RUINED ALREADY [18+]

|Six|

♦Penelope♦

The dark brooding man turned to stare at me and my heart slammed against my chest. A choking Vaughn was long forgotten as we both drank in the sight of one another all the while his hand tightened around the throat he was sucking the life from. The choking sounds Vaughn made didn't deter Emilio's staring at me through wild eyes. There was a subtle darkness surrounding him that made him appear even more ominous in the night.

He tossed Vaughn away liked a diseased animal and he fell to the ground with a hard thud I was sure he had broken a bone. Emilio made his way towards me, his gait graceful and sensual. The last time I'd seen him he'd been merely a figment of my mind but now I could see him clearly. A dark Angel sent to rescue me. He appeared larger, more fierce and deadlier against the dark backdrop of the night. His glare was icy and his plump mouth was a hard thin line with a scowl. His eyes could have cut me in half. A shiver sizzled through me but not from fear. I knew I should have been cowering, waiting for the blow to come. Instead I felt an odd sense of protection.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked, voice gruff and sexy.

I hated men so why was I so affected by him? Why did I have the sudden urge to throw caution to the wind and hurl myself into his arms? The excitement bubbling inside me was affecting more than just my damn senses.

"No, I'm fine. You must be my guardian Angel."

"No, I just smell fear."

I fought a smile. "Like a dog."

He didn't seem to like my comparison.

"Or perhaps you fell from grace to come," I supplied.

"Neither," he said.

"Why are you here?"

He didn't respond just stared at me. I heard a groan and peeked around him to see Vaughn crawling in his side clutching his bruised neck. Emilio made a meaningful step towards him but I grasped his arm, fingers digging into rock hard biceps. Even beneath his suit it was obvious he was packing up on muscles to kill.

"He's not worth it, Emilio. He's a sexist scum."

He straightened and surprised me by taking my hand and leading us towards my car.

"I figured out your name," I said.

"Quite a feat for you, wasn't it?" he drawled sarcastically. "Congratulations."

I pulled my hand from his large warm one that could no doubt do a great deal of harm. He paused and pivoted to glare me down in all his urbane sophistication. Being a captive for years had thought me a lot. Perhaps others couldn't see beyond his charming smile or his expensive suits and seductive calculative eyes but Emilio del Guardo was a killer.

A killer I liked. The revelation struck me and I knew I should have been appalled but I found myself being intrigued to know of the danger and fire that lurked inside him.

"You should get into your car and go home, Penelope."

"I wasn't going home just yet, actually." A lie. "There's a café down the street that I was heading to have dinner."

"So late at night? Are you looking for trouble?"

I stepped forward. "Something tells me you like trouble too, Emilio del Guardo." My voice came out sounding breathless and flirtious.

The corner of his mouth twitched and his eyes narrowed. "How far is this café?"

"Just a few blocks from here," I replied carelessly.