Page 35 of Love to Defy You (The Dark Love #2)

Willow

On Sunday morning, the first thing I do when I wake up is check my phone. Nothing.

With a groan, I bang my head against the upholstered headboard. This huge bed swallows me up without Alek here to share it with me.

He said he’d be back before I left for the airport, and I still have seven hours before I need to leave to catch my flight.

I have no appetite for breakfast, so I get up and finish packing for my trip. Every so often, I check my phone for a text or a missed call, even though it’s in my pocket with the volume as high as it can go. If he tries to reach me, I’ll hear it.

I give Mikhail a call, but it goes straight to voicemail.

“Asshole.” I type a quick text to him, my fingers pounding on my phone screen.

ME

CALL ME.

It isn’t until after lunch that my phone starts to ring. When I yank it from my pocket, UNKNOWN flashes across my screen.

I pound the answer button, praying it’s Alek, and press the device to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hello, Willow. It’s Enzo.” His dark voice purrs in my ear like velvet. “Mikhail said he got a text from you that sounded rather urgent.”

Disappointed, I slump down on the edge of the bed. “Why couldn’t Mikhail call me himself?”

“He’s preoccupied at the moment with Order business,” he says. “What did you need from him? I’m happy to assist.”

I let out a ragged breath. “I just want to know if Alek’s okay.”

“Don’t worry, he’s fine. I’ll return him tonight in one piece.”

“Tonight?” I pull the phone away from my ear and glance at the time. “But I’m leaving this afternoon. I won’t get to see him before I go.”

“You’re taking a vacation without your fiancé?” Enzo asks.

My suitcase lies open in front of me on the floor, and I stare at the pink dress on top that Alek picked out for me. “It’s for my father’s wedding, but it’s in Andarusia, so...”

Enzo’s voice perks up. “You’re going to Andarusia for the spring holiday?” He laughs. “What a coincidence. I’m going to Andarusia this week, too.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Of all the places you could go for spring break, you’re going to Andarusia?”

“Sure, it’s not an ideal holiday destination,” Enzo admits. “But I’m going on business, not pleasure.”

I roll my eyes. “Business? Really?”

“Well, yes, I’m graduating in June, so I’m exploring some options.” He sighs. “Listen, I feel bad about keeping you from Aleksandr tonight. Let me make it up to you.”

Leaning back on my elbows, I ask, “How?”

“Let me take you in my private jet. I’ll move some things around, and we can leave later tonight.”

I let out a laugh. “Thanks, but I’ll be all right.”

“Come on, Willow,” Enzo says. “How many times do you get a chance to fly in a monarch’s private jet? It’ll be much more comfortable than a commercial flight. There’s champagne, and we’ll eat whatever you want for dinner. How does sushi sound?”

I pick at a loose thread in the duvet. “I haven’t said yes yet.”

“It doesn’t have to be sushi. What are you in the mood for?”

“Enzo...” Shaking my head, I throw myself back on the bed and stare at the ceiling.

His voice grows husky. “I like when you say my name.”

“Flirting with me is going to make me say no.”

He blows out a breath. “Look, I feel bad after what happened at the Trial of Lust. It killed me seeing the tears in your eyes. At least let me do this to ease my guilt.”

“Oh, I see. This is a pity plane.”

He chuckles, low and sultry, and I think back to the Trial of Lust when Alek fucked me while I stared into Enzo’s eyes.

I’m keeping Enzo on a string as leverage, right? It might make more sense to accept his offer, even if the thought of being trapped in an enclosed space at thirty-five thousand feet with him scares the shit out of me.

“Fine.” I swallow. “I’ll go if you answer one question for me.”

“I’m intrigued.”

“But you have to be honest,” I add.

He pauses for a long stretch until he finally says, “Okay.”

Raking my lip between my teeth, I stare at the ceiling and close my eyes. “You were one of the only guys who didn’t touch themselves during the Trial of Lust. Why? Weren’t you turned on?”

I cringe at how pathetic it sounds.

“Oh, is that why you left so upset?” Enzo asks.

“No, I didn’t cry because you wouldn’t show me your precious manhood. It’s called a sub drop.” I scoff. “So, what, are you shy?”

He lets out a dark laugh. “Oh no. Quite the opposite. If you were mine, I’d fuck you in front of a stadium full of people if you begged me for it.”

I lick my lips. “That’s not going to happen.”

He chuckles. “Aren’t you curious about how many inches I have on Kurochkin?”

I snort. “I’m hanging up on you now.”

“I’m picking you up at five to take you to the airport.”

I roll over onto my stomach. “Make it six. And I prefer pasta.” Before he can answer, I hang up the call.

The phone falls from my hand onto the bed, and I press my palms against my eyes. I don’t know if I bought myself enough time for Alek to get home, but if he finds out I’m flying to Andarusia on Enzo’s private jet, he’ll flip out.

One thing I’m good at is making a mess of things, and this is a giant clusterfuck.

I clutch my phone, staring at the screen, which says it’s five ‘till six. “Come on, Alek. Call me.”

Cars zip by on the street outside our apartment building as I stand on the sidewalk with my suitcase. The aroma of coffee entices me to go into the café and get something warm to drink, but I don’t want to risk missing Alek. I glance down the street each way, but there’s no sign of him.

A black town car pulls up to the sidewalk in front of me, and my heart sinks.

Enzo steps out of the back seat of the vehicle in a gray, buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing the tattoo of the Order of Apollo on his forearm, and black slacks accentuating his trim waistline.

The top three buttons on his shirt are undone, and his bronze skin peeks through the V-shaped opening.

He has a similar height and build to Alek, and even their jawlines seem chiseled from the same block of marble.

That’s probably the reason a small, itty-bitty, tiny part of me finds Enzo Messina attractive.

He’s a Sicilian version of Alek. Or maybe it’s because he exudes dangerous power, or that we have great banter, or the fact that I enjoy his forbidden attention.

I have eyes, and Enzo Messina is, objectively speaking, hot. A pair of female students from Weltner sit at an outdoor table at the café and stare at him as he approaches, so it’s not just me.

When he reaches me, I glance sideways at the other girls, and the jealousy marring their pretty faces makes heat race to my core.

“Good evening, Willow.” The corner of his mouth curls into a cocky smirk. “Ready?”

“Can we just... wait a minute?” I bite my lip and check both sides of the street again.

He sighs. “The ritual went longer than expected. Alek isn’t coming for another few hours.”

“Wait, what?”

“I was able to excuse myself early to catch our flight, but I just left, and everyone is still there.”

My heart sinks like a lead weight. “Are you sure?”

He raises his eyebrows. “You don’t believe me?”

“Do you want me to answer that honestly?”

That only makes him grin. “I think I know the answer to that.” Enzo slips his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Mikhail right now if that will make you feel better?”

I fold my arms. “Go ahead.”

“He’ll answer for me.” He presses his screen, and the dial tone rings out over the speakerphone.

Mikhail answers after the first ring. “Hey, Enzo.”

He doesn’t answer me all day, but he picks up on the first ring when Enzo calls him? “You asshole!”

“Uh... who is this?” Mikhail asks.

Enzo chuckles. “Miss Baker would like an update on the condition of her precious Aleksandr. I’ll take you off speakerphone so you can speak freely.” He taps the screen and passes it off to me.

The phone is still warm from Enzo’s body heat when I press it against my ear. “Is Alek okay?”

Mikhail blows out a long breath. “I won’t lie to you, it’s been a rough weekend, but he’ll be okay. All the candidates are being released tonight.”

I won’t get to see Alek before I leave. Tears well in my eyes, but I hold them at bay with a sniff.

Mikhail’s voice softens. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. I didn’t know how much I could say.”

“Yeah, whatever.” I shake my head. “Just tell him I’m worried about him, okay?”

“I will.”

I press the end call button by jabbing the screen with my finger, then shove it against Enzo’s chest. Jeez, it’s like punching a brick wall of muscle.

I turn around and head for the car, rolling my suitcase behind me on the sidewalk. “I should have taken the commercial flight.”

Enzo jogs to catch up to me and wraps his fingers around the handle of my suitcase, brushing against my hand. “Let me take this for you.”

“Fine.” I release the luggage and climb into the back seat. A divider separates us from the driver, which means anything could happen to me back here and no one would know. The weight of my mistake presses down on me, and I rest my forehead against the glass.

I shouldn’t have come with Enzo. I’ll be alone with him in the back seat of his car and then again on his private jet. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Enzo loads up my suitcase into the trunk and shuts the door, then climbs into the back seat beside me. I refuse to look at him.

“Champagne?” He taps a dark bottle sitting in an ice bucket in front of him.

“No, thanks.”

“Cheer up, Willow. We’re on holiday.” He pops the champagne and pours it into a flute. “Let’s kick back and relax. You’re too tense.” Enzo reaches across the seat and squeezes my shoulder, but when I push him off, he just chuckles. “See what I mean? So tense.”

I round on him. “Let me make one thing clear. The only reason I’m coming with you is because Alek is in your custody, and I don’t want anything to happen to him.”

His smug grin falters. “Do you really think so little of me?”

“Oh, don’t act like I hurt your feelings. That’s how you got invited to Thanksgiving dinner, remember?”