Dead or Alive_Part One Read online

“Race you?” I asked breathlessly, untangling myself from his hold.

  Xander threw his head back and laughed, howled a laugh, clutching his stomach and all.

  Am I missing something?

  I couldn’t understand what was so funny. At my curious brow, Xander motioned to himself. “Baby, I’m a spic. Don't you realize that means I have fantastic swimming skills?”

  Now it was my turn to bark out a laugh. I shook my head too, rolling my eyes. “Bet I can still beat you. Bad arm, remember?”

  “You’re on. Winner gets what, though,” he challenged.

  “I don’t know. Extra orgasm for the next week?”

  “Your mouth on my dick for the next week? I’m down.”

  I curled my lips at his crass choice of words, side-eying him as we got into our ready stance.

  “On your mark,” I started.

  “Get set,” he continued.

  “Go,” I squeaked, seconds after I’d already waded my way in. I didn’t look back either, especially after hearing him rush in behind me. Once the warm water reached my chest, I sucked in a deep breath and dove under the surface, kicking my feet to shotgun me forward several feet before I came back up for air. Alternating my strokes, I kept on for the edge where the mouth of the waterfall was visible, thinking I’d actually gotten ahead, until I caught him flying by me. Literally flying. It’s like he was gliding across the surface.

  Show off, I thought to myself as I met up with him at the entrance. He was grinning victoriously but went on to take me in his hold wordlessly, rather than announcing his victory. Craning our heads back, we took in the monstrosity before us. Absolutely stunning; it was stunning, and I could hardly wait to see the inside.

  “Ready?” he yelled over the roaring water.

  “Yup.”

  “Hold on tight, Angel,” was the last thing I heard before I was forced to hold my breath once more, forced downward by the pressure from the falling current above.

  Before I knew it, we were zooming up on the other side, gasping for air. I clung to Xander and took in my first glimpse of the cavern. I’d known it was going to be beautiful based on the outside, but this, this was something else entirely. Everything from the rock walls to the water had a magical blue glow to it, courtesy of the moonlight casting in through an opening overhead. A stream of water poured in from there as well, dripping down to a natural landing not too far away. I wanted to lay there and just take it all in.

  “This is gorgeous,” I said, memorizing every rock, every crevice.

  “Kinda like you,” he quipped with a grin, wading us toward shallower water.

  “Stop kissing my ass, Mr. Royce,” I cooed, dragging a finger under his chin to lure him closer as he wedged me between his body and a cluster of rocks.

  “I want to do way more than just kiss that delectable ass of yours, Miss Scarsi,” he answered, the large pad of his middle finger rubbing right there.

  I clenched out of reflex as our lips brushed softly. Not because it didn’t feel good—because it did—but because it was unexpected. I’d never given that part of me to anyone, not entirely anyway. I’d let Luca explore a bit, but it never got very far. Xander, though, I’d give it all to him without a doubt in my mind. Not here though, not now.

  “No, definitely not now,” he agreed to my obviously not so inner-thoughts, the head of his length probing my entrance. “I’ll be savoring every minute of that, taking my sweet time while I stretch you out. Pound you into the mattress,” he murmured, rolling his hips into me.

  Fuck me sideways.

  God, I loved it when he talked dirty to me.

  Raking a few wet strands of hair off his forehead, I pecked the tip of his nose, my thumb tracing the healing slash on his cheek. “So crass tonight, baby.”

  “You know you love it,” he growled, and I couldn’t help but hum, especially when he pushed the tip inside me.

  “Mmm, that I do.”

  “And for the record, I won…”

  “I know,” I acknowledged, tipping my head back as he sunk in deeper, stretching me deliciously.

  The softest moan flew from my lips and yet still it echoed around us. Xander took that as his cue to continue, driving into me slowly at first, then faster and faster, my walls clenching around him. That sweet, torturous build-up came easily after a few slams against my cervix. My entire body thrummed. I was ready to succumb, squeezing my eyes shut as those glorious tingles slowly diverged their way through me, on the brink of ecstasy… And then he eased his movements once more, forcing me to bite my lip in attempt to subdue an unappeased whimper as my orgasm gave away into nothing.

  Apparently he was in no particular hurry.

  Xander chuckled and clamped a hand around my jaw, turning my head back toward him, silently beckoning me to watch. So I did. I watched him fuck me, completely rapt by the way every muscle of his body rippled, how his eyes devoured me, how he touched me. I was going to explode by the time he finally let me fall apart.

  “More, Angel,” he gritted out and I nodded frantically.

  “Yes, more. So much more,” I panted, white-knuckling the rocks behind me for support as he revved it up again. They were rough against my back, scraping the delicate skin there with every one of his thrusts. It was beyond likely I’d have some angry marks tomorrow, but I didn’t care. It felt so good.

  “Fuck, this angle…” he hissed, watching the way our bodies connected beneath the water, a lone hand ghosting up my stomach to cup my breasts.

  “Feels amazing, I know…” I managed.

  “Wanna know what else feels amazing?” His lips were at my ear now. “This pussy… How can it possibly feel more amazing every time?”

  “I don’t know, but I’d say that’s a good thing if you plan to be stuck with me forever,” I murmured on a moan, the pleasure-filled sound bouncing off the walls of the cavern around us.

  “Forever has a nice ring to it, don’t you think,” he gritted out, rubbing my clit with his thumb in methodical circles.

  “Yes…”

  “Then remember that during all the times you start to doubt everything.”

  “I don’t doubt you…”

  “Yes, you do, but we’re gonna change that. I’ll remind you every damn day if I have to. I’m not going anywhere”—thrust—“that I love you and accept you as you are. It’s just you and me, Eden.”

  “Just you and me,” I agreed, once again on the verge of unraveling.

  “No more lies”—thrust—“no more secrets”—thrust—“none of that shit. Got it?”

  “Got it.” I nodded.

  “Good, now come for me, Angel. Come all over your man’s cock.”

  Euphoria.

  I’d wanted to leave Puerto Rico as soon as humanly possible in fear that the Scarsis could show up at any given moment, but this passport guy my auntie knew—who, by the way, she refused to tell me about—was apparently quite the busy guy around these parts. Took him over a week to agree, not only on taking us on at the last minute, but also on moving us to the top of his very lengthy list. Surprisingly enough, the process wasn’t nearly as tedious as I was expecting. During our second week in Ponce, Eden and I drove down the mountain with my aunt to this gentleman’s very secluded home somewhere near the outskirts of town. We had coffee, flipped through pages upon pages of random strangers’ headshots, selected ones that looked nearly identical to us—that was creepy as shit—and then he sent us on our way, assuring us we’d have new I.D.’s and travel papers within the next week.

  So now here we are, a week later, and just as Passport Guy promised, my auntie came home with a big manila envelope earlier in the afternoon. She tried bribing me into staying for Thanksgiving since it was only about a week away, swearing she’d withhold our papers until then, but I stood my ground and plucked the envelope from her hand with a firm “No” in tow before she could think of hiding it. Yeah, I know, Thanksgiving with my auntie would be great, especially with her delicious cooking spread out on the table, bu
t I couldn’t risk our safety for a plate of food. We finally had all the documentation we needed. It was time to get on the move.

  After much deliberation about where exactly we were going next, Eden and I came to an agreement on the Dominican Republic. It wasn’t as far as I’d have personally liked, but my Angel brought up a good point; the Scarsis were more than likely expecting us to hit the U.K., Europe, or another country on the other side of the world, sooner rather than later. Because that would make the most sense, right? Get as far away as possible, right from the get-go? It did indeed, so we were going to do the opposite and hopefully keep them off our scent by hanging out in the Caribbean until the new year. We didn’t have a full itinerary settled just yet, but figured about a full week in the D.R., with lazy beach days and tons of touristy attractions would be the perfect way to spend our Thanksgiving. Then from there, maybe we’d hit the Bahamas or Jamaica.

  Pulling the zipper on Eden’s duffle bag, which was now bursting at the seams with all the stuff we’d bought over the last three weeks, I set it down beside the dresser and scanned the room once more for any loose items. We still had one more night here at my auntie’s, but our flight was early in the morning, and I wanted to be certain we didn’t leave anything behind. Nothing though, nothing was out of place. The room was as spick-and-span as when we’d first arrived. Satisfied that I’d stowed everything away, I headed out into the living room in search of Eden, but she wasn’t there. The TV was off too, and all the lights on the other side of the house were off. It was clear there wasn’t a soul here.

  Where had they gone? Why hadn’t they told me they were leaving?

  They hadn’t, though. Just seconds before I made it to the door, en route to check for my auntie’s jeep, I caught on to a bout of laughter resounding from the front porch. I smiled at the familiar sound, or sounds, I should say…

  “Look at him, how little,” I heard Eden squeak in excitement, and when I poked my head over the threshold, I found her and my aunt seated side by side, an album draped between them.

  “He was only two there,” my auntie answered with a smile. “Seems like so long ago.”

  “Yet he still looks the same.” Eden giggled, a hand draped over her mouth.

  “Ay, nena, yes. That boy has always had an invisible string pulling his eyebrows together.”

  Eden giggled again, scanning every photo on the pages before her. “Is that you?” she asked, pointing to one picture.

  “Mmm, it is, yes. That’s me and my late husband, Raúl.”

  Eden glanced up at her then, brows furrowed, lips thinned thoughtfully. She set a hand on my aunt’s arm and gave it a little squeeze. “I’m so sorry.”

  My auntie nodded and placed a wrinkling hand over my girl’s. “Thank you. He’s finally resting. It’s better this way.”

  Based on how nonchalantly she’d rattled that off, you’d think his death hadn’t affected her. But it did. My Uncle Raúl was the only man she’d ever loved. When he passed away five years back, his death wrecked her, leading her down a path of severe depression my mom had come pull her out of. As a result, Mama was here for three months and almost stayed longer had my cousin, Jadiel, not returned from the military. Really, she should have stayed because he wasn’t in the right headspace to not only take care of his mom while dealing with minor PTSD, but also to grieve the father he lost while overseas. He managed to do it, though, and much better than anyone else could’ve, even my mom.

  “And this? Is this you too?” Eden asked after a quiet beat, obviously not knowing what else to say.

  “No, that’s um, that’s Carla,” my aunt answered softly.

  She hadn’t even finished uttering Mama’s name and Eden’s face had already fallen dramatically, shooting up red flags in my head.

  “Oh…”

  “Don’t worry, mija. She’ll come around eventually.”

  “I hope so…” Eden whispered.

  Time to shut this down…

  “Am I interrupting something?” I asked, joining them on the porch as if I hadn’t heard a thing.

  “Not at all,” my girl answered, tucking a few golden strands behind her ear. “Your aunt was just showing me your baby pictures.”

  “Titi, you didn’t.” I feigned annoyance.

  “Claro que si! Mira esa carita!” She held up the album for me to see myself twenty-eight years ago. “How could I not show her?”

  I laughed at her show of defense. “I’m kidding. Just don’t show her the ones Mami took of me in the tub.”

  “Too late,” Eden chimed in. “I already saw your cute little baby butt.”

  “Another thing that’s still the same,” my aunt said candidly, whacking her palm across my behind as she headed for the door.

  Stretching an arm in front of her, I pulled her in for a hug and placed a kiss to her temple. “Gracias, Titi. Por todo.”

  “Ay, mijo.” She smiled and kissed my cheek. “Siempre estaré aqui por ti, okay?”

  I nodded and flashed her a smile in return, breathing an easy sigh at her comforting words—I’ll always be here for you.

  And with that, she disappeared into the house, leaving me and Eden alone on the porch, with a soft click of the storm door. I turned to regard her as a slight breeze rolled through the balmy evening. The sun was just beginning to set, coloring the world around us, a stream of gold illuminating Eden like a real-life angel. She flushed at my intense gaze and shut the album, setting it down on the chair beside her, before coming to stand in front of me where I’d posted up against the railing.

  “What?” I asked, my lips quirking as a result of her shy smile. “Why are you looking at me like that?’

  Eden shrugged, clutching the front of my tee in her fists. “I don’t know. Every time I hear you talking with your aunt, my heart races a little.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s the Spanish. Makes me swoony,” she admitted, twirling a finger in the air.

  “Oh yeah?” My brows shot up in surprise. “And why am I just hearing about this.”

  “I figured you knew.”

  “Bullshit, you know I didn’t,” I countered, swiveling us around to trap her against the railing. “But now you get to tell me. What exactly is it that you like about it? Cuéntame…”

  This meek little whimper bubbled in her throat, her arms coming around my neck. “Don’t do this to me. Your aunt is right inside that door.”

  “I don’t care, I’m intrigued. Dimelo, Ángel, dime lo qué te gusta,” I crooned softly, threading my fingers into her hair from the nape up.

  A quick tug at the roots unveiled that delicate curve of her neck, drawing my lips up its silken length, just barely ghosting across her skin as they slithered to the shell of her ear. Throw in another whimper here, a soft hiss too, at my teeth nipping her skin. Blue eyes squeezed shut as if that—along with her lack of a response—would deter me, but her reaction did quite the opposite.

  “I’m not going to stop asking until you tell me, Eden,” I promised.

  “You’re evil,” she murmured, barely.

  “Maybe, but you brought this one on yourself. Tell me.”

  “It’s just…”

  “It’s just what,” I pressed, lifting her onto the railing.

  “I don’t know. It’s just how the words meld together—so rich and decadent. Sexy. And then to hear them come out of your mouth, with that husky voice of yours. Fucking slays me.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at her admission as I pressed myself flush against her, my hands all but death-gripping her thighs. “Y qué mas? Dime…”

  “Stop, X, please,” she begged.

  It was music to my ears.

  “Why? Don’t you wanna hear me tell you todas las cositas que te voy hacer,” I growled in her ear, and her head lolled back, mouth falling slack.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means all the things I’m going to do to you, Angel. Don’t you want me to tell you?”

  “Yes, but not
in Spanish, because I’ll melt into a puddle before you even finish.”

  A gruff laugh resounded in my throat. “Can I melt you into a puddle tonight?”

  “Haven’t you—”

  “Xander, Eden,” my auntie’s voice erupted behind us, stilling me in place.

  Eden’s eyes could not have bugged out anymore, a fresh wave of heat creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. I pressed my lips together to stifle my amusement and turned toward my aunt, who had a full-on grin plastered across her face.

  “Dinner’s almost ready,” she said simply, and I smiled, offering her a brisk nod.

  “We’ll be right there, Titi.”

  The following morning, bright and early, Eden and I took a taxi to the airport. My auntie has never been good with goodbyes and she was practically in shambles while she made us our morning coffee. I figured we’d spare her the dramatic, public goodbye and just get it over with in the privacy of her home. This way, she wouldn’t have to drive home alone either.

  Hugging me tighter than ever before, she made me promise to check in whenever we could, a promise Eden agreed to as they shared their own moment, both of them shedding a few tears. It wasn’t easy to let her go and I was sure as shit going to miss her, but we had her blessing, and that was enough to keep me moving. Hopefully one day, we’d have Mama’s blessing too. Only time would tell. For now, it was almost irrelevant, especially when I hadn’t spoken to her since the day we arrived in Ponce…

  Glancing to my left, I watched Eden stare out the window at the workers in a daze. I almost couldn’t believe we were boarded and settled on the plane, preparing to leave La Isla del Encanto—the island of enchantment. We’d done it. We’d actually done it and made it on board without a single hitch. If you’re wondering, yes, I was obviously expecting one, because why would anything be easy for us, ya know? But it was, surprisingly so. Our I.D.’s and passports—under the names Samuel and Jean Alfonso—were reviewed as quickly as every other passenger, and after waiting at the gate for half an hour, we finally made it to our seats, not a questioning look cut our way. Now all there was to do was wait, perhaps even enjoy the flight and prepare ourselves for what lay ahead.