in. “Hello, Aurora. How have you been?”
Before I can even attempt to greet Ethan back, Jonathan sits up, his arms enveloping me from behind as he snatches the tablet from my fingers. “What the fuck are you doing, Ethan?”
“Oh, Jonathan. What a surprise.” He doesn’t sound surprised at all. “I invited Layla and her family to stay at my Birmingham residence as long as they please. It’s the least I can do to help Aurora in these difficult circumstances.”
“Thank you,” I say, even though I’m secretly planning to kill Layla.
Jonathan’s eyes fix on me before he focuses back on the tablet. “Harris will come over to take Miss Hussaini and her family to the hotel.”
“No, can do. We’re cool right here!” Layla’s voice comes from the background.
“You heard her,” Ethan says. “I’ll see you when you return. You, too, Aurora.”
He hangs up before Jonathan can say another word. His hold tightens on the tablet and I suspect he’ll somehow bend it in two.
The tension radiating off him could break something. He doesn’t like that Ethan is meddling, and I guess Jonathan will always see him as some sort of a threat — even if he’s helping.
“Are we alone here?” I ask to divert his attention as a wild idea springs to mind.
“Yes.”
“What about Moses?”
“He stays near the plane landing.” He pauses. “Why are you asking about him?”
I stand up and pull the dress over my head. I went commando, so when I let the cloth fall on the chair, I’m completely naked.
My nipples instantly harden; it’s less to do with the air and more to do with the way Jonathan straightens, his entire focus zooming in on me.
His jaw clenches as he removes the shades, uncovering his darkened gaze. “Is that an invitation, Aurora?”
“No.” I walk backwards towards the beach. “I’m going for a swim.”
“A swim?”
“Catch me if you can, old man.”
“Old man?” he repeats slowly.
“Yeah, show me your stamina.”
“I did, not too long ago, and you were so exhausted, you fell asleep on me, remember?” He stands anyway, pulling his T-shirt over his head, then yanks down his shorts.
He went commando as well.
My feet falter in the sand at the view of him entirely naked, but I don’t get to stare for long when he charges towards me.
I squeal as I turn around and run in the direction of the beach. The water envelops my toes and calves in seconds. It’s a bit cold, and I shiver as it reaches above my knees, but I don’t stop my escape from Jonathan.
A strange sense of excitement grips me. It’s like those times when I used to hunt and stalk, but now, I’m not the predator, I’m the prey playing a game.
When I glance behind me, there’s no trace of Jonathan. I stop when the water reaches my waist and search around. Where did he go?
Did he leave? But I’m sure I heard him come in after me —
My thoughts are suddenly cut off when something grabs my calf and I shriek just as I’m being pulled under. Then the cold shock withers away as strong hands grip me by the arms and lead me back to the surface.
I gulp in a large intake of air, gasping, my fingers holding on to a muscular shoulder. I blink away the water in my eyes to make out the sight of Jonathan’s drenched face and his hair sticking to his temples. “Y-you!”
“Did you say something about stamina, wild one?”
“That’s not fair.”
“I never play fair.” His lips brush over my nose. “I play to win, remember?”
I do, and even though the notion scares me a bit, I can’t help but want more of it right now.
Splashing him in the face, I escape his hold and swim in the opposite direction.
He catches me in no time, but he also lets me go when he senses my need for a challenge.
It’s always been there, no matter how much I’ve tried to smother it. Challenges are what make me thrive, and Jonathan offers me that in the best way possible.
Will he still feel the same if he finds out that I’m as much of a monster as my father?
21
Jonathan
“What do you mean by, it’s null and void?” I ask Harris through the phone.
Aurora is taking a shower upstairs and I’ve come to the home office so she can’t listen to the conversation.
During the past few days we’ve spent on the island, she constantly demands to speak to Black Belt. If it were up to her, she would