His brain might be exhausted, but his body zinged to life. Neither a workout nor the warmth of a bourbon buzz would suffice. Maria was all that would do. Alex looked around and saw they were alone in the hallway outside his office. Despite everything telling him not to, he moved in. “I want to see you,” he whispered. “Why don’t you come over to my place tonight? I feel like we should talk.”
“What if my date goes late?” she challenged him. “What time do you go to bed?”
He tried not to scowl as he thought of how Maria’s date could go late. He was tired of the games. And he resigned himself to the fact that he wanted only to end the night with her, no matter what. But he kept himself cool. “Come by whenever you want. I’ll be up.”
“Oh I’m sure you will be.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
ALEX LEANED OVER the railing on his private balcony and puffed his cigar, thankful for his connections that let him get his hands on a supply of fine Cubans. He sniffed the smoke from the lit end, and it soothed him. Pensively, he watched the view below him. Even thirty-seven floors above Las Vegas Boulevard, he could still hear the noise, the music, the shouting, and feel the energy. In a move that not many native Las Vegans made, Alex chose to join wealthy tourists by buying a penthouse condo on the Strip. He never liked the quiet; he liked the distraction that was provided by the chaos, the noise and energy of one of the world’s hottest party spots. And the fact that he could hit a blackjack table, get some drinks and then be home in time to watch Seth Meyers seemed perfect to him. Most nights, when he was home long enough to enjoy it, he reveled in it.
He sat directly in the lap of luxury. He liked the finest spirits, the best cigars, gourmet coffee and food, the finest things life had to offer. He worked his ass off for it. But he never forgot where he came from. His current life was miles away from where he’d started. A small, scared boy, alone and bundled up to go live with his best friend’s family. But as he always did, he banished the memories and focused on his life now. He had a good life. He worked hard, but he also couldn’t discount luck. Things could have turned out very differently for him. He could have grown up in the system. But the Martinez family had given him everything he needed—including the love and support he’d never had before.
He heard the buzzer from the lobby, signaling Maria’s arrival. He’d already told the doorman to let her up immediately whenever she got there, regardless of the time. When the elevator doors parted, he saw Maria. She had changed out of the navy dress she’d been wearing at the office and was now wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a tank top. But even in her casual clothes, she looked just as beautiful and put together.
Without saying a word, he reached out for her and pulled her to him. His lips came down on hers, and it was the purest moment he’d experienced all day. Her lips parted instantly, and he took full advantage. His tongue sneaked into her mouth and found hers, swiping against it, tasting her. She moaned and pushed him away first.
From the rapid rise and fall of her chest, he could see that she was breathless. “I thought this wasn’t going to happen again?”
“I was an idiot,” he said; his voice was just a stolen breath. He let go of his grasp on her waist and took her wrists. He brought one to his mouth and placed a kiss on her pulse point.
He was rock hard, and as much as he wanted to push her down on the couch and have his way with her, he wanted her in his bed more. He wanted to savor her, see every bit of her, taste every inch of her smooth body. “Let’s go to bed.”
* * *
Maria followed Alex to his bedroom. Her heart was pounding, and she could barely hear anything else. She and Alex had been together before, but this felt different. They stood next to his huge bed. He cupped her face in his hands and drew her to him. His lips found hers, and instead of being domineering, forceful, his kiss was slow, searching, almost tentative, seeking permission.
Maria parted her lips, allowing him access. His tongue brushed against hers, and he shifted his position, taking the kiss deeper. With just one touch of his lips, he owned her entire body completely.
His hands lowered to the hem of her shirt and fisted in the material. She lifted her arms, allowing him to pull it over her head. He threw it on the floor and then loosened the button of her jeans and pulled them, along with her thong, down. Taking her hand, he helped her step free of them and guided her to lie on the mattress.
He looked down at her as she laid on the center of the bed, naked and exposed. Maria was confident about her body, but Alex’s attentive gaze made her shiver. She crossed her arms over her middle, trying to hide.
“No,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful. Don’t ever cover yourself up around me.”
“Well, are you going to take off your clothes and join me, or just stand there and look at me all night?” Her body begged for his touch, but he seemed in no hurry to join her.
She watched, riveted, as his hands went to his front. His sure, capable fingers unfastened the buttons on his shirt. There was something about watching his hands, the strength he possessed in them. The tattooed knuckles that made way for full sleeves of dark ink that swirled up his corded wrists and forearms, and across his chest and shoulders, which were being revealed as he shed his shirt. She parted her lips and her eyes widened. They’d had sex before, but she hadn’t been treated to the show of watching Alex slowly undress. He was sex in a hard, six-foot-five body.
Next came his pants, and he lowered the zipper and pushed them down. He’d left his underwear on, and her eyes went to the huge bulge that tented the designer briefs.
Alex knelt on the bed in front of her. She reached out for the band of his underwear, hoping to lower them, but he stopped her, taking her fingers in his. “Not yet.” He made his way to the spot between her spread legs. “I’m hanging on by a thread here. The second these shorts come off, I’m going to be inside you.”
Her breathing was heavy. “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
He groaned. “Baby, I’m going to spend the night making love to you. I don’t want it over in a couple of minutes.”
He kissed her again and smoothed his hands down her shoulders and over her breasts. She sighed at the contact and pushed her chest against his hands. He leaned over her and captured one of her nipples between his lips and drew her in while his fingers toyed with the other, caressing her breast. He switched his attention, alternating between his mouth and fingers, plucking at her sensitive nipples and every nerve ending at her chest. Every touch sent a shock of pleasure to her core, and it made her desperate. She gripped the back of his head and wove her fingers in his dark blond hair, holding him closer, simultaneously wanting more of his touch and not being able to handle his attention.
When she knew she couldn’t handle any more, he broke away and proceeded to kiss and lick his way down her midline. He traced the letters of her Trouble tattoo with his tongue and nibbled lightly on her hip, tickling her, forcing a giggle from her lips that contrasted with the heavy, potent air between them.
Chuckling against her skin, he kissed a trail to the apex of her thighs. He opened his mouth and closed it over her, his tongue and lips spreading her, delving deeply inside. He found her clit and sucked on it, and drove two fingers into her wanting body. His touch was expert, skilled, but it wasn’t nearly enough. She thrust her hips against his hand and mouth. But he stayed the course and flattened a hand against her stomach, stilling her.
Her hands fisted in the blanket below her, and she arched her back away from the mattress as the thunderous orgasm overtook her body. He crawled his way back up her body, a satisfied, smug look on his face. “You’re so sexy,” he whispered against her lips. “If I could just watch you come for the rest of my life, I would die a happy man.”
She moaned against him, smelling and tasting herself on his skin, mingled with his own intoxicating aroma. She needed no time after her orgasm; she wanted him again,
and she pressed against him, dragging her sensitive pussy against the steel column of his dick, which was still trapped behind his briefs. She reached down and pushed them over his ass and pulled him closer. Their most intimate parts rubbed against each other, and without breaking away from her, he reached into the nearby nightstand and removed a condom. He wrapped himself and kicked his shorts off so that they were both completely nude.
Alex leaned back, aligned himself against her and pushed inside, filling her so completely that she found it difficult to breathe. His arms wrapped around her, and her legs encircled his hips, their bodies entwined. His hips pulled back and then pushed against her. His cock hit just the right spot inside her, making her see stars. She wasn’t far from another breath-stopping, body-bending orgasm.
He moaned against her skin, his breath as hot as his fiery touch. Every nerve ending in her body burned as he consumed her. Her hips met his, and the spot where they joined. She came again, and she could feel her internal muscles grip him, pull at him. He stilled above her and reached his own orgasm with a shout.
He rolled away with a puff of breath. He disposed of the condom and rolled back over to her. “Christ, Maria,” he muttered, nuzzling her throat. “Maria,” he repeated, as if chanting a repetitive prayer. “You’re amazing.”
She snuggled more closely to him and rested her head against his chest. Alex might have maintained that being together was wrong, but it certainly didn’t feel wrong. She drifted off as Alex’s heartbeat slowed and his fingers played with her hair.
CHAPTER NINE
WHEN MARIA WOKE UP, the sky was still dark, and reaching out, she discovered that she was alone in Alex’s bed. His side was cold. “Alex?” she called, and got no response.
With a frown, she pushed back the blankets, pulled one of Alex’s T-shirts over her head and left his room, looking for him.
She sniffed, and followed the scent of cigar smoke as it wafted from the open sliding glass door that led to the balcony. Alex sat on a lounger, facing outward, shirtless, wearing a pair of pajama pants. He puffed a cigar and held a tumbler that contained a couple of fingers of an amber liquid. She knew it was the expensive bourbon that he loved. She watched him for a moment, a voyeur of his quiet, private moment, and she smiled. Classic Alex.
Before joining him on the balcony, she saw the humidor and decanter sitting on a table near the door, so she selected a cigar, expertly cut the tip, and poured herself a couple of fingers of bourbon. Then she walked outside, joining him on the balcony. Even though they were almost forty stories up, they could still hear the noise of the Strip below them.
“Got a light?” she asked. He turned his head, looking surprised to see her there, but he smiled when she took the chair next to him and pulled it closer. He held up a silver lighter and flicked it. With the cigar in her mouth, she leaned in, puffing on her cigar as it lit.
“Cigars and bourbon?” he asked her. “You are certainly full of surprises.”
She leaned back onto her own lounger, laughed and blew out some smoke. “You have no idea how often I hear that.”
He looked her up and down, his gaze leaving a singed trail on her skin. “You’ll freeze wearing that. Not that it doesn’t look good on you.”
“I’m fine. You’ll keep me warm.”
He grinned and puffed on his cigar. “How was your date tonight?” he asked her, casually, focusing on the cigar, flicking ash into the tray, trying to seem uninterested.
Initially she was confused, not knowing what he was talking about. But then she remembered that she’d had some drinks with Nathan, and they’d caught up, talked about old friends, memories in Haiti. But that was it. He could have taken her skydiving or flown her to the Amalfi coast, but it drastically paled in comparison to the hours she’d just spent with Alex. “It was nice. We’re just friends. There’s no connection there. You know, no spark.” Not like the sparks that were between her and the man sitting next to her. Those were stronger, brighter, more explosive than anything he’d ever experienced.
He nodded, not looking at her.
She felt the small smile as it formed on her lips. “You were jealous, weren’t you?”
His bottom lip stuck out a little farther, and he shook his head. “No. I wouldn’t be jealous of some guy who’s just barely old enough to drink.”
“I don’t believe you.” She swung her legs around to face him. “I think you were jealous.” She leaned in closer. “Were you picturing me on a date with another guy? Were you picturing him touching me? Like you touched me?”
He snapped and turned to her. “I know another man couldn’t touch you like I do. You’re just goading me.”
She leaned back, satisfied in the knowledge that she was right. He was jealous, and she’d gotten the reaction she wanted from him. She flicked her cigar ash into the tray that sat on the table between them. “So, did you actually want to discuss anything tonight? Or was it a ruse to get me here? Because I’m not sure what you’re about to say, but if it’s more of what you said to me the morning after we first slept together, I’m not interested in hearing it.” He opened his mouth to respond, but Maria kept going. “I don’t regret anything that has happened between us. Although judging by tonight, I don’t think you do either.”
He looked at her. “I don’t regret it. I just know that if Raf ever found out, he’d kill me, and he’d send you off to a nunnery.”
She nodded. Her older brother was protective, stubborn and unwilling to mind his own business when it came to her living her life.
He turned to face her. “All week I tried to not think of you. I tried my damnedest to distract myself and put you out of my mind, but when I bumped into you today, it all came back to me. I wanted to see you. And I want to see you every day. But I know that your family won’t approve. And I can’t lose them, or Raf. He’s like a brother to me.”
“Why would you lose him, or any of them?”
“Because you’re his sister,” he said as if it was obvious to her.
“That’s idiotic. You keep saying that, but shouldn’t Rafa be happy that you, his best friend, a man he loves and trusts, would be involved with his sister?”
“It’s not that simple,” he insisted, taking a drink from his glass. “This is so fucked up. It’s wrong. You know as well as I do that he wouldn’t approve of someone like me dating someone like you. I’m hard, dark. I’ve lived through some things that shouldn’t even touch you. You’re so beautiful, and sweet, and good, and sexy. God help me, because I can’t help myself. If Rafael finds out, he’ll be pissed, and with The Brotherhood expanding our operations and Raf making his run for Senate, I can’t afford to drive a wedge in the group. There’s too much on the line for all of us.”
“I understand that. You make me want to do wild things, too. Why don’t we just keep it private? What we do is no one’s business but our own.”
“Would you want to do that? You deserve better than that. You deserve a man who will take you out, show you off.”
“Admittedly, it isn’t ideal. But if it’s what we have to do, at least until it’s the right time to come clean, it could be kind of fun.” He put her palm on his thigh, and it drifted upward, toward his lap. “Having this secret affair makes it feel kind of illicit, don’t you think?”
His chuckle was low. “You’re right about that.”
She sipped the dark liquid in her glass and felt him staring at her. “What?” she asked, lowering her glass.
“We’ve known each other for years, but to think I didn’t actually know anything about you.”
“You try being the youngest daughter of a good, strict Catholic family. After so long of being expected to do only the right things, I rebelled hard in my teen years, and never looked back.”
“I had no idea.”
She shrugged. “I never got caught,” she said, one corner of her mouth ticking upward. “It’s w
hy I moved out a little while ago. I needed my own space, away from my family. They love me, I know. But it’s frustrating, you know, stifling. I’m an adult. It’s like they’re smothering me with love.”
“Sounds nice. I’ve never known that,” he muttered, and turned back to the watch the lights below them.
Maria frowned. Admittedly, she knew next to nothing about Alex’s life before he came to live with her family when she was little. She’d asked questions, but his past was a thing that people whispered about, and certainly not to her. She always wondered what sort of situation would cause a young boy to move away from his family, and she suddenly felt bad for complaining about her family because they were too loving. “I’m sorry, I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Don’t worry about it. I grew up with your parents, too. I know they’re a little overwhelming. But it’s only because they love you. It must be driving them crazy that they can’t watch out for you twenty-four/seven.”
“You have no idea,” she said. “If I still lived at home, they’d be waiting up for me to play twenty questions. ‘Where were you? Who were you with? Do you know how late it is?’” Her voice mimicked her mother’s tone. She sighed. It might be annoying, but she knew that it came from a place of love.
Alex laughed. “Don’t forget, I’ve been on the receiving end of that interrogation as well.”
A quiet fell over them. Maria turned to face him again. “How long have you been out here stewing while I slept?”
“I don’t know. Do you want me to call you a car so you can go home?”
“No. Unless you want me to go.” She held her breath, waiting for his response, not wanting to leave him, but she would if he wanted his space.
He smiled. “Not a chance.”
Maria stubbed out her cigar in the ashtray and crawled over onto his lounger. Sitting across his lap, her arms encircled his neck and his tightened around her waist as she settled against him. His skin was chilled from the amount of time he’d spent outside, and she nuzzled close in an attempt to warm him.
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