Page 49 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

“The hotel?”

He nods. “The Bellagio. If it wasn’t for what happened to you, that’s where I’d made reservations for us.”

I force a smile on my lips, knowing I’ll have to figure out an excuse not to go to that hotel. I’ve been great at acting and know I’ll figure something out.

***

“The villa is lovely, Luca,” I say as I sip on my wine. “I noticed you have a toolshed in the backyard. I didn’t think you worked with your hands,” I comment, glancing at his immaculate fingers.

Luca chuckles. “I don’t, signorina Vanessa.” He takes a bite of his dessert. “I don’t like getting my hands dirty.”

“Of course not,” I giggle. “Then why do you have the toolshed?”

Luca grows uncomfortable, tugging on his collar as he gulps. “It’s just where I keep my import stock,” he reveals. “I was thinking of setting up a painting studio for you there once it’s emptied.”

“Really?” I perk up eagerly.

He nods. “Yes. Soon, the toolshed will become empty. You can have your own space to paint, then.”

My mind lingers on the fact that he revealed that the toolshed will soon become empty. I need to find a way to get back to the villa and inform my team that they need to be on standby. I smile at Luca, making him believe I’ve accepted that he’s an electronics dealer who imports goods from China. He isn’t the wiser and wipes the corners of his lips before getting to his feet.

“If you’ll excuse me, signorina,” he begins. “I will be right back.”

I watch as Luca heads to the restroom, getting an idea of my own in that moment. I turn back to the table, reaching for my wine glass, when I realize Luca’s seat is filled.

My heart skips a beat when I lock eyes with the brilliant emerald depths I never thought I would see again. Blinking in disbelief, my jaw drops when I realize I’m not imagining things.

He’s as real as the imminent, powerful aura radiating around him. The scent of musk arrests my airways, and a lump begins to form in my throat.

“Stryder…?”

I didn’t think I would ever see him again, not after what he did and how we parted ways so abruptly. I’d hoped I wouldn’t see him, my heart too torn to want to face him again. Yet, the mere fact that he’s here has me throwing caution to the wind and dropping my guard.

If he’s back for me, it’s the kind of gesture that I would accept as an apology. I’ve spent an entire week only thinking about him at every turn, feeling as if the seconds stretched into hours while time ticked by. I’d even convinced myself that I felt nothing more than a baser desire for him while he filled my time up on the island.

But it’s so much more than that, and while I soak in his presence, I realize just how much I’d missed him.

“What are you doing here, Olivia?” he asks with bitterness in his tone, his brows knitted tightly. The accusation flashing in his eyes snaps me out of my daze, and into the reality of his betrayal.

“I–” I purse my lips, quickly glancing over my shoulder, fearing Luca returning to find another man glaring at me from across the table. I can’t blow my cover now, not when I’m so close.

“You have to leave, Stryder,” I warn him urgently. “I can’t risk having Luca see you.”

“Luca, huh?” he scoffs. “You mentioned him before. He’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?”

I frown, appalled by his accusation. There’s no time to explain, and I don’t feel the need to explain myself to him. After all, he’s the one who betrayed my trust and withheld crucial information from me. If anything, I should let him suffer, and make him believe that I have a boyfriend here in the mortal world.

The mere fact that he’d let jealousy overtake him from what he might have witnessed between Luca and me means that he hadn’t been paying attention at all when I told him why I was being kidnapped when he found me. I should let him suffer. I should let him believe whatever he wants and wallow in his jealousy.

“I don’t have time for this, Stryder,” I say firmly, my mind and heart at war. My mind wins over, and I know I must do whatever it takes to save my career.

Just because Stryder is here now, it doesn’t mean he’ll be around forever.l He’s already proven his unreliability and showed me that I can’t count on him to be trusted. Just because my heart and body feel drawn to him, I can’t be foolish enough to gin into the charms he so naturally exudes.

“You have to go.”

“Olivia, please–”

I lift a dismissive hand in the air to stop him. “Just go. I can’t do this right now.”

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