Page 10 of Vendetta Vows

"The dream died seven years ago." I manage to say.

"Was that when you came to L.A.?"

I nod, not surprised that he made the connection. "It was supposed to be my fresh start."

He reaches forward and tips my chin up gently until I'm looking into his eyes. I expect suspicion and curiosity.

But instead, all I see is sympathy.

"And has it been what you've wanted?"

The question hangs between us. The truth would be that it's been an unmitigated disaster. I want to tell him that I've spent every single day looking over my shoulder. I want to tell him that apart from this moment with him, I haven't felt a single second of true safety.

I haven't ever escaped my past. I want to rip away the layers I've built around myself and scream out the truth until he sees the real me.

But I can't.

In the end, practiced caution barely ekes out a win over my burning desire.

"I don't know," I finally answer. "I honestly don't know."

I'm aware of how his finger is still keeping my chin tipped up. For a heartbeat, I imagine him pulling me close, his lips capturing mine in a kiss that would shatter every wall I've built.

I can almost taste him, warm and insisting. I can almost feel his hands sliding down my back, pulling me against him.

But the moment never becomes reality.

Ruslan's hand falls away, returning to his side. The absence of his touch leaves an unexpected hollow feeling in my chest, like something precious has been snatched away before I even had the chance to hold it.

"I'm getting out of here," he says. "And I'd like you to join me."

My heart skips at the offer. "Join you? Why?"

"Because you've piqued my curiosity, Aurora Castellanos." His eyes dance with something that sends a current through my entire body. "And I'd like to find out more somewhere private where we can hear each other."

Danger signals flash through my mind at the mention of somewhere more private. But the warning feels hollow against the steady pulse of want beating beneath my skin.

I glance over his shoulder and catch Hannah watching us from across the room. She mouths "FUCK HIS BRAINS OUT" with such exaggerated emphasis I almost laugh.

I look back at Ruslan, at the possibility of... something.

Something that I haven't had in a long time. Something that I'd been terrified of for seven years.

Something that I've never stopped fantasizing about for seven years.

I should say no. I should tell him that I have other responsibilities. I should tell him that it's a kind offer but I can't accept it.

But instead, I hear myself say:

"Sure. Why not."

4

AURORA

The Lamborghini purrs around us,the interior dim except for the pale glow from the dashboard. Streets that normally intimidate me with their exposure feel almost private in the cocoon of his car.

The space between us feels charged, crackling with something I haven't felt in years.

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