Rafael’s laughter is loud and obnoxious, just like him. And like my brother, I’m entertained by it. “You might be high and mighty now, Tris, but the day will come when you fuck up badly and when that happens, I’ll be in the front row giving you the finger.”
“Good-bye,” I say.
“Keep Carina’s sister safe. I’m counting on you, brother. Later.”
I drop my arm, bringing the cell phone away from my ear, and tap the device against my thigh while diving into a realm of deep thought. Rafael said Violetta is underage, and although she told me differently, I’m inclined to believe my brother over her.
She lied to me.
And it also means that I let a minor watch me jack-off in the shower. The same minor who let me kiss her, touch her, and talk about fucking her. This fuck-up of mine is probably worse than anything Rafael has ever done.
What makes this more abysmal is I regret nothing, only that her birthday wasn’t yesterday.
A couple hours later, the vehicle jostles us as it travels over the dirt roads and through the dense forests. I keep my gaze ahead, refusing to glance in Violetta’s direction even when the terrain causes the jeep to lurch and sends its passengers careening to the side. She’s fallen into me on several occasions and I fisted my hands to keep from steadying her.
I won’t touch her again.
Violetta bumps into me for the umpteenth time and I briefly close my eyes. The ironclad self-control I have is nearly depleted, because a man can only handle so much temptation all at once. However, I summon my inner fortitude and concentrate on the consequences of my actions if I were to fall prey to weakness. Carina would undoubtedly be upset if I were to take advantage of her sister, causing her to enlist Rafael’s aid.
Getting him involved would take matters from bad to outrageous.
Yet the soft curve of Violetta’s breast pressing against my arm and the scent of her hair flowing over me nearly does me in. She’s quick to right herself and from my peripheral vision I catch her gazing at me with an apology lurking in her eyes. Then Violetta angles her head away from me as she should.
“Violet,” Benito calls from the rear-facing back seat, “don’t let Tristano leave me behind in this God-forsaken shithole if I’m flung from the jeep, okay?”
His familiarity and friendly attitude toward Violetta still irritates the fuck out of me. The sinister part of me wouldn’t mind the idea of leaving his ass on the dirt road.
She turns to face Benito and purses her lips in what can only be a look of pure exasperation. At least Violetta is aware of how stupid he is around her. But much to my displeasure, it doesn’t stop her from interacting with him. I’ve watched how she is around him and her body is more relaxed and her face less resigned.
Why is she so comfortable around Benito?
“This entire trip has been so jumpy I think my balls are in my stomach now,” Benito grumbles. “Violet, if you beat me inSudokuagain, just know the strangulation of my major arteries is stopping the blood flow to my brain and it’s the reason I lost.”
She shakes her head without looking back. I glance at Benito over my shoulder with a raised brow and he gives me a wide grin in return.
This fucker.
I have no doubt I intimidate her, and I admire Violetta for being strong enough to not only stand up to me, but defy me as well. Even so, my palm itches to whip her ass for that. Regardless of what I want to do and not do, she doesn’t like to interact with me, which is why she’s keeping her distance.
This is a good thing, but remembering that is hard.
Just like my cock.
I swear it hasn’t gone down since the moment I caught her watching me in the shower. Violetta’s awfully bold for someone her age, but she’s also a liar. I’ve been fuming ever since Rafael revealed her age and I can’t stop thinking about it.
If there was ever a time for her to be silent in order to stay safe, this is it. However, I still want to know why she lied. Not that she would speak or tell me the truth even if she did talk.
After careful consideration, I suspect it’s because she was worried I’d take advantage of her. Yet, the opposite is true. Had I known she’s a minor, my behavior toward her would’ve been entirely different. For starters, I would’ve kept my fucking hands to myself. Violetta telling me the truth on the flight here would’ve also ensured I took a gentler approach when dealing with her.
But none of that matters now.
The damage is done and despite the fact she’s only hours away from being a legal adult, I find it difficult to reconcile that mentally. Violetta’s body is a far cry from that of a child’s. And I stand by my statement: she needs to be fucked like the woman she is. Her rebellion, although quiet, requires a strong hand to keep it in line.
But that responsibility—and gratification—isn’t mine.
The only task I have is to keep her safe and I’ll do that, but without further complicating things by acting on the temptation she provides. I don’t blame her for being attractive or me for wanting her, but what I am pissed off about is her lying to me. Had I known, I never would’ve done those things earlier.
The carnal part of me rears its head and shakes it in disagreement.
