in a matter of days. I hope you find that unresponsive housewife you’re looking for.”
“I wouldn’t cross me, Lindsey. You have no idea how powerful I am or what I can do to anyone you choose to care about, including that doctor friend of yours.” Michael lifted his glass, giving me a nod. “Your choice, but know that you’ll be responsible for the ramifications of your decision.”
I fisted my mouth and curled my legs under me on the chair, the memory eating at me. The warm breeze only served to add to the chill trickling down my back. My head ached almost as much as my body. While the adrenaline was finally dissipating, I couldn’t close my eyes for fear of the vicious nightmares crawling in.
Had Michael made good on his threat? Was he responsible for the attack on the camp and for my abduction? If the horrors I’d heard about the Serpent were true, why hadn’t he forced himself on me? I lowered my head into my hands, trying to take a deep breath. The way the necklace dangled against my hand was far too much of a reminder of my past.
My father couldn’t have promised my hand in marriage to that awful creature. I’d known my father had wanted to control my life, much like he had when I was younger, but to actually agree to some kind of an arranged marriage was preposterous. While my father had never attempted to stop me from dating Michael, he had warned me to be careful.
I certainly needed to try to figure out why I was targeted. I honestly didn’t believe that the two mercenaries sent to find me had any real understanding of the reason for the job they’d been assigned. Or did they?
“You shouldn’t be out here.”
I bristled from the sound of Diego’s voice, my heart thumping. Both he and Jack were just as dominating as Michael, yet they were entirely different. The dichotomy of what I’d experienced was terrifying, mostly because I’d been so aroused at the intimacy that I’d shared with the two men. I’d never been that kind of girl, the type to desire dating more than one man at a time, let alone fucking them. Maybe the incident with the Serpent had changed me forever. What troubled me was that I remained wet and hot, my nipples hard as pebbles. “I couldn’t sleep.” My voice sounded so weak, beaten down.
“I understand but you’re out in the open. You are required to follow our directions. You know that, Lindsey. Rules were made to try and keep you alive.” Even though he issued the harsh words, he moved to the second chair in the small balcony, sitting down beside me and leaning forward.
“If what you told me is true, he’s going to find me anyway. So, why bother?”
“You can’t think that way. You have to remain strong.”
“Strong. What do you know about strong?” This time, my words were unsympathetic, which was so unlike me. I’d changed more than I knew.
“Maybe you’re right. I have no idea what you had to endure. I only know that it’s our job to keep you alive and I intend on doing that, even if you don’t like it.”
Noticing two bottles in his grip, I couldn’t help but smile. He’d gone to look for me on purpose. As I took one of them into my hand, our fingertips touched. There was an instant incredible kinetic energy as I’d experienced with Jack, but then again, altogether different. Jack was the brooding in your face kind of man. I could see Diego as a lover, a man who would stop at nothing to make the woman he cared about happy. I pulled the bottle to my head, rolling it across my forehead, the bottle surprisingly cold.
I heard his deep raspy breath, could tell he was just as bothered by the intensity of our connection as I was. Swallowing, I tried to remind myself that there were thousands of stories about people in dangerous situations and the attraction they had at the time, only to find out they couldn’t care less about each other at a later point. I laughed softly, rubbing my hand through my hair. I felt his gaze, a man trying to figure out what I was made of.
So was I.
“It’s some local beer. I’ll get you something else if you prefer.” He kept his voice low, but I could hear the same level of lust as before.
“This is great. Thank you.”
He