Now I understood why.
My heart was broken over the knowledge.
It killed me.
And if I died in this place, it would kill them too.
I had to find a way out.
Bones was a man true to his word, and while his motive for killing me was unfair, I didn’t doubt he meant it. He wanted to make me suffer so it would hurt my family. Putting a bullet in my head and ending it quickly was too merciful.
He would make it painful.
Maybe even unbearable.
I thought about that kiss against the van. It didn’t make any sense. I shot him, and he kissed me in response. He kissed me like he’d never wanted a woman more. Was that a normal reaction for him? Or was there something about me he found attractive?
The last thing I wanted to do was touch him, but seducing him might be my only way out of this.
He was a handsome man, and I did enjoy that kiss. Fucking him might not be so bad. And if it saved my life, it was worth it. Sex was just sex. If I protected my mind, I would be alright. It was a small price to pay if I made it out of there alive.
And back to my family.
I didn’t sleep all night.
I was too paranoid about what might happen if I closed my eyes. I was in my enemy’s house, and I couldn’t let my guard down when I was this vulnerable. If he came to kill me in the middle of the night, I had to be ready for it.
If he came to fuck me, I had to be ready for that too.
But nothing happened until morning.
Bones didn’t knock before he opened the door. His eyes moved to me on the bed, where I sat against the headboard with my ankles crossed. I was still in the same clothes I wore the day before, and I hadn’t showered or washed my face.
He was in dark jeans and a black t-shirt, his bright eyes contrasting against his dark clothes. He took me in and absorbed the situation in the blink of an eye. “You’ve been awake all night?”
With my arms crossed over my chest, I stared him down. “The door doesn’t lock.”
“And you think a locked door would stop me?” He crossed his arms over his chest, his head slightly tilted.
“The sound would give me some warning.”
“And if I came in here with a knife, you’d fight me off?”
It didn’t matter how outnumbered I was. I wouldn’t give up. “I’d fight like hell.”
Like every other time I amused him, his eyes softened just a little. “I respect that. If you weren’t a Barsetti, I might actually like you.”
“Even if you weren’t your father’s son, I still wouldn’t like you.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “You’ve got quite a mouth on you. I enjoyed kissing it.”
I enjoyed it too, and I refused to lie about it. He would see right through it anyway. “I’m surprised you didn’t force yourself on me.”
He tilted his head a little farther. “Did you want me to force myself on you?”
“No,” I snapped. “I’m just surprised. You kissed me, so I assumed that was coming next.”
“It was just a kiss, baby. Don’t read too much into it.” He stepped closer to the bed, his hard jaw free of hair because he shaved that morning. Now he wore a clean look. If I met him at a bar or at school, my eyes would be all over him. If he didn’t ask me out within five minutes, I’d march over there and ask him out myself.
I didn’t understand my enemy at all. How could I defeat someone I didn’t understand? I shot him, and he kissed me in response. None of it made sense. “Why did you kiss me?”
“Why do you care?”
“I shot you. I expected you to punch me, not kiss me.”
He inched closer to the bed, his thigh almost touching the mattress. “I thought it was hot. Most women would be too weak to pull the trigger. But you did…without a second of hesitation. You wanted me dead. I could see it in your eyes.”
“I still want you dead.”
His grin widened, the look making him more handsome. “Right there…I like that.”
“You like it when I insult you?”
“I like how proud you are. I guess I have a thing for proud women…”
Now was my chance. I could seduce him, welcome him between my legs. I could sacrifice my body for my freedom. It wasn’t like I was virgin. He was just another notch on my belt. No one would judge me for doing what was necessary to survive.
His eyes roamed over my body, down my slender neck and to my tits. He moved farther down my long legs before his gaze returned to mine. He stared at me for several heartbeats, as if he was waiting for something.