Chapter 80 80
He dragged me from where I had been hiding. H–he hurled me onto the b–bed and c–came up behind me, his hands rough and unforgiving. I was only a child… terrified beyond words. My parents were lying on the floor, lifeless, their blood pooling around them… He would have done something unspeakable, something monstrous, b–but the police arrived. My father had managed to call them before Bastien broke in. H–he still attacked me. He left me there, bleeding out, certain I would die… but I didn’t.”
Her voice shook violently, each word splintering apart as it left her lips.
Fernando’s chest tightened so fiercely it felt as if an iron fist had closed around his heart. Rage rose inside him like a living thing, dark and merciless. All he could think about was finding that bastard and delivering a slow, agonizing end.
“I was in a coma for six months,” she continued, breath hitching. “M–my grandparents came from Florida. When my grandmother heard what happened… she had a heart attack. She didn’t survive.”
Tears streamed down her face as she wiped at them helplessly.
“It was just my grandfather and me after that… but he was never the same. The happy grandpa I knew was gone. His health kept declining, little by little… until he left me too.” Her voice dropped to a fragile whisper. “I’ve been alone ever since.”
Fernando pulled her closer, gathering her soft, trembling body into his chest.
“You’re my strong Ana,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. The contact sent a spark skimming beneath her skin.
“That night you found me struggling to breathe at the main door…” She swallowed hard. “I saw Bastien. He was there. Standing right outside your house. I knew he’d come for me. So when you said we were going on vacation… I planned to run away from you. I didn’t want you dragged into this. I didn’t want you hurt because of me.”
Her words made him go rigid. Every muscle in his body locked.
“You planned what?” His voice was clipped, controlled, but barely.
“I knew what he was capable of. I thought you were human,” she admitted shakily. “You wouldn’t have stood a chance against him. Bastien would kill me no matter what… but I couldn’t let you die with me. That’s why I”
She stopped abruptly when she saw the cold steel settling in his eyes.
She tried to rise from his lap, but his arms tightened around her waist like bands of iron.
“How thoughtful of you,” he said, his tone glacial. “Even if I were human, I would have protected you with every damn thing I had.”
She flinched.
He closed his eyes, burying his face in the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply as if fighting to steady himself. She stiffened but didn’t move. When his lips brushed her skin in a soft, featherlight kiss, a trembling breath slipped from her. She had missed this his touch, calming yet electric, grounding yet consuming.
“I will hunt that bastard down,” he whispered against her skin. “And I will make him pay for every tear you’ve shed.”
The quiet certainty in his voice made her heart flutter.
They remained that way for a long while, wrapped around each other in silence.
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly, his deep voice filling the room.
She froze.
“I should have told you the truth from the beginning. I was afraid of losing you.” He exhaled slowly. “I could have taken you by force. Kept you here against your will for the rest of your life. But I didn’t want that. I wanted you to choose this. To choose me.
“I know I handled it wrong. And I’m sorry. You matter to me more than you know.”
She drew in a sharp breath as his fingers brushed her hair away from her neck. When he pulled her into another tight embrace, a gasp escaped her. His face rested against her neck; her arms were caught between them.
After a long moment, he leaned back, his gaze searching hers with unguarded emotion.
Her heart stumbled in her chest. Before she could second-guess herself, she leaned forward and pressed a soft, tentative kiss to his lips.
Fernando went still.
She pulled away quickly and stood, intending to leave while his hold had loosened.
She barely managed half a step.
His hand wrapped firmly around her wrist, and with one swift motion, he drew her back. A startled yelp escaped her as she landed on his thigh.
His fingers slid into her hair, curling into a fist, and he claimed her mouth in a fierce, possessive kiss.
His scent surrounded her. His touch ignited her skin. His mouth hungry, demanding consumed her senses. He kissed her like a man starved, and instead of resisting, she tried to keep up.
When his tongue traced along her lower lip and she instinctively resisted, a low growl rumbled from his chest. He tugged at her hair just enough to pull a gasp from her, and his mouth deepened the kiss, overwhelming and intoxicating.
A soft moan escaped her when he drew her tongue into his mouth. Her lungs began to burn, dizziness creeping in. She pushed lightly at his shoulders, but he barely seemed aware. Only when she struck him more firmly did he break away only to trail heated kisses down her neck.
“Ah” she winced as his teeth grazed her skin, a deliberate nip that sent a sharp shiver through her.
His hand slid from her waist to the curve of her chest, fingers spanning wide enough to make her gasp. Her hand flew to his, but he was intoxicated by her his grip tightening, kneading through the fabric as though anchoring himself.
Her heart thundered so loudly she feared it might burst free.
She shifted in his hold, breath unsteady then froze.
She felt his arousal pressed against her thigh.
Her eyes widened, and she pulled back abruptly.
Fernando released her at once, chest heaving. His gaze was dark, heavy with want, fixed on her uncertain expression.
Gently, he eased her onto the couch and stood, running a hand through his hair as though preparing to step away, to put distance between them.
She reacted before she could think.
Her fingers caught the back of his shirt, stopping him.
“I… I want you,” she whispered shakily. “But…”