by Ella Miles
“Arlo’s crazy.”
Eden shakes her head. “No, he isn’t. He scared you. He messed with your head because he knew that you were easy to mess with. He knew that you had obsessive tendencies and that you would fall for it. That’s it. Arlo Carini is not coming after you. He isn’t going to kidnap you. He isn’t going to hold you captive. And he definitely isn’t going to kill you.”
I nod. I don’t believe her, but there is no reason to worry her.
“I know. That’s why I’m going to start living now instead of running.”
“Good. But why are you getting married? Do you even know the guy you are marrying, or is this just another one of your obsessions?”
“Of course I know the guy! Geesh, Eden, who do you think I am?”
Eden takes my hands and turns me to look at her. “You are my best friend. I love you, and I would do anything for you. But you’re also a little messed up. You’re obsessive. You grew up without a mother. You watched your father die a slow, torturous death. You’re fucked up, Nina, and I just want to protect you as much as I can.”
I laugh to keep from crying. “You know me so well.”
“I want to know what the hell you are doing, getting married, Nina.”
“I love him. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”
“For normal people, yes. For you, no.”
I sigh and then slump into one of the two plastic chairs outside.
Eden takes a seat in the other. “Who is this guy, Nina?”
“His name is Heath. He’s an artist. He’s tall, blond, and handsome. He understands me. He knows that I have obsessive tendencies, and he loves me anyway. The sex is amazing. And he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. He wants to marry me. We are going to travel the world together.”
“Why haven’t I met this wonderful Heath before?”
“Because I was scared. I was running. I didn’t want Arlo to find out.”
“I don’t believe you. When did you and Heath meet?”
“We met at an art gallery. We both loved the same painting. It was the first time I’d been to an art gallery in years. It was like a sign from the universe that we were meant to be together.”
“Stop stalling, Nina. I don’t care where you met. I want to know when. How long have you and Heath been together?”
I should lie. But Eden always knows when I’m lying.
“We met six days ago.”
Eden doesn’t even react. She knew. Somehow, she knew that Heath and I hadn’t been together for very long.
“You aren’t getting married today, Nina.”
“You’re not my mother, Eden. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Yes, I do. I get to tell you what to do when you are being crazy!”
“I’m not acting crazy. People elope all the time. What’s the worst that could happen anyway? A couple of years down the road, we will get divorced. At least we can be happy and do something spontaneous now.”
Eden shakes her head. “Divorce isn’t as easy as you think it is. It’s messy. You have to divide everything. Fight over everything. Money, possessions, pets. Not to mention, if you decide to have a baby together because you are married. Marriage is meant for people who love each other and know each other well enough to at least know things like how he takes his coffee, where he grew up, and who his family is.”
I frown. “Those things don’t matter. I love him.”
“No. You are obsessed with him. There’s a difference.”
“I just met him. Give him a chance. I’m getting married no matter what, and I’d love it if my best friend in the whole world was there.”
Eden rolls her eyes. “Fine. But you can’t use the best-friend thing as a reason ever again.”
I smile. “Deal.”
I take Eden to meet Heath by the pool at the hotel. When I point him out to her, her mouth drops.
“If you aren’t going to marry him, I am,” Eden says.
I smile. “Nope. He’s taken,” I say as we both ogle Heath as he swims toward us.
He flips his shoulder-length blonde hair back as he climbs out of the pool and starts walking toward us, revealing every ripple of his abs and hard muscles of his biceps.
“How old is he?” Eden asks.
“Twenty-five.”
Eden raises an eyebrow as she looks at me.
“Okay, fine. He’s twenty-one,” I say, throwing my hands up like I give up. “But look at him! He’s gorgeous. He doesn’t act twenty-one. He’s a man through and through. Trust me.”
Eden laughs. “You don’t know him well enough outside of the bedroom to know.”
I grin. “Well, he’s definitely a man in the bedroom, so that’s all that matters.”
Eden’s face scrunches up as she judges me for marrying a man eight years younger than me.
“Just talk to him. He’s perfect for me.”
“I’m here. I’ll talk to him. But I’m never going to think that marrying him is a good idea. It can’t lead to anything but heartache.”
Heath stops in front of us, dripping wet. He sweeps me into his arms and kisses me, getting me soaked in all the right places.
When he’s done kissing me, he turns his attention to Eden. “You must be Nina’s best friend, Eden. I’ve heard a lot about you. I know you think this is crazy, and it is. But just know, I will never do anything to hurt Nina. I love her too much to ever hurt her. I promise that, no matter what happens, I will always protect her, just as you would.”
He pulls Eden into a wet hug even though she is still wearing her expensive suit, which I’m going to have to ask about later.
Eden looks to me as Heath hugs her. “Okay, I approve.”
My face lights up, and I wrap my arms around both of them.
“I still think you are both crazy, but if I’ve learned anything from my years with Nina, it’s not to fight when she gets a harebrained idea. She’s going to do it anyway, so I might as well go along for the crazy ride.”
Eden pulls away from our group hug, so it’s just Heath wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
“But, if you hurt her or don’t do everything possible to protect her, I will come after you, Heath. You will be a dead man. You understand?”
Heath smiles and looks down at me. “I’ll protect her, no matter who or what comes after her.”
I can breathe a little easier for the first time in seven years. Because I’m no longer running alone. Now, I have a partner I love, who will fight with me, no matter what happens. I have someone on my side, and I plan on fighting anyone who stands in our way.
2
Arlo
I’ve waited seven long years for this. At the same time, I’ve fought for seven years to keep this from happening. I wasn’t strong enough. I lost the first round. But I won’t lose again. I can’t.
“Can I trust you to bring her back here safely?” Matteo asks.
I feel my anger boiling already, and I haven’t even left yet. I just have to focus on what the end of this year is going to bring. I’m going to finally have what is mine. What I was destined to have. I won’t have to fight anymore.
“Yes,” I snap, not able to keep the anger out of my voice.
Matteo laughs. “This is going to be fun, isn’t it?”
I glare at him.
“Do you think this is a joke, Matteo?” our father, Enrico Carini, says.
“No, I think it’s funny though. I want this just as badly as Arlo does. Just because I don’t mope with the same intensity that he does, it doesn’t mean that I’m not taking this seriously.”
Our father nods. “Good.”
Miami.
I was on a plane for ten hours to get to her. And, of all the wonderful places in the US where she could be—New York, LA, Seattle, Rockport—she had to choose the hottest damn place in the country in the summertime.
I started sweating profusely the second I got off the plane in my dark suit. And I haven’t stopped since.
I
f she wanted to get married on a beach, she should have gone to Italy or Greece; both are beautiful this time of year. Not Miami.
I should have gone and gotten her when she was hiding in Boston. It’s not my favorite US city, but at least it isn’t as hot as Miami.
I walk over to the front desk in the hotel where Nina is staying. It’s adequate but not nice enough for a wedding.
“Excuse me, where is the Young and West wedding taking place today?” I ask the young woman standing behind the desk.
She stares at me for far longer than she should. I’m used to women devouring me with their eyes. I’m used to the awkwardness that follows. But I don’t have time to deal with this woman today.
“The wedding?” I ask again, demanding her to answer me.
She swallows hard, trying to push down her embarrassment. “Um…let me see here. Um...are you one of the guests?”
My patience immediately vanishes. “Yes,” I hiss.
The woman tries to force a smile on her face. “It’s out on the terrace at one thirty P.M.”
I frown. “Not on the beach?”
She looks at her computer screen again. “Uh…nope, it says the terrace.”
I turn and walk away from the woman without a thank-you. I hate people who are incompetent at their jobs. No, I hate all people. I hate being in crowds. I hate dealing with people’s stupid problems. I just want to be left alone.
I glance at my watch. It’s one twenty. I head in the direction of the terrace, planning on just slipping into the crowd of wedding well-wishers and guests. But, as I approach the terrace, there is no one on site.
I get to the door that leads outside where a hotel worker is standing.
“This is reserved for a private wedding. The terrace will be available again in about thirty minutes,” the friendly woman says.
I glance around her and see no guests or seats set up for guests. Just a simple arch with flowers on the green grass and the ocean far in the distance.
I nod and keep walking past. Nina isn’t getting married; she’s eloping. Like getting married at all is going to protect her.
I turn right and then start walking up the stairs to one of the guest rooms that seems to overlook the terrace. I knock on the first door, and a man comes out.
“Yes?” he asks.
“Sorry, wrong room,” I say, walking past him and to the next door.
I knock again.
No answer.
I try one more time, and then I pop the door open. These old hotel rooms are far too easy to break into. It’s one of the reasons I never stay at places like this.
I walk into the hotel room; it has suitcases and clothes thrown all over the floor.
I sigh. I picked the messiest room in the hotel, I’m sure. But I don’t care. I walk to the balcony, open the sliding door, and step outside.
When I glance down, I see two men standing under the arch. One is the officiant, and the other looks to be about eighteen, maybe twenty.
I try to think back to everything I know about Nina. She doesn’t have a brother or a cousin as far as I know. She has no family left.
I have no idea who this douchebag is.
I glance at the door leading out to the terrace, waiting for the groom to finally make his appearance so that I can see just what type of man Nina has picked to marry—not that she’s allowed to make such decisions for her life anymore.
Instead of the groom though, Eden walks out. She looks nice, as she always does, in a simple black dress. Not really appropriate clothing for a wedding. It looks like she is going to a funeral or business meeting instead of a wedding.
I turn my gaze back to the door just in time to see Nina walking through.
My heart stops. My chest aches. My whole body hardens at the sight of her.
She’s beautiful. I forgot how beautiful she truly is. Her hair is a little longer than it was seven years ago. Her skin is a little tanner, like she has recently been spending plenty of time on the beach. She has a bit of a glow around her body as she walks.
She looks better than I remember. And the lace dress she is wearing makes it even harder for me to stay up here instead of jumping off the balcony to claim her now.
I grab on to the railing of the balcony, forcing myself to stay here. To watch her marry another man. It will make it so much better to take her from him. She will fight harder to get back to him.
Nina stops when she reaches the arch. Eden softly kisses her on the cheek before she takes the flowers out of Nina’s hands.
Nina turns and holds on to the boy’s hands as she looks him in the eyes.
I laugh. A full-on belly laugh that is completely uncontrollable. She can’t be serious. She’s marrying a boy that looks like a teenager. I thought she was smarter than this.
She’s desperate. She must be if she is willing to elope with a man that has to be almost ten years younger than her.
The boy starts talking, and I assume they are saying their vows to each other. I can’t hear a damn thing from up here though.
The boy stops talking, and it seems it’s Nina’s turn. She opens her mouth and then stops. She glances up, and I know she sees me. Her entire gaze focuses on me. Her eyes turn to fire as she looks at me, and then she smiles. She knew I would be here. She was expecting me to be here. This is her trying to take control back.
She grins with her perfect red lips and then turns back to the boy. She says, “I do,” slowly and deliberately, making sure that I can read her lips and know exactly what she said. That, even though she knows I’m here, she is still willing to marry a boy she barely knows rather than be taken by me.
She’s going to fight. I know that. She’s not like the others who were much more willing to go along with our games as long as it meant getting to fuck some of the hottest and wealthiest men in the world. Nina is going to fight for her life.
My cock is rock hard as I think about her fighting me while I fuck her. Last time we were together was fantastic, but she didn’t fight. She enjoyed how dirty I fucked her. This time though, she is going to fight back, and I can’t fucking wait.
Nina glances back up at me again with a sly smile on her face before she lets the boy kiss her. She thinks it is going to make me mad to see her kissing someone else. Maybe it would piss me off a bit if she were kissing someone I actually saw as a threat. But I doubt it.
I wanted her to get married. I wanted her to move on with her life before I came for her. It’ll make it all the more enjoyable for me when I rip her from him.
Eden whoops and hollers when the officiant pronounces them husband and wife, and then her groom sweeps her off her feet and leads her down to the beach and into the ocean.
I shake my head, watching him. He’s such a kid. No woman wants to be dunked in the ocean after getting married. I’m sure plenty of girls might enjoy that. Nina might have even enjoyed that seven years ago. But she is all woman now, and I can see behind her eyes and fake smile that she doesn’t want a boy to play with. She wants a man to protect her.
Too bad she couldn’t find one in time.
I hear the door to the hotel room open as I walk back inside.
“Who are you?” a man asks as he stands next to who I assume is his girlfriend. He doesn’t bother to protect her at all from me. He just stands there, confused as to why I’m in his room.
I walk past them. “You should have your door lock looked at. Otherwise, anyone could get in here.”
I wait until dark to find her again.
I give her a few hours with her new husband to realize what a mistake she just made. And to think about me.
I wanted to give her time to obsess. To try to formulate a plan and realize that there is nothing she can do to prevent me from getting to her. That, by the end of the night, she is going to be mine, not his. And that she is going to be the one who chooses me over him. She will have no one to blame but herself.
I walk down to the main dance club near the hotel. I know that is where Nina and h
er boy toy went. I know they want to celebrate their newfound love. And that is the only place nearby where they could go.
It’s not a smart move. It makes it far too easy for me to find her, but she’s tired of running. I know that because it was easy to find her before, but now, even an idiot would be able to find her. She used to only pay with cash, she never used her real name, and she did nothing that tied her to her old life. This time, she used a credit card and her real name.
I walk into the dance club that is far too loud for my taste and filled with far too many people. I will never understand why people enjoy going to places like this. Is it the attention they get? The desperate need to forget about their pathetic lives? I don’t get it. I would rather stay at home and drink alone than be here.
I smirk. But then again, I don’t drink alone very often. There is always a woman in my bed to drink off of.
I immediately spot Nina and her boy in the middle of the dance floor. She is dancing wildly, like the night I saved her. She is acting just as foolish as she was that night.
I shake my head. She might be all grown up, but she still has a lot to learn.
I get a glass of scotch while I wait to make my move. They dance for a long time, clueless that I’m here. Finally, the boy leaves Nina alone to go get them more drinks. I down the rest of mine and then walk over to her.
I grab her waist and pull her to me.
“I wasn’t sure if you were ever going to come. But then again, it’s you, and you always did just have one move,” she hisses angrily into my ear before I spin her around and take her in my arms to dance with.
“And it seems you only have one move yourself, my beautiful Nina. Why dance if you knew this was where I would come for you?”
“It’s my wedding night. Why shouldn’t I dance?”
I move her in my arms to the beat of the music. Her body fitting perfectly.
“Because it’s stupid. Just like getting married was stupid. Just like running or standing your ground and fighting. You are not going to win, no matter what you do.”