I shrugged. I was more surprised at my reaction but wasn’t about to admit that.“Let me rephrase then – does it disappoint you?” He seemed more than just curious about my answer. He seemed desperate.No. I’m not disappointed. I’m still very much interested.But I couldn’t tell him that either.I redirected, instead. “What did the letter say? It had to reveal something significant.”“Yes. And no. She told me everything. Her life story, how she’d fallen for my father, why she’d left Athens. Everything. I already knew all of it now, but not from her point of view. Before that, I hadn’t gotten a clear picture of why she’d left. It was biased information, pieced together from her family, and I didn’t have any understanding of all the trouble my father had gone to in order to change her life. Or why. Until I read that letter.”I nodded, trying not to think about how charming he must have been. This young mobster with a natural knack for danger and lawlessness and, also, a sentimental streak

I didn’t think it was an accident the way his arm grazed against my breast as he leaned across me to point it out. I held my breath, pissed at how aroused I was and how he had to know by the way my nipples stood up, reaching for the brush of his limb. And if I hadn’t been sure before, I was certain now that we might be in paradise, but being here with Reeve, whose touch was torturous and hot – was the closest thing to hell I’d ever known.Reeve’s private compound wasn’t beachfront property as I’d imagined it would be. Instead, it was on the mountain, inaccessible except through a secured gate and a tree-lined driveway that wound up the cliffside. At the top, the canopy broke into a clearing with the house on one side of us, and on the other side, a view so spectacular I couldn’t believe that there were any more incredible on the island.The positioning of the house was brilliant as well. It had been built on an outcrop of land so the ocean could be seen on three sides. It was grander

My breath slid out in a slow sigh. Just the sight of him, naked and hard in front of me, and I was instantly aroused. My nipples tightened and rose into sharp peaks, and the thin cloth at my crotch felt damp and oppressive. And the night that had felt almost too cool just a moment before was suddenly hot and stifling.Reeve brought his hand down and slid it down his length before circling it at the base of his cock. “Watch me,” he said in that tone that forced me to comply. That voice that wasn’t even necessary because I was already glued, my focus cemented to his rhythmic stroke.“Should I tell you what I’m imagining while I do this?” His voice was like an intruder, an unwanted narrator in an already hard-to-watch scene.I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t move. But I could manage one faint word. “No.”“I think I should.” His teasing had an edge of cruelty that ratcheted up my desire another ten degrees. “Don’t you want to know what gets me this hard? What kind of thoughts?”“No. I don’

And she did. “Can I have them back?”I considered telling her I’d dumped them already. The lie would be easier. But, instead, I just said, “No.”“Ha ha. Funny.”I let her laugh. Because why wouldn’t she? I’d never stood up to her like this before. In fact, I wasn’t sure I’d stood up to her ever.But when she’d finished her chuckle, I made sure I was completely somber when I said, “I’m not joking. I mean no. You can’t have them.”She pulled her hand from my lap. “You can’t keep them. They’re mine.”“No. Actually, they’re not. And if you want to refute this with a third party, we can take this up with Reeve.” I was surprised at the confident sound of authority in my tone. And proud.Amber twisted and sat back in her lounger, her knees up and her arms crossed over her chest. “You’re on his side. Typical.”Maybe I’d given her too much credit when I’d thought of her as a teenager. This behavior was much less mature. “I’m not on his side, Amber. I’m on your side.”“I don’t know what the hel

“I didn’t leave fairly, though.” He seemed simultaneously proud and ashamed of the fact. “A team from Interpol had contacted me before that, asking a bunch of questions about the Vilanakis family and what I knew about them. I’d blown them off. But I’d started collecting proof of illegal dealings. In case I needed it. That week here, I decided I needed it.”“So you told him to leave or you’d go to Interpol?”“Basically.”A few more pieces clicked into place. “And that’s why he says you betrayed him.”“I would presume so. Yes.”I couldn’t imagine the amount of proof Reeve must have had to feel confident making such a threat. “Why isn’t he afraid that you’ll still turn him in now?”“He’s found my weak spot.” When I raised a questioning brow, he explained. “I didn’t have people I cared about then like I do now.”I took in a shaky breath. He means Amber.But I wasn’t an idiot. I knew he also meant me.“Anyway.” I forced myself to focus on something other than the possessive way he was star