Chapter 5
Alexander
An angel from heaven.
That had been the impression lingering for days after I’d run into the enchanting attorney on the street. Even after learning about my father’s murder, I’d thought of her more than once.
She’d had no understanding that the man I’d saved her from hadn’t been solely interested in stealing her car to escape me. There’d been a good chance he’d have forced her to go with him, dumping her body later. At least I’d been honest with her in admitting I was a very bad man.
Yet here we were.
Even though I’d nearly lost my mind, beating the crap out of an opponent in the boxing ring, I’d thought about her.
Even after being arrested for a crime I hadn’t committed, I’d spent way too much time undressing her in my mind, enjoying the perks of such a vivid imagination. Doing so had staved off the rage while suffering in solitary inside the jail.
Yet if things had been different, I would have followed my instincts, ensuring who she was and her purpose in running into me.
There were no such things as coincidences in my world.
With the number of enemies we had, there were potential threats everywhere, the day and time allowing for creative methods of imposing destruction.
Including the use of a stunning, intelligent woman.
I’d known and enjoyed beautiful women my entire adult life.
There wasn’t a young man who didn’t think about sex twenty-four/seven. I was no different and in truth, I’d lost my virginity to a much older woman. Now I laughed about the age gap. She’d been maybe five years older. The experience had been rough and sadly, highly unmemorable.
Maybe because I hadn’t been able to truly appreciate the beauty a woman offered from inside out. What stupid guy, hot and horny, could? Pussy. That’s what I’d thought about in my early twenties.
By the time I’d hit thirty, I’d realized women were masters of using sex as a weapon. Much more so than men. After that, there’d been the push to settle down and raise a family.
From my parents as well as my uncle.
Even though they’d known that wasn’t the kind of man I was.
I’d merely enjoyed a morsel or two over the years, barely acknowledging their names and definitely never allowing them to believe we were sharing a relationship.
I’d been pegged with a type, those who wouldn’t or couldn’t provide me with complications.
Call me shallow. Maybe I was, but it was simply better in the long run.
Maybe that’s why my reaction to the lovely golden blonde had caught me off guard again and again. Yet this time there was a deeper pull, a need not only to enjoy a taste, but something darker.
Something more possessive.
Here I was fighting murder charges and my dick had remained hard from the moment she’d walked into the courtroom.
My attraction wasn’t simply about her outward appearance.
She was beautiful, yes, but in a classic way.
Especially since she was dressed in a typical boring suit purchased at any big box clothing store.
My lurid mind had immediately changed her clothing to something far more seductive. The visionary moment had kept me unfocused. She was at least ten years younger, which shouldn’t matter in the least.
What did was her position as the prosecuting attorney.
While I should be heading to my awaiting SUV, avoiding the press and anyone bothering to undermine my attention, I found myself remaining where I was. She was far too intriguing not to engage in a brief conversation with. A different type of interrogation.
My attorney had left me alone, knowing I could fend for myself while handling the bail. Now I planned on enjoying a few moments of crawling under the lovely lady’s skin.
The entire case was circumstantial, Sebastian being stonewalled in obtaining certain aspects of the case, including some forensics evidence.
With me sitting in jail and even with Jacques breathing down Sebastian’s neck, it had become painfully clear that the criminal attorney was in way over his head.
Which was another reason I was so swept up in the lure of the stunning woman. She’d come into court as if a bull in a china shop, determined to keep me behind bars. I wanted to know why and the bad boy inside craved a taste of her.
If I couldn’t have that, I could certainly enjoy the tether of electricity we’d already experienced.
I eased from around the desk, buttoning my jacket. With every slow step as I moved closer, I could feel her body heat rising. Even the way her lower lip quivered while trying to ignore my approach caught my eye.
“I’d stop right there if I were you, Mr. Prince.” She slowly lifted her head, eyeing me with a surprising coldness even as her scent of desire became evident.
Obviously, she was intent on ignoring our previous meetings.
“I’m sorry, Catherine. Am I frightening you?
Certainly not my intentions.” I’d asked Sebastian her name and he’d quickly told me her personality was prickly and that I didn’t want to be tampering with the case.
Well, he didn’t know me very well since there was no enjoyment in following anyone’s rules but my own.
She scoffed as if I simply annoyed her. “Ms. Devereaux is my name. Very little frightens me, Mr. Prince. Especially men who use violence to make up for their teensy-tiny dicks.”
The brash woman put her thumb and forefinger very close together to provide a visible indication of what she believed I was carrying between my legs.
At that moment, the very sadistic side of me ventured to the surface. Envisioning her without her conservative clothing, tethered by chains while I fucked her long and hard was the most pleasurable thought I’d had in days.
I studied the long line of her neck, inhaling her sweet perfume as the lurid images lingered. I could only imagine the color of her nipples, which were already hard from the arousal I’d noticed from the moment she’d walked into the courtroom.
Her response was amusing, enough so I laughed. “I don’t think we need to fall into the trap of using sexual innuendos. You’re a highly intelligent woman. That’s easy for me to see. Whether or not I’m well-endowed enough for you is something we could discuss over dinner.”
She laughed in a highly dramatic way, which indicated I’d made her very nervous.
I didn’t mind doing that. In fact, I wouldn’t mind doing so more often just so I could hear her laugh even if this time, she was adding sarcasm.
“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Prince, but I would rather spend my evening with an alligator on steroids.” She tried to sidestep me, but I purposely crowded her space.
“You certainly didn’t seem fearful the day we met. Or even the other night when I possibly saved your life.”
As soon as I made the statement, she paled. Perhaps she thought I wouldn’t recognize her. She could have no idea I prided myself in never forgetting a pretty face.
Or that I’d envisioned tying her to my bed.
“I hardly think you saved my life, Mr. Prince. And I can hold my own just fine.”
“Not against the man who confronted you.”
With the look of contempt on her face, my mind was forced back to the thought there were no coincidences. If this was a normal circumstance, I’d simply have her observed.
“You mean you? Are you really going to try and intimidate me? I would think that very far beneath you.” To her credit, she recovered quickly from the shock.
The closeness was intoxicating, but I could sense she felt it suffocating.
She was very unsure of what to do with a man like me.
Standing over her, I realized how tiny she was, but certainly not frail by any means.
While there was a vulnerability about her, I sensed a resolve that few women could carry off without seeming entitled.
When she slowly lifted her head, her eyes locking with mine seemed cathartic for her. The quivering of her lower lip continued, a gesture that kept my balls tight and my mind swirling around the joy of kissing her sweet mouth.
I could also imagine what it would feel like to have her writhing in my arms begging for more as she called out my name. The images played out like a perfect movie scene where the good girl who’d always fantasized about a very bad boy had been dared to take a chance.
The lack of words between us wasn’t because neither of us knew what to say. I sensed another tart barb hiding just below the surface. The reason for the silence was about the electricity crackling our skin and stealing at least a portion of our breaths.
I’d never felt such stark chemistry with anyone.
When she’d walked through the gate heading to the counsel’s desk, she’d immediately caught my attention, my entire body stirring both from recognition and a strangling desire that had come dangerously close to obsession.
It was something about the generous curve of her breasts she’d tried to hide so hard under a conservative jacket.
Or perhaps the way her long legs were accentuated by cheap yet effective heels and the pencil skirt I’d immediately wanted to slide past her hips.
Best of all was the sexy, determined look she’d worn through the entire court proceedings. The desire coursing through me was completely inappropriate and at the point of becoming an irritation.
My family would tell me I needed to take the accusations seriously, especially given the identity of the victim.
The murder of Lorenzo Russo had been unexpected but would certainly fuel the ongoing feud keeping tensions high and violence around every corner.
What troubled me more than anything was that I hadn’t pulled the trigger. Who had?
The necessity of discovering the answer should stop me from toying with her just for pleasure.