Bound By Her Ring by Nicole Flockton Read Free Book Online

spine, like a vine clinging to a tree. Her feet refused to move, as if the pavement had formed hands and latched onto her ankles, anchoring her to the ground. He held her trapped and the resolve she was so proud of only moments ago fled, leaving her vulnerable to anything he said or did.
    The trip was going to be pure torture if this was how she reacted every time she looked at him.
    What was it about him that made her almost melt? All he had to do was look at her and she lost control of such a simple task as walking. If only she could move her feet, turn around and leave him standing alone in the middle of the airport terminal. If only he’d never turned up at the hotel and catapulted her life into a tornado of confusion. If only she could remember him.
    His arrogantly raised eyebrow was all she needed to get her blood flowing again. She wrenched her gaze from his, willing her feet to move and continue the short walk into the terminal. He met her halfway, his fingers touching hers softly as he brushed her cheek in a brief kiss.
    “Nice of you to join me,” he drawled.
    “As if I wouldn’t, the driver knocking on my door and your band of thugs following my every move made sure I’d be here.”
    He had the audacity to send a wink in her direction. “Well even with taking precautions, one can never tell. Women are notorious for changing their minds, especially at the last minute. But when it comes to the thugs? They’re there to protect you, so get used to it.”
    “I don’t need protecting by you, I need protecting from you.”
    She left him standing in the middle of the terminal and headed towards the small check-in counter, her heels clicking out a staccato beat on the glossy tiles as she moved away.
    She hadn’t gone a few steps when a hand grasped her, electricity sparked up her arm and along her shoulder blades. She found herself being steered the opposite way.
    “Where are we going?” she asked, pointing in the direction she’d been heading. “Check-in is this way.”
    “Yes I know, but if you hadn’t noticed, Jasmine, this isn’t the main city airport.”
    “I’m aware of that, but even still surely we need to check our luggage in, no matter what type of flight we’re going on?” She stopped as another thought filtered through her mind. She pulled her arm away from Luciano’s grasp. “By the way, where exactly is my luggage and where are you hijacking me to?”
    “You don’t need to worry about checking in your luggage, and I haven’t hijacked you at all. If you recall our conversation yesterday, you agreed to come on this trip.”
    “I agreed? I don’t think so. I have a completely different take on the conversation. What I recall is that I had no choice but to accompany you. You threatened my father and his business. Remember?”
    The look he sent her smouldered through to her soul. Fire began deep inside and a sensual fog threatened to consume her. She was never going to survive two weeks with him.
    “I remember everything about you.”
    He flicked his gaze to the large round clock hanging down from the ceiling, breaking the spell and dissipating the fog. “Now can we please continue on our way? We’ll miss our scheduled take off slot and I, for one, don’t plan on hanging around all day to wait for another to become available.”
    His words resounded in her mind as she followed blindly behind him, I remember everything about you .
    Would he be willing to share that information with her? Somehow she doubted it. It was clear to her Luciano went by his rules and no one else’s, and don’t even dare question him or his motives. He was an immovable force. Play by his game or don’t play at all. If she wanted answers then she would have to get her emotions under control.
    Walking out the door she found herself back out in the sunlight, squinting at the brightness after the subdued lighting of the terminal. Why on earth had she put her sunglasses away? Easy answer—she never expected to