Chapter 16 Ignacio
Ignacio
“I refuse,” he said.
Esmeralda smiled. A genuine, bright-as-the-sun smile. One that would melt the rubber soles of anyone’s shoes right to the concrete.
“Come on, Ignacio. It’s the only option we have,” she replied.
“Taking my shirt off cannot be the only solution to this problem.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a bore.”
That hurt. She must really think him the dullest man to ever live, especially now that she’d surrounded herself by stars. How could he compete?
Esmeralda squeezed her face against the cage bars and peered toward the front of the procession. “We’re nearing the city now.” She whirled around. “I’ve got to get you to at least look like you belong in this cage with me.”
He felt another sting; this time it hit him right in the chest. She was right, he didn’t belong. Not here. And not with her. They weren’t meant for each other like he once thought. Their lives were so vastly different. He had a war to end. All she cared about was having her name on billboards.
“I’ll do this,” he said. “Then you will answer my questions.”
“Every single one of them.”
Grumbling, he tore off his jacket and then yanked his button-up shirt over his head. He folded them both and placed them in a neat pile to the side.
“Still like to keep things tidy, I see,” she said.
“Some habits die hard.” Like the way she made him laugh even if he didn’t want to, or the way she made his stomach dip to his knees.
He had to get his mind together. Esmeralda Montero did not want him. She never did. She was a liar. But she hadn’t lied about one thing. His father was a bastard, which stood as a reminder that Ignacio’s mission was more important than old feelings.
Frowning, he stood to his full height.
Esmeralda’s gaze fell to his bare torso and her lips parted ever so slightly.
“Like what you see?” he teased.
She scoffed. “I was only trying to figure out why one of your pecs seems so much larger than the other.”
His eyes fell to his chest.
“Now,” she said as she began scooping up the remainder of Estefan’s fallen feathers. “Let’s figure out how we can stick these onto you.”