~Kai~
Defiance was written all over her face. Those piercing green eyes burned with rage determined to burn me to the ground, and it’s fucking turning me on. I had to keep my hands busy with the food on the tray. My palms were itching to make her submit to me, to have a taste of the gorgeous brat standing before me in nothing but a bathrobe.
Droplets of water dribbled down her exposed skin. My jaw clenches at the thought of her answering the door only wearing that. Her hair was a dark mess in a bun above her head. A few locks, wet from her bath, stick onto her neck. The robe ends in the middle of her thighs. I knew she had a gorgeous body, but her skin… damn, it’s tanned to perfection, and I want my lips to map every inch of her.
If only she wasn’t my job. If only she wasn’t the boss’s daughter. I could look past her bratty attitude and make her mine. And fuck, I badly want to make her mine; it’s driving me crazy that she’s off limits.
Staring at her right now, really staring at her eyes, I could see the sadness she kept masking with defiance and attitude.
I want to ask her why she’d been crying when we found her. Why she run away from her mother instead of dashing into her arms? But that is none of my business. My job is to protect her, nothing more.
“Do I make myself clear, Princess?” I stood, heading to the door.
She replied with silence, glaring at me, the fire in her eyes glowing like a lighthouse luring me to the shore in a stormy sea. Damn. Defiance looks fucking sexy on her.
I stalked to where she was with slow and precise steps. Her eyes scan my body, her throat bobbing up and down as I reach her. I bit down a smirk.
‘So the brat is affected by my presence too.’ My cock jumped in excitement.
She craned her neck, making up for our height difference. “Do I make myself clear, Berenice?”
I need to make sure she understands our situation. She might try to run away again, but I need her to hear my words. If she does that stunt again, I can hold her responsible for the punishment I am itching to bestow upon her.
She glared back at me. I was never one to back down. It was a staring contest, but she nodded with a sigh, fatigue clearly making her cave.
“Good girl.” I grinned. She lowered her gaze, tucking a few wayward strands of her dark waves behind her ears. She missed a few locks. I wanted to do it myself, feel her skin and skim my thumb over her plump lip, feel how soft they were. But I shoved my hands into the pocket of my jeans. “I’ll get you dinner. Got any request in particular?”
She looked the other way, biting her lip, a stain of pink spreading on her cheeks. I clenched my fist. She looks fucking adorable up close, and her scent... She smelled so sweet. It must be her soap, but fuck, it stirs a raucous of wild thoughts in my brain.
“Just what I ordered and a bottle of Dom,” she murmured and headed back inside the bathroom, slamming the door in my face.
I shook my head, chuckling, amused by her hot and cold attitude. Grabbing my shades from the duffle bag I put together while following her around the city, I walked out of the room and made sure it was safe to leave her alone for a few minutes.
I look stupid wearing shades at night, but the blotch on my face attracts too much unwanted attention.
Across the hotel was a local restaurant. I grabbed takeouts of gambas al ajillo, chickpea stew, paprika chicken and rice, vegetable salad, and a bottle of Dom Pérignon.
When I returned to the suite, my breath got caught in my throat. No, there wasn’t a threat to our safety, and no, Berenice was still in the room. And that’s the thing. The sight of her in a floral dress, barefoot without any makeup, patting her hair dry as she gaped at the open French door had my heart rate skyrocketing.
Staying the night in one room with her was probably a bad idea.
Hearing the door shut behind me, she averted her gaze from the balcony. She gave me a tired smile. It was small, but still the first expression she showed without animosity or wanting to kill me.
“Hey.” She stood, draping the towel on the vanity chair. Her hair cascaded in wet, dark curtains, framing her soft jaws.
My molars grind. I walked towards the coffee table and set the bags of takeouts down. One by one, I pulled the food container out and spread her food on the frosted wood table. She grabbed the tray with cutlery from the bedside table and sat beside me, her sweet scent filling my senses. Silently, she reached for the champagne and poured a bountiful amount into the two tall glasses meant for water.
She handed one to me. I paused, suspicious of her sudden kind gesture.
“I’m sorry if we got off on a bad start,” she murmured shyly when I just stared at the glass of champagne. “It was a crazy twenty-four hours, and I didn’t mean to set my anger on you.”
Accepting the glass, I took a sip only because I saw her open the bottle right beside me. I can never be too careless with her.
“Apology accepted.” I sat back on the couch. “Eat up and rest. We have a long day tomorrow.”
She smiled once again. My heart stuttered. “Thank you,” she murmured and dug in on the food. She ate with the enthusiasm of a child eating her favorite meal.
She must’ve felt my eyes on her. Gazing at me, she bit her lip and smiled meekly. “I hadn’t eaten all day.”
“Uh-huh. That’s all for you,” I said and pulled out my phone, pretending to pay attention to the device, but I had her in my peripheral vision. She was a messy eater, used her hands to eat the chicken, and at some point, she even licked each finger clean.
I kept shifting in my seat, glad that the food had all her attention. When she was done, I had a solid boner beneath my jeans.
Fucking hell.
She cleaned up after herself and sat back on the couch to drink her champagne.
“Where are we going?” she suddenly asked, facing me.
“Lisbon.”
“And?”
I don’t particularly feel at ease at the sudden shift in her mood. It’s like her mind is scheming a big plot that would end me in trouble. “The less you know, the better, Princess,” I said, but honestly, I still haven’t decided where I would take her.
I expected a tantrum, a protest, or a demand for more details, but she surprisingly hummed in agreement and finished her drink. “Where’s your room?”
“Here.”
She paused. Her shoulders went stiff as she swallowed hard. “We are not sharing the bed.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I countered, meeting her fearful eyes.
Does she think I would touch her without her permission? Yes, I am tempted to do a lot of ungentlemanly things to her body, but I don’t rape women. “I’ll sleep here,” I patted the couch. “You better rest. We’ll leave early tomorrow.”
She let out a breath and went to bed. I slept with one eye open, and I’m glad I did because when three am struck, I sensed movement from the bed. I watched in the dark as the bratty princess got dressed and tried to sneak out of the room again.
I knew I couldn’t trust that sweet smile.
~Benny~ The lights were off. Slivers of moonlight’s silver streak fusing with the lamppost’s orange glow from the street passed through the gaps of the balcony drapes. Apart from utter silence, my uninvited company’s even breathing on the couch had been the only sound drifting inside the room. Eyes glued to the ceiling, I eyed the silhouette of a tree branch in front of the hotel swaying, moving in sluggish motion. The digital clock on the bedside table ticks every second. It was hushed as though a silent count down before I dropped a decision. I’ve been silently pondering on what I should do next. There are a lot of things I should consider. Kai and those three guns were a testament to my vulnerability and the power of the people I am trying to outwit. But my need to be left alone weighed heavier than my want to be safe. Today, the gravity of my choices hit me like a raging wave, a wake-up call. For months, I have depended on people around me. Tony, I let my love for him lead me
~Kai~ Other than me, there is someone else following Berenice. It’s different from those three in Granada; this one is professional. I don’t know when and where he picked up a trail of her scent, but I could feel the danger up close. I’m unsure if he realizes I am following Berenice, but whoever this was, he’s good. No one was following Berenice from the hotel to the cafe, University, and bus. The bus picked up tourists and travelers on the way here. Maybe he was one of the passengers. But I didn’t feel any threat until here. She glanced at her side and over her shoulder. The way her shoulders went rigid was a tell that she could feel eyes watching her as well. If something happens to her, it would be all on me. I shouldn’t have let her walk out of that room; now, I had put her in a dangerous situation. I only wanted to know what she was planning to do. Where she’d go and how she’d proceed after learning that Tony’s people were after her. Do a repeat of what I did in the hotel
~ KAI ~ A pool of steaky crimson liquid on the ground was my indication that a bullet miraculously pierced the gunman. I pulled the trigger blindly, aiming to distract him, but one lucky bullet must’ve struck an artery. I followed the blood trail cautiously. Howls of police and ambulance sirens had already prevailed over the once busy atmosphere of the harbor, blanketing the air with anxiety and fear. Reaching the fifth corner away from Berenice, I still found no trace of the gunman. I need to find him, question him and eliminate him. I have to do it quickly. Keeping Berenice safe is still my top priority. Soon, the police will sweep these parts of the port. And once they discover the woman’s dead body, alarm and panic will soar. For decades, cartel wars cast fear on the people of Spain. Cases like this will likely draw excessive attention from the local and international media. And getting the Martinelli’s tangled in this mess is the last thing the Italian mafia needs. We already
~BENNY~Dread rose from the pit of my belly when I opened my eyes.The bed where I laid on my back sways. No, the entire room rocked in a steady, familiar, and daunting rhythm.I blinked hard, pushing away the pull to go back to sleep, ignoring the stabbing pain all over my body, particularly in my midsection and throat.Four corner lights diffuse a soft, warm glow on the room. The salty tang of the air made me nauseous. Realization dawned on me. I am in a cabin… in a boat. I couldn’t hear any other sound apart from the soft hum of the engine and the continuous crashing of waves. We are far from land; how far is the question and knowing the answer scared the shit out of me.Chills coiled down my spine. Thinking of anything other than how vast the waters were sailing is an impossible feat.I shook my head, clutching the white covers that pooled on my waist as I sat up. I closed my eyes and pinched myself, hoping to wake up from this nightmare, but no. The room was still the same when I
~KAI~They say that we’d meet someone we’d follow blindly to the pits of hell every once in a while. Burn for them, take a bullet for them without thinking twice. For me, that’s Klaus Martinelli. I trust that man’s judgment without needing to ask questions.He told me I could infiltrate the Russian mafia and make it out alive, and I did. His trust in my abilities was more than I have for myself. But what fucking qualifies me as a babysitter? Only Klaus knows.He refused to relieve me of babysitting duties. He kept repeating how perfect I was for this job.In my opinion, Ro would do an excellent job in taking care of someone like Berenice. He was made to lead an army and take care of a family at the same time. He has bottomless patience for kids, while me... I hate brats! I am one second away from gagging Berenice or knocking her unconscious just so I can continue doing this job.My clothes were soaking. My mind was fogged with anger and irritation. There’s a brat I need to deal with,
~Kai~I know it’s not a good idea. It was the worst idea since my cock was still as stiff as a pole; a banner could be attached to its tip. Red flags waves in my line of vision, tunneling my mind on a one-track path.Her body against mine, her feminine scent surrounding me… my mind swirled with different ways I could make her forget about her anxiety.Doesn’t she realize what she’s asking from me? I am a full-blooded man, and she’s a fragile lamb I could easily devour if I wanted. We’d be already in one bed, far from any disturbance.“... please,” she added when I kept my silence.My shoulders went rigid. Her voice was rough and heavy with fatigue.How can I possibly resist her begging like that?Despite my better judgment, I scrambled up the floor and sat on the bed, stretching my body parallel beside her.I don’t dare look her way. If I do, I don’t think I can control this rage bubbling inside me.“Thank you,” she sighed in relief, taking my breath away when she tucked her body into
~Benny~The sudden shift of the yacht woke me up from my slumber. I sat up, my heart drumming wildly when I couldn’t find Kai in the cabin.Daylight spills through the rectangular panel beside the bunker, blinding me as I turn to stare outside. The sight of extensive water and gigantic waves outside overturns my equilibrium.Gnawing at my lip, I fought to succumb to my anxiety, ready to search for Kai. I don’t know when it started, but I feel safe around him. Without my sleeping pills, it would have been impossible for me to fall asleep.But he held me.Chills suddenly blanketed my skin. My hands instinctively came up, providing warmth to my bare arms. Pulling my knees tight to my chest, I closed my eyes, remembering how Kai held me. His body was so warm against mine while I curled like a feline searching for comfort. He drew me closer with a hand on my shoulder. The gesture was surprisingly gentle for a gangster like him.I still remember how easy it was to open up to him. At some po
~Benny~ Kai smiled down at me, sadness enveloping his eyes as memories flooded his thoughts. “It’s all in the past,” he said, looking straight at the ceiling. “We all go through challenges in life that change our perspective. After she died, I searched for the truth behind that mission. I found out that the man we rescued wasn’t a businessman but an agent of the CIA black ops. The government used our team because we were dispensable. They don’t value our lives.” “Kai…” I whispered, feeling his resentment. He glanced at me. “It’s okay to be mad, Benny.” My name rolled off his tongue like honey. “But don’t let the pain rule your life.” Somehow, his words seemed to touch me where no one had ever done before. I stared at my hand on his chest. “I… I don’t know how not to be mad at the world, Kai.” Rough fingers skimmed my chin, forcing me to look into those tantalizing gray eyes. “You’ll find a way,” he said and the surprising part was, I believe him. ~~ Like Kai said, Skipper, the