Page 18 of Angel of Light (Lords of The Commission: New York #5)

ALISON

Morning came too fast. I was still floating in a dream that was more like a memory since I could still feel him on every inch of my body.

I refused to wake up, afraid that when I opened my eyes, I’d find that Max was gone.

Gabriel…

The memory came back to me. What did he mean his real name is Gabriel?

I let my fingers skim the surface beneath them, finding warm, smooth skin, dips and masses hardening through my path, relief settling in as I felt he was still here.

I dared to peek, one lazy eye prying open, only to be met with the most blissful of views.

Max, or should I say, Gabriel was fast asleep in my bed, one hand tucked under his head while the other was wrapped around my body.

His hard chest rose and fell with his deep, restful breaths, his perfect face shining with a peace I think I’ve never seen him wear before.

“It’s not nice to stare,” He grunted without opening his eyes. An instant smile spread my lips at the sound of his husky voice.

“You should know that nice is overrated. I thought you were sleeping.”

“A mafioso never sleeps, Angelo. ” He turned his face to mine, his blue eyes a stronger shade of cyan, their beauty immediately cutting my breath as soon as they settled on mine, “At least not with both eyes at the same time.”

“Scared I might steal your virtue?”

Max laughed. I had never heard a more striking and alluring sound in my life. Rich and full, straight from his chest. I had known Max for over three years already, and I had never seen him like this.

“My virtue? I’ve never had one of those. You, on the other han–”

The doorbell rang, cutting off Max’s words and the promising touch of his hands.

“Are you expecting anyone?” He asked, his brows furrowed as he looked at me.

“Oh, that should be Jimmy. He’s taking me to Providence today.” I knew I had made a mistake as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

“Like hell he is.”

Max swung off the bed, tugging on the sheet that was tangled around my legs so he could wrap it around himself.

His whole face had changed drastically into a jealous frown, yet I couldn’t help but admire the perfection that was him, standing naked in my bedroom, the sunshine kissing every inch of his skin.

He tore me from my stare by pulling on the sheet again. I forced my heels on the mattress, holding it in place with all my strength, a bratty smirk on my face.

“Do you seriously think I won’t open that door completely naked?”

“Do you seriously think I won’t follow you just as naked?”

The darkness that descended upon his features had a shiver trailing down my spine and settling in my gut. Butterflies erupted in my stomach at the sight of his jealous frown.

“Miss Battaglia?” Jimmy called from the entrance, calling again when I didn’t answer. “Alison?”

“Oh, it’s Alison, is it?”

Max let go of the sheet, ready to walk down the hall and flash Jimmy, leaving no doubt as to what had happened between us. I jumped off the bed and grabbed onto his waist.

“Stop. Maybe he’s worried about not finding you at your station.

Besides, if he sees you naked in my apartment, he’s going to know what happened, and we can’t be sure he won’t tell Matt.

” I couldn’t give a damn if my brother knew.

I was a big girl, and he had no right to rule over my life, but I still enjoyed the right to privacy.

“You’ve got a point,” Max conceded, making me exhale in relief and loosen my hold. My mistake. “I should tell him that I’m here, and he’s relieved of his duty today.”

“What? No!” I whisper-shouted, trying to catch him, but I was too late. Max left the sheet behind him, walking towards the living room with nothing but defined abs and a sexy ass.

There was absolutely no way Jimmy wouldn’t get the memo. But then again, I think that was Max’s intention. Claim me as his, even though Jimmy had no interest in me. Even though I wasn’t exactly his to claim.

I grabbed the sheet back and waited for him to return, my thoughts building on a reprimand that I’d unleash as soon as he got back.

Soon enough, the bubbling annoyance from his actions gave way to thoughts of what was coming this afternoon. With Jimmy out of the equation, I’d either have to go alone, which wasn’t going to happen without my brother being alerted, or drag Max to Providence with me.

The advantage of going with Jimmy was that there was no room for prying. I got along well enough with him, but he’d never push for answers the same way I knew for sure Max would.

Still, it was time, and I couldn’t let that fact turn into an excuse not to go.

After winning a battle against death, it was clear that rock bottom wasn’t the worst place to be. I could only look up from there and do my best to swim to the surface. That was exactly where I’d hit at Liam’s wedding.

The way my father spoke about his parental responsibility towards Adrianne had struck a part of my heart that I thought had healed. Apparently, some wounds never do. His words held a kind softness, synonym to a fondness for a stranger I was all too quick to envy.

Petty, I know!

I couldn’t recognize myself in those sentiments. Yet that didn’t make them any less true. I had been doing quite a lot of that before the explosion. Feeling stuff I wasn’t proud of.

I was slowly trying to deal with each source of shitty feelings – Max, Adrianne, my father, and, last but not least, Vincenzo. I just had yet to figure out what I’d do with that last one.

After Liam’s wedding, as soon as I was sober enough to shovel through those feelings, I finally set my mind on going to Providence. Only, after speaking to Matt about my first-degree tango with Diego in California, I happily postponed it, fearing the answers I’d get if I went.

That’s where I was supposed to be that day the bomb went off at AD. But I was too much of a chicken shit to follow through.

What if Adrianne was a gold digger? What if she was dangerous? Scratch that one. My whole fucking family laughs in the face of danger. What if she found out who and what we were and decided to expose us?

Worse. What if she was a good person, broken and hurt, just like I was?

That one scared me the most.

My heart was too frail to hold a grudge against her for something she didn’t do. Yet I still wasn’t sure I was ready to blame the real culprit and deteriorate our relationship further.

God! I hope she’s a total bitch.

“Who’s a bitch?”

“Did I say that out loud?”

Max was back, arms crossed, leaning against the threshold, his massive cock the perfect distraction from those sour thoughts.

Jesus, was he a sight for sore eyes! One peek in his direction, and whatever was on my mind before was swept under a magic rug.

“Yeah, you did. Are you going to tell me who you were talking about?”

“No. No time. We have to get going. And you, Sir,” I stood up from the bed and made my way towards him as sexily as possible, hoping he’d give me time to come up with the correct words to explain what we were going to Providence for and who I was talking about a moment ago.

“You just became my new chaperone. Shower first, then food, and then words. You owe me for what you just did.”

“And what exactly did I do, Princess?” His hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me further into his sinful body, placing small kisses down the side of my neck.

“Don’t play innocent, Maxy Max. And stop that. We need to get going.”

“Why Providence?” He asked as I walked away, landing a playful swat on my ass.

“I’ll tell you on our way there, after you tell me all about Gabriel.”

The drive felt a whole lot longer than it actually was.

Maybe it was the weight of what I was about to do, or maybe it was that Max was sitting next to me, his presence filling the car, making it impossible to think straight.

While I avoided explaining our little field trip up north, Max dodged talking about the confession he’d let slide during what I could now clearly see was a lust-induced haze.

Maybe Gabriel was the part of him that held secrets. The ones he had said more than once that I couldn’t handle.

Still, having him here came as a welcomed distraction, but the silence in this damn car was killing me. We’d been holding it for well over half an hour now, loaded and dangerous like the gun I knew was snuggled into the back of Max’s slacks. I needed to break it before it broke me.

“So I guess Jimmy knows about us now, huh?”

“He’s known for some time now. Apparently, airplane walls are thin and not made to absorb earth-shattering orgasm moans. We were definitely louder than we thought,” Max confessed, his eyes trained on the road.

“Oh my God!” I gasped in horror, turning towards him while tucking my foot under my ass. “He heard us having sex in Vincenzo’s jet?”

“Apparently. And you and I both know that it was much more than plain sex. I fucked you hard enough to sober you up, and you were all too eager to welcome me into that needy pussy of yours.” His crass words had me squirming in my seat as I remembered how powerful that release was.

The first time we finally gave in after tip-toeing around each other for so long.

“Because it was such a chore for you,” I sarcastically teased.

“I don’t like the idea that they know how you sound when you come, so maybe we should change the topic before I start plotting how to send Jimmy to Timbuktu with Fabio and Fabrizio tailing behind.”

Jesus! They had heard us, too. It was clear that Max was acting all possessive, but there was a lightness about it that I hadn’t seen before. He’d been a lot less playful when addressing Victor and Jax. Was that hope? Was that the confidence of knowing I was his, easing his jealousy?

Something inside pushed me to break it. To stab a sharp knife right through that yearning and prevent it from taking root and hurting us both in the end. I was still engaged, after all.

My mouth was faster than my brain, and the words were out before I could stop them.