So why did I want his lips on me more than I wanted my next breath?
“I see you.”
“Don’t…” I shook my head, trying to pull away, but his long fingers curled around the back of my neck, holding me in place.
“You fight dirty, Carrera. You want everyone to think you’re this heartless bitch who’ll eviscerate anyone to get what she wants, but that’s a role you play just to get noticed.”
“Stop.”
“You dominate and exploit your enemy’s weakness because that’s the only way you know how to feel wanted.”
The air felt heavy, clogged with tension so thick I could taste it. As much as I wanted to throw every vile and hateful word I knew at him, the self-assured stare in his darkened eyes held me hostage, crashing through my barriers and holding me immobile.
He was right. He did see me. He saw right through me to the core of something I couldn’t rationalize, and it both infuriated and calmed me.
Why him?
Why did the man who ruined me, understand me?
My chest rose and fell in arduous waves as his hand slid up my neck. It was pure torture, a disturbing sensuality that resonated within the darkest depths of my soul.
Up my throat. Across my chin. Brushing my cheek.
I shivered the moment his hand dove into my hair, his fingers tightening to the perfect amount of pain.
“There are better ways to feel wanted, princesa.” The deep timbre of his voice was rough. Low and controlled, yet still hinging on the brink of destruction.
It was me he’d destroy, and God help me, I wanted it.
“Adriana,” he whispered my name again, and it sounded like a wicked prayer. He was breathing so hard my hair fanned across my face. This was wrong. So wrong. But I craved more, hating myself for it, but unable to stop.
Until the door slammed and the perfectly fucked-up bubble we crawled into burst.
“Well, I sure as hell didn’t expect this.”
Chapter Fifteen
Adriana
I had no idea who moved first. All I knew was that Brody and I sprang apart like two ends of a snapped rubber band. The fire that moments ago had my blood boiling extinguished, leaving nothing but withering smoke.
I knew who was there without turning around.
Brody’s eyes widened as he stared over my shoulder. All the color drained from his face, a sudden discord etched across it. Like he’d suddenly found himself trapped between two worlds without any means of escape. Maybe it stemmed from coming face-to-face with the living embodiment of torture. Either way, the sadistic craving that almost seduced me into trading vindication for gratification faded leaving only a bruised ego and a renewed will.
“Eden…” Brody murmured her name with such reverence I twisted my fingers together to stop myself from putting a fourth dent in the wall. “We, uh…I didn’t know you were back.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Obviously,” she quipped.
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes.
Brody raked a hand through his hair. “It’s not what it looks like. I mean, this isn’t…we aren’t…”
“Fucking,” I finished for him. Spinning around, I flashed her a wicked smile. “Well, not anymore, thanks to you. You’ll cockblock him until the day he dies, huh, Lachey?”
“Adriana!”
Yeah, that might have taken it a bit too far, but damn, it felt good, and even he had to admit she had it coming.
Twisting around, I met his narrowed eyes. “What?”
“Be nice!”
“Give me one good reason.”
“Because we’re guests in Eden’s house, that’s why.” Lowering his voice, he hissed a warning through a forced smile. “And because Val values her opinion.” Turning his attention back to Eden, his whole demeanor changed. “Seriously, we were just talking.”
I was pissed. Partly because of his slingshot attitude, but more so because I hated that he was right. I was caught between wanting to see Saint Eden suffer for her sins and needing her approval in order to win Val’s.
It was like teetering on the edge of a cliff with my only options being to jump off or face a hungry pack of wolves. Either choice ended in sacrifice. Whether it would be a sacrifice of pride, blood, or my life remained to be seen. I had no doubt the wolf at the door right now wanted all three.
Cocking her hip, Eden leaned against the doorframe, flipping her unnatural cherry red hair over her shoulder. “You know Adriana, you’d think you could scrape together a little gratitude that I opened my house to you, considering you ordered a hit on my brother.”
“And you put a bullet in mine. I’d say we’re even.”
“Even?” She threw her head back and let out a laugh so ridiculously loud it echoed down the hallway. “Your brother held a gun to my head then shot Val. What I did was self-defense. What you did was premeditated and heartless. My brother was an innocent pawn in your sick game.”
“So were you; yet here you are.”
A flush crawled up her neck, painting her face the color of her fake-ass hair. “You bitch…”
I yawned, patting my mouth for a dramatic flair. “Try again. I’ve already heard that one today.”
I caught a blur of movement out of the corner of my eye moments before Brody stepped in between us, arms stretched wide like some kind of bitch war referee. “All right, that’s enough.”
The insult was right there on Eden’s lips. I saw it. I waited on it, but her eyes darted toward Brody, and much to my dismay, it died. Sighing, she gave him a weak smile which quickly faded as her eyes trailed back to me. “I’m watching you, Marisol.”
Resting my chin in the palm of my hand, I tapped my index finger against my bottom lip. “Adriana.”
“We’ll see. You may’ve been born a Carrera, but you haven’t earned the right to call yourself one. My husband wants to give you a chance, so for him, I’ve allowed you in my home.”
Leaning back on one hand, I flipped my hair over my shoulder. “Don’t break your back rolling out the welcome mat.”
“Ladies!” Brody groaned. “Can we take this down a few notches? You’re not going to be best friends; we get it. Will you at least agree to be civil and try not to kill each other for the next twelve hours?”
Obviously, I had no intention of falling on my sword first, so I settled a hard stare toward the doorway and waited. The silence was deafening, and the longer it went on the more agitated Brody became. We were clearly taking too long to answer, evidenced by his clenched fists and the gaze that bounced angrily between us. Just as he opened his mouth again, Eden cut him off.
“Fine.”
Twisting around, he cocked an expectant eyebrow at me.
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Adriana…”
God, I hated it when he drew out my name like that. It made me feel like a petulant child. “Oh, all right. I’ll pretend to be nice to the bitch.”
Brody threw his head back, exhaling hard as he stared at the ceiling.
“Starting now,” I grumbled.
I expected more arguing, but to my surprise, Eden let it drop. It was just as well. I’d only been here a little over an hour and I’d already provoked everyone in the house. Not exactly the best first impression. I had to find a way to keep my resentment compartmentalized if I hoped to have a chance of becoming a permanent fixture in the Carrera family.