breaths as I lowered my head, licking the melted cream from her fingers. Swallowing hard, a slight smile curled on her lips. Still nervous. Still uncertain.
After all, I was her captor.
“I’m always so messy,” she whispered, every syllable strangled.
I brushed my fingers along the inside of her wrist, taking my time dragging my tongue up one finger and down another. “There is nothing wrong with messy.” The touch was just as powerful, the forceful tingles grabbing at a portion of my breath. I finally let go, easing back slowly, shifting my attention to the ice cream in my own hand. I’d always been a man who was able to handle any situation, engage in almost every conversation. And now? I had no idea what to say to her. We weren’t friends. According to her, we were enemies.
“I’ve never been here,” she interjected. “To the island I mean. Very different than I thought.”
Winter had broken the ice and even though she remained uncomfortable, at least some of the tension had eased.
“Take a walk with me. I’ll show you around.”
She shielded her eyes, narrowing hers. “O-kay. Is that allowed, I mean do we have the time?” Her skepticism remained, furrowed deep within her psyche, her tone almost as edgy as before.
“Eat your ice cream before it melts,” I instructed, moving down the two steps onto the sidewalk. I kept my distance as we walked, window shopping at the quaint stores, her eyes open wide the entire time.
“Why here?” she asked.
I took another lick, no longer enticed by the experience. As I dumped it into the trash, she gave me a look of disdain, purposely sliding her tongue from one side to the other.
“Because this was my mother’s favorite place to vacation,” I answered truthfully.
“How deep,” she jeered.
I closed my eyes briefly, forced to realize that we were going to spar the entire time. She would never trust me on any level, another damn thing I blamed the Council for. “You can choose to believe this or not but growing up in a mansion where the furniture wasn’t allowed to be touched wasn’t the best situation for a little boy. I had my room and an adjoining playroom that I shared with my brother. Of course, he was much older, so he certainly didn’t want his kid brother tagging along. It was a lonely place.”
“Huh. And here?”
“My father almost never came with us. He was far too busy with work, but that meant Christian and I could be kids. We were allowed to climb on the furniture, even eat ice cream in front of the television. And we explored the dunes and marshes. It was wonderful.” I hadn’t realized I’d stopped walking, lifting my head and staring at the perfect blue sky.
She shifted in order to face me. “Los Angeles. My mother used to take me for a girls’ weekend there twice a year. Of course, she had to stay in a fancy hotel, but we shopped and had lunch out anywhere I selected. She even introduced me to Broadway plays when I got older. That was honestly the only time I was close to my mother, the only time I felt like she was a real person instead of the plastic representation in front of my father.”
“That sounds very special for the two of you.”
Laughing, she eyed the remainder of her cone, dropping it in the closest trash, her demeanor and her expression souring. “Let’s not kid ourselves, Matteo. The memories are nothing more than blips in time, tiny bubbles that we both clung to in order to keep up the façade. While our parents had everything that money could buy, neither your mother nor mine was happy. I wouldn’t wish growing up in a cold, stark environment on anyone, especially my children. That’s one reason I will never consider having a child. I hate my mother almost as much as my father, but you were right in saying that our mothers actually agreed to the lifestyle after some time. I will never consider being forced into a marriage acceptable. The sooner you realize that the better.”
Her harsh glare had returned as well as her arrogance and anger.
Then again, so had mine.
“It’s time to go.” I inched closer, yanking the lemonade from her hand and tossing it as well. “Having money doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy, Winter. What it does allow you to do is enjoy your life without fear of everything being taken away.”
“Are you happy?”
I laughed softly as