Page 27 of The Billionaire’s Siren (S.E. Smith Signature Romance: Heart & Soul #1)

Seventeen

The aluminum dinghy scraped gently against the dock. Dani jumped out to tie it off before Alexandros could. She still hummed with a pleasant buzz from their brief detour—because that man could melt her bones with a single touch.

Demetrius waited for them at the boathouse.

The rhythmic lapping of water against the wooden pilings was a steady counterpoint to his restless pacing as they idled closer.

His face was unreadable until his gaze locked onto hers—then shifted as he caught the flash of the diamond and emerald ring.

A slow smile spread across his face, his eyes crinkling at the corners with approval.

“I’ll warn you now that I’ve upgraded security since you were last here,” he greeted in a dry voice. “Apparently, our perimeter can be breached with a stolen tin can and a determined woman.”

Dani laughed. “You forgot ‘resourceful.’ I borrowed the dinghy. Borrowed. Big difference.”

Alexandros groaned behind her. “Please don’t encourage her.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Demetrius replied, though the sparkle in his eyes said otherwise. “But it did make the case for a few new cameras. ”

“Just so you know, you’ll probably end up with footage of me skinny-dipping off the back deck,” Dani called out over her shoulder.

Demetrius coughed—into his hand, barely hiding a smirk.

Alexandros tripped on the dock ladder and scowled first at her before he turned a warning glare to Demetrius.

Dani grinned.

“I told you she was going to be trouble,” Demetrius chuckled before his humor faded. “You have an unexpected visitor. She arrived an hour ago.”

Alexandros straightened, the muscle in his jaw tightening. “Who?”

“Gina Rossi.”

The name hung in the air like a cork from a bottle no one wanted to open.

Dani caught the briefest flicker of distaste in Demetrius’s otherwise professional demeanor. But it was nothing compared to the steel that snapped into Alexandros’s spine.

“Well,” he said with the warmth of a glacier, “that explains the headache I didn’t know I had.”

“Old friend?”

Demetrius’s mouth twitched. “In her dreams.”

Alexandros turned to her. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get cleaned up? I’ll?—”

“Nope,” she said breezily, cutting him off.

“I think I’d like to meet this surprise guest. After all, I live here now too, don’t I?

It wouldn’t be proper if I was rude.” She gave him a smile that was just a little too sweet.

“Besides, I’m dying to see what kind of woman gives my fiancé indigestion at the mere mention of her name. ”

Demetrius choked again.

Alexandros gave her a pained look. Not exactly pleading, but definitely… wary.

Which, of course, only made her more curious.

Hand in hand, they ascended the wide stone steps. The sun was beginning to set, painting the villa in golden hues—and apparently, it brought the drama with it.

Dani let go of Alexandros’s hand just as a tall, breathtakingly beautiful blonde swept out of the double doors onto the terrace. Dani’s nose wrinkled when she caught the scent of expensive perfume and entitlement.

So this is the mysterious Gina Rossi.

Gina released a high, girly squeal that made Dani’s molars ache, and launched herself at Alexandros like a heat-seeking missile.

“Alexandros! Darling! Did you miss me? I’ve missed you.

Paris was simply boring without you. And what have you said to poor Vito?

He’s wallowing in self-pity at the gaming tables in Morocco like his best friend has died,” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck before Dani could so much as blink.

The vision of talons on a chalkboard changed to a red haze when Gina clamped her blood-red lips to Alexandros’s before he could respond. The lip lock was a full-on, no-holds-barred, suck his tonsils out kiss. Gina kissed him as if it was her audition for a soap opera—and her big break.

Dani froze. For one wild second, she thought she was hallucinating. But no, that was definitely Gina’s mouth plastered to her fiancé’s.

Alexandros peeled her off with the enthusiasm of someone removing a slug from their shirt.

“Gina,” he said, his voice flat. “What are you doing here?”

She pouted. “I told your assistant I was coming. I thought we could catch up.” Then, as if noticing Dani for the first time, she turned and gave her a bright, insincere smile. “And you must be…?”

Dani smiled sweetly, stepping forward and threading her arm through Alexandros’s with lazy familiarity.

“Dani Collins,” she greeted in a cheerful voice. “Fiancée.”

Gina blinked at the ring Dani flashed. Dani could feel the other woman’s scrutiny as she ran her gaze from head to toe all the way to her bone marrow.

Dani recognized the look instantly—the same one designer sales associates gave her when she walked in wearing greasy overalls, moments before trying to usher her out.

“Oh,” Gina said with a plastic smile. “How… quaint.”

Behind Gina, Dani caught Demetrius’s dry murmur: “Gina is Vito’s stepsister. ”

Aha.

Jealousy flared, hot and unexpected, but Dani didn’t flinch. Instead, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to Alexandros’s cheek.

His arm wrapped around her, and he started to turn his head towards her, but she stopped him with a caress to his cheek.

Leaning closer to his ear, she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear, “I’m not kissing you again until you brush your teeth.”

Alexandros stifled a laugh.

Dani patted his chest, dragging her palm down with slow, lingering possession before she pulled away.

“I’m going to shower,” she tossed out with a bright, fake smile.

“You two have fun catching up. But if you need anything, darling, just shout. I’m sure Demetrius would be happy to help take out the trash. ”

With one last sweet smile, she turned and sauntered toward the stairs.

Her heart was pounding, but her face was calm.

Dani knew Gina was trouble the moment she strutted out like the villa was her catwalk. But she had a wrench, a blowtorch, and a wicked imagination—and she could think of at least twelve different ways to hide a body on the villa grounds without messing up the landscaping.

Let Gina try something again.

Dani Collins wasn’t going anywhere.

And neither was her man.

Alexandros looked with disapproval at Gina when he noticed the flash of irritation change to calculation.

He had seen that look far too many times when the young woman wanted something and had been told no.

He’d been on the receiving end of that look before.

But this time, it mattered. She was trying to drive a wedge between him and Dani.

He wouldn’t allow it—not even for the sake of peace.

“Our families—our fathers—” Gina began, her mouth drawn into a practiced pout that probably still worked on half the men in Rome .

He stepped away when she lifted her hand to touch him again. Her lips tightened, and another flash of annoyance swept across her face.

“Alexandros,” she pouted, giving him a puppy-eyed look of hurt.

He shook his head, his patience nearing an end. “They were drunk in a den when we were kids and still laugh about it over dinner,” he said flatly. “It was not a blood oath. There was no agreement. Formal, informal, imagined, or otherwise.”

“But… they both want it. If you turn your back on us, you’ll be breaking with tradition!”

“No, Gina. I’m starting my own.” He stared her down. “With Dani.”

He knew instantly that mentioning Dani's name had broken through Gina's defenses; a subtle shift in her eyes betrayed the fracture. Her polished facade slipped, revealing the ice beneath.

Her voice turned cold, bitter. “If you want to slum it with a grease-stained mechanic—yes, Vito told me exactly who she is—don’t be surprised when she bores you; or worse, embarrasses you in front of half of the world.”

Instead of being offended, he chuckled—only fueling Gina’s rage.

Gina had no idea who Dani really was, nor the power behind her.

He saw no point in continuing the argument when all he wanted was to join Dani upstairs, where the warm steam from the shower enveloped them.

The image of Dani, water cascading over her smooth skin, sent a jolt of excitement through him; his blood rushed south.

He gave Gina a look weighted with finality. His stare conveyed the gravity of her actions, making her realize her mistake.

“Alexandros? Are you serious? You-you would choose that-that nobody over me?” Gina demanded.

Her hand lifted to her throat as she stared back at him in disbelief. All the expensive tutors and polished manners couldn't mask the entitled, spoiled child lurking beneath the surface of the younger woman.

Her entitlement radiated outwards, a palpable wave of self-importance that clashed sharply with Dani's gentle humility. Gina didn’t care about anyone else. She was utterly self-absorbed, unconcerned with the feelings or needs of others.

She loved the idea of him—the status, the money, the photo ops, the lifestyle. She belonged to a world he’d gladly left behind. Dani was his future.

“Goodbye, Gina,” he said. “Demetrius will show you out.”

Alexandros felt the tension bleed out of him as Demetrius escorted a stunned Gina out of the villa and to her car. He breathed a sigh of relief when the front doors of the villa closed behind the two, cutting off Gina’s furious threats.

A slow, devilish grin curved his lips. Now, to do what he had been fantasizing about. Rubbing his hands together, he exited the salon and climbed the stairs. His heart already pounding for an entirely different reason as he neared his and Dani’s bedroom.

He entered the room, closing and locking the door behind him. The bathroom door was ajar, the ambient light casting a halo into the dim room. He heard the shower.

A low chuckle slipped from him when he heard Dani’s voice.

“Touch him again, and I’ll hide your body in one of the villa’s ten thousand olive urns. No jury would convict me.”

A pause.

“Oh, and if he tries to kiss me before he brushes his teeth, I’ll bite his tongue. No, no. I can’t do that. He does such wonderful things with his tongue. I love it when he?—”

The sound of Dani’s curse followed by a low moan of desire pulled him forward. There was something sexy in a woman who could make death threats sound adorable.

He shed his clothes quickly—shoes, shirt, shorts, briefs—then padded into the bathroom. Steam wrapped around him, caressing his skin.

Dani stood in the shower, her back to the tiled wall, red curls plastered to her shoulders, one foot propped lazily on the small ledge as she—. His breath caught as he watched, mesmerized, as her hand caressed the sensitive spot between her legs.

She looked up and saw him—and her entire body flooded with intense desire. She wanted him—but not with Gina’s lipstick and scent on him .

“You better not even think about kissing me until you brush those teeth, Romeo.”

He didn’t say a word. He just grabbed his toothbrush and the toothpaste and calmly went to work scrubbing his teeth like a man on a mission.

She watched, her eyes sparkling with invitation as she continued to rub the hidden jewel he loved to tease with his tongue.

His gaze never wavered as she traced a path from her belly to her breast with her free hand, cupping the soft globe.

Her eyelids drooped languidly, her lips parting in a slow, sexy smile that hinted at untold desires.

“You’re brushing while naked. That’s oddly… erotic. Still not sure it’s enough. I think I need something… more.”

He spat, rinsed, and flicked water from his mouth like a wet lion, then carefully replaced the toothbrush on the corner shelf.

His gaze lifted to hers. Gleamed.

Challenge accepted.

Dani’s smile faltered into something softer. Hotter.

She extended her arm in silent invitation.

“It took you long enough to get rid of her,” she murmured, when he opened the glass door and stepped into the shower.

She reached over and picked up the soap, lathering it on the washcloth before she began gliding it over his body.

Her lips pursed as she followed a line of suds running down his chest. “I can’t stand the thought of you smelling like designer desperation. ”

“I want you, Dani—only you. Always you,” he murmured, his voice low and thick as her hands traced down his torso.

Her touch was unhurried, reverent, and deliberate.

Her lips curved into a satisfied smile when his cock twitched against her thigh.

He leaned forward, relishing in the feel of Dani’s slick skin against his and the warmth of the water coursed over his shoulders as if they were standing under a waterfall.

He kissed the pulse on her neck, running his tongue over it.

“You missed a spot,” he growled.

Her hand slid lower .

Then lower still.

And suddenly, the playful tease melted into something darker.

Needier. She dropped the soap when he suddenly cradled one hand on the back of her neck.

He slid his other hand under her thigh as he pulled her up against him.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her legs around his waist, slick skin against slick skin as he pressed her back to the warm tile.

His mouth claimed hers—fierce, hot, possessive.

She moaned against him, her hips tilting just enough, guiding him in as he surged forward, claiming her in one deep, demanding stroke.

Her head fell back.

“Where else do you like my tongue?” he asked, voice ragged.

“Everywhere… Oh, God, everywhere,” she gasped.

This is what he loved about Dani. She made him lose control. It wouldn’t matter if they made love a million times. He would never get enough of her.

He gripped her thighs, rocking his hips in powerful thrusts, each one a vow. Each fervent kiss was a promise of the future they would have together.

Alexandros poured everything he had into the beautiful woman in his arms. He wasn’t just making love to her—he was anchoring them both, forging a bond no storm could break.

Dani’s body clenched around him, her release rippling through her.

She released a muffled cry of ecstasy against his neck as her body convulsed.

The feel of her silky channel, squeezing him, was too much.

His legs trembled, forcing him to lean forward.

He pressed into her, too weak to stop himself from melting into the heat of her body.

“I want to lose myself in you—again and again. Every second with you is an eternity I crave,” he murmured in Greek, the words too raw to say in English. “I love you, Dani. I won’t ever let you leave me again. Never, Danika. You must promise never to leave me again.”

“I promise. We’re in this together. I love you. I’ll love you forever,” she murmured, threading her fingers through his hair and holding him to her as if she would never let him go .

She already knew.

She was his.

And nothing, not a thousand Gina Rossis or even the uncertainty of life, could ever change that.