the ice had reduced the swelling enough that he could almost make out her features.
Christ, she was magnificent. Rough-hewn but at the same time delicately formed. With shimmering raven hair and flashing brown eyes, she was captivating beyond what he’d imagined a cartel slave could be. Or any woman, for that matter.
No wonder Hector’s sons were so possessive of her. Were. Not any longer. She belonged to him this week, and during that time, no one would fucking touch her.
Sitting beside her hip, he adjusted the sheet over his nude lower half. Without a doubt, Vera had tuned in from the monitoring room, listening to the screams from his bathroom. She’d shown too much animosity toward this girl to not be glued to the cameras.
If his efforts to make Vera jealous and cozy up against him didn’t pan out, he had a backup plan with the little fighter. Being imprisoned here for almost three years, Gina knew things about the compound. Hell, she’d seen what lay outside the wall.
She cracked open an eye, then the other, giving him a full-blown glare, frosty and vibrant with malice. “Who are you?”
“A man who doesn’t deserve that look.”
The evening could’ve gone much worse for her, and she knew it.
Delaying the need to cause her more pain was the best he could do tonight. Tomorrow would be a different story.
Tomorrow, he would learn everything she knew, even if he had to fuck it out of her.
What made that more depraved was that he looked forward to it. To capture her tiny waist in the grip of his hands and impale her on his cock… He couldn’t wait. Heat snaked through his groin at the thought of claiming her.
He wanted to do it now.
With her long black curls spread out over the pillow, she conjured images of a dark angel. The bedsheets tangled around sleek, enchanting hips, leaving the rest of her bare like a sacrificial offering for his gaze. Small firm breasts, flat belly, bronze legs, so smooth and enticing… She had a body that wouldn’t quit. Strong, divine, untamed beauty.
The urge to slide his fingers up and caress the reddened skin around her eyes and cheekbones was hard to resist. But she would fight the affection. With the cameras in full view, he didn’t want to have to discipline her, which he would do to maintain his cover.
As it was, this girl was already onto him.
The moment she’d realized he wasn’t fucking her tonight, her hatred had twisted into bewilderment. Fatigue played a part in her confusion, but he’d felt a shift in her.
She wanted to trust him.
If only he could do the same. He’d tried to test her loyalty, asking if he should send her back to Hector’s sons. Her don’t care response wasn’t assuring. Until he knew with certainty she wouldn’t stab him in the back, he couldn’t tell her who he was. Blowing his cover was the quickest way to ruin the mission.
Despite all that, he loved her explosive temper and quarrelsome nature. She wasn’t afraid to throw a bare-knuckled punch or get in his face and run off her mouth.
A mouth that had forgotten how to soften in a smile.
He wanted to force his tongue between her clenched teeth and duel it out.
He wanted to kiss her.
Even after consuming more whiskey and half of a steak, he still tasted her on his lips. He couldn’t recall ever contemplating the flavor of a woman’s body before. Perhaps because no one had ever tasted so forbidden, like honeyed sin and fiery rebellion.
Shutting the door on those thoughts, he turned on the television, switched off the lights, and slid into bed beside her. After a few adjustments, they lay beneath the covers, face to face, eyes locked.
Tomas had already retired for the evening, confirming that the devices in the ceiling had night vision. But the sounds from the TV should drown out a whispered conversation.
A late-night talk show flickered on the screen. The soundtrack of studio laughter detached itself from the weighty silence between him and Gina.
He wished he knew her real name. He wanted to know everything about her—where she came from, how she ended up here, her schooling, job history, hobbies, family, boyfriends, all of it.
She regarded him with similar interest, her dark eyes pooling with dazed curiosity, lips swollen, and forehead creased as if fighting the lethargy taking hold.