“Oh, he said a lot more than just those words. But judging by your reaction, they’re words you haven’t heard yet, so I’ll keep them to myself. They’re not mine to tell.”
He’s in love with me. He loves me.
“Adriana, we need to talk about Cristiano Vergara.”
I winced, the words like a sharp knife stabbing into my already severed heart. I had no idea what all he knew, but I had a feeling it edged dangerously close to the truth.
“I know, but not now, okay?” I couldn’t sit still. I paced. I wrung my hands, and eventually I ended up right back where I started—by the window where Brody and Leighton were saying their goodbyes. Even from a distance, their embrace looked so genuine, so filled with love and trust that I blurted out, “Do you think we would’ve been like them? You know, if things had been different.”
Val joined me by the window, watching the siblings before answering. “I’d like to think so. When everything happened to Leighton, I saw a different side to him. He risked everything for her—his career, his reputation, his life. Over the years, I’ve thought a lot about the day you were taken. What I could’ve done. Maybe if I hadn’t run like a little bitch, I could’ve saved you and our mother.”
My heart lodged in my throat at the image of a six-year-old Val, running for his life while being chased by his mother’s screams. “Or you would’ve died right along with her.”
Val didn’t answer. He just stared out the window as horrific memories played across his face. Memories I was spared, while they became a burden he carried alone.
I’d come to a crossroads. I could forge ahead and dig a trail of tears or follow the worn coward’s path. It was because of that burden and the fragile bond we’d established that I chose the coward’s path, once again proving I was irredeemably selfish.
“I was in Santiago’s nursery today.”
And sadistic.
Val chuckled. “I heard.”
Biting my lip, I pressed my palm against the glass. “Are you sure he’s safe in there?”
He tilted his chin, his dark eyebrows bunching together. “What do you mean?”
“When I walked by, the door was ajar, and he was all alone. You have staff and sicarios coming in and out of this house all day. Don’t you think there should be some security measures in place in case—”
“Santi is fine.” The bite in his tone wasn’t anger; it was conviction. His confidence wouldn’t entertain the thought of anything less. “The staff is thoroughly vetted, and my men know if they step foot past the first floor, they’ll be shot.”
It was that unyielding confidence, and my suspicion that he knew the truth anyway that made my decision. Rounding my lips, I blew out a nervous breath and closed my eyes. “Val, I need to tell you—”
“Hey, Danger, I’ve been looking for you. I…” Eden’s voice trailed off as she hovered in the doorway, her bright smile fading.
Val held up a hand, his steady eyes locked with mine. “Un momento, Cereza. Adriana and I are talking.”
The room crackled with tension, and I forced a weak smile. “It’s fine, go. It’s nothing that can’t wait an hour.”
The pounding in my head was relentless. A dull ache so intense it blurred my vision even in complete darkness. I had no idea what time it was. Just the thought of staring at the bright light of my phone was enough to send the room spinning.
My teeth chattered as a trickle of sweat rolled down the back of my neck. I choked on the violent contrast of sensation, causing my body to spasm with a rough, rattling cough. Lifting a shaking hand to my chest, I clawed at my contracting lungs, my compressed throat, and my aching heart.
I froze, the last thought woven in so seamlessly, yet laced with so much truth.
Val said Brody confessed he was in love with me.
I didn’t deserve that word, but just for tonight, as selfish as it was, I needed to pretend I did. I needed the gentle calm before the storm. The peace before the reckoning.
I’d leave this world the same way I entered it. As a soulless pawn.
Peeling back the blanket, I padded barefoot along the cold marble, goose bumps rippling across my bare limbs. My heart lurched into my throat as I stood outside the closed door, the silence behind it making me second guess myself.
Don’t turn back.
Twisting the doorknob, I stepped inside the darkened room before I could change my mind. My fingers curled by my side as an almost imperceptible exhale flitted across my ear.
“I was wondering how long it would take you.”
I smiled, even though I knew he couldn’t see it. “Confident, are we?” I barely got the last word out before another round of coughs almost brought me to my knees.
Sheets rustled, and the lamp ignited, flooding the room with agonizingly bright light. It felt like a thousand knives stabbing through my eyes all at once, and I muffled a cry as I pressed the heels of my palms against my eyelids.
Brody’s warm hands cradled my head. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“The light,” I wheezed. “Turn off the light.”
His warmth disappeared along with the glaring brightness. It was a painful and welcomed loss, fighting against another one inside my head. Once again, the violent contrast sent me into a tailspin, and I stumbled into his strong arms.
“Christ, Adriana, tell me what’s wrong.”
But I couldn’t. At least, not and still claim the peace I desperately needed. “Remember when I walked in on you at Caliente?”
The tension eased with his low chuckle. “You mean when I was jerking off, pretending it was you?”
I nodded. “I want to give you that.”
He let out a rough exhale, the raw need in his voice strained with hesitation. “Adriana…”
But nothing he said would deter me. Hell could rise up and drag me down piece by piece, but I was going to give him this one last memory.
My final surrender.
Sinking to my knees in the darkness, I curled my fingers around the waistband of his boxers and slid them down his strong thighs. Brody let out a low grunt as his cock sprang free. I’d never wanted to touch a man more. I’d never wanted to give without any reservations or expectations. So, I cradled him in my hands and stroked my thumbs over his swollen crown.
He sucked a sharp breath through his teeth. “Shit.”
“Sit down,” I instructed. “On the edge of the bed.”
He didn’t argue, and I moved with him as he sank onto the mattress. Without a word, he planted his feet in an open invitation. Empowered by the musky, masculine scent of his arousal, I wedged myself in between his legs and swirled my tongue around the tip.
“Fuck, Adriana, you’re killing me.”
“Tell me what you want,” I whispered, licking underneath the head. “Every single detail. This is your fantasy. Make it come true.”
His tortured groan sounded more animal than human as his hand dove into my hair. “I want you to suck me hard. I want to fuck your mouth, and then I want to come down your throat and watch you swallow it.”
I let out an unsteady breath.
“Do you know why?”
I shook my head.
His fingers twisted in my hair. “Because your mouth is mine. Your kiss is mine. And God help me, I need to mark them both. Stain them. Claim them. Mine, Adriana. My body. My mouth. My kiss.”