His Passionate Protection

I looked at the crowd around me and shook my head wondering why did I ever decide to come to this shopping mall knowing that it would be crowded because of the weekend. I was carrying the pieces of stuff which I had bought from the cake shop and looked around for my sister as she had gone to the shop on the other side to buy herself, yet another piece of diamond earrings. I saw her through the see-through glass window and decided to go and fetch her as the crowd was increasing and I was too tired to continue with the shopping.

But as soon as I started walking I felt someone grip my hand and I was pulled backward, I bumped into something hard and my heart stopped beating. As I had bumped into someone and that person was holding me very tightly But I reacted very fast and moved away.

"Let go of my hand you jerk!” I shouted as my whole body trembled with fear and I felt someone holding my hand in a firm grip. I turn around and see very dark, fierce, and breath-taking eyes staring at me angrily and my heart starts pounding. Somehow, I am spellbound and cannot help staring at his extremely charming face. For a minute I observed him carefully, he was tall, lean, and handsome and was wearing a suit that matched the color of his eyes.

But then.........................

"Mr......Please leave my hand." I pleaded, and he tightened the grip even more. My hand is paining like hell and I try to take my hand back, but he does not leave my hand.

My body was shaking with an unknown fear. I was about to have a panic attack when suddenly he pulled me into his arms and hugs me.

"Rio! you are alive!" He said with a wide grin on his face then held me away and lifted my chin and started kissing me. I was shocked. It was happening way too fast. He was biting my lips and I struggled to pull away from him, but his strong arms were not ready to leave me. I somehow pulled myself away from him, but he held my hand more firmly.

I looked at him with confusion not understanding what is happening.

‘Sir, my name is Cassey and not Rio you are mistaking me for someone else." I try to pacify him, but he is unwilling to listen to me.

‘Rio I know it’s you, how can you be heartless, I am Nick, your Nick. Wasn’t six years enough for you to escape from me, why did you leave me? And what about the accident?’ He starts questioning me.

I see a lot of people gathering around us as we are in the middle of the crowded shopping complex in San Martin. It is always crowded but today being the last week before Christmas it was fully crowded.

I open my mouth to pacify him again, but he closed the gap between us and starts kissing me. I am dumb stuck, and I try to open my mouth to protest but he deepens his kisses. I was too shocked to react. It was way too awkward as people were looking at the scene very interestingly and hooting away.

Finally, I broke free and stared at him angrily my heart was beating faster than a running rabbit. I was so embarrassed.

Suddenly, I heard someone calling my name and I turned around to see my sister rushing towards me and once she reached me she gave me a big hug.

"Cassey, thank God I found you I have looking for you all over are you all right?" she speaks to me very lovingly then looks at the man holding my hand.

I turned towards her and tried to pull my hand away from the man’s grip but he tightens the grip and it became more painful.

Beth my sister notices my discomfort and asks me “what is the matter? why is this guy holding your hand do you know him?’

I look and that guy and tell her “He has been holding my hand and is not letting me go and he even called me Rio he has mistaken me for someone else.” Again, I tried to pull my hand but still, the grip grew firmer.

Then Beth intervened and said “Sir, you are mistaken she is Cassey Brown, you can check her identity card. Please let her go or we will call the police. Beth tried to reason with him.

" You think that since you have changed your name and your hair color I will not recognize you. Rio, I am the only one who knows you in and out so do not try to fool me. I know it's you." He shouted angrily.

“Enough!” I shouted and finally pulled my hand out of his grasp and said “My name is Cassey and not Rio. Please don’t bother us anymore. If you are looking for someone please go around I am sure you will find your Rio."

Saying this I caught hold of Beth’s hand and ran away out of the shopping mall.

Nick gritted his teeth in anger and chased after them but as soon as he reaches the parking lot he sees the taxi disappearing in the corner. He calls his assistant and asks him to bring his car but because of the festive season the parking lot was packed with shoppers, so the car got delayed.

Finally, the Bentley arrived, and he got inside. Harold his assistant apologizes to him, for being late.

Nick ignores him and asks him to go through the CCTV footage and find out the details of the girl that he had met at the shopping mall.

Nick then closes his eyes and thinks about the girl he had met, and his heart becomes restless. No, it cannot be, it must be Rio, I cannot be mistaken. He speaks to himself with determination.

“Harold try to find out the details about her within twenty-four hours. I just have fifteen days in San Martin.” He instructs Harold.

‘I’ll get you all the information within the speculated time boss.’ Harold says wondering why his boss is so reluctant to find out about that girl.

‘Now drive to the hotel as I have to finish the pending work. ‘Nick says thoughtfully.

As the car stops at an elite apartment downtown two ladies get out and carry their shopping bags to the lift as they get inside the lift Cassey sighs and thinks about the confrontation she had with the man at the mall and her eyes were wet with tears.

What the heck is Nick doing here? She wonders disbelievingly as she had never expected that she would meet him in this part of the world. Cassey has been trying to start a new life here and never thought that he would come to this part of the world. Her heart was overflowing with hidden emotions.

Beth notices the expression on her face and asks her in a concerned voice “Cassey are you all right, you look disturbed.”

I smiled at her and said reassuringly, " Beth I am fine, just a little tired and shaken, that guy came all of sudden and freaked me out."

” Who was that guy,? Do you know him?” Beth asked looking at me curiously.

“I don’t know he just came from somewhere and held my hand and wouldn’t let me go,” I told her carelessly.

“Anyways I think he must be some freak whose girlfriend left him for some other guy and he is trying to find his girlfriend in some random girl. Guys can be really crazy” Cassey chuckles.

"Maybe let's just forget about it," I said and we both start laughing. But Cassey was feeling helpless as she played with her hair nervously.

"But that psycho looked like a Greek god. Why would any women want to leave him? Truthfully, he is the most handsome guy I have ever laid my eyes on." Beth said thoughtfully and moved towards the kitchen to prepare dinner.

He definitely is! I agreed silently.

"What do you want to have for dinner?" she asked.

I grinned and told her anything would be good except for the chicken soup. Beth rolled her eyes and threw the cushion nearest near to her at me and went towards the kitchen.

She always surprised me with her cooking skills when I met her for the first time she didn't even know how to boil the water but gradually over the years she has learned to be self-dependent and has become an excellent cook. what amused me the most was she was so fond of chicken soup that we had to have it every day and she made sure we did.

And did we have any other option?

No not at all!

I looked at her disappearing figure as she walked towards the kitchen and shook my head.

Beth went inside the kitchen and through the partition, she looked thoughtfully at Cassey and recalled that since the past five years she had lived with her she had never seen Cassey in such a frightened state. Though she was not showing it, she could easily make out a difference in her behavior. Whatever the reason things did not seem to be okay with her but it is better not to question her and she should respect her privacy. She had been through a lot at such a tender age. After pondering for a while she picked up the pasta and starts preparing dinner.

Cassey, with her eyes, closed lies down on the sofa and thinks about the incident which happened a while ago. It had been six years since she had last seen him, still the breathtakingly charming Nick Java. He could still make her heart flutter and the emotions which she has kept hidden inside her were erupting like lava. He had that enigma so powerful and forceful that nobody could ignore him. She had fallen in love with him a