Chapter  5

ALEXEI

Watching Isabella attend a party on a yacht, she’s so fucking good at the act as socialite, she has everyone believing it.

Through my night vision binoculars, I follow Isabella as she moves between the other attendees. She smiles at something a woman is saying to her, and then she nods.

Isabella and the other woman walk to where a group is already dancing and join them.

“Have a drink,” Demitri says.

Setting the binoculars down on the table, I take the tumbler from him. After taking a sip, I ask, “How’s Ariana doing?”

Demitri checks in with her every couple of hours.

“Good,” he replies, a grin tugging at his mouth. “She misses me.”

I let out a chuckle. “Probably not half as much as you miss her.” My friend fell fucking hard for Ariana.

Demitri glances out over the water. “I need to get Ariana a new car.”

“What are you looking at?”

He shrugs. “Probably a Mercedes or Audi.”

I take another sip of vodka, then say, “We should build another house on the property so you and Ariana can have privacy. Either that or you should find your own place.”

Right now, Demitri and Ariana live with me in the mansion I have in LA. Demitri’s stubborn as fuck, though. I know he won’t move into his own house. The fucker thinks the second he turns his back, I’ll get myself killed.

“I like the idea of building another house on the property. That way, I’m still close by,” Demitri relents.

Chuckling, I shake my head. “You do know I can take care of myself, right?”

He nods but then mutters, “Still my job to keep you alive.”

We stare at each other for a moment. “I want you to be happy, brother. Build a family and future with Ariana.”

The corner of his mouth lifts again. “Family. Never thought I’d consider having kids.”

“I’ll teach them how to shoot a gun,” I joke.

Demitri’s smile widens. “You better, seeing as you’ll be their godfather.”

Our eyes lock again as emotion washes through my chest. “I’d be honored.”

Fireworks explode in the air, and laughter flows from the other yacht, pulling my attention back to Isabella.

Picking up the binoculars, I search for Isabella, finding her where she’s still dancing, her movements slow and sensual.

Again, there’s a niggling familiarity, and then a frown forms on my forehead when I realize who she reminds me of.

The party crasher.

Isabella moves like the party crasher did the night of Ariana’s party… like flowing water.

What are the odds?

My gaze is glued to Isabella as she loses herself in the music, and my thoughts return to the woman I fucked. The woman who cast a spell on me until I was solely focused on her.

I’ll never forget how she felt, a mixture of danger and sensuality. Her skin was softer than the silk panties she wore. I can almost smell her perfume, flowers, vanilla, and something earthy.

Christ, it felt like I was on a high as I buried my cock deep inside her. Her moans as she orgasmed and her pussy clenching hard around me were enough to make me lose control.

I’m starting to grow hard just at the memory and quickly shove the erotic memory aside, focusing on Isabella again.

The party lasts until the early morning hours, and only then do we head back to land. As soon as we reach the harbor, Demitri and I step off the yacht, and we find a safe spot we can watch the other vessel from. As the party-goers head to their vehicles, Isabella pauses to take photos of the harbor. Her friends join in, and the act fits, but I get a feeling Isabella’s here to look around the harbor.

“What do you think she’d do if I walked up to her?” I ask as I watch Isabella head to where her limousine is parked. She gets in, and a moment later, the vehicle drives away.

“Probably kill you,” Demitri replies.

Shaking my head, I smirk at him. “She can try.”

He lets out a chuckle as he nods toward our unmarked vehicle. “Let’s get out of here.”

Once we’re both seated in the car, I say, “There must be a shipment coming in soon. She took those photos so she can get familiarized with the layout of the area.”

I start the engine and steer the vehicle towards the airfield where our private jet is waiting to take us back to Bogotá, where Sonia’s compound is situated.

“I’m curious as to why Isabella frees the slaves,” Demitri mutters as he glances around us, always on guard for an attack.

“That makes two of us.”

I’m curious about a lot of things when it comes to Isabella Terrero. She’s an enigma, one I’m dying to figure out.

I wonder what her reaction would be if we came face to face.


Tags: Michelle Heard Romance