The Assassin's Bride Ch. 05

"Listen to me, Carina," Michael said with quiet severity. "You cannot trust Gavin." He paused as Carina looked away irritably. "Whenever you are tempted, remember how convincing I was. And remember that he worked with me." Hearing her sharp intake of breath, feeling her slender torso constrict with emotion, he supressed a triumphant smile, knowing his ploy succeeded.

"You're manipulating me," she snarled, unable to stifle the fresh wave of paranoia rising within her at the idea Gavin might pull the same tricks as Michael.

"No. I don't have to," Michael confidently lied. Holding her steady with a last meaningful look, he relaxed his hold and she angrily retreated to the couch.

The next couple of days passed quickly. Carina perpetually scowled at Michael, which hardly dissuaded him from stripping her naked and having his way with her, when he felt like it. The candid bath conversation about the past, rather than bringing them together, created a barrier instead.

On the principle of her captivity, Carina was never going to agree with Michael, and in turn he resented her biased view of him, against her blind loyalty to Eduardo and Carlos. Additionally, the memory of his meeting with Gavin continually antagonised him. The talk, which was arranged with an intent to peacefully resolve a serious dilemma, had only resulted in more bitter anxiety.

For two compelling reasons, Michael was genuinely reluctant to start a war with Gavin. Firstly, he didn't want to do something that he knew Tate, if he were alive, would never forgive. Secondly, he wasn't sure he would win the battle.

Michael quickly dismissed his troublesome concerns, and continued to idly brush shining strands of hair from Carina's beautiful sleeping face. He was content to have her captive, but often wondered what it would be like if she loved him the way she loved Eduardo. Jealousy stabbed his heart every time he'd watched them together, and he didn't know how he managed to endure the pain of appearing completely unaffected, or worse, happy for them.

He remembered countless long nights when he lay awake in bed, knowing Carina was in Eduardo's arms, that Eduardo took full advantage of her delectable assets. Michael enjoyed her close friendship, and wondered what it would be like to have more; to be her lover. The wickedly seductive things she would do for him, to him, if she wanted to... If she was to call him 'mi amor'...

Michael's expression turned bitter, but he continued to stroke Carina's hair, enjoying the way the soft tresses gleamed between his fingers as they caught the light. Gavin was right about him. He was so elated to finally have her that he moved quickly, to a fault. Eduardo's murder was one thing, but to change Carina's mind after the way things subsequently progressed... He'd violated her trust, and then violated her body, without making any effort to repair the former wrong.

The first betrayal was purely business, and relatively justifiable. But the second sin was wholly personal, and completely at his discretion. He almost groaned aloud, realising he might have earned her forgiveness if he relied on the basis of their friendship, and respected her bodily integrity.

Slightly shaking his head, Michael's regretful thoughts turned arrogant. So, he fucked up his chances of an ideal relationship. Tough shit. He still had what he wanted, and was willing to wait as long as it took for her to change. And if she never did, he would find a way to live with it.

Carina sighed sleepily, and Michael smiled at the picturesque sight. She really was extraordinarily desirable, and he was continually awed by her looks. Then there was her charismatic, engaging personality, which he knew could be mischievously playful, as well as amusingly witty.

Not least of all, her fascinating eyes, their colour alone could captivate any man. On several occasions throughout their friendship, Michael had become lost staring into them, which was difficult to conceal when they were mid-conversation. Now, this exquisite woman was in his power, and he would do whatever it took to keep it that way.

Carina stirred, and Michael gloomily watched the serenity in her expression turn petulant as she sleepily registered his presence.

"Go away," she mumbled, briskly turning over. It was a snub, not an invitation, but Michael cheekily snuggled against her, and she sighed heavily.

"Still hate me?" he murmured in a teasing tone, tickling her side. Carina angrily slapped his hand away.

"Always," she declared, and Michael shrugged.

"It's a shame, because we could be happy."

"I was happy, before-"

"Oh, don't start this," Michael rolled his eyes.

"You started it, with a dumb question."

Michael abruptly left the bed, not wanting to enter another debate that would bring out the worst in him. Rape was rape, but he preferred to gently persist rather than angrily force himself on her.

"I'm going for a run," he said shortly, pulling up his trousers.

"Good. You're getting fat," Carina lied spitefully, watching his toned abdomen disappear beneath a pale blue singlet.

"You're welcome to join me," he offered, knowing it was pointless to ask.

"You look gay," she smirked, sitting up to eye him critically.

"You should know by now, that I'm not," Michael countered, unaffected by her taunt. "But I'll prove it again later, just in case." He smiled widely at the joke, and the outrage on Carina's face. "Even when we were friends, you could never roast me," he chuckled.

"Oh, you'll be roasted one day," Carina venomously replied. "I'm sure Carlos will hang you over an open fire."

"I forgot you're moody after a daytime nap."

"You don't know me!" Carina shouted angrily. Little did she know how accurately the barb hit home as Michael was reminded of Gavin's assessment about their relationship.

Concealing his feelings, Michael casually sauntered from the room, stretching his large arms above his head.

As soon as he was gone, Carina slipped from beneath the blanket and padded to the balcony. Leaning over the edge, she peered down for the first time to see she was about two floors above ground level. She could tell by the building design, the way some bricks colourfully protruded from the others, that it would be relatively easy to scale without equipment.

Carina heard a noise and abruptly hauled herself back, paranoid Michael had returned to take advantage of her vulnerable position. Bent over the balcony fully naked, he would probably presume she was asking for it.

But the sound came from outside, and she caught a glimpse of Michael's blue singlet as he ran from the house and quickly disappeared into the trees. Carina felt very resentful that he was exercising, while she felt forced to sit idle for the longest time in years. But she wasn't going to revive sad memories by working out with him.

Her depressing thoughts were scattered by a new movement, and she looked to the right and beheld Gavin grinning up at her. After a mortifying second where the dismay on her face was apparent, Carina hurriedly ducked down, suddenly embarrassed by her nudity.

It was incredibly annoying. She was shamelessly proud of her physique, and hardly bothered in the past when Gavin saw her naked. But for unknown reasons beyond her control, she felt painfully shy about it now. It was a most inconvenient hindrance to develop with a man she ached to seduce.

Heart fluttering, she tentatively peeked over the edge so only the top of her head was visible. Gavin was still there, but his hands were on his hips and he was still laughing at her initial reaction. Eventually he tapped his watch and pointed in the direction of the mansion entrance, and held up his hand in a 'five minute' gesture. Carina eagerly nodded, and rushed inside to dress herself.

Where it was typically difficult for a nervous woman to choose an outfit, it seemed an almost impossible task for Carina to accomplish in five minutes, especially when she was accustomed to wearing hardly anything. She wanted to be sexy, but not slutty. She wanted to give him wicked ideas, without giving him the wrong idea.

After a minute of painful deliberating, with some distaste Carina tugged out a purple running tracksuit, found a white exercise t-shirt, and shoved her feet into new sneakers. She almost toppled over, not realising the shoes still had a silver brand tag attached which linked them together.

"Of all the fucking impractical...!" she snarled, balancing on one foot to rip the binding tag free. Then Carina raced out the door and downstairs three steps at a time.

Bursting out the front entrance, she staggered to an abrupt halt as she perceived Gavin patiently waiting for her. He grinned at her flustered face, and Carina wished she hadn't made such an undignified appearance by practically breaking down the front door with enthusiasm.

She paused by his side, then looked around nervously.

"He will be at least half an hour," Gavin smiled, holding out his hand. It wasn't a commanding gesture, like the way Michael extended his hand for her. Despite his height and clear physical strength, there was nothing threatening or predatory in his manner. Returning his smile, Carina tentatively put her hand in his.

"You're pretty rugged up, for this climate," he observed, and Carina's face burned with embarrassment and she felt like an idiot, thinking she was probably dressed like one, too.

Gavin led her a short distance into the forest, where the trees clustered closely together and the abundant leaves shielded them from the sun.

"I am going to be honest with you, Carina," Gavin announced, his face solemn as he looked down at her. "I don't know how you feel about me. But I am willing to take you away from here. It will be the perfect thing to balance my grievances with Ethan." He paused.

"I will take you anywhere you choose, and you will be free." As her face fell, he continued. "Or...if you are open to getting to know me, I would be receptive to that, too." Carina suddenly smiled, and he returned it fleetingly before becoming serious again.

"I am not a game player, like Ethan. I don't mess with people if I can help it, and I don't respond well to being messed with." He spoke quite severely, and Carina's smile wavered at his ominous tone. "To be explicit, Carina -- do not play games with me. There is no need. I will set you free, regardless. Do not seduce me, unless you mean it."

Carina nodded slowly, gazing at him with wide, nervous eyes.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

Carina nodded, but didn't speak.

Gavin smiled kindly. "Go on, then."

"When?"

Gavin took a deep breath. "I am not going to take you unless we can make a quick exit. If we are premature, Ethan will come after us. And that would be very ugly."

"Please don't make me go back to him," Carina pleaded in a desperate whisper, and Gavin's eyes softened sympathetically.

"Unfortunately, it's critical that you do. He won't hurt you." He hesitated. "Not irreparably anyway."

"He could break my mind."

"I think you are tougher than that."

"I don't...I don't want you to kill him," Carina faltered unexpectedly, looking self-conscious as she stared down at one sneaker, watching the toe restlessly twist against the ground. She was quite surprised when the words left her mouth, but Gavin's faith in her strength triggered the confession. She felt like she didn't deserve his admiration.

"I don't want to kill him," Gavin immediately answered, shrewdly watching her discomfit. "Carina, please look at me."

Gavin's politeness was quite surreal, and Carina nervously obliged, unsure how her admission was received. To her relief, he looked more reassuring than judgemental.

"Not wanting him to die, does not mean you love him," he said gently. "There is nothing weak about mercy. I believe it shows strength of character." He hesitated. "But I should tell you that if it became necessary..." He pulled a face. "It's actually a very weird situation. There's a reluctance on both sides to use violence. The way things are going, it's inevitable."

Carina dully nodded her understanding. "I would have expected abuse from a stranger," she bitterly confided with downcast eyes. "But he was my friend. When it's someone familiar..."

"It's a lot worse, I know. Luckily for you, he's taken no effort to hide his true colours. So you should be clear on what you want, or don't want..."

"I can get the ashes," she blurted. "Or help, at least..." she feebly added, feeling slightly apprehensive when Gavin stiffened.

"He told you?"

Facing his piercing stare, Carina looked away nervously. "He said... I mean..." she faltered, intimidated by Gavin's sudden intensity. "He said that's why you were here. That they belonged to someone called 'Tate'."

"What else?"

"That's all," Carina shook her head, looking mystified.

"Right." Gavin hesitated. "I do want them. If you can manage it...that would be wonderful." His features relaxed as he watched her intently. "But I would settle for you, alone."

Carina suddenly closed the distance between them and seized the front of his shirt. At first Gavin looked bemused, then his eyes warmed and he allowed her to draw him closer.

As soon as their lips met, Carina hotly opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, smoothing her hands down the front of his hard chest to grip his belt. Her heart leapt when he quietly moaned, his tongue delving against hers. Carina felt the familiar throbbing between her legs, and knew she needed more.

"Touch me," she breathed, looking eagerly into his light blue eyes.

"Not now, Carina," he softly chided, his hands massaging her hips in an aggravatingly conservative manner.

Carina was filled with a thrilling sense of mischief. She had never flirted with a man who clearly wanted her, but seemed compelled to behave with propriety. Just like she'd fantasised, Carina agilely leapt on him. She held onto his strong shoulders and squeezed her thighs at his waist for support. Somewhat taken aback, he quickly linked his hands under her bottom to hold her up.

Carina didn't speak, but stared challengingly into his face. Wriggling, she manoeuvred herself so his cock pressed against her pussy. Then she rubbed some more, until the hard tip of him nudged directly against her clit.

"Uhhhh," she moaned in his startled face, her eyes heavy-lidded with lust as she began to grind on his cock. The chemistry she felt was intense, and just moving against him, even with clothes on, seemed extraordinarily erotic. Her pouting pink mouth dropped open with wanton abandonment, but she continued heatedly watch him while rhythmically grinding.

"Carina," Gavin hoarsely protested, finally finding his voice. He was accustomed to females aggressively hitting on him, and Carina's antics would have been off-putting if they were attempted by any other woman. Swallowing, he reflected that he had never met a girl like her.

Perhaps it had something to do with the way she lived her life, her confidence around men. If superpowers existed, hers would be a magnetism that no man could resist. He began to understand Michael's predicament, though he would never agree with his methods to conquer her.

"I want you, Gavin. So much," Carina purred, disrupting his dazed thoughts. Realising she wasn't panting for show, Gavin became suspicious she was about to orgasm from dry humping him.

"Enough, little spider monkey!" he admonished, but his eyes were full of lust. As she sinuously slid down his body, Gavin held his breath, controlling his desires with more effort than he was accustomed to.

"Please?" Carina whispered, bitterly disappointed he hadn't even touched her breasts.

"No," Gavin firmly replied. As he released her and stepped back, Carina's triumphant gaze fell to his rock-hard erection. Now it was Gavin's turn to look flustered.

"I won't give Ethan a reason to hurt you," he said bluntly. He could see Carina's mind working and predicted her thoughts.

"There are no cameras here. And the other night..." she began, before he cut her off.

"I was just playing with you. There is no way I would fuck on camera," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh," she said, shamefaced.

"One can't be too careful. It could end up on Youtube," he joked, and Carina noticed that despite his easy tone, his body was tensed with frustration.

Caution aside, Gavin didn't want to disclose that he had no intention of sleeping with Carina while she was Michael's captive. Though he found the idea of an overlap distasteful, it didn't make her any less tempting.

"I don't want any chance of interruption. I want to take my time with you," he murmured seductively, tormenting Carina with wicked promise. He felt there was a small score to pay for provoking him to his most painful erection to memory.

"What colour are your eyes?" Gavin asked, narrowing his own with his chin raised. He sounded exasperated, as though the mystery plagued him and he'd given up guessing.

With a flirty smile, Carina shrugged.

"I would guess they're an exotic blue-black. Then again..." he trailed off ponderingly. Something alerted him, and he quickly straightened to his full height, listening. Carina strained, but couldn't make out anything of significance.

"Fuck, he's early. Run!" he urged, and Carina immediately fled back the direction she came. Blindly knocking loose leaves from her face as she ran, she skidded to a breathless halt as she reached the clearing. Michael stood on the lawn watching her, still as a statue.

"I..." Carina gasped making a tired gesture. "I went for a run, too," she panted, avoiding his sharp eyes as they scanned her loose, untidy hair, the clumsily donned tracksuit, right down to her shoes. Finally, his gaze settled on her cheeks, flushed with excited colour.

"A very short sprint, by the looks of you," Michael said silkily, but there was a deadly fire in his eyes as they swept her appearance, making Carina feel uneasy. Then he slowly advanced, running through a list of observations with each threatening step.

"Hair undone, no sports-bra, too many clothes, laces untied..."

Carina stood her ground, petrified as he paused a few feet away. "And a very guilty blush," he concluded. "You're hardly perspiring as I would expect you to be, if you were actually jogging." His knuckles cracked as both fists clenched.

"I...I..." Carina bleakly stuttered.

"He's here, isn't he?" Michael whispered. The question was rhetorical and his eyes glinted with a burning rage. Knowing it was pointless to lie, Carina's jaw dropped with speechless dismay and she cowered as he unexpectedly brushed by her and faced the quiet forest.

"Carina belongs to me!" he roared, his voice clearly carrying through the trees and sending various species of birds into startled flight.

"No-!" Carina uttered as Michael roughly seized her hair. She was dragged before him and forced to her knees.

"SHE IS MINE!" he screamed. "And I will take her right in front of you, if I have to!"

There was a tense, watchful silence, broken only by Carina's ragged breathing and the trees gently rustling. Highly attuned to male energy, Carina sensed it -- a burning, unwavering rage emitting from an indeterminable place in the forest. She knew Gavin was watching.

"Is that what you want?" Michael taunted, though his eyes flared angrily.

"No! Please!" Carina implored. She reached up to seize his wrist, hoping to detach his hand.

In response to her resistance, Michael's fist in her hair cruelly constricted. The motion pinched her scalp and kept her docile. Frustrated, he slightly shook her, and Carina's teeth rattled before she realised he spoke into her ear.

"Scream," he brusquely ordered, his eyes momentarily darting to the trees before returning back to her.