“Not as much as I missed you.”
“Are you tired—hungry?”
“I’m famished, but food can wait.” He kissed that favorite spot behind her ear. Whispering he asked, “Where’s Fabi and Cecily?”
Braylee moaned as she unbuttoned his shirt. “At the movies.”
A little growl escaped him. “Then, what are we doing out here?” Alex picked Braylee up as if she weighed nothing. He was focused entirely on taking her into their bedroom when the doorbell rang. He halted mid-stride while gazing into her face. Curiously, he raised an eyebrow. “Are you expecting anyone?”
She shook her head no. “Everybody knows you’re coming home tonight so they wouldn’t dare call me or show up unannounced.”
He let her soft body slide slowly down his chest until her feet touched the floor. “You go on to the bedroom and wait for me. I’ll get rid of whoever is at the door.”
Never breaking eye contact, she parted her lips slightly before responding. “Okay, you do that.” As Braylee started up the stairs, she stopped, then slowly turned. Gently, she bit the corner of her bottom lip. “And Alex hurry up.” With an extra wiggle in her walk, Braylee continued up to their room.
Irritated that he had been interrupted Alex barked at whoever was at the door. “I’m coming.” Snatching the door open, Alex looked as if he’d seen a ghost. There in all her glory stood Gina Lee Xiou.
Smugly, she spoke. “It’s been a long time Alex, but I heard you went all the way to China just to find little old me. Well…here I am.”
Chapter 1
“What the hell are you doing here?” Alex roared then looked back over his shoulder to make sure Braylee hadn’t heard and wasn’t still on the stairs. Immediately, he attempted to turn the volume down on his voice and reign in his anger.
Gina whipped her all black glasses off and stood with sparkling black eyes in a matching raincoat and thigh-high stiletto boots. She leaned up against the door, mocking him. “Tsk Tsk Alex. Why so angry? I would think you’d be happy to see me. Considering…” She shrugged as she reached her hand out into his opened shirt and dragged a long manicured finger down his chest. He flinched at her touch. That pissed her off. Looking at him through narrowed eyes, she snapped. “That’s not the welcome I expected considering all that time you spent flying over to China looking for me.” Like flipping a switch the hardness in her voice changed as she cooed, “Are you really not going to invite me into your home?”
Instead of letting her inside, Alex stepped out into the darkness and closed the door behind him. Angry couldn’t begin to describe how he was feeling. Even in anger, he wasn’t able to ignore that Gina was, even more, beautiful than she had been the last time he’d seen her.
Distant, and not so distant, memories sprung to mind, and so did the all familiar fury that always accompanied it. His nostril’s flared as he spoke through clenched teeth. His gaze was hard. “I know it was you and your family.” He yanked her arm pulling her just a breath away and held it tightly. They stood almost nose to nose and lip to lip. “I should snap your neck right here and now. You take one of mine, and I promise I’ll take one of yours.”
Gina snatched her arm away and stepped back. She spat at him. “But you won’t. At least not tonight because I’m sure your little girlfriend is upstairs.”
His eyes were burning with anger, “Braylee has nothing to do with this.” They continued to stand toe to toe glaring at each other. The contest only lasted for another few moments when Gina glanced away. When she returned her eyes to his, hers had softened a little.
“If I would have had Luciano killed you would have known it was me. I don’t do anything half-assed. That’s how I know you don’t really believe I killed him. Otherwise, I’d already be dead.” Her eyes hardened again. “And, if she is upstairs in your bed, she has everything to do with us and how all of this can play out.”
Afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep his emotions in check, Alex clenched his jaw as he struggled to maintain his composure. “There is no us, Gina. I made that clear a long time ago.” Braylee’s face flashed through his mind. He needed to get back to her before she came looking for him. He’d already dragged her too far into this quagmire, and would move mountains if it meant he could keep her out of it any further and away from Gina. “We can’t have this discussion now. I’ll meet you tomorrow.”
Gina swiped at her wavy dark-brown hair as it partially fell over her eyes and shoulder. “You act like I wronged you! And, why should I meet you? Why should I have anything to do with you at all?”
“There’s no need to revisit the past. We’ve played enough games, Gina. You’ll meet me. Your heart might be made of stone, but there’s one place where I know there’s still a pocket of life.”
She swallowed deeply and broke eye contact again. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. Gina started to turn away then stopped. “My plane leaves for China in two days. I’ll meet you, but it’ll be on my terms, and you will do something for me too, Alex.” The purr of his name wasn’t lost on
