To get through a heartache after the sudden breakup, Arabella moves to New York City to start another chapter of her life.
Driven by the hope to make Adrian Castle, the man who left her broken to pieces with an excuse of protecting her against his w...
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Water from the shower slaps the tiles as I peer through the half-cracked bathroom door, watching Arabella's stealth escape from my wardrobe. I knew it was her. From the second I walked into the suite, I felt the eerie air of an interloper, but it occurred to me it could've been the cleaning lady.
I was still cautious, playing it safe with my 9MM very close to my hip.
But the cocoa butter lotion and the fragrance of spring flowers perfume couldn't alleviate my memories. I could recognize her smell because it's still tattooed in my bedroom even today through the clothes she abandoned and a few shirts of mine she fancied wearing during her stay.
It's her, my little rebel, fleeing so cautiously that she barely makes a sound.
She shuts the exit door, and my long-held breath flies loose. I'm set to stillness, thinking of why she's here after everything I've done to break her heart so that she stays away from me. The raw ache in my chest returns, and I hate to admit that I'm moved to the entirety that she's here.
Frankly, I knew Arabella's stubbornness would flip. I knew we were bound to meet again somehow, and she'd hate me more than death. That is what's happening now. But if only she knew how dangerous being in New York could be for her, she'd have stayed in Las Vegas or any other place in the world that I'm not.
But it's Arabella. She's a mule. At times I wonder if she's ever afraid.
I dress up my flesh-cut wound soon after a shower. Arabella must have seen it, and questions must be zinging in her head. I hope she'll start considering that her being here is a risky venture, yet I wish she'd think of only me and not the danger. As selfish as it may be, I wish she was here because of me, at least for the most part.
I don't want her to forget me. There's never a single day passed that I didn't think of her. There's nothing I did, even the shadiest, like killing more people than I can count from the day Falcon pulled the trigger that endangered her life up to this moment, without imagining her smile that I miss so badly.
My conscience reminds me that she deserves a much better world than mine. Less dark. Less evil. My heart, on the other hand, doesn't seem to listen.
It's noon. I decide to rest before my business meeting with a buyer from Zurich later. The last few nights have been rough and sleepless. Having Falcon running loose somewhere all the while I'm searching for answers about my past is one thing, and now I have to worry about Arabella's arrival, too, which is more pressing for several reasons.
Even if she hates it, she can never change the fact that she's my responsibility. Since I became her Dom and short-lived boyfriend, I promised that I'd never leave her, and that shall remain no matter what name, shape, or form our relationship takes from this point onward, near or far.
She'll always be mine to protect.
I close my eyes and sigh heavily, laying shirtless on my back with one arm craned under my neck, my head pressed on the soft pillow. Her firecracker hazel eyes come to mind. I imagine her gorgeous body close to me in this very same bed, and it only drones my nerves.
