“You promised me a ride.” Mia pouts and I yearn to lean over and kiss her.
I wiggle my eyebrows at her. “I did.”
“Not that kind of ride.” Her chuckle soothes my burning blood.
“You’re a hard woman, Mia.”
“Take me for a ride and I’ll not be the only one hard.”
“I’ll need something on account.”
Mia’s giggle rings in my ears as her lips brush against my mouth. I’m not sure what went off this morning, but I’ll find out. I also need to find out if Delaney is here, and if he is, when he arrived. I don’t like surprises and just thinking that Delaney is in Noir Valley while Mia was in town on her own, this morning, does nothing for my blood pressure. I’m infatuated with the woman and even if I wasn’t. I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for her death. As Mia’s lips tease me, my fingers slip through her short silken blonde hair and I close my eyes as an image of Jo-Leigh spread out on the bed torments me. She had been too young to die. Younger than Mia is now. The kiss hardens and deepens as I thrust my tongue into her mouth to rid myself of Jo-Leigh’s image. I wasn’t going to let the same happen to Mia. Even if it means handcuffing her to me at all times. Not until this mess with Delaney is over, will she travel on her own.
Mia’s lips are soft and pliable, and a moan rises in my throat as the blood slips to a lower part of my body. My hand slips under her tee-shirt, tracing the flesh along her spine. My moan turns into a groan at the discovery she is braless.
“Are you sure you want to go for a ride?”
Mia nods without breaking the kiss.
Chapter 22
Mia: Demon’s Lair Noir Valley
My head aches and I am past bored. In a moment of stupidity, I had asked Alex for a tour of Demon’s Lair and that’s just what he’s given me. “You know, Alex. I hope you don’t plan to start a second career as a tour guide.” Alex steps aside as he pushes open the door to the room at the top of the riverboat. I don’t know how many steps I climbed, but it feels as though I have reached the summit of Butt Rock Mountain.
“This is the Pilot House. Day has a license. So does Copper and Neat. This is the room which controls Demon’s Lair as she sails down the Mississippi. Compared to the Mississippi Queen, which the owners scraped in 2011. Demon’s Lair is a newt of a riverboat. The Mississippi, she had two hundred and eight state rooms. Demon’s Lair has forty-five ordinary rooms.”
“You’re a floating hotel.”
“It’s a working riverboat, Mia. The brothers who live on her pay rent.”
“And the women.” Alex leans against the closed door. His warm gaze caressing me and the slow, steady throb of the pulse in my clit twitches. To break the magnetic pull between us, I turn to one of the windows, losing my breath at the view. It is the first time I have seen Noir Valley in its entire layout and the surrounding area. “It’s beautiful.” Alex steps closer; I hadn’t heard his soft tread. It’s the heat of his body surrounding me which tells me he is close without touching me.
“It’s not the only beautiful thing.”
My stomach tightens and my heart clenches. “Sweet talker. The women, Alex.”
“Who’s asking Mia. You or the journalist?”
“Me.” I turn to face him. The citrus of his aftershave reminds me of the shower Alex, and I shared earlier. “If I plan to do a piece on The River Demons, I only have to ask Jono. I’m sure he’ll be willing to spill the dirt on Day and the club’s shenanigans.” I lick my lips. “Including all the juicy bits on you.”
Alex chuckle as he strokes the flesh over my cheek, then he pulls a piece of paper from one of the internal pockets in his jacket. “As much as Jono hates me. He’ll not talk about The River Demons. Not while he’s still planning another coup.”
“I think you’re wrong. He has his new club now.”
Alex shakes his head, “The River Demons is his true love. Nothing will ever make him give that up. He’ll always be hoping he can return.” The hollowness in Alex’s voice makes me wonder if he is referring to himself. That in the underlining message. He is warning me no matter what, Jo-Leigh will always be his first true love.
“What about you, Alex. Jono hates you. What can he tell me about you?”
The warmth in his eyes fades and my body quivers at the drop in the temperature in the small room. “Nothing you don’t already know, Mia.”
The teasing lover of moments ago has disappeared and I turn to gaze out of the window. Growing up in Noir Valley, listening to the gossip about the River Demons, doesn’t mean I know Alex. I’ve followed him, watched him. Shit, I’ve been crazy about him since we spent our first night together five years ago. He’s let slip some information to me. Bits about himself and there are a few things I know about him. But do I know Alex. I know he’s a wonderful lover. That he is loyal to The River Demons.
“Mia.”
“Yeah,” I blink as I turn to Alex. His scent tickles my nose and I curl my fingers, forcing myself not to reach out and touch him.
“I need you to sign this.”
I glance down at the folded piece of paper he removed from his jacket pocket and withdraw it from his hand. When I open it, I scan the contents, blink and read it again. “It’s a contract.”
Alex nods, “I
