Tempt Me (Tease Me Book 2) (12 page)

“When I was a kid, the Morales were our rivals.” He flattened his hands on the counter.
 

“Were?”

“They aren’t anymore,” he said. He didn’t have to explain it any further. His family had killed the Morales.

“But you’re worried about them?”

“Yes,” he said with a heavy sigh.
 

I pushed my shoulders back. “Why?”

He shook his head. “Diego, the asshat who kidnapped you, got some intel that they are on the rise,” he admitted with a shake of his head. “You don’t need to know details. Just know that if the Morales want to come back into power, they will do whatever they can to get to me.”

“Oh.” I felt like I was slowly being pulled backwards. I put my hand onto Alejandro’s. He flipped his wrist around and linked our fingers. “Do you think it was a Morales person on the beach tonight?”

“No,” he said and flashed a smile. He was lying, but I just nodded. The shift in the conversation unnerved me. I wanted to go back to him telling me how I was unlike anyone he’d ever met. I didn’t want to worry about my life. I just wanted to worry about our feelings.

“I’m hungry. Are you?” he asked me, changing the subject.

“Starving,” I said and stood up. I took in a deep breath and let it out, ridding myself of the excess worry that hung in the air. I didn’t know how I was going to sleep tonight knowing there might be a gang out there plotting against Alejandro. I was scared for myself, but I was mostly scared for him.
 

He left the house. He put himself out there and was at risk. The thought of something bad happening to him terrified me. I ran my eyes over him then walked across the kitchen to the refrigerator.
 

“What are you doing?” Alejandro asked.

“Uh, looking for food,” I said. “You said you’re hungry.”

“I am,” he retorted. “I’m going to call the cook.”

“Isn’t he sleeping?” I asked, wide-eyed.
 

Alejandro didn’t look like he was following. “That’s what I pay him for,
chica
. To cook for me.”

I glanced at the clock on the microwave. “It’s the middle of the night. Please,” I said and turned back to the fridge. “I can cook something for you.”

“Really?” he said, pulling back a bar stool at the island counter. “Fine. What are you making me?”

I looked over the ingredients. There was more fresh produce and meat in here than my fridge at home saw in a month—maybe two. “Hmmm,” I said and rooted around. “Is there anything you
don’t
like?”

“Not really,” he said.
 

“Good.” I eyed yellow peppers and tomatoes. I bit my lip, thinking. I didn’t want to make him Mexican food. There was no way what I made could compete with what his chef made him. I scanned the drawer of veggies. “Got it,” I said when I saw the zucchini.
 

I set to work, feeling a little manic. Alejandro turned on music and sat back, watching me chop veggies and dance to the Mexican bands. It took a while (and another shot) but I was able to loosen up and push the fear to the back of my mind. I turned from the veggies I was sautéing, eyes meeting Alejandro’s.
 

“It smells good,
chica
,” he said and smiled. He got up from the island and walked over, stopping behind me. His arms went around my waist. I leaned back into him, tipping my neck to the side. He pressed his lips to it and started swaying his hips in beat to the music.

I suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, and it wasn’t from the booze. This—the cooking and dancing and being wrapped in the arms of my lover—was everything I had ever wanted. A depression had sunk into me when I was helping Misty pack up her house, fighting feelings of jealousy over the fact she had it all and I had nothing. It was then that I realized Alejandro had given me exactly what my heart and soul ached for.
 

I turned the burner off and whirled around, arms flying to his neck. I pulled him to me and gave him a kiss. The care, the attention he gave me, the way he fucked me…he was perfect. Well, perfect if I overlooked his criminal activity. He was everything I wanted in a man, and more specifically, in
my
man.
 

I thought finding someone to make me feel complete would be impossible.
Well, you found him, Ellie
. My heart raced. I looked into Alejandro’s dark eyes. Of course, I fell for a cartel leader. Life wouldn’t go any other way for me.

“I don’t want this to ever end,” I whispered and felt emotional.

“You don’t want what to end?” he asked, though as soon as he finished his question, he knew exactly what I meant. His face tightened for just a second. He didn’t want it to end either.

He kissed me, dipping me back then pulling me forward quickly and laughing. “The food,” he said and ran his hand over my hair. The ends had dipped into the sauce.
 

“Sorry,” I laughed and turned back around. I closed my eyes and fired up the burner again. Did I love Alejandro? No. I didn’t.
 

I shouldn’t.
 

Things could never work between us.
 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ELLIE

WE WENT to bed after the sun rose. It ended up taking longer than necessary to finish the ratatouille I had made. Alejandro said seeing me cook and take care of him was hot. So hot that he had to go down on me—twice—before I could continue the meal. I returned the favor as the noodles boiled. We took out plates onto the patio and watched the sun rise.

The muted red and orange clouds glowed with the slowly rising sun. It was beautiful. We stayed there, wrapped in each other’s arms in a hazy state of wakeful sleep until the sorbet-colored clouds gave way to gray and misty rain fell down on us. Alejandro carried me upstairs, laying me down in his bed. He spooned his body around me. I was asleep in seconds.

Around ten AM he got up, kissed me goodbye, and said it might be another late night. He promised to let me know if there was anything to worry about…besides the normal danger. He mumbled something about a deal, but I was too tired to recall his exact words. I passed out again, not waking until after noon.

I showered, dressed, and went downstairs. The maid was wiping the counters. She looked up at me and smiled the first genuine smile I’d seen from her. I felt myself flush but wasn’t sure why I was embarrassed. I had noticed the way she acted toward Alejandro with a maternal annoyance. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

After eating, I wandered around the house. The bald tattooed guard wasn’t here today, thankfully. I snuck outside when the other guard was in the bathroom. I needed to go down to the shore and look for clues myself.

I pulled my arms close to my body. The wind had picked up, and ocean water sprayed on my exposed skin. I hurried along the sand, eyes down as I looked for evidence. I stopped and turned back to the house. No, I wasn’t far enough. I had to go a few more yards to be in the spot where I had seen the dark shape last night.
 

The sand gave way to rocks. They were slick, and my sandals didn’t have enough traction. I took them off and climbed up. These were the same rocks Alejandro and I had stood on together, the night when things shifted from purely sexual to…something else. I shook my head. I couldn’t think about that now. I needed my head in the game.

I carefully picked my way over the rocks, stopping on one that was rather flat. I turned and faced the house. The double glass doors that led from the second story balcony and into Alejandro’s room were right in my line of sight.

I let out a breath and shook my head. Someone was out here watching the house. I knew it. I sat on the rock, trying to get inside the mind of someone who would want to watch a drug lord. Fuck. There were too many people. From rivals to someone scorned by a loved one overdosing, the possibilities were endless. Alejandro must be on a
lot
of people’s shit lists.

But sitting here, facing the master bedroom…what could they have wanted? Alejandro wasn’t home then. Did they know that? Did they have night-vision goggles and were looking inside the house? Or maybe some sort of listening device? I shook my head. I didn’t know how those things worked. But I knew it was possible. Someone could stand outside the house with high-tech equipment and listen in on Alejandro’s conversations and phone calls.
 

Or maybe they had a gun and were waiting for a clear shot. A chill ran through me. I was in the room. If they could see inside, then they saw me. I swallowed hard.
 

I let out a shaky breath. Just when I realized I never wanted to leave Alejandro, the realization of how dangerous this life was crashed down on me like the chilly ocean waves. I put my head in my hands. There was no way I could ever go back. Even if Alejandro gave me the all clear to leave, there was no walking away from this. I wasn’t even sure what “this” was. All I knew was that it was passionate, our feelings developing at whirlwind speed. The sex was fucking unbelievable, and his company was something I didn’t want to ever be without.

Whatever this was…love, lust-driven passion…it had gotten into me, under my skin, and flowed through my veins. It had changed me for the better, and I could never be the same. I didn’t want to be the same.

With a heavy heart, I inhaled and looked up. Clouds were rolling over the blue sky; it would probably start raining soon. I should get back inside. I stood and noticed something.
 

“Holy shit,” I murmured and leaned over the rock I had been sitting on. Wedged between two rocks were cigarette butts. “I knew there was someone out here!” I said with a smile. I looked around, making sure no one was watching. I pretended to stretch my calves as I reached my hand in between the stones. The butts hadn’t been there for days. They were most definitely there from last night. I grabbed one and set it on the flat rock.

I looked back between the rocks. There were three other butts. The one I had picked up had only been burned half way before it was smashed into the stone to extinguish the flame. Had the smoker left in a hurry?
 

I wasn’t sure if I should tell Alejandro what I had found. I didn’t want him to get upset that I had left the house, and a few cigarettes weren’t going to make my case. I needed more evidence. And really,
anyone
could have wandered the shore. Anyone could have stopped and looked at the gargantuan house that stuck out of the hillside.
 

It really was possible…

Something inside me said other wise. And for once, I was going to trust my gut.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ALEJANDRO

I STOOD on the dock with my arms crossed, overseeing one of the bigger deals I’d made that year. I had been anxious about it for a while now. Add in the murder of one of my dealers, the unspoken threat of the Morales, and the fact that Ellie said she saw someone outside the house last night, and I might even call myself nervous. Of course, I wouldn’t let anyone know. I was the boss, the guy in charge. I had to appear calm and collected all the time. Thank God for Ellie. She was the perfect distraction.

I shifted my eyes along the road. The pier was alive that morning. A strong wind blew across the rough ocean, spraying us all with cool, salty mist. Gray clouds rolled across the horizon, and the air was thick with the threat of a storm. It was all ignored, and the dozens of people on the pier went on as business as usual.
 

Only this wasn’t a normal day.

To anyone else, it would look that way. No one besides my men knew about the shipping container that was being loaded onto the barge right now. I ran my finger over the rough grip on my Glock. Knowing I had a little bit of firepower attached to my hip made me feel a little better.
 

If I didn’t have Ellie, I would have gone out of my fucking mind. I ground my teeth together, mad at myself for admitting that, for
needing
someone. I didn’t like depending on anyone.

But, fuck, there was something about Ellie that made me want her in the worst way possible. Things had shifted between us over the last few days. Our encounters went from pure animal sex to more intimate touching. I enjoyed kissing her, rubbing her, making her feel good even when there was no return in it for me. I enjoyed being with her, holding her, feeling her heart beat.
 

I couldn’t fucking deny it. I cared for Ellie like I’d never cared for anyone before. I wanted to make her happy. I worried about her. I wanted her to like me, to think I was good enough. I let out a breath. Fuck. Everything about her was so intense.

I loved the way she screamed when she came, how her pussy contracted around my cock, and her head flew back, mouth open but unable to make a sound, too overtaken by pleasure. I love how she curled her toes and her legs shook, warmth and wetness gushing from her tight cunt. She was up for anything, obeying me but standing her ground. She was defiant enough to keep things interesting but submissive enough to make things work. She was so fucking sexy.

I shook my head. What in the actual fuck? How had she become so important to me?
 
All I wanted was someone unpredictable, who challenged me and was a distraction from the stress of being a cartel boss. All she wanted was an escape from her boring life. To feel appreciated and wanted.

It was win-win for both of us.
 

I turned around, hand subconsciously flying to my gun, when I heard footfalls behind me.

“Diego,” I said, relaxing my arms. He nodded in response. I flicked my eyes to the shipping container, watching men disconnect the straps that were used to load it. “It’s been a good day, my friend,” I said.

“Yes,
señor
,” he replied in Spanish. He took a drag on his cigarette and eyed the people milling about. “You shouldn’t be here, Alejandro,” he said softly. “Too risky.”

I gave him a half shrug. Diego should know by now that I was too much of a control freak to
not
oversee the start of the deal. There were more shipping containers to be moved; the entire deal could take hours. “Come on, friend, let’s go celebrate. On me.” He threw the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it.