The Assassin's Bride Ch. 02

Keeping the smile fixed on her face, Carina bravely climbed up and settled between his legs, stiffening a little when she practically sat on his erection.

"Excuse me," he said, his voice amused.

Carina felt his hands search her legs. Gathering her skirt in a bunch, he pressed the folds into her lap and she immediately grasped the material together at her crotch.

"Wouldn't want your dress to get caught on anything," he chuckled, peering down each side at her toned thighs.

"Ready to ride?" he murmured against her ear, and a large hand sneaked around to cheekily pinch her breast before settling around her waist, pulling her snugly against his erection.

"Yes, of course," Carina affirmed with as much enthusiasm as she could manage without sounding sarcastic.

Michael's deep chuckle filled her ears, then they were off. Following the path into the forest, Carina realised with some alarm that Michael didn't lie - the path branched out into several directions. There were so many twists and turns, familiar sections merged with unfamiliar ground and Carina resentfully suspected that Michael deliberately took wrong turns, moving over the same areas to confuse her. It was working.

Finally they were free of the forest, drawing up to a wide, isolated beach.

"Where are we?" Carina gasped with genuine wonder. "Do you own an island?"

"It's a rental," he laughed, and she tried to figure out if he was serious. The engine's rumbling ceased and he pocketed the key, climbed off and lifted her from the seat, setting her down beside him.

"What do you think?" he asked, carefully watching her face.

"It's incredible," she murmured honestly, surveying the long waterline. "Do you swim here?"

"It's too dangerous," he shortly answered. "A mild current could rush you into open ocean within minutes. There's nothing close by."

"Oh," Carina said, disappointed.

Michael saw her downturned pout, and smiled. "Maybe I'll let you dip your toes in," he said lightly, and took her hand.

So preoccupied with taking in the surrounds and possible exits, Carina completely forgot about the beach walk, which now seemed oppressively tedious.

The giant sun edged closer to the ocean horizon, the water was relatively calm. Carina wondered if Michael lied about the dangers of swimming. She wasn't willing to test that theory.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Michael's eyes dreamily scanned the sky. It was still very bright, with only mild streaks of pale pink indicating the approaching sunset.

"I suppose," Carina ungraciously replied, forgetting to be engaging. "I mean, it would be nicer if we could swim," she added in a rush, trying to ignore his thumb stroking sensual circles around her palm.

"This is true," he acknowledged. "But you were never a swimmer, Carina," he grinned, giving her hand a little squeeze. "You would lie by the water, practically naked. You were such a little tease, driving men wild, all the while knowing they couldn't touch you."

Carina rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with that?" she said scornfully. "Men are visual creatures. They like to look."

"Yes," Michael conceded. "But it can reach a point when the pleasure is marred by frustration. It was frustrating for me."

"Oh," she said, a little awkwardly.

They walked in silence for a while. Now and then, Carina directed flirtatious glances at him.

"You're very bad at this," Michael remarked, still massaging her hand in his.

Carina gaped up at him, startled. Before she could react, he spoke again as though he hadn't made the comment.

"Remember the holiday in Jamaica?" he continued, staring at the ocean with a strange expression.

Almost shaking with nervous relief, Carina's pretty face scrunched thoughtfully. "I don't know..."

"It was a dead bore for you. There was nothing special about it," he said helpfully.

"Oh!" Carina exclaimed, and under the guise of excitement, she tugged her hand free. "I remember! We left because of Carlos-"

"Not necessarily. Carlos and Eduardo had a big fight. Over you," Michael said dryly, reaching to recapture her hand.

"Me?" Carina squeaked, baffled. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," Michael laughed without humour. "Nothing you could help." His jaw tightened. "They were set to make an extremely lucrative deal. Ridiculously lucrative."

The bitter smile on his handsome face slightly twisted before he continued. "Then at the last moment, the other party, a big, Scottish brute, changed the bargain. He said he would only proceed if he could have you for the night."

"Right. I can imagine where this went," Carina cast a scornful gaze at the ocean. "Let me guess. Eduardo beat him up and Carlos was furious about the loss?"

Again, Michael laughed roughly. "Not quite."

Pausing their stride, Carina looked up at him apprehensively.

"Eduardo actually considered it," he said, so softly that she barely heard him. "He considered pimping you out, but only if he could watch. Whether to ensure your safety, or for his own gratification, I was never sure."

"No," Carina trembled, rocked by this new information. She tried to pull her hand free, but Michael's grip tightened. "You're lying. No- he would never-"

"On that rare occasion, he would," Michael brutally shut down her denial. "It made him feel powerful, to own a woman so ardently desired. The idea that his woman could be the key to a once in a lifetime bargain, went to his head."

"Make no mistake, you meant the world to Eduardo," he admitted, his voice full of contempt. "But it is no secret that his loyalty was flawed in more ways than one. Really, it was Carlos who always protected you. More than you will ever know."

"Sometimes, I wondered if Carlos was in love with you," Michael pondered, his eyes both contemplative and troubled. "It was difficult to tell. He was a closed book; so regimented and reliable. The responsible big brother. I always wondered about his true desires."

"No," Carina moaned, managing to tear her hand free and covering her ears with both hands. "You lie! Eduardo wouldn't-"

"Did you know, I almost compromised my entire contract to save you from being prostituted?" Michael cut in, suddenly angry. "Do you know how grateful I was to that addict, for putting his foot down and standing up to Eduardo?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Carina sobbed, wringing the black skirt through her hands. "You said you wouldn't-"

"Because you are lying to me right now!" Michael shouted. Losing all composure, he stepped forward and seized her shoulders. "Do you know how angry that makes me?"

With nowhere to run, Carina cowered in his grasp.

"But..." she weakly argued, suffering a humiliating moments silence as he waited for her to continue, but she had no argument.

"I know you Carina. I wasn't a fan of the friendzone, but I will not tolerate this 'fake love' bullshit. I would much rather take you by force," Michael ground out. He released her, still shaking with rage.

"I would move heaven and earth to keep you safe!" he exploded, throwing his arms in the air. "But all you can think about is the man who treated you the worst. You know what? By the end of the job I would have killed that bastard for free!" he bellowed, viciously kicking the sand.

Carina would have lost her temper, but Michael's anger clearly ran deeper than she could fathom. His chocolate brown eyes were blackened with cold fury. When his foot lifted the sand in an angry gust between them, Carina tripped on her dress and fell back onto the beach.

"Why are woman such fools?" Michael screamed to the sky, then glared down at her. "Carina, how can you be so intelligent, and lack so much sense!"

"I-I loved him," Carina wept, crawling backward, her dress quickly saturated with water.

"Then you can learn to love me!" Michael shouted reaching down and hauling her back to her feet.

Michael wrapped his arms about her, trapping her, and stood very still, staring at the sunset with wide, dark eyes.

Carina dampened the front of his shirt with tears, trying to disengage herself.

Silently harnessing his self-control, Michael was again stunned by his temper. He had planned to teach her a lesson, not explode in a tirade. He planned to hurt her with Eduardo's secrets, smoothly call her out on the bullshit, and take her in the sand like an animal.

After a quick self-analysis, he knew he wasn't angry because she loved Eduardo. He wasn't angry because he might have thrown his career and reputation to the dust to protect her. He was angry because of the way she made him feel; the way she was teasing and flirting purely as a means to an end. He hated himself for enjoying it so much, all the while knowing it was fake. He hated how much he loved the lie. The fact that deep down, he didn't want to end it.

It was so pathetic, and he couldn't stand it. After anticipating he would enjoy getting the better of her little farce, instead he surprised himself. He knew she was a strong personality, that was what he loved about her. But he didn't consider himself weak, and she made him feel vulnerable, just like when she called Eduardo's name while she came on his cock.

"You seem to forget how much I know about you, Carina," he said bluntly, his deep voice a little hoarse. "You forget that I have seen you fake it before. I have seen you smile and batt your lashes pretending everything is rosy, when Eduardo reeked of another woman."

At this harsh truth, Carina snarled and raked her nails down his arms.

"Ouch," he said flatly, clearly unaffected. "I would have been a fool to buy your little act. You forget I know that you are more than beautiful; you are clever. I know you want to get on my good side until you have an opportunity to escape. But let me save you time." He paused when Carina viciously struggled, almost breaking free. Once he secured her, he continued.

"Let me save you time and effort and energy, and tell you up front that there is no way out of here. There is no way for you to escape. But as time passes, as you come to understand me, my feelings for you, you might even start to love me back-"

Carina jerked as though he had slapped her. Mustering all her strength, she managed to slip through his arms and stagger back.

Michael smiled thinly at her aghast expression. By the startled fear in her eyes, he knew the awful possibility had never occurred to her before now.

"No. Never," she said bleakly, but her chest was filled with dread.

"I don't physically repel you," said Michael mockingly, taking a step closer. "It's too late to claim you can't have pleasure with me. Inevitably feelings will follow. I can see it in your eyes. You are not entirely convinced it is impossible."

"Shut up! I could never love you," Carina sobbed. With some shock, she felt the cool waterline encase her heels, and looked around desperately for some to way to end the horrid conversation.

"But you loved Eduardo?" Michael tipped his head back and laughed. "That is so insulting, Carina."

Looking down at her devastated face, his expression became affectionate. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. Come on, let's go back."

"I could never love you," Carina repeated, visibly shaking with hysteria.

"So you said," Michael shrugged, and held out his hand. "Come."

"I won't, Michael," she swore, restlessly clutching at her skirt. "I can't love you."

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" he asked with some amusement.

With no reply, Carina glared and spat into the sand between them.

"Now, you are being rude," Michael warned, noting she continuously glanced around the beach for an escape route. "Don't make me chase you, Carina. It's not dignified for either of us."

Carina looked at his hand extended toward her. A split second later, she broke into a blind run. Michael took a moment to roll his eyes at the sunset, before tearing after her.

*******************

Through binoculars, the man watched interestedly as Michael chased Carina across the sand. At first he presumed it was nothing more than an amorous tryst. But zooming in on Carina's beautiful, terrified face, he suspected it ran deeper than a lovers tiff.

"Curious," he remarked, amused as he was baffled.

Glancing down at the papers beside him, he inspected the map. Then he looked through the binoculars and watched Michael haul Carina over his shoulder and stalk back to the quadbike.

"Nice. But, if that's..." he muttered, turning to re-shuffle the papers. Scattering them alongside each other, he was quite puzzled. The way the couple argued was intimate. They certainly knew each other beyond a casual weekend.

"Who's the girl, Ethan?" he murmured, eyes narrowed at his paperwork. Raising the binoculars, he hoped to get another glimpse of Carina's beauty.

But they were already gone.