if Alexis knows me at all, she will see my polite request as the demand it is.
“What are we raising funds for?” she asks with a quirked brow.
“The purple heroin crisis.”
I did not want to tell her this part, but of course, it’s unavoidable. The way her features ripple with fury makes me wish I’d never asked at all.
“Are you kidding me?” she growls. “How dare you even attend a fundraiser like that what you’ve done? You only want us there because you know that you’re going to come out looking like a massive hypocrite and you think having your perfect family at your side will distract people from the truth.” She shakes her head with disgust. “I can’t believe you cut all that funding, but you’re fine to swan out and drop a few coins in the bucket as long as the cameras are rolling and you’re wearing an expensive tux.”
Her words are like a thousand paper cuts, but I don’t let it show. I know what I am doing and why I am doing it. She may have a poor opinion of me for it, but that should not be any of my concern.
“What happened to trusting and respecting each other?” I mock.
She licks her lip, and the anger loosens from her brow. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”
The sight of her tongue swiping over her juicy bottom lip, mixed with the heat of the conflict, is more than I can take. I pull her into my arms and slam my mouth against hers, guiding her roughly to the wall.
Alexis squeaks out in protest, pushing at my chest, but it takes less than a second for her to start kissing me back eagerly. Her fingers claw the front of my shirt, dragging me closer. Her lips are soft, softer even than the satin of her cheek in my palm. I pull back, nipping at her lip before releasing it and bringing my mouth to her ear.
“It’s not a question,” I hiss. “There is a lot more at risk than you know.”
She shivers. “Then tell me, Gabriel. Talk to me.”
I wrap my fingers around her chin, gazing down into her eyes. I trusted her once. Could I trust her again?
No, I decide. Not when she looks at me like this, when it seems that fury and lust are the only two things she feels for me. There is too much at stake.
I kiss her again, pressing her harder into the wall, her chest flattening against mine. Alexis moans against my mouth and I tangle my fingers in her hair, pulling at her scalp. I am still so angry at her words, but this anger is laced with confusion. I twist this heat for my own purposes, a spike of lust driving through me.
I kiss Alexis with a deep hunger. I want to devour her, consume her entirely so that she is forever mine. I rub against her, my cock growing against her belly. Her fingers dig into my back, urging me closer. I deepen the kiss, exploring the softness of her mouth with my tongue, remembering the way my cock felt nestled between her lips. An inferno of passion roars in my belly. She is mine. Forever mine.
Knock knock knock.
I pause, lips still covering Alexis’.
“It’s Vito,” my consigliere calls through the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but something has come up.”
I sigh and push away from Alexis, running a hand through my hair. I consider telling Vito to fuck off, but whatever it is, it’s probably important. More important than fucking Alexis, anyway, though, in this moment it seems impossible that anything would be more important to that.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” I call back.
Alexis charges past me, heading out the door before I even have a chance to dismiss her. I get the feeling this conversation is far from over.
19
Alexis
I sit up straight, legs crossed primly, and smile so wide that my cheeks hurt. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right.
Gabriel is beside me and seems a lot more relaxed than I am. Most relaxed of all, of course, is Harry, who doesn’t even notice the camera across from us and seems to think the man in the chair next to the sofa is his new best friend.
He’s not, of course. He’s Chip Galloway, a tanned lifestyle reporter whose teeth seem to glow in the midmorning light. His job is to get the scoop on Gabriel’s private life. My job is to make sure he only