Claimed by a Dangerous Man

What do you want?

"I need answers," I whispered. I finally looked at him as he turned to face me. "Tell me what’s really going on."

He lowered his head, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry. And now I feel even worse because you've saved me twice."

"Then you owe me," I said flatly and quickly. He looked at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. "Give me an explanation."

"Other than that."

"I don't want anything else," I retorted, not to be outdone.

"Then be prepared for disappointment." The young man replied softly and coldly.

"But you promised me."

He ruffled his hair and growled, "You've turned my two principles against me." The man let out a long breath. "Fine, just know I’m not some guy with a smooth, problem-free life. I’ve got people chasing me, ready to take me out. You happy now?"

"I'm not really surprised," I commented in a coldly pretentious tone. Although inwardly I was thinking about what he had done to put his life in danger.

The faint sound of a car engine started growing louder. I glanced back, startled by the noise of barrels clanging around. Beside me, he grumbled under his breath. "What a lunatic! He shouldn't have gotten his license that fast."

A Ferrari pulled off a perfect 180-degree spin before coming to a stop near our car. Its window rolled down, revealing a guy with a playful grin and a youthful, lively vibe. He looked a lot more carefree than the guy sitting next to me. "Did I miss something?" he asked, smirking.

"Don't be a d**k," said the man beside me. I really needed to ask for his name. He looked at me as he said, "Let’s go. We’ll give you a ride home." He then turned to the guy in the Ferrari again. "To the Hyatt Regency Hotel."

In no time, we’d switched cars. I was now seated in the back with him beside me. The guy in the Ferrari, who introduced himself as Isaac, mentioned he'd called someone to take care of the wrecked car we left behind.

“What's your name?" Isaac asked in his pleasant tone. glancing at me through the rearview mirror, his grin full of energy, like he was the happiest guy alive.

"Leandra," I answered politely, hiding the pain in my shoulder that I’d been trying to ignore.

"You’re the one who saved Marco, huh? Lucky him, being rescued by such a gorgeous lady." Marco? So that was his name—the guy whose kiss had somehow made me feel like a fool ever since.

"Isaac, shut up!"

Isaac pouted. "You’re no fun."

I ignored their banter, focusing instead on the sharp sting in my shoulder. I hissed softly, then instantly bit my lip. I channeled how much it hurt by tightly squeezing the cardigan I was wearing.

"Come closer," Marco whispered. Hesitantly, I inched against him. He turned my body until we were facing each other.

"This really hurts," I murmured, trying not to cry.

Marco took off the left sleeve of my cardigan, so I was now wearing only one. He studied the wound and winced. "Isaac, got a First Aid Kit?"

"Hang on," Isaac replied, sounding concerned. He rummaged through the glove compartment and handed over a white box.

Marco grabbed it and snapped, "Drive carefully!" as Isaac was still zooming along like a racer.

The car slowed down. Marco worked skillfully on my wound, his focus intense. "Do whatever you need to if it hurts too much," he said.

I squeezed his thigh firmly. Marco did not show that he minded my action at all. In fact, he didn't even show any expression of pain at all, seemed calm and concerned about my situation. There were also many times I bit my lip to hold back a scream.

I was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Marco ended it well. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better. Marco fixed my cardigan and handed the kit back to Isaac.

Isaac glanced at me in the mirror. "You okay, sweetheart?"

I just nodded slowly, blinking back tears.

Isaac reached for a water bottle and handed it to Marco. "This is for Leandra. Not for you."

Marco shot him a slightly annoyed look but took it anyway, unscrewing the cap. Before I could take it, he tipped it toward my lips, making me drink. The water felt incredibly refreshing.

"Thanks," I said.

He nodded. "You sure you want to go home now?"

"Yeah," I replied, though I wasn’t totally confident. I could already imagine Kim freaking out when she saw the state I was in.

"Hey, Leandra... I was wondering why you saved Marco back then," Isaac said.

"I don’t even know what I was thinking," I admitted. Memories of the café incident flashed in my mind—the bald thug pulling out a gun and pointing it at Marco, and me throwing myself in the way without a second thought. That decision had made an innocent woman a target instead.

"We’re here..." Isaac announced as the car slowed to a stop in front of the hotel. I looked out the window. Right, this was it.

I'd been thinking so much that I didn't realize that it was time for me to say goodbye to Marco. Our unexpected meeting, got hit with a gun for saving him. And now... it ended with me having caused an accident. Later I thought that as long as I was with him, bad things always happened to me. Not that I want to blame our meeting... but until now that was the case.

"I’ll get the door," Marco said, stepping out to open it for me. He helped me out of the car, his touch steady.

"Marco...," I called hesitantly. He looked at me as he waited for me to continue. "About your second debt, I want to ask for it now."

"Fair enough," he replied with a small smile. "What do you want?"

I stared into his dark, mysterious eyes, taking in how they seemed to hold so many secrets. Taking a deep breath, I finally said it, my voice a whisper.

"Kiss me."

***

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