Innocence Burned(6)

And the easy way out I needed.

Except he was still staring at me and the longer he did the more it unnerved me. His facial expression didn’t change and if not for the end of the cigarette lighting up when he took a drag, I might have believed he was a figment of my imagination.

It was then I realized what I was probably staring at. He wasn’t just some guy. He was the real deal. Some kind of powerful badass clear to the bone. Guys who wanted to be like him came by the dozen with no hope of ever actually being him. None of them would still be holding my gaze hostage.

Something inside me jumped. A feeling I hardly remembered. Something darkly sexual weaving its way through my blood.

Of course, standing here dressed in a wedding gown I couldn’t be further from his type if I tried. He didn’t know that I’d been forced to wear this dress. Or that the man I’d been about to wed would be more than happy to force me if I dared to defy him. That had been my cross to bear because of the family I was born to and today I refused my duty and ran.

He definitely wouldn’t want me if he knew the truth. No one my father didn’t preapprove did. Not unless they had a death wish.

My new mystery man pulled the cigarette from his mouth and held it in my direction. “You look like you could use one of these.” The low vibration of his voice shook my insides and headed straight between my thighs. I even swayed a little.

Finally able to break his gaze, I looked down before returning to meet his eyes. “That and a fifth of tequila and everything would be right with the world once again.”

I took the offered cigarette and took a slow shallow drag. It had been a long time since I’d had one of these and erupting into a coughing fit in front of Mr. Sex on a Stick wasn’t about to lead me down the forbidden path.

A slow smile crossed his face, transforming him. A badass with a lethal grin. Oh shit.

I took a few steps back.

“I might be able to help with that.”

My breathing hitched. “Oh yeah?”

“First you gotta tell me something.”

My heart sunk. If he asked for anything remotely personal I’d be forced to walk away and find a new way to escape. Did everything have to be do freaking hard?

He motioned his hand at my dress. “Did you go through with it?”

I shook my head, too choked up to respond. Relief swept through me, as did the sadness of my situation.

As the interesting stranger stood and walked toward me, I almost swallowed my tongue. He looked good slouched on the bench, but now, faced with the full force of his height and the intensity of his gaze, my legs actually wobbled a little.

When he stopped in front of me I was forced to tilt my head back to look at him. My five-foot height was dwarfed by his six-foot plus frame and it felt good—damn good.

“Hotel right there has a decent bar. How bout I buy you a drink?” He was pointing to a hotel next to the nearby market, but all I could focus on was the faint scent of warm man and musky cologne, filling my head as he talked.

“Okay.” To my surprise, my voice softened when I answered. I’m pretty sure I had no business reacting to him the way I did, but there it was. My body had a mind of its own and it was standing at attention.

I’d never really hooked up with a stranger before. My dalliances were limited to friends of the family as they were the only ones allowed to come and go around me. So I had to fight and learn to be sneaky as hell just to lose my virginity. As my future husband would eventually be negotiated, boyfriends were also out of the question. Although maybe I was getting a little ahead of myself here. He said a drink not a quickie.

But a girl could plan.





Chapter Three



Isabella





With his hand pressed to the center of my back, and yards of fabric swishing between us, he escorted me inside the bar and grabbed a table. I made a beeline for the ladies room. This dress was driving me insane.

I reached under the skirt and pulled on the layers of tulle underneath. The first tear made me cringe, but as I tugged and ripped out more I started to giggle. Those layers of delicate looking fabric were amazingly well attached. But after a sweaty bout of jumping up and down and pulling as hard as I could, several layers lay scattered across the bathroom floor.

Satisfied and feeling a hell of a lot more comfortable, I returned to the table where my mysterious badass stranger sat waiting. His eyebrow raised when he saw me, but he refrained from asking. I sat down in an empty chair and heaved a sigh of relief. “I guess I should introduce myself.” I glanced around the room looking for someone to take an order. That drink he mentioned was sounding better and better.

“I already ordered a round of beer and tequila shots.”