The perfect contradiction of deceptive boy next door and soulless viper.
“Adriana?”
Blinking, I realized he’d called my name again. “I’m sorry, what?”
The bed dipped as he knelt in front of me and gently pulled my hand away from my chest. “You looked like you were trying to claw your heart out of your chest.”
I was.
His fingers traced the red marks I’d left on my skin, and I flinched. “Hey, what’s going on? Talk to me.”
“Why?”
“Because when I mentioned you’d draw the line at hurting children, you went somewhere else.”
I couldn’t think while he was touching me, so I scooted backward until his hand fell away. “I may have done a lot of things. But I never have, nor will I ever, hurt a child. They’re the only innocent thing in this world. Nothing that happens to them is their fault. Sometimes…” I sucked in a sharp breath. “Sometimes even the people they grow up to be isn’t their fault.”
Brody was silent for a minute, and I thought I’d said too much until he shifted closer. I didn’t move. I didn’t even blink until he lifted his hand and reached for me. All the breath left my lungs in one hard exhale, but instead of returning to my chest, his fingertips brushed the scar on my neck.
“No one has ever really seen you, have they, Adriana?”
I shook my head because speaking the words would’ve been too intimate. This was the man who uprooted my life and destroyed my future, then tried to stain the only name I had left with false accusations. I hated him, and once I was accepted into this family, I planned to return the favor.
So why did I want his lips on me more than I wanted my next breath?
“I see you.”
“Don’t…” I shook my head, trying to pull away, but his long fingers curled around the back of my neck, holding me in place.
“You fight dirty, Carrera. You want everyone to think you’re this heartless bitch who’ll eviscerate anyone to get what she wants, but that’s a role you play just to get noticed.”
“Stop.”
“You dominate and exploit your enemy’s weakness because that’s the only way you know how to feel wanted.”
The air felt heavy, clogged with tension so thick I could taste it. As much as I wanted to throw every vile and hateful word I knew at him, the self-assured stare in his darkened eyes held me hostage, crashing through my barriers and holding me immobile.
He was right. He did see me. He saw right through me to the core of something I couldn’t rationalize, and it both infuriated and calmed me.
Why him?
Why did the man who ruined me, understand me?
My chest rose and fell in arduous waves as his hand slid up my neck. It was pure torture, a disturbing sensuality that resonated within the darkest depths of my soul.
Up my throat. Across my chin. Brushing my cheek.
I shivered the moment his hand dove into my hair, his fingers tightening to the perfect amount of pain.
“There are better ways to feel wanted, princesa.” The deep timbre of his voice was rough. Low and controlled, yet still hinging on the brink of destruction.
It was me he’d destroy, and God help me, I wanted it.
“Adriana,” he whispered my name again, and it sounded like a wicked prayer. He was breathing so hard my hair fanned across my face. This was wrong. So wrong. But I craved more, hating myself for it, but unable to stop.
Until the door slammed and the perfectly fucked-up bubble we crawled into burst.
“Well, I sure as hell didn’t expect this.”
Chapter Fifteen
Adriana
I had no idea who moved first. All I knew was that Brody and I sprang apart like two ends of a snapped rubber band. The fire that moments ago had my blood boiling extinguished, leaving nothing but withering smoke.
I knew who was there without turning around.
Brody’s eyes widened as he stared over my shoulder. All the color drained from his face, a sudden discord etched across it. Like he’d suddenly found himself trapped between two worlds without any means of escape. Maybe it stemmed from coming face-to-face with the living embodiment of torture. Either way, the sadistic craving that almost seduced me into trading vindication for gratification faded leaving only a bruised ego and a renewed will.
“Eden…” Brody murmured her name with such reverence I twisted my fingers together to stop myself from putting a fourth dent in the wall. “We, uh…I didn’t know you were back.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Obviously,” she quipped.
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes.
Brody raked a hand through his hair. “It’s not what it looks like. I mean, this isn’t…we aren’t…”
“Fucking,” I finished for him. Spinning around, I flashed her a wicked smile. “Well, not anymore, thanks to you. You’ll cockblock him until the day he dies, huh, Lachey?”
“Adriana!”
Yeah, that might have taken it a bit too far, but damn, it felt good, and even he had to admit she had it coming.
Twisting around, I met his narrowed eyes. “What?”
“Be nice!”
“Give me one good reason.”
“Because we’re guests in Eden’s house, that’s why.” Lowering his voice, he hissed a warning through a forced smile. “And because Val values her opinion.” Turning his attention back to Eden, his whole demeanor changed. “Seriously, we were just talking.”
I was pissed. Partly because of his slingshot attitude, but more so because I hated that he was right. I was caught between wanting to see Saint Eden suffer for her sins and needing her approval in order to win Val’s.
It was like teetering on the edge of a cliff with my only options being to jump off or face a hungry pack of wolves. Either choice ended in sacrifice. Whether it would be a sacrifice of pride, blood, or my life remained to be seen. I had no doubt the wolf at the door right now wanted all three.
Cocking her hip, Eden leaned against the doorframe, flipping her equally unnatural cherry red hair over her shoulder. “You know Adriana, you’d think you could scrape together a little gratitude that I opened my house to you, considering you ordered a hit on my brother.”
“And you put a bullet in mine. I’d say we’re even.”
“Even?” She threw her head back and let out a laugh so ridiculously loud it echoed down the hallway. “Your brother held a gun to my head then shot Val. What I did was self-defense. What you did was premeditated and heartless. My brother was an innocent pawn in your sick game.”
“So were you, yet here you are.”
A flush crawled up her neck, painting her face the color of her fake-ass hair. “You bitch…”
I yawned, patting my mouth for a dramatic flair. “Try again. I’ve already heard that one today.”
I caught a blur of movement out of the corner of my eye moments before Brody stepped in between us, arms stretched wide like some kind of bitch war referee. “All right, that’s enough.”
The insult was right there on Eden’s lips. I saw it. I waited on it, but her eyes darted toward Brody, and much to my dismay, it died. Sighing, she gave him a weak smile which quickly faded as her eyes trailed back to me. “I’m watching you, Marisol.”
Resting my chin in the palm of my hand, I tapped my index finger against my bottom lip. “Adriana.”
“We’ll see. You may’ve been born a Carrera, but you haven’t earned the right to call yourself one. My husband wants to give you a chance, so for him, I’ve allowed you in my home.”
Leaning back on one hand, I flipped my hair over my shoulder. “Don’t break your back rolling out the welcome mat.”
“Ladies!” Brody groaned. “Can we take this down a few notches? You’re not going to be best friends; we get it. Will you at least agree to be civil and try not to kill each other for the next twelve hours?”
Obviously, I had no intention of falling on my sword first, so I settled a har
d stare toward the doorway and waited. The silence was deafening, and the longer it went on the more agitated Brody became. We were clearly taking too long to answer, evidenced by his clenched fists and the gaze that bounced angrily between us. Just as he opened his mouth again, Eden cut him off.
“Fine.”
Twisting around, he cocked an expectant eyebrow at me.
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Adriana…”
God, I hated it when he drew out my name like that. It made me feel like a petulant child. “Oh, all right. I’ll pretend to be nice to the bitch.”
Brody threw his head back, exhaling hard as he stared at the ceiling.
“Starting now,” I grumbled.
I expected more arguing, but to my surprise, Eden let it drop. It was just as well. I’d only been here a little over an hour and I’d already provoked everyone in the house. Not exactly the best first impression. I had to find a way to keep my resentment compartmentalized if I hoped to have a chance of becoming a permanent fixture in the Carrera family.
“It’s good to see you again, Brody.” She took six steps inside the room and stood in front of him, placing a hand against his chest. I knew. I counted them. “You know you’re welcome here any time.”
Brody flinched at the contact. “I wish that were true.”
I wanted to grab her hand and twist it until it snapped.
I tensed at the bizarre surge of jealousy. Angry at my unwelcome reaction, I tore my eyes away, only to glance down and see my hand once again fisting the bedspread.
Get a grip.
Disgusted with myself, I released the material and swung my legs around until I faced the wall. Being alone in the room I knew belonged to my mother was the last thing I wanted to do, but it beat the hell out of watching whatever this was. However, just as I was about to make my exit, a faint but shrill cry filled the room.
Eden smiled. “That’s my cue. We’ll talk soon, okay?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Giving him one last pat on his chest, she took a few steps backward. “Well, then, I’ll see you both at dinner.”
“She means la comida,” I interrupted, irritated at the way she bastardized my culture. Two sets of eyes turned my way, and I snorted. “It’s like your version of dinner only we have it in late afternoon. Americans are the only gluttons who stuff themselves like pigs right before bed.”
Brody glanced at Eden for confirmation, and my blood boiled. As if the whitest woman in Mexico would know anything about tradition. For once, she didn’t argue, offering a slight dip of her chin as confirmation, and then slipped out the door as quietly as she’d slipped in.
Oh, good. My first dysfunctional family meal.
In the wake of Eden’s departure, an awkward silence filtered through the room. Brody and I argued with each other. We insulted each other. We threatened each other. We occasionally defended each other. And, in a surprising new twist, we inexplicably wanted each other. However, the one thing we never did was ignore each other.
It unsettled me.
I climbed off the bed, wracking my brain for something to say when out of the corner of my eye, I saw steam billowing out of the open door of the adjoined bathroom.
Which of course reminded me he was standing in front of me half naked.
“There’s probably no hot water left,” I mumbled, motioning behind him.
Brody’s forehead wrinkled, and he blinked a few times before glancing over his shoulder. “Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Guess I’ll be taking a cold shower.”
That makes two of us.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
Still, he didn’t move. “I guess I’ll see you in an hour for lunch.”
“La comida.”
“Right,” he said, a smirk teasing across his lips. “I’ll see you in an hour for la comida.”
Nodding once, I turned just as he called my name.
“Adriana?”
Just let me go. Please.
However, my body gravitated toward his voice, and I twisted back around, my gaze gravitating to where his hands were shoved in his pockets, the weight drawing his open pants farther down his hips.
“You’re wrong,” he said, and the force of the two words snapped my eyes back to his, but it was too late. He sighed heavily. “You accused me of still being in love with Eden. I’m not. There’s no justification in holding on to something that was never yours. In the end, not only will you lose, you’ll answer for it for the rest of your life.”
The room popped with the electricity of his confession. Or was it a warning? I didn’t know, and I had no desire to find out. My heart thundered harder in my chest until I was halfway down the hallway, far away from his probing eyes, seductive scent, and duplicitous words.
Collapsing against the wall, I braced the heels of my hands against my temples, forcing myself to remember what Brody Harcourt had done. We didn’t have a connection. What happened in that room was two dominants engaging in sexual warfare.
But I wasn’t about to win the battle just to lose the war.
At the end of the day, Brody and I would never trust each other. Our paths had tangled in such destructive ways that anything other than a shared goal between us was implausible. But even I wasn’t stupid enough to deny the obvious physical attraction between us. The chemistry we shared wasn’t just palpable—it was combustible. One touch was like flicking a lit match into a puddle of gasoline.
Brody fought it because he didn’t understand it, but I’d lived a life built on hypocrisy. It made perfect sense to me, which was why I knew eventually the storm would consume us.
Everyone equated passion with love, but hatred was a much stronger and more volatile emotion. It drew out our most primal response—the human instinct to control and punish. Desire and hatred were separated by only a fraction of a degree, and that was why neither of us would be satisfied until we’d torn each other to pieces.
We desired because we hated, and we hated because we resented.
I resented him for what he stole from me, and he resented me for forcing him out of the dark hole he’d buried himself in. Come tomorrow morning, there would be no estate to separate this chaotic storm brewing between us. Nothing but a road leading me back to a place I once called home.
And a choice to give up the man who claimed it, or give in to the man who destroyed it.
Chapter Sixteen
Brody
No one died during dinner.
It sounded ridiculous, but when you sat at the table of a man whose wife you used to fuck and sister you resurrected from the dead, a closer inspection of the pozole he served seemed warranted. Not to mention his most trusted confidante had done the exact opposite of what I’d asked and showed up for dessert with my sister and niece in tow.
So here we sat, three hours later, all gathered in what looked to be a botanical garden disguised as a backyard, still alive for the time being, assuming Adriana kept her mouth shut about my port deal with the Sinners and…other things.
Speaking of which…
Swirling the scotch in my hand, I sat back in the ornate hammock and took a long drink. “Are you serious about being a part of this family?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“A valid one. You have to know that this hostility between you and Eden can’t continue. Val won’t stand for it.”
“I was perfectly civil during la comida, just like you requested.”
I shot her a cynical stare and snorted. Either she didn’t catch the blatant sarcasm, or she chose to ignore it.
“Come on,” she groaned. “I even asked her to pass the salt nicely.”
“You said, ‘please pass the salt, whore.’”
“What? I said, please.”
She met my eye roll with a smirk and pushed her foot hard into the grass, all the muscles in her leg contracting. I tried not to look. Well, I tried not to let her see me look. After all, she was the woman who was threatening to ruin me, and I wa
s the man trying to figure out a way to even the playing field. But I was still a man, and I dared any guy with blood still flowing to his dick to turn away from those long legs and curvy thighs that spilled out of tiny white shorts barely containing her ass.
“You all right there, counselor?”
I cleared my throat, shifting my eyes to her face. “Yeah. Just wondering what you plan on doing.”
“This.” Leaving us suspended for a moment, she watched for a reaction. When I offered her nothing, she kicked out her foot, smiling as we free fell into a hard arc.
Neither of us spoke as we watched everyone scattering around the grounds, enjoying what was left of the sunlight. My gaze bounced from my sister and niece to a few of Val’s top lieutenants to the first family of Mexico’s underground. However, Adriana’s eyes never left her brother. If persuasion could be attained by sheer willpower, she would’ve had him in her pocket five minutes ago.
“If you make him choose, Adriana, it won’t be you.”
She shook her head, strands of her dark hair sticking to her red lipstick. “We share the same blood. I’m his sister.”
“And she’s his wife,” I reminded her. “Not to mention the mother of his child. Besides their baby, there’s no one more important in his life. For Christ’s sake, he took a bullet for her.”
“Why am I always the villain? Blowing my brother doesn’t absolve her of sin, you know. Have you forgotten that she strung you along for months until something better came along?”
“That’s not true! She—”
“And of course, there’s the fact that after Val took a bullet for her, as you were so kind to point out, she left him lying alone in a hospital bed because she…” rolling her eyes toward the darkening sky, she curled her fingers into air quotes, “…was too good to live the life of a cartel queen.”
“Adriana…”
“Oh, and let’s not forget that you risked your reputation and ruined my life just to remind her how the horrors of our world would clip her saintly wings, and she threw it in your face. Know why, Brody? Because underneath that sanctimonious exterior lies a soul just as ruthless as the rest of us. I just don’t get why I’m the only one who sees it.”
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