Until Tomorrow Comes: A Dark Mafia Romance (Beauty in Lies Book 1)

by Adelaide Forrest

  Until they faded to nothing but a memory.

  By the time the car service dropped us off at the hotel, I was ready to collapse into a puddle on the closest bed.

  Chloe had other ideas as she practically danced her way into the boutique hotel with her suitcase swaying behind her as she walked. Hugo stepped up to the concierge, speaking Spanish with the man behind the desk while he checked us in.

  "Señorita," a man from behind the desk said as he stepped around. He reached back over, grabbing two postcard-sized sheets off his desk. He held them out to Chloe and me, and I took the thick cardstock in my hand. The champagne invitation sparkled in the light with gold paint that dripped down it so luxuriously I touched it with a finger to see if it was still wet.

  It felt like liquid sin, as my fingers slid over the glossy surface.

  "Our sister hotel is hosting an exclusive party tonight. I'm certain the guests would love to see you there," he said. I turned my eyes up to his, meeting his brown stare as I tried to hand the invite back to him.

  "I wouldn't even know what to wear to something like this," I laughed.

  "It's by the pool!" Chloe said, shoving her invite in my face as if I couldn't read the words on my own.

  Meet me in the moonlight.

  Was it normal for an invitation to seem so personal?

  "A bikini and some kind of coverup is the typical dress code," the man agreed.

  "I don't own a—"

  "I brought you one. Thank you!" Chloe chimed as Hugo stepped forward and took another invitation from the man who scowled at him. He said nothing, as it was simply decided that he'd be attending any party along with us. That they seemed more inclined to invite women didn't bode well, but there was no diminishing Chloe's high.

  "I've heard of this hotel," she squealed as Hugo led us to the elevators at the side of the lobby. "It's the hotel in Ibiza. I can't believe we got invites."

  "I just want to take a nap," I protested. It wasn't that I didn't want to enjoy my time in Ibiza. I absolutely wanted nothing more than to step outside my comfort zone and experience what life could be like if I let myself enjoy it.

  Just not right that second and not jumping into the deep end with a moonlit pool party.

  "You've got plenty of time," Hugo said with a chuckle as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gave me an odd look. "In typical Ibiza fashion, the party doesn't start until midnight."

  "I'm usually in bed by then," I snapped, shrugging off his shoulder. "What's up with you? What's with the faces?" I asked, jabbing him in the side with an aggressive finger.

  "He's probably just wondering how we can convince you to lose your v-card tonight," Chloe said as the elevator doors closed us into the tight space.

  “I'm really not,” Hugo groaned. “Please don't make me think about her sex life.”

  “I don't have a sex life,” I said, rolling my eyes as Chloe's face filled my vision.

  "That changes tonight," she said. "We're in fucking Ibiza, Isa. Going to a party full of wealthy men who probably know how to fuck. Don't be the virgin when you go off to college. Please," she begged.

  I bit my lip, wondering what was so wrong with being a virgin. Watching my friends have their hearts walked all over throughout school by boy after boy, I had to think I was the lucky one. It wasn't like I was waiting because I believed my one true love would come to sweep me off my feet.

  It just hadn't happened.

  It was hard to be interested in high school boys when I dreamt of phantom hands reaching out from the inky darkness to wrap me in a suffocating embrace. It was hard to want a boy to hold my hand at the movie theater when I woke up in a sweat after dreaming of hands on my throat.

  How could a man ever compare to a phantom who didn't exist?

  "Fine," I groaned as we stepped out of the elevator and made our way down the hall. I wouldn't give it up to just any man. He couldn't touch me in the way I wanted, not if I wanted to remember who I was supposed to be, but I didn't want someone to make love to me, either.

  My life was a juxtaposition of reality and desire, and of using one to beat back the other daily. Phantom shadows stood everywhere, calling me to the dark. Pulling me from the depths of memories better left in my past.

  As Chloe pushed open the door to our room, I moved into the space and dropped my suitcase by one of the beds. “Estoy enfermo,” I joked, likely butchering the pronunciation and looking away from Hugo as he smirked at me.

  “You’re not sick,” he laughed. “We won’t let you stay in the hotel room tonight, entiende?”

  “Claro,” I sighed, refusing to look back at him. I wished I knew more than just the basic Spanish he’d taught me, and would have loved nothing more than to curse him out in his first language.

  Hugo said his goodbyes, going to the room next to ours to get some sleep before the party. I knew it wasn’t worth the effort to fight. I stared out the window, looking at the center of Ibiza Town in the distance while my face burned with the heat of the sun.

  Then I turned and went to take my nap, hoping it would rejuvenate me enough that the dark side of desire stopped calling to me.

  4

  Rafael

  Making my way through the lobby to the pool area at the back of the hotel, I admired the dim lighting and orchid glow to the water, courtesy of the underwater lights I'd arranged on Isa's behalf, in her favorite color. Lounges remained on one side of the pool, but the rest of the deck had been cleared for mingling or dancing. People already enjoyed the festivities, either swimming in the warm water of the pool, making their way down to the private beach, or dancing away to the steady and seductive beat of the approved list of music I'd given to the manager for the night's event.

  I loved Ibiza's techno as much as the next person, but Isa required something more subtle for her first foray into the world of sin and desire.

  The closed guest list meant that, while there were enough people around to make her feel comfortable, it wasn't overwhelming. We wouldn't be trapped in a crush of bodies when I convinced her to dance with me. We'd be able to move to the cabanas on the beach if she wanted to talk without the music serving as a distraction. I had arranged everything to absolute perfection while the poolside bar served drinks faster than normal. The threat of displeasing me served as a wonderful enticement for good service, but I didn't care about the service any of the other partygoers received.

  Only one woman mattered to me.

  Feminine nails trailed over my shoulders, threatening to leave pink marks on my skin as I jolted away from the invading touch. "Hello, handsome," the woman purred, staring up into my face as she gave me her brightest smile.

  "I'm with someone," I said, turning on my heel to scour the party for Isa. I'd have recognized her anywhere after spending far too many months looking at her photos, but there was no sign of my unique beauty anywhere.

  I suddenly wished I hadn't left my phone in my room, wanting nothing more than to check for updates from Hugo. It didn't matter that he hadn't messaged me to say they were on their way a mere ten minutes prior. I needed to see her.

  If I had to suffer through her absence for much longer, I might climb out of my skin.

  Or skin somebody alive. The latter was preferable.

  Making my way to the pool, I stepped down into the shallow water and made my way to one of the lounges in the shallow edges. Water slid over my skin as I laid out my body in a way that would give me a perfect view of the entrance.

  Time ticked by in an unending cycle while I waited, watching as a handful of women filtered into the pool area with bright smiles. More than one set of eyes landed on me, naïve to the monster lurking in their midst, but my single-minded focus on the entryway squashed anything that might have developed into an unfortunate and deceptive situation I would have difficulty pulling Isa back from.

  The manager's eyes met mine as he walked past, a subtle and secretive smile curving his lips up. Everyone wanted to know the woman who captivated El Diablo.
Everyone wanted to be part of the rise of a queen.

  Only a few chosen individuals could know of her existence until I got her home to El Infierno.

  Even if I hadn't been watching, I'd have known the minute she walked into the pool area. Her presence sucked all the oxygen from the air, demanding attention in the way that only Isa could.

  The pictures I’d seen of her through the years hadn’t done her justice. Nothing could compare to her in the flesh after the months that had separated us.

  I waited for her to turn her head away from her friend Chloe. Watched her walk in her wedges as if she wasn't sure how to navigate in them, but still managed it with a delicate grace many couldn't hope to achieve. A tropical printed dress covered her bathing suit, vaguely sheer enough to hint at the curves underneath. I focused on the line of cleavage the cover-up revealed down the center of her torso, dipping low enough to show the string that connected the two sides of her bikini together. Rope wove between the fabric on either side, connecting it over her tight stomach and then flowing down to her feet to cover her legs except for the slit that rode up to reveal her thigh.

  I turned my attention to Hugo to glare for a moment, meeting his eyes as they widened. He had the grace to look sheepish as he shrugged. I moved my gaze back to Isa, swallowing down my rage that he'd allowed her to leave the hotel in that dress.

  Had she been with me, it would have been fine. She'd have me to keep the wolves at bay, but knowing that other men had seen her before I could prevent them from molesting her with their greedy stares?

  It set my blood to flame.

  She glanced over at Hugo, following his gaze to the pool. The same shock I’d felt years ago vibrated through me the moment her eyes hit mine. The moment those stunning multi-colored eyes connected with mine, the music stopped. Everything ceased to exist but the way her breath caught and she parted her lips only slightly.

  Her right canine snagged her lip, nearly biting it in a move that spoke to just how little Isa wanted to commit to anything.

  She lived a life of half-measures, even when expressing her desire for me.

  I'd fucking fix that.

  5

  Isa

  "Oh fuck," I whispered, my lips burning with the words. There wasn't an expletive in the world that could begin to describe how screwed I was the moment his eyes touched mine.

  Something shifted within me, forbidden desires rising to the surface despite my attempts to shove them down deep where they belonged.

  "What?" Chloe asked, moving at my side. I felt the moment she saw him. Her body went rigid; her breathing turned shallow as she studied the panther watching me.

  Anyone else, and I would have said I was mistaken. That his eyes could only be on my stunning friend, who wore her sexuality like only a woman who felt free could truly do. But somehow, there was no doubting where those mismatched eyes landed.

  I felt them on my skin. Felt them in my soul.

  I turned away from him, making my way to the bar while Chloe raced to keep up with me, laughing. "What are you doing? You need to get your ass in that pool."

  "No, I need a damn drink. That's what I need."

  "You don't drink," Hugo said as he stepped up beside me at the bar.

  "I do now," I snapped at him, spinning forward when the other man's eyes met mine once again in my view behind Hugo. A sinful smirk graced his face as his lips tipped up.

  "And what exactly are you drinking?" Hugo asked, nodding his head to the bartender.

  Groaning, I dropped my head on the bar. "I don't know. What do I start with?"

  "Wine," Hugo laughed. "Maybe I won't end up holding your hair back while you puke this way." He turned to the bartender, catching his attention and ordering. “Un vino tinto.” My eyes tracked the bartender's movements, watching as he poured the liquid from the bottle and into the glass.

  Even watching the process, anxiety hit me the moment he placed the glass in front of me. Without a seal on the bottle, the memory of being drugged felt closer than ever. I swallowed back the panic attack that hovered at the horizons, threatening to blur my vision, and lifted the glass to my mouth. Forcing down a hard swallow of the liquid, I found it easier to breathe as soon as the first gulp went down despite the bitter flavor.

  It was irrational to see drugs in all fluids everywhere I went, but after my sister had played a part in my near date rape, I found it almost impossible not to suspect everyone of such a thing.

  "What are you doing?" Chloe asked, taking the wineglass from my hand and setting it on the bar top. "What happened to living?"

  "I'm living. I'm drinking and enjoying the music," I argued.

  "You're hiding. Let him show you exactly what it is to live, Isa," she said, biting her bottom lip as she looked over her shoulder at him.

  "I am not hiding," I whispered, rolling my eyes up to stare at the moon in the sky overhead. "I'm being practical. I wouldn't know what to do with a man like that."

  "Honey, nobody knows what to do with a man like that. That doesn't mean you can't lay back and let him take you to heaven," she giggled. Hugo groaned his frustration at our side, drawing a laugh from even me despite my anxiety. "You can't stay a virgin forever."

  "Who the hell said I would want to?" I took another sip of my wine, fortifying my decision with every swallow of the bitter cherry flavor. I hated it instinctively but couldn't stop drinking. Not when I had a feeling my life was about to be turned upside down. "I just think someone a little less…” I paused, chewing the corner of my lip as I thought of the right word, "intense would be a good start."

  "You don't want to lose your virginity like me with someone who fumbles around and doesn't know what he's doing. You want the mystical unicorn who looks like he could make your vagina implode with a look and make you one of those rare lucky as fuck women to orgasm when you lose your virginity. Just go talk to him," she urged, her smile turning reassuring as she studied the panic in my face.

  "I can't," I told her, shaking my head. Her eyes filled with disappointment, and I hated knowing that my friend worried so much about the seriousness of my life. Chloe was one of the few people I'd ever told about the accident and how it had unraveled Odina, even though we were too young to understand what it would mean one day.

  "I don't think you'll have much choice," she blurted, her tone changing to a sharp excitement. Grabbing my head, she spun me to face the pool. The man stood from the lounge he'd laid on in a graceful unfolding of limbs. He stepped off the lounge ledge and into the shallow end of the pool, making his way up the steps slowly.

  His eyes held mine as he moved, and Hugo and Chloe had to use their hands at my shoulders to turn my body to face him as he slowly made his way through the water. Water dripped down his broad shoulders, over the rippling muscles of his torso, and my breath caught as I watched it trail over his olive skin. He smirked when my eyes traveled back up to his face, his gaze knowing as he studied me intently.

  His concentration never left my face, something so unnerving about the single-minded focus as he prowled toward me like a predator in the night. With his impossibly beautiful face and striking eyes, he looked like something from another world.

  From somewhere meant to tempt women to their deaths.

  One of the attendants handed him a towel as he emerged from the pool, but he never even glanced at her as he took it and held it at his side.

  "I should have worn a potato sack," I whispered to Chloe. She burst into laughter at my side, stepping away as his long gait closed the distance between us. The faintest hint of stubble covered his face, his dark hair dry and parted to the side in a half-styled, tumbled in bed kind of look. As his face filled my vision, he leaned further into my bubble than was comfortable.

  Towering over me, with a thumb and forefinger he caught me beneath the chin and lifted my face up, so he could stare down at me with the same intensity he had when he'd been on the other side of the pool.

  One blue eye, one green, those eyes narrowed on me li
ke a panther narrowing in on its dinner.

  I knew he'd eat me alive, but I hadn't expected the weird déjà vu I felt when he reached up his other hand and touched the soft skin just under the brown part in my left eye and caressed it with an odd tenderness. His touch burned me as he crowded me, crossing all the acceptable boundaries that should have existed between two people who'd never spoken a word to one another. His minty breath wafted over my face as he loosed a sigh, dropping his forehead against mine and closing his eyes while he sank his teeth into his lush bottom lip.

  I stared up at him for a moment, turning my gaze over to where Chloe watched with her mouth parted in shock. She waved a hand at herself, seeming to encourage the crossing of all the boundaries I should’ve had.

  But there was nothing about him that made me want to push him away. None of the revulsion I expected to feel that someone would invade my space. Just an odd sense of belonging as I turned my face back to his to find his eyes open and watching me. He pulled his forehead away from mine, tilting his head as he watched me.

  I spun back for the bar quickly, grasping my wine in my hand and taking a massive swallow. Chloe elbowed me in the side when he didn’t walk away, giggling at me as I tossed back the rest of my wine. “Otro?” the bartender asked, moving to refill my glass as I nodded. I sucked back more wine with none of the hesitation I’d felt before, knowing he clearly had no intention of taking the hint and leaving me alone, despite my best efforts to ignore him.

  “He estado pensando en ti,” he said at my back. The rough, raspy sound of his voice curled around the words, making them his and claiming them in a way that I would never find again. Even if someone said the same words, they’d never be like him.

  He left me with no choice but to turn and face him, and I swallowed back my nerves before doing just that. As I pressed my spine into the bar to keep as much distance between us, he eyed the gap as if it was an affront to everything he knew.