Page 179 of Kissing the Villain

She snorted with laughter. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I played football with Sonny,” I told her. “We were on the same team.”

“What position did you play?”

“Quarterback.”

She chuckled. “Of course you did.”

“My turn,” I said. “Would you be here now if Luca hadn’t forced you to return?”

I already knew the answer, but I wanted her to consider her options. Even though I owed Luca, I wanted her. He made me promise I would walk away in the end, but I wasn’t so sure I could do that now that my heart was involved.

“No way,” she shot back. “I would be halfway around the world by now.”

“What if you had a choice between Luca and me ten years ago?”

She licked her lips, thinking over my question. “My entire life would have been different if I’d had a choice.”

I held her gaze. “Would you have picked Luca or me?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Alex sighed with tears in her bottom lids. “I’m not sure how I feel about Luca. I stabbed him. So, there must be more to the story. I’m confused… I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

I slid my arm behind her back. “It’s okay, Alex. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” she muttered. “Just… I don’t know. I wish I could remember everything that happened. Until that night, I never thought I could kill someone. And then, last night, I had a flashback. I remember what I did with you and the Knights.”

“Yeah? How do you feel about what we did?”

“Like I want a repeat.”

I crushed her lips with a hard, passionate kiss. She melted into me, her hard nipples poking through her thin bikini top, brushing against my bare chest. A swirl of emotions ripped through my body, my chest so tight I could hardly breathe.

When I was with Alex, the world faded into the background. I raked my fingers through her hair, shoving the strands off her face. My heart hammered against my ribcage with each flick of her tongue, heat coursing through my veins. She moaned into my mouth when I twisted her nipple between my fingers.

The boat stopped abruptly, and I heard Sonny yell a dozen curses above us.

“That can’t be good,” Alex said as she pulled her lips from mine.

“No, it’s not.” I jumped to my feet, bringing her with me.

We hurried toward the stern, where we found Sonny tugging at the ends of his short blond hair.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

He looked at me. “We’re out of gas.”

“How is that possible? We always leave the harbor with a full tank.”

Sonny leaned over the side of the boat, shaking his head. “Because someone punctured the fuel tank.”

“Why would someone want to do that?” Alex asked.

“I called Sea Tow,” he said.

I sat on the leather bench beside Alex. Sonny sat across from us, his boat shoes crossed at his ankles. He was wearing a button-down shirt halfway open and a Borsalino Fedora.

“Which member of the Rat Pack are you?” I quipped.

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