I almost barged in but slowed when Matteo answered, “The brave knight used his brain to win the battle without ever having to draw his sword.” Amazing how this dangerous manhad grown so close to Leo. I trusted him when he said he’d do anything to protect my son.
“But how?” Leo’s demand for answers tugged on my heart. He’d always loved stories, and hearing Matteo comfort him with a new tale reminded me why I’d started to fall for him.
Matteo looked and acted every bit the playboy philanthropist with a flare for the witty and dramatic. But at his core, he was kind and decent. He treated me with respect even when I tried my best to annoy the shit out of him so he’d leave me alone. And he gave me exactly what I needed when I asked him to fuck me.
My first time with all three men was slow and passionate, caring. This evening with Matteo alone showed me how savage he could be when unleashed. I craved more of that from all three of them, for them to stop holding back.
But I also wanted to feel loved and cherished. How did those two things become compatible, and why was I so obsessed with sex when Leo’s life was in danger? I’d experienced sexual desire while pregnant with Leo, but this had a different edge to it.
A door slammed from far away, Alessio’s voice trickling up the stairs where I listened to Matteo tell Leo a story.
Relief was short-lived as I recognized the anger in his tone. I rushed down the stairs, almost tripping in my haste, and plowed into Alessio’s chest when I reached the bottom.
“Careful.” His hands gripped my waist in a bruising hold. The danger I’d sensed in him before rose around him, sending heat crashing over my skin and setting my pulse pounding. “You shouldn’t be running around this late at night.”
“Where were you?” He didn’t know that I’d overheard him in the study earlier, so I waited for the lie.
His jaw worked back and forth. A scratch marred his cheek, dirt covered the scar along his chin, and a glint of madness hardened his eyes. “Taking care of business. What are you doing?”
Not a lie, yet he wasn’t forthcoming either.
It was a challenge to meet his coldness, but I managed to hold steady. “Couldn’t sleep. What business?”
Indecision warred on his face, the constant shifting illuminated by the moonlight cutting in from the skylights. “I tracked down the Verducci hideout. They’re the ones who attacked us. And they won’t stop until they have you and Leo.”
The truth surprised me, and my expression slipped as shock and fear rocked me back a step.
Alessio kept hold of me, forcing me to remain within his embrace. “You understand what that means?” His words were cold and callus, an unfeeling cut to them I didn’t understand prying at the walls I’d erected around my heart.
All I knew, all I allowed myself to think about was the fear in Matteo’s eyes when he’d told me about the bounty.
“This is your fault.” I shoved at him. My palms landed flat on his chest.
He stared down at me with an unyielding firmness to his body. “You’ve said that before.”
My breath rushed out in a wave of heat that blistered my throat. “You bastard.” I pounded my fists into his chest. “You have to do better than that. You promised to protect Leo, but all you’ve done is put him in more danger.”
He dragged me away from the stairs and into the study to our left. Kicking the door shut with his heel, he grabbed my wrists and yanked them down and behind my back. His hot breath rushed over my face, the smell of his anger and the danger riding him creating an intoxicating mix.
“I never wanted you in danger, Lila. Why do you think I stayed away?” His chest pressed into mine, our bodies bending together when he tightened his grip on my wrists. “It didn’t do any good. They’ve known about you all along. It was a matterof time before they came for you. You’re lucky I came back and found you.”
“Lucky?” I practically spat in his face. “We’re going to be killed because of you.” All my fear and anger overwhelmed me. I lashed out at the only available source of my worry. “I wish you’d never walked into my shop.”
“Really?” He kissed me with a savageness I felt down to my core.
My traitorous body responded with a softening I fought to control.
Alessio walked me backward, holding my wrists with one hand while the other slid between my legs. I bit his lip, hard. He laughed when he raised his head. “Why are you wet for me, Lila?”
“It’s not for you.” I twisted my hips, attempting to escape despite the heavy need throbbing from his touch. “I had sex with Matteo while you were gone.” If I hoped to hurt him, I failed.
His eyes flared wide, the pupils exploding. “Good.” He thrust a finger into me and ground his hips into mine. “You’re ours, Lila. I would claim you as mine, but I’m willing to share with Matteo and Renzo because they make you happy. But I will not be made out as the villain in your story.”
He added a second finger, then another, and buried them to his knuckles. The rough rasp of his skin against the most tender part of my flesh weakened my knees.
“I don’t want you.” It was an outright, blatant lie.
Alessio’s dark laugh shuddered through me. “If I believed that, I’d walk away.” He crooked his fingers deep inside and I gasped with the wave of pleasure. “You might hate me right now, but you still want me. And that scares you.”
