Attraction, desire, and sinfully beautiful, Mika Santana is a devil with the face of an angel. Despite her tragic past, she's never given up her ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance which leaves little to no room for matters of the heart. But...
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Being in love is nothing like I ever imagined-- Scratch that. I never imagined what it was like to be in love until I met Asiel. It's like relaxing by the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate in your hands--peace, soothing, and cozy. It's like a six hundred-foot jump from a cliff into the big blue ocean of wonder. The dip your stomach gets when you take the chance and jump the gun.
It's a perfect combination to combat the complications of our lives.
Out of everything I've done and experienced, I think this is the most scared I've been in my entire life. Apparently, falling in love has a side effect-- makes you crazy. It's like every second I'm with Asiel, I'm flying on this cotton candy cloud. The calm before the fall. That's what I'm terrified of. The good things in my life always have an expiration, and for the first time in my life, I'm praying that Asiel is different.
I don't think I can handle losing him.
But there's a gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach that he's going to, no matter what I do.
With a huge smile, I thrust the pale pink polka-dot bow headband on Asiel's head. "Who knew you look so good in pink?"
Asiel's cheeks, and ears flush pink, matching the headband. "My mama always said my olive complexion went well with light colors. She would dress me up in pink a lot when I was younger, before my papa considered it unacceptable."
"Ugh." I roll my eyes at the mention of his father. "Let's not speak about that disrespectful pile of crap. But your mama is right. Pink looks great on you."
Asiel mashes the avocado in the bowl, his bicep flexing from the force he's using. I toss my hair into a messy bun, baby hairs flying everywhere until I push my headband back, leaving my face bare. Using a cosmetic wipe, I remove the foundation from my cheeks and expose the red blemishes. Another downside to being in love-- fucking pimples.
"Did you finish mashing everything?" I ask, grabbing a knife and cutting up a cucumber.
He steals one of the sliced cucumbers and slips it in his mouth, groaning with satisfaction. "Yes. I can't believe you talked me into this."
I roll my eyes and steal the bowl from him. "What? I thought how cute it would be to do matching face masks together."
Asiel squeezes my nose between his knuckles, causing me to breathe through my mouth. "When did you suddenly become the romantic one?"
Grabbing a handful of the mixture, I rub my two hands together before lathering Asiel's face with the green, creamy goo. His body shudders at the strange feeling, and his eyebrows pull tight with disgust.
"Mika, if there's one place you could go... where would you go?" Asiel asks, his nose scrunching as I smear the mixture on his chin.
My mind goes blank like a movie ending before the credits roll. I never had a reason to go anywhere. All my life, I've been running around the dumps of Manhattan searching for a way to live a better one. It took eighteen years to build an empire I was proud of and not rely on anyone. All my nights at Paraiso have set me for life. I could go anywhere with whoever I wanted.
