Michael gave a soft smile. “No, he didn’t. I’m sorry about his death. Not for me, because I hated the bastard, but for you. I didn’t want to cause you pain, Alexis, but it was unavoidable. And I understand why you didn’t trust the man who killed your father in the beginning. You’ve been gracious to forgive me, and it’s important for me to earn your trust and respect.”
“My distrust of you led to the disaster with the flash drive, and I learned my lesson on that one.” I rolled my eyes. “Is it weird that you killed him? Yes. Am I smart enough to understand the nuance? Also, yes. He was my father, but he was not a good man. I’m clear-headed enough to admit that.”
Michael nodded, and we sat in shared silence for a moment, acknowledging the trust that had grown between us.
“I was asking if you knew who was hacking you because there’s some suspicious activity on the dashboard for the security cameras here on the property. Do you know of anyone besides your security team who would log into the dashboard?”
Michael glanced at my laptop screen. “Should I be worried thatyou’rein my security camera dashboard?” he asked acerbically.
“No, you should not,” I said with a firm nod. “I’m agoodhacker, just like you’re a good gangster.”
He shot me a pointed glare.
“But,” I lifted a finger, “there are some hackers who aren’t as nice as me. I’m going to research this alongside your phone. Give me until Sunday afternoon.”
“Will do. Do you need anything else from me?”
“That’s it for now, but I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.”
He grinned and I could see why Mom was head over heels for him. Michael Caruso was a very attractive man. He sharedsimilarities with Nick, and they both had those classic Italian features that most men would kill for.
“Should I be paying you for this? I feel like I should be.”
“Well, you’re letting me live rent-free in your mansion and eat all your food, so I’d call it even for now. But if you keep asking me to do tech work, I might have to invoice you.”
Rising, he patted my shoulder. “You have my email. Invoice away. Thank you, Alexis. I appreciate your help more than you know.”
“You’re welcome.”
After he slid his chair back to its original position and left, I got back to work documenting the IP addresses from the security camera dashboard before digging into the phone. I knew I should be working on my job applications, but those were extremely boring, and this type of tech detective work was something I thrived on.
Determined to figure it out, I dug into my laptop with laser focus.
At eleven o’clock I texted Nick to let him know I was heading over. He left the kitchen door open, and I entered, wondering if he was upstairs.
“Hey, princess,” he said, his voice coming from the shadows of the darkened hallway.
“Creepy,” I teased, walking toward him and gliding my arms around his neck. “Do you have any lights on in here?”
“In my bedroom,” he said, brushing a kiss across my lips. “Want to see?”
I nodded excitedly as he lifted me and walked toward the stairs. My legs wrapped around his waist, and I loved how easily he could carry me.
“Should we talk?” I asked as he entered the bedroom.
“Yes.” He gazed down at me as he placed me on the bed. “But I’m going to fuck you first.”
“Oh, are you?” I teased.
He stood and slid off his sweatpants, causing my mouth to water as his cock bounced free. “Fuck yes.” He gripped his cock and slowly stroked it back and forth. “Take off your clothes and open that tight little pussy to me...”
I all but ripped off my clothes, tossing them aside before he crawled over me.
“How sore are you?” he almost growled. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Barely at all.” I slid my arms around his neck. “Don’t hold back. I want it to be good for you.”
“Alexis,” he whispered, lowering his lips to mine. “Any time I touch you, it’s good for me...”
