Page 194 of Awakened by Sin

“Vinny,” she said in a warning voice.

“I love you because you’re the horniest woman I’ve ever met.”

“Vinny!”

“I love you because you make me want to sing a cappella in bed.”

Carmen bit his nipple, and he yelped.

“Okay, okay. I love your smile.”

“You’re talking about sex and my looks.”

“That’s the most important.”

She was about to yank his balls when his next words stopped her.

“I love you because you bring out the best in me. I love you because you know exactly who I am and remind me when I forget.” He stroked damp strands of hair back from her face. “You love with everything in you. I knew if I could hook you, you would never leave me. You’d be here by my side no matter what. Your love made me into the man I’m supposed to be.” He searched her eyes. “You get me?”

She blinked back tears. “Yes.”

“Why do you love me?”

She laughed. “I should have seen that coming.” She sat up and surveyed him in all his masculine glory. She splayed her hand over his heart. “I love you because of this. It’s the most beautiful part about you.” She ran her hands through his thick, soft hair. “I love you because you love me for who I am. You’re so patient with me. You listen to me.” She leaned down and rested her forehead against his. “You made me believe I’m perfect. That’s why I love you.”

He cupped her face. “Forever, Carmen?”

“Forever. No matter what comes,” she murmured.

“That’s my girl.”

27

Carmen openedher eyes and squinted against the dim light. Her eyelids, like the rest of her body, felt bruised and swollen. Her throat was raw, and the awful taste of bile lingered on her tongue. She opened her eyes and grunted at the pain that simple task caused.

“You’re alive.”

She dropped her head sideways in the direction of that voice. She stared at her surroundings for a full minute before she registered what she was seeing. John Smith stood in front of a massive canvas finger-painting red mountains. He had nixed the suit and now wore the loose pants people wore in karate classes. His shirt was skintight and showed off his muscles. Her weary brain didn’t want to move past his bare feet, but eventually her eyes tracked around in the room. The walls and floor were made of smooth white stone. There were intricate designs carved into the stone, but she couldn’t make out what it was. Maybe she was in a Greek castle. Arched doorways led into other rooms also made of the same stone.

“Where am I?” she croaked.

“You don’t know?”

He didn’t turn from his painting. He tilted his head, and his braid swished to the side.

“Who are you?”

“You haven’t figured that out either?”

She glanced around the room for a weapon. He had saved her life, but he also hadn’t called for help. Instead, he put her in a dark cell where she almost froze to death. Somehow, she found the strength to lift her head. There was a wooden cup with colored pencils and a compass on a stand. She wriggled up the cot she was on and reached out. Her hand trembled as it hovered in midair. She glanced at John Smith who slapped more red paint onto the canvas. She gripped the compass and carefully lifted it without jostling the pencils and slipped it beneath the thin sheet covering her body. It took her a few seconds to realize she was buck naked.

“What did you do to me?” Her voice was pathetically weak. She tried to muster up a healthy dose of anger or fear that would give her strength, but her emotions and motor skills were sluggish and not yet back to normal.

“A Black Viper injected you with a drug cocktail. That’s all I managed to get out of them before they died.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. “You don’t remember?”

“You put me in a cell.”

“Yes.” He turned back to the canvas. “I didn’t think you would survive. It was touch and go on for a while. After I realized you were going to live, Augustus cleaned you up.”

---