“No,” he reassured me before I could tell myself I was being stupid again. “I’m making sure no one bothers you on your way home.”
“Why?” I asked before I could think better of it. I immediately pressed my lips together, but it was too late to hold back the question.
He turned his face away to look out the window, shadows gathering in the furrows around his eyes. “You’re innocent,” he murmured, the words so low that they were little more than a rumble through my chest.
I released a long sigh and relaxed against the leather seat. Exhaustion rolled over me, all the strength draining from my body.
Sebastián believed in my innocence. He was escorting me home. No one—not Stefano and not Carlos—would come for me tonight. Not as long as I was under my savior’s protection.
For several long, quiet minutes, I allowed myself to study him. He kept his gaze looking out of the window, so in my tired state, I didn’t think better of openly staring. The city lights glimmered over his hard features, shifting from luminous shades of green to gold to blue. His silver hair shined, and the dark pools of his eyes flashed under the light. Even the lines around his eyes gave him a sense of power rather than age—marks of endurance and strength.
This wasn’t the first time I’d noticed Sebastián Castillo, but in the past, I’d had my wits about me enough to know not to look for too long. I’d always found him striking. Alluring. Handsome in a rugged, deeply masculine way.
But he was older than me. Far too old. Father would’ve probably killed him if he’d suspected there was anything between us. He wouldn’t have considered Sebastián a worthy match.
But there was something between us. Wasn’t there? Why else would he defend me when everyone else had reason to believe I was a traitor? Why would he hold me close and comfort me on the most terrifying day of my life?
I wanted him to hold me again. I wanted his warmth and strength to wrap around my suddenly chilled body, reassuring me that I was safe.
Before I could think better of it, I reached out and placed my hand over his, seeking that comfort. He stiffened, and his head whipped around to stare at me. His heavy brows lifted in surprise, and his nostrils flared in an angry huff.
My stomach did a funny flip, and I slowly withdrew my hand as my cheeks began to burn with something between rejection and mortification. Just before I could break contact, his fingers snagged mine, drawing my hand back into his much larger one and enveloping me in warmth. I released a shaky breath, and the sudden tension in my shoulders eased. His thumb traced the backs of my knuckles, but he jerked his eyes from mine and looked out the window again. He didn’t release my hand.
I squeezed his thick fingers in a silent thank you, and he sent a little pulse of acknowledgement back, still not looking at me.
Another shuddering sigh whooshed from my chest, and I leaned my head back against the padded seat. His thumb idly rubbed my fingers in a hypnotic pattern, and my eyes fluttered closed. I was so tired, and his hand was so big and strong around mine. For the first time in long, horrific hours, I was completely safe.
My mind drifted into warm darkness. I floated there, allowing myself a few blessed minutes of peace.
“Isabel.” His deep voice rumbled over my skin, soothing me further rather than rousing me.
“Mmm?” I hummed in response, my lids too heavy to open my eyes.
Something between a sigh and a growl ruffled my hair, and his corded arms surrounded me. I became weightless, and I pressed my face into his hard chest. He smelled like pine and man, a woodsy scent that was as peaceful as nature, ancient and quietly powerful. Unlike Carlos’ cloying musk. I breathed Sebastián in, as though he could erase the memory of Carlos’ grasping, proprietary hands.
The crunch of glass beneath heavy boots shredded my peaceful cocoon to ribbons. I blinked, and reality slapped me. We were back in my war-torn house. Sebastián was carrying me through the darkened halls, stomping over the remnants of shattered windows and priceless treasures that my mother had valued more than her daughter.
My home was a ruin. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, and I sniffled. Sebastián glanced down at me, grimaced, and snapped his gaze back to the bullet-riddled hallway.
I realized he was carrying me back to my bedroom, where we’d briefly stopped to retrieve my shoes before he took me to meet with Stefano. For a few merciful minutes, I’d been detached from my awful reality. Now, my mind was having difficulty accepting the devastation around me. The fact that I was the only surviving member of my family. The fact that I was alone in the world.