Wild: Savannah Heirs

by June, CoraLee

  I could hear the slick sounds of flesh on flesh, knowing that he was pumping his cock, getting off to my pain, and for some reason, this violation felt more intrusive than what happened back in Ecuador. It was like he was fucking my soul. Our bodies hadn’t touched, but his poison was corrupting me.

  He came with a grunt, panting my name in my ear so loud that I had to pull the phone away. He breathed hard for several seconds while I stared at the tile floor, counted the swirls in the marble just to get my mind to focus on anything but the sound of his breath.

  “That was good, babe.”

  Sharp shards of hate cut into my throat as I swallowed again. “Mm-hmm.”

  His voice changed. “I’ll be there for shift change in an hour. Every damn document better be ready.”

  It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t reply. I heard the rustling of clothing and his zipper going back up. The sound of water running let me know that he was washing his hands. “See you soon.”

  “Okay.”

  “I can’t wait to get inside of you. Next time, we won’t be interrupted.”

  I flinched at his words but was saved from having to respond, because the line clicked off, and I was finally free of him.

  The phone slipped from my hand, landing on the tile with a thud. A single crack stretched across the middle of the screen, and I stared at my split reflection with unease. I was a coward. A motherfucking coward.

  The only reason I was able to drag myself to my feet instead of curling up into a ball was because I knew I needed to leave—I needed to get back to Mrs. Salvador. But as soon as I yanked open the bathroom door, Luis was right there, his hands braced on either side of the door frame.

  My body nearly slammed into his before I could stop my feet from moving, and a startled yelp escaped my lips. “Luis…”

  His tortured face lifted up, and I saw the hurt and anger in his expression. “Nothing, huh?” he asked, black eyes like deep pools of velvet staring back at me. “I’m nothing? Last night was nothing?”

  “Luis, listen,” I began, but he threw his hands up like he didn’t want to hear my explanation.

  “I heard everything. Is this just a big game for you? Flirting so you could fool around with a boy and then run off with a man? That’s what you told him, right?” he seethed, spit flying from his lips.

  “Luis, listen to me, dammit,” I argued, though my words sounded weak. I was too shaken up from what had just happened. My mind was spinning, but I was stuck in Luis’s fury.

  “No, you listen to me!” he shouted, veins bulging in his neck. “It’s always been you for me. Fucking always. So what? This thing between us”—he gestured between us—“happens, and what do you do? You call him the next morning? Did he get off, Royal? Did he moan your name when he came? Did you think about me or him?”

  Angry moisture pooled in my eyes. I was pissed at Luis for lashing out, for not giving me a chance to explain. But most of all? I was furious at Aaron. For gridlocking me in a fucked up situation and ruining a relationship with Luis before it could really start.

  I shoved past him, needing to put distance between our colliding hurt and anger.

  “Don’t you fucking walk away from me, Royal,” Luis snapped, grabbing my arm.

  He yanked me backwards, forcing me to crash against his chest. I wanted to find comfort in his tense body, but it all just felt wrong now. I wanted to scrub my brain of Aaron. I wanted to turn back time. I wanted to run the fuck away.

  “You can’t just play with people,” he said, shaking his head and looking so fucking broken and betrayed that I wanted to die. “You strung me along. You made me think that you cared, that you—” His words choked off, and he hung his head.

  I opened and closed my mouth, desperately wanting to fix this—fix us. But I didn’t see any way around all of this.

  “I’m so sorry,” I cried.

  All I wanted to do was to go back to Rogue Kelly’s pool house and drink myself into a stupor.

  “I’m done,” Luis replied before running a hand through his hair. I was on the verge of telling him everything, spilling my murderous secrets at his feet, but a gravelly voice broke through the chaos.

  “Royal? Luis? My head hurts.”

  The two of us stood still, neither of us wanting to end the conversation, because we knew we’d just broken something vital.

  “Be right there, Mrs. Salvador,” I called out softly before pleading with Luis to look at me.

  But there was no playful kindness in his eyes, just pain. “Just go,” he gritted before stalking off towards his room and slamming the door shut.

  I broke.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Royal

  Dr. Carmichael and Nurse Anabelle showed up for shift change at exactly seven a.m. Luis was flipping omelets on a frying pan and talking to the other nurse with a flirty smile, all evidence from our previous argument seemingly forgotten, but I sensed the rage beneath.

  She was about my age, with pretty black hair that she always had wrapped in elaborate braids. Luis said something, and she laughed, touching his arm slightly. My jealousy monster immediately came out of its cave, but I had to tamper that bitch down before I embarrassed myself. I had no right to feel that way, not after what had happened.

  “Good morning,” I said, my tone stiff as I tried but failed to avert my eyes from Luis’s muscular back.

  Of course, he was just in a pair of sweatpants, which meant Nurse Perfect had touched his bare bicep. Which pissed me off even more. And then I was pissed that I was pissed, because I was supposed to be fighting this. I didn’t deserve the right to even feel jealous.

  When she touched his arm again, he caught me looking at the exchange with steam coming out of my ears, and the asshole winked at me before shrugging, which made my eyes dart to his shoulders and was that…? Yep. Those were my nail marks on his shoulders. My face burned.

  I decided to skip the small talk. I wasn’t sure I could handle discussing Mrs. Salvador’s night when I’d spent a small portion of it getting eaten out by her son then getting my heart broken.

  With a loud exhale, I started going down the shift change checklist, speaking so fast my tongue couldn’t quite keep up. “Here’s her vitals report. Her urinalysis came back as expected. I assisted her with a bath at oh three hundred hours because she woke up with cold sweats. She received an MG dosage of Clonidine on time, and it’s been logged into the system.”

  I was so busy rushing through the morning report that I hadn’t even realized how proficient I sounded. “Her mood swings have increased in severity. I caught her trying to jog in place to get her heart rate up to fake an anxiety attack so I’d administer Xanax. I suggest making her sit still for twenty minutes before checking her pulse. Also, she’s made a request for the salt and vinegar chips instead of the crackers.”

  Throughout the entire speech, I kept my eyes on my iPad, not once looking up to see Luis. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to stare at his lips and think about what his naughty mouth did to my pussy or what his harsh words did to my heart.

  “Good work, Royal,” Dr. Carmichael said before coming over to pat me on the shoulder. “Seems you’ve been working very hard this morning.”

  Luis scowled. To everyone else, it probably looked like an innocent gesture. But it was anything but. His fingers curled downward a little too closely to my breasts for comfort.

  I made the mistake of looking back up at him while shrugging him off. “Thanks. If you need me, I’ll have my cell.”

  “One moment, Nurse Taylor.”

  I gritted my teeth. Of course he wasn’t going to just let me leave.

  Dr. Carmichael spoke briefly with the other nurse before motioning me to follow him out of the room.

  My traitorous eyes flicked over to Luis as I went, and of course, he was watching me right back, his anger coming back full force. I quickly looked away, but it was too late. I saw the irritated look on his face as Aaron placed his hand on my lower back, under the guis
e of guiding me out.

  Aaron was wearing an expensive dress shirt and tie beneath his white doctor’s coat, his pale blonde hair combed perfectly. I caught sight of some silver strands right at the base of his temples, but it was the reason why other nurses called him a silver fox and swooned whenever he smiled at them. Why did awful people get to be attractive? It didn’t seem fair. I wished the ugliness of people’s hearts showed through their skin. At least then you’d be warned to stay away. But there was no mirror for the soul. The vicious and the vile were often wrapped in beauty and charm. Biology had doomed us all.

  Aaron led me past the kitchen and living room, out through the front door. Only after the door was closed behind us and we were in the closed off and empty corridor did he speak again. “Nurse Taylor.”

  His voice carried a tone of craving that made my skin crawl. I didn’t want to be here with him. I didn’t want to be alone with him ever, but it was like no matter what I did or where I went, he was right there, clinging to me like an unwanted shadow. I was transported right back to his office in Ecuador, with the low hum of a fan doing nothing to take away the claustrophobia as he cornered me and tried to take what I hadn’t offered.

  “You did well last night,” he said, dragging a hand up my arm.

  I stayed perfectly still. Giving no reaction whatsoever, I looked at him steadily, pretending that my heart wasn’t hammering with fear. He stared at me, and when I realized he wanted a reply, I quickly blurted out, “Thank you.”

  Looking appeased, he nodded, dragging his hand up to my hair. It was still loose since Luis had ripped my hair tie out, and I hadn’t stuck around to find it.

  “I’ve never seen you with your hair down,” he said, glancing at it with appreciation.

  I inwardly cringed as he tossed some over my shoulder before letting his hand stay firm on my shoulder, thumb circling the curve of my neck. “Are you still wet from our phone call?” he asked.

  I swallowed, knowing that I had to give him the answer he wanted. “Yes.”

  “Good. You’ll come out with me for dinner tonight.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. “Let’s not go through the exhausting routine of you resisting and me reminding you what’s at stake. What do you think would happen if the hospital board found out about what happened with Mrs. Almendarez back in Ecuador? She was only fifty-seven years old when you killed her,” he added cruelly. The sting of his words mixing with the possessive stroke of his thumb made me feel like I was about to be shoved off a cliff with a friendly pat on the back. “I’m sure the board would inform law enforcement. Then the families would get involved. Mrs. Almendarez had a husband, you know. He’d be smart to lawyer up and sue you for everything the Taylors are worth. It’s what I would do. I’m sure your grandfather wouldn’t be pleased about that.”

  “Please,” I whispered desperately, turning to make sure we were still alone. “Stop.”

  “Falsifying the medical report is nearly as bad as malfeasance. I wonder how much time you’d do for that?”

  My brown eyes widened. “I didn’t falsify anything!” I hissed. “That was you.”

  He reared back in mock innocence. “Me? I did no such thing. I’m sure no one will believe that.”

  “Fine,” I snapped, feeling furious tears clot my eyes. “I’ll go to dinner with you.”

  “Good girl,” he said before reaching up to grip my chin. “And you’ll behave yourself this time,” he added before placing a wet, sloppy kiss on my lips, biting my bottom one slightly before letting go. His eyes were lit up, like blackmailing me was getting him off.

  “You can go,” he told me without stepping away. I pushed past him and hurried out the door.

  I threw up as soon as I made it to the balcony. Leaning over the railing, bile hissed out of my throat as the door behind me slammed shut like a harsh slap of reality.

  He had me right where he wanted me. And I had no idea how to get out of this corner he’d backed me into.

  Seventy grand. Six weeks.

  I breathed in and out, reminding myself that this was temporary. I just had to play my part. Evade. Not let him get me alone while appeasing his ego. Maybe I could take extra shifts with Mrs. Salvador.

  Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I started to descend the stairs when a voice called out to me. “Royal, wait!”

  I squeezed my eyes shut and continued to walk. It wasn’t until my feet were on the ground that a hand grabbed my shoulder, and I was spun around.

  Luis was still in his sweatpants, and he had a wild look in his eyes. His gaze lingered on my lips for a moment too long, and I wondered if Aaron had somehow branded me with his touch. I was ashamed, embarrassed, scared, and conflicted. Part of me wanted to scream and cry to Luis, let him protect me from Aaron’s threats. But the other part of me knew that he’d spent the majority of his life taking care of someone that couldn’t handle their shit. I didn’t want to be another person he felt responsible for, especially when this thing between us couldn’t continue.

  He let out a curse and a sigh before running his hand through his hair in frustration. “Want me to drive you to Rogue’s? You look sick.” My heart sank. Even after everything, he was trying to take care of me.

  I looked down and realized that he was holding my arm. Shrugging out of his grasp, I straightened my spine before responding. “I’m fine, Luis.” I couldn’t allow his kindness to distract me. I’d just inevitably hurt him again.

  I tried to turn away, but he grabbed me again, holding me in place. I felt my shoulders sag. It would be so easy to give in. So easy to seek comfort in his arms and cry about all the things tearing me up inside. But I couldn’t do that. All those threats Aaron was dangling over my head were liable to fall around my neck and hang me out to dry.

  Luis frowned at me. “Look, we need to talk about what happened but something is off. Tell me what’s going on,” he begged, teetering the line between flustered and angry.

  It was odd for him to be anything but carefree and laid back. My stomach squeezed again, but not with revulsion. Which was exactly why I needed to stop. Aaron was going to destroy me, and I couldn’t bring Luis down with me. He had enough on his plate handling all of his mom’s businesses and her health. “I care about you, okay? I know I was mad before, just give us time—”

  I let out a bitter laugh. “Time? Dammit, Luis, this can’t happen between us,” I hissed before looking around. A couple of early morning businessmen were walking by and eyeing us with curiosity. I moved my body so my back was to the sidewalk. “What happened this morning? It’s going to happen again. Aaron is an unavoidable part of my life for the foreseeable future, and I don’t want to hurt you in the process.”

  He spat out a curse in Spanish. “What is with this guy? Is it your family? I know you don’t honestly like him. Let me take you out properly. Let’s make this official. Fuck what your Granddaddy wants, I can take care of you,” he said gruffly before taking a step closer and pressing his forehead to mine.

  I inhaled the scent of his cologne. I wanted him so badly. It wasn’t fair.

  I willed him to understand. “I can’t, Luis.”

  “Let’s get away from the stress of taking care of my mom for a night. Let’s talk about this. Let’s fix this. I’m willing to work through whatever is going through your head,” he whispered before kissing me on the cheek. He bent lower to look me in the eye.

  Nausea rolled through my stomach once more. I felt trapped between what I wanted, what I should do, and what I was being forced to. “Luis. I’m six years older than you—”

  “Stop it.”

  “I’m your mother’s nurse,” I added.

  “I’ll fire you.”

  “Please don’t,” I replied with a sigh. I needed the money if I was going to escape. “I...I have a date tonight.”

  He scowled. “With who? That cabrón Dr. Carmichael? You don’t even like him. In fact, you looked scared to death of him.”

  I swallowed thickly. “I
do like him,” I said to my shoes. I couldn’t look him in the eye as the lies slipped past my lips. “You heard the evidence of that this morning.”

  Luis scoffed, and I felt him step away. Just one step. “I’m starting to think that what I heard and what I’m seeing are two different things.”

  But that one step of distance he put between us echoed in my skull. I felt the impact of it vibrate up my spine and lodge in my bones. “I want him, Luis,” I lied.

  “You know what? Fine,” he said, his handsome face stony and cold. So unlike every other expression he’d ever given me. “I’m not gonna do this, Royal. You wanna lie to yourself for appearances, date some middle-aged asshole who won’t treat you like the royalty you are, then that’s your choice. I was willing to overlook what happened this morning, but if you’re gonna keep letting everyone control you, repress the force you really are, then you aren’t the girl I thought you were.”

  His words were like bee stings all over my chest, making my skin swell around me like a cage.

  “I don’t know what the fuck happened when you went away, but you’re different. Meek. Beaten. You caged that wild, carefree part of yourself, and that part was fucking beautiful,” he said, sounding both furious and heartbroken. “When you’re ready to come out of that cage, you know where to find me.”

  Without another word, he turned and left, every footstep hammering against my body. The tears burned as they fell from my lids, dripping onto the ground and slipping between the cracks of my crumbling life.

  I walked away without picking my head up. I couldn’t face the world. Not when I’d just lost my chance at falling in love.

  And he was my chance, I knew that.

  But Luis Salvador was many things. He was too young. Too rich. Too known. Too sexy. Too good to me. Too forbidden.

  But the one thing that he wasn’t? He wasn’t mine to have.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Royal

  It was my third date with Aaron this month.