Page 44 of Corrupted Empire

I mirror the gesture, and we hold eye contact for a good time before finally drinking. The wine has never tasted sweeter.

“What do you think happens now?” I ask.

Alexis scoops up some camembert and forks it into her mouth. She chews, taking her damn time, and finally swallows and speaks. “I don’t know. I know what I want to happen, but whether you’ll allow it is another thing entirely.”

“What do you want to happen?”

Alexis takes a breath. “I want in, Gabriel. Like it or not, I’m a part of this now. And so is Harry. I want us to be a family, and I want you to be completely honest with me. I want to help.”

Her eyes sparkle with sincerity and something like sadness. Our whole relationship has been a myriad of lies on both sides from the beginning. Just as one was stripped away, another was layered over, like a tantalizing feather dance.

We have been playing this game for so long now that I don’t know how to stop. To let her in, I will need to give her everything, exposing myself and my business completely. Can I do that?

“Generally when someone bares their soul, they expect a response,” Alexis says tartly, lifting her glass to her lips.

I realize I have been sitting in quiet contemplation for a long time. I chuckle at her snark.

“You’ve changed,” I say.

“People do.”

“Not like this.” I shake my head and capture her gaze. “You’ve always been sharp-tongued and pugnacious, but I’d go so far as to say you’ve become utterly ruthless.”

Alexis shrugs, as though her transformation from single mom to would-be mob queen consisted of nothing more than a trip to the salon. “Once upon a time I thought that for us to be happy together, I would need to tame you,” she explains. “Recently I realized that was false—that it was never a matter of taming you.” Her eye glints. “It was about matching your ferocity.”

Something about the way her lips curve wickedly around each word sends a bolt of heat through me. I am considering throwing her onto the table right here and now when Victoria bustles through to clear our plates and bring out the entree—lamb shanks in a red wine reduction with herbed mashed potatoes.

I want to make this work, too, I realize. I want to trust her. Even though I am still wary, I believe that if I give her the opportunity, Alexis will continue proving herself.

“There is actually something I could use your help with,” I tell her.

“Go on.”

“You may remember that the Cartel forced me to defund a lot of Bellucci Inc.’s rehabilitation centers,” I say, stabbing a hunk of tender meat. “I want to get the program back on its legs, and I’d like to put more focus into the company’s charities in general. I need someone in charge to coordinate the facilities and funds, someone I can trust, and I don’t have the time to do it myself. You would have your own office in my building.”

Alexis grins. “That sounds right up my alley,” she says. “But what about the rest of what I said? Will you let me in?” She pauses, eyes softening. “Canyou let me in?”

She looks so beautiful, with her dark hair in soft ringlets around her heart-shaped face, her bright blue eyes staring hopefully down the table. I grind my jaw and will myself to open up. I need to. I don’t think I can do this without her.

“I do need a partner, but I’m a criminal, Alexis,” I say. “I always have been, and I always will be. I have killed more people than I can count. I will never know if all of them deserved it. Can you accept that?”

When I first met Alexis, she made no bones about how it was her sole desire to bring good into the world. Being with me would tarnish that, even if she will control the charities.

Alexis’ mouth curves just a fraction at the edges, and she gives a short nod. “Yes.”

The word sits heavy on the table in front of us.Yes.

She is finally giving into me. Completely. Her submission tastes so sweet on my tongue that I suddenly lose all desire for dessert. Desire floods my senses, and I catch her gaze across the table.

“Why don’t we go to my office and make it official?” I offer.

Alexis’ eyes light up. “Yes. Let’s.”

We walk to the office calmly, as though we are simply going to discuss some business matters. We keep a respectful distance, though I can feel her heat as keenly as if she were pressed against me. The scent of her is in my nose—jasmine and honeysuckle. Soon the taste of her will be on my tongue.

When we get to the door, I unlock it and we enter. I slam the door closed and shove her against it, my mouth claiming hers in a rough kiss. Alexis groans and tangles her fingers in my hair. She kisses back feverishly. Greedily. I think about what she said, about matching my ferocity, and so I decide to push her a little further just to see if she can keep up.

I hike her legs over my hips and press her back to the door, nipping at the soft skin of her throat.

---