She grunted when he broke the kiss. He settled back against the pillows, holding her close to him. He brought about too many emotions at one time for her handle. One minute, she was laughing. The next, she was irritated. And the next, she was laying across his lap like a naughty schoolgirl. And every moment with him made her crave the next.
Chapter 19
If he didn't get inside of her soon, he was going to embarrass himself in his own bed. He couldn’t sleep with his cock so damn hard.
He checked his phone. She needed to be up in a few minutes for work. Work. She’d be on her feet for the next nine hours after only getting half a night’s sleep. The irritation about her job made him think about the spanking he'd given her.
When she'd come out of the bathroom and noticed him standing with his belt in hand, she looked like she was going to run. She didn't, though. She stood stock-still. She hadn't tried to get out of the spanking, hadn't even protested when he threw her over his knee. When she began to cry, it had torn at him, and he considered stopping. It was the hardest part for him, but if he had stopped too soon, the lesson wouldn’t have been learned, and she wouldn’t have gotten the relief she so badly needed.
He watched her sleep, and the longer he watched her, the harder his cock got. He had to sink himself deep into her. He needed to feel her heat, her passion.
"Fuck it," he growled, sliding his hand under the sheets.
His fingers ran up her warm thigh. A low murmur escaped her lips as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, nibbling and kissing her tender flesh. Another moan, but softer, as she turned onto her back. His hand slid away from her thigh to allow her leg to reposition, but quickly found her again, his fingers brushing against her sex.
"Good morning," she whispered with hooded eyes and a sleepy grin.
"Put your hands over your head," he commanded softly.
When she complied immediately, he brushed her clit harder. "Good. Good girl." He slid his finger downward into her slick folds. "God, so fucking responsive," he growled.
She stared up at him with clear eyes. No fear or indecisiveness to be found. He captured her lips in an intensifying kiss while his fingers dove deeper into her wetness.
"No." He pulled away when she started to arch her body. "Don't move." He withdrew his hand.
He dragged his nails down her thigh, soaking up the sweet sound of her hiss. As he ran them back up, he yanked her leg open and rolled her clit between his fingers.
"Your shirt,” he tsked.
He rolled the cotton tank top up her body and said, "Open your mouth." With only a hint of apprehension, she did, and he placed the material between her teeth. "Nice."
He kissed her now gagged lips before he snaked down her body, trailing her stomach with kisses and well-placed licks on her pelvis before he settled between her thighs.
The smell of her arousal fueled his desire. Without preamble, he captured her clit between his lips and suckled. She nearly bucked off the bed and groaned. His tongue swirled her swollen, sensitive sex, and he wrapped his arms around her milky thighs, gripping her harshly with his fingers.
"Fuck, Alex." Her voice was a harsh, muffled whisper beneath her shirt. "Please."
"Nope." He answered her before returning to his work. She squirmed more when his tongue dipped into her entrance and his nails bit into her flesh.
"Please." The urgency in her muffled voice gave him enough of a hint that she was getting extremely close to losing control.
"Grip the headboard if you need to, but do not move your hands." He placed a chaste kiss to her clit. "I'm going to lick this beautiful pussy until you come. No permission needed, baby. Just come. Hard." He curled his tongue, and with just the tip, he flicked her clit. Her fingers gripped the top of the headboard, fighting for control.
The taste of her drove him closer to his own limit of control. He pulled her thighs farther apart as she began to clench around him. He ran his tongue from her entrance slowly up to her clit where he gently pinched her with his teeth.
His nails dug into her flesh, and he sucked harder just as her hips arched up toward him and she cried out as the waves of her orgasm ripped through her. He gentled his licks as she slowly lowered her hips back to the bed. He gave her clit one last kiss before he raised himself up on his elbows to look up the length of her.
The soft pink shirt remained bunched in her mouth, and her eyes captured his as she continued to grip the headboard behind her. He kissed her belly, then each breast, before he came to stop at her lips.
"Your come is all over my mouth." Her eyes widened in excitement as he pulled the shirt free from her mouth and replaced it with his own. His tongue invaded her, mating with hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His dick ached with need. He was no longer going to deny himself.
Pulling away from her, he leaned back, positioning his cock at her slick entrance. “Hold your legs open for me, baby." She repositioned herself, a blush taking over her cheeks as his eyes wandered down to where their bodies were about to join. He had just brought her to orgasm with his tongue, but the prospect of holding her legs open for him made her blush. "Wider, baby." He nudged her legs a bit until she had them pulled back toward her enough that he could see all of her. "Hold them there," he directed before sinking his dick into her heat.
Having her like this, so open and obedient, drove him even closer to losing control. He placed his hands over hers, holding her legs with her as he drove into her again, harder and harder still. She made no sound, other than a contented sigh as he ground into her clit. She was so tight, so hot and wet for him. Her eyes locked on his as the wave of intense pleasure gripped him. She let go of her legs and held onto his shoulders as he found his release, pounding into her harder and harder as the waves took him over.
"Ah, there you are." She grinned up at him as his vision refocused.
He smiled back at her, letting her run her hands over his bare chest and arms as his breaths became less labored.
He reached over to the nightstand on her side of the bed and opened the drawer. Pulling out a towel, he leaned back and withdrew from her. "You are going to be late for your last shift." He nodded toward his bathroom. "You might want to get cleaned up, Ms. Sanders. You're looking a little like a woman who just got thoroughly fucked." He laughed at the mock protest in her expression and scooted off the bed. "C'mon. Shower up. I'll get some food going and drive you to work." He gave her one last kiss, tweaked her nose, and strode from the room, swiping up his robe on the way out.
It was going to be good day.
Chapter 20
“Here you are.” Alex breezed into Alyssa’s bedroom. “What are doing?”
“I figured we wouldn’t have time to come back here so I can change after work, so I’m bringing clothes with me.” She zipped up the backpack. “I can’t go to your dad’s smelling like frying oil.”
He took the pack from her hands and placed it on the bed. “You sure I can’t drive you to work? You don’t have to take the bus,” he offered for the third time since she stepped out of the shower half an hour ago. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
“I have enough time to get there. I’m at a good part of my audiobook and if you drive me, I can’t listen.” She grabbed her phone from the bed table and slipped it into her back pocket.
“What sort of books do you like? Maybe you should talk with Jessica,” Alex suggested.
“She’s the editor, right? She works with romance. I’m more of a thriller type of girl,” she said while swooping her hair up into a ponytail. It was going to be a hot day. The air conditioner at the diner would be no match for the Chicago humidity.
Alex’s lips pulled up into a wide smile. “That doesn’t really surprise me.”
“Really?”
“You have that I love serial killers look about you,” he said.
She laughed. “What?”
“Not in a bad way.” His eyes danced as he stalked toward her, a wolfish grin playing on his
lips.
“Not in a bad way?”
“Not a bad way at all.” When he reached her, he cupped the back of her head and dragged her to his. Her body went lax beneath his powerful kiss.
“You’re going to be late, stop screwing around,” he uttered and popped her ass with a smack.
She blinked. Damn. A quick kiss from him, and she melted.
“Right. Work.”
“Speaking of work,” he said softly, trailing behind her as she made her way through the apartment to the front door.
“I don’t want to talk about this again, Alex. Please. Can we just leave it?” She stopped at the front door. The conversation was getting old.
He handed her the backpack. “What I wanted to say is I was thinking about it, and I’m not going to pressure you to quit the diner. You’re an adult and can make these calls for yourself.” His eyes narrowed. “But…”
She scoffed. “Of course, there’s a but.”
“But I would like you to consider cutting down on your shifts there. Maybe go part time?”
Not unreasonable. Her body wouldn’t mind a few more hours of sleep.
“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll talk with my manager today,” she agreed.
Success reigned supreme in his eyes . “I’ll pick you up at four.”
She rose up on her toes and planted a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be waiting.”
He smacked her ass hard as she walked out the door. “Just a little reminder,” he called after her when she glared over her shoulder at him.
* * *
“Here’s your schedule.” Mrs. Devon handed Alyssa a slip of paper for next week’s shifts.
Four ten hours shifts.
“Uh.” Her fingers gripped the paper, wrinkling it at the edges.
“Something wrong, hon?” Mrs. Devon asked.
Alyssa’s stomach flipped.
“No. Nothing’s wrong.” She folded the paper in half, then again before sliding it into her pocket. “Thanks.”
“Also, there’s a guy at table ten for you. Your shift’s almost done, and I noticed you didn’t take your break today. Just cut out now.”
Alex wouldn’t have come inside for her. He’d wait in his car.
“Do you know who it is?” Alyssa asked, untying her apron.
“No. He ordered a burger and asked if you were working today. I said I’d check.” She nodded toward the passthrough. “Maybe take a look before you go out there. Sometimes customers get a little too familiar with the waitresses, you know?”
“Yeah.” Alyssa didn’t need any more explanation. “I do.”
She peaked through the window opening into the restaurant and caught sight of the apron at table ten.
Stephen.
What the hell was he doing there? And how did he find out where she was?
“Hi,” Stephen said with a saccharine grin. He climbed out of the booth, his arms open for a hug.
Alyssa slid into the booth across from him, stuffing her bag beside her. She had a short time before Alex arrived and she didn’t need Stephen around.
"Okay." He dropped his arms and sat down. “You’re still pissed.”
"Pissed? Stephen, you were an ass,” she snapped. "It was embarrassing."
"Embarrassing? Having your boss-slash-boyfriend kick me out embarrassed you?" He forced a lightness to his tone, but she knew him. The sweeter he made his voice, the more menacing he felt.
"You wanted something?" There was no point in arguing with him when he was in one of his moods, and she really needed him to go before Alex showed up. She had enough to deal with without adding him to the conversation.
"I wanted to apologize for getting in the way last night." He shrugged. "I hadn't realized I was such an ass, though," he mocked her. Always mocking her. "So, this is your other job? I would have thought Ken doll would have you tied up to his bed all day." A bitter smirk twisted his lips.
"Ken doll? Really?" She shook her head. "Stephen." Even his name on her lips felt like a betrayal to Alex. "Thank you for checking up on me. But I'm doing good. I'm fine. I'm settled."
"I don't want your thanks, baby." He folded his arms on the table. "I want you." He stared her down. "I think we can be good. I know I took a little advantage of you. I shouldn't have been so pushy. I'll take it slow this time. You may have had some more playtime now, but you need a full-time hand. Someone who will be there when the floggers get put away."
Of course that’s what she needed and wanted, but not with him. Never with him.
"Stephen. I have Alex." She glanced at the clock behind him on the wall. Five more minutes. “We broke up a long time ago, why the change in heart?”
"You left. You left, and I missed you. More than I should have. I want to be the guy you come to with your troubles. The guy you crave when your body is on fire with lust. The guy you kneel to, obey and submit to. That's the guy I want to be." With his lopsided grin, arched eyebrows, and perfectly worded speech, she decided he’d been practicing in his mirror. She’d witnessed his performance over and over again while they were together. She wasn’t falling for it anymore.
And she needed to get outside to wait for Alex. If she wasn’t there, he’d park and come inside.
"Stephen, we’d never work. You know that. Besides, I have Alex,” she said with a soft smile. “I’m happy.”
His soft expression hardened, and he scooted from the booth. Anger emanated off his body as he hovered over her. He placed one hand on the table and the other behind her on the booth, trapping her.
"That city boy can't give you what I can, and you know it. You go ahead and play your game, little girl, but you will be mine again. And this time, I'll know how strict to be with you. You've been on your own for too long." He took a deep breath through his nose and plastered on a large grin. "You better get back to waiting your tables." He ruffled her hair with his right hand and made his way to the door.
She watched him leave with a twinge of fear. His again? What happened? Why was he so adamant about them getting back together? They'd been nothing but friends for the past year, why the sudden change of heart? Could he really have missed her after she left?
The only thing she knew for sure was she could not tell Alex about it. He didn't seem the jealous type, but he very much gave the impression of being the overprotective type. She didn't want to worry him or start interfering in his day-to-day life. He worked two stressful jobs. Putting the burden of an old boyfriend on his shoulders didn't seem fair.
She'd deal with it on her own. Like she always did.
Chapter 21
Alex sat across the table from Royce and Kendrick while they ate their burgers. He sipped his beer while listening to Kendrick explain Kelly's newest idea for their wedding.
"She has the invitations all picked out, but she can't get them ordered because she can't settle her damn mind on where she wants to have the party."
"You mean the reception?" Royce clarified, taking a bite of his French fry.
"No. It's not a reception. To Kelly, it's a party." He took a deep breath. "That woman changes her mind one more time, and I swear I'm going to—" He caught himself and shook his head. "I'm going to lose my mind," he finished. Alex was fully aware of the relationship Kendrick had with Kelly. It wasn't losing his mind he was talking about.
"She's wanted to get married since the day I met her." Alex laughed. "How does she not have this planned out already?"
"No, she wanted to be married, not get married. She's explained this so many times, it's starting to actually make sense." Kendrick took another pull of his beer. "It's getting to the point where her choices are extremely limited. She's put a hold on two different halls, but now she thinks she'd rather have an outdoor wedding."
"Outdoors? In October?" Royce chimed in.
"I know." Kendrick sighed again.
"Why don't you just tag along with Erin and Jonathan and get married with them." Alex gave a laugh. "He didn't reply to my texts this week, which is odd. Hav
e you two heard from them?" Erin had been a no-show the last several weeks for dinner, and Alex was starting to think more than wedding stress was going on with them.
"No, but Jess said she's going to head out there to see her if she can't get a hold of her by tomorrow." Royce shoved his plate away from him.
"What are your two hell cats doing today? Neither of them has pestered me with dating advice all day." Alex checked his phone again. No messages. She was working, and he'd let her get through her day, but damn, he wanted to touch her, even if it was through airwaves.
"They’re shopping," Royce responded with a look toward Kendrick. "Jess finally agreed to move in. She's looking for a new desk to go in the office." Alex didn't miss the side-glance Royce gave him when he made his announcement.
"That's good," Alex responded, and he meant it. There was no pang of envy or bubble of regret forming as he said the words. "It's about time she moved in."
Kendrick eyed Alex. "And what about Alyssa?"
"Her apartment was a piece of crap. She's staying with me until she can find something better." Alex shrugged.
"Ah." Royce smiled. "Now that is great to hear." His features relaxed. The two of them had never discussed Alex's feelings for Jessica, but they both knew the truth of the matter.
"Just until she finds her own place?" Kendrick asked with a wry twist of his lips. "If Jess is moving in with Royce, won't her place be available? Maybe she could sublet it to Alyssa?"
Alex glared at him. He was becoming just as much of a troublemaker as his fiancée.
"No. Jessica doesn't need a security net like that." He shook his head. "Besides, Royce wouldn't allow her to do that." He looked at his phone again. Still nothing.
"Well…" Royce began, "turns out her lease was just up, and she signed for another year. The owners will let her out of the lease, but she'll have to forfeit her deposit as well as three months’ rent—a clause they had in the lease. Subletting is actually a good option."
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