Page 31 of Wicked Games of Desire

“I’ll have to think about it.” I shrug. “Weigh up my options. Maybe a life on the run is more appealing than a life tied to you and your family,” I mutter, but even I know my words hold no conviction.

A darkness flashes in his eyes, and I know for sure I’m on to something. He was never going to let me decide on this. He’s just trying to manipulate me so he gets what he wants and I’m left thinking it was my choice.

Without warning, he grabs a hold of my hair, making me lift my gaze to meet his. “Don’t push me, Harley. You don’t want to see how far I will go to get what I want.” He’s gone from practically begging me to psychopath crazy in seconds.

A cold chill falls over me, and my breath catches in my chest, sending a wave of desire over me, soaking my panties. Yeah, there is something completely twisted in my head that this asshole can get me all hot and bothered when he gets possessive with me. “That’s where you’re wrong, Alex. That’s exactly what I want to see,” I bite back, not letting my needy body win this fight.

Before I know what’s happening, his tongue is invading my mouth in a show of his possessiveness. And instead of pulling away from him like I should, I let him kiss me, because as screwed up as it is, part of me still wants him. Wants back what we had. But the reality is, we can never be those two people again. Not that we ever really were. He was a Moretti, and my life was a motherfucking lie.

I turn my head, pulling away, needing to distance myself from him. “Last night, I hooked up with Ricky,” I whisper breathlessly. I’m not sure what I’m trying to achieve, but I need him to know there is more going on here than whatever this is between us.

His eyes hold mine. “I’m aware.” He closes the gap, smashing his lips with mine again, kissing me with a fresh hunger. And fuck, I let him because I have no idea what’s going on. All I know is when he kisses me, it’s like the world stops and all the other shit doesn’t matter anymore. Eventually our lips part, and we stare back at each other, breathless. “It doesn’t change anything.”

It doesn’t change anything.Part of me is pissed with Ricky for telling him, but the truth is, I have no idea what their relationship really is. The three of them seem very close. They grew up together. Maybe they have some sort of a truce when it comes to girls. Or maybe Alessandro doesn’t really care who I fuck because I’m just a means to an end for him anyway. But the way he’s kissing me right now tells me that’s not the case.

I soften into him, not sure why but needing to feel something other than hostility toward him. And this feels normal. For a few minutes, I can be like a normal girl with a crush on a guy who’s hot as sin.

Maddox clears his throat, and we pull away from each other and glance his way. He leans into the door frame, a phone in his hand. I pull back from Alessandro; the intrusion has just snapped me back to reality like a bucket of ice water being dumped over my head.

“Boss is on the phone for you,” he grumbles, looking between us with a cool distaste, and I wonder what his problem is. He knows we’re expected to marry. Him walking in on us locked in a kiss can’t be all that out of the ordinary.

“I’ll give you twenty-four hours to make your choice. Engagement party is Friday night at the Moretti estate. You will need to have your hair fixed by then,” he barks back at me, like we didn’t just share an intimate moment.

Guess I should have known the bossiness would be back in full force. I stare back at him in disbelief. He thinks he can just snap hisfingers and I will comply like a good little girl. The truth is I might not be afraid of him, but I’m kind of shit scared of his dad after that little speech.

“I’ll send someone to the house to fix it,” he calls over his shoulder like I have agreed to it, even though we both know I haven’t.

Because I have no control over my life and because I know it will piss him the hell off, I discard my T-shirt and plunge into the crystal-clear water of their swimming pool. The ice-cold water steals my breath away, but I keep swimming, grateful for the brain reset. I make it all the way to the end before I turn back toward them, finding both men watching me, eyes filled with lust. I was confident that I would catch Alessandro’s attention—he can’t take his eyes off me—but Maddox’s reaction surprises me. I’ll keep that one up my sleeve for another time. Even though he clearly dislikes me, he was the only person who defended me today. And that long lingering look was hotter than the depths of hell.

Chapter 19

I stand just outsideof the kitchen and listen before walking into the room. Eavesdropping on the boys has become a hobby of mine, one formed out of necessity when they have all kept me so far out of the loop it’s not even funny.

“Alex is meeting him at Havardi Motors this morning, with a little message for the employees. That leaves us babysitting her royal highness,” I overhear Maddox telling someone.

“Have you seen her yet today? She needs to eat breakfast,” comes Ricky’s voice. It’s filled with concern, and I know he’s playing doctor again. I wonder why he wants to take care of me so badly.

“Nope,” Maddox grumbles like he couldn’t give a shit either way.

“I’ll finish wiping these tapes, then go track her down.”

“I’ll find her. The last thing we need is you getting distracted again. What fucking spell the temptress has you under, I’ll never understand.”

“Fuck off, brother. I see you watching her. You might be more subtle than me, but you’ve got a permanent motherfucking hard-on for the little princess.”

I smirk to myself, peering around the corner so I can see the two of them. I knew it. Maddox isn’t as sneaky as he thinks. Maddox is leaning against the kitchen counter with a mug in hand, and Ricky is sitting at the kitchen table with a laptop out in front of him.

“Our trap worked perfectly,” comes Ricky’s low, dark chuckle. “This security camera footage from the caves shows every detail to perfection. Why come right into the devil’s den knowing you’ve fucked us over?”

“He’s a cocky son of a bitch. Must have thought he had one over us. The Havardi fold failed to learn their boss’s lesson. Maybe they will be more compliant now.”

Havardi. They’re talking about the mess my papa made. What the hell did he do to them? And why would he be so stupid to mess with this family?

“Temptress.” Maddox runs his eyes over me involuntarily as I walk into the kitchen. With a hair flick over my shoulder, the cherry-red strands glisten in the sunlight. Can’t say I’m sad Alessandro forced me to have it dyed back to my natural hair color. The black was awfully morbid, and since I wasn’t hiding anymore, it didn’t really serve a purpose. I’m glad I chose a low-maintenance outfit with shorts and a cropped T-shirt, as it tends to grab their complete attention anyway. Why bother with the expensive dresses when I can be comfortable?

I have an ear pod in one ear with music playing on low. One of the boys left it and a phone with access to Spotify outside my room this morning. Some sort of peace offering, maybe? I have yet to work out who it would have been. I’m frustrated that they didn’t grant me internet access, but in their usual control-freak style, that part of thephone has been locked with parental controls, so for now, music is the best I can get. And I’m grateful for small mercies this morning.

“Hair’s better,” Maddox mutters like he doesn’t really give a shit, but from the way his eyes follow me across the room with heady desire, I know he does. He’s getting easier to read by the day. All tough and broody on the outside, he puts on this tough guy act like I’m such a massive inconvenience to him, but when it all came down to it yesterday, he was the only one willing to stand up for me. He wouldn’t go out on a limb for just anyone, and we both know it.

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