“God, these four remind me of us when we were their age,” Uncle Sebastian moans.
“Some of us have even grown up.” Uncle Lucien raises a brow.
Uncle Sebastian doesn’t comment but focuses on Ryan. “So spill the beans.”
“Um,” Dylan hedges. “Ask Jaxon.”
“Someone at college then?” Aunt Carla mumbles. “I’ll ask Dylan, he can’t resist his mother when I want to know something.” She frowns. “In fact, isn’t he a friend of Dylan’s? I’m sure I’ve met a Seth when we’ve visited Dylan at college.”
This conversation is going to annoy Paige when she finds out, which she will because Ryan has to know everything going on. “Instead of speculating,” I say, “why don’t we talk about something else.”
“Good idea,” Aunt Sabrina agrees. “Why don’t you tell us about your Italian trip? It’s been moved forward from what Ramon was telling me.”
My heart sinks and I feel Alexander still beside me.
The family know that I’m intending on going to Europe for a few weeks, but I haven’t had chance to tell anyone other than my fathers that it’s been moved forward. Now though, I don’t want to go anywhere unless Alexander is with me. But I can’t say that with a table full of witnesses.
“Um, yeah. I’m heading to Florence in a few weeks for a month.” I shrug. “It’s part of my study program. A lot of the students opted for the semester abroad, but I don’t want to be away that long.” I nervously glance at Alexander and realize he’s forcing himself to eat while ignoring me.
“We’ve been to Italy,” Aunt Carla says. “It’s a romantic place to visit, and the food is amazing.”
“Perhaps you’ll meet an Italian hottie, and spend the rest of your life in Italy,” Ryan suggests wiggling his brows.
The others laugh, mine is forced, and Alexander’s is none existent.
“That isn’t funny,” Alexander growls, throwing his napkin on his plate. He shoves away from the table and leaves without a backward glance.
My first thought is to run after him—to tell him that he’s the only man I’ll ever want—that I want him to spend as much of the month I’m in Florence with me, except his father, Uncle Lucien, goes after him. I don’t miss the tired glance he gives me before he goes after Alexander.
11
Alexander
I knew she was going to Italy, it was just a shock hearing that it would be happening sooner than originally planned. I thought I had myself under control, but that went to hell with Ryan’s comment. He meant well, and teased as he usually would, and I don’t really blame him. He has no clue that I’m in love with Rachel. I suspect some of our family are aware of our feelings, but not in the sense that we’re actually together.
The cold mountain air takes my breath away as I walk out on the veranda with a view of the ski slopes as they’re well lit for the nighttime skiers.
“You’re my son, and I love you,” Dad utters the words directly behind me. “You’ve no idea how much it hurts because I can’t take away your pain.”
He moves beside me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Does anyone else know how you feel about Rachel?”
I dip my head and look over the railing to the road below. “Others suspect.”
He nods. “It’s not going to be easy, but you have to move on, and perhaps Rachel being overseas will help you do just that.”
I have to look away, blinking rapidly as tears come to my eyes. The thought of losing Rachel hurts. It hurts so much that my face ends up damp from the tears that fall.
“Uncle Lucien?” Rachel says, her footfalls moving closer.
Turning, I find her face as damp as mine. My father sighs heavily as he too, turns to look at her.
Rachel opens her mouth to say something but instead great big wracking sobs shake her body, and I do the only thing I can, and catch her up in my arms. We hold each other tightly and as I cradle her head against my neck, I meet my father’s worried gaze. “I love her Dad. She’s the only woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“I want the same thing, Uncle Lucien.” Rachel sniffles and hiccups. “I love him. Only him. That’s the reason why Paige and I aren’t talking. She wants me away from him, but I can’t do that.” She nuzzles into my neck. “Alexander is my whole world.”
“I can see that,” Dad says, sighing heavily. “I’m not sure—”
“We’re together Dad.” I kiss Rachel on the forehead. “After this weekend we don’t intend hiding anything from anyone. I’m proud to call Rachel mine, and I’m not going to let family come between us. I love her.”
Dad offers a wry smile. “Believe it or not, I actually admire you for taking control of your life in this way. It’s not going to be easy, and I’ve no idea how my brother is going to react, but it is what it is.”
“You’ll keep it to yourself this weekend?” Rachel asks, looking at my dad.
He nods. “I’ll talk to your mother,” he holds my stare, “but no one else.”
“Thank you, Uncle Lucien.”
He walks away after a brief hug for us both.
“I meant to tell you about Italy moving forward, I just got caught up in us.”
“I’m not ready to lose you.” I hold her close and bury my face into her hair.
“Come with me.”
“What?”
“Michael worked overseas for a short time, so why can’t you? Come with me. Hold my hand as we walk around Florence, eat delicious food in Italian bistros, and make sweet love.”
“I’m so tempted to throw everything to the wind and say yes, but I can’t. Not until I’ve spoken to Michael and Olivia. I can’t leave them without support, and right now I’m supposed to be covering while Michael takes time off with Brooke.” I step back and run my hands through my hair. “I don’t know how to make it work.” I tug at the longer strands.
“Let’s not think about it now, okay? I want to dance with you at Charlotte’s wedding.” Rachel smiles and her face lights up. “Of course I’ll then have to dance with everyone else, but at least I will have had your arms around me on the dance floor.”
“Paige isn’t going to like it.”
Rachel bites her lip. “We’ll take the chance that she won’t make a scene because I’m not about to let her have control of my decisions or what we do. You told your dad that we’re together, which we are.”
My heart feels like it’s going to explode with the love I have for this beautiful woman in my arms. “Take my hand,” I offer.
Our fingers intertwine. “Let’s dance.”
She giggles as I lead her inside. The small function room already has music playing and couples dancing. Uncle Sebastian makes me laugh as he starts getting fresh with Aunt Carla.
I roll my eyes when Rachel meets my gaze with mirth in hers. My arms tighten around her and we’re slow dancing. I grin and Rachel returns it just as I spin her around and then back into my arms. She comes back to me laughing and that’s how the rest of the dance goes. We have fun but have to keep it light, and then I lose her to Uncle Ramon, her father.
My mother slips into my arms, giving me a pointed look. She pulls me close and whispers, “I love you.” Her words momentarily derail me, but then she has me dancing around the room with her until she finds my father and entices him to the dance floor with her. “He hates to dance.”
“He needs to be close to you,” I comment and moving away, I grab Charlotte from her husband’s arms.
“That’s so not fair,” she grumbles.
“You can’t expect the men in your family to not dance with you on your wedding day.”
“I want to dance with him on our wedding day.”
I laugh. “You sound like a two year old having a tantrum.”
“Well, if you don’t return me to my husband, you’ll see what kind of tantrum I’m capable of.”
I grin and leaning in, kiss her on the cheek. “I’m really happy for you Charlotte.” I kiss her again and return her to Tann
er, taking Madison from him.
“Nice to see you’re not hiding behind anymore plants,” I comment and get a glare in return.
“I’m done with the hiding. I actually think the wine has something to do with that.” She giggles and I groan.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Enough to forget all about the flesh I’m revealing in this dress.”
Help!
“Um, Madison, can we not talk about that? Please!”
She giggles. “You’re so funny Alexander. You and Joshua are usually the more serious of the lot of us, but yet this weekend I’m seeing a different side to you.” She raises a brow and when I don’t say anything, she continues, “You’re cute when you’re not in control.”
“I’m not cute,” I grumble.
Madison smirks. “So cute.” She grabs hold of my chin and squeezes as you would a child. “See, cute.”
“You need to go and sleep the wine off.”
“I wonder if Derek will take me to bed,” she mumbles, and I really do panic. Ryan waltzes by with his sister Sofia in his arms, and yes, he caught the words out of Madison’s mouth.
So did Sofia. “I’ll take you upstairs,” she offers. “I think it will be best.” Sofia wraps an arm around Madison’s waist and with a slight tug starts walking toward the exit. Ryan follows behind.
Running my hands through my hair, I move from the dance floor and watch Rachel laughing with Jaxon.
She’s so beautiful that my heart catches in my throat as I try to imagine my life without her in it. I can’t because it’s unbearable.
“You both are going to cause a rift within the family if you carry on?” Paige hisses beside me.
I give her a sideways glance. “I love her Paige, and she loves me. That isn’t going to change because you don’t like it.”
“It has to stop.” Her anger is real as I glance at her face and she leaves me speechless. “It’s not right.”
“I’m not listening to you so you might as well save your breath.” I move away and on exiting the room, I find Rachel slip in beside me.
“I saw you with Paige.” She intertwines our fingers, leading me toward the elevators. “She looked angry, and so did you.” She leans in and kisses my shoulder.
Once inside the elevator, I wrap her in my arms and hold her close. “We’re not needed again downstairs?”
“No. I quickly said goodnight to my dads.”
I drop my chin to the top of her head. “Good.”
We head toward what I’ve come to think of as our room.
12
Rachel
My heart thuds as Alexander shuts us into our room for the night. I don’t have a lot of experience at teasing or initiating sex with a man, but I’m sure going to enjoy the show I have planned.
While Alexander puts the lock to the door in my room, I quickly yank my dress over my head, which leaves me in a hot pink lacy thong, garter, and holdups. I perch on the edge of the dressing table in his room, and wait … he walks back into the room and gasps as he catches sight of me.
He gulps … and gulps again. “I don’t—” he clears his throat. “Wow.”
I chuckle. “You like what you see?” I ask, cupping my naked breasts.
His eyes darken and his tongue pops out, licking his lips as he watches the show I’m putting on for him. “Mmm,” he mumbles, moving closer. “You’re a wet dream.”
My eyes widen in surprise as I watch every move he makes in getting himself naked, and then he’s standing before me—all man—bare skin, his breathing harsh, and his penis, hard and twitching.
He moves closer and drops his naked butt to the bed, a hand wrapping around his rigid flesh. “Don’t let me stop your show.” My eyes focus on the slow movement of his hand as he strokes himself.
“I want to watch you,” I admit.
“Then watch me … while you touch yourself. I find it just as arousing watching you.”
I push my thong down my legs and kick it off, smiling to myself when I hear a low curse from Alexander. My bottom goes back to the dressing table and I spread my legs. Oh, he loves that view as his cock jerks, leaking precum when his eyes connect with that part of my body.
My hands caress over my torso, cupping my breasts before I hide my embarrassment and pinch my nipples. I slowly slide one hand down and rub my fingers through the small patch of hair on my mound before I spread my swollen lips.
Alexander is really worked up as his fist pumps faster, his flesh so long and hard with the head of him bulging purple. The tip is soaked and all I can think about is licking him up.
That’s what I do.
I drop to my knees, knock his hand away and replace it with one of mine. With one swipe of my tongue against the flared head, his hips jerk upwards and he pants. “I want to come inside of you.” He throws his head back with another swirl of my tongue as I lap him up. “Rachel.”
Standing, I give him a show as I turn around, giving him a view of my bottom in the garters. Straddling his legs, I grasp his cock in my hand and slowly lower myself down.
“You’re so big,” I moan, letting him widen his legs, which tugs mine further apart.
“You have me so worked up that I’m going to come the minute you move.” He caresses my hips and slowly moves upwards, until he has a breast in each hand. He massages the mounds, and pinches and rolls my nipples, sending waves of pleasure right to my core.
He pants under me and then I start to rock. His thighs quiver and the moment he moves, and touches me between my legs, I throb.
My core pulsates around his hard silken flesh and I let my head fall back to his shoulder as I writhe on him, and then I feel his release squirting against my inner walls. He’s warm and thick, exciting me all over again as small pulses of release continue to run through me.
It takes a while for us both to catch our breath and when Alexander does, he wraps his arms around me and gets me comfortable on the bed. His face nuzzles between my breasts while his hands clamp to my bottom, massaging, arousing me all over again. He nuzzles his way down, spreading my thighs wider so he can fit between, and then I feel his mouth.
He kisses and nuzzles, until I feel his tongue lick and prod my sensitive folds. “You taste so good,” he mumbles, his face buried between my legs.
While he’s rapidly bringing me close to another orgasm, I feel his fingers start to play with my garters, and then he admits, “These are so fucking sexy.” His movements become quick and jerky, and then he’s rising up, over me … and then I feel him.
His penis is granite hard as he probes between my legs. Finding the entrance to pleasure, he slides inside and settling on top of me, not an inch between us, he captures my lips. His moist, firm mouth demands a response that I’m only too willing to give him as our kiss becomes urgent and exciting.
My fingernails dig into the round globes of his bottom, and with a growl he slowly starts to glide back and forth. One hand lands on my thigh, his thumb rubs back and forth over a garter strap.
Our breaths become gasping and then my release crashes into me, and Alexander hammers his hips … once … twice … three times, and he holds himself tightly inside of me as he comes.
“God.” He drops his face into my neck. “I think you’re going to kill me.”
I thread my fingers through his hair and with a gentle tug, pull him up to look at me. “I love you.”
He moans and brushes a kiss over my plump lips. “I love you so damn much, that I never want to spend a day or night without you.”
Settling into his arms, we lay on our sides and sleep claims me.
13
Alexander
After hiding another yawn behind my hand I’m beginning to think I’m stupid for agreeing to join my cousins for early morning skiing on the fresh snow. The whir of the gondola sounds loud in my ears while I try to pay attention to the run Joshua wants to go for. We’re all excellent skiers and have no problem with the more advance runs, except today I want t
o go at an easier pace.
The night spent with Rachel makes me smile to myself and it’s that, which Olivia catches. My sister is more observant than most, at least when she wants to be. She raises a brow and shakes her head, pushing through Dylan and Ryan. “I think you need more coffee … or sleep.”
I grin. “Both would be good,” I agree, glancing at Rachel as she talks to Sofia.
Paige isn’t here, which I have to say fills me with relief, and I think it did Rachel when she realized her twin hadn’t shown up. Something needs to happen between them two because I don’t like them falling out because of me. Paige and my other female cousins have always felt more like sisters, except with Rachel my feelings for her have always been more.
How I’d react to her and treat her, had never made sense until I’d grown up—then, what I’d felt had scared the shit out of me. Now, it makes me nervous, but nothing more. I’m only nervous because of how our family might react, and not because I’m with Rachel. I need to keep telling myself that at least my father will be on my side. He seemed more resigned than anything when we talked.
“You really do need something,” Olivia tells me, “maybe do a different run to wake you up. The black run that Ryan and Dylan are currently arguing over needs full concentration.”
“I agree.” I yawn again.
Shaking my head, I start to move away. “I’ll meet you all on the slopes. I need more coffee first.” I start backing away. “Anyone else?” I glance at everyone and smile when Rachel moves toward me.
“I’ll come with you.” She glances at Madison who has just appeared. “I think maybe you need to come with us first.”
“I’m fine. Took Tylenol and drank about two gallons of water before I dropped into bed.” She shrugs and smiles. “No headache.” She winces. “Although I keep needing to pee.”
Chuckling, I grab Rachel’s arm and gently pull her around and away from the others. Without a second thought, I wrap my arm around her neck and smile when her arm slips around my back.
McKenzie Cousins Box Set 2 Page 6