Page 29 of Bastard
Legs splayed wide and shoulders relaxed. Owning the space, even in the dim light. Acting like he belongs there.
“Haven’t had your fill of spying on me tonight?” I hiss, turning on the lights before moving to stand before him. My hands find my hips and I cock my head, refusing to be intimidated by his sudden presence.
His eyes rake over my body, from my blue toenails to my white boy shorts, upward to the partially raised wet T-shirt clinging to my curves. I struggle to remain unaffected.
His face is expressionless, his manner cool and calm, authoritative as ever. There was a time he couldn’t keep his hands off me. Is he even slightly affected now?
“What do you want?” I demand, sounding hoarse and deeply troubled, my turbulent emotions fully expressed in my tone.
He raises his head and locks eyes with mine. “You.”
I search his expression, confused.
He doesn’t elaborate, not right away. I try to block out the memories of a time he did want me—over and over and over like a man possessed. Was it lust? Was it love? Was any of it even real? I bite my lip, hating myself for wanting answers when all I should want is him gone. And the ever-observant devil knows it, his eyes fixed on me as I fall apart on the inside. It takes great effort not to smack his handsome face.
When he speaks, his words feel like an Arctic blast stealing away any warmth remaining.
“I have a job for you.”
9
Itell him to go to hell in three languages. “¡Vete al diablo! Loop naar de maan! Go to hell.” If I grab hold of the tight little knot on his head and give it a hard yank, would that force a reaction out of him?
“I’ve been there and back.”
He runs his fingers across his jaw, narrowing eyes on me like I’ve done something to annoy him. Ever so casually, he asks, “Did you enjoy yourself in Rome?”
I blink. “¿Cómo?”
“Italy.” He nods his chin toward my T-shirt. “Did you enjoy what Rome had to offer?”
The air within the bedroom thickens, causing me to draw a breath through clenched teeth.
Rome.
How. Dare. He.
“Matter of fact, I did. Took advantage ofallRome had to offer. Several times, in fact.” Lies. Aimed at the king of liars.
His jaw twitches. I’ve hit a nerve.
“That right?”
Madre mía, he doesn’t believe me. Why would he when he was there? It’s like lying aboutnotriding that mechanical bull when he was working the control switch. Best time ever? What happened couldn’t be farther from it.
A strong sense of self-preservation spurs me on. “Whenever I wear this shirt ...” I tug the hem down so the T-shirt pulls tightly across my chest and he can see the word written there ... “I remember everything Rome had to offer.Allof it.”
His jaw twitches. “Why Rome?”
Dios, he’s too clever. “My friend and I made a bucket list. Rome was the second destination on it.” I bite my lip, feeling my outrage growing. He dared to bring up Rome. And he wants to know why? “Cabo, as you know, was the first.”
Apologize, you bastard. Say it. Admit your men made a mistake.
“Your friend, Madelyn Smith, is married to one of my men and living safely in Florida. Her sister, Kylie Smith, is married to another of my employees and continues working for me, despite the misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” Months after the events in Cabo, I learned that Hayden had a hit out on Kylie. The hired men in Cabo who cut me up were sending “the traitor Kylie” a warning. That her sister was in peril if she didn’t turn herself in. Except, according to Diego, the men took things too far, though they paid with their lives for doing so.
“Let’s not forget your hotheaded brother,” the Bastard interrupts my thoughts. He raises his hand and one by one, begins folding his fingers. “One: He helps your friend go into hiding when she should have been brought to me. Two: He infiltrates the mountain resort of the wrong family member, then entangles himself with a civilian. Three: He dynamites a hacienda and destroys all evidence needed to help our mission. Four: He hitches himself to an outsider.”
