And if I was Sofia’s protector, that meant someone was long overdue for a gruesome reckoning. Whoever had hurt her would be screaming in agony and begging for death very soon.
“Do you know anything about it?” I asked Adrián. “Can you think of anyone who might have hurt her in the past?”
“No. I know that’s not the answer you want to hear, but I can’t think of anyone who would dare to harm Caesar’s darling daughter. From what I know about her, she’s lived her life in a sheltered little bubble. Are you sure the scar wasn’t from some sort of accident? Maybe you reacted to the mark more harshly than you think you did. You’re a scary motherfucker, Mateo. She might have panicked because your reaction frightened her.”
I thought back over the disturbing incident. Watching Sofia cry out my name while she came all over my hand had been the most breathtaking thing I’d ever seen. I had tensed up when I touched the scar for the first time. I’d been so intoxicated by her submission that the unexpected trigger had provoked me more easily than it would have otherwise.
You promised. Her desperate accusation knifed through my mind. You promised you wouldn’t touch me if I didn’t ask you to. Please, let me go.
I bit out a curse. Of course I’d terrified her. She’d been struggling to close her legs and begging me to let her go, but I’d held her wide open for my inspection.
“Yeah. I scared her.” The awful truth was bitter on my tongue. I’d already realized that I’d fucked up by manhandling her when she tried to get away. But I’d thought my actions were justified. Because if I was able to find the person who’d hurt her and make them hurt, then I could make everything all better.
The fact of the matter was that no one had hurt Sofia other than me. I’d let my own damage fuck up my thought processes. The sight of a woman I cared about bearing a scar made me feel powerless, because it meant I’d failed to be there to protect her. It had happened once before, and I would die before I let it happen again. Especially not to my sweet Sofia.
But Sofia hadn’t been hurt by some monstrous man. I didn’t know how she’d gotten the scar, but in hindsight, it was obvious that her fear response had been prompted by my overreaction. I’d lured her into a deeply vulnerable state, and when she’d put her full trust in me to see to her wellbeing, I’d terrorized her instead.
“You’re going to have to be more careful around her,” Adrián advised. “She might have grown up in Caesar Hernández’s house, but she’s not from our world. I’m honestly surprised that you were able to spank her at all without her fighting you or weeping for mercy. She’s only been with you a couple days. I figured she’d still be in a full-on meltdown.”
“She’s a lot more resilient than you’d think,” I said, my chest swelling with pride. My little flower was soft and delicate, but she was also reasonable and adaptable. “She’s more upset with Caesar than anyone else. He wounded her deeply with his lies. So deeply that she says she would actually prefer to stay here with me rather than going back home. For some reason, she doesn’t seem capable of understanding what a monster I really am.”
“Well, you haven’t been monstrous to her, have you?”
“I scared her,” I repeated, in case Adrián somehow hadn’t heard me say it the first time.
He waved away my concern. “One little fuckup doesn’t make you a monster. I’ve seen the way you look at her. You would rather cut off your own hand than harm her with it. And if she’s as resilient as you say, she’ll forgive you for scaring her today. You just have to prove to her that she can put her trust in you.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “I fucked up, but I can fix this.”
“Of course I’m right. You’re welcome.”
I knocked back my beer, deciding not to bother telling him he was a dick. He already knew that he was. And besides, he had given me good advice.
I knew exactly how I would earn Sofia’s trust back. Then, she would willingly return to my arms and welcome my touch. I could continue with my plan to seduce her into submission.
Sofia’s complete and utter devotion was still within my grasp. She was mine, and she would accept her place eagerly by the time I was finished with her.Chapter 12SofiaLess than twenty-four hours had passed since I’d fled from Mateo’s disgusted stare, but already, I ached for him to touch me. I hadn’t been soothed by his embrace in far too long. I’d only been with him for a few days, but I was addicted to his affection.