Casey chewed her lip nervously and touched a finger to her still flat belly, soothingly caressing her unborn child as she leaned against Ignacio's old desk and stared unseeing into what used to be her back yard. It still looked the same, perhaps a little less manicured. Ignacio had always been about appearances while Diego was more about security and the bottom line. He would prefer fewer maintenance workers and gardeners on his estate.She barely listened to the men as they conducted business, which probably surprised Reyes since she'd taken part in almost every facet of his business since Venezuela. And though she'd convinced him to bring her to Miami to reconnect with her former associates and establish herself as his partner, she hadn't been telling him the entire truth.There had been some blow back to her taking their unborn child into Mexico and putting both of their lives at risk. He'd raged for days, locking her in their bedroom and alternating between terrible fury and atte
"You take the pain away or I take everything you love!" Reyes snarled from the end of the bed, pointing his finger in the obstetrician's face."Reyes!" Casey shrieked, gripping a fistful of blankets in her long, slim fingers and giving him a glare that rivalled even his best death glare. "Either shut the fuck up or leave! Let the man do his job," she snarled from between clenched teeth as another labour pain hit her."Not fucking likely, Casey," he growled back and turned to the baby doctor, two nurses and Miguel who were hovering next to his wife. He'd had the birthing team specially flown in two weeks earlier and paid them all exorbitantly to follow Casey's every move, much to her annoyance. "What the fuck are you waiting for?" he shouted at them. "Fix her!"All three medical professionals stood gaping at him, too terrified of the volatile cartel boss to dare touch his woman while he was in the room. Miguel just rolled his eyes, used to Reyes' temper when it came to Casey. Casey l
"This was your idea, nena," Reyes reminded her while attempting to disguise the impatience in his voice. She eyed him as though he were about to pounce on her and slowly backed away from him, glancing sideways for escape routes. Sure, it had been her idea, and it had seemed super badass and smart at the time, but now seeing and smelling his burnt flesh was making her seriously rethink the brilliancy of this plan. As soon as she'd pressed the burning hot iron to the skin of his neck, pushing hard to imprint the mark of a male crown into his skin she'd started to have her doubts. He'd stood strong and stoic, never once flinching. Only the tiny ripple of his pectoral muscles, bared for the ceremony, gave away his pain. As soon as enough time had passed she'd dropped the small, intricate iron and stepped away, staring in awe at the mark she'd created."Wh-what about a tattoo for me instead?" she asked, hoping he might go for a compromise, though she really didn't want a tattoo either an
Book Two: Alejandro's PreyDance with me.Bring my demons to their knees.-Nicole Lyons"Where's your cousin?" Alejandro approached Casey, eyeing the vicinity for another bright blond head and coming up empty."Umm, she's around here somewhere," Casey hedged and didn't look up at him but continued to play with the baby in her lap. The first indication he had that something was wrong. Casey looked everyone in the eye. She never backed down from any kind of challenge. Unless something was up that she wasn't prepared to discuss. Fuck that. If it involved her delectable cousin, it involved him.Alejandro hunkered down in front of her and the baby, folding his tall, muscular form close to hers. He wanted to tilt her chin, to force her to look at him while he demanded his answers, but he knew touching would not be tolerated by the boss. He understood, he would feel the same about his own woman."Where is she, Casey?" he asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.Casey shrugged, st
"I've been expecting you," Reyes said, not looking up from his paperwork.Alejandro closed the door to the office firmly behind him. They'd known each other for over twelve years, the boss knew his knock by now. Reyes had lured Alejandro away from his Venezuelan commando unit with the promise of riches and a life-saving health treatment for his mother. He'd gone to work for the Bolivian mobster and never looked back. They didn't stand on ceremony with each other. Now he stood in front of the same desk he'd been in front of thousands of time – dispensing advice, giving his valued opinion and taking orders."Permission to take a helicopter."Reyes didn't look up. "Denied."Alejandro was pissed by the immediate denial of his request but unsurprised. There were multiple helicopters for a reason – so the family wouldn't become stranded in the valley in case of emergency. He gritted his teeth. He considered this an emergency and so would the doctor if he laid so much as one single finger
Gina chose to remain silent throughout most of their forty-minute flight to La Paz and Alejandro didn't insist on conversation, not an easy thing to accomplish anyway even with the headsets. Gina didn't want to question his implication of what a priest could possibly mean in case she was wrong. In fact, she must be wrong. He couldn't possibly… no. Why would he want to marry her?Of course, she knew he lusted after her, he made no secret of this. He'd spent a year stalking her with both his eyes and his actions. He'd done his best to keep other men away from her. She'd always sort of wondered what kept him at bay since he didn't seem like the sort of man to deny himself something he really wanted. At first, she'd been relieved that he hadn't simply taken her, but as the months passed a part of her had become gradually disappointed and hurt. After all, Alejandro was a very handsome man. It was both breathtaking and terrifying to be the focus of his attention. Plus… if she were being tot
Alejandro wrapped an arm around her waist and held her tight as they walked across the tarmac toward the waiting vehicles. True to his word Reyes had sent four men with two armoured vehicles to meet them at the airport. The men would act as Alejandro's security while he was in La Paz wooing and wedding his woman. He wasn't entirely pleased with the interference, but he knew better than to question it.He held the door open and slid in next to her. Something in his chest seemed to relax and release slightly as he was finally able to look his fill. Soon he would touch and taste as well. No more waiting and watching, creating rules, corralling her; narrowing her world as he jealously watched over her from a distance. He'd known he wasn't being exactly reasonable in his commands. He hadn't cared. He'd wanted her to himself, yet he'd forced himself to wait. Gave the woman time to come to terms with her life in the mountains, come to terms with the brutal enforcer that would one day become
Same suite, separate rooms.Gina let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and glanced at Alejandro through the connecting door between the rooms. He'd left it open after ushering her through to her room. He moved around his room with an easy fluidity, as sure of himself in the confines of one of the nicest suites that the fanciest hotel in La Paz had to offer as he was on the training field with his men. He stood half facing away from her, his strong profile highlighted by the radiant hues of the setting sun shining through the balcony windows. As she watched, fascinated and immobile, he reached up to tug the buttons of his shirt loose starting at his strong throat and finishing just below mid-chest letting his shirt gape open over his broad muscles. He placed those long fingers and strong hands at his narrow hips and stood solid, unmoving. She took a quick breath, trying to keep it as quiet as possible, but still needing to fill her lungs with air before she fainted fr
Alejandro resented being put on babysitting duty. The woman had been on her own for years. There was no reason she couldn't board an airplane and make her own way to the meeting point with her cousin. But Casey hadn't wanted Angelina to fly alone. She'd wanted her cousin to feel taken care of, special. So, as the most trusted person on Reyes' payroll he'd been appointed her official escort.He stepped off the airplane and into the cool, sunny day. He brought a hand up to shade his eyes, looking around. He saw a car and assumed it must be her ride since it was the only one on the tarmac. He strode toward the vehicle just as the back door opened and a long, curvy leg slid out, then the rest of her. She gripped the edge of the door and stood, looking around uncertainly.If he hadn't had years of combat and military training he might have stumbled. Angelina Giancarro was perfection. From the top of her flyaway blond hair to the bottom of her heeled sandals. She clung to the car door as i
Alejandro flung her into another room. She'd been marched through the sterile halls of the prison building in such a hurry that she couldn't tell at all where she was until she got a good look around. His office. There was a large desk, impeccably tidy with an ashtray for his cigars. She smiled fondly, tilting her head so her hair covered her expression. He didn't need to see the peace on her face while he was in such a towering rage. Actually, worry was probably a more accurate emotion to describe her love. Only he didn't know how to do worry, so anger was the next best thing, as evidenced by his next words and actions. First, he used his hand to wipe her all around her mouth, though she knew there was nothing there. Then he gripped her arms in a hard hold and snarled, "The poison, Gina. What kind?""Cyanide," she told him right away and cringed when he slammed his fist into the desk next to her hip. She placed a shaking hand against his chest and said quietly, "I'll be fine. He di
"No," Alejandro said coldly. "Get back in the jeep, turn around and wait for me at home."Gina stared up at her formidable husband in dismay. He was wearing his military-style fatigues and his face looked as though it was carved from stone, there was no softness for his wife. She hadn't anticipated this barrier to see the prisoner once she had permission from his boss. Of course, the prisoner and prison fell under Alejandro's jurisdiction, so he could stop her from having this visit if he wanted."Please, Alejandro," she begged him. "I need to see him.""No," Alejandro said coldly, steel threading his voice, "you don't. I've been back for two days and you haven't come to see me.""That isn't fair!" she cried. "I thought you were avoiding me. I didn't want to push myself on you if you didn't want to see me. I was trying to be…""What?" he demanded, pushing himself against her and backing her into a concrete wall. She clutched the muffin tin against her chest and lifted her chin.
"Drop it!" Gina yelped.She heaved a sigh of relief as the muffin hit the floor and bent over to scoop it up, tossing it in the trash. She placed a new chocolate chip raspberry muffin in Casey's palm and whirled around the side of her kitchen island to check on the batch still in the oven. They were rising beautifully, the tops baking to a lovely golden brown."You want to tell me what that was about?" Casey asked suspiciously, peeling the paper away from the base of her still warm muffin. She took a big bite, closing her eyes in what looked like ecstasy."Uh, nope," Gina mumbled, mixing another batch in a big metal bowl."My god," Casey moaned, licking her lips. "You suck at hand-to-hand combat, weapons and pretty much anything else self-defence related, but damn girl, you can bake! Can I take some up to the main house for Reyes and the housekeeping staff?" Gina laughed, covered her hand in an oven mitt and took the trays out of the oven, making room for her next batch. She chew
"Do you have arsenic?" Gina asked, leafing absently through a cookbook."What on Earth for?" Casey asked, stacking supplies on the counter. "What else do you need?"Gina leaned over and checked the muffin recipe. "Creamed butter and milk."Casey opened the stainless-steel door of her refrigerator and stuck her head inside. "Don't have creamed butter, just the regular kind, but here's the milk."Gina laughed and reached around her cousin for the butter. "The regular kind will work just fine. I can cream it myself. You really need to learn how to cook."Casey backed out of the fridge with a key lime pie held in her arms like a prize of war. She looked around for her housekeeper and danced toward the drawer for forks, handing one to Gina. "Haven't needed to cook for myself since… well, since I've been alive. Why learn now?"Gina frowned. Casey had a point. She tilted her head to the side and ate a bite of pie. "Well do you at least know how to use a can opener in case of a zombie ap
Gina moaned and tried to roll onto her side, but something stopped her. She reached out, sliding her hand across the silky bamboo sheets. Where had the fluffy blankets gone? Then something intensely pleasurable shifted her thoughts away from any other musings. She tried to sit up so she could see what was happening, but a huge hand reached out and palmed between her breasts, shoving her back down. She hit the pillows behind her while the sensation of a tongue working magic directly between her legs increased until she was moaning helplessly and reaching over her head to grasp hold of something, anything, as an orgasm built.Just as she thought she would shatter into a thousand pieces he shifted, changing his attack tempo and forcing her budding orgasm to calm. She whimpered in misery and reached out to grasp his hair, "No!" she yelled, tugging at the strands. "Almost there, don't stop!"He chuckled against her, vibrating her clitoris with his deep voice. He took her wrists in his han
The meal Casey had asked the chef to prepare was indeed a feast worthy of their wedding day and seeing the pleased look on Gina's face as they lifted their glasses to toast the bride and groom, Alejandro was glad that he hadn't just dragged her back to his home. She deserved every happiness possible, even if it meant he had to wait a little longer to bury himself in the woman he'd spent a year pining over. Hell, it had been a year since he'd touched any woman, period. It was like the moment he met Gina, his dick was no longer interested in anyone else. And Alejandro was old enough, experienced enough to get the message. Gina was forever material. The type of woman a man waited for. Did not take for granted by fucking around on. Even if she never knew the depth of his feelings until he was ready to declare himself.So, he lifted his glass, toasted, smiled and laughed alongside his bride and the rest of the family. He spent two hours accepting congratulations, talking, eating and listen
Alejandro wanted to tear La Paz apart stone by stone until he had the man responsible for his woman's abduction. Though he knew if Reyes was correct in his assumption that the person behind this mess was as much a heavy as themselves, then the likelihood of his being in Bolivia was slim. This was the reason he kept sending amateurs in. Which was why Alejandro kept getting lucky. If his enemy, whoever he was, got smarter, Alejandro might not continue this lucky streak. He needed to be more careful now that he had more than himself to think of."I can practically read your thoughts, amigo," Reyes said from beside him. They were travelling in the back of one of the armoured SUV's to the meeting point to pick up the women. "Your anger will make you reckless."Alejandro grunted and cracked his neck to the side to relieve some of the pressure. He'd had to make short work of killing the priest. It hadn't been nearly as satisfying as it would've been if he'd had the time to do a proper job.
Two men entered through the door, their street clothes and tattoos pronouncing them thugs. Gina shuddered and flinched back when one of them reached for her. She lifted her hand instinctively to fight him off, but Selena said sharply, "Don't fight back, girl." Gina caught her eye and read between the lines, fight later when we have an advantage. She immediately dropped her hands. It took every ounce of self-control to let the man drag her into his body, to allow him to grab her by the face, yank on her hair and leer down at her, all while licking his lips and rubbing himself on her."Luego," the other man said, snapping his fingers at the guy holding Gina. Awesome, she thought, vomit rising in her throat, he just gave the guy holding her permission to fuck her later. He tossed a stack of bills at the priest and dragged Selena toward the open door. Gina was pushed out the door too and into a car similar to the one that was used to attack her and Alejandro the night before.As she was