Page 11 of Sinister Engagement

My lips parted with a scream, but it got caught up in my throat as someone slammed into me from the side. The pavement rushed up to greet me, and I closed my eyes tightly as my hip hit the sidewalk and then we were rolling. Body on top of body, black coat swirling in a mess. Legs hit my side and then his as we tumbled out of the way to safety.

Heart pounding, head aching, my eyes finally managed to open again only to find myself staring straight up into the face of the man I'd been thinking about all afternoon. The harsh set of his jaw was taut as he ground his teeth together, glaring first at me and then to the side as he pushed off the ground and me.

Just before his body leveraged away from mine, though, I'd felt it—the length of him inside his slacks. Long and thick.

What kind of woman did it make me that I was thinking of nothing but my future husband's dick when really… I'd just almost died? Maybe I'd gotten brain damage on the way down.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Gaven barked as several guards came rushing up only seconds later. "You were supposed to be watching our surroundings! Your incompetence nearly got her killed. Get the SUV. We're leaving.Now."

No one could manage a word in as he began snapping orders and growling at everyone who neared us. My father stood off to the side, seething as he directed his men. I could tell he was angry I’d been targeted, but I couldn’t hear anything he said, his commands were lost amongst Gaven’s biting tone.

Almost as an afterthought, he reached down and helped me back to my feet. I wobbled on one leg, gasping as I nearly went down once more. Glancing down, I realized that one of my heels had snapped in the scuffle and I was uneven.

"For fuck's sake," Gaven muttered, and I briefly wondered if he was about to turn his anger and frustration on me. Before I could utter an apology however—for what, though, I wasn't even sure—he turned and swept me into his arms.

Blinking, I settled against his chest without a second thought, feeling small in comparison to his massive size. My arms twined around his neck as an SUV came screeching up to the corner and he hustled me toward it, sliding in and letting someone shut the door behind us. Only then did he look down at me, and when he spoke, surprisingly there was no anger.

"Are you okay, Angel?"

"Y-yes, of course."

Gaven narrowed his eyes on me as the SUV pulled away from the sidewalk and slid back into traffic. The driver was a known employee of my father’s, and he remained silent as he drove. His companion, however, in the passenger seat glanced back.

"I want a physician standing by when we arrive back at the house," Gaven commanded.

"Of course, sir," the man replied.

"I don't need that," I said quickly. "I told you I'm fine."

Gaven's hands tightened around me, and his head jerked down. "I want you looked over by a professional. You were nearly shot to death; there'snofucking way you're fine."

Shot to death … yeah, he was right. I'd nearly been killed. Someone had shot at me and damn near took my head off speeding past on that motorcycle. I kept saying I was fine, but it took until that moment, hearing such intensity in his words, hearing that hecaredabout what happened to me, to realize that I was lying. To myself and to him.

I felt cold. Impossibly so.Who would want to hurt me?I wondered.Why had this happened? What had I done?

"Angel." Gaven cupped my face, bringing my eyes back up to meet his. I hadn't even realized I'd lowered them. "Tell me the truth."

The truth?I thought bitterly. The truth was that I hadn't wanted this marriage. I didn't want to be any more involved in my mafia family's business than I already was. I was Alice falling down the rabbit hole trying so desperately to claw my way back to the surface.

I shivered in his arms, wincing as the strap of my heel scratched the back of my ankle. He cursed, dropping his finger away from my chin. Gaven's gaze examined me, and after finding the issue, he reached down and slipped a warm finger between my skin and the strap, sliding first the broken shoe off and then the unbroken one.

"Angel..."

"Thank you," I muttered, cutting him off. Gaven's head came up and his eyes focused on my face once more, lips parting in surprise even as his gaze hardened in careful consideration. "I-I didn't say it, but thank you."

Without him, I might not have been sitting there. I might've been bleeding out on the street, choking on my own blood, and though a part of me hated him for his role in forcing me away from my dreams of normalcy, I had to admit, he wasn't exactly acting the part of a hitman and future mafia boss. His gentle touch and unexpected affection… it was as though he truly cared about me. It was silly and childish to think that way knowing who and what he was, but I couldn’t silence the notion no matter how hard I tried.

Once more, his finger found my chin and lifted my face. He stared at me for several seconds before dipping his head. My heart thundered against my ribcage, threatening to race right out of my chest as he neared. I could smell the scent of cigarettes and mint on his breath, but it wasn't unappealing. Gaven brushed his full, masculine lips against mine—sparking something inside of me that had been there ever since I'd first laid eyes on him. It was only growing, and if I wasn't careful, it would completely consume me.

Marriage? To him? I was already fucked. Already trapped in this world I'd been born into, but perhaps… just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad if I was trapped in it with him.

His kiss overtook me, his mouth slanting over mine and his tongue delving deep. The world disappeared as I reached up and sank my fingers into the wickedly soft strands of his dirty blond hair. They called me Angel, but he truly played the part. The savage passion in his kiss speared me. He was a fallen divine being here to wreak such terrible havoc and all I wanted was for him to destroy me before the terrible things in our world did it first.

Because to be honest, I was scared. Terrified that one day I'd end up just like my mother. Left bleeding alone in a pool of my own blood with no one there to hold me as I left this world. It could've happened today, and maybe that was the reason I caved to my desires to kiss Gaven Belmonte back. Maybe I needed this physical connection to bring me back to the real world.

Whatever the case, it seemed the two of us were destined to this path together, and there was no stopping the journey we were on.

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