Chapter 20
K ylo is pounding right on my sweet spot like a jackhammer, the scraping of his piercings along my walls coaxing screams out of me until they crescendo. He plays my body like his favorite instrument. Heat thrums in my core and spreads like wildfire throughout my body.
“You take me so. Fucking. Well. Cum all over my dick,” he coos breathlessly.
That was the last thing I heard him say before my soul leaves my body.
I’m pretty sure he said something else, but my ears are ringing from how hard I just fucking came. When I catch my breath, I turn over onto his sweaty body and plant kisses on as many tattoos as I can reach, licking some of his salty skin, too.
We stay with my head on his chest and him tracing shapes on my back until I fall asleep. All the blood running through my veins hum to the beat of his heart. Before my eyes shut completely, they get lost in his sleepy ones peering down at me. My body tingles on the inside from the force of the emotions rolling through me. His presence alone fills me with ecstasy, on top of the sex it just makes me look up at him with hearts in my eyes.
When we were showering, it felt natural to care for him, but being cared for in return felt better than I expected. Especially when his usual demeanor is stoic and ruthless. Witnessing him be soft and nurturing with me has my heart soaring.
I wake up with a heavy weight on my stomach. Fluttering my eyes open, the previous night comes back to me, explaining the heavy arm wrapped around me. Kylo looks so peaceful when he sleeps. My hand goes over his cheek with the ghost of a touch, but I’m unsure whether I should stay or leave before he wakes up. When I try to softly move away from him, his arm tightens around me and he pulls me in.
“Good morning, little fox,” he says in his deep morning voice, eyes still closed. If I was wearing any panties, they would’ve melted off just now. Popping a lid, he uses his grip on me to turn us so I’m straddling his erection. “Going somewhere?”
“I…I just...” My gasp cuts me off when he jolts his hips up. My body bows forward until our noses are touching.
What were we talking about?
“You don’t have anywhere to be until six this afternoon,” he murmurs, reaching up to kiss my neck.
“Wait, what time is it?”
Kylo doesn’t stop kissing my neck, speaking in between kisses. “I don’t know, seven? Eight?”
Scanning his room for a clock, it is in fact not seven or eight, it’s almost eleven in the morning. When was the last time I slept in that late? I sit up, pinning Kylo down by his shoulders. “If I need to be ready by six, the latest I should start getting ready is noon. Do you know what time it is? Almost eleven!.”
He narrows his eyes at me then looks at me like I grew a second head. “There is no way you need six whole hours to get ready.”
“Honey, I need to do my hair and that alone takes around three hours.” His mouth is agape, so I push his chin up to close it for him. Rolling off him to avoid getting distracted, I lay next to him propping my head up. “I’m kind of nervous,” I say honestly.
“Why?”
“I’m not sure what to expect. Is Luciano going to be there?”
He eyes me suspiciously. “Probably not, but I never really know with him. Why? Did you want him there?”
Shoving him playfully, I respond, “He’s the only other person I know besides Marco. Who will I talk to when you get busy? What if I do something wrong?”
When he takes in my expression, he sits up against the headboard and jerks his head for me to join him.
“I’ll see if he’s going to come by. If not, you can stay with me or hide away in the shadows, I will always keep my eye on you.”
We stayed there for a while until eventually I peel myself away from him and look for my dry nightgown. On my way over to my house, Marco runs over to me from the field.
“Hey, is everything okay?”
He looks me over then glances behind me to Kylo’s house, when his eyes find mine again they are full of worry. “Amaris, you need to be careful tonight in that house, okay?”
Don’t trust anyone.
The voice swims across my mind, but I push it to the back of my head.
“Marco, what happened? Why do I need to be careful?”
Heaving a sigh, he says, “The guys won’t divulge any information to me, but all morning there has been suspicious chatter. I don’t know enough to say anything concrete, but just promise me to keep your guard up and stay on your toes. I don’t have a good feeling about this. If I learn anything new I’ll find you.”
“Of course I will,” I say with furrowed brows.
Before I get another word in he cuts me off. “I’m sorry, I have to go back. Be safe.” Then he jogs off, leaving me dumbfounded.
Weird. He didn’t even ask for his cheesecake. Something is definitely going on, but what?
For now I’ll shift my focus on getting ready. On top of everything else I can’t remember, who knows when the last time I put real effort into getting dolled up for myself, or when the next chance will come by?
The hours zoom by while I scrub myself silky smooth, blow-dry my hair, and apply a light face of makeup. After my makeup looks perfect, I go back to my hair and give myself a Dominican blowout. This hairstyle combined with the emerald green dress I set aside will make my hair pop and look more red than usual. I love it.
My favorite part about my entire ensemble is an accessory that’ll be hidden to everyone else. When I was shopping for lingerie I picked up a discreet, but super cute, thigh holster and was hoping to have an opportunity to use it. Tucked inside is my dagger and with the slit on the dress, it’s easily accessible if I need it.
Standing in the mirror, I act out a scenario in which I would need to pull it out quickly and attack. Damn, I look good . And I feel like a bad bitch spy from the middle ages.
A knock at my front door startles me. Glancing at the time on my phone tells me it’s almost six already.
Time is not real.
I’m rendered speechless when I pull the door open. Kylo usually looks great in his regular clothes, but in his suit, sans tie, he looks scrumptious. His brows shoot up to his hairline and he has a similar reaction to mine, albeit he recovers quicker than I do. With a chuckle at my dazed face, he says, “You are magnificent, little fox.”
I clear my throat and let him in, spinning around and asking him to zip my dress the rest of the way up. He offers to strap my heels on for me and when he kneels for me to put my foot on his knee, I place it on his chest instead. The heels are new so they don’t leave a mark on him, but I still brush off his chest when he stands.
“You look very sexy tonight,” I say, pulling him forward by the lapels of his suit.
“You look amazing, I like your makeup and the way you did your hair.”
“Aren’t you supposed to tell me I look better without it or something?” I tease.
“I love that I get to see you when you’re all natural every day, but let me appreciate the art you put effort into making.” He takes my hand and spins me around twice.
He checks his phone before offering me his arm. “Our car is here.”
“Car? It’s not that far of a walk.”
“You have to spend the whole night in those heels. You look great, but I can’t imagine it’s too comfortable. If we don’t need to add the walk on top of that, we won’t.”
The walk would have killed my feet, so I’m actually glad he got us a car. We walk out arm in arm and make the short drive to the main house. When we step out, we are hand in hand. Kylo looks as uncomfortable to be here as I feel, but he squeezes my hand twice and tries for a reassuring smile before we go up the stairs.
The estate is a clear display of wealth and power, the guests and interior a direct reflection of just that. The room is bathed in a black and gold color scheme. It’s lavish, but slightly dull. Whispering in Kylo’s ear, I comment, “I like your art better.”
He freezes. “You saw my art?”
“I saw the man with half a face, it was really good.”
This is the second time I’ve seen him act nervous. It’s a cute look on him.
For a while, Kylo floats around greeting people briefly and I stick right by his side. The energy in this room is dark and I know none of these people. Lucifer won’t be coming, either, Kylo told me on the ride over.
Two men approach us and make conversation with Kylo as I stand off to the side. Behind me, I hear a group of men laughing. When I turn around, they are pointing and looking at me. Maybe it’s all in my head, but when I scan the room I get the sense that there is some sort of joke I wasn’t let in on.
Kylo’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “Renato, I was hoping to talk to you alone.”
Subtly, I turn to get a better look at the infamous Renato. His eyes look dark and dead. There’s a sinister energy to him, and I’m somewhat afraid that if he so much as catches me looking at him, the outcome won’t be pleasant. While the two of them are wrapped up in their conversation, I slip away into the first exit I find. It leads to an empty hallway.
Most doors are locked, but there is one that opens into some sort of office. I’m about to turn when a tall bookcase catches my eye. There’s an invisible string pulling me into the room. With a final sweep of the hallway, I go inside and close the door behind me. My finger runs along the spines of all the classics until a blue cover calls my name. I pull the book out and a singular picture falls out from between the pages.
Bending down to pick up the picture, I flip it and hope to find a picture of baby Kylo. But this is a picture of a couple with their baby girl. Does Kylo have a sister?
I bring the picture closer to examine it. The memories come flooding back so quickly I lose my balance and topple over to the floor while I watch all my missing memories replay in my head, down to the moment I crashed.
“I think it’s time I talked about it, amor mio,” my father says to my mother who has tears forming in her eyes.
“Talk about what?”
“Come with me, mi amor. There’s a lot to explain.” Mama takes my hand and leads me to the couch in the living room where I’m sandwiched between the two of them.
My stomach sinks in anticipation, I want him to just spit it out already.
“Mi ni?a. The couple in that picture are your parents. That baby is you and the woman in that picture, your mother, she was my sister.” He looks drained already, but my head is hardly able to wrap around the fact that my parents aren’t my parents.
“What?”
“Renato Kincaid is a despicable man, I’m sure you’ve heard stories. Well, he had an obsession with your mother that knew no bounds. Estelle lived in fear of when he would strike or what he would do, so she created a game of hide and seek in case he ever came. And he did. When you were four years old, we got the call.” He looks at Mama and puts his hands over her free hand, the other is wiping away the tears she can’t contain.
“He wasn’t alone, but he did the most damage. After beating and tying up your dad, he raped Estelle and made him watch along with everyone else in the room. Even a little boy was there. Unfortunately, I saw enough when I got there. You were hiding in the outside cellar until I got to you and I heard his voice filtering through a window. He knew she had a daughter and he still wanted to go after you. That man’s heart is coal black and full of hatred. Your parents put us in their will for that same reason and that’s how we always had more money than we knew what to do with.”
Mama chimes in through deep breaths. “I knew at an early age that I would never be able to have children of my own, but the day that we were blessed with taking you in as our own I knew that I would raise and love you as my own. My love for you is no different. You are our baby girl.”
Mama pulls me in for a hug and it’s only then that I realize I’m sobbing, too. She holds me and apologizes until the sadness melts to anger.
Looking around the room, the severity of where I am crashes down on me. Grateful for waterproof makeup, I wipe away any stray tears and sneak out of the room quickly.
Fuck me. I stupidly walked right into the lion's den.
Kylo.
Was any of it real? Or did I imagine what Kylo and I had?
I am a fool, that’s all I’m certain of.
Taking a deep breath and steeling my spine, I slip back into the main room, sticking to the shadows. In my haste, I bump right into a random man and mindlessly apologize.
“Careful there, emerald.”
My confusion is evident on my face when I turn to him fully. “Emerald?”
He shamelessly rakes his gaze from the bottom of my dress, all the way up to my chest and licks his lips. When his dark hazel eyes meet mine, they are full of an emotion I can't place.
“Your dress. It’s emerald green, my favorite gemstone.”
Trying my best for a casual demeanor, I look down at my dress and then laugh it off. “Right, it’s my favorite color. Sorry for bumping into you again.”
As I leave, his gravelly voice sounds from behind me. “The pleasure was all mine, gem.”
Physically, I’m here. Mentally, I’m somewhere else. The wheels in my head are working overtime, as if they’re brand new.
Kylo’s eyes are already on me when I spot him, so I put on my best mask. He can’t know I have my memory back yet. I have to bide my time until I can come up with a plan. Look where acting impulsively has gotten me. He leads me to a large dinner table with a feast laid out, but I have no sort of appetite for any of it.
It feels like my whole world is crashing and burning around me, but I’m supposed to keep a neutral face and eat my food like I’m at Sunday dinner.
These people are out for my blood. I know it.
Kylo leans over and whispers in my ear, “After the food we can we leave.” He places his hand on my thigh and I involuntarily tense up, but play it off. The only place my food went was to different locations around my plate until we were able to leave.