Page 100 of Redemption
Alessandra’s mood shifts instantly, ready to beat me into oblivion for the hundred and eleventh time this week.“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!”
I raise my hands in defense as she twists and turns, landing with her legs spread over my lap before her hands lift and rush to rip the hair right from my skull. Intercepting her ravenous claws of death, I grip her wrists and pull them behind her back. The position causes her to arch her back, breasts lifting to press against my chest. My mouth waters at the contact. God, what I wouldn’t give for—
No! No! No! No! Keep the upper hand, you lovesick dipshit!
I release my grip from her wrists for a moment, switching our positions so that I’m the one on top in the dominant pose with her wrists wrenched up above her head and encased within mine once again. Our breaths turn ragged as we stare into each other’s eyes, taking in the new arrangement our bodies have fallen into so easily. Her legs are splayed on either side of my hips, her center pressed right up against...
Fucking hell, this isn’t any better.
Undeterred, she twists this way and that, trying to headbutt me, heel-kick my ass, and bite my face off, using everything she has in her arsenal to get the upper hand. Then, her legs wrap around my back, ankles linking at the base of my spine. Suddenly, my brain short-circuits, spouting error codes and abort mission signals because it feelsso damn goodto be pressed against her. Unfortunately, it also gives her the clearance she needs to get a wrist free. And then the other. With a shout of victory, she wraps a newly freed arm around the back of my neck and snakes it around the front, the other going under my armpit and around the back of my shoulder. Her hand locks around her snaking wrist at my throat before she squeezes the life out of me with a determined groan.
And here I am, awestruck and enthralled, stuck in a chokehold and back in a defensive position.
Well, fuck me on a flagpole.... How in the hell did this happen?
The hold she has on me is remarkable. Dots are already starting to form around the edges of my vision. If I don’t surrender, it’ll only be a matter of time before I black out entirely. And who knows what she might do if that happens?
Choosing to abandon my pride instead of potentially losing track of her due to her unyielding fortitude, I let the fightmelt out of me, relaxing into the hold and allowing the weight of my entire body to melt onto hers. She squirms beneath me, her breathing turning difficult as my larger mass settles on top of her smaller form. Her grip around my neck loosens, allowing blood to flow freely back to my brain and my vision to return. With my body weighing her down, we’re at a standstill, giving me the perfect opportunity to try and convince her—yet again—to give me a chance to explain myself.“Listen to me, you damn Aly-cat,” I grind out, my voice hoarse and gritty as I drag air back into my lungs. “I know it’s fucked up, but, at the time, the only way I could get you out of there was to create a distraction. To make them think I wasn’t going to let you get away and that I had you secured and subdued. I still have absolutely no intention of doing any of that, but if we get caught at any point during this mission, it’s going to have to look like I’m bringing you in. We’ll restrain your arms behind your back, and I’ll act as if I just caught the biggest fish in the pond. I want you to fight me every step of the way, not let them get any idea that we know each other or have any sort of a past, and I’m going to play my part.”
Relinquishing her flying fists—and feet—of fury, she finally settles as she wraps her mind around my plan. A second later, she surprises me, yet again, as she tilts her hips and flips us, forcing me to land on my back with anoomph, while she stands and moves a few feet away. Still obviously frustrated by what I’ve revealed, she paces, wearing a divot in the ground beneath her angry stomps, but her shoulders lower and her facial features soften to a determined glare as she mulls it over. Good. I don’t want her thinking it’s going to be an easy cakewalk once we do this. She needs to understand the gravity of the situation before she makes a final decision. After a minute or so, she nods.
Chapter Forty-One
Aly
Present....
Taking a deep breath, I give a tiny nod of confirmation and get to work.
Twisting in his arms, my feet dig into the asphalt as he drags and frog-marches me across the street. The outrageously loud windbreaker covering my body does its best to enhance the mood, drawing every bit of attention straight to us—and away from the newly unconscious guys we left behind—as we audiblyswishhere and there with everyunwantedstep. I growl, screech, scream, and wail, making sure my performance is worthy of every Oscar, Emmy, and Tony category out there.
“Hands up! Announce yourselves!” a man yells from the mass gathering, pointing his weapon, along with the ten others, directly at us.
“At ease! It’s Drone!” Darius calls out, causing the crowd to settle a tiny bit and slow their progression.
He leans down, a sadistic smile covering his face, keeping with the façade as his lips whisper against my ear. “That’s a good girl. Keep it up. You’re doing such a good job.”
Oh. My. GOD.
Between this and what he just did to those guys back there, I feel like I’m going to combust. While nothing has actually changed between Darius and me, it seems likeEVERYTHINGhas changed. He saved me. Continues to save me. Is about to save the guys I love, for me. Remembers my favorite treats and provides for me in my lowest moments. Regularly sings me to sleep each night. Kissed me!
And I...
Fucking hell, I kissed him back.
We might have been on the same page about this going no further than what it already has, but now it just feels... different. Everything he says, the way he moves around me, the way he takes my hand or holds me in his arms—even though we’re playing a role in order to convince people I’m an unwilling captive—it all has me on edge.
So, even though we’re slowly progressing closer and closer to the large gathering we’ve apparently drawn for our welcoming party, when he says things likethat, his unexpected praise goes right to my knees, almost buckling them in half.
Thankfully, my astute brain stifles the moaning gasp my inner praise whore wants to gift his compliment, turning it into a growl instead as I fully immerse myself back in my role asreluctant captive. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t be squawking nearly as effectively if you hadn’t cranked the zip ties so tight, asshole!”
My absolutely ludicrous and also highly annoying imaginary twin chooses this exact moment to saunter over to us, wearing Harley Quinn style pigtails today and a full mask of scary clown war paint. She bends down just far enough to get her heavily decorated face right next to mine, her smile growing exponentially as she takes in my... predicament.
“Ahem, girl... Wouldn’t be too sure about that. You know how much we like to get tied up. In a different setting you’d be squawking all damn night and loving every second of it. You know it, you twisted slut!”
I mentally shake my head in defiance of my delusional ramblings, swearing to all that is holy that I certainly would not, but then I feel his smile as he brushes his cheek against mine. “You know, I love it when you fight. Gets me right in the pants.”
My eyes practically bug out of my skull.
