“That’s what I’m trying to get them to understand. That’s why I went after the Carvels. Talking to them won’t work and someone has to show them that they can’t get away with this shit.” I push up on my arms despite Alek’s warning, and sit up. Not wanting to lay here like an invalid anymore.
“And it just had to be you?” Alek asks me.
I stare at him. “Who else?” My eyes shift down to his lips and back up to his eyes. “Why do you care so much what happens to me?”
“God,” he shakes his head and looks at the floor for a moment before meeting my gaze again. He leans in close to me. “Someone has to.”
I feel his breath against my face and it causes goosebumps to rise on my skin.
“I don’t want to argue with you,” I say.
Alek moves away from me, standing up from the bed and raking his fingers through his long hair. “Fine. I’ll leave. You rest.” He’s not asking me if I want him to leave, he’s telling me how things are. His voice low and cold. I hate the way he won’tlook at me now. The way his eyes shift about the room and land on everything but me.
“No,” I whisper. “I…I don’t want you to leave.” My voice sounds smaller and more vulnerable than I’m comfortable with, and I look away from him too.
“What happened to don’t come to you unless I have information?” Alek asks me.
I bite down on the inside of my cheek for a moment. “I shouldn’t have said that,” I insist. “I was an idiot.”
“Maybe you were right,” he says. “Maybe we shouldn’t see each other unless it’s about business. It’s dangerous. I could’ve been outed tonight if I hadn’t killed those two. Even then…maybe someone saw us.”
I shake my head. “I don’t care if it’s dangerous,” I decide.
“What changed your mind?” Alek asks.
I take a deep breath and finally look at him. He’s still not looking at me and it’s driving me crazy. “Can you at least look at me?” I keep my eyes on his face. “Please, Alek. Just look at me.”
Alek’s gaze finally drifts over to mind, and I see hurt there. A hurt that I’m almost certain I caused. My heart aches.
“I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you while I’m not around,” I admit. “And I…I don’t think I can stand the idea of anyone else having you.”
“That’s selfish, isn’t it?” Alek steps toward the bed. The heat in the room rises, along with the tension. The air thick and warm.
“Fuck if it is,” I say, a growl emanating from low in my chest. “Does it matter?”
Alek sits down on the bed beside me, leaning toward me. “Maybe I’m selfish too,” he says. “Because the thought of you with anyone else makes me want to fucking kill someone.” His jaw tightens.
I lift my uninjured arm and brush my fingers along his jawline. “I would kill for you,” I tell him.
Alek leans in even closer and his nose brushes against mine. “I would die for you, Tommaso.”
His lips capture mine in a firm embrace. It’s a deep and possessive kiss. It makes the bruises on my face hurt, but I don’t fucking care. I press myself closer to him and kiss him back just as fervently.
Alek slips his tongue into my mouth with ease, and I follow his lead. Letting him dominate the kiss. Something about it is different than before. More emotional. His hands slide onto my sides and I feel his thumbs caress my skin through the fabric of my shirt. Every inch of me flushes with heat.
I dance my tongue around his, but let him push his tongue against mine greedily, and moan into the kiss.
When I try to wrap my arms around him, the pain makes me flinch. Alek pulls back from the kiss and I lean in trying to stop him, but fail.
“You’re injured,” he whispers. “You shouldn’t…” He trails off, and his eyes flick down to my lap.
My cock throbs within my jeans and the fabric confining it hurts. Every part of me, even the bruised and bloody parts, want Alek.
“I want to feel you against me,” I tell him. “Ineedto feel you.”
I brush my fingers over his shoulder and down his chest to his groin, feeling his own erection there. It sends a shiver down my spine.
“Let me take care of you,” Alek says. “Let meworshipyou, Tommaso. Every single inch of you.” He leans back in and kisses me; his lips suck on my bottom lip until it starts to bleed again. His tongue trails along the wound and he licks the blood up as though it’s what he craves.
