Chapter 196: The Past [2]

Was he hurt?

When he pushed off the wall, I saw his dress shirt beneath his jacket smeared with blood just around the lower side of his abdomen.

A gasp slipped from my lips at the sight of it; I haven’t quite been in this kinda situation before. That is way too much blood even though I have seen tons of it in movies.

That’s it, movies! Nowhere else, and certainly I didn’t think I’d see so much on a handsome, sexy stranger who was obviously dying.

Oh god, is he dying? Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic!

With a wound like that, he could kneel over and die! Oh god, what am I gonna do?

I chewed the inside of my mouth and tapped against my phone, but the screen didn’t light up as I hoped.

It’s off.

I didn’t charge it before coming here because I knew I was gonna have it switched off, but I didn’t even do that. God, so many things happening right now, and this just hit my top list of bad luck.

Gulping, I shoved my phone into my purse, and stared at the lobby connecting with this room. I thought about making a run for it, but that idea quickly dissolved when the mysterious stranger moved again.

I backed further away as best as I could, but he didn’t come toward me; he sat on the red couch, manspreading, chest rising and falling, face beaded in sweat.

He was in pain, and I don’t think he was processing much right now.

I tensed again when I heard fast-approaching footsteps. And then it hit me. Those mean-looking men were after him, weren’t they?

I looked between him and the lobby and pondered in that spare second. Clearly, I had been caught up in something ugly and dangerous, and there was only one way out of this.

A stupid one.

I moved before I had the chance to process anything else and saddled him. A pained grunt fled from him when my knee brushed his side.

"Sorry, not sorry," I mumbled.

He pinned his half-open eyes on me, and I’m unable to tell if he was high high or just plain high from the pain. I’m going with both.

I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?

"Just so you know, I’m only doing this so that we survive."

If they find him, then they find me here with him. Either way, this was a deadly situation for both of us.

I fisted on the fabric of his suit and kissed him. My first kiss in the hands of this stranger made me fucking pissed because I was saving this for Jacob, but I won’t get the chance to realize my dream if I die here.

I can’t exactly weigh my options either.

When I heard them come in, I kissed him deeper. I had no idea what I was fucking doing, only moving my mouth against his to give the illusion that we were in the middle of a drunk makeout session.

Sensing they hadn’t made any attempts to divide us, I knew for sure they were a bit taken aback by this display.

Good. So leave now, please? So that I can get my mouth off this....!

Chills grasped my spine as he kissed me back, but it wasn’t like I had done to give the illusion. He gave me the fucking real deal!

Our mouths moved fast and heated, my plan going off the rails. I tried to push away, but he forced me back until he trapped me, his hand slipping beneath my dress and clawing my ass in a way that would leave a mark later.

I moaned as a bizarre sensation pulsed right at me. My pussy was throbbing in a way I’ve never experienced before.

And the strange thing was, I wanted more of that exhilaration. It was foreign to me, but it only made it more desirable. My heart raced fast, but not as fast as the way our mouths battled passionately.

"Jesus!"

"Let’s go, it’s just two rabbits in heat. We need to find him before it’s too late."

They left.

However, our mouths were still locked as though sewn together. With his hold on my ass, he rolled my hips, and I brushed against something hard; that was the awakening I needed to get a fucking grip.

I shot my hands to his broad shoulders and squeezed just as tightly to yank our mouths away.

My breathing was hoarse as I gaped at him with wide eyes. Wha-What just happened?

"That wasn’t a wise move, beautiful," he murmured, the endearment slipping past his lips as though he hadn’t meant to say it.

He used his thumb to wipe the corner of his mouth, only to suck against it like there was a lingering taste there he didn’t want wasted.

I frowned, ignoring how my heartbeat spiked weirdly by his attitude. It reeked of arrogance, like a man who always got what he wanted no matter what.

"Call me beautiful again, and I’ll punch your fucking face."

He blinked, a bit surprised by my outburst, and so was I. That was an inside voice.

"You have a mouth on you..." he murmured, intrigued, as he lowered his gaze to my moist lips as though thinking of sealing them again.

Nope!

I tried to get off, but his fingers tightened around my waist, his nails digging into my skin. Only then did I realize how compromising our position was, and it happened in a second.

The hem of my dress had already ridden up to my abdomen, and my blue lacy panties were doing peekaboo.

I didn’t even have the luxury of being embarrassed!

"Now, now... don’t come off so soon." There was a tease in his voice. "They will be back."

"They are gone," I said through clenched teeth, feeling the humiliation creep in.

You put yourself in this position, remember?

"We have to make sure, don’t we?"

He sounded as if we were partners in this. As if I would associate myself with such a man. I only did what I did so that I wouldn’t get shot in the head.

"I-I think you’re mistaken."

"Am I?"

"Funny thing for a dying man to say."

A chuckle rolled off him like a smooth storm, and it pulsed through me.

"Who says I’m dying?"

I gasped when his large hand closed around my neck, pulling me closer until our faces were only inches apart.

"I may be bleeding, beautiful, but I’m nowhere near death’s door. Not when I’ve got you sitting in my lap."

I stopped breathing for a moment when his hot breath tickled my ear, followed by his warm tongue.

"Do you disagree?"

Wha-What have I gotten myself into?

We heard a noise, and this time it was him who took the initiative. His lips pressed against my neck, and his hand fisted my hair to angle me properly to his mercy.

Shaky breaths slipped through my lips as I tried to grapple with my own mind. He’s using me to survive just the same way I had done. So I guess we’re even.

The moment we were left with silence, I tried to move, but this man didn’t seem to be done with me yet, so I ended up grinding against him. A very big mistake that put me in a worse position.

"A-Are you hard right?" I asked in awe.

"I’d be gay if I’m not turned on by this."

Slap!

"How dare you—!"

He twisted my arm behind my back, pinning my wrist there. I couldn’t believe he still had that much strength despite being wounded. He’s fucking running pale by the second and still dared to treat me like a rag doll.

"I’ll allow that, only because you saved my life."

I didn’t miss the darkness in his tone, and then I was reminded he had two guns tucked away like James Bond.

"What? Are you gonna kill me?" I asked fearlessly, but that was far from the way I was feeling right now.

"Thinking about it right now..." he mused, and for someone so close to putting a bullet through my skull, he was... entertained.

"What’s your name?"

I’ll be damned if I tell him that.

Using my other hand, I pressed against his bullet wound. Sorry!

He growled, and his grip on me loosened so I seized that opportunity to leap off him and ran away.

I didn’t halt my steps until I was as far away from there as possible.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

I bumped into someone, and I screamed.

"Ana!"

"Oh thank God it’s you!" I embraced Annabeth tightly, relieved to see her.

"Are you okay?" she asked in worry. "You’re shaking!"

"I-I’m fine," I pulled away, looking behind me like the boogeyman was about to emerge.

I didn’t realize how scared out of my mind I was until the moment I was away from him. Scarily handsome but not the kind of man I ever wanna meet again.

"Are you sure you’re okay? Did something happen?"

I lied to my sister for the first time.