Page 76 of Forbidden Fate

I’m not overly happy to see Cruz sitting at a kitchen table between two of the most beautiful women I’ve ever laid eyes on in my life.

“Good morning,” Señora Valentina says to me. “Did you sleep well?”

I clear my throat. “Yes. Thank you.”

“Mercedes, Esmeralda, this is Robin,” Señora Valentina says.

I nod and force a smile.

Mercedes is tall and gorgeous and exudes confidence. Her robe is black lace, her hair piled up in a careless knot, her lips bare but somehow still perfect.

Esmeralda is smaller, with auburn hair and freckles. Her green satin robe brings out the color of her eyes.

So here I am. In the kitchen of a brothel with three stunning women watching me. And Cruz standing with a pink heart-shaped mug in his hand.

The good news is he doesn’t seem to have eyes for either Mercedes or Esmeralda.

His gaze is locked on me.

Not that I care.

I don’t care if Cruz looks at beautiful women.

He can look at whoever he wants. He’s not my boyfriend. He’s not my lover in any sensible, normal, emotionally stable definition of the word. He’s not mine.

He’s my captor turned rescuer turned temporary protector turned⁠—

No.

Absolutely not finishing that sentence.

It’s too early in the morning for mental gymnastics, especially before coffee.

“Thank you for the robe,” I say to Señora Valentina.

Señora waves a hand, her own red-and-pink robe swishing. “Of course. I knew it would flatter you.”

Mercedes leans forward, chin propped on one hand. “So where did you come from?”

I go still.

Just slightly.

Probably not enough for Mercedes to notice, maybe. But Cruz notices.

Señora Valentina definitely notices. Her smile doesn’t waver. “Family trouble,” she says smoothly before I can decide whether to lie badly or say nothing at all. “Her family does not accept Cruz.”

Mercedes lifts her eyebrows. Esmeralda looks from me to Cruz with immediate interest.

I blink at Señora.

She continues without missing a beat. “Because he is the son of a…working girl.”

Cruz closes his eyes. “Valentina,” he says.

“What? It is the story.” She turns back to the women. “Her father threw her out in the middle of the night. It was quite the drama. So they will stay here a few days while he cools off.”

Mercedes wrinkles her forehead. “Her father threw her out because of Cruz?”