The Devil I Crave (Devil's Knights 2)

I already knew the answer to this one, but I wanted her to think about her options. Even though I owed Luca, I wanted her. He made me promise I would walk away in the end, but I wasn’t so sure I could do that now that my heart was involved.

“No way,” she shot back. “I would be halfway around the world by now.”

“What if you had a choice between Luca and me ten years ago?”

She licked her lips, thinking over my question. “My entire life would have been different if I had a choice.”

I held her gaze. “Would you have picked Luca or me?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Alex sighed with tears in her bottom lids. “I’m not sure how I feel about Luca. I stabbed him. So there must be more to the story. I’m really confused… I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

I slid my arm behind her back. “It’s okay, Alex. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” she muttered. “Just… I don’t know. I wish I could remember everything that happened. Until that night, I never thought I could kill someone. And then last night, I had a flashback. I remember what I did with you and the Knights.”

“Yeah? How do you feel about what we did?”

“Like I want a repeat.”

I crushed her lips with a hard, passionate kiss. She melted into me, her hard nipples poking through her thin bikini top, brushing against my bare chest. A swirl of emotions ripped through my body, my chest so tight I could hardly breathe.

When I was with Alex, the world faded into the background. I raked my fingers through her hair, shoving the strands off her face. My heart hammered against my ribcage with each flick of her tongue, heat coursing through my veins. She moaned into my mouth when I twisted her nipple between my fingers.

The boat stopped with an abrupt jolt, and then I heard Sonny yell a dozen curses above us.

“That can’t be good,” Alex said as she pulled her lips from mine.

“No, it’s not.” I jumped to my feet, bringing her with me.

We hurried toward the stern, where we found Sonny tugging at the ends of his short blond hair.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

He looked at me. “We’re out of gas.”

“How is that possible? We always leave the harbor with a full tank.”

Sonny leaned over the side of the boat, shaking his head. “Because someone punctured the fuel tank.”

“Why would someone want to do that?” Alex asked.

“I called Sea Tow,” he said.

I sat on the leather bench beside Alex. Sonny sat across from us, his boat shoes crossed at his ankles, wearing a button-down shirt that was halfway open and a Borsalino Fedora.

“Which member of the Rat Pack are you?” I quipped.

Sonny chucked the hat at me and laughed. “Fuck off, Cello.”

“He’s Dean Martin.” Alex laughed. She took the hat from my hand, slipped it over her thick curls, and winked at me. “I guess that makes you Frank Sinatra.”

I pulled her onto my lap, and she squealed. “That would make you Marilyn Monroe.”

Alex titled her head back on my shoulder and smiled.

Sonny sulked for the next forty minutes, blowing out deep breaths and texting his dad until Sea Tow arrived. They hooked up our boat to their tow hook and drove us back to the marina. Alex clung to my side, occasionally shooting curious glances in Sonny’s direction. He was too busy staring down at the deck in defeat.

When we arrived at the marina, the dockmaster waited in front of our boat slip, working with the towing company to tie up the boat. The boat rocked against the dock, and Alex gripped my thigh for support. The color drained from her face.

“You okay, beautiful?”

She looked up at me. “Just a little dizzy.”

Sonny thanked the men, stuffing money into each of their hands. I grabbed my bag and helped Alex off the boat.

A loud engine rumbled from a distance.

Alex gasped when she turned her head. “What the fuck?”

Luca sat on the hood of my Maserati, his jaw flexed in anger. He dressed in his usual three-piece tailored suit and black wingtips. Tapping his fingers on the hood, he held my gaze. Like he was counting down the seconds until he exploded. If he wanted a fight, I would give him one.

I had trained under my father’s men since high school. He’d left me in charge of Alpha Command because of my skills. Luca didn’t want to learn the mercenary side of the business. He preferred to sit in a comfy office in New York City and give orders.

“Motherfucker,” Sonny growled, his hands balled into fists as he stormed toward my brother. “You piece of shit. It was you, wasn’t it? You fucking punctured the fuel tank.”

“Please, like I’d waste my time with such trivial things.” Luca pushed off the car and slowly approached us. “If I wanted to fuck with your boat, I would have sunk it in the Atlantic. I’m here because neither of you assholes answered your phones. Alex’s life is in fucking danger.”