Take Me Apart (Vitale Brothers, #1)

by Brea Alepoú

My need to fix it took over. Before I knew it, I was cleaning the entire apartment. To my surprise, there was nothing here that indicated Tex was even a cop. No badge or files lying around. Not even his police academy workout clothes. If I didn’t know who he was, Tex could almost come off as a regular guy.

I took the note he left me, adding my own and placing it on his bed. Maybe another time.

When I left in the morning, my dirty apartment had been put on the list as something I needed to deal with when I returned. There were clothes strewn all over the floor, trash everywhere, and something that smelled suspicious somewhere in the kitchen, but I hadn’t been able to find it in the three minutes I had before snagging my coffee tumbler and bolting from the door. Now? It was pristine, like the day I’d moved in. But better.

There, on my pillow, laid neatly as if I was in a hotel room, was a note. I snatched it up and stared at the bold, straight lettering. Maybe next time.

Enzo had been inside my home. A crazy, murderous, blood-thirsty mobster had been in my goddamn home. The fear was quickly replaced as fire coursed through my veins.

“Don’t act like you’re not into some messed up shit,” she said, grinning at me. “I was there for your high school whore days.”

She wasn’t wrong. Back then, I was all about falling into whatever bed was the closest. Men, women, folks in between and outside of those classifications altogether, they were all ripe for the fucking. I’d slowed down since I entered the academy. Things were hard enough trying to work without mixing in messy entanglements.

She grinned. “I never said that. Being whores is one of many reasons we get along so well.” Chelsea elbowed me fondly. “I missed you.” “I missed you too. Sorry my head’s been up my ass.”

“Um, I think someone’s staring at you.” “Me?” I asked. “No thanks, I’m not into it.” She nudged me. “He’s still staring.”

I turned around to see what she was going on about and froze. Standing above me was Enzo Vitale. The look on his face wasn’t the calm, collected expression I’d seen last time. It looked like he was getting ready to burst a blood vessel. Our eyes locked, and he didn’t glance away even for a second. Something inside of me stirred.

Even without turning around, I knew Enzo was staring me down. Everything in me screamed to glance over my shoulder, to take one last look, but I forced myself to keep moving.

Agitation and annoyance filled me as Tex left with some woman under his arm. I’d watched him the moment he stepped in, facing the pounding music to lay eyes on him.

“I know it’s not the music bothering you.” Gin was right on my heels as I retreated toward the back of the club. I needed to leave. To hunt down Tex and see what he was up to.

Gin’s arm draped over my shoulder, and his mouth was near my ear. “Is it that cute cop?”

Cute? Every fiber of my being reacted to my brother’s words. I twisted toward him as I wrapped an arm around his wrist. I used his body weight against him as I ...

I blinked slowly at him. Gin had said Tex was cute. It was clear my brother needed to go. I wouldn’t let him take my toy away. “Enzo, I’m not going to fuck with your latest obsession,” Gin growled. “Now, back the fuck off.”

“You have crazy eyes right now,” Gin said, holding his cut hands together. “I have to get glued because of you.”

“It was a bad thing to attack me, Enzo.” He shook his head, chastising me like I was a child. “Your new fixation is dangerous.”

“You tried to kill me all because I said the man was cute.” Giancarlo raised his bandaged hands. “Don’t start your bullshit with me. Benito will have both of our asses.”

“Yeah, I don’t believe that shit. Maybe someone else—” His words died off as he met my gaze. Maybe it was the pure rage coursing through my veins or the need to kill, but Gin dropped the idea of switching me out as soon as he looked at me.

“I need to get him out of my system.” Gin’s head tilted to the right as he stared at the ceiling. “You could kill him.”

I’d explained why that was a bad idea already, but now the thought of killing Tex made my stomach sour. I wouldn’t be opposed to having him on a table and cutting into him but killing him made my neck itch.

I never did, but I hadn’t fixated on someone in a long time, either. The last person was six feet in the ground and scattered all over Morningside park. It won’t happen again. I was different, and Tex… was different.

“No, thank you, I know where everything is. You come in here, and I won’t even know where the hell my underwear is.” He pointed at me. “Don’t touch my shit, Enzo. We’ve had this talk. Boundaries.”

all I could think about was Tex and the way he’d laughed and hugged the woman at the club. He’d seen me, and I’d felt a spark the moment our eyes met but he’d turned away from me.

I was out of the car and at his front door in seconds. Gin’s words came crashing through my mind before I could break the lock. Boundaries. Did it still count if I’d already broken in? I was tempted to call Gin and ask him the rules on boundaries if one had already been crossed or if I’d already done it. My head hurt. Instead of entering, I leaned against the wall next to it.

“What the fuck are you doing here, asshole? Here to go through my shit again? Once wasn’t enough?”

My head tilted. I took in the anger in Tex’s eyes and the way his mouth dipped in a heavy frown. He is upset. “You’re angry with me?” “No, I love it when a guy who fucked me left me at a hotel alone comes back around randomly to clean my place and go through my shit. It’s the goddamn best feeling ever.”

“Drink this and take this.” “Not a drug to knock me out, is it?” I smirked. “I want you awake for anything I do to you. Your reactions are too good to miss out on. It’s ibuprofen.”

There was a strange man in my apartment. No, scratch that. There was a strange man in my apartment who had fucked me better than I’d ever been fucked before and who was also a murderous bastard.

Enzo plucked the glass out of my hand and yanked me to my feet. I stood there, staring at him wide-eyed, stunned that he had that much strength. I’d witnessed it myself, but it still shocked me. Normally, I wasn’t an easy man to move, but Enzo did it without a second thought.

The beer had only made me bolder, and I felt some kind of way about him right now. Whether I wanted to fuck him or kick his ass, that was the question.

“I can, but I don’t think I should. You’re drunk enough to slip and crack your head open on the faucet. Blood would splatter, creating a bigger mess. Based on your height and weight, there are multiple ways your fall could land you either in the hospital or the morgue.” “Jesus,” I muttered. “That’s so violent.” He shrugged. “Yes, but it happens.”

Yeah, that’s it. I’m just drunk and horny. Anyone would want to fuck a man that looked like that. But I know the real him. No way I want anything to do with that.

“Why are you here?” I asked. “You haven’t answered that yet.” “I don’t know yet.”

I knew he wouldn’t let it go until I explained what it was. I gritted my teeth. “Old injury,” I muttered. “Got into it with my old man one day, and he knocked me on my ass a few times. No big deal.”

“Who was the girl? She yours?” I got whiplash from the sudden change in topics and gawked at him. “Who?” “The girl. Brown skin, big eyes, short little dress. The one at Blu,” he said impatiently as I continued to stare. “You were all over her.” His grip tightened on my throat. “Who was she?”

My stomach did a little flip as danger bells rang in my head. Was he jealous? Already? After the hotel, I’d thought it was a one-time thing, one night of intense, chaotic pleasure before we’d go back to our separate life paths and clash in the future. But here he was, standing in my bedroom, the pressure of his hand on my neck grounding me.

His lips brushed against mine, and I moaned, unable to stop myself. I reached out and gripped his shirt, holding him against me in case he suddenly decided to change his mind and disappear. My cock throbbed as I pushed up against him, grinding against his body as his tongue drove into my mouth.

But I didn’t just want to be rubbed against. Instead, I shifted my weight and tossed him off of my back. Enzo landed on the bed, and I climbed on top of him, my body screaming to feel him again. Yes, he was a crazy, dangerous stalker, but my brain completely forgot about that when he was so hot and hard underneath me.

“Clothes,” I demanded. Enzo reached down, grasping the hem of his shirt.

hand, I moved back over to see him trying to fold his clothes and knocked them off the bed. He growled. “Hey.” “You’re in my house now. Leave them on the floor if you want to fuck me.”

Enzo glanced at the mess on the floor and then back to me. His gaze wandered a second time, and I saw him struggle before he attacked me. Enzo’s mouth found mine, his tongue sliding into my mouth. I met it, tangling with him as I moaned and rocked forward, only air kissing my hot cock. It wasn’t enough.

His gaze fell on me, and Enzo’s hand reached out. Slowly, he cupped my cheek, and a shock of panic shot through me. I shoved away from him, my cock dripping and my heart pounding. “Get out,” I said, my voice turning shaky. “Get the fuck out!”

Enzo stared at me. “Did I do something wrong?” “Get out!” I snapped again. “Out!” His stare lingered, but he must have seen something because he climbed out of my bed and yanked on his clothes.

Fuck. What was I thinking? What is wrong with me!

No, it’s more than that. It was the way he touched me. The way he looked at me. Why couldn’t I have just bent over and let him take me from behind again?

Enzo stopped and turned back to stare at my door. My heart squeezed as my hand gripped the doorknob. What is that expression on his face? I couldn’t quite figure it out.

I had to get the smell of him off me and erase the feeling of being so close to the man I was destined to put behind bars.

“What do you need?” I stiffened. “Can’t I just want to come and visit my family?” He blew out a cloud of smoke. “No.”