“What about the other guys? Won’t they be angry?”
I chuckle lightly. “For two seconds until they realize they’re free to choose whoever the fuck they want once they’re without marriage contracts.”
“You have a point.”
“Of course I have a point. I’m always right.”
She shakes loose of my grip to turn around and fix her judgmental grin on me. “God, you’re cocky.”
“Always.”
I wink as I link my fingers behind my head and relax into the cushion. She shifts her weight and straddles my lap, running her fingers over my biceps.
“I need to decide if it’s worth the risk,” she whispers. “I have to think about it.”
I nod. “I respect that, Alex.”
She looks confused. “Again, I didn’t expect that from you.”
“Everyone has walls.”
“Yours are confusing.”
My grin is charming as I pose thoughtfully. “And yours aren’t?”
“We’ve never talked this openly before either.”
“I guess we haven’t.”
Her gaze drops for a moment, her bottom lip temporarily disappearing between her teeth. The slow rake makes my heart flutter until her eyes focus on mine—and then my heart stops entirely. It’s then I witness precisely what I never thought I would see in anyone, a girl who could actually stand by my side and help me manage the underground drug ring my father manages.
And not just because I can see her being a cold, calculated bitch. But because I can also see her as a woman who would comfort me at the end of the day. Her kind eyes, her sweet smile, and the way she listens to me are things I’ve only superficially experienced, traits that lasted for but a few minutes until I was within someone’s reach.
It’s hard for people to fool me for long, if at all, especially when I’m so well-versed in the art of deception. But Alex? She’s breaking right through all those layers and piercing the vulnerable organs beneath. How the hell she managed to stab me this way is a goddamn mystery.
Her thumb drifts over my bottom lip and I buck into her, unable to control my body’s response. She smiles mischievously and shakes her head. “No, Soren. Not now.”
“You’re a fucking tease.”
“The queen of blue balls, right?”
I raise my eyebrows, smiling handsomely. “Thought you hated that.”
“I’m starting to like what I do to you.”
“A goddamn vixen, huh?”
She smirks and shakes her head, leaning back enough for her hair to fall over her cheek. “So, I’ll take my time to think about how I want this to go. Deal?”
“Deal. I’ll talk to the boys and see if we can come up with a foolproof plan.”
“And argue over who gets to fuck me.”
Sharp fucking mind, this one. “Maybe.”
“Do I get a say?”
“Also maybe.”
She rolls her eyes. “Dammit, Soren.”
“I can’t make any guarantees, All right?”
When she curls into me, her hair hangs over my shoulder, the soft strands like fine silk touching my neck. I trail my fingers over her scalp, eliciting the kinds of sounds that shouldn’t be so appealing to me—and yet they are.
Even with all my defenses, my plans, my schemes, Alexandra Moretti has somehow managed to penetrate the very bowels of my soul.
And part of me hopes she doesn’t leave.