Ruthless Savior - Julia Sykes Page 0,3
finger, he’d tended the tiny wound himself; when he’d caught me coveting an elaborate chocolate fountain at one of his boss’s fancy parties, he’d made sure to slip me a large box of chocolate covered marshmallows the following morning.
All along, I’d brushed off the evidence Raúl’s attentive nature. I’d pretended that I hadn’t noticed his savage, masculine appeal.
I’d drowned myself in fear and hatred, so I didn’t have to acknowledge my traitorous thoughts about my cruel captor.
But he’d never been cruel to me. Communicating mostly in clipped commands and unintelligible grunts, he hadn’t exactly been warm. He’d been careful with me, treating me like something fragile to be jealously guarded. During my time in his protective custody, his animal magnetism seemed to have slipped through my defenses, settling into the deepest, most instinctive part of my brain.
Because no matter how many times I told myself Raúl was my enemy, I’d just been faced with proof of the truth I’d known in my heart but willfully ignored: he wouldn’t hurt me, and he would destroy any man who tried to violate me.
The stalking beast closed the distance between us. Although I felt small and vulnerable in his enormous, encroaching shadow, my body was once again flooded with the sense of power that’d overtaken me when he’d stilled his attack on Daniel. The lightest brush of my frail fingertips had stopped his brutal impulses, harnessing his unfathomable strength.
Ever since he’d claimed me as his hostage, he’d prowled around the edges of my personal space, as though separated from me by invisible iron bars. Now, he came straight for me without hesitation; a ravenous animal that’d slipped from his cage.
His body heat sizzled against my skin, and I stepped away with a gasp. My back hit the wall, but he didn’t allow me a reprieve. He loomed over me, so close that my breasts would graze his chest if I dared to arch toward him. My lips parted on shallow, panting breaths. A rich, deep scent infused the air around me; as calming as basking on the cool earth beneath a warm sun.
His jade eyes weren’t hard and dark like I’d always thought. With his chiseled face so close and his intense gaze fixed unflinchingly on mine, his eyes seemed to capture and contain light. It filtered out in rich shades of verdant green, like sunlight playing through a thick canopy of leaves.
He moved slowly as he lifted his hand to my face, as though I might shatter if he wasn’t careful with his immense strength. The strange mixture of vulnerability and power swirled through my system, intoxicating me. This soft, feminine aspect of my sensuality had been battered by heartless men, and I’d buried that part of myself long ago. Indulging in a man’s strength only led to pain.
But Raúl wasn’t hurting me. He was handling me as though I was delicate and precious.
The massive hand that’d been brutalizing Daniel only minutes ago now hovered a hairsbreadth over my cheek, but I didn’t flinch. I stared up into his forest green eyes, all thoughts melted away by his warmth. The fearful tension I’d been carrying in my muscles for longer than I could remember eased, soothed by his calming scent and the heady sensation of my power over this fiercely strong man.
His fingertips grazed the line of my jaw, rough callouses tracing a line of tingling sparks along my sensitized skin. Two fingers curled beneath my chin, lifting my face. Light danced in the mesmerizing depths of his eyes as they roved over each of my features, studying me with rapt attention.
“He didn’t hurt you?” The question left his chest on a low rumble. His tender concern held a possessive edge, and something quivered low in my belly.
I shook my head slightly to reassure him that I was unharmed, but the movement was little more than a tremor that raced through my entire body. His gentle fingers beneath my chin held me locked in place more effectively than if he’d pinned me to the wall with his hands around my wrists. If he’d been aggressive with me, I would’ve resisted. I would’ve defied him, even if I didn’t have a hope of physically overpowering him.
But this intense, tender attention rendered me more powerless than his fists ever could’ve managed. No man had touched me like this in an achingly long time, and my body was starved for the intimate contact.
My gaze dropped to his mouth. Just as he seemed to have lost