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Alex grabbed the bottles from my hand so I could flip the bolts and slide the door to the left. The saltiness of the sea rolled through the cramped space.
I took the bottles from her hands and tipped my head at the dark space. “After you, beautiful.”
Alex looked worried, then bent down, inching through the narrow channel. I closed the door behind us and left it open a crack. No one knew about this entrance to our house. They would never make it past our alarms even if someone found it.
The tunnel dumped us on the beach at the dead center of my property. The wind whipped through Alex’s hair and blew it in her face. She groaned as she pulled the strands out of her mouth and shoved them behind her ears.
After Alex shook out the blanket, she plopped down on the sand and patted the spot beside her. My gaze flicked between Alex and the water.
“You look less serious when you’re not wearing a suit,” Alex commented. “But still ridiculously handsome. Get down here so we can get this party started.”
“I’m not a man who takes orders.”
She rolled her eyes and tapped the sand with her palm. “Tonight, you do.”
With an exaggerated groan, I dropped beside her and set one bottle on the blanket so that I could open the other. I moved Alex between my legs, with her back against my chest. We passed the bottle back and forth like old times. It was peaceful and perfect, exactly what I had envisioned.
“This is nice.” She rolled her head to the side and peeked up at me. “I’m not used to this side of you.”
“You said it best with your paintings. The Devil has many faces.”
“I like this one.” She smiled. “I’m getting ideas for another Devil-inspired painting.”
“You can’t deny how you feel about me. It’s in every one of your paintings.”
Alex rolled her eyes. “Who says the Devils are you?”
“We both know they are, Queen D.” I kissed her cheek. “I consume your dreams and your nightmares.”
“I loved painting you when we were younger.” She closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder. “You’re beautiful, the perfect subject. Perfect bone structure. Symmetrical. How could I not paint you?”
“But as the years passed, your Devils became more aggressive-looking, violent, and angry.”
“Because you changed. Art tells the truth…”
“Even when people tell lies,” I finished for her, a direct quote from my mother and one of her most popular paintings.
“I’d like to resume my work at the Franco Foundation.”
I sucked her earlobe into my mouth. “Consider it done.”
Alex moaned. “Mmm… That feels good.”
I threw the empty champagne bottle on the sand and rubbed her shoulders.
Alex closed her eyes and moaned. “You have your moments, Luca. This is one of them.”
After finishing the second bottle of champagne, we stood at the water’s edge. The warm water brushed our toes. I lifted my shirt over my head and dropped it onto the sand. Alex turned to face me, taking in the sight of me shirtless. Her tongue slid across her bottom lip.
“See something you like?”
Alex laughed. “Who says I like you?”
“Baby, we both know you do. You’ve always run from me, but you can never hide. I know you inside and out.”
“As I said, you have your moments.”
She traced her fingers over the scars on my chest, sliding her hands up to my shoulders. Only Alex touched my scars. Much like her, they were a part of me. A part I would never hide from her.