Page 75 of Shifting Hearts

NINE

Maddy

I fall into bed after the shower and drift off to have the best night’s sleep I have ever had.

There was no danger of being snatched in the middle of the night. Or someone forcing himself on me by pushing my head into the pillow. And by some miracle, even though I was literally in the snake’s lair, my mind knew it could relax and just be.

Which allowed me to contemplate this new situation.

Could there be some truth to the story Alejandro told me?

I do feel stronger, but could I truly be something more than the world expects of me.

And if this was the case and my mother knew this, why did she give me away without even leaving a hint behind?

Or did she and Mrs. Gruber kept it from me?

More important than my heritage is what this will mean for my future?

And does it mean that I would have a future with Alejandro, or will he stay true to his word?

That was until I felt the familiar chill of someone watching me. Lying on my stomach with a streak of drool in the corner of my mouth, I slowly opened my eyes to find Alejandro lying on his side, head propped on his arm, staring at me.

“I don’t know what your mother taught you, but this is certainly not the way to wake up a woman in your bed. Might I suggest breakfast?”

I rise carefully to keep my naked body hidden under the satin sheet as I lean back against the headboard.

“I wouldn’t know. This is the first time anyone has ever slept over.”

His words are matter-of-factly, but they still stir something inside me. It almost feels like delight. But that can’t be. We are just two people helping each other out, nothing more.

“Why did you let me sleep here then?” I rub sleep from my eyes.

“Why did you give me your virginity?”

He has me there. But there is nothing I won’t do to get Alexi back. And I can admit this to myself, but I want him more than anything else in my life.

“You know why. You made some promises, and I expect you to deliver. So, where do we start?”

He eyes me from the side, and clear as day, I hear his voice inside my head.

What we need is to develop your skills and then decide the best course of action to get what we both want. I think we can definitely help each other out.

“I like the sound of that. First, I need you to locate the site where the Alvarez cartel keeps its prisoners. I am sure Alexi should be there, but I assume not for long. What do you need me to do?”

He turns to the bedside table, picks up his phone and sends a quick text.

Done.

Do you have any other skills?

Thinking about it for a second, I weigh my options. It could be dangerous to reveal my past to this man, but I feel compelled to trust him.

And if this is a mistake, I will always be able to know what he is thinking, right?

“I have used my hypnosis skills in the past to convince certain unsavory characters to give up on life.”

He starts shaking his head before he rubs his chin in deep thought. I try to make out what he is thinking, but he jumps from one thought to the next too quickly, and I can’t keep up.

“Just spit it out. We don’t have all day. I’m starving.”

He sighs and looks at me. “Do you know how frustrating this is? You know so little about your past and ancestors? If you were more clued up, you would’ve seen that you don’t have the power of hypnosis.

You have mind control power. That must also be the reason why you can read my mind.

We are linked, and this gives you access to my mind in every way. ”

I feel wicked just thinking about the power I hold.

He continues, “The real power would be to see if you can do this with others as well. However, this is a skill that you need to hone just like the rest. So, we’ll need to practice before we go into battle.

If you have any chance of getting Alexi out alive, you’ll have to listen to me and not fight me on this.

Can I assume that you have some basic self-defense techniques? ”

“No, not really. I have always relied on the fact that my mark was staring at my tits. Is that something I can’t do anymore?”

I know I am teasing him, but I didn’t expect the full-blown jealous meltdown that occurs. He jumps from the bed and starts pacing swiftly next to it. “Fuck that. No one will ever see your tits or any other part of you naked ever again.”

Getting up on my knees on the bed, still clutching the sheet before me, I state, “May I remind you that you said this was a mutually beneficial arrangement that would end once I’d found Alexi. You do get that I’m not yours, right?”

I despise the words coming out of my mouth, but I must remind myself that I have always proclaimed that no man was good enough to possess my heart, and that is not about to change now. Not while I have a mission and a very special little girl depending on me.

He stops midstride and just stares at me.

I try to read his mind, but somehow, he blocks me.

We just stare at each other until I toss the sheet off me and step off the bed.

“Fine, be that way. But remember one thing. I’m not yours and you aren’t mine.

And this”—I point between the two of us—“will never work. Let’s get going.

Every second I waste here is a second they could move Alexi, and I have come too far to allow that to happen. ”

I stroll into the bathroom, open the water, and step under it without another glance in his direction. He needs to get his head on straight if we are going to succeed in saving his cartel and Alexi. And while he harbors notions of being a possessive jerk, we won’t get anywhere.

Hopefully, this has put him in his place.

I feel his presence before I see his silhouette through the opaque glass door. He stalks me like prey until he steps into the shower.

Suddenly, his hands are on my shoulders and he pushes me up against the cold tiles. I wince as my body takes a second or two to adjust, but he doesn’t allow me to read his thoughts. I still need to get a handle on this power, and he knows it.

He is down on his knees with his face buried between my thighs before I can catch on, and my eager moan echoes off the bathroom walls.

Water is crashing down on his head as he stands directly under the spray, but that doesn’t dissuade him from his pursuit.

His tongue is magical as he brings me to the brink with hard, demanding licks and then pulls back when my body starts to react.

I weave my hands into his hair and try to pull him closer, but he resists.

Again and again, he brings my orgasm to the edge just to let it fade again. My throat is hoarse from all the begging and demanding that he let me come. Suddenly, his face appears before mine, and his lips are so dangerously close when he whispers, they touch my lips.

“You are fucking mine. And I’m the only one who will make you feel this way. Do you fucking understand?”

I nod, speechless at the need coursing through my aching body. I press my body closer to his, but he has other plans.

He bends down slightly to grab my thighs and wrap my legs around his waist. In one pulverizing push, he enters me, and the warmth of having him inside me is indescribable.

This is what I need—I can’t deny it as I wrap my arms around his neck and hold on for dear life as he pushes into me with a punishing rhythm.

My body is surrendering to the pleasure he releases inside me when I feel his fingernails dig into my soft flesh, and a roar escapes him.

Depleted, we can only hold on to each other and wait for the wave of euphoria to dissipate.

Slowly, controlled, he releases me from his hold and makes sure I have my balance before he lets me go.

“That was…”

I place my finger on his lips to quiet him. “I know.”

There are no more words needed between us, and I can bullshit my way through it and say it is because I can read his mind, but the truth is so much more disturbing.

There are no more words needed between us because I think I have finally done it.

I have found the man that I’ll willingly bleed from my soul to keep.