Chapter 4 #2
I understood the word look and princess, but not the others.
His voice was gravellier than before, barely a deep whisper as he nuzzled his face against my neck.
I remained rigid from shock, uncertain now that I was here, what I was supposed to do.
As soon as I turned my head toward the exterior wall, he grumbled again, using two fingers in controlling my chin.
After being forced to look him in the eye again, I shuddered audibly. “Malorossiyskiy.” Little Russian, I’d told him. “Italian?”
His snort was full of irritation. “Molto poco italiano.”
Very little Italian.
I had no idea how we were supposed to communicate. “English?”
“Some.”
After breathing a sigh of relief, I was no longer certain what to say to him. He kept his hold on my chin, peering down at me for a few seconds before noticing the bag I’d brought with me that was halfway stuck underneath my body.
He glanced toward the open door and I had a sense he was ready to bolt.
I don’t know what possessed me, but I cupped his face, biting back another whimper when I did.
The touch was even more powerful than earlier in the day.
I was momentarily caught off guard until he moved away, still studying the open door.
“You can’t,” I offered in English.
His head snapped in my direction, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing. “Why?”
“There are guards everywhere. At least twenty surrounding the property. They pass every fifteen minutes like clockwork.”
He narrowed his eyes, studying me before turning his attention to Golden. I could sense he wasn’t certain he could trust me. When I moved, trying to get up, he acted as if he was prepared to keep me here.
“It’s okay. Let me close the door.” He had every right to be concerned. As soon as I moved, I could see his face better in the light. “Mio Dio. Cosa ti hanno fatto? La faccia?”
My God. What did they do to you? Your face?
When I was anxious, words rushed from my mouth and always in Italian. I also did the unthinkable, brushing my fingertips across the horrible cut near his eye. Someone had beaten him up. One eye was very swollen, his lip was split wide open, and he would bruise terribly.
Even with the destruction, Mr. Beautiful Blue Eyes still maintained a sexy Greek god face.
He curled his upper lip, still uncertain what to think of me, but the longer I stroked his face, the less tense he remained. Until finally, he pulled my hand free, placing a single kiss on my palm.
For a girl who was rarely touched by anyone and had never been kissed, the swell of sensations and emotions were close to being crippling.
But I caught sight of my watch, scrambling to get to the door before we were caught. Once it was closed, I took a deep breath. If I kept the beam low, there was no way the guards could manage to see the light. Or so I hoped.
I rubbed my hands on my jeans, finally smiling when I noticed Golden Angel was crawling toward him.
She finally rested her head on his leg. I could tell even from where I was standing the mystery man was thirsty by his parched lips.
As soon as I dropped to the dirt floor, I ripped at the zipper, pulling out the bottles of water.
He didn’t grab them from my hand, instead allowing me to offer one.
When he was still hesitant, I laughed. “Go ahead.” I thought about what I’d learned in Russian and while I struggled, I tried to put together a sentence he might understand.
“Davay. Eto vsego lish’ ostraya voda. Ne krysinyye ekskrementy.
” I huffed when I managed to find the words, hoping he understood.
His gorgeous eyes were now completely hooded, providing an even sexier look that finally turned into one of amusement. But at least he accepted the water. He cracked the bottle, gulping almost half before I could stop him.
“No. No. Not so fast.” Now I was talking in three different languages. I was confusing myself.
At least he seemed to understand, using his arm to wipe his mouth. “Hot water? Rat shit?”
Oh, my God. I’d offered him hot water and told him it was rat shit instead of poison. So I had a lot to learn. I laughed nervously, uncertain what to say.
While my fur baby was completely comfortable, I was an absolute nervous wreck.
Then I remembered the food. “Oh, I have… more.” I fumbled in the bag, pulling out the food wrapped in a napkin.
When he remained hesitant, I unwrapped the linen, showing him the bread and three kinds of cheese. “I’m sorry it’s not more.”
He was still hesitant, taking another gulp of water.
“Merda.” I blew hair from my face as I took a small hunk of bread, shoving it into my mouth to prove I wasn’t trying to poison him.
He visibly relaxed seconds later, digging into the food. It wasn’t polite, but I couldn’t help but watch the way his voluptuous mouth moved. Fuck, the man was beautiful.
My mother would caution that I needed my mouth washed out with soap, but I was no longer a little girl. Now I was a woman who enjoyed looking at the sexy modeling pictures of men in my glossy magazines and on social media pages.
He obviously noticed I was studying him, offering a slight smile. As soon as he did, my stomach clenched. There was no caution to the way he was looking at me, his expression entirely dark. He could melt glaciers with that smile. He could cause a riot.
Sedona would sell her soul.
I licked my lips, trying to maintain some sense of composure. He continued munching on the food while I contemplated if I should ask him anything, and if so, what. When Golden suddenly lurched forward, I thought for certain the spell he’d put over her had been broken and she’d lunged for him.
Instead, what happened nearly broke my heart into a thousand little pieces. He was giving the last of his food to my dog. My baby girl. Nothing in the entire world could have shocked me any more than that moment.
Huddled on the cold floor while he stroked her fur, I pulled my knees to my chest, rocking back and forth.
I rested my head on my arms, thankful some tension had eased.
I’d been right. I could see marks from being beaten and while he was extremely muscular, I sensed he’d been kept inside this hellhole for at least a few days.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
He turned his attention toward me, studying me in the same I’d been doing with him. I easily sensed he wasn’t interested in us being friends. I couldn’t blame him. He’d offered me kindness before and had been beaten because of it.
I was so angry, livid, and at that moment, I hated my father more than I’d ever experienced before. He was a horrible man, someone I didn’t even know.
“I’m Rafaela.” I don’t know why I bothered. All he did was continue to stare at me. For all I knew, the man could be a savage, but I honestly didn’t think so.
While there was dirt under his fingernails, they were perfectly shaped while not being polished like so many of the pretty boys were close to my age. Plus, he was currently wiping his mouth with the napkin, now folding it and placing it into my pack. Would a savage do that?
There was also a tan line on his arm from where he’d been wearing a watch. They’d stolen it from him. I was positive. That pissed me off even more.
“Spasibo, malen’kiy tselitel’.”
I was overjoyed I knew the words he’d spoken.
Thank you… little healer. He’d called me a little healer.
“You’re welcome.” Nervous energy kept my body rocking.
While my dog was enjoying being fawned over, I pulled the flashlight into my hand, studying how he was being kept.
There was nothing. No blanket. No pillow.
No food. No water. A bucket in the corner obviously for him to use for the bathroom.
My God. What was my father doing?
I’d learned over the years to hide my emotions, especially sadness. In my father’s world, tears were a weakness and I already had the deck stacked against me since every man in the wretched organization believed women were nothing but objects.
Possessions.
Yet, as I blinked, I was unable to stop the tears from falling.
Up to this point, other than seeing his anger at Marco and his softening with Golden, I had no other sense about him or his thoughts. Yet when his blue eyes opened wide at first followed by a low and intense growl, I was thrown by the change in his demeanor.
As he leaned forward, he caught me off guard, crooking a single finger and brushing his knuckle through several tears.
With his finger glistening, he pulled it into his mouth.
For a girl who only knew romance and passion through the books she was allowed to read, I knew the moment would forever remain as one of the most intimate of my life.
I was thankful there was limited light, or he’d see how flushed my face had become.
His face once against hardened. Even his nostrils flared. “Zhenshchinu, obladayushchuyu takoy krasotoy, nikogda nel’zya zastavlyat’ plakat’.”
While I didn’t understand what he’d said, I did what I could to remember the words so I could look them up later.
He glanced at the door again and I finally jerked out of my frozen state. I’d risked too much time already.
“I need to go. I’m sorry.” I clamored to my feet, grabbing my bag and yanking the empty plastic bottle from the dirt.
“You should finish that. I can’t leave it here.
They’ll know.” When he continued staring at me, I forced myself to look away.
The man was far too beautiful for his own good, the aura surrounding him screaming of danger.
I was certifiable, but coming here had been the best moment of the last few months. How ridiculous for me to even think that. Yet it was the truth.
After polishing off the bottle, he rose to his feet, taking a single step toward me.
I was frozen on the spot, lightheaded from my difficulty breathing.
He inched closer, so close that I was holding my breath.
With a slight smirk sliding across his face, he gently pressed the bottle inside the duffle, taking the time to zip the bag closed.
“I’ll… When I come next time, I’ll bring something for your cuts.” Was there going to be a next time or was I doing nothing more than playing with the devil?
There was no acknowledgement at first, but his eyes never left mine, the silence almost overwhelming. My nerves were about to get the best of me. Maybe it was completely inappropriate, but I just didn’t care. My thighs tightened and my core was suddenly a thousand degrees.
He was so tall I was forced to tilt my head just to be able to continue looking in his eyes. With my pulse skipping, I was certain or even hopeful he was about to kiss me. But he swiped his finger under my chin and took a purposeful step away.
“Thank you, moy malen’kiy tselitel’.”
My little healer. Mine, as in possessive. I was more thrilled than I should have been given I should convince myself never to see him again. But I knew that wouldn’t happen.
Another few seconds passed until he nodded toward the door.
“Golden Angel, vieni con la mamma.”
My baby came willingly, but not before offering one last whimper.
I turned off the flashlight before opening the door, hating that he was being returned to darkness, but there was no other choice.
Once outside, I held my breath once again as I locked him in. Maybe one night I’d leave the door unlocked, allowing him to escape.
But if I did, I’d never see him again.
How very selfish of me.
I moved through the darkness, more terrified than before. I hadn’t realized over an hour had passed since my discovery. If anyone had come to check on me, Mr. Beautiful Blue Eyes would be dead by morning.
Less than ten minutes later I made it back to the house without incident, creeping inside. There was no movement that I could see, no indication anyone had been in the kitchen. After resetting the alarm, I stroked Golden’s back and together we rushed up the back set of stairs to my room.
With no one waiting for me inside, I closed and locked the door, finally able to take a deep breath. I’d dispose of the trash in the morning. Right now, I wanted nothing more than swoon over what had just occurred.
I tossed the duffle into my closet behind a stack of boxes, grabbing my laptop and crawling onto my bed. I glanced toward the door every few seconds as I pulled up Google, hoping my butchered spelling would help find what he’d said to me.
It took a little while, but I knew the moment I’d found the correct words.
A woman so beautiful should never be forced to cry.
Exhaling, I sat back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. My heart was hammering against my chest, the adventure one I’d never forget.
As I closed my eyes, his face popped into my mind. Maybe tomorrow he’d feel comfortable enough to tell me his name.