Page 77 of Hostile King

I woke up early, my skin drenched in sweat from a horrifying nightmare and my throat dry. An overhead ceiling fan in the luxury cabin dutifully whirling on a mission to whip up a breeze. Rather than shower, I shunted the floor-to-ceiling glass door open and stepped into the natural surroundings lit up by a dazzling dawn.

I slipped into the crystal clear pool and silently watched pomegranate shards of sunlight sparkle across the surface in ripples. It was paradise, with only one thing missing. Then I’d wrapped myself in a bold printed robe and curled up in this very spot with a thick book.

It’s times like this, when I’m alone, that I reflect. I think about what my life was like before I met Tomás and how he had changed me—for the better.

He didn’t just safeguard me from danger, he saved me from myself. If he was beside me, I’d tell him how much I don’t recognize myself anymore.

I don’t mourn that girl; I pay homage to her crusade.

Nothing can erase the past, but I’ve forged a woman from courage and determination. I’ll carve out a future with untold adventures and the love of a man who would challenge Heaven and Hell just to be with me.

“Have you finished it?” Tomás’ husky voice never fails to make my belly flip.

I peer around the woven edge of the chair to find his healing torso lit up by the soft rays of daybreak. His unkempt hair is ruffled, the sexiness of it fizzling through me. I adore this man's immaculate and precise appearance, however hidden in the wild with me, his hair has grown a little messy and a thick scattering of coarse hairs cover his strong jawline.

The diamonds in his earlobes glisten as he moves, reminding me of his wealth and status. Sunkissed muscles flex as he stares at me, in the same state as when he fell asleep—completely naked.

How could I ever leave this man behind when just the sight of him casts me under a spell I’m powerless to break free from.

“I’ve a few more pages left,” I say on a feathery breath, my lip dents when I bite it, his predatory approach my undoing.

“Shift over.” He bustles in and effortlessly heaves me onto his lap, so my spine flattens against his solid chest. “Hmmm, you smell like sex, baby. I fucking love knowing my cum is still inside you.” My core clenches at the same time as my toes curl. I’m still not used to his filthy talk and how it sets off fireworks inside of me.

Every time.

I chose not to wake him after my recurring nightmare. The one where carnage reigns. Four corpses lie motionless in the dirt with eyes as black as coal and skin colder than the highest ice caps—Tomás, Sal,el Fantasma, and Shane. All of them struck by the horrifying hand of death.

It’s the silence that breaks me. How they never respond to the soundless screams scraping the raw skin of my throat. How I’m left alone in the darkness with only a gun in my hand and the moon to light up their fateful destruction.

I let him sleep rather than wake him early, given he fucked me under the stars like a wild animal the night before. Jackson, the trusted surgeon fromel Fantasma’ssecluded medical facility, here in the jungle paradise resort where we’ve been lying low for a couple of weeks, had instructed Tomás to refrain from physical activities.

The same talented heart surgeon who had operated on my lip when I was fourteen doesn't understand my stubborn man’s unquenchable impulses, nor does he appreciate that Tomás doesn’t listen to anyone—except for me.

“Right, let’s make a deal…” His sleepy voice rumbles into the shell of my ear, inciting a delicious shiver.

Our skin-on-skin contact makes my temperature soar. The bond we share is stronger than bolts, nails, or adhesives. It makes me thirsty for him all over again.

“I’ll read to you, and you’ll get a reward for finishing it.”

Flashes of his dirty desires sends my brain into a spin and my body goes all tingly, the rush taking over in a hedonistic shudder. “What sort of reward?”

“It’s a surprise.”

I tilt my head up, savoring the roughness of his scratchy chin. “I won’t be able to concentrate.”

“Patience. If I could wait a few days until I had the stamina to fuck you right, you can wait until I’ve read aloud the final pages of the journal. How else will you become a medical genius?”

“No pressure,” I laugh lightly, happy to have finally chosen nursing as my profession.

It won't happen overnight. Of course, Tomás has connections in the National University of Colombia and enrolled me in the program, stating he can’t wait to fuck me while I’m wearing the uniform.

El Fantasmahad offered to pay all my school fees, but Tomás wouldn't hear of it. Those two may as well beat their chests like gorillas.

When we get back to Colombia, Tomás has arranged for me to move into the hillside compound with him. He bought my apartment from Sal, giving him double what it’s worth. Now, Sal has a decent nest egg, and I get to live with this man.

As much as our new chapter excites me, it also scares the hell out of me. I’m more or less relinquishing my independence by moving into a home where I don’t pay the bills. It’s playing on my mind these past few days, festering in my brain until the idea has dulled.

I know he cares about me. To the point of obsessiveness. But what happens when he eventually gets bored and wants me out of his space? The thought of his rejection makes me sick to the pit of my stomach.

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