Up in Flames (16 page)

“If you’re not careful, they’re going to see you.”

He sighed and stared down at his glass.

“Why don’t you go talk to her?”

Alex turned his head and looked at her as though to say
yeah, right
. “There’s a room full of Marcone men in there who would have my head for just looking at her, much less talking to her. Even I’m not that stupid.”

“You’re being ridiculous. The Marcones like you.”

“Yes, and those same Marcones know how I like sex.” He raised an eyebrow, sending her a silent message.

“So you’re a Dom. Is that so bad?”

“Don’t forget the sadist part,” he murmured drily, then added, “If those fetishes were to include Miya, yes, that would be very bad. They would string me up by my balls if they knew half the things that went through my mind when I look at her.”

“Since when are you afraid of the Marcones?”

“Any smart man would be afraid of the Marcones or at least should be. Especially Sidious. The man would slit your throat and not think twice about it if he thought you were screwing with one of his. But this isn’t about being afraid. I work with them. I can’t afford to screw up that relationship just because I want to fuck Lord Marcone’s daughter.”

Cara glanced over and saw Miya staring at Alex like a hungry cat eyeing a bird. She caught Cara’s gaze and quickly turned away, her cheeks flushing a bright pink. Was it possible little Miya was just as interested in Alex?

“You’re as bad as Hayden, sitting on your hands and not doing anything. You’ve been mooning after her for—”

“She’s ten years my junior. I have no business lusting after that child.”

“Miya’s not a child, Alex. She’s a beautiful, sweet—”

“I know exactly how sweet she is, and the last thing she needs is me tying that adorably, sweet body to a bed and… Damn, I need to get out of here.”

Alex pushed away from the wall and started to leave. Cara laughed and grabbed his elbow. “Stop.”

He looked down at her, sadness clouding his eyes. He cared for Miya more than he wanted to admit. Alex just thought it was about sex. Cara believed there was more to it, and Alex just didn’t realize it.

“I have no business with someone that young, that sweet, and that innocent.”

“How do you know she’s that innocent?”

Alex rolled his eyes. “I can tell.”

Cara clicked her tongue.

“My world would scare the hell out of her, Cara. I’m not going to do that. Not with her.”

Cara sighed but nodded in understanding. She patted his shoulder, then slid her hand down his arm to wrap around his elbow. She would let it go for now, but next week, she’d see how Miya felt about things.

“Come on,” she said as she led him toward the bar where the rest of the Marcone clan had gathered. “You can’t leave yet. I won’t let you. You’re the only family I have, and I refuse to let you desert me.”

Chuckling, Alex placed his hand over hers and squeezed it.

Hayden’s oldest cousin, Jonah, had arrived, and he stood behind the bar making drinks for everyone. His easy smile reminded her of Hayden’s. His broad size and commanding presence reminded her of Alex. The only Marcone who wasn’t there was Jacquelyn. She was with her fiancé, Haydrian, preparing for their wedding. She’d sent her love and well wishes and promised to be there at the birth of the baby.

Miya walked over. Cara smiled at the young woman and watched covertly as Miya kept catching glimpses of Alex from the corner of her eye. Maybe getting the two of them together wouldn’t be as hard as she initially thought.

Hayden caught his wife’s stare and winked playfully at her from the other side of the bar. She knew that hot look in his eyes, and her body tingled in response. She believed it would always be like this with them. After all, she’d seen Hayden’s father, Sidious, give his wife, Mikayla, the same look.

And Hayden was just like his father.

The other men continued to hound Hayden to share how his future bride had won him over. Hayden laughed good-naturedly but refused to give it up. Cara smiled. She knew what she’d done, and she’d do it again later. After all, nothing could make her body go up in flames like Hayden could, and she’d come to crave that feeling. And she had a sneaking suspicion her future husband knew it too.

She grinned.

Devilish bastard.

Loose Id Titles by Trista Ann Michaels

Darkness Falls

Dead Reckoning

Leave Me Breathless

Their One and Only

Shutter

* * * *

The ENTWINED FATES Series

Captive

Destined for Two

Mercenary

Remember Me

Slaves

Her Pirate Master

Up in Flames

* * * *

The SPARK OF MAGIC Series

Blood Rite

Deadly Crimson

To Die For

Lost Without Them

Nature of the Beasts

Trista Ann Michaels

I live in the land of dreams, where alpha men are tender, heroines are strong and sassy, and villains are brutal and conniving. When not deep in the mind of my next serial killer, ghost, or futuristic space pilot, I can be found in the mountains of Tennessee, spending time with family and friends. At least until the next story calls.