Stealing Beauty

Prologue

Marisol

I brush my hair back with my fingers. This heat is too oppressive, and I just popped my only hair tie. With the heat and humidity, my wavy hair is giving way to frizz and the wind. I feel the little curly-Qs on my temples start to take shape. I’m a ragged mess. Classes are almost out, and my summer is just about to kick off. My last final is in a few hours, so I decided to take a trip to the South Beach boardwalk. I’m supposed to be joining my brother on his island in a few weeks, but I don’t have many swimsuits. I know he’ll provide me with some if I tell him that, but they’ll be shit mi abuela would wear. I’m not an open or intentionally provocative person, but my friend has been nagging me about looking more my age. Then maybe I’ll find a boyfriend or something. Just because I’m almost twenty and single didn’t mean I was interested in finding anyone. Destiny knows I’m a loner. I stick to reading my books and watching nature shows on TV.

I’m so hot that I need to get out of here. Damn, I knew I should have packed an extra one in my bag. I have to do a double check, so I use the railing as a makeshift table and scrounge through my shoulder bag. Yes, I found one. I pull it out, taking the extra strands of hair off it, then swing my bag around over my ass while I fix my hair. I manage to get it into a ponytail, I pull out my phone to check my appearance. I’m using the camera to check for the flyaway strands. That’s when I see a guy staring at me. There’s no way I can look away.

He’s gorgeous in a grey suit with a white shirt and pink tie. Damn, our eyes meet through the screen image, and I blush hard. I’m sure my already heated face reddened up quickly. He winks at me, and I nearly melt into a puddle right there in front of a hundred people. The beach is always busy, so it’s amazing that our view hadn’t been interrupted. The man stands up and moves my way. I freeze because I don’t talk to guys especially older men, he’s an adult, and I’m still in my teens. He’s the most attractive man I’ve ever seen. Seriously, the superhero celebs don’t have anything on him when it comes to my body’s interest. I want him, but he’s probably married and a total bastard. I lower my phone, and that’s when a creep comes up and yanks it out of my hand. I turn around to chase after him, but he runs into my mystery guy. A violent expression crosses the hot guy’s face, then he straight clocks the thief in the jaw, sending him to the ground.

I gasp as he takes my phone from the piece of shit who then scrambles away.

He pulls out his pocket handkerchief and wipes off my phone before coming up to me. “Don’t want your hands touching that scum’s hands,” he says with a thick accent, handing my phone back to me. I get a better look at him, and he’s hotter than I thought possible. His eyes are a greyish-blue that pop with the color of his darker brown hair that’s cut a little long, but the sides are trimmed nice. His chiseled jaw has a light shadow of hair coming back, and instinctually I want to rub my hands over it. Everything from his height to his form screams power, and the urges going through me are terrifyingly intense. I feel like I’m looking at the big bad wolf and everything about him is just right.

“Thank you,” I mumble, taking the phone from his hand. Our fingers touch and I feel electricity shoot all through my body.

“I should not have let him get away,” he states. “But I could not allow you to be around such a creature.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t want to go through the whole police report and stuff like that anyway.”

My phone pings, and it’s a text from Destiny. Waiting at the café. Several angry emojis follow it. I type right back. I’m on my way.

“I’m sorry, sir. I have to go but thank you for what you did. I hope you didn’t hurt your hand.”

“No, I am fine, moya krasota. Be safe.” He takes my hand and raises it to his lips and kisses it. “Go, before I steal you away, my beauty.”

“Um…bye.” I turn around on my heels and make my way toward the café. As soon as I see Destiny, she gripes, “What took you so long?”

“You won’t believe it,” I say, dragging her into the café.

Chapter 1

Mikhail

“Mikhail, everything is ready,” Ivan says with a grimace that gives way to his frustration as he stands in my office doorway. He doesn’t want to be a part of my plan, but he chooses to be at my side. A smile creeps up my face just contemplating what awaits me. The thought of taking Marisol Navarro thrills me more than it should. The beautiful woman doesn’t know that she has been on my radar for over a year. Our chance encounter a few weeks ago made my mind up for me. I can’t wait any longer. Now that everything is secure, and she is a little older, I have set the wheels in motion.