All her friends gaped. I’d never seen a bunch of people look so friggin’ shocked. Then, to make things worse, Rome stepped forward and said, “I’d rather you were with anyone but him. Anyone’s better than a crack dealing junkie that will lead you straight to hell.”

Ally’s head snapped to Rome, her eyes darkened and she said, “Yeah? Well I don’t want anyone else, Axel,” she looked up at me and hit me with a watery smile, “he completely owns my heart.”

“Ally…” Lexi whispered from our side, her hands to her mouth, tears in her eyes. And I couldn’t speak, my chest was too tight at her proudly standing by my side. She was proud to be at my side. What kind of fucked up world had I landed in where Ally Prince was standing proudly at my side?

Ally turned to Lexi. “Please can you keep me informed of Molly’s recovery, Lex? Tell her that I’ll see her real soon, and I’m sorry I couldn’t stay.” Lexi nodded, looking worryingly at Austin. Ally then looked to her cousin. “I know you don’t approve, Rome. And I want to stay for Molls, but I get that you’re pissed at me right now and need us to leave. Because if Axel goes, so do I. But know that I ain’t the kid you feel you gotta protect no more. And I don’t need you to approve my choices.” She took a breath and continued, “If you want me to leave your house, I will. I understand.”

Rome’s jaw clenched as he glared at me, but when his eyes fell on his cousin, they softened some. “You don’t have to leave, Al. You know that, but I can’t get on board with you and him being together. I got no idea how it happened or how long you’ve been together. But I know he’s fucking poison, Al. He might be doing okay now, but he’ll fuck up again. I’ve seen him do it from when we were kids. He’s Heighter for life.”

“He’s not, Rome,” she said coolly. “You have no idea how amazing he really is.”

With that, we turned and walked down the hallway, leaving all her friends behind. We never spoke as we got in the car, we never talked as we drove to my studio.

Wasn’t much to say anyhow.

*****

As we walked into the studio, Ally had her arms wrapped around her waist like she was cold. I stepped back, watching her as she stood still just staring out of the window. She was so damn beautiful I almost couldn’t stand it.

Putting her rental car keys on the table, I moved to stand behind her and turned her in my arms. Her normally bright face was so pale and most of her makeup was gone from how much she’d cried.

As I drank in her unusually sad face, my stomach rolled.

I did this to her.

I did this to everyone. Fucking destroyed their lives, made them sad… made them leave the people they loved.

Rome was right, I was poison. And I probably would fuck up again. It’s what I did best.

“Don’t,” Ally suddenly said in a hoarse voice, pulling my attention back to the moment. I didn’t say anything in response. She wouldn’t like what I had to say anyway.

Ally’s hand pressed in my cheek, drawing me in. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop.”

“We shouldn’t be together,” I replied, even though it was fucking tearing me apart inside to say so.

Dropping her hand from my face, Ally walked toward my bed and began undressing. My dick immediately started hardening as she pulled off her top, a white lace bra underneath. And when her hands began pulling down the zipper of her skirt, her tanned firm ass appearing as she only wore a tiny white thong, I had to close my eyes just to keep my shit together.

Managing to gain some sort of composure, I strode across the room to Ally, fighting for breath as she unclasped her bra and it fell to the floor… only her thong remained and those sexy as fuck heels still on her feet.

I froze, completely unable to move. Then Ally turned and faced me. She threw the pins from her hair on the floor to let her long hair fall down her back.

She looked like a damn siren and I was so fucking screwed.

I could see in her eyes that she knew what I was trying to do. She’d clearly anticipated that I was standing here about to push her away. To save her from losing her best friends because she’d fallen for me. But I could also tell by the determined look in those eyes, that she wasn’t gonna let me do shit.

Moving her hands to the hem of my shirt, she lifted it over my head and leaned forward to press her lips against my hot skin. Her soft, swollen lips ran across my pecs and down to my nipple where she sucked it into her mouth. She then continued down until she reached the zipper on my jeans.

Carefully unzipping me, she pushed my jeans down and took tight hold of my solid cock. I breathed through my nostrils as she straightened to whisper in my ear, “Stop trying to run me off. I choose you. I want to be with you, Axel Carillo. And if you keep trying to push me away, I’m gonna unleash the fiery Latina living within me and make you friggin’ listen.”

As she drew back her head, her eyebrow was raised in challenge and her natural color was coming back to her cheeks. I couldn’t help but hook my lip up in a smirk, and Ally had to purse her lips to stop from laughing too.

“Unleash the fiery Latina?” I asked in a gruff voice, as that skilled Latina hand of hers began working my dick back and forth.

“Si,” she whispered in her cum-worthy Spanish accent and, taking my hand, I pushed it down into the tiny triangle of her thong, slipping my fingers through her wet pussy, eventually finding her clit. Using the pad of my finger, I began moving it in circles, loving hearing her gasp.