“Just.” He raised his palm. “Shut. Up.”
“Whatever you say, man.” The cart wheels started to roll again and Alex turned around to see Niko pushing it across the room toward the pool table. “I’m gonna put this over here.”
He craned around the corner and didn’t see Julianna. She must’ve gone all the way into the back bedroom. “Jackass,” he swore. “Why the hell did you come up here?”
“This is the plan, Alex.” Niko’s eyes snapped over to the kitchen and he lowered his voice. “You know this is the plan.”
“Maggie said I would have some time first. I barely had time to…”
“Yeah, I’ve seen what you had time to do.” The blonde wolf’s gaze flickered to the couch, then the window. “She had window-sex-head, dude. You can’t hide the smell of sex. Or those streaks on the window.”
Alex fisted his hands and checked the front of his pants. Did he still have her smell on him? He could still practically taste her. “It wasn’t planned.” He shouldered off his jacket and draped it on the chaise lounge. “The stupid fucking magick—” His movements froze.
“Wait. You have a connection with her?” Niko’s flat, Midwest accent grated on him. “Like, a mate bond connection?”
“Shut up. I never said that.” He whirled on his fellow enforcer.
“Maggie is gonna be pissed you didn’t say something.”
Alex gripped the back of the chaise lounge, trying to channel his frustration somewhere. “I just found out myself.”
Niko slid a hand through his light hair and made a befuddled O with his mouth. He nudged the cart out of the way and came to stand in front of Alex. A black plastic folder dangled from one hand. “She’s the enemy, man.”
He shook his head, anger rising from his gut. “She’s not the enemy. She’s not even a wolf.”
With wide eyes, Niko shifted back on his heel. “What?” He looked over at the kitchen and brought his voice down. “What the hell? How can she not be a wolf if she’s Rossi’s daughter?”
“I don’t know.” Alex gripped his friend’s shoulder. “But I need you to have Maggie do some major digging. Get Rain and the Rangers on it if we have to. If there’s something we missed, I need to know about it.”
A click sounded at the door and without a knock, it swung open. A willowy brunette backed in, pulling a grey plastic cart with cleaning supplies. Her eyes rounded when she saw them, but she quickly nodded.
“Hello, Mr. Sureda.” She nodded once, then twice. “Nicholas.”
“Right, let me just sign that,” Alex said.
Niko nodded and handed over the folder.
The blue-jacketed brunette took the cart across the room and pulled out a broom. “Let me just clean up this glass, Nicholas, and then you can set the meal up as Miss Rossi requested.”
“Yes, Miss Cortez.” Niko stuffed the folder into his giant pocket and narrowed his eyes at Alex. While the other staff person began to sweep at the glass, Niko caught Alex’s eye. He mouthed, “Someone will be back to get the tablet.”
Alex patted his pocket and whispered, “I’ll text Maggie.”
The noise of scraping glass barely covered his words, but the woman didn’t seem to notice.
Niko pushed the cart across the room and waited for her to give him the all-clear.
Alex pulled out his phone and turned his back on the room. Niko is here. Can’t find the tablet. Any other ideas?
He walked to the pool table and leaned against it, looking at his reflection in the dark window. When the lights had dimmed and he’d been able to see across the ocean, it’d shocked him that the whole mission had floated out of his mind while Julianna was around.
While he was inside her.
Ever since he’d met the wolves in Jalisco who’d known the elusive Mr. Rossi, he hadn’t been able to think about anything but catching the bastard. And then when he’d escaped from the penthouse, they’d had immediately began plans to find him again.
There hadn’t been a moment in days that he hadn’t been singularly focused on that plan, until he smelled Julianna and felt her magick, and now, all he could think about was her.
He had to find his focus again.
Stay there, Maggie texted. Let me talk with Niko.
They’d agreed he would text often, but plans seemed to be more fluid than expected. Alex never thought he’d be looking at the prospect of nakedness, where he might be separated from his pants, and have his phone be elsewhere. But he couldn’t very well play the prude with Julianna after having fucked her the minute he got her alone.
She’d expressly gone looking for someone to spend the weekend with her. That’s what the whole website had been for. Discreet consensual hookups. Sex tourism. Julianna would expect more sex.
And to be fair, if he got within half a foot of her, Alex might not be able to control himself again. It had happened once.
The young woman in the suit knelt on the floor and began to scrub at the carpet. Niko set out food on the table and pulled cloches off plates and trays.
Alex swiped at his phone. She’s not a wolf. I need you to find out how that’s possible.
Immediately, he got a text back. WHAT?
I promise you, she’s not. But she’s obviously his daughter. Has all the keys to the kingdom. Tell me what is going on here.
A quick buzz back from Maggie. I’ll get back to you.
He stuffed the device back into his pocket, and watched Miss Cortez scrubbing at the stain.
Niko looked at Alex over her head and raised his eyebrows.
Go to Maggie, Alex mouthed, and the other wolf nodded.
“If that’s all, Miss Cortez,” Niko said with a stiff bow.
She waved him off and climbed to her feet. “I’ll take these cushions with me. The carpet stain needs to rest, but the cushions will be easier for me to clean if I can take them down to housekeeping.”
Alex nodded. “Thanks for doing that.”
She’d gathered up the cushions and the cart with her supplies, and was out the door before he could think of anything else to say to her. He wasn’t sure if humans had the perception to smell sex or not, but if she knew what had happened there—why the wine had spilled—she did a brilliant job of pretending she didn’t.
Unlike Niko.
Alex sighed and eyed the table. The food smelled amazing, and he ran his hand along the back of the nearest dining chair. Julianna had touched this place, preparing for him to arrive. She’d ordered food and made arrangements. Gotten his favorite wine—he still didn’t want to know how she’d managed to find that out.
She was an enigma, this woman. So sultry in the club, and then that red dress screaming sex kitten, but her public persona was so staid.
They would have to have a little more time together before he went digging for her notebook.
Maybe he could hold off the drive to kiss her…to touch her…to fuck her…until then.
Just. Maybe.
Chapter Five
“Julianna?” Alex’s footsteps on the marble floors alerted her to his whereabouts.
She sat up and wiped away any dampness beneath her eyes. Her minor meltdown was not going to ruin her perfectly planned weekend. She had it scheduled to a T.
They could get back on track. It could still go wonderfully.
Alex appeared around the corner, but stopped when he saw her. His eyes held something…sympathy? Curiosity? Definitely lust.
They had that in common. She was hungrier for more of him than the delicious scent of dinner wafting in from the kitchen.
“I just needed a moment. Forgive me.” She stood and smoothed her skirt. She’d already tucked her breasts back into the corset and straightened her bodice, rumpled from their interlude against the window. Everything was presentable again, probably except her hair.
She ran her palms over the messy curls, trying to twirl them back into place.
“There’s nothing to forgive,” he said, moving to her side and catching her hands in his. “Your hair
looks beautiful.”
“I… Just—”
“It’s just us now. Everyone else left. The waiter. The woman you sent up to clean. All gone. Come, sit and eat with me.”
She took a deep breath. Yes. Eating. We should eat. Julianna had had the hotel chef prepare a wonderful meal. Wasting it would be a sin. Although, the things she wanted to do to Alex later would be considered sinful, too .
He slid a hand to the middle of her back as they walked through the kitchen. After seating her at the end of the table, Alex took the seat at her right. The scent of the perfectly seared Kobe steak made her mouth water and her stomach grumble. She’d missed lunch today and had forgotten until just this moment how hungry she was.
Alex poured a glass of his wine for each of them.
Maybe this time they could manage to keep it in the goblets and not drop anything else on the floor.
Julianna didn’t think she could handle anything else going awry this weekend. Good food. Good Sex. That was all she was asking for. It shouldn’t be that hard.
“Eat. You’re going to need your energy for the rest of the evening.”
Warmth crept up her neck and onto her cheeks. The tone of his voice struck a chord that made her want to strip naked right there at the table. To hell with the food. But now, he’d ordered her to eat. If she was going to balk at that, she needed to say something right this second, but her mind was blank. Instead, she reached for her glass and took a sip of the burgundy. The woody tones bathed her palate and she smiled. This was one of her absolute favorites. “Is the food acceptable to you? Diana wasn’t able to find any food allergies in your background check.”
He looked down at the tenderloin on his plate and grinned. “This looks great. You certainly did a thorough check, didn’t you?”
“A woman can’t be too careful these days. I have the resources, so I utilize them.” She cut and forked a slice of her roasted asparagus. The hint of thyme and lemon were just enough to soften the sharpness of the vegetable. “I would assume you know quite a bit about me as well.”
“I know you run this hotel which is owned by your father, Adrian Rossi.”
“Yes, he does own it.” She ground her teeth and reached for her wine goblet. Downing the whole glass wouldn’t be appropriate, but it still didn’t keep the thought from crossing her mind. The last thing she wanted to talk about was her father.
“Not involved?” he asked, his eyes on his plate as he sliced his steak.
“Honestly, he’s an overbearing asshole and I’d rather not talk about him. I planned this weekend with you, someone I agreed to meet and have sex with in less than twenty-four hours, because he left for the weekend. Diana pulled an all-nighter to assure me the chances of you murdering me in my sleep were very low. I prefer to keep my personal business out of his sight if at all possible.”
Son of a bitch. Why did I just say all that?
She didn’t know this man, apart from the fact her gut told her she was going to have some of the best sex of her life this weekend. Julianna sipped her wine and avoided Alex’s scrutinizing stare.
He took a bite of his steak and smiled.
Damn. He was so hot. It was his devilish smile that had sold the meet for her at the very beginning of the search.
“Feel better?”
A sigh slipped from between her lips. She set her nearly empty goblet back on the table. “I’m sorry. That was much more intimate information than you could ever have wanted to hear. I shouldn’t have vented about my father to you.”
He shrugged. “Venting is healthy. You should get all the stress out before move to more aerobic activities.” His gray eyes twinkled with the hint of a promise she wanted fulfilled. “So tell me, what did he do that got you so worked up?”
Julianna sliced her steak and shoved a bit in her mouth so she wouldn’t have to speak. Talking about what her father had done…wasn’t an option. She wasn’t even sure what really happened in his penthouse over the last week. The last thing she wanted was to spook her date.
There wasn’t really a good way to say she’d had to call in a discreet clean up crew to gut the living room of her father’s penthouse because it’d been covered in blood and the walls filled with bullet holes.
Finding out what had happened there was impossible, and the less people who knew something happened, the better. Unfortunately, the knowledge that her father was some kind of criminal or murderer was eating a hole right through her stomach. She’d always know he probably flirted with illegal activity, but something terrible had caught up with him in that penthouse.
“Julianna?”
She glanced up, meeting Alex’s soft gaze. Something about him relaxed and drew her to him. Nothing about what she was feeling could be normal. A person couldn’t fall for a person this fast.
It was ridiculous.
She smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just focus on enjoying this weekend, shall we? Like I said, I really don’t want to talk about him.” Lifting her glass to her lips, she downed the last of her wine. “Tell me why you’re visiting Choaca.”
“Family tree research.”
Julianna couldn’t stop a small cough of laughter. “But… you’re Cuban. You have family in Choaca?”
“Not for me. For a friend of the family unable to travel.”
“Have you found anything?”
“Yep, almost done.”
“So you won’t be staying in town for long?” The idea of him leaving and heading back to Miami made her heart sink.
What is wrong with my emotions? This is for sex. You’re not looking for anything serious.
After Frank left, she’d decided she didn’t want anything or anyone long-term again for a while. But there was something Julianna couldn’t explain making her daydream about Alex staying in Choaca, or at least returning for another rendezvous.
She put her silverware on the plate, then laid her folded napkin over it.
“Did you want me to stay longer?”
“No, this weekend is all I have right now. But perhaps another trip at a later date? I think we both know we have chemistry. The sex would be well worth the time on the plane.” Again with the words falling out of my mouth. What is it about him that’s making me act like a love struck fool?
Her attraction to him might be making her say things she wouldn’t normally, but Julianna still had every intention of fucking him until both of them considered getting out bed more trouble than it was worth.
“Are you sure that’s really all you want out this weekend? Sex?”
She nodded. “I have a very busy life. These carefully planned weekends when my father is absent from the hotel are my only moments of self-indulgence. I do hope you’re up to the task.”
“Of seducing you?” He raised an eyebrow and pressed his lips tight.
“That was my hope.”
Alex couldn’t help smiling. Was he up to the task? His abilities at seduction had never been something he’d considered when he’d volunteered for this. On first conception, this mission had been about getting her tablet and finding out how much she knew about the operation on the island.
But the more she spoke, the less it appeared she knew, and the more he wanted to throw Maggie and the group off her scent. Not only was she not a wolf, but she did not seem to have much regard for Rossi at all.
The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to forget about the mission and worry only about giving Julianna the best weekend of her life.
Could he do both?
He took a long drink of his wine and considered her. She said she wanted seduction, yet she’d been the one seducing him. His favorite wine, his favorite meal—and they hadn’t even touched the dessert yet—the music, the lights on timers, the…corset.
Alex put his goblet on the table. “Take off your clothes.”
Her jaw dropped an inch, and when he tented his fingers under his chin, Julianna’s mouth rounded. He gestured a hurry-up and began unbuttoning his own shirt.
>
“T…typ…” She inhaled and cleared her throat. “Typically, we would go to the bedroom, first.”
“I’m not typical, and neither are you.” He had his shirt open and put his hands on either side of the table. “Now take off your clothes, or I will do it for you.”
Her eyes practically glazed, and some energy in her shifted.
Was it the magick?
Delicate fingers unzipped the side of her dress. “But… we’re exposed here.” She nodded around the open room, eyes landing on the wooden door that led out to the elevators.
“No one is coming up here.” Alex laid his shirt across the back of the dining chair to his left and stood. The air in the suite was a touch cool, and between that and the magick, his skin pebbled. “Only I will see you.”
“You don’t need to see me.” Julianna stopped the slow unzip of her dress. “Trust me, it’ll be better in the bedroom, where the light is lower.”
Something turned over in his heart, like a hand squeezing him. Didn’t she know how beautiful she was?
He stepped around the table and took her hand. Her jaw dropped again, but she didn’t resist when he pulled her to her feet. The air between them sang with magick and his pulse quickened.
Alex’s fingers covered hers and finished unzipping her dress. He peeled it off her and let it drop to the floor. The creamy white of the corset stood out beautifully against her peachy skin.
“I don’t want lower light,” he whispered, tracing the lacey top of her corset. “You’re gorgeous, and I want to see you.”
She inhaled sharply when his fingers dipped between her breasts, and he could feel the blood rushing to his cock. He wanted to be inside her. But he was going to have to wait.
“This corset top is intricate,” she argued. “I usually don’t take it off.”
He stepped back and took in the whole of her body—all the gentle curves of her hips and stomach, the lush, long beauty of her. His breath caught in his throat. “Take it off.” Alex reached for his belt again and unbuckled it.
Her eyes averted, landing on the hallway that led to the bedroom.
“No.” He reached for her chin and turned her to face him. “No bedroom, Julianna. You want the seduction. This is what it feels like to be seduced.” His fingers fumbled with the ties on the back of her corset, unlacing and pulling, until he had each one loose enough that he could peel the thick material off her body. Her breasts tumbled into his view and he couldn’t help the smile that spread its way across his face.
Seducing a Wolf: Moonbound Series, Book Five Page 3