Page 64 of El Malo

He growls. “I love you too, Rosa. Forgive me.”

With those words, he tightens his grip around me and then he leaps. Straight off the cliff. His body wraps around mine and his legs tangle with mine pinning them. My stomach is left on the ledge as we sail toward our deaths.

All I can think about is him.

Crash!

I expect instant death. Exploding bones. Not this. Not ice-cold waters and being plunged so deep I wonder if it ever ends. The waves yank me away from Javier and I thrash in the blinding dark depths as I try to figure which way is up. My lungs protest, aching to breathe, as I swim hard in no direction whatsoever. I believe I truly will die when a strong arm snags my middle.

Javier.

My savior.

He swims hard and powerfully in a direction that must be the correct one. And soon, my lungs get the fresh air they so desperately crave. I suck in a deep breath before a wave topples us once more. But this time, he doesn’t let go. He swims with me in his grip until my feet kick up gravel beneath the surface.

Land.

I’m weak and still gasping for air as he scoops me in his strong arms. He carries me to a warm, sandy area and sets me down. Before I can argue, he pounces on me. Our mouths crash together in a painful way as he lays me flat, his hands ripping my dress up.

“Javier,” I say, sobbing. “Javier.”

“I know,” he croons. “I love you too. I had to be sure.”

His cock is out and he pushes my panties to the side. With a quick, hard thrust, he drives into me. I latch onto his hair and dig my heels into his ass. He fucks me hard and without apology right on the banks of the water. His grunts and groans are claiming and animalistic.

I need him.

I can’t live without him.

My crying becomes overwhelming. I almost ruined it all. I almost called in to the CIA and would have lost him. I would have killed us figuratively.

I’m too selfish.

I’ll keep him until they rip me from his arms.

There’s no other way.

I don’t orgasm. It’s not about that in this moment. It’s just about being connected to someone in a way you’ve never been in your entire life. I claw at him and kiss him desperately. With a guttural sound, he comes. His thrusting becomes uneven and harsh until he falls against me.

“Rosa,” he says fiercely, his dark eyes finding mine. Panic flashes in them. Heartache. Loss.

“I’m here,” I choke out.

“I had to be sure,” he murmurs, water dripping from his hair and face. He looks so young and terrified. It kills me. “I had to be sure. Rosa, I had to be sure.”

I nod as tears leak out. “I know. I know, Javi, I know.”

“What is this place?” I ask as we pull up to a nondescript building. It’s dark and the only signs of life are a neon orange sign that boasts “open” on the brick wall.

“You’ll see.” He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze before he climbs out of the Thunderbird.

Earlier, we spent hours drying out and making love on the sandy banks. He revealed that those cliffs are ones he’s familiar with. Cliffs he’s jumped from hundreds of times. My safety was never at stake, but our future was. Because of his position in this country, he can’t trust just anyone. He shouldn’t trust me. But he does and I’ll be damned if I screw this up. Not now.

He opens the car door and helps me out. I clutch my purse in one hand and take his hand in the other. We’re both dry now. I look a fright with my messy hair and missing shoes that are now at the bottom of the ocean, but with the adoring way Javier regards me, I don’t care.

“Estrada,” a man hoots as we walk inside. The man is tall, much taller than Javier, and scary. He has more tattoos than anyone I’ve ever seen. His eyes are completely white, thanks to contacts, and when he grins, he reveals sharpened teeth. The man has more piercings on his face than I think humanly possible, but here he is. Looking like a total freak show. It should unnerve me, but Javier shakes his hand and then pats his back.

“Facundo and I used to run around together when we were kids,” Javier explains. “His father is friends with mine.” Javier points to me. “Facundo, this is my Rosa.”

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