Chapter 2

~LEXI~

My legs felt like jelly as I slipped out of the guest room and down the long hallway toward the kitchen.

I needed water.

Cold water. Maybe the entire damn fridge pressed against my burning skin. Anything to douse the fire Enzo had lit inside me without even knowing it.

The mansion was quiet now. I told myself I wouldn't think about what I'd just seen. I failed miserably. Every step replayed the image of his thick cock sliding into that girl, his muscles flexing, the way he'd growled those filthy words.

I pushed open the kitchen door and froze.

Enzo stood a few feet away, completely naked.

His back was to me at first—broad, tanned, and covered in a light sheen of sweat that made the tattoos on his shoulders look even more dangerous.

He turned slightly, reaching for a bottle of water, and I got the full view. Oh. His chest, those ridged abs, the sharp V-cut leading down to. . .him. Still semi-hard, glistening from the pool and sweat from what he'd just done.

His curly hair was damp, messy, and his dark eyes held that post-sex haze that made my stomach flip.

I bit my lip hard, trying to stop the whimper that wanted to escape.

My throat went dry. I grabbed a glass from the counter with shaky hands, filled it from the fridge dispenser, and chugged it like I'd just run a marathon.

The cold liquid did nothing to cool the heat pooling between my thighs.

"Your brothers said you were sleeping," Enzo said casually, like we were discussing the weather.

He leaned one hip against the island, not bothering to cover himself. Not even a little.

His gaze roamed over me, over my thin tank top and shorts that suddenly felt way too revealing.

I swallowed, but my voice came out husky, unfamiliar. "I was. You fucking that random girl by the pool woke me up."

My words came out bolder than I'd ever been with him. Enzo's eyebrows lifted slightly, but instead of looking embarrassed, a slow, dangerous smirk tugged at his lips. His eyes darkened as they locked on mine.

"Did it?" he asked, voice low and rough. He took a step closer, still completely naked, water bottle dangling from his fingers.

The scent of chlorine and sex clung to him, mixing with his usual cologne. It was intoxicating.

"Did you hear everything, Lexi?"

Did I? I didn't just hear. I saw it all as well.

I cleared my throat. He didn't need to know that.

My cheeks burned. I set the glass down before I dropped it, gripping the edge of the counter. "I. . .I tried not to. But she was loud. Really loud."

Enzo's smirk deepened. He stopped just a few feet away, close enough that I could see the way his cock twitched at my words. My nipples hardened against my tank top, and I knew he noticed when his gaze dropped there for a second.

"You shouldn't have watched," he murmured, but there was no real scolding in his tone. If anything, it sounded like a challenge. "Good girls like you aren't supposed to see that kind of thing."

Watched? Did he see me?

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Enzo." The words slipped out before I could stop them. My heart raced. "I'm nineteen. Turning twenty soon. And I hear you all the time. Through the walls. Every time you bring someone home."

I bit my lip.

He took another step. The air between us felt hot. I could see the pulse beating in his neck, the way his muscles tensed like he was fighting the same pull I felt.

"Careful, Lexi," he said softly, dangerously. His eyes flicked to my lips, then lower, tracing the curve of my body like he was imagining what I'd look like bent over that same lounge chair. "You keep looking at me like that and I might forget whose little sister you are."

My breath hitched. Heat flooded my core. Part of me wanted to close the distance, to finally touch what I'd only ever watched from far. But the weight of my brothers' warnings, the Moretti protectiveness, it stopped me.

I forced a shaky laugh, trying to play it off even as my body screamed for more. "Maybe I don't want you to forget. Maybe I'm tired of being the innocent one everyone protects."

Enzo's jaw flexed.

For a second, I thought he might reach for me. Instead, he ran a hand through his damp curls and let out a low chuckle that sent shivers down my spine.

"Drink your water, Lexi. And go back to bed before your brothers murder me in my sleep."

He turned slightly, but not before I caught the way he was getting hard again.

I didn't move. Not yet.

I couldn't.

I was still in shock.