him.”
His jaw worked for a few seconds, chewing over words that didn’t leave his lips. Finally, he settled on a curt nod. “Good. It’s good that he’s dead.”
I mirrored his movement, nodding in automatic agreement. Now that I’d unburdened myself of my terrible secrets, I felt utterly drained. My body sank into the soft mattress, and my head settled on Raúl’s chest.
He resumed stroking my hair in a hypnotic rhythm. His low, satisfied hum followed me down into deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 16
Raúl
I propped a shoulder against the wall, leaning back while I observed Marisol at my leisure. She stood at the open fridge, fussing over the food I’d had delivered this morning. A bright smile lit up her soft features, making her golden skin almost incandescent.
I studied her in profile, indulging myself in a thorough perusal of her delicious body. As she bent down to inspect the food items on a lower shelf, the lightweight material of her cherry red dress draped over the lush curves of her perfect ass.
The memory of that soft flesh bouncing beneath my punitive hand drew a slightly twisted smile to my lips, and an echo of my lust stirred. Although we hadn’t shared more than a kiss since that rough, savage scene in the woods yesterday afternoon, I felt fully sated in a way I’d never known before.
Judging by the way my cock stiffened when she dipped lower, causing her cleavage to nearly spill over her bodice, I wasn’t anywhere near sated when it came to craving her body. Even if I bent her over the counter and fucked her hard right now, I doubted I’d be satiated.
But staking my claim over her yesterday—utterly subjugating and marking her—had calmed me. For weeks, I’d desired her, but I hadn’t allowed myself to touch her. The completely unfamiliar act of self-denial had chipped away at my sanity every day that I kept her as my protected hostage.
Fully unleashing myself on her had been the most intense sexual experience of my life, and I hadn’t even fucked her.
If she turned to me right now with the barest hint of an invitation in her eyes, my cock would be rock hard for her in an instant.
But there was a different, stranger satisfaction that’d settled deep in my chest since she’d awakened from her nightmare at dawn. She’d shared pieces of her soul with me, placing herself in my hands and making herself completely vulnerable. She’d drifted back to sleep in my arms, peaceful and sweet.
After indulging in my morning coffee and a delicious homecooked breakfast, an unfamiliar languor had settled in my body. My lips stretched in a lazy smile as I listened to her exclaim over the food that I’d provided for her. She didn’t seem to mind my almost nonexistent communication skills, and I didn’t feel the irritating obligation to offer more words than I actually wanted to say.
Nearly all of my human interactions involved either cartel politics or Stefano’s insane parties, which were also cartel politics but with more bullshit small talk. I never invited guests to my home because I found socializing tedious, and when it came down to it, I didn’t have much to say to people I didn’t really give a fuck about. I definitely didn’t care to hear about their mundane lives, and half-pretending to listen took all my mental energy.
But I didn’t have to pretend with Marisol. I didn’t have to try to behave in a way that didn’t come naturally to me. I liked her presence in my home. She was too soft and sweet to ever grate on my nerves.
And she was a fucking fantastic cook. I made a mental note to fire my chef.
As I continued to watch her, offering the occasional grunt of agreement that seemed to please her, something warm began to pulse at the center of my chest. Idly, I rubbed my palm over the spot, enjoying the sensation.
Finally, she closed the fridge and turned to beam at me. “This is amazing, Raúl. I forgot how much I like cooking, especially when there’s someone else to cook for.” Her smile took on a sad twist, but she didn’t seem distraught. “I’m not sure if I even realized how much I like it until I couldn’t do it anymore. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you’re happy. I should be thanking you for the delicious meals. You’ve saved us both from my shitty cooking.”
Her delighted giggle went straight to my head, intoxicating me. I closed the distance between