He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into him. “Neither will I, you have my word, princess.”

“Then let me keep working on this,” I whisper into his chest. “You can feed whatever information I get straight back to your contact, and you will be by my side to keep me safe.” I push off him just a little so I can look up at him. “We can do this together.”

He shakes his head, the worry all over his face. “It’s too risky. I won’t let you be put in harm’s way.”

“Please. I’m not made of fine china. I’m tougher than you all think. Look what I accomplished on my own the last few weeks. I have an army of Strykers backing me now, willing to go up against you and all.”

He tilts his head to the side, thinking my request over. “What did you have in mind?”

“Last night Enzo told me he would pay me a significant amount of cash if I can get you to marry me. I have no idea why it’s so important just yet, but I think it’s more about keeping some control over you. He wants me to get close to you and keep reporting back to him with whatever I can. He’s already gifted me a car and a box of cash. I think we should get married, or make it look like we intend to anyway, to keep up this lie. He will start to trust me and then who knows what he will let me in on.”

His lips twitch up at the sides, and I know he only heard one part of what I said.

I slap his chest playfully. “Not for real, Alessandro.”

“It sounds to me like you just asked me to marry you.”

“You heard me wrong. I said I was willing to be fake engaged to you to trick your papa so he will trust me.”

He forces me backwards, my body colliding with the bed. “Oh, I heard you. You want to marry me, don’t you, baby.” My kneesbuckle, and he lands on top of me, the weight of him pinning me down.

“Alex,” I warn him.

“You can keep up this lie, but we both know behind closed doors what we have is nothing but real, princess, and I will marry you.”

His lips meet mine as his hips rock into me, and I can’t help the moan that slips from my lips. There is no denying my feelings for him. Even if he is a controlling ass, I’m wearing him down more every time I see him. Him opening up to me and finally being honest is a massive improvement. And us working together could just be the key to really making this work.

Chapter 15

Alessandro lifts me bythe waist and throws me down on the bed, then he’s on top of me, our bodies tangling in the freshly laid sheets as I finally give in to him, letting him claim my mouth with his. I pull him close, needing him more than I can admit with words. Things between us are so complicated, but when our lips are together like this, it all feels so simple. He parts my lips with his tongue, and I let out a moan, wanting more of him.

Then he moves down my body, kissing the exposed skin of my clavicle before tugging my top over my head as he palms my tits through my bra. I moan again, his rough touch igniting a flame within me. I’m so hot for him, and even though I know I probably should not be doing this right now, I don’t care. I run my hands through his long hair as my body arches off the bed.

With his mouth, he tugs the lace fabric of my bra out of the way, revealing one of my nipples. It hardens instantly under the cool airconditioned air. Then his warm mouth is on me, sucking and flicking his tongue over my sensitive flesh in a way that sends a fresh pool of wetness straight to my panties.

He follows the same torturous routines on the other side, watching me with hooded eyes while he sucks on my tits. Fuck, this man knows my body well. Within seconds I’m panting for more, my hips rising off the bed, looking for any kind of friction he’s willing to give me. I reach for his cock, palming him through his pants. He’s so damn hard already. He groans, the murmur vibrating over my skin.

I don’t have to wait long before his hand is heading south, skillfully undoing my pants and sliding them off my legs in a rush to get his hands on my bare skin. He tosses them on the floor and then his hands are back on me. The look in his eyes is wicked as fuck.

He takes my legs at the thighs, spreading them wide before placing rough kisses and nips all the way from my knee down to my pussy. Then he skips over the spot I’m desperate to have his mouth on, kissing me all the way back up the other side to my knee again.

“Alex,” I warn him, my voice all breathy, “don’t toy with me.”

“It’s so much fun to watch you squirm, princess.” He smirks, and the way he does it takes me back years, and I get a flutter in my chest. He’s so gorgeous like this, so perfect just for me. He’s not trying to put on a show to impress this town at how powerful he is. He doesn’t care. Right now, it’s just the two of us, and he can be himself. This is the Alex I fell for, the Alex I can’t walk away from. And I know it’s just infatuation. Just sex. But it feels like so much more when we are together like this. It feels real in a way that has butterflies dancing in my stomach and my heart racing with anticipation.

My hips buck off the bed, desperate for him to touch my throbbing pussy. His hand comes to my stomach, holding me in place. Then delicately, ever so lightly, he traces a finger in the same line where he kissed me. This time, though, he stops whenhe gets to my center, running his finger over my silky panties. He lets out a low chuckle. “So damn drenched for me.”

“You’re an asshole,” I spit back at him, but my words come out as more a purr. He might be an asshole, but he’s my asshole, and right now I want him to fuck me so hard I see stars.

Without warning, he takes my panties and tears them in two.

I gasp out loud.

“You love that about me.” He chuckles with way too much confidence, and I can’t help the smile that now tugs at my lips because I know he’s right. I watch as he lowers his face to my pussy and licks his way right through my folds, sending a shudder rocking through me. Oh yes, this is what I need.

“Oh fuck.” My eyes roll back in my head, the feeling of his warm, wet mouth on my sensitive skin so unbelievably good I’m ready to combust already. And he knows it. I can feel him grin as he eats me up, sucking on my clit then dragging his tongue over every inch of me before plunging it inside.

He pulls back a little, my juices glistening on his lips. “You taste like fucking heaven.” He pushes a finger inside of me, twists it once, then brings it up to my mouth for me to taste.