Page 25 of His to Bedevil

Her face hardens then. “I’m fine, Alejo. I do not need more rest.”

“Then what is it?”

Rolling her eyes, she says, “Seriously?” I just sit there patiently, still cradling her face in my hand. “I just need to ask him if it’s normal that I haven’t gotten my period yet. I know it can be affected from everything that I went through, but I just want to make sure.”

For some reason, there’s this irrational fury that snakes through my veins, making me want to kill someone. “Could you be pregnant?” The question comes out through gritted teeth. It wouldn’t matter if she were. I would raise the child as my own because it’s still a part of her. But the thought of her having someone else’s baby inside of her…

She recoils and shakes her head eagerly. “No! No. I couldn’t be pregnant. I have an IUD, and I always use condoms.”Not with me you won’t.I, too, always use condoms, but that’s because I don’t plan on being with just one woman for long. Irma will be the last woman I’ll ever be with. Why would we ever use a condom?

Relaxing some, I drop my hand from her face and take her hands in both of mine. “Are you sure you’re all right though? Would you like to sit out on the terrace for a while? Get some sun?” I reach up and tuck some of her hair behind her ear, and her pupils dilate.

She stares at me for a long moment before nodding her head slowly.

Irma

We step outside on the terrace, and I pick a lounge chair to stretch out in. It’s not terribly sunny out, so a few minutes directly in the sun won’t kill me. Plus, there’s an umbrella over the next chair beside this one, so I can move over to that one after a few minutes. While I’m trying to gain back my health and my strength, might as well enjoy the amenities here.

Alejo sits in a chair adjacent to me in the shade and opens his laptop again, working on who knows what. Probably looking into a new batch of women to sell or some new drug to disperse. Closing my eyes, I bask in the sun. I’ve never missed the sun so much in my life. The warmth on my skin and the breeze in my hair. Or more like my rat’s nest. I cannot wait to get ahold of a brush. I’ll need to get in the shower and soak my hair in conditioner to get all the knots and tangles out. I might even have to cut some of it off, it’s so bad.

My eyes pop open when I feel Alejo take a seat on the lounger with me. He’s looking down at me as if amused by me somehow. “We’re leaving to go home tomorrow,” he states.

“Home? As in…?”

“Cuba,” he answers.

“Cuba,” I repeat. “And you’re taking me with you.” He nods. “As your prisoner.”

“You’re not my prisoner,mi amor.”

“How so?”

“You remember what it was like being my prisoner, yes?”

“How could I forget?” I mutter.

“Then you see that you are no longer a prisoner.”

“But I don’t have any freedom,” I point out.

“Only until I can trust you.”

“Trust me with what? Trust me not to kill you, or trust me not to try and escape? Because I can only promise you one of those.” As soon as I get my stamina back, I will try for a getaway any chance that I get. I’m only being a cooperative captive right now because I know I’m not strong enough yet, and I don’t want to be reckless and end up dead.

His lips curl into a tiny grin, and I want to run my fingers through his facial hair. “Which one?” he asks, sounding amused.

“Which one would you prefer?” I smirk and cross my arms.Am I flirting? I’m not supposed to be flirting with my captor. Or maybe that’s exactly what I should be doing.

“Both.”

“Can’t do that.” I’m pretty sure I couldn’t kill him if I had the chance. I could injure him, but I don’t have the guts to kill him. He’s too pretty.What the hell am I saying?

He turns his body and leans in some. I can smell his body wash and the shampoo that I also used in the shower. “I’d be disappointed if you could,” he rumbles, and my mouth starts to water. God, he’s beautiful. His golden dark skin and perfect face. That manly, deep voice and impeccable body.

“Because you like your women unwilling?” My voice comes out seductive and low, despite my words.

His pupils dilate, and his gaze keeps flickering to my mouth. “Because I like the fighter in you. I don’t ever want to destroy that.”

“I’ll always be more hostile than hospitable. You’ll quickly tire of me,” I whisper as he leans in even closer.