“What the hell.” Anxious, my frozen fingers fumbled with the door and when I finally got it open, I stumbled out. Almost tripping in my haste, I landed face first into Remo’s chest.
“That eager, are we?” He chuckled gripping my arms to steady me.
I jerked back from his hold. “Where are my friends?” My gaze snapped to the SUV. “What are you planning to do with them? Rape them too? You’re sick—” I ranted, shoving at his hands.
“They’re safe,” he said calmly, grasping my flailing hands.
“Where are they taking them?” I pushed against his hold, and he let me go. Dashing to the vehicle, I banged on the blacked-out window. “Stasia, Brandi, Trix—” The window lowering had me biting my tongue, expecting a gun in my face.
“It’s okay, Ish, Remo arranged for them to drop us of at home.” Stasia smiled, gesturing with her chin at the two men up front.
“He what…” My eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” Brandi nodded. I looked back at Remo, standing in the rain, his hands in his pants pockets, his head cocked to the side as if daring me to insult him again.
How could the same man who was close to kidnapping me to have sex with him, worry about my friends enough to have them sent home?
“Go on before you catch a cold,” Stasia coaxed in her motherly tone, bringing my gaze back to her.
I sighed. “Okay, I’ll see you…” Glancing at my stalking adversary I couldn’t think any further than an ‘oh shit.’ They threw me kisses before the vehicle pulled away.
As if mother nature wanted to remind me, I was drenched, a cold wind swirled around me and my teeth began to chatter. I turned to find Remo waiting beside the open car door. Ignoring his smile, I trudged closer and slid back in, my attempt still awkward and not caring that I appeared like a clumsy idiot. I watched him walk around the car, open his door and climb behind the wheel with a graceful ease that left me brieflyenvious. The engine purred to life, lighting up the dashboard with a luminous greenish glow of dials and buttons.
Rubbing my arms to warm up, I glanced at Remo whose eyes remained on the road as he pulled away from the curb. A second later, a blast of hot air blew over me, heating my frozen body and melting my toes. I sighed my pleasure, sneaking a glance at him. Finding his eyes on me, I quickly averted my gaze to look out the window, not missing his soft chuckle.
“Here.” He handed me a towel which he probably retrieved from the back seat. “Dry yourself,” he coaxed when I frowned. While my internal alarm bells warned I shouldn’t accept anything from him, he leaned closer. “I could lick all those droplets off you, if you prefer.”
Flustered, my heart rate went from zero to hundred, keeping to the rhythm of the powerful roar of the car beneath us. I took the towel as Remo tapped the gas pedal and the vehicle shot off down the road. The air stifled in my throat for just a second before he eased up on the speed and soft music filled the car.
“Jazz? Really?” I mocked, patting my face with the towel, my nostrils flaring at the scent of fresh apples and lime.
He looked at me, his eyes shadowed by the dimly lit interior. “Why? Do I not look like a man who enjoys jazz?”
“Heavy metal and punk rock come to mind,” I replied, my tone sweetly sarcastic.
“I fuck hard, little fox, it’s all the head banging you’ll need.” He winked, flashing me a feral smile.
The rush of heat up neck and into my cheeks had nothing to do with the warm air blowing through the vents. He returned his gaze to the road, leaving me with unsolicited visions of what lay beneath that control. To regain some semblance of control over my runaway thoughts, I attempted to dry my hair while keeping my gaze fixed on the passing scenery.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, noticing the dark trees lit by an occasional streetlamp.
“My dungeon,” he replied, glancing at me. My eyes widened without effort. “I like my women shackled to the wall while I rape and torture her.” Amusement lined his tone, yet his eyes divulged a visceral threat as though the idea pleased him.
I swallowed what little saliva my suddenly parched throat begged for. “Why are…are you doing this?” I choked out, hating my stutter.
The car glided to a stop outside tall black gates that loomed suddenly. Flanked by large stone gargoyles and the mysterious darkness within its confines, it was a scene from a typical horror movie, the depraved kind. Despite the heat, I turned cold quickly, my gaze darting back to Remo.
“Why are…” I tried to repeat my question, and it got lost somewhere inside my shuddering body.
One hand on the wheel, the other reached out to cup my chin as Remo leaned closer. Silently, he stared at me, his expression blank, his eyes unreadable. “I’m the light to your darkness, and the sin to your virtue,” he said quietly. “And together we’ll shower damnation in heaven and blaspheme Satan in hell.”
I blinked. Was he serious? It sounded like a line from a bad gothic novel, overly dramatic and strangely intense. I waited for him to elaborate, to explain the weird philosophy, but he just studied my face. For a second, something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
“What does that even mean?” My brow shot up.
He released his hold on my chin, turned away, and drove through the opening gates. A smirk touched his lips. “You’ll learn soon enough.”
Frowning, I kept my gaze on his side profile. Since the first time I met him, his thick hair was always slicked back, stylish, neat and shiny. Now, wet with rain, it tumbled in a sexy messover his eyebrows, almost merging with his long, dark lashes. The back was slightly shorter yet playfully grazed his collar when he moved. If I didn’t know he was mafia, I’d label him a playboy billionaire. He possessed the charm, the looks and the mystery a man women would stalk just to get a look from him. My gaze flicked to his hands, one on the wheel, the other elbow resting on the door with a fingertip rolling over his lip.
Stupidly, I found myself remembering how he’d kissed me. His mouth warm contrasting his cold aggression; the graze of his lip ring that brought a pained pleasure I hadn’t experienced before. Would it be the same or a touch of emotion if he kissed me again?
