Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Liliana
The residents were resilient and strong.
Over the last eighteen months, I ventured to guess that I learned more from them than the other way around.
When I entered my office, there were fresh strawberry muffins on my desk.
Celeste and Reina were already present in the front office.
They told me that there were too many women who volunteered for VIP last night.
The ones who didn’t go got together and had a movie night.
Their choice of show made me laugh—Pretty Woman.
I didn’t mention what el Patrón said about alternatives to being killed. The idea of being kidnapped and forced into prostitution instead of going into it willingly sent chills over my flesh.
It was almost as if yesterday never happened.
Even our guards were quiet, not offering updates regarding Cabez?n’s men.
However, the word from the residents who worked last night was that two of Cabez?n’s men were detained for questioning.
I wanted to reach out to Nick but was too frightened that he wouldn’t answer or text me back.
Compared to yesterday, today was downright jubilant. The energized residents spent the morning decorating the dining hall for the impending holidays, constructing and decorating a tree and stringing colorful lights. Carols bellowed from someone’s phone.
I helped with the decorations as lunchtime approached and checked in with the residents who worked Wanderland last night. Everyone said the same thing. The night at the club was uneventful. I was sitting at a table unwinding garland when my phone buzzed with a text message.
I inhaled, nibbling my lip when I saw the name—Nick. Holding my breath, I read the message.
“Get your ass to your office in five minutes or it will be red.”
There was nothing about that message that should make me smile. Yet my lips curled, and warmth filled my raised cheeks. I pressed my thighs together at the sudden twisting in my core.
“Are you all right?” Julia asked. “You look…excited or scared or both.”
I scoffed. “I-I need to go see someone.”
“Would that someone be Lieutenant Ruiz?” she asked in a singsongy voice.
Pressing my lips together, I quickly nodded. “I thought he was upset with me.”
“Girl, the way he looked at you yesterday in the lecture hall was like he wanted to eat you for dinner. I don’t think you could possibly upset him.”
“We’re just friends.” Even the idea of marriage was meant to be for show.
“You keep telling yourself that.”
I stood, pushing away from the table. “Just friends.”
Excitement and dread created an intoxicating concoction circulating throughout my bloodstream. By the time I made it to the office suite, my palms were moist and my breathing shallow. Opening the main door, I met with Celeste’s and Reina’s wide stares. “Lieutenant Ruiz?” I managed to ask.
“He’s in your office. He said once you arrive, you’re not to be disturbed.”
I took a deep breath. “How did he seem?”
The two women exchanged glances.
“Intense,” Reina finally answered.
Intense.
That was the description Mia used about her husband.
Wiping my palms on my skirt, I approached the door and reminded myself that Nick Ruiz didn’t frighten me. He was nice.
Was that really an accurate description of a lethal cartel lieutenant?
Gripping the doorknob, I turned it and pushed the door inward. My mouth went dry and my breathing hitched. I closed the door behind me.
A vase with a bouquet of roses sat on the table.
A picnic basket was near the table on the floor.
But my attention went to the man waiting for me.
Nick stood with his fine ass leaning against my desk.
His arms crossed over his wide t-shirt-covered chest, his dark eyes staring down at his wristwatch.
Slowly, his deep brown orbs moved upward, scanning me, inch by inch, from my ballet flats to my plaited hair.
My nipples tented my blouse as he studied each place in between.
A smile threatened his scowl. “You came precariously close to missing the deadline.”
Swallowing, I took a step toward him. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“I want you to be.”
My stomach twisted. “You want me to be?”
He nodded, standing tall.
“You want me sorry?” I wasn’t computing his words.
“Very sorry.” He came closer, his cedar scent filling my senses.
It was then I noticed my desk, the black leather snake lying on top. Not a snake. It was his belt. Reddened ass. My nerves kicked into overdrive. I took a step back as if the leather could strike on its own. “If you think you have the right to punish me…”
“You made it in time.”
“If I hadn’t?” My voice rose an octave.
“I told you in my text message.”
I squared my shoulders. “I’ve lived through one abusive marriage. I’m not doing that again.”
“No, tesoro, you’re not.”
Tesoro—treasure, something or someone of value.
Nick didn’t blink as he took another step toward me.
As much as I wanted to stand my ground, I found my feet moving backward. Each step he took forward, I took one back until I ran out of room. My shoulders collided with the wall. “Nick?” I didn’t know what I was asking, but I was asking.
He came to a stop in front of me, his one hand going to the wall, caging me, while his other came gently to my chin, his calloused thumb caressing my cheek.
I stared into the depths of his dark orbs.
His deep voice reverberated through my shattered nerves. “I don’t want to marry you to get Em and Jano off my ass.”
I swallowed. “You don’t want to marry me.” My nostrils flared. “I understand. I’m damaged.”
He forcibly lifted my chin, pinching it between his thumb and finger.
“I want to marry you, Liliana. I don’t give a damn about pleasing Em or Jano.
I want to marry you because I want you to be mine.
I don’t give a fuck about your past. You’re not spoiled.
You’re a fighter, and I want to feel the heat of the fight that burns deep inside you.
It’s a fight to survive, to live, and to love.
I want to feel it every fucking day of my life.
I want to fall asleep next to you and wake up beside you. ”
“You said no sex.”
“I’ve changed my mind.” His palm slid to my cheek as his lips crashed down on mine.
His kiss was possessive, firm, and bold, the striking of a match igniting buried embers I’d thought were long dead.
I lifted my hands to his chest; his heart drummed beneath my touch.
The hard planes of his body pressed against me, yet my only thought was that I’d never been kissed like this before.
Never.
Ever.
It was intoxicating and suffocating at the same time, like a supernova, a powerful explosion setting off detonations throughout my nervous system.
Nick splayed his long fingers in the small of my back, pulling me closer, flattening my breasts as his erection prodded against my stomach. My head snapped back as he twisted my braid. The nerves sent electricity from my scalp to my nipples, turning them from hard to diamonds and flooding my core.
He took a step back as I panted for air.
“I fucking want you, Liliana. You’ve been right in front of me for years, and I finally opened my damn eyes.
” His thumb ran over my lips as he grinned.
“I like seeing your lips bruised from my kiss. I want to see the way your skin reddens as I lick and kiss you.”
I met his gaze. “You don’t scare me, Nick Ruiz.”
He dipped his head, his lips coming to the sensitive skin of my neck. The whoosh of his breath filled my ears. “Like here.”
Goose bumps bloomed over my arms and legs as he nuzzled and licked.
“And here.” His lips lowered down my chest.
I reached for his cheeks, my palms pushing with all their might. When he relented, his eyes met mine. “Marry me first.”
“Is that a yes to my proposal?” he asked.
“Yes, Nick. It’s a yes.”
“This won’t be in name only, Liliana. I want you to know that you’re important to me. You mean something to me. You’re not alone, and you would fucking be missed. I’d burn down the damn world for you.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I don’t…deserve—”
Nick’s finger came to my lips. “You deserve more than I can ever give you.”
“Sex?”
His grin broadened. “Gerardo doesn’t get to live rent free in your head any longer. I’m fucking evicting him this minute. You’re not afraid of sex.” He inhaled and smiled. “Tesoro, I smell you. You’re wet. Tell me I’m wrong.”
My chin lowered as more warmth filled my cheeks.
Again, he lifted my chin. “Tell me.”
“You’re not wrong.” Peering over his shoulder, I saw his belt on the desk. “I won’t be in another relationship like I was before.”
Nick must have followed my line of vision because he turned toward the desk and back to me. “I’m not my uncle.”
“But…punish? I’m an adult, not a child.”
The fire simmered in his orbs. “I’m well aware that you’re a grown woman.
” He took my hand and lowered it to his blue jeans.
“I don’t get hard for a child.” Releasing my hand, he kissed my forehead.
“I like to be in control, Liliana. I’ve watched you.
Submission isn’t foreign to you. I promise, nothing will be nonconsensual as long as you obey my one rule. ”
“One? What?”
“Know that you’re loved and cared for.” He lifted my hand to my chest, placing it over my heart. “Know in here. The residents, Mia, Izzy, and me.”
Is he saying he loves me?
Nick went on, “Never tell anyone that you won’t be missed or aren’t important. Know your worth, your value. Because to me, you’re priceless.”
My chin lowered as I dropped my forehead to his chest. My words came out muffled. “I’m not worthy of your love.”
Nick wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. “You are, and that’s your one and only pass on breaking my rule. From now until forever, I won’t tolerate you thinking or saying otherwise.”
When I looked up, tears slid down my cheeks. “I’ll do my best to change my thoughts. It may take some time.”
His smile bloomed. “That’s what we have—time. In the meanwhile, I’ll enjoy my handprint on your ass when you forget.”
I shook my head, surprised by how appealing his threat sounded. Maybe there was some truth to the idea of enjoying Nick’s naughty side. “I might do it on purpose.”
Nick’s laugh filled the office. After a quick kiss, he led me to the table. The sweet scent of roses filled my senses.
Once I sat, he crouched down and opened the picnic basket. “What’s this?”
“What?” Before the word was fully out, my focus was on the diamond ring in his grasp. “Nick?”
Still on one knee, he asked the question I’d never been asked before.
“Liliana, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”