He points to the storefront. “That is not nothing. Why are you crying?” He wraps his arms around my waist. The ocean scent of his cologne assaults me when I breathe him in between a sob. “Women just don’t randomly cry in front of a boutique that sells baby clothes.”
I laugh between sobs. “I just like babies.”
“Liar,” he whispers. “Your brother filled me in, and everything is cool. Why are you crying in front of this store? You can’t keep that shit inside,hermosa. It will break you.”
He kisses my shoulder, and when I turn my head to look at his face, he brushes his lips over mine.
“Why are we here?” I ask.
He peers up and points at the executive apartment building two blocks down the street that must cost a fortune to live there. “I wanted to take you to my apartment.”
“You live there?”
“Not really, but it’s mine. I didn’t think it was wise to let the other guys know you were at the house and have the other Kings find out.”
I give him a peck on the lips and blurt, “I want to have sex with you, Alex.”
When I turn around, his eyes widen and he places his hands in the pockets of his khakis. His flannel shirt is buttoned all the way to the top, and he is wearing a beanie hat. “Why do you want me to have sex with you,hermosa?”
My eyes fill with more tears as I give him a hard stare without blinking. “Because I need to forget, and I want to feel something other than pain.”
“Only if you tell me who hurt you and why you are in so much pain.”
Chapter Nine
Lucy
Istare at the city lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Alex’s spacious penthouse. It’s beautiful with three bedrooms and elegant furnishings—pristine black marble floors and gray leather couches. Crystal chandeliers twinkle, casting a glow that reflects off the black marble like a mirror.
“This is gorgeous, Alex.”
“Thank you. Only the Kings and Linda know about it. Colton and his father invested the money I have earned, so I’ve made a small fortune. It’s nothing compared to the cartel families, but this is something I can leave my sister if something happens to me. Colton’s lawyer has all the papers filed and sorted.”
“You are such a good brother. Why don’t you have a wife or a girl?”
He smiles, standing next to me, looking below at the passing cars. “She will be a target and I can’t go through another person close to me dying. My mother died of cancer and my father took off when Linda and I were little kids. Khalani’s brother getting killed opened my eyes to what could happen.” He shrugs his shoulders. “It would be unfair to bring a woman into the life I lead, knowing that one day I wouldn’t come back home. This is what I chose, and this life keeps me alive inside. It’s too late for someone like me.”
“I think it is not too late for you, but I understand if this is the life you want. I’m sorry about your parents.”
He gives a half shrug and nods. I think talking about his parents is a sore subject for him because he continues without talking about them.
“When you come from nothing and live poor on the streets, you appreciate certain things, and I can’t abandon the East Hillside Kings. They are my family. They’ve given their lives for your family’s alliance. We don’t have to deal drugs or kill innocent people. Your brother and the Kings will have a different way of doing business in the future and that gives the members of the Hillside Kings hope. They have families to feed and protect. We are not some street gang causing havoc and killing innocent people. We have a culture and a code we all abide by and most importantly, respect.”
We move to the couch and talk for hours, and I end up telling him about Mason. I tell him how I lost a little angel and why I cried standing in front of the storefront window. I express the love I felt and lost for the boy that was my best friend and lover. And I explain why I asked Alex to sleep with me. I might appear desperate, but I can’t take it anymore. I need to move on and stop dwelling on something I have no control over. I must accept that what happened between Mason and me was one night that quickly got out of control. I deserve to let go of the hurt inside of me.
Alex understands loss and where I’m coming from.
“Strip and lie on the dining table.”
My eyes widen at his command. He stands and holds out his hand so I can get up from his pristine couch that smells like new leather. I walk over and slowly strip, lying naked on his wooden dining room table. I should be shy being naked with another man on his dining room table but for some reason, I’m not. Not with Alex. He has a way to make you feel like you have known him forever. He is straight to the point and there is something so trusting about his demeanor.
“How do you want me to fuck you,princessa?” He sits in the chair at the head of the table, his face at the same level as my pussy. I raise my head and watch him lick his lips while he removes his shirt and beanie. He tilts his head, leaning closer to the apex of my thighs. “I’m going to eat your pussy like it is my last meal while you think about how you want me to fuck you.”
He doesn’t wait for my answer, he just spreads my thighs and slides his tongue inside me, twirling it over my clit.
I gasp. “Alex.”
He nibbles the sides of my thighs and slides his tongue over, soothing each tiny bite, tasting me. While he eats me, he groans, licking my clit before gliding his tongue to my ass. I’m so wet that I’m sticking to the table from my arousal dripping down my ass cheeks.