Alex walked into the bathroom with a stall shower and set her sunscreen on the counter. I followed her into the room, caging her against the sink with my hip. She looked at me in the mirror, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath.
“Marcello,” she whispered.
Her hand covered her heart, drawing my attention to her big tits. For years, I’d wanted her. I hated my brother for claiming our queen and then not giving a fucking shit about her. But last year, he finally let the Knights have their queen. It was the best night of my life… until I woke up the next morning, wishing she were mine.
I slid my hand to her jaw and rolled my thumb across her bottom lip. Alex blew out a deep breath that sent a warm rush of heat down my arm. As I held her gaze, heart racing in my chest, I thought of the conversation I’d had with my father a few weeks before. My family’s survival depended on Alex marrying a Salvatore.
I spun Alex around so we were facing. She squealed when my hands slid to the backs of her thighs, and I lifted her into my arms. I lowered her onto the counter and made room for myself between her thighs.
“You know, Pops said you shouldn’t do any heavy lifting.”
“You’re not heavy.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Yeah, right? I’m not the skinny twig I was when I first came to Devil’s Creek.”
Grabbing her curvy ass, I moved her closer to me. “I love your body, Alex. You’re fucking perfect.”
She snorted with laughter. “I’m far from perfect.”
Tracing my thumb across her lip, I smiled. “Perfect for me.”
“Marcello,” she whispered as my lips brushed hers.
I wanted her so badly I couldn’t stand it anymore. My brother had spent years messing with her head, and I wanted to show her I wasn’t in this just for sex. I cared about her. She wasn’t a possession to me, not like she was to Luca.
As I sucked her lip into my mouth, Alex molded her bikini-clad body to my chest, her arms around my neck. My cock sprung to life when she trailed her fingers down my stomach, slipping her hand beneath the waistband of my swim shorts.
“Cello,” Sonny yelled from the top of the stairs.
He had a nickname for everyone.
Alex pulled her lips from mine, breathless as she stared into my eyes. I dipped my head down, peppering her neck with kisses. A moan escaped from her throat.
“Yo,” Sonny growled. “Where’s my drink? I’m dying of thirst up here.”
I rolled my eyes and helped Alex down from the counter. “We’ll be up in a minute.”
“I’m about to push off from the slip. I can use some help. Get your asses up here.”
Alex stood on the balls of her feet and pressed a kiss to my lips. “We can finish this later.”
I winked. “Count on it.”
I grabbed a few beers from the fridge and followed Alex upstairs. After I helped Sonny untie the knots from the cleats, the boat drifted away from the dock. He headed up the stairs to grab the helm. Alex stood beside me as we moved at a low speed through the No Wake Zone. She held her arms out at her sides, giving me a cute grin as she steadied herself.
Wobbling to the right, she grabbed my bicep as Sonny made a slow turn to the right of the marker. “Whoa. Maybe I should sit down.”
I wrapped my arms around her, crushing her back against my chest. “If you fall overboard, I’ll save you.”
“I wouldn’t mind getting lost at sea with you.”
I uncapped three beers and handed one to Alex. “Drink up, princess.”
She tilted the cold bottle to her lips, eyes on me. “Are you trying to get me drunk, Marcello?”
I loved the way she said my name, dragging out the last two syllables in that sweet, sexy tone.
“No, I want you to have fun.”
“Fun?” Alex laughed. “What’s that? Luca doesn’t let me have fun.”
“Luca’s not here.” I chugged half of my beer and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Forget about him.”
It was hard for Alex to separate her attachment to my brother. She’d taken a lot of shit from him. He was such a bastard, too. Over the years, it killed me to stand back and watch him destroy her like he did everyone else.
I tapped her shoulder to gain her attention. “I’ll be right back. I have to give Sonny his beer. Go sit on the sun deck and relax.”
Alex’s face illuminated from her smile.
I watched her walk away, then climbed the stairs. Sonny sat in the captain’s chair with his arm rested on the ledge, his fingers wrapped around the leather wheel. As usual, he looked in his element, like he was born to live at sea.