GE'

a demarcation of time. Forking

r the door to reopen and for him to reappear. Not quite believing what's happened,

eaked with tears, the delicate skin around her eyes puffy. A bruise is f

, her voice like that

sts and take my a

ce between us, and her gaze

," I t

f me hopes she'll try to run for it and go after h

d trying. Erica De La Rosa is

eserves for staff. She wants to wound, but I know he

attention from herself. She's vulnerabl

eats are a few inches short of her ankles, and h

makeup. She looks younger without it. I wonder if an

She won't be leavin

t too much. Santiago is my closest friend. The man I trust most in this world. And he tr

artial. A better man may have. But the temptation of having Erica De

o be refused. Neither of them

rward. She's known me all her life, but only e

pital, we haven't spent much time together, and even then, I made sure to kee

I'll allow it, but she won't get past me. Maybe she needs to learn that for herself. And th

l our refinement, money, and polite conversation, underneath it all, w

ght, arms hugging closer as she takes another step away unti

e can't even

tween us so I'm stan

heels, but I still have about six inches on her. And even though her throat works to swallow and the pulse a

hand, and

eyebrow

r back to the

dder at my touch. My gaze falls to her lips. Her mouth is open, breathing shall

s af

afraid

ould be. How i

me!" Lines crease the perfect skin of her forehead in

, I tell

fraid of t

and exhales through her nose

eve

and she shakes her h

to her short, trembling breaths. "No, E

loses her eyes, pressing the

re, it was for this same reason. She was accused of being the woman who poisoned Santiago. An ac

know every detail. Guilt, I realize now. That was guilt. But it was pride tha

ll be punish

p at me again, small fists between us. I grin. "And

t. Ever. And this is the work I'm tasked with. This is why Santiago entrusted his s

, and when I give her an inch, she

mistake because she spins, enraged, and drives her nails into my face, that woun

it. Capturing her ankle, I tug her flat on her stomach, then set my knee on her l

Santi wouldn't do this to me! H

my tone calm. I reach for the

trength is no match for mine. She turns her head to watc

is the opposite of him abandoning you," I tell her as

er onto her back and bind her wrists, then ha

askew from her struggle revealing an expanse of toned olive skin. I ben

the strip o

round,

gaze from it