Page 18 of The Impossible

The car door for us to exit opened before I could ask him what he meant. The temperature had certainly dropped since we left his mother’s house. His hand rested at the small of my back as he led me up the stairs into the home. Three guards stood before us.

While he spoke to them, I moved toward the kitchen, praying he had a chilled bottle of wine. This was a beautiful home, literally surrounded by trees, even with almost every wall made of glass.

I found what I was looking for, pulling it out then searching through the cabinets for glasses.

“Above the sink. I got it.” His voice alerted me to his presence. He was standing behind me in seconds. He then reached in front of me and opened the cabinet. Way too high up were the wine glasses. He grabbed one, then handed it to me.

“How much did you pay them to marry me, Hondo?”

He didn’t speak but instead turned me around and picked me up. I was placed on the counter a second later before he stepped between my legs.

“Does it matter?” he asked, using the corkscrew he’d apparently thought of when he saw me with this bottle of wine.

“Yes.”

“Why?” he countered once he had the wine open.

I watched him pour the glass for me before I spoke. “Because essentially they sold me to you.”

He laughed, extending the glass.

I took a sip, then extended the glass to him for him to try.

He shook his head. “I don’t fuck with grapes, baby. Keep my shit brown and strong.”

I just looked at him for a moment, then set the glass down. “Why would you pay them to marry me?”

“You’re thinking too hard about this. You know how old motherfuckers are, Nic. Yes, our marriage was brokered before either of us knew what this was, but there is a certain amount of money accompanied by me marrying you. A deposit, if you will, but when your father attempted to renege on the deal set in place, a new deal was brokered. Because not marrying you wasn’t possible. I don’t own you, Nic, but you are mine.”

I sighed, then leaned forward and kissed him. How could I be mad at him for any of this when he didn’t sell me. He didn’t do everything my sister had told me my father and grandfather would do years before.

A quick peck later. “The more we talk about this, the easier it is for me to cut my family off. This is all fucked up and you know it.”

“You’re right, it is, but it’s the way of the old world. While your grandfather still follows it, mine died doing so. It’s just the wa—” His phone began ringing, which prompted him to pull it out of his pocket and answer immediately.

He didn’t move, but stayed between my legs, one hand on the phone and the other in his pocket. He looked so good.

I took another sip from my wine, then glanced around before my eyes landed back on him. He was listening to whatever was being said while his eyes rested on me. Hondo had these intense eyes that were so dark you’d believe they were black. They weren’t. He was a golden-brown complexion with tattoos everywhere. On his face he only had two, one on his right temple next to his eyebrow and the other below his right eye. Not only that, but he had these perfect chocolate freckles that sat right on his nose, slightly contrasting with everything about him. His hair had been cut low ever since I’d known him, however, the beard that seemed to encase his face was new… very new. The man looked good.

Having him this close to me with wine in my system severely impaired my judgment because I now thought of a million other things we could be doing instead of discussing backwards dowries and archaic rules.

When he finally got off the phone, he looked at me for a moment before he spoke.

“Why do you look like you’re on something?” he asked before my legs tightened around his waist.

“Because I am.” I smiled up at him. Even with me sitting on the counter, his six foot three stature towered over me.

“Mind letting me in on that?” he asked.

“Kiss me. Then take me to the bedroom,” I requested.

He looked at me for a moment before he spoke. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Very.”

He didn’t say anything else but whisked my ass off the counter like the people in cute couple videos on social media.

He didn’t put me down until we were in his bedroom. While he moved around, removing his watch and cufflinks, I stood there and watched him.