AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As if having a front-row seat to a good old-fashioned Mafia shoot-out wasn’t enough for one evening.
No.
First, my father’s despicable behavior had cut me to the core, and now Alex, of all people, had done the same fucking thing.
His words echoed in my head. “If you have no loyalty to me, then you have no place here. I want you gone. Now.”
The hurt clawed at my insides, leaving me feeling cold and utterly alone.
“Fee, wait!” Sophie called, hurrying after me.
I stopped, drawing a sharp breath, but didn’t turn around. The last thing I needed was my best friend defending the arrogant prick—even if he was part of her family now.
She caught up with me, breathless. “Alex?—”
“Don’t defend him. I knew from the first moment, he was an asshole. Should’ve trusted my gut.”
She grabbed my hand. “He’s just…he’s under a lot of stress right now.”
I sighed. “I’m tired, Soph.” Tired and worn out and ultimately feeling like crap and on the brink of tears.
“What can I do?”
I shook my head. “Let’s talk in the morning.”
“But, Fee?—”
“Really,” I snapped, then immediately softened my voice and squeezed her hand. “I’m tired. All I want is to go to bed. We’ll talk in the morning, I promise.”
As if on cue, Matteo appeared next to Sophie, his dark hair disheveled and his face grim. “I will escort you to your room.”
I bristled. The last thing I needed was another overbearing man in my life. “I don’t need an escort.”
I squeezed Sophie’s hand once more, then turned and started walking.
Matteo fell into step beside me. “Humor me.” His tone held a hint of steel. He might look reasonably tame next to Alex, but he wasn’t a choir boy either.
I bit back a retort, clenching my jaw. Arguing would get me nowhere. Men like Matteo and Alex were used to getting their way.
Always.
And this was not something worth fighting for.
“Fine,” I relented, not in the mood to argue further.
Matteo and I walked side by side across the hotel complex’s outdoor area, the darkness enveloping us like a thick blanket. The gentle rustling of palm leaves was the only sound breaking the silence, as most guests had long since retired for the night. Moonlight illuminated the cobblestone path, and distant waves lapped at the shore.
The peace should have soothed me, but my thoughts churned like the sea during a storm—anger and hurt warring within me. That would’ve been the appropriate weather—storm and rain and thunder.
Was it just a couple of hours ago when I lay spent in Alex’s arms? When I was beyond happy because, apparently, I was able to enjoy sex again. At least with Alex.
The memory of Alex’s smile, the warmth in his eyes, the tenderness of his touch when he held me.
“I want you gone. Now.”
Fuck.
“Alex didn’t mean what he said, Fee,” Matteo murmured, his voice low.
