Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“You will be,” I swore. “But this isn’t the proper place to turn you over my knee and adjust your attitude.”
Her lips parted on a delicious little intake of breath, her thick lashes flying wide. “You wouldn’t.” Her defiance was a bit more breathless this time.
I eased closer to her, inserting myself firmly in her personal space. Her head tipped back, her eyes wary on my face. But her lips remained soft, the cruel smirk effectively wiped away.
“You know I would,” I said, my usual silky, controlled tone finally returning. “Did you think I forgot about our time together? Did you think I forgot how much you like being taken in hand?”
She drew in a shaky breath. “That was a mistake. You were a mistake. And I’ve spent the last twelve years of my life paying for it.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
I fully understood why she thought sleeping with me all those years ago had been a mistake. It had been shitty of me to seduce her to get information that I could use against her brother. But there was no reason she should have faced any long-term consequences other than bruised pride.
“We don’t have time for this little interlude,” Raúl snapped, pulling my attention away from the puzzle. “If she’s going to cause trouble, I can put her down.”
I wasn’t keen to let this mystery go unsolved, but I knew that I needed to get my men out of the jungle. Even if all of Ronaldo’s guards were dead, hanging out in the wilderness at night was never safe.
I stepped behind Carmen, wrapping one hand around her throat and my other arm around her waist, pinning her tightly against me.
“Go ahead.” I nodded at Raúl, who raised his weapon. “Somewhere that won’t hurt,” I added over Carmen’s disbelieving gasp.
Raúl fired, and the tranquilizer dart embedded in her shoulder. I was grateful he’d armed himself with a non-lethal option. He’d known about my bargain with Rodríguez, so he must have anticipated difficulties with Carmen.
“Are you fucking serious?” she demanded, already softening in my hold.
“Sorry, kitten. This journey will be much more pleasant for both of us if you’re unconscious.”
She managed a little growl as her muscles relaxed. I shifted my grip, swinging her up into my arms.
She tried to glare at me, but her lashes fluttered. Even though she had to know she couldn’t fight off the drugs, she tried anyway.
“There’s no point trying to be stubborn about it,” I informed her with a lilt of amusement. Now that she was safely in my arms, my entire body felt lighter and more relaxed than it had in hours.
“Go to sleep, kitten. You can argue with me more later. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she mumbled, her eyes sliding closed.
I chuckled and pulled my prize closer to my chest. Once Carmen was completely out of harm’s way, I could finally enjoy our power play.
I could hardly wait to feel her soft flesh heat under my hand; taste her lush desire on my tongue; hear the sweet sound of her ecstatic scream.
I’d savored that particular memory ever since our single, intense night together, and I’d had twelve years to devise new ways to make her scream my name.
Chapter 4
Carmen
Deep, male voices rumbled over the surface of my consciousness, drifting through the warm darkness that enfolded me. A slight pinch on my upper arm was followed by a deep, punching sensation. I tried to pull my arm away from the unpleasant feeling, but my limbs moved slowly.
A familiar calloused palm gently gripped my upper arm, holding me in place while his thumb stroked around the area that had been hurt.
“All done, kitten,” he reassured me. “Dr. Holloway recommended a tetanus shot as a precaution. You got some nasty cuts running through all that glass.”
I blinked slowly, struggling to focus my mind. Stefano’s cruelly gorgeous face materialized above me, his black eyes intent on something farther down my body.
A strange tugging sensation around my foot prompted an answering ache deep in my heel. A small whimper slipped between my lips before I could gather the presence of mind to hold it in. I shouldn’t betray any signs of weakness around my enemy.
Stefano shushed me and continued stroking my arm in that soothing, unnervingly intimate motion. “You’ll fully heal up in a couple weeks,” he promised. “Isn’t that right, doc?”
He addressed the balding, middle-aged man who was bandaging my foot. Dr. Holloway glanced up at me through his square-rimmed glasses. “Try to stay off your feet for a few days,” he advised. “You’ll slow down the healing process if you walk around too much.”
As he finished securing the bandage in place, I noticed that a black leather cuff encircled my ankle. Dread stirred in my gut, its weight making my stomach drop. I jerked my foot back from the doctor, only to be stopped short almost immediately. A thick chain tethered the cuff to the iron bedpost.