Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection

by Gianna Gabriela

  She sat on the couch, Alex passing her a glass of wine and a plate with a slice of pizza on it. After getting himself two slices, he sat beside her, their bodies touching from hip to calf.

  “I’m glad you didn’t get upset that I still came around,” Alex said, taking a bite and chewing.

  “Why did you think I’d be upset?”

  He shrugged. “Dunno. Just thought that maybe you wouldn’t want me here.”

  “I felt really bad about having to cancel,” she said, but in her head she was screaming, Liar, liar, liar! Gigi truly didn’t want to hurt Alex, but she knew she inevitably would—Max was just too much of a temptation.

  “Mind if we turn off the lights?” he asked once they’d finished dinner.

  “Umm, no.” She stood up and flipped off the main lights in the living room and kitchen.

  “Can we kill the lamps, too? I like watching movies in complete darkness.”

  She did turn off the lamp, but she felt uneasy doing it. Darkness could hide any multitude of sins, and she was suddenly wishing it was Max she was sitting beside. She did want to like Alex as more than just a friend, but she was struggling with the concept now that she knew what Max could give her.

  The first half of the movie managed to keep her attention. It was a romance between a former bull rider who wanted to make a comeback after a major, nearly fatal injury and a young woman who was visiting her grandfather one last time before he passed away. To be honest, she wouldn’t have thought it was the kind of movie Alex would like.

  When it got to the sex scenes, Gigi started to get really uncomfortable. Alex’s hand ‘accidently’ brushed up against hers at first, then it landed on her knee. Clearly he was trying to get the courage to hold her hand. Completely uncomfortable with his advances, she repositioned herself on her stomach on the floor, feigning a sore back.

  She was thankful when the credits began to roll. Rolling onto her side, she looked at Alex. He wasn’t able to hide his disappointment that she’d moved away from him. “What did you think?” she asked.

  “It was a lot better than I thought it’d be.”

  “Yeah, I agree.” She glanced at the time on her phone. It was only nine-thirty. “Thank you so much for coming around tonight, Alex,” she said, “but, I’m beat.” She stifled a yawn to add to the theatrics.

  He jumped up off the couch. “Yeah, I guess it’s time to go.” He picked up his bag, and Gigi took the DVD from the player. Handing it back to him, she smiled.

  She walked him to the door. “Thanks for dinner and the movie.”

  Alex’s fingers brushed against her cheek, his focus on her lips. “No problem. It was fun.”

  She doubted it was. ‘Awkward’ was a better adjective. Gigi stepped back a little, opening up the door for him. Just as he was stepping through, he paused and turned back to her. He was thinking hard about something, and she could just guess what it was. By the way his eyes kept returning to her mouth, she was in no doubt he wanted to kiss her. She also prayed that he fought the urge. He shook his head and turned around once more. Letting out a sigh of relief, she was about to close the door when his foot stopped it.

  “Alex?” she asked, opening up the door once more. “Did you forget something?”

  “Yeah,” he replied. “This.” Stepping into the line of her body, his lips pressed against hers. They were warm and soft, and Gigi had to admit they felt nice, too, but Alex’s touch didn’t light a fire in her belly like Max’s could. His mouth moved against hers clumsily, his tongue brushing against her closed mouth. She didn’t open for him, not wanting to deepen the kiss.

  He stepped back with a frown on his face. “Was that… Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

  “No, Alex. You just took me by surprise.” Lies, lies and more lies.

  “We can try it again,” he suggested with a smile, stepping closer. She turned her head as he leaned forward, his lips landing on her cheek.

  “It’s late,” she told him. “I’ve got a few things I need to do before I go to bed.”

  He stepped back. “Yeah, of course.” He studied her face for a beat longer then turned on his heel and walked towards the elevator. She closed the door, more than happy to block out the whole evening.

  “How did he match up to me?” Max asked.

  Gigi spun around to find him standing against the island bench, his muscular arms over his chest. He was wearing a plain white tee and his sweats again. Her whole body warmed as she looked him over. Squeezing her thighs together subtly, she breathed, “Incomparable.”

  “You got that fucking right,” he growled, stalking towards her. She counted his steps, her heart pounding out the same rhythm as his naked feet. She whimpered when one of his strong hands wrapped around the back of her neck, and the other cinched shut around her hip. His kiss was bruising, making her whole body light up with passion. He broke away first, but didn’t release her. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want this, Gigi,” he said, pushing his hips into hers. She felt his erection—hard and unyielding—press against her, and she knew she could never tell him no.

  He could be gone in a matter of months—perhaps sooner—but she had to experience him. She had to know what it was like not being able to breathe without someone in her life.

  “I don’t want you to stop, Max,” she moaned, arching into him. He tilted her head back, exposing her throat to him. His lips covered her, his teeth gently nipping where he’d just kissed. She could feel her body respond to his, getting wetter, begging to have him inside of her again. Her hands snaked to the hem of his tee, pushing it up and exposing his stomach. Her fingers traced the hard lines and curves of his body, making them a tactile memory she would keep for the rest of her life. And of that she was sure. Max would etch himself onto her soul and make her compare every other guy in her life to him.

  “I need you naked,” she said, surprising herself. He only smiled and pulled on the back of his t-shirt, dragging it over his head. When he moved to take off his sweats, she stopped him. She wanted that job. Slipping her fingers under the waistband, she gently lowered them until they were pooled around his feet. Gigi let her eyes take him in…all of him. His erection bobbed up and down when her eyes were on it, causing her stomach to flutter and her core to pulse. She stepped into his body, wrapping her hand around the base of his cock and tightening her fingers slightly.

  He hissed, his hips flexing forward.

  She started to move her palm over his length, feeling the veins beneath his skin surrendering to the pressure of her hand. With her thumb, she ran it over the slit at the top of his head, applying just the slightest amount of pressure. Max groaned long and low, throwing his head back. He stood there for a moment, just absorbing the sensations.

  “Fuck, I need to see you naked again.”

  She smiled. “You’d better do something about that then.”

  He kissed her, tearing at the button on her shorts and shoving them, along with her underwear, down to the floor. His fingers pulled at the buttons on her blouse, sending the little discs scattering all over the floor. Pushing the fabric from her shoulders, her ruined shirt joined her shorts on the hardwood. She reached out to grip his cock again, claiming what she had before. She pumped him a few times, drawing more moans from his throat.

  Their fervent kiss turned nuclear. He consumed her until she felt as if they were sharing the same breath.

  “Touch me, Max,” she whispered, trailing her lips down his throat and opening her teeth over the muscles in his neck. “Feel me.”

  He groaned, his deft fingers tracing an invisible line up the inside of her thighs. He swept one inside her wet folds. He circled her clit, teasing her mercilessly. Her hips tried to guide him where she really wanted him to be, but he always changed direction. Beyond frustrated, she took him by the hand and showed him exactly what she wanted.

  “Impatient for what I’m going to give you, are we?” he asked against her mouth, smugness dripping from his words.

  “Don�
��t make me beg.”

  “That’s exactly what I want you to do, Gigi,” he replied.

  He slipped his finger lower, finding her drenched opening. Pushing in just the tip of his finger, he withdrew it, then repeated the action. She was cognizant of the fact that he was driving her to the edge of insanity, but two could play at that game.

  She tightened her hand around the base of his cock, applying more pressure than she had before. He pulled his hips back, a hiss pushing past his teeth. He looked at her, a dark seductive glint in his eye. “Be careful,” he warned.

  “What are you going to do?” Gigi shot back. “Tie me up? Spank me?”

  Taking her by the hand, Max dragged her from the living room and down the hall. Once inside his bedroom, he told her to sit on the edge of the bed. She watched as he closed the door first then went to his wardrobe and came back with a tie. Her mouth went dry. It looked like she was right—he was going to tie her up.

  “Give me your hands, wrists up.”

  She complied, curious to know what being tied up was going to be like. She’d heard that bondage could be quite liberating. He didn’t take his eyes off hers for a second as he wrapped nearly the entire length of the navy blue tie around her wrists. Once he’d secured the knot, he pulled on it gently. “Stand up.”

  When she was in front of him, Max kissed her mouth gently. “Just say stop if you want me to.” She nodded. Then in a stronger voice, he said, “Turn around.”

  She faced the bed, her skin tingling, her pulse pounding. She was so turned on that she could feel her arousal slipping down the inside of her thigh.

  “Spread your legs apart, bend over and put your forearms on the bed.”

  It was awkward at first. Her legs were at least a foot away from the edge of the mattress, her body stretching over the expanse. All thoughts of discomfort soon evaporated. The second she was in positon, Max’s tongue was lapping at her sex, drinking from her. She squirmed as he ate her out, his wicked tongue darting in and out, stroking her clit and causing her knees to go weak. Her bound hands were clutched together and if she wasn’t naked, it would have looked as if she was praying; the words coming out of her mouth were certainly praising God. She gasped when one finger penetrated her, her inner muscles tensing as another finger was added. He finger fucked her, his tongue still tickling her clit and Gigi could feel herself start to unravel.

  Her orgasms always started in the same way—it felt like a ball of tension in her belly. It unfurled like a flower when the first rays of the sun hit it.

  “I’m going to come,” she said, her eyes squeezing shut, letting the sensations of her release roll over her body. She cried out, unable to hold in the sound. It was all connected—her tensed body, her orgasm, the sound of pleasure coming from her mouth. She was being washed away by it all, and yet Max didn’t slow. He kept thrusting in and out of her body, kept swallowing her down and relishing the flavor. She was hypersensitive, trying to move away when he ran his tongue over her clit again. She couldn’t stand the sensation; it was too much for her brain to comprehend.

  “Enough!” she said. “Please.”

  He stopped with a chuckle and helped her to stand up, his hands going to her shoulders, massaging the tension out. Gigi hadn’t even realized she’d been putting so much pressure on them.

  He turned her around, the look on his face carnal. Before she could say anything, he kissed her, nipping at her bottom lip. “Amazing,” he murmured.

  “It was,” she agreed.

  “It’s not over yet; we’re only just getting started.”

  23

  Max felt content for the first time in a long, long time. Gigi took him back to a time before Chelsea poisoned him and his whole goddamn life. He didn’t want to go to work tonight. He wanted to stay in and make love to the woman who was tucked up against him, her head on his shoulder, her red hair tickling his skin. He’d had no intention of starting a sexual relationship so soon. After Chelsea, he’d sworn up and down that he would only do one-night stands, and that was only if he got desperate. Erin and work had kept him too busy to actually hook up with anyone, so the only action his cock had been getting was with his right hand.

  With an expiration date in sight, he knew he had to make the most of Gigi. This girl was amazing. Her willingness to try different things blew his mind; what was left of it came up with different ways to make her submit to him. She was also amazingly receptive to every touch, every caress and every stroke. Chelsea had always battled with this side of him, never fully giving herself over to Max. He hadn’t realized how frustrating that was until now.

  Until Gigi.

  His hand slid between their bodies, his finger sweeping up over the tops of her thighs and lower belly. She sighed in her sleep, snuggling closer to his side. One of her dusky pink nipples was revealed when she shifted, giving Max more ideas than he knew what to do with. One of his biggest fantasies, and one that Chelsea had never indulged him in, was having a woman get herself off while he watched. Just the thought of it made his cock begin to swell.

  Gliding his fingers back down her body, he slipped them between her folds and into the well of her body.

  “Gigi,” he whispered, nuzzling into her neck. She moaned gently and turned onto her back, putting her naked body on glorious display. Leaning down, Max took one of her breasts into his mouth and teased her nipple with his tongue. She moaned again, louder this time, and her eyes slowly opened.

  “Good morning,” he said, his mouth and tongue still preoccupied.

  She smiled then gasped when he bit down on her sensitive flesh. “I should wake up like this all the time.”

  Damn fucking straight. “Will you do something for me?”

  “If you keep doing what you’re doing, I’d agree to just about anything.” One of her hands dug into his hair, her fingers tightening against his scalp when he flicked his tongue over her nipple again.

  “I want you to masturbate while I watch.” He moved his mouth over to her other breast, waiting for her response. He could see her chest rising and falling faster, the very idea of doing what he’d asked turning her on.

  “Okay.”

  He lifted his head. “Really?”

  She nodded. He sat up, positioning himself beside her. She stayed on her back, staring at him. In his periphery, he could see she’d started tracing slow circles around her glistening peaked nipples, her mouth opening slightly to let a shuddered breath escape. Max’s eyes darted to her other hand, watching it move down her body. Gigi’s legs fell open, her fingers skimming through the fine hair of her mons. Impossibly, his already engorged cock hardened further. He palmed himself, rubbing his hand from base to tip. She watched his progress, biting down on her lower lip. Her cheeks, neck and chest had all blossomed with color, the side of her throat barely able to contain her racing pulse.

  She gasped when one of her fingers sank inside her, and Max wished it was his cock. He restrained himself though. He knew what denial did to someone—it made getting the prize at the end so much better. She pushed her digit in again, deeper this time. It made her writhe against the bed, making her breasts tremble and drawing his attention. With his hand still on his erection, he bent and sucked one of her perfect breasts into his mouth.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He leaned back; he had to rein in his desires to watch Gigi bring herself to orgasm. Her hand was moving at a frantic pace now, her fingers alternating between circling her clit and thrusting inside her.

  She licked her lips. “I’m going to come soon,” she whimpered, her eyes first fixing on his face then dropping to his hips.

  Max was still massaging his erection, his actions just as frenzied as hers. He was matching her stroke for stroke, and he could feel the first signs of release on the horizon.

  “Watching you is such a turn on. Come with me,” she added.

  “Fuck, yeah,” Max agreed with an erotic growl, his palm increasing the friction. His lower back tightened, the muscles in his
abdomen starting to coil. Gigi’s hips popped off the bed, her breathing coming out in short sharp pants.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” she exhaled. Her lids slid down over her green eyes, her mouth forming a little ‘o’. Watching her orgasm was the final straw. With a shout, he came. He offloaded onto his hand and stomach, his whole body shaking with the aftershocks. When he could focus on the room once more, he found her looking at him.

  Bringing the finger she’d been using to get herself off with to her mouth, she slid it past her lips, licking off her arousal. Max’s eyes rolled back in his head.

  “Fuck, don’t do that, Gigi,” he ground out.

  “Why not?” she asked innocently.

  His eyes cut to hers. “Because I’ll want to fuck you and I need at least fifteen minutes to recover.”

  She sighed, letting her hand drop away from her mouth. “It’s probably for the best. I have a class in about an hour anyway.”

  Fuck. He forgot it was Monday.

  “Let me just go and get cleaned up and then the bathroom is all yours.” Sitting up, he grabbed his boxer briefs from the floor and wiped away what he could then walked to the bathroom. The whole way, he could feel Gigi’s hot gaze on his ass. Once in the bathroom, he turned on the shower and jumped in, stepping from the cubicle less than a minute later. Sliding a towel from the rack, he wrapped it around his waist, leaving the rest of his body wet.

  Stepping into the hall, he turned to go back to his bedroom, but the tone of Gigi’s voice coming from the direction of the living room immediately set off his internal alarms.

  “Max, there’s a woman here to see you,” she called, her words cold and clipped. He frowned. The only women who knew where he lived were his mother and Evangeline. He walked down the hall, emerging in the kitchen and into his own personal hell.

  “Chelsea? What the fuck are you doing here?” he snapped, his hand grabbing for the edge of the towel and holding it protectively against his body.

  “Who is she, Max?” Gigi asked.

  “Who am I?” Chelsea chimed in. “I’m his wife. Didn’t he tell you he was married?”