Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“No?” I heard the danger in his soft tone, but I ignored it. I was too righteously pissed off.
“That’s right: no. If you’re so worried that people at UCLA might notice my absence and get concerned about where I am, then I’m not going to help you resolve this little issue. But you could just make this easier on both of us and let me attend my classes. I won’t go to my dad’s house, and I won’t go to my apartment, either.” I remembered Mateo’s bleak warning of what might happen if I went back to my apartment. I couldn’t bear the thought of being forcibly dragged back to Daddy.
“I’ll just go to class, and I’ll come right back here after,” I continued. “I promise.”
His black eyes narrowed. “You think this is a negotiation?”
“I think it’s a compromise,” I countered.
“Well, you’re wrong,” he said bluntly. “In my house, there are no compromises and definitely no negotiations. You do as I say, or you face consequences.”
“Consequences.” I made sure to put the word in air quotes. “Yeah, you mentioned them last night. Like what? What are you going to do if I don’t help you hold me hostage?”
His eyes sparked. “Punish you.”
My mouth went dry, and my little tirade ended abruptly. “Wait. What?”
“You heard me.”
“But…” I licked my lips, struggling to weigh up my options. “But what does that mean, exactly?”
His brows rose. “Keep testing me, and you’ll find out.”
“You said I could go back to my classes when you know you can trust me.” I tried to change tactics. “You can trust me now. I promise I won’t try to run away from you or get help from anyone.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know that with one hundred percent certainty. Not yet. I’m sure you think you’re being sincere right now, but you could change your mind once you’re out in public. I won’t let you leave this house until I know you’ll do whatever I say without question.”
“That’s not fair,” I argued. “I’m telling you the truth, and you don’t want to believe me. I shouldn’t be confined to your house just because you have trust issues.”
“And I suppose you think I should be more like you and trust everyone?” he shot back. “You don’t live in that world anymore, Sofia. Your pretty little life was a lie. Most people aren’t good. They aren’t kind. I would be a fool to blindly trust everyone I meet.”
His barbed comments cut to my core. I was still trying to avoid thinking about how my cushy, safe reality had been cruelly shattered. I was fully aware that I’d been foolish and perhaps even willfully ignorant to believe Daddy’s lies, so I could keep living in my normal little bubble.
And I’d definitely been acting like an idiot to enjoy cooking breakfast with Mateo, my unbending jailor.
“You’re right,” I seethed. “I have been foolish. I was stupid to think I could ever trust you. But you aren’t good. You aren’t kind. You’re a criminal. Just like Adrián. Just like my dad. You think I’m going to help a criminal keep me captive? You think I’m going to be a compliant little hostage? Fuck you, Mateo.”
His face turned stonier with each accusation I hurled at him. When I spat my final insult, he remained silent for several of my racing heartbeats.
“Go to your room,” he ground out.
“Excuse me?” I choked. He couldn’t be serious.
“I warned you before: if you act like a brat, you get treated like a brat. Now, go to your room.” He enunciated each word.
A crazed laugh burst from my chest, booming through the kitchen. This was all too insane. He honestly thought he could put me in time-out like a naughty child?
I had one second to note the hard resolve that turned his features to granite before my world turned upside down.
“Hey!” I exclaimed, shocked to find myself slung over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
His fingers bit into my thigh, silencing me as effectively as a palm against my mouth.
Oh, god. His big hand was braced right beneath my ass. The thin cotton barrier of his t-shirt did little to protect my vulnerable flesh from his iron hold. The heat of his hand branded me, and I became very aware of the fact that he was only an inch away from touching my sex.
I went limp against him, too overwhelmed to consider struggling. Not that I would have any chance against his strength, anyway.
Had I thought that being sent to my room seemed childish and silly only moments ago?
Mateo definitely wasn’t joking around. And I’d never been more aware of the womanly parts of my body. Something pulsed between my legs, and my nipples pebbled.
He made that low, growly noise again.
I nearly moaned in mortification. Did he somehow know what was happening to me?