Chapter 8
Sasha Ramirez
“Sasha!” I heard him shout my name. “Dammit! Stop!”
I ignored him and kept up my headlong rush out of the lobby of the hotel that was hosting the launch. People turned to stare, but I didn’t pay any attention to them. My heart was in my throat.
I burst out of the lobby and into the crush of people on the sidewalk outside. Out there, I felt lost. At sea in a flood of unfamiliar faces.
And then he was beside me, his fingers closing around my upper arm. I tried to pull free, but his grip was too firm.
“For God’s sake, will you stop?” he barked. I stared up into his face. My palm had left a red print on his cheek.
Good!
It was nothing compared to the mark he’d left on my heart. Seeing him with that woman had sparked something in me that felt so base and primal, it had terrified me. I’d wanted to rip her throat out. I’d wanted to push him to the ground and mark him with my scent.
Oh my God, Sasha! You’re out of control!
I kept struggling to pull my arm free and a couple of passersby glanced over at us, then studiously looked the other way.
“I’m just trying to talk to you, Sasha!” When yet another person bumped into me, Prince gave an exasperated huff and pulled me unceremoniously back toward the entrance to the parking bay beneath the hotel. I squealed and struggled, but there was little point. Nobody cared.
By the time we reached the shadowed spot that housed the gleaming lines of his Bentley, we were both flushed and out of breath.
“Let me go!” I snapped. I wrenched my arm free and squared up to him, chin held high. I’d spent the past day and night terrified of what would happen to us now that he’d found out about my brother. Terrified of losing him. The thought shattered me.
There was no way I could let a man have that sort of hold over me.
“Sasha, I—” he began, but I stopped him short.
“I’m leaving, Prince,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ll get my things and be out of your life by the time you get home.” I took a quick glance around. Horatio was nowhere in sight, but I could catch a cab back to the apartment.
His eyes narrowed. “What the fuck? Where the hell do you think you’ll go?”
“Back to Renée,” I replied, folding my arms over my chest. It was heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I could still feel the adrenalin surging through me.
“Why the hell would you do that?” he snapped.
“Why?” I sneered. “You have to ask why?”
“Yes!” he said sharply. “You stormed out of there before we’d even had a chance to speak.”
“I’d heard enough,” I snapped. “And seen enough, too. You with that bitch hanging all over you. I saw you kissing her, Prince!”
“I wasn’t kissing her, dammit. She was kissing me!”
“Oh, right. Like that makes a big fucking difference!” I yelled back. What does he take me for? Some kind of idiot?
“For fuck’s sake, Sasha,” he yelled. “I just shelled out twenty million fucking dollars to get your idiot brother out of some Mexican shithole. Aren’t you at least interested in finding out if he’s okay?”
I faltered, the wind momentarily sucked from my sails. “I…”
“Yeah…he’s fine, by the way,” he added, his voice softer now. He raked a hand through his hair. His eyes were hollow. His jawline was darkened by a hint of stubble. There was a smear of scarlet lipstick on his cheek. The sight of it reignited the flame of fury in me.
“Thank you,” I muttered. “I’ll pay you back.” He raised an eyebrow, and I knew how stupid I must sound. I’d have to sell a kidney. Both of them. Shit! I probably didn’t have enough organs to settle my tab.
“I never asked for that,” he said.
