Alejandro's Prey Page 6

  A sound caught his attention, a muffled cry. Knowing instinctively it was coming from Gina’s room, he pulled his gun and lunged toward the connecting door. He slammed his fist into the wall, hitting the light switch and ducking to the side so he wouldn’t become a target. She was nowhere in sight.

  The sounds were coming from her washroom. He realized that they were the sounds of a woman’s muffled sobs, not someone being attacked. He put his gun back in the holster so he wouldn’t frighten her even more than he already had that evening and approached the lit, half-open door. At the sight that met him, his chest ached and for the first time in a very long he felt regret. He was at least partially responsible for this.

  Gina was standing in the claw-foot tub fully clothed except for her shoes which lay discarded on the marble tiles, her arms held stiffly in front of her as though they didn’t belong to her. She was staring down at the blood, tears dripping down her face. She was shaking and sobbing, trying to catch her breath. Her lips were tinged in blue and her skin was alarmingly pale.

  “Oh, cariña,” he said softly, “look at you.” Her head jerked a little, but she didn’t look up when he approached. Gently he reached for her and wrapped his arms around her, leaning her into his body. He ran his hands down her arms, warming her chilled skin. “Okay, baby, we’re going to wash you and warm you up. Understand?”

  She didn’t respond, but she didn’t push him away either. He gently pulled her down with him, her inside the tub and he on the outside until she was sitting and he was kneeling next to her. She was shivering uncontrollably but her breathing was starting to even out. He suspected she was having a panic attack. He took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes, taking in the dilated pupils.

  “Just breathe, amor,” he urged brushing his thumb over her lips. He was worried about the blue in her skin. Though she didn’t respond to him verbally, she seemed to hear him as she took a long rattling breath.

  “Good girl,” he praised her, reaching for the taps. She grabbed his arm and clung to him while he adjusted the flow of water and made sure it was warm enough without scorching her delicate skin.

  She leaned against the side of the tub, laying her head against his shoulder while he used a cloth and some soap to gently wipe the blood from her. After a few moments he said, “I’m going to help you out of this dress, Gina.” When she stiffened, he assured her, “I will give you the highest respect, but you’ll feel better if we take this dress off and wash all the blood away. Okay, mi amor?”

  “Yes, Alejandro,” she whispered, so quiet he barely caught the words. His heart leapt though. She was giving him her trust again. Even after seeing him murder someone right in front of her.

  He lifted the curtain of hair away from her neck and unhooked the halter part of her dress. She quickly brought her hands up to catch the front as it fell while he dropped his fingers down her back to unzip the remaining part of her dress at the top of her perfect, curvy ass. He had to remind himself he was being a gentleman as the curves of those cheeks were revealed. Gently he tugged the front of the dress from her stiff fingers and urged her to kneel so he could peel the dress completely away. He tossed the sodden mass out of the tub and helped her to sit back once more.

  Alejandro spent several minutes running the cloth over her body until she gradually relaxed and closed her eyes, her blond head resting against his shoulder. He dropped a kiss against the soft curls and inhaled the sweet, flowery fragrance. He hadn’t anticipated his first time seeing his bride’s naked body, touching each gorgeous curve and being unable to take her the way he’d planned. Yet, the moment, despite the events of the evening, was more perfect than he could have imagined.

  “Alejandro?” she asked sleepily, her husky voice reaching out to wrap around his cock the way it did each time she said his name.

  “Si, Gina?”

  “How can you be so scary one moment and so sweet the next?” Her voice was both innocent and accusing.

  Alejandro felt a shaft of hurt. But her question was not unfair. He was Reyes’ second-in-command. He was an enforcer, the monster that stalked the shadows of the underworld. It was his job to be scary. He wasn’t built for love. Yet love had found him anyway. He dropped his head and murmured against her, “I am only sweet for you, mi amor. No one else.”

  She said nothing and when he looked he realized she was asleep. He turned the water off, wrapped a towel around her as best he could and lifted her from the tub, ignoring the water that streamed over him. He was as bloody as she had been anyway, his suit ruined. He strode with her to the bed, shifted the blankets back and tucked her inside, naked and damp. Then he dropped to his knees beside the bed, took her hand in his and leaned forward until he was almost touching her face.

  “Gina, mi amor,” he murmured. “Will you be my wife?”

  Her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened clear grey eyes to look at him. His heart nearly stopped as he waited for her answer.

  “Yes, Alejandro.”

  Chapter Ten

  He didn’t knock, he just walked through the connecting door as though he had every right in the world to barge into her room without an invitation. She guessed he probably did have that right anyway. He was paying for the hotel room. His boss owned Bolivia, the underworld anyway. Which meant Reyes also owned the politicians, the resources, the drug trade, everything. And in a matter of moments Alejandro would own her.

  But still…

  “It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” she told him, her voice slightly hoarse from her screams during the attack the evening before and her crying bout after.

  She turned from the mirror to face him. It didn’t matter if he saw the entire dress now since he didn’t seem to care about tradition anyway. The makeup and hair woman had just left after helping Gina into the Vera Wang gown. It was truly stunning. A lovely white creation; simple but elegantly beautiful with a heart-shaped neckline that dipped into Gina’s generous cleavage, cupping and lifting her breasts. Tiny spaghetti straps curved her shoulders. The gown gathered at the waist with a ribbon and flowed over her hips, falling to the floor in a soft, classic skirt. Somehow, surprisingly, Alejandro or someone close to him had picked the perfect gown for her.

  The hairdresser had left Gina’s blond curls to flow free bouncing around her bare shoulders, simply pinning them at the sides with sapphire and diamond encrusted barrettes. Her make-up was also soft and subtle in light pink and peach tones, as though the woman had been told to enhance Gina for her wedding day but keep her as close to natural as possible. She suspected Alejandro had given the order; it seemed his style.

  He stood just inside the connecting door, his big, solid body stopped as though unable to take another step. He studied her, eyes narrowed. She could tell though, by the curve of his lips and the flex of his Adam’s apple that he liked what he saw. She smiled shyly and took a step forward, then she tripped on the long skirt, pitching forward. She hadn’t put the matching heels on yet. She reached out to catch herself but there was nothing to hold on to.

  Awe, fuck, she thought as she fell. She really hoped she didn’t tear her wedding dress when she hit the carpet and then laughed at herself as she tried to collapse as delicately as possible without flailing like a baby deer trying to stand up for the first time.

  She should have known though. Alejandro would never let her fall. His strong arms captured her before her body hit the carpet and she found herself swept up against him. She grinned happily and clutched the lapel of his tuxedo jacket, thinking this was the most romantic moment of her life. Then he took it to the next level. He set her back on her feet and reached for her shoes.

  She quivered, her breasts heaving unevenly as her breath gasped in and out while he slid one large hand up under her dress to cup her calf. She wobbled a little after her first shoe went on, giggled and reached behind her to grab the bed post. He placed the other shoe on her foot and then slid his hand up to her knee, then her thigh, watching her face before slowly
removing his hands.

  Gina thought he would stand, but he continued to kneel at her feet and stare up at her. She looked down at him, her hair swirling between them, grey eyes meeting dark velvety brown. The moment became strangely intense until she could almost feel the air around them charge with electricity.

  “I don’t deserve you, my Angelina,” he said, his voice deep and serious. She opened her mouth to deny his words, but he shook his head sharply. “No, don’t speak, my love. Just listen,” he instructed. “You may think you know me, but you only know what I’ve chosen to show you. There are parts of me you will never know, parts I will never allow you to see. For your protection. I don’t deserve you, but I want you, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I’ve spent a year patiently waiting, determined to take you when I thought the time was right.”

  She nodded, tears filling her eyes. Despite his insistence that she not speak, she did anyway. “I want you too, Alejandro,” she whispered, “more than anything. I loved you from the first moment I saw you. It just took me awhile to know my heart.”

  He nodded and reached up to take her hand. “And I knew I loved you, cariña. From that moment you innocently asked me to find you a limited-edition Spiderman comic book with our next food shipment and I, like a lovesick fool, moved heaven and Earth to find the stupid thing. You had no idea how hard that fucking magazine was to find, mi amor, but I did it without complaint. Anyone else on the planet would have gotten shot for such a request on my time.”

  She laughed and carefully wiped a tear from beneath her eyelid with a shaking finger. “I knew exactly how hard it would be for you to get your hands on that comic book. I also knew if anyone could do it, it would be you. You’ve sort of been my secret hero ever since you came through on that one.”

  He smiled gently and rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. “One day with you, one glorious fucking day has taught me that I can’t just take you as I’d planned. I need you to walk by my side, as my partner. I will not be able to share everything, but I will always give you choices when I can, mi amor. You are life to me, you are everything. Will you be my wife?”

  She choked on a sob and laughed at the same time. “Of course, I will,” she cried. When he stood and crushed her against his chest, hugging her tight she said, “But you already asked me last night.”

  He chuckled and set her away from him. “You deserved a proper proposal, in the light of day when you weren’t exhausted and frightened.” He took her hand and tugged her toward the door. “Now let’s go do this. You’ve said yes twice, there’s no escape now, I want my bride and I want her now.”

  Gina laughed and followed him, feeling lighter than she had in a long time. This was her wedding day and her groom was doing his best to make it absolutely perfect!

  The ride to the church was uneventful though Gina noticed there was a lot more security than usual. She turned in her seat to look out the window at the SUVs flanking theirs and shivered, hoping the overkill on security would deter any more would-be attackers. As if sensing her trepidation, Alejandro, who’d insisted on riding with her despite the breach in tradition, took her hand in his and kissed the tips of her fingers.

  “Do not worry, Gina,” he said in a low voice, his dark eyes commanding her to listen to him. “Only a fool would take on El Rey’s second on his wedding day. Especially with the fire power we have surrounding the church.” He ran the back of his hand down her curls, clearly enjoying the silken texture, then leaned closer to lightly brush his lips against hers. “You will enjoy this day, mi amor, it is the only one you will ever get.”

  Though the words could be taken as threatening, his tone was not, so she smiled and nodded her head, leaning further into his kiss and adding pressure. She felt him stiffen and then he brought both hands up to cup her head and hold her still as he took over, deepening their kiss and stealing the breath from her throat. It didn’t take much. Whenever Alejandro was close Gina found herself holding her breath in anticipation.

  As soon as the kiss began, it ended. He released her and gave her a gentle push away. With a self-deprecating chuckle, he attempted to straighten her hair. “I now see why the groom is supposed to travel separate from his bride. You’re far too tempting to leave untouched. It will be a miracle if I don’t fuck you in the church before we find a proper bed.”

  Her mouth fell open and she could feel her face flush. She slapped a hand over her mouth and laughed out loud. “Don’t say things like that!” she yelped rolling her eyes toward the driver.

  He snorted a laugh and then eyed her, his face growing serious. “You’re damn near twenty-eight, woman, you can’t be a virgin.”

  Now it was her turn to snort. She opened her mouth to reply but Alejandro stopped her, holding up a hand and spreading his long fingers. “No, don’t tell me. Let us prevent the massacre of your legion of ex-boyfriends by pretending there have been none.”

  Giggles erupted from her lips and she clutched at the ribbon around her middle. She eyed him to see if he was serious or not, but his face gave nothing away. “L-legion?” she asked, gasping for breath. “First of all, you’ve spent the last year cock-blocking me so I couldn’t get hold of a single man even if I wanted to. Not until that teeny date with Miguel the other day.” She changed the subject quickly when his face darkened. Apparently, her sitting there in a wedding dress headed to a church about to put his ring on her finger still didn’t absolve the doctor of the grave sin of enjoying Gina’s company. “And there have hardly been legions of men in my life! Nearly my entire family was murdered before I was out of my teens and I was whisked away to be protected for my own good, which hardly left room for dating. Eventually, when life settled down, yes, I was able to date…”

  Alejandro let out a snarl and said, “Changed my mind, I want their names and addresses.”

  She laughed. “Not a chance.”

  He eyed her with a heated look that seared every particle of her being. She thought he was going for menacing, given his next words, but wet heat flooded her pussy, telling her that she secretly dug his ‘enforcer’ look. “I have ways of making you give up those names, Gina amor,” he growled.

  “You gonna torture me, Alejandro?” she whispered spreading her legs a little and giving him a heated look of her own from beneath her lashes.

  She could swear actual flames leapt into his eyes as they dropped to her lap. He was reaching for her when a throat cleared in the front seat of the vehicle reminding them that they weren’t alone. Her head snapped up and she realized they were no longer moving. Her cheeks heated up again, this time for a different reason, and she snapped her legs back together. Alejandro disagreed with her course of action, swooping for the bottom of her skirt and yanking it up while trying to wedge his hand between her legs. She let out a yelp and then slapped a hand over her lips to muffle the sound.

  “We’re here, sir,” the driver told them in a neutral voice, averting his eyes from the rear-view mirror. Smart man.

  “Get the fuck out,” Alejandro replied.

  Gina tried to stifle her laugh at his bad temper but failed miserably. She tugged uselessly at his hand, but he just wrapped his long fingers around her thigh and tugged her legs open. She let out a moan just as the driver slammed the door shut on his way out. “Good man,” Alejandro mumbled, unbuckling her seatbelt with his other hand and hauling her into his lap.

  “Wh-what are you doing?” she squeaked as her skirt flipped up and went in every direction so she couldn’t see. “Alejandro, we have to go get married now!”

  “After,” he growled.

  “After what?” she asked right before his fingers found her panties, shoved them to the side and sank into her. She let out a long, startled cry. “Ahhh…!”

  “After I make you come all over my hand,” he breathed hotly in her ear and yanked her legs wider apart with a strong hand on her thigh. Now that he had better access he was able to sink his fingers deeper, gliding his thumb over the hood of her clit, coaxing the
bud out. “I want to hear your cries in my ear, feel you writhing all over me, smell you when I make you my wife.”

  “Oh… kaaay,” she moaned huskily, throwing her head back sharply into his jacketed shoulder. He reached into the front of her dress and squeezed the soft flesh of her breast while gliding his fingers in and out of her silken passage.

  “So fucking wet, amor,” he growled against her, thrusting his hips up against her ass. “Feel what you do to me. I’m so hard for you. I want to fuck you like I’ve never wanted anyone in my life. I want to worship your body and never stop.”

  His words were driving her higher and higher while his fingers played on her body. She turned her head and touched her mouth to his jaw feeling the texture of his skin against her lips, the hard rasp of his shaven chin against the softness of her own plush flesh. The scent of cigar and man drove her wild. She rocked her hips into his fingers, seeking the black velvet oblivion of orgasm.

  “Yes, baby, that’s it,” he snarled in her ear. “Give it to me, come on my fingers.”

  She did as he commanded, jerking against him, exploding in the sweetest orgasm she’d ever experienced. She cried out. He turned his head to hers, capturing her cries in a kiss while he continued to caress her pussy, helping her ride the shockwaves until she collapsed against him with a satisfied sigh.

  He held her in his arms as she floated down from the delirious high of an orgasm she hadn’t induced herself, the first one she’d had in a very long time. She grinned and then she sat up straight nearly clipping him on the chin. Her hands flew up and she cried out, “My hair!”

  He chuckled and set her on the seat next to him, carefully tugging her skirt back into place. Then he tilted her face toward him and straightened her hair once more, unclipping one of her barrettes and resetting it back in place. Patting her head, he said, “Perfection.”