Page 33 of Chris

“Right,” Samuel replied, “a win-win.”

Satisfied with his brother conceding to his point, Jorge turned his attention on Valeria by stroking the back of her neck where she had pushed her hair over her right shoulder. It was a light graze of his fingertips along the ridge of her spine, almost daring to dip below the neckline of her dress. Nothing violent. Certainly not this man’s usual motives, and yet, it still burned.

She didn’t want his touch.

“Val,” Jorge murmured.

“Hmm?”

“Would you care to tell me what happened earlier with that man?”

She closed her eyes. Honestly, she had been waiting for this, but Jorge had incredible patience at times. Hadn’t six years of him chasing her taught her anything at all?

Apparently, not.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” she said, choosing her words carefully.

Again, his fingers drifted over her neck, along the line of her shoulder, and then he tucked in a few strands of her hair that had fallen out of place. He stepped in a little closer to her back, his mouth coming down to press a soft kiss to the side of her throat before he murmured, “You were outside alone with him.”

The lump came back in her throat.

Across the island, Samuel turned his gaze away from them. None of Jorge’s family ever cared to indulge his nonsense, but especially not with Valeria. She suspected because, if they did, they wouldn’t like what happened after.

Jorge and his lessons were infamous.

“I took a moment to breathe on the steps,” she said, keeping her tone level to not poke the monster. “He came out after and asked if I wouldn’t mind taking a walk around the pool. I didn’t want to be rude, and the guards watched.”

She figured that was important to point out to him. The guards had been watching—Valeria made sure. She understood how to play this game with her husband, and she was quick enough on her feet to make sure she didn’t step in any trouble with him. At least, none that would leave her with permanent damage.

Some other things, however, were unavoidable.

Jorge proved that time and time again.

Against her jaw, his lips curved into a sneer before he bit her. Not an easy bite—not even playful. His teeth cut into her skin, and she sucked in a sharp breath when his hand came up to grab the back of her neck with a rough grasp.

“And for that,” he muttered against her jawline, “you are lucky. If not for the guards, we would have been having a very different discussion.”

“I did nothing wr—”

“And you’re also a lying whore, Val. You already got out of my hands once, but I promise it won’t happen again. I will have you put in a shipping container and sent to the highest bidder who will keep you under lock and key until they tire of fucking you before you’ll ever get away from me again. Do you understand me?”

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Samuel cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”

Valeria didn’t open her eyes again until she heard the footsteps recede from the kitchen and fade away down the hall. She might have been mad that Samuel left her alone with Jorge when, his intentions were bad, but why bother?

No one else would save her here.

She had to do that alone.

Somehow.

Jorge’s hand tightened on Valeria’s neck, and without a word, he spun her around so the two faced one another. He barricaded her against the island, his one hand sliding around to grip the front of her throat while his other played with the hem of her dress, twisting it between his fingers like he considered ripping it off her.

It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Did you enjoy coming into the city again?” he asked.