Chapter 18

Z A R A

He crouches down as I lean my head into his chest. "Zara..." he sounds softer while he unties my wrists. I wrap my arms around his waist, trying with all my might to make him see reason, to make him stop,

"Please don't make me do this... I'm sorry, I won't talk to Elijah like that again but please, I can't..." My words don't push any further, I've reached my limit and there's no fight left in me. In fact, I didn't have any fight, to begin with, because I'm terrified of what he may do if I said anything out of line.

I'm sure my haste actions surprised him momentarily because he didn't react at first. But, then, he slowly wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer to him.

"Since when?" He asks, resting his head on my shoulder.

"When did you fall in love with me?"

I squeeze my eyes shut while holding him tighter. I don't know why I thought those words would save me, though it did. But now, I'm vulnerable, I made myself extremely vulnerable.

"I don't think there was a specific time or event that I remember," my voice is shaky. "But by the time we met at the coffee shop on our last day of senior year, I was already in love with you." Why would I tell him that? What can I gain from this? Temporary safety? A moment of bliss? Is it worth it

He places a soft kiss on the side of my neck,

"If you had told me sooner, I may have gone easier on you."

My stomach flutters at such a simple gesture, I hate how my body reacts to him. Just a touch sets me on fire. But I did tell him before, didn't I?.His kisses trail down my neck to the edge of my shoulder and then back to my jawline. At the same time, his hands trail up and down my back, sending a burst of shivers throughout my body. I subconsciously let out a small moan while my hands rest on his shoulders.

"You're so fucking irresistibly delicious," he groans as he licks his own lips. "Watching you enjoy yourself with Elijah set my soul on fire, it made me extremely upset. It made me upset enough to want to kill Elijah without a second thought." I gently grab his face in between my hands, resting our foreheads together, while our noses brush slightly, "I don't want Elijah. I love you, Alejandro, whether you believe it or not. I've only ever loved you."

I have to do what I can to survive, even if it means that I have to play the part Alejandro wants me to play. He holds one of my hands and brings it up to his lips and kisses the palm, "I hope you're not saying this to save yourself from me." He tightens his grip on my wrist as his voice lowers to a deeper tone, "because if that's the case, my love, you've only seen the tip of the iceberg."

I try not to react but his threat has clearly reached every nerve in my brain because I legitimately feel the fear shifting through me.

"Deceiving and betraying me brings a punishment far more unbearable than the casual ones. I will not take it lightly, my love,"

"You can say whatever you please to try to frighten me, however, I do truly love you and unfortunately, I haven't been able to change that," I sigh, those words came out easier than I thought. Maybe because there's some truth to it.

"Unfortunately?" He asks with an amused tone.

"Yes, unfortunately," I reaffirm. "I fell in love with someone who I thought was you. But after seeing you like this... I thought I'd fall out of love but I didn't, which is what makes this all so unfortunate for me."

He picks me up bridal style, making me squeal slightly, "Even if you fall out of love with me someday, you'll have nowhere to go because I plan on keeping you 'till death do us apart."

"Then, I hope death will do us apart sooner rather than later," I mumble with annoyance, though I stop struggling in his grasp.

"Oh, my love, I'll make sure it's later rather than sooner," he smirks. "You have your whole life that you have to spend with me, and whether it's a pleasant journey or not, is entirely up to you and your actions."

Who said I'd be the one dying? There's no winning with this man. He can calmly fight his battles if he chooses to do so but he can go feral if he chooses to do so. Either way, he makes sure he gets what he wants.

"Alejandro, my room's on the other end," I say as I notice him taking me to a different part of the house.

"I know," he doesn't explain any further.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask, as my heart starts to pound faster. You never know what this man has planned.

"To my room," he states.

My eyes widen, "For what?"1

"To sleep, of course," he answers casually.

"But—"

"You will sleep with me tonight and that's an order," he says sternly.

His expression seems to be so blank sometimes that it's impossible to read what mood he's in or what he may be thinking. Right now, it's exactly that. He's looking straight ahead while I catch sneaky glimpses at him, trying to decipher his thoughts to no avail.

"Do you enjoy staring at my handsome face?" He doesn't glance down at me but the amusement in his voice lingers.

I smile, "I do, I'll admit. I haven't seen it in a very long time."

"You'll be seeing it often now, so rest assured," I'm sure he means it as assurance.

My smile drops. "Though I enjoy it, I don't know if I want to see it any longer," the words come out as a whisper. His grip on my back tightens ever so slightly but his expression remains the same. I guess the comment wasn't enough to make him angry. We are finally confronted by the huge double doors of his room. He presses a button beside the doors and the right side swings open. I'm definitely sure I wasn't too able to hide my expression this time.

The room is ginormous and well-lit surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. The king-sized bed is placed on its own double pedestal, and both layers of the pedestal are lit up, giving it a futuristic modern look. The floor is all white marble, making the room look bright even at night. An electric fireplace is placed right under a large, 75" TV that looks more like a picture dream because of how thin it is.

Alejandro gently places me on the bed and I sink right into the soft duvet. My body is aching to get some sleep yet it's on the edge from thinking about what Alejandro might do next. He unexpectedly pulls up the blanket to cover me and kisses my forehead, "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"To take a quick shower. Would you like to join?" He smirks.

I roll my eyes, "No, thank you."

"Maybe some other time," he winks.

He turns the lights off before heading to the bathroom, which allows the city lights to illuminate the room instead. God, this is beautiful. I wish I was enjoying this in a better situation. After about 10 minutes of my nerves not allowing me to sleep, the bathroom door clicks to unlock. I glance over to see Alejandro in all his shirtless glory, making my insides twist with... excitement?

God, he's so handsome—no, he's hot, sexy and so very tempting. There's no denying that. This man jumped straight out of my imagination, I swear. Again, if we were under different–happier circumstances, I would've jumped him and the rest of the night would've been much more... eventful.

"Do you plan on putting on a shirt?" I raise a brow.

"No," he states flatly.

"Oh, okay,"

"I thought this is much more appropriate rather than my birthday suit, no?" The playfulness in his tone is clear.

I feel my cheeks heat up, "You're correct, this is much more appropriate."

He slides into the bed as I slip away to the furthest edge. A huge bed makes this easier to do so. After a minute, he lets out a sigh, "Come here." He pulls me closer against his bare chest, my back curled into his body.

I freeze up just for a second only to ease up surprisingly quickly. He snuggles his head in the crook of my neck, "You smell like lavender, which happens to be my favorite."

Ah, that's why everything's lavender-scented in my bathroom. I take in a deep breath and decide to turn around to face him. My hand unconsciously reaches out to caress his cheek as his hand rests on my waist. His eyes are much softer and very clearly tired.

"I wish we met again under different circumstances," The sadness is apparent in my tone.

"There are no different circumstances. This is how I always have been and this is how I always will be," he brings his face closer to mine, our lips almost touching.

"I understand. That's why I said 'I wish'. It's no longer possible, the damage is done and the perception is broken," a disappointed sigh leaves my lips.

I place a kiss on the tip of his nose, reminiscing about how innocent my love for him was and still is, even after the numerous amount of cracks that have appeared on my heart.

"Goodnight, Alejandro," I say in a gentle voice. My gesture surprised Alejandro yet again. He pulls me in closer, wrapping his leg over mine. This time, he's embracing me for a genuinely desperate sense of comfort. I curl up against his bare chest, the heat radiating from his body into me, providing me with a false sense of serenity.

Tonight, I give in to it because I am just as desperate for any hint of comfort and warmth I can gather. Being in his arms is providing me with both aspects physically and emotionally.

"I can get used to this," he murmurs against my hair.