’t a friend, well, that's impossible.” My gaze settles on a cluster of stars. A graceful scattering of souls decorating the afterlife with jewels of memories.
Reminiscing is the one constant that feeds the highly strung beast in my gut––the monster primed to attack the enemy. As my thoughts meander to the past, I’m filled with a devastating sense of sadness. A somber regret for Gabriela’s life, and my own. The day she left this world, I ceased to live. There was nothing to live for. Losing my sister cut out an essential piece of me. My benevolence. And now, I bleed for war.
Droplets disturb the calm crystal water when she shakes her head. “So why haven't you locked her in a cabin? With one hand, you gave her a life worth living, and with the other, you’ve stolen mine away. She gets your kindness, and I’m treated with cruelty.” She cuts herself off when I lower my legs until our twilight gazes settle on each other.
“Carina was an innocent girl afflicted with depression. I saw someone in her. She was so young when I first met her.”
Unfortunately for Iris, she doesn’t remind me of anyone. She’s a complete anomaly of extraordinary. I grit my teeth when she licks her lips and drags her eyes to Heaven.
“I despise you for what you’re doing to me. It’s wrong. So very wrong and heartless. I . . . I . . .” she stammers, unsure how I’ll react.
This is a big mistake. A risk I’m compelled to take with no other reason than I want her to know. “My actual name is Dante.” The name spills out as I share the biggest secret of all time. My identity. My past. My ruin.
Her pupils flare as if danger is waiting. “Why did you tell me that?”
I shrug. “Jackson is the only other living person on this planet who knows me by my birth name. It’s your secret now. After tonight, you’ll not meet me again unless you break the rules.” Her lips pout. “You found your way into my life, beija flor. I didn’t pursue you or bid for your life at auction. There wasn’t a sign streaking the sky requesting the presence of a striking woman. I’d rather you weren’t here.” I almost convince myself of the bold statement as it vanishes behind the subdued buzz of restless creatures. “Once I’m convinced I can let you go without consequences, then you will be free.”
Her regal neck works as she swallows. Speckles of water glisten on high cheekbones, making her out-of-this-world and dreamlike. I swear she’s been sent to this Earth with a mission to test me.
“How long will that take?”
Her question impales my chest. So quick to run away. So ready to turn her back. An obvious response for a beautiful bird in captivity. I have no suitable answer. Only a question of my own. “Can I entrust you with my name?”
Lashes bat wildly. “Yes.”
“Then half a year. No less.”
“Six months?” Her brow creases. “That long?”
“One-hundred-and-eighty-three days. Twenty-six weeks. Six months. Half a year.” I overemphasize her prison sentence. “Until then, work hard, prove your loyalty to me, and earn your freedom. Can you do that?”
“Will you stay away from me?”
I reach out, brushing a rogue bead of silver liquid from her chin. A chain reaction of prickles dances from my skin to hers. “After tonight, I’ll let you walk this oasis without fear of ever seeing me.”
Her hand flies up, showering us with splatters like rain. She cuffs my wrist, nostrils flaring, eyes piercing. “Please tell me this isn’t a nasty joke. Don’t give me hope for a future outside of here if you’re only playing a game.”
The unsteady beat of my heart picks up pace at her trembling contact. “Six months. As long as you promise me something in return.” Her chest rises as she inhales a shaky breath. “Don’t venture into the forest alone.” My voice slips into obscurity. “And don’t have relations with any of the men here.”