Page 24 of LA King

It’s only now that I feel brave enough to look at Alejandro’s face, and I’m almost sorry I do because he’s looking at me with such worry and concern that I want to cry.

He smooths my hair back from my face. “Are you okay, Alana?”

I offer a shaky nod. I’m unharmed at least. Thanks to him. But I can’t stay here on his lap, no matter how nice it feels to be wrapped in his strong arms.

I start to edge away, but he holds me tighter. “Alana! You’re in shock. Just sit still.” His tone brooks no further argument, and I don’t resist him.

I don’t want to.

I settle on his knee, and he loosens his grip, keeping one arm locked around my waist while he slides his cell phone out of his pocket and makes a call. Most of what he says is in Spanish, but I understand the nature of the conversation. And considering who my husband is, I suspect that the man with the gun in the restaurant won’t be breathing for much longer.

Alejandro’s muscles finally relax after he ends the call.

He runs his free hand up the outside of my thigh and rests it on my hip. His warmth permeates the thin fabric of my dress, yet I shiver from his touch.

He feels it too. “Are you okay?” he asks again.

“Yes, but what was that about, Alejandro? That man mentioned my father.”

The kiss he presses on my forehead isn’t romantic but protective and reassuring. “I heard him. Don’t worry though. He’ll be dealt with.”

“But what was it about?”

He tucks my hair behind my ear and stares into my eyes. “Your father and I have many enemies, Alana. I don’t know why that happened tonight, but I will find out. And this is why I insist on you having a bodyguard whenever you leave the house. Promise me you will never go anywhere without your security detail.”

“I promise. But if this is about my father⁠—”

“Just let me deal with it. It’s what I do.” His tone is gentle but final. Without moving me from his lap, he takes a bottle of Scotch and a crystal tumbler from the drinks cabinet and pours a generous measure into the glass. “Drink this. It will help with the shock.”

I take it from him and down it in one. The strong liquor burns my throat and makes me cough, but it feels good, and the slight buzz is pleasant.

He raises an eyebrow. “More?”

“Yes, please.”

“If you insist.” He pours another. “But be careful, princesa. This is stronger stuff than you’ll be used to.”

I take his challenge as an opportunity to get my mind off what happened. “You think I can’t handle my liquor because I’m a feeble woman?”

“No.” He grips my jaw in his hand. “I think you can’t handle hundred-proof Scotch when you’re knocking it back like that.”

To prove my point, I knock the second glass back too.

Chapter

Fourteen

Alejandro

By the time the car pulls up outside the house, Alana has had four shots and is wasted. At least she’s forgotten about that fucker who stuck a gun in her face. A man who will regret the day he was born and plead for death by the time I’m done with him. My rage is only eased by her presence and the fact that she wasn’t hurt.

Still sitting on my lap, she runs a hand down my front and gets dangerously close to my hard cock. “Did you get me drunk to take advantage of me?” She giggles, and the sound is sweet and sexy.

On the contrary, I was hoping she’d be sober enough for me to take her to bed and spend the rest of the night buried inside her. “I think you got yourself drunk, princesa.” I gently set her on the floor of the limousine so that I can open the door. And then I step out of the car and hold out my hand to her.

“I don’t think I can stand up,” she slurs.

I reach in and scoop her into my arms once more, enjoying the feel of her there. “I warned you to be careful with that stuff.”