Page 9 of Alejandro's Prey

She laughed and nodded. “Yes, this isn’t really…”

“Your thing,” he finished. “You’ll see,mi amor. Don’t worry, we won’t stay long. I just want you to be seen with me. After tonight, there will be no question who you belong to.”

Gina stared up at him. She didn’t quite know how to respond. His possessiveness seemed out of character considering he had an entire year to lay claim to her yet hadn’t bothered until she went on a date with another man. Yet, Alejandro was more carefully controlled than that. He didn’t let his temper make decisions for him, which meant he’d planned this weekend despite her date. Was her trip to La Paz with Miguel simply coincidence?

A waiter stopped by the table after showing identification to one of the men and set a couple of drinks down. Gina immediately reached for the glass of red wine Alejandro had ordered for her, but he intercepted her, taking the glass from her hand. She frowned and watched with curiosity while he took a quick gulp. After a moment he nodded and handed the drink back to her. She took it with trembling hands and downed a large sip.

Alejandro studied her with his usual intensity. She dropped her eyes and continued to sip her wine, taking in the warmth as it flooded her veins. He ran his fingers across her shoulder and down her back where the halter bared her skin for his touch. He wrapped his hand around her curls and tugged a little drawing her attention back to his dark gaze.

“You know the origins or the Argentinian tango,cariña?” he asked, his deep voice caressing.

Gina gaped at him and almost spilled her wine in her lap. Did he know? Her eyes flew to his. Yes, of course he knew. The twinkle in those velvety depths told her he probably knew from the inception of her and Casey’s goofy idea. She closed her eyes and placed the palm of her free hand over her eyes. She shook her head and said, “I have no idea.”

He smiled and tugged her hand away from her face, wrapping his long, brown fingers around her wrist and holding her captive while he spoke. “Of course, you already know the dance is about heat and passion. But you may not know it is about the relationship between a poor man and a fallen woman. He falls in love with her, but she betrays him, leaves him for a rich man. The poor man finds her and takes his revenge by killing her. This is the symbolism at the end of the dance. When she falls to the floor, she dies at his feet.”

Gina stared at him, at the grim seriousness of his face as time seemed to stop between them. Another warning like the one he’d given her at the restaurant. She was not to leave him; she was not to betray him. Tilting her wine toward her mouth she downed the last of the rich liquid in one long drink then she stood, enjoying the feel of her sleek dress caressing her legs as it slid into place. She set the wine glass on the table beside her and tipped her head down to look at Alejandro with narrowed eyes.

He reached for her, wrapping long fingers around her waist. “You understand, Gina?”

She ignored his question. Instead, she asked, “You know what Casey and I’ve been up to?”

The two women had decided to teach themselves different dances over the long months of isolation at the compound. Their favourite had been the tango; a beautiful, passionate and difficult dance. They had taken turns in the leading and following roles, learning all the steps, sometimes serious, sometimes erupting into hysterical fits of laughter. Though they probably should have realized they’d been discovered, they thought their activities were secret, their only audience a baby that couldn’t tell on them yet.

He nodded, a slight smile twitching up the edges of his lips. Gina held out a hand and arched an eyebrow in query. “We’ve been dancing around each other for a year, Alejandro. Don’t you think it’s time we do this for real or don’t you dance?” she challenged, fully expecting him to deny her request and take her away from the club.

She should’ve known her man better than that. He let out a growl and took her wrist in an unbreakable hold. Standing up, he towered over her and wrapped an arm around her back, crowding her, refusing to allow her to back up. He leaned down and spoke in her ear, his warm breath feathering across her skin, “Just remember,cariña, where I lead you will follow.”

He led her out of the VIP area and down the steps, stopping only briefly to speak with Fredo. Then he took her to the edge of the dance floor where they stood waiting. Her heart pounded in her chest. She suddenly realized she’d made a colossal mistake. They were about to dance. In front of people. People that would watch them. She’d only ever danced in front of and with her cousin. This was so very different it was grossly not funny!

She turned panicked eyes up to Alejandro. He smiled down at her and winked, leaning down to her. “You will see, feel and hear only me,si? My heart is the beat of the music in your ear. You remember and you will be fine,mi amor. I will not let you fall, not now, not ever.”

Her lips parted slightly in surprise as she took his words in. “When did you become so romantic?”

He laughed out loud, his voice booming out as the music fell away and staff were urging people off the dance floor. Silence descended over the room and the crowd turned to watch as Alejandro took her hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor. A shaft of fright ran through her as the watchful faces came into focus, but then Alejandro stepped in front of her and captured her attention, forcing her to focus on him once more. The lights dimmed around them until there were only a few left spotlighting the glossy black dance area. The crowd faded away until there was only Alejandro and Gina.

She watched him through lowered lashes as he circled her slowly and then stopped in front of her not touching physically but holding her enthralled with the warmth of his gaze, his domination, his determination and his love. The music started, and she immediately recognized Goten Project’s popular Santa Maria from La Revancha del Tango. She stepped around Alejandro and gave him her hand indicating she was allowing the dance to proceed. He whirled her into his arms and proved to her quickly that he knew exactly what he was doing. That hands soaked in blood were equally capable of caressing and dominating a woman in dance.

Within moments, exhilaration replaced trepidation as they flew across the floor together. Gina had no time to worry about counting steps as she followed Alejandro’s every step, snapping into place beside and in front of him as he led their dance. She kicked her leg over his and then back over, twirling away from him and then gasping when he gripped her hard and turned her back against him, pressing their chests intimately together. As the music neared the final notes, she felt the tension in his body increase. She knew exactly why – he would have to allow her to fall. The symbolic death.

As she whirled against his strong arm preparing to sink to the floor, he caught her instead, pressing her close. Rather than allowing her to drop to the floor at his feet he tipped her far back against his arm until she was nearly prone against his chest. Her legs were draped over top of his strong thigh and the tips of her hair brushed the dance floor at her back. He leaned forward, the muscles of his arms bulging against his shirt. He was so close to her that when he spoke his lips touched hers, “I will never allow you to fall, Gina,mi amor.”

The breath caught in her throat and tears threatened to spill as the final notes of music died away. Applause sounded around them. She knew they were good, very good for an amateur couple that had never before danced together. What they might have lacked in skill they more than made up for in passion. She flexed her fingers against him and smiled happily.

“I will do my best to never let you fall either, Alejandro,” she replied shyly.

He looked surprised for a moment, as though the thought of a woman, especially one like Gina, protecting him never occurred to him before. Then he grinned down at her, pleased, and kissed her quick and hard before setting her on her feet once more. They took a quick bow and left the dance floor. Without another word they exited the club. Gina guessed they had made enough of an impression.

She was glad. She was exhausted from a long day of dates with multiple men and trying to stand up for her rights so as not to get dragged to the alter by the hair caveman-style. “What next?” she asked, smothering a yawn as Alejandro escorted her onto the sidewalk toward the waiting vehicle. Fredo had the back door open and waiting for them.

When Alejandro didn’t answer, Gina opened her mouth to ask again. He held his hand up and stopped walking, drawing her tight against his side. Then, without warning he flung her forward into the arms of one of their bodyguard’s. The man caught her and shoved her into the side of the vehicle, covering her with his body. She felt him shift to pull his weapon from the holster when loud pops erupted all around them.

Gina let out a cry when she was shoved roughly down, a hand on her shoulder, guiding her to the pavement. She reached out, halting a nasty scape to her knees by gripping the edge of the open door. She flinched when she felt something slam into the vehicle next to her and looked up to see Alejandro throw himself against the metal panel to use it for cover as he squeezed off a few shots over the roof of the SUV. Someone was driving by and shooting at them.

She heard the screech of tires and slamming metal. He must’ve hit the other car when he fired at it. She wasn’t surprised. She knew how accurate Alejandro was. She’d seen him on the range before.

“You take left, I’ll go right. Don’t let them pin us down,” he snapped at Fredo. “Try to take one of them alive if you can.” He glanced down at Gina where she was crouched on the sidewalk, terror clear on her face. His own gaze was dispassionate. This was Alejandro at work. His eyes moved to the man who still had a hand on top of Gina’s shoulder, holding her in place. “Put her in the back, cover her with your life.”

“Yes, boss,” he answered immediately.

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