“Why were you so upset when you got home?” I ask as Draco and I walk through the gates to get to the pool. He’s not wearing a shirt or any shoes. He has on black swimming trunks, his gold crucifix necklace resting on the center of his toned chest.
“What makes you think I was upset?” he questions, placing his towel down on one of the chairs. I place mine on the lounge chair beside his.
“You were tense.” I gather my hair up and tie it in a loose bun. “It’s kind of easy to tell when you’re pissed.”
He looks at the pool water, taking a step forward. A butler comes out with a tray in hand and on top of it sits a bottle of Don Julio and two shot glasses with red jewels embedded in them. They look real, like rubies.
Draco bobs his head, gesturing for him to place it down on the table beside me. The butler does just so, taking off with a bob of his head. Several guards are outside the iron gate beyond the pool, their backs facing us.
Draco steps over, grabbing the bottle of tequila and the glasses and bringing them to the pool. He takes the steps down to get into the water, placing everything on the edge of the pool.
“Get in,” he orders.
I step out of my flip-flops, moving forward and dipping my feet in the water. It’s cold enough to make me shiver, but I jump in anyway, plunging beneath the water and swimming toward him.
When I rise, I’m only a step away from him. His chin is tilted, his warm eyes on me. Reaching over, he pours a shot into each glass then picks one up, handing it to me.
I take it with wet hands and he goes for his next.
“You like to show off,” he murmurs.
I smile a little. “Only enough to grab your attention.”
His eyes flash down, scanning my breasts in my white bikini top. He raises his glass in the air and I do the same. “To new beginnings,” he says. With a bob of his head, he brings the rim to his lips and tosses it back without so much as a wince.
I down mine, getting a strong, fierce burn that immediately sweeps through my entire body. He pours me another and one for himself, taking it back again. I toss mine back and the burn floods my veins.
One more shot and he finally sets his glass and the bottle down.
I sigh. Tequila isn’t really my thing—especially not without a chaser. What can I say? I’m a wimp, and I’ve never been big on drinking hard liquor.
Approaching me, he grabs my waist and picks me up. I lock my legs around his waist and wrap my arms around his neck, relaxing them on his shoulders. His mouth immediately crushes mine, his fingers running up my spine and up to the nape of my neck. He reaches for my hairband and tugs it, causing my wet hair to tumble down around my shoulders.
“This business isn’t easy,” he murmurs.
“How so?”
“I had to have one of my men kill someone today. Someone I thought I could trust to handle some of my cash.”
“An accountant?” I tip my head back to look into his eyes.
He nods. “One of them.”
“How many do you have?”
“Three.”
“Why?”
“To make sure my numbers add up the same every time. Can’t trust just one.”
Makes sense.
“That man had a family. A daughter and a son. His wife does food-catering jobs, runs her own business. She lost a husband, and those kids lost a father, because he stole from me. If it had been less than five thousand, I would have let him off with a simple warning and slight punishment. But he took over fifty grand. His numbers weren’t adding up. I got news that someone said he bought a new house. He made it so obvious that I almost felt stupid for having him ended. He probably assumed I wouldn’t catch on. He was taking small chunks week by week.”
I drop my gaze to his chest. “Why didn’t you just lock him up or something, like you do everyone else?”
“Thought about it. I don’t enjoy killing, but when it comes to my reputation, it happens. Just so everyone knows not to try to fuck me over. I don’t take stealing my shit lightly—especially when it comes to my money. It’s a privilege to even get the chance to work with me.”
I sigh.
“I want to forget about it for now,” he says, looking at my lips.
“How?”
“Distract me.”
I smile and then pull away from him, my feet landing on the pool floor. Half-swimming, half-walking to the tequila, I pour another shot for us and hand him his glass.
When he takes it, I come closer, running my palm down his chest. I continue down, even when he tenses up, untying his trunks. My hand slips beneath his trunks and I cup his manhood in hand lightly, my lips landing on his jawline.