The Foiled Plan (War of Sins Book 2)

‘No one else,’ I agree. ‘You need to understand one thing, Noelle,’ I tell her in a serious voice. ‘I would never betray you. I would never betray my wedding vows. But most of all, I would never touch a woman who is not you.’

Not only do I condemn cheating for the scourge that it is, but I could never look at another woman the way I look at her. She has a unique effect on my mind and body. Even when I hated her, she was all I could think about—fantasize about.

There’s something intangible about her that drew me in from the beginning. It’s in the way the entire room seems to shrink when we’re together; to the point I see only her. It’s in her blushes and her small sighs, or the way her eyes twinkle when she looks at me not in hate, but in not-hate.

My skin tingles from her mere touch, a spark that starts at the surface of my skin and worms its way inside until it reaches my heart, making it squeeze tightly in my chest.

And then there’s her music that has the power to soothe me—truly soothe me. The only time my monsters go into hiding is when I hear her play—that melody of hers that has the power to put together my fragmented soul.

There’s something utterly magnetic about her presence, and sometimes I wonder if the drugs haven’t addled my brain. If they haven’t screwed my perception of the world to such a degree that I now see fairytales instead of reality. Because only then would I imagine happily ever afters when I look at her.

I’ve seen the worst the world has to offer. Yet one moment with her and I find hope again.

She gives me hope.

‘I’m a one woman man, Noelle,’ I wink at her.

If there’s one good thing my parents taught me it’s that real love exists. They may not have been the best people, but they truly loved each other in a way I’ve rarely seen in our world. They showed me that there’s something beautiful out there—something worth pursuing and holding out for. I may have been pretending to be something I was not during my teenage years, but the truth is, if I’d been inclined to, my father could have easily found someone to sleep with me—regardless of my perceived disability. He certainly tried to entice me to do it, finding different opportunities to put me on the spot in his attempt to make me become a man.

I didn’t want to. Call it idiotic or naïve, but even back then I knew I was waiting for something more. For the act to mean something with someone I prized above all. I’ve never thought myself a great romantic, but looking back on my life, maybe I’ve been one all along. I couldn’t imagine sharing myself with someone I wasn’t in love with. Someone who didn’t make my body hum with electricity, awakening each and every cell and making every atom with relief at her presence.

That’s exactly what Noelle makes me feel.

And it fucking terrifies me.

She wets her lips, peering at me through her lashes and I don’t think the sight of her like this will ever cease to affect me. She’s too beautiful and too pure for this world, and the thought that I hurt her before cuts me on the inside.

I’d been so wrapped up in everything at the ball that I hadn’t realized my carelessness and stupid jealousy were causing her harm. I’d been a fucking idiot and I almost lost her because of that, especially now that I’ve barely gained some ground with her. After all the pain I’ve caused her, I know it won’t be easy to gain her trust and her forgiveness. And she’s right to hold it against me.

Just thinking of the dark room and her tear-streaked face, the way I’d hurt her…

There’s no excuse for anything I did to her. And I’ll be damned if I know how to fix it.

I’ve never had a girlfriend. I’ve never gone on a date, and I’ve certainly never tried to court a girl before. My one attempt at a date had ended up with me being ghosted by my then best friend, cutting out contact as if we hadn’t been chatting daily for years at that point.

Hell, even my relationship with Lucero had been completely different in that regard because it had been limited by circumstances. Ours had been an emotional connection, not a physical one. She’d been there for me at my hardest, and in turn, I’d been there for her.

At some point, I might have thought she was my one and only.

Not anymore.

It’s a pleasant surprise to realize that thinking about Lucero doesn’t pain me as much as before. Most of all, I can see our time together for what it was—pleasant but transient.

She was the right person at the right time. But now, that era has passed. And it’s time to truly let go. Whatever I might have felt for Lucero pales in contrast with the feelings Noelle awakens in me.

‘Ok,’ she nods. ‘I just wanted to make my position clear.’

‘And I love that, because we are on the same page,’ my lips tug up. ‘Never be afraid to speak your mind with me. I want to know your thoughts—your innermost thoughts. I want to know everything about you. Because this,’ I point between us, ‘is not just lust.’

Her brows furrow as she looks at me in confusion.

‘What I feel for you goes beyond mere lust. I desire you, and I might have fooled myself in the past that it was just that. But I know it’s so much more,’ I confess.

‘What do you mean?’ she asks softly, the question tentative as if she didn’t dare believe me.

‘I want to experience everything with you, Noelle. I want you to be mine. Completely mine,’ I tell her, finally uttering out loud what I’ve been trying to fight from the beginning.

She blinks, her eyes growing wider.

‘Ok,’ she whispers.

‘Good girl,’ I chuckle, ‘because it’s happening regardless of your approval. But I wanted to be a gentleman and ask for permission first,’ I wink at her. She’s mine whether she likes it or not. And if she doesn’t, then I’ll hound her until she accepts it.

She looks at me dazedly for a moment before a smile erupts on her face, a small laugh escaping her.

‘So you ask for permission now,’ she muses, clearly amused.

‘I want you to be comfortable with me. I know I behaved like an ass in the past, and there’s no excuse for that. But I want to make amends and show you there are other sides to me. More…civilized ones.’ The last thing I want to do is scare her. I know she hasn’t had the best experience with men, and that makes me wary about overwhelming her.

‘I think that has its place,’ she says innocently, ‘but I don’t expect you to be civilized all the time.’ She flutters her lashes at me suggestively, and I can’t help myself as I take her in my arms, rolling on my back and placing her on top of me.

‘My innocent wife might be a little deviant, is that what you’re trying to tell me?’ I raise a brow at her.

Her hands on my shoulders, she raises herself, her legs on either side of me as she sits upright.

‘Fuck,’ I groan when she presses herself onto my erection.

‘Oh, sorry,’ she tries to scurry away, confirming that she’s not ready for what I have planned for her.

My hands on her hips, I keep her firmly in place as I take my time to look at her, get my fill of her.

‘Don’t,’ I tell her when she squirms in an attempt to get away, ‘I like you on top of me,’ I breathe out, though the feel of her pussy on top of my cock is the sweetest torture. And if she makes one more move, I’m pretty sure I’ll come in my underwear. After all, there’s only so much a man can take.

Fuck, but it feels so liberating to finally admit to myself that I want her. That I need her. And that I’ll do everything I can to make sure I keep her.

If there’s anything I’ve learned about Noelle, it’s that she has a hard time trusting people. Every time she’s done so in the past, she’s been let down. So I know I have one chance with her and I have to make it count.

She’s skittish, but not without reason. And that makes my work harder.

I have to make sure she falls so totally and utterly in love with me that she’ll never leave me—that she’d never think of leaving me.

‘You’re so beautiful,’ the words roll on my tongue. ‘So fucking beautiful,’ I say in awe, lifting my hand to her face and caressing her cheek. She’s not just beautiful on the outside. She also has a beautiful soul—a beautiful, battered soul. There’s a purity that clings to her in spite of her past, and I can’t help but be in awe of her strength.

The mere fact that she’s willing to give me a chance after everything she’s been through is a miracle. Me, the asshole who taunted and mocked her at every turn. Me, the bastard that dared to make her cry. And for every tear that she shed, I’ll fucking prostate myself at her feet until she forgives me.

I feel a sharp pain in my chest at the thought of everything she’s suffered, and how she’s only ever seen the worst of humanity.

My sweet and kind Noelle.

Damn it all to hell, but how could I have thought her capable of harming anyone?

Most of all, how could I have ever thought her an experienced seductress? I should have seen through her false confidence from the beginning. Though her words were daring, her actions were anything but.

‘You’ve gone quiet,’ she says after a while, startling me.

‘I was just thinking of the past.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you amaze me. Your strength and resilience amaze me.’

‘Flatterer,’ she blushes.

‘No. I’m only telling the truth, Noelle. Everyone in your family is a fool for not realizing what a gem you are. And it’s their loss. I promise I’ll cherish this,’ I tell her as I place my hand over her heart. ‘I won’t give you any reason to doubt my loyalty.’

Her smile lights up her entire face, and in that moment I vow to myself that I’ll do whatever it takes so she never has to worry about another thing again.

No one will harm a hair on her body. Because no one will get close enough to do it.

Releasing a tired yawn, she brings her head to my chest, snuggling into me.

‘Sleep, pretty girl,’ I caress her hair, the heat of her body seeping into mine.

‘You’re mine now,’ I whisper when I hear her regulated breaths.

That’s when I finally breathe out relieved too.

I haven’t messed this up.

The entire night, I’ve had to keep myself in check in case I said or did something wrong—again.

There’s something seriously wrong with me when it comes to her, and sometimes I’m afraid I might scare her away with my intensity. There’s this sick need inside of me to own her though I know she cannot be owned.

I want her more than I’ve wanted another thing, and for the first time, I have to admit that Carlos was right.

I want her more than my revenge.

There are times when I can’t help myself, the scene I’d made at the ball being a prime example. When I’d seen her in the arms of another man, I’d been out of my mind with jealousy and rage—pure, unadulterated rage. And so I acted in an unlikely fashion.

But that’s the issue. There’s something about her that makes me act in the unlikeliest of ways. I’ve always been level-headed and calm. Yet with her, I see red.

Now, more than ever, I need to rein myself in. I need to show her I’m not an animal she should be scared of.

I’d seen the way she had reacted to my outburst at the ball. How she’d been embarrassed to be seen with me because of my caveman-like behavior, and how strongly she’d resisted me.

Which brings me to my current dilemma.

Civilized.

I need to pretend to be civilized. I need to court the fuck out of her and show her I can be soft. That I can be a gentleman.

That’s what someone so dainty and delicate like her needs. Someone to take it slow. Not someone who wants to fuck the shit out of her until she’s raw and bleeding, screaming my name both in pleasure and in pain…

Fuck. Those thoughts are dangerous… Too dangerous.

I close my eyes, trying to count to ten.

Civilized. Yes, I can be civilized. I’ve been civilized my entire life before her.

How hard can it be?

‘I’m glad to see you two returned in one piece,’ Cisco’s lips stretch in a languid smile as he peruses us, but there’s no emotion behind his words.

Like I’ve come to expect from him.

At this point, I’m pretty sure the man is a psychopath. He talks like a human, acts like a human, but I’m getting increasingly sure he’s not one. Not with how he’s behaving with his own sister—as if he couldn’t care less about her.

Except he does care—as long as she’s beneficial to his plans.

That’s the thing with Cisco. He never does anything that’s not to his advantage. And it’s also the reason why I’m always second-guessing his actions.

‘Noelle, go upstairs and take a hot bath,’ I tell her.

She gives me an odd look, but doesn’t argue.

Ah, my sweet girl is a natural submissive. There’s no doubt about that. And the mere thought of getting her alone and doing things to her has my blood pumping downwards. Alas, there will be time for that later.

‘I’m surprised to see you’re still here,’ I raise a brow at Cisco.

He merely shrugs, motioning me to his study where he hands me a glass of scotch.

‘Yuyu is packing. We’re leaving for the summer house and we’ll be taking most of the guards with us,’ he dives right into the crux of the issue.

‘I see,’ I nod, keeping my expression neutral.

‘We’ll stay there until after the birth. You’re welcome to join us, but…’

‘No, thank you. We’ll stay here. I still have business in the city,’ I interrupt him.

His offer had been reluctant at best but I think Noelle would benefit from not having her family around for a while.

Though Cisco’s couldn’t have been more clear—we’re on our own. He will probably leave us some guards, but other than that he won’t care if something were to happen to us.

Just like he doesn’t seem in the least worried about last night.

‘Marvelous,’ his lips stretch into a wide smile. Bringing his glass to his mouth, he downs it in one go before slapping it on the table.

‘Keep me updated. We’ll have video conferences every night, and I’ll come down to the city every so often,’ he says, going into a quick outline of how to change our plans around the new developments.

Just as I’d thought, Michele’s reveal had already made the rounds around the city and beyond, and already Cisco is fearing for the worst.

‘Just how many people could possibly come after her?’

‘You have no idea,’ he gives a dry laugh. ‘Yuyu’s been my sword while I’ve been her shield for over twenty years. Yet it seems I’ve failed her,’ he shakes his head, his façade cracking. ‘And in this case, whatever can go wrong, will likely go wrong,’ he says vaguely.

Giving me a list of emergency contacts, he also tells me that the house is equipped with a panic room.

‘If the worst was to come, you know what to do,’ he says before taking his leave.

The reality is that Michele had done a number on us. By revealing Cisco’s weakness to the public, he’s effectively taken out my protection. And without that…

Both Noelle and I are in danger.

What are you planning now?

Last I’d spoken to Panchito, he hadn’t been able to locate Michele anywhere in the city. He’s like a ghost with his movements, and his body doubles are not making our job easier.

On the other hand, Panchito had been able to hack into one of Michele’s phones and track some of his exchanges with a foreign number—one that belongs to a burner phone.

But that had been short lived too, since Michele had somehow figured out we’d infiltrated and promptly changed his phone.

Still, the conversation with that unknown number had raised a few alarm bells. While it had been sexual in nature, and the exchanges had been filthy and degrading, there had also been the slightest trace of affection in the way he addressed her—pet.

And so it seems I may have a new lead—and a new mission. Find Michele’s mystery girl and beat him at his own game.

I make a few phone calls to make sure Carlos and the other guys are safe and aware of the latest developments, and then I finally head to our suite.

The moment I step inside our room, though, it’s to hear a melodious hum from the bathroom. The door is ajar and I take it as an invitation to push it open, stepping inside to find Noelle leaning against the back of the tub, her eyes closer, her lips opening and closing as she sings a quiet melody.

The water reaches her clavicle, bubbles all over the surface hiding her glorious body from my sight.

Alas, I can forgive that slight since she took my advice to heart.

My fingers immediately go to the buttons of my shirt, snapping them open before laying it on a counter. I discard my pants, but I keep my underwear on since I’d promised both myself and her that I’d take it slow, and I don’t want to frighten her with my desire—not yet.

I move stealthily towards her, all the while letting my eyes greedily roam over every bit of exposed flesh.

Suddenly, I’m reminded of a similar situation. When I’d behaved like the worst bounder, insulting and degrading her at every turn. And I’d topped it off by trying to kill her.

My hands had held her down, waiting for her to draw her last breath.

And even then, when her death should have pleased me, it hadn’t.

I’d looked down at her—her eyes open, her expression calm and resigned—and I’d lost myself.

I’d lost everything.

Something had snapped within me in that moment—an explosion of surreal magnitude that had woken me up to reality.

I couldn’t do it. No matter how much I thought I hated her, I couldn’t kill her.

I’m by the side of the tub when she opens her eyes, looking at me unflinchingly. For a moment, I fear that the old Noelle is back—the cold one whose arctic stare could freeze my goddamn heart. And if she decided to go back to treating me like a bastard, it’s not like I wouldn’t deserve it.

Have I done anything right?

I don’t deserve her forgiveness, and I sure as fuck don’t deserve her attention.

But I’m going to take it regardless.