Chapter 4 Virginity Check
"Julio!" I screamed his name, my voice shaking violently.
Not from fear. From pure, burning rage at seeing my enemy standing there like he'd stepped out of my worst nightmares.
This piece of shit actually dared to come back! After three years of supposed therapy in Canada, after murdering my parents in cold blood, this monster had the audacity to show his face in Los Angeles again.
Julio finally walked over to me, stepping out of the shadows. Without the headlights behind him, I could see him clearly for the first time in three years.
Three years had sharpened his features, made him harder. Those blue eyes were deeper now, darker.
Right now, those predator eyes were locked on me with laser focus, studying every inch of my face like he was memorizing me all over again.
"You damn cockroach! Murderer! How dare you come back!" I scrambled to my feet on shaking legs and lunged at him, grabbing his collar with both hands.
Julio let out a low chuckle that sent ice through my veins, casually letting me pull him against my car door like this was some romantic reunion instead of me wanting to tear his throat out.
"Wait! Wait!" He raised his hands in mock surrender, that familiar smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Honey, it's only been three years and you're already this eager? Want to do it right here? You know me so well, babe. I love this spot! Nothing like car sex under the stars."
What the hell was this psycho talking about? Did he think this was some kind of game? Some twisted foreplay?
I raised my fist to punch him. That's when I noticed my tugging had pulled his robe aside, exposing his chest.
"Pervert!" I jerked my gaze away from his bare skin, suddenly forgetting I'd been about to hit him. Heat flooded my cheeks against my will.
This maniac was out here wearing nothing but a bathrobe! Who the hell showed up to a car crash in sleepwear?
Julio had clearly caught my reaction. His laughter got louder. He grabbed my raised fist and pressed it against his chest.
"Honey, you're just as twisted as I am!" He guided my hand across his pecs with deliberate slowness. "You used to love touching me right here when we had sex. Remember how you'd trace every muscle with your tongue? I've been working out hard these three years, thinking about you the whole time. They're even more solid now. Come on, baby. Give them a test drive."
My face burned red hot. Memories I'd tried to bury clawed their way to the surface. His hands on my skin. The way he'd whisper my name.
I slapped him hard across the face. When I tried to hit him again, he caught that hand too and pressed it against his abs.
"Honey, slapping hurts your hand. Let's do something sweeter instead." Julio leaned close to my ear. "I've missed you so much, Ashley."
"Go to hell! I'm not your anything!" I spit at him, my saliva hitting his cheek.
Then his mouth was on mine. He bit down hard on my lip until I cried out, then kissed me roughly.
Julio kissed me like he was trying to devour me. I felt sick to my stomach.
This sick bastard! This freak! This piece of shit!
He killed my parents, destroyed my life, and had the nerve to kiss me like we were still lovers!
I wouldn't let him get away with it.
I bit down hard on his tongue, using every ounce of strength I had. I tasted his blood in my mouth and bit harder, wanting to cause him the same agony he'd caused me.
But Julio was stronger, always had been. Sharp pain exploded through my jaw as he grabbed my chin and dislocated it with practiced ease.
Julio pulled back and wiped the blood from his mouth roughly with the back of his hand, leaving red streaks across his knuckles.
"Such a naughty little kitten!" He stared down at me with those vicious blue eyes, pupils dilated with arousal and anger. "You always did like it rough."
I knew that look intimately. He used to watch me like that when we made love, like I was prey he was about to consume.
"Sick freak!" I kicked at him hard, aiming for his groin.
Julio caught my leg easily and used my momentum to push between my thighs, pinning me more completely against the car. The metal was cold against my back, but his body was burning hot.
"Honey, you always say one thing but mean another. Your body's telling me a completely different story." He ground his hips against mine. "I got your invitation loud and clear!"
He pinned me down with one hand and started ripping my shirt with the other, buttons scattering across the asphalt like tiny plastic tears.
I fought back with everything I had, scratching at his arms, trying to knee him, cursing him with every foul word I knew.
But Julio seemed even more excited by my resistance, his breathing getting heavier as I struggled.
"Three years, my little cat. Three long years of wondering if you've been good." He tore my shirt completely off, leaving it tangled around my arms like silk restraints. "Time to see if my marks are still there. If you've been naughty, you know what happens."
My arms were completely trapped in the fabric.
"Get off me, you sick freak! I'll have you arrested for rape!" My stomach churned with disgust and helpless fury.
Revolting. Absolutely revolting. This animal thought he could just take whatever he wanted.
Julio just threw his head back and laughed.
"Still so naive, little kitten. You learned three years ago that the law can't touch me!"
His hands moved to my bra, and he ripped the lace away like tissue paper. Then his expression changed completely, humor dying in his eyes.
Julio grabbed my throat with both hands, his fingers digging into my windpipe. Pure rage transformed his face into something demonic.
"Where's the nipple ring? Did you let another man touch you? bitch!"
He was choking me for real now. Julio really wanted to kill me, right here on this highway where no one would find my body until morning.
Black spots danced at the edges of my vision. My struggles grew weaker as oxygen fled my brain.
Thank God my phone started ringing, the shrill tone cutting through the night air.
Julio's grip loosened just enough for me to gasp in a breath. He reached over and grabbed my phone from where it had fallen during the crash.
I watched his face change as he read the contact name on my screen: "honey."
I heard his teeth grinding together like millstones, saw his jaw clench with barely contained violence.
Without taking his eyes off me, Julio answered the call.