In Love With a Bad Boy

Chapter 3: Dark Secrets

CHAPTER 3: DARK SECRETSCOULD THERE HAVE BEEN A worse time to be called away on business? Cade sat alone in the back of the sleek, black sedan, desperately trying to cool his jets. Sometimes he wondered if his father maintained anyone else in his employ, or was he single-handedly responsible for every hiccup the senior Rossi encountered?

But no, it didn’t matter. He’d always borne the brunt of the responsibility, and that’s the way it was to remain. The fact that a traitor had been discovered amid the ranks of the Rossi empire would fall on no one’s shoulders but his. It was the only way to make sure the responsibility never fell on those he sought to keep as far removed from his father’s—and now his—shady business as possible.

Damn it, though, did such emergencies really need tending to in the middle of the night when he’d been so close, so damn close. The woman had looked like s*x personified—it was the only way to describe her. And not only because the fabric of that silky black dress had outlined every curve she owned, but because she’d seemed altogether unskilled in the art of seductive deception. She’d tried, but her efforts had fallen flat in comparison to what really laid beneath.

Of course, he was certain she was hiding something. There was nothing particular to set off his radar, just an underlying current that he’d relied on countless times before to alert him when something was amiss. But armed with that knowledge, he could proceed carefully, keeping an eye out for what she might be hiding. And man, did he want to proceed.

He’d done his best to stay focused on what she was saying, and responding accordingly, but all the while her cupid bow lips had beckoned him, the upper swells of her breasts had tempted him and the curves of her body made it damn near impossible to focus on anything else. It had taken every ounce of strength he had to keep himself from giving in—and then she’d tripped and wound up in his arms, and all the strength in the world wouldn’t have been enough.

And if it wasn’t for the god damned cell phone in his pocket, he’d be there on the beach with her now, c**k-deep in her hot body. He let out a string of expletives, knowing the glass between him and the driver, Roberto, up front would keep his outburst confined to the backseat.

By the time Roberto pulled up in front of a collection of warehouses, he’d brought himself back under full control. The dim lighting that hung above one of the doors cast the only dim glow on the area, but he didn’t need to be able to see more. Still, he sat for another moment. Roberto would not rush to open the door for him—the man knew better than most when it came to this part of Cade’s ‘work’, he was seldom in a hurry. He’d use the lethal skillset that had been bestowed upon him to extricate whatever information the traitor still kept to himself, and then the task would be over with only one loose end to tie up. One loose end that made him shudder with revulsion, one more deplorable thing to add to the long list of atrocities he’d committed on his father’s behalf.

One day it would come to an end; it had to, whether through his own death or his father’s, though it didn’t matter much to him which one. But for now, he had no choice. The task would fall to others if he refused it, and he wouldn’t burden their consciences. He would not turn them into the monsters his father had made him.

And so, there was no point in prolonging the inevitable any longer. Antonio Rossi wanted a job done, and the sooner it was done, the sooner he could go in search of a bedmate to ease at least one of the things that plagued him at the moment. An image of the woman he’d been with on the beach flashed through his mind, but he pushed it away quickly. He didn’t want her there with him. He didn’t want anyone there, in mind or body, to see the monster he’d become.

______

He exited the darkened warehouse, sliding wearily into the backseat of the same sedan he’d left two hours prior. The stupid man probably deserved it. What kind of thoughtless being tried to steal from Antonio Rossi to bolster another cartel’s profits? Regardless, the job was done, and he noted with sick satisfaction that the fires of hell blazed a little hotter around his soul.

Roberto didn’t drive off; as usual, he waited for directions from Cade. Always after such a gruesome task, he’d go to any one of the multitude of women who fell victim to the Rossi charm. Strangely, his appetite was far more particular tonight. Though he could still feel the ripple of desire coursing through his veins, it wasn’t some random woman he sought to exorcise his demons. He wanted a woman—one woman in particular.

It was probably due to the untimely interruption on the beach when he’d been on the verge of stripping her naked and burying himself deep inside her. He wanted to finish what he started, to know what her flesh felt like beneath his fingers, to know what she tasted like on his tongue. And god damn it, he wanted to feel every inch of his c**k buried in her slick heat.

It was one of the benefits—and drawbacks—of being the son of Antonio Rossi. Cade got what he wanted, and right now he wanted the exquisite woman he’d left by the beach. But he couldn’t exactly go back and hope to find her still standing there. Fortunately, it wouldn’t take him long to find out who she was and precisely where to find her.

And an hour later, he had the information he’d sought and had Roberto take him back to his house. He showered, dressed, feeling a strange need to rid himself of as much of the night’s horrors before he went to find her. Usually he didn’t care, but for some reason, he didn’t want her to see it.

Sliding into the driver’s seat of his Aston Martin One-77, he eased out of the driveway. He loved to drive, so much more than being driven around. Sometimes he’d slip behind the wheel and head directionless away from the city, driving until his phone inevitably rang and forced him back. But for that brief amount of time he spent letting Miami slip further and further behind him, he felt free—or at least the closest to free he was ever able to feel. And he could use a modicum of that feeling now.

On the road, he let out a sigh of relief. Just a few more minutes and he’d be at her house, and while he didn’t expect every woman out there to jump into his lap, he had no doubt Tessa had felt the same overwhelming s****l chemistry.

He pulled up in the drive of the small house, and it fazed him momentarily. The way she carried herself, the dress she wore…they bespoke money, but the house in front of him struck him as anything but. He hadn’t seen any reason to look into her personal or financial affairs—not that the size of her bank account mattered much—but it was still a strange inconsistency. But then, when he thought about it, she’d carried herself with grace, not arrogance. And though it was obvious the dress she wore was expensive, she wore no jewelry but for a thin chain with a locket that had nestled tantalizingly between her breasts. Interesting.

Not the least bit perturbed, he slid out of the car and climbed the steps to her front door, tamping down the arousal that surged high in anticipation of what was to come. His body in check, he knocked and then waited—as close to patiently as Cade Rossi could be. He waited so long that if it weren’t for the car in the driveway, he’d wonder if she wasn’t home. But then he heard the shuffling of bare feet on the other side of the door, and it flew open seconds later.

Oh s**t. Her hair was wet, her legs glistening with dampness, her soft lips parted in shock. And he could release the towel wrapped around her body with the gentlest tug on the end tucked between her breasts. If she’d looked like s*x personified last night, she was every man’s wildest fantasy now. And if it weren’t for the crystal clear, blue eyes staring up at him in astonishment, it would have taken more strength than he possessed to resist having her right then and there. But those eyes…

“I thought you were the cleaning lady,” she said, no doubt trying to explain why she was standing there in a towel.

He kept his features carefully expressionless, but blood pounded in his ears and his mind whirled, chastising himself for the lapse. He’d known she had been hiding something. How the hell had he not recognized the similarity?

“No, I’m not the cleaning lady,” he replied, carefully concealing any telltale signs of his shock.

He knew he should be hightailing it out of there, but he couldn’t bring himself to make his excuses and leave—because he didn’t want to. He wanted Tessa, no matter the sticky situation she presented. Unfortunately, until he had an opportunity to assess the situation, there was no way he would be setting foot in her house. It wasn’t coincidence that she happened upon him at the bar last night…so what was she up to?

“I left rather abruptly last night, but I did have a good time,” he told her as she stepped back to let him enter. He stayed right where he was.

“Me too,” she answered, almost shyly. “How did you find me?” she queried, seemingly in afterthought.

“The bartender,” he replied without hesitation.

“Wasn’t it lucky he carded me?” she replied dryly.

“People who are new to the bar…in case you’re wondering,” he explained, reading the question in her eyes. She was, no doubt, trying to figure out if he had the bartender card every young woman who happened into the bar just so he could locate them later.

“It seems you’re rather influential.”

“I was hoping you might be willing to let me make amends for last night,” he ignored her observation and motioned to his car in the driveway. But what the hell was he doing? He’d intended to show up at her house and have her naked and writhing beneath him as quickly as he could. And since then, he’d discovered the error he’d made, realized Tessa was absolutely off-limits and now he was inviting her out to…where?

“Make amends? It’s really not necessary.”

He should let it go and walk away…but he wasn’t going to. “Maybe not, but I’d like to anyways,” he told her. “Besides, I have the day off, and I could use the company of a beautiful and intelligent woman.” And he could also use some time to figure out his next move. He wanted her—regardless of how off-limits she was. He just needed to figure out the best way to have her.

“All right,” she responded reluctantly. “What did you have in mind?”

“I have some ideas.” He smiled, and though he wondered briefly if he’d lost his mind, she smiled tentatively in return, and he dismissed his worry. He’d figure it out.

His eyes glanced downward and his gaze settled on the upper swells of her breasts, rising so damn temptingly over the edge of the towel. God damned bad idea! He needed time to think, and if he remained there any longer, thinking would be the last thing he’d be doing.

“Get dressed and I’ll meet you in the car,” he told her, as charmingly as one could muster when one was fighting against a raging hard-on.

He turned and descended the steps, and breathed a heavy sigh once she’d closed the door behind him. So…now what? Where was he going to take her?

And once again, what the hell was wrong with him?