by Ella Miles
I frown. I really need a haircut, and I’m frustrated that I can’t tolerate anyone touching me for the few minutes it would take to get the job done.
“If she left her scissors, I’ll try cutting my hair.”
“No, I will.”
“Do you know how to cut hair?”
“She gave me a few lessons before she left.”
“The water is warm,” he says as he tests the water.
He removes the half-buttoned down shirt and then kneels once again next to me. He waits patiently for me to lean forward. And when I do he gently uses a cup to pour water over my hair.
I close my eyes to keep the water from splashing into my eyes.
“Shampoo,” he says, warning me before his hands run through my hair.
I moan at his delicate touch.
His fingers stop, my head tilts, and my eyes open to meet his.
“Sorry,” I say, at my unexpected outburst of pleasure.
“Don’t be.”
He starts scrubbing, his fingers digging into my scalp in the most luxurious, pleasurable way.
I try to keep my moaning inside, but every once in a while, a small whimper escapes through my parted lips.
He stops and rinses my hair before applying conditioner, then rinsing again. His touch on my head warms and sparks every nerve in my body. He could ask anything of me, and I would give it to him, if only he kept scrubbing my head.
“I’m finished,” he says almost reluctantly, like he too was enjoying touching my head.
I sit up, and he holds my long strands in his hands before wrapping them in a towel. Then he leads me to a chair he set up in the bathroom in front of the mirror. He removes the towel and watches my wet hair fall.
He picks up scissors lying on the counter.
“Um..” He clears his ruff throat. “How short do you want it?”
I motion to just above my breasts indicating where I want him to cut.
He nods and swallows, his Adam’s apple bobs as he does.
He pulls my hair back gently.
“You trust me?” he asks with a grin.
I nod silently. Because I do trust him—too much.
It gives him too much power over me.
I watch his breath rise and fall in his chest slowly as he takes my strands in his hands and begins to work. I feel my head getting lighter with each snip. I enjoy watching the focused look of his brow as he works. His concentration stays on my hair and not me—giving me a chance to study him. The scars on his chest. The muscles that seem to grow bigger with each passing day.
My mouth waters thinking of what it would feel like to kiss his abs. Slip my tongue between the hard ripples. Feel his muscular body between my legs. I feel my body heat and not just from Enzo’s warm touch. For a desire to have him.
“Finished. What do you think?”
I flick my hair in front and watch the even strands fall to the length I asked Enzo to cut it.
“I’m impressed. When you lose your empire to me, you should take up hair styling,” I tease.
He smiles. “If it means I get to cut your hair, then I’ll do it.”
I give him a weak smile. How can he be so kind to me?
He’s a monster. He hurt me. This is just an act.
But it’s what makes me fall for him. It’s what tricks my mind and allows my body to take over which is desperate to feel him—to fuck him.
Enzo is attracted to me too, but not enough to act on it. And I will never show weakness by asking for the man who sold me to fuck me. No matter how much I want his body. No matter if it would heal me to feel that of a man who I actually desire inside me. I will not give him the satisfaction of knowing I want him.
And Enzo isn’t attracted enough to me to actually woo me—no man is.
So I’m destined to live out the rest of my years alone.
Enzo steps back. “There is a white dress I picked for you to wear hanging in the closet. Put it on, and then Westcott will take some pictures he can send to the newspapers.”
And just like that Enzo is back to ordering me around. He leaves before I go in search of the dress that will serve as my fake wedding dress. I open the closet door and see the most beautiful lace dress.
Can a monster really pick out something so beautiful? Can the devil protect an angel?
Not without clipping her wings.
8
Enzo
I prepare for Kai to yell at me for my plan. She’s not going to like the location of our fake wedding.
I stand at the base of the stairs in my tuxedo. I considered wearing something more casual, but I need this to look as convincing as possible.
Kai’s feet clink loudly on the stairs as she descends. And I try to keep my eyes down. I know my body will betray me when I look at her and show how desperately I want her. I can’t imagine her looking like anything except a beautiful angel in her dress. A dress I’ll want to rip from her flesh as I drive my cock inside her. And I need as much self-control as possible to keep my hands off her after getting the pleasure of feeling her silky hair in my hands.
But after two steps, I can’t help but look.
Gorgeous doesn’t do her justice. The lace dress clings to her body, giving her curves I didn’t realize she had. She’s curled her hair, and it hangs elegantly to just above her chest. She’s painted her face with a light layer of makeup that highlights more than overpowers her features. But her dress is anything but angelic. It’s sexy as fuck. There is a slit up to her thigh I didn’t realize existed when I picked the dress from Claire’s cart of clothes and the V at the top dips down to between her breasts. The dress is as fit for a red carpet as it is for a wedding, but it will do perfectly for the pictures.
I just have to persuade my cock to behave.
“How do I look?” she asks when she hits the last step.
I smirk. “You already know from the heat in my eyes.”
She smiles. “You don’t get to touch me,” she warns.
“I get to touch you plenty. We are supposed to act like we are married.”
Her cheeks flush.
I hold out my hand, and to my surprise she takes it. Maybe this will be less of a fight than I thought.
“Are we back on good terms? Or are you going to try to run again?”
“You cut my hair. I guess I owe you.”
I lead her to the back door. “Good, because it’s going to take all of your strength to repay me.”
I can see from her amused expression she thinks I’m asking for sex, until I nod in the direction I’m leading her where an arch of flowers hangs in front of the ocean.
“You’re kidding. I can’t go there.”
“Where else do you suggest our fake wedding take place?”
She sighs. “Fine, but I’m only giving you five minutes. And my face will be wrinkled with anxiety the whole time. I’m not exactly sure those will be the pictures that will convince the world we are married.”
I grin. “Trust me.” Because I already know this is more than just about getting some wedding pictures. This is about getting Kai one step closer to being free.
I lead her out of the house onto the back deck. She goes easily; the harder part will be when we reach the sand.
“Ready?” I ask.
Her eyes grow large. “Don’t let me go,” she whispers, gripping my hand tighter.
I don’t plan to. Ever.
In unison, we step down from the last step onto the corse sand. Kai isn’t wearing any shoes, and she wrinkles her nose as the warmth tickles the bottom of her foot.
I don’t take my eyes off her face. She doesn’t react in anxiety. But then it’s not the sand that she fears. It’s the water. The sea. The danger.
I hear Westcott move to the deck behind us, ready to take pictures of us as we walk hand in hand to our fake wedding.
“You got this,” I say as we take another step.
“I don’t need a pep talk.”
I smile, Kai’s sassy as always.
&nb
sp; Another step, and then another, inches us closer. With each step, I wait for the panic and anxiety to rise in her. Instead, I feel her squeeze my hand tighter.
“Who’s that?” she asks.
I look in the direction her eyes travel to the man walking to the arch.
“Our fake priest.”
She smiles. “This is crazy.”
“Don’t worry; soon we will be getting fake divorced.”
This earns me a tiny laugh. Something I rarely see and want more of. But doubt I will see it again. I don’t deserve it. And our future together will be riddled with more pain.
The arch of flowers sits several feet from the edge of the ocean. And we make it all the way without a panic attack.
“Maybe you’ve been cured,” I say.
She shakes her head. “No, this is just far enough away that the water doesn’t scare me.”
I take her other hand, and we face each other standing in front of our fake priest. Maybe it’s my touch and presence that calms her.
I reach up and pluck a red flower from the arch, before tucking it behind her ear.
Her cheeks blush, and her eyes brighten in a thank you.
“What are we supposed to do now? I’ve never been to a wedding,” she says.
“Me neither.”
Justin leans in. “Just stand here and promise each other the world even though you will likely cheat and lie within the first month of marriage resulting in one or both of you having your heart ripped out.”
We both raise an eyebrow at our fake minister.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m Justin.”
“Kai—”
“Katherine, this is my wife, Katherine. And I’m Enzo.”
Kai stares at me, at my correction of her name. I hired him under the guise that we wanted to relive our marriage in photos since we eloped and didn’t hire a photographer the first time.
“I’m sure you two will beat the odds and live a long and happy life together.”
Kai laughs. “I’m sure we will.”
Justin smiles. “Would you two like a private moment to relive the vows you said to each other before?”
“No, we remember our vows just fine.”
He smiles.
Kai’s eyes cut to Westcott who has been firing off photos of us from the deck. He’s not a professional photographer, but I figure the fewer people we could involve in this the better. Especially since I haven’t decided if I want to announce our marriage or not. Not after how Dallas reacted. I don’t know if it will help to pretend we are married. It doesn’t hurt to have options though.
A wave crashes next to us, spitting drops of water onto our skin.
Kai tenses and tries to pull away, but I hold her hands firmer in mine.
“You two make a cute couple,” Justin says.
“Thanks. I think we got all the pictures we need. You are welcome to go.”
Justin frowns shaking his head. “I think you are forgetting one important picture.”
Kai and I both turn to him with a raised eyebrow.
“What?” Kai asks.
“You got a picture of you walking together, holding each other, pretending to say your vows. I’m sure you’ll get pictures of the ring you gave her. But none of that matters without the kiss.”
Kiss.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” I say. “We remember our first kiss without a picture to remind us.” These pictures are just to prove that we were married. Something I can show to people, display in my office, put online as proof.
Kai turns back to me trembling slightly. “Kiss me.”
“What?”
“Kiss me, my husband.”
I don’t care that Justin is still watching us, I let the shock read all over my face.
Why does she want me to kiss her?
We have had an attraction to each other since the moment I met her in the bar. And it came back as quickly when she came back to me in Surrender, after spending years apart.
But she hates me—I want her to hate me. Because as much as I want her, I don’t deserve her.
It’s just a kiss. I’ve kissed her before. It’s innocent enough. It’s her motives I don’t understand. Why does she want me to kiss her?
“Enzo.”
I freeze.
I can’t.
She can see it on my face—which for some reason makes her light up more.
“Thank you, Justin,” she says.
He nods to us both. “Best of luck.”
He heads back up the beach.
“Ready to head back?” I ask.
She laughs. “No.”
I cock my head.
And then she jerks my hands toward her as our bodies collide and our lips crash together.
This kiss isn’t clumsy or innocent. Not like the kisses I stole from her when we were teenagers. This kiss clutches at my heart begging me to finally feel something for this woman beyond regret, pain, and anger.
Her tongue parts my lips, and I know I won’t be able to stop, not now that I’ve had her.
I grab her hips forcefully with a promise never to let her go. Her arms wrap around my neck as I take over the kiss, strengthening it with my own fire. My tongue pushes deep inside her mouth begging her to open wider for me. To let me in. To take this further.
She moans against my lips. Welcoming me in through her shields of ice. I’ve never felt such a strong desire for a woman before.
“Jesus, Kai.”
She runs her tongue over her bottom lip before I pull it back into my mouth. Sucking, tasting, enjoying. I explore every inch of her mouth as my self-control evaporates.
My hands need to be everywhere. And I let them roam her body without thinking.
Down her back in the backless dress.
Over the lace fabric covering her glorious ass.
Up her sharp hips, to her tiny waist—to her cleavage.
I don’t think.
I squeeze her breasts. God, I’ve wanted to feel her body again for weeks now. And hearing the tiny whimpers in her throat as I massage her breasts drive me wild.
I sweep her long hair off her neck and kiss her exposed skin that’s like ice to my lips. I love how our differences in temperature only heighten the experience. I forgot how incredible it feels. Like tiny explosions firing every time I touch her.
I grab the hem of her dress hiking it up her body as I feel every part of her thigh. The rough scars ripple under my fingers where smooth skin should be.
Fuck.
What am I doing?
I have to stop.
But I don’t.
It’s like she’s possessing me. It would take a nuclear explosion to stop me, and even then, I’m not sure I would stop until I was dead.
This is what makes Kai dangerous to me. This control she has. I’ve always prided myself on my self-control, but with Kai, it’s different. She’s different than all of the rest of the girls I’ve been with. She could consume me whole if I let her.
Stop.
My hand slides higher to her ass. Jesus, she’s not wearing any underwear.
Stop.
I open my eyes, hoping a pained expression on her face will persuade me to release her before things go too far and I make the hatred she feels for me permanent. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing. Her hating me might make protecting her easier.
When I open my eyes though, I don’t see pain on her face. Nor terror, anxiety, or fear.
Kai’s lost in the moment, sucking it all up, and begging for more with her lips as her body presses deeper into me.
Beautiful.
There is no reason to stop—she wants this.
I press into her, my cock pushing against her stomach when I really want it pressing much lower and deeper into her. So that’s what I do.
I lift her up, and her legs wrap around me. My cock driving against her pussy as her legs tighten around me, trying to suffocate me like a boa constricting its prey.
> Stop.
I kiss down her neck, to the curve of her upper breast. More, I need more.
I nudge the fabric of her dress off her breast, exposing it to the world. Good thing this is a private beach because I would gorge out anyone’s eyes who saw her glorious breasts.
She gasps as my mouth envelopes her nipple pointed at me, begging for me to tease and taunt.
More, more, more.
Stop.
The voices continue taunting me—wanting one thing and knowing I should do the other. Like the devil and angel on my shoulder. But the devil will always win, because I was born from the devil. There is too much of my father in me. He still has a hold over me, even in death.
I’m not strong enough to stop this—not until some force of power greater than me ends this.
The water.
I just have to force my legs to the water.
Kai grabs my neck, sinking her nails into my nape as she plants a passionate kiss on my lips.
Fuck, she isn’t going to make this easy.
I get lost in the kiss, forgetting my mission until a wave splashes against my feet. The tide is rising, getting closer, meeting me halfway.
I hold onto Kai tightly and begin walking. I expect her to panic as soon as she realizes where I’m headed.
She doesn’t.
She’s too consumed with our kiss. Too lost. Too desperate.
She begins undoing my tie, loosening it while her legs grip me tighter.
My legs move automatically toward the water allowing me to deepen our kisses, while pulling at her dress, practically ripping pieces from her body.
Kai is everything.
If only this were possible.
I feel the water on my feet covering to my ankles, and I want to run in the other direction because I know how this will end. Instead, I take another step until the water is to my knees.
Kai still doesn’t recognize what’s happening. Her eyes are closed, and her body so lost in mine that fireworks could go off and I don’t think she’d notice beyond the sparks flying between us.
End this.
Run.
I don’t have the strength to stop this. All I have left is to fall.
The water engulfs us, and our bodies fly apart as if the waves forced us apart.
When I break the surface, Kai is flailing in the water.