Page 13 of Hostile King

“Fucking do it.” He seizes my hair, the strands looping his ruthless fingers like he’s the puppeteer in a distressing circus.

I wince at the sharpness and grit my teeth at him. “Why should I?”

Tomás’ nostrils flare. “Because I deserve it. Now do it again.”

A deranged laugh bubbles from my chest, almost betraying me as a sob. “Maybe you do deserve it, but you’ve just told me we’re done. So, I don’t have to listen to you anymore. If I don’t want to do it, I won’t.” I paste a scornful smirk on my face to hide from the heartache.

With a sudden change in his gaze, he drags me into his chest and kisses me in a mindless move, so viciously. He attacks my lips until they sting from his coarse hairs. He yanks my head back to deepen the pressure, until I whimper breathlessly.

I drown in his power.

Suffocate in his taste.

Lose myself in his ultimate control.

Only this time, his hands aren’t noosing my sore neck. One hooks my nape and the other curls around my bicep to stop me from bolting again. I should hate this man for everything he’s done to me. Though the truth is, it hasn’t really been anything I haven’t secretly craved.

The two of us are complicated. We’re bridged together with so many strong strands. Lust. Defiance. Understanding. Tragedy. Loyalty.

No matter how much my insides liquify from the heat of his kiss, it won’t alter our circumstances. He’s planning a wedding and I’ve got my own future to consider. Common-sense arms my instincts with lashing claws. I feel too much for him, already forgiving him for everything.

Iwant to behis.

Squirming, I manage to break contact, our lips no longer warring.

“Tomás,” I say, panting. “You’re telling me to go and you're kissing me like you want me to stay. But you’re engaged to someone else.”

His forehead furrows. “I’ve never met her,” he admits, his voice cracking like a stone under a hammer. “She means nothing to me other than being a cunning business deal. And for the record…you were never a decoy.” He shakes his head. “But now that I think about it, that’s exactly whatsheis now. Bianca is the woman who’ll step into the limelight as my wife, and by doing so she’ll be a target for all my enemies. Not you, Cari.”

Holding his stare, I watch his hardened expression in the hope I’d see the truth unfold. “So, you’re going ahead with it? You’ll marry her?”

My throat thickens at the thought of his rejection.

He nods as if it’s all perfectly simple. As if my feelings are paper thin and he’s the flames ready to incinerate every emotion inked onto my heart.

“Yes…it’s for the best.” A nasty trickle of pain leaks from my heart. “You’ll become insignificant to those who’d kill the people I’m close to, and I’ll gain more leverage in Mexico. It’s the right choice for us.”

His shoulders round. A veil of darkness clouds his eyes blocking me out with one sinister blink. His mother was right. Tomás is a strategist who’d willingly sacrifice our bond for money and power.

“Sir?” A soldier dressed in combat gear rounds the bend. “Is everything okay?”

Tomás’ posture instantly straightens, his expression slipping to a scowl. “Where’s the General?”

“We have him, sir. Apparently, he tried to pay off your pilot once Paco recognized the girl. They recruited her to assassinate you and wanted the pilot on standby, so your brothers didn’t have time to retaliate.”

More men arrive, circling us like a swarm of busy ants. “They tried to recruit her and failed.” Tomás corrects. “She’s loyal to us. Take her to my suite and lock the door on your way out.” Tomás’ disgruntled gaze cuts to mine, his handsome features softening until his attention glides to the collar of red skin around my neck. “Do not touch her, look at her, or let anyone else near her.”

He swallows hard as if he’s contemplating his actions. The bruises he gave me still throb. However, my nipples, the shirt chafes them holding the very essence of his masculine authority. Another man’s blood stains the fibers. Not Tomás’. He’s the king for a reason.

“By the time you’ve showered and changed into clean clothes, I’ll escort you to the chopper to finalize everything.”

I fold my arms with brazenness, letting the self-hug give me fleeting comfort. “There’s nothing to finalize.” My voice builds with strength. “I understood the agreement. You’ll never ever see me again, Tomás. I promise you that.”

Holding my chin high, I do a swift one-eighty, praying my legs won’t fail me, and stroll through the parting of soldiers who respectfully clear a path for my exit.

As much as I want to look back, I can’t.

I won’t.

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