Page 44 of Never Fall for an Angel

My stomach turns, but even worse, my heart aches like it’s being ripped out of my chest. I never wanted to hurt him. I never wanted to be the one to put that bullet in his chest.

“Is this about the rooftop?” I breathe, my voice catching in my throat. I knew that if he didn’t die from what I did to him, he would hate me for it. I never expected him to find me, though. Not beforehedid.

“Is this about money?”

He brushes the hair back from my face, letting out a dark chuckle. “I’ve got enough money to buy anything in the world, Mila. What I want can’t be bought.”

In a fresh wave of anger . . . I fight against him, my hand connecting with his lip and my knuckles grazing along his teeth. It hurts, but I’m too busy processing what he said to give it any care.

“Fuck you!” I growl, bucking underneath him, but he’s too big, and I’m out of breath. Am I that weak? “Get the hell off me!”

He simply takes my hands in his, pinning them above my head while I continue to give him everything I’ve got. His breathing is just as erratic as mine, but the bastard hasn’t even broken a sweat.

“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness, Mila,” he warns, brushing his nose along the side of my face, inhaling my scent like he’s committing it to memory. “I don’t tolerate temper tantrums.”

“Get offme!” I spit, but he just laughs in my face.

“No.”

“Are you insane?”

God, he has to be because the asshole laughs.

“What?” I challenge. His hand lets go, and he fists both my wrists in one of his hands. His free hand slips down, over the curves of my neck, then lower, to my stomach. “I shot you, and now you’re just going to kidnap me and rape me? Use me to carry out whatever your sick little revenge plan is?”

His eyes light with dark amusement. “We both know if I wanted you, I wouldn’t have to rape you, sweetheart. And unlike your stepdaddy, I prefer my women willing.”

“Oh, how noble of you,” I roll my eyes. His fingertips dance across the bare skin where my shirt has just barely ridden up above my jeans, and despite everything, heat settles in my core from the brush of his fingers. “I hate you.”

“That’s a shame,” he murmurs, his hand sliding up my side and bringing goosebumps in their wake. “Because Iloveyou,” he taunts, throwing the exact words I’d said to him when I shot him back in my face.

“You’re anasshole.”

“So I’ve been told.” His fingers graze my racing pulse in my throat before slipping up to tug my bottom lip from betweenmy teeth. His gaze flicks from my eyes down to my lips before coming back.

“So, what? Why did you bring me here?”

He leans in, pressing his lips to my ear, and I hate that my body responds to his touch, heat gathering between my legs. “I told you, sweetheart. You’re going to give me everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“Christian, you can’t be serious. You can’t kidnap me.”

“Oh, I think you’ll come to understand exactly how serious I am.” He pauses, looking down at me. I hate the amusement in his gaze. “You going to hit me again if I remove my hands?”

“Probably.”

Shaking his head, he stands, towering over me. His dark stare bleeds into mine, stealing my breath.

“Welcome to hell, baby.” His teeth glint wicked and sharp in a cruel smile. “I’ll be your tour guide.”

A ringing cuts through the throbbing pulse in my ears, and he smirks down at me, turning away to answer his phone. I listen to the sound of another man on the line, but I can’t make out what he’s saying.

Instead, I do the only thing I can think of and grab a dusty, hardcover bible resting on top of the nightstand.

And then I swing it at his head.

I catch him off guard, knocking him forward. He stumbles into the wall with a curse and drops his phone.

I don’t stick around to see what he does next, though, taking off towards the stairs like a bat out of hell. I nearly pitch myself down the iron staircase in my flurry, and my ankle throbs with a dull pain, but I ignore it. I’ll find somewhere once I’m out of here to lay low and lick my wounds later. For now, I have to run.

---